Community Council
of the Royal Burgh of Peebles & District
Community Council
of the Royal Burgh of Peebles & District
South of Scotland communities have benefitted from £30.9 million funding from onshore wind farms since 1996. That figure could triple to almost £900 million by 2058 if the South’s share remains at the current level of 21% of Scotland’s onshore wind generation capacity [SOSE, pp 1-2].
Those community benefits payments are made to local communities hosting wind farm and electricity generation networks and are paid in various forms. Community benefit funds are generally fixed annual amounts paid to communities who then allocate funding to local projects. However, shared ownership or in-kind benefits, such as electricity bill discounts to residents or direct funding of larger community projects, can also be offered.
Expectations were set in 2014 that onshore wind farms should contribute to local economies:
“Scottish Government recommends a community benefit package for onshore wind developments with a value to the equivalent of at least £5,000 per installed megawatt per annum,
Sadly, the
Crossdykes Wind Farm near Lockerbie is hailed as industry leading after committing to £7000 per MW per year.
After
Of the 21 proposed new wind farm projects for the South of Scotland that are likely to proceed, the average value of community benefits funds is estimated at £3986 per MW per year. While this is substantially higher than the current average benefits paid by existing wind farms of £2537 per MW per year, this is still less than 60% of the Crossdykes figure and the guidance [SOSE, page 23].
The Scottish Government introduced guidance on community benefits rather than legislation because of the UK parliament’s decision to reserve energy policy. In December 2023, Scottish Minister for Energy & Environment Gillian Martin wrote to UK Secretary of State for Energy Security and Net Zero Claire Coutinho:
“The Cabinet Secretary and I have consistently called on the UK Government to explore mandating community benefits for onshore energy developments. I am writing to reiterate that call.” [HoCL, pg 7]
Rt Hon Mr Angus MacDonald in his maiden speech at Westminster 5 Sep 2024 said:
“What was a beautiful view of the mountains is now rows of 200-metre-high whirling turbines, and large new pylons marching across the country to the cities, where the demand is. Secondly, what is in it for the locals? The turbines and generators are manufactured overseas, the developer and utilities firms are from outwith the UK, and the workers are shipped in. Last year, our total community benefit from that multibillion-pound industry was an estimated £9.1 million in the highlands, and £26.4 million across Scotland as a whole. It should be a multiple of those figures. ...
What can be done about this? I propose that 5% of revenue from all newly consented renewable energy generated both onshore and offshore should be paid to community benefit funds. For onshore projects, two thirds of that should be paid to the affected council ward, with one third paid to a council infrastructure fund. ...
The Norwegians handled the revenue from the North sea oil boom well, and their sovereign wealth fund is now valued at $1.7 trillion. Britain saved nothing, and we are in real danger of repeating that mistake with the renewables bonanza.” [Hansard. Note Follow-on debate 15 Oct 2024]
Bowbeat Wind Farm (pictured, in the north of the Peebles and Innerleithen District Community Council areas) recently had its lifetime extended by SBC by 5 years.
If you have any thoughts on community benefits from this or other wind farms, please contact Anne Snoddy (Secretary) secretary@ccrbpeebles.co.uk
Dr Michael Marshall
Planning Convenor
Peebles and District Community Council
In our September meeting one of the subjects discussed was how support for young people is being eroded.
Yes, we have had successes, the shelter in Victoria Park hasn’t generated any adverse comments that we know of, and it hasn’t been trashed as some doubters forecast. Another success is the introduction of Street Pastors who provide support to young people on Friday and Saturday nights twice a month. These patrols undoubtedly reduce some potential for mischief. We, the PCC strongly thank the organisers and volunteers who make this happen.
We had other successes too, such as the young peoples’ film nights, etc. We think it has made a difference, but now there is a perfect storm. Funding is being reduced or stopped altogether, coordinators and volunteers are retiring or taking a step back and no one is coming forward to lend a hand.
Just two recent examples – “Oor Space Youthy” has cancelled OSY Juniors (Friday), OSY Seniors (Saturday) and the youth Café (Monday and Thursday) and “Peebles Youth Voice” has been wound up. Will we now see a deterioration in behaviour? Probably.
Society has changed, youngsters are subject to different pressures, particularly with social media, and schools often seem to concentrate on high academic achievement as the be all and end all for youngsters to succeed. In the past this pressure was offset by technical subjects for the practical kids who weren’t academic and by lauding sporting achievement. Social media and electronic games also have an effect by reducing actual face to face communication with peers and parents alike, at least for some people.
Youth groups provide a forum in which real communication can take place, where some can find support or words of comfort and advice which aren’t available elsewhere or where youngsters are reluctant to look for it. Not everyone can be academic. In my case I had a great career after initially being a failure at school. Perhaps a slow developer. Again, I have a friend who being highly dyslexic, still can’t read and write very well. At school he was told he would never amount to anything, but like me, he had a very successful business career and even flies his own plane. We need to provide support and to help every youngster to be a success; and by doing so reduce some of the potential for poor behaviour. Neither should we forget that only a very small minority cause problems and support from society can often help them.
Recently, I came across a company that to me at any rate stands out for best practice in developing youth. P&M Sinclair (who are builders) have 20 trade apprentices who make up roughly a quarter of the workforce. Edinburgh College and CITB (Construction Industry Training Board) provide the foundation for their modern apprenticeships. The company deliver employability sessions at local high schools and have previously hosted work placements for local S5 pupils undertaking a foundation apprenticeship in business skills.
As if this was not enough, in January every year they support the Future Pathways event at Penicuik School, helping with mock interviews amongst other things. Further, they attended an event in Midlothian for circa 100 S3 students to consider work in the built environment by giving youngsters the opportunity to experience hands on sessions with real employers. Unfortunately, this article can only sample a little of what this company does so well. Perhaps others can learn from this. Apart from anything else, the company consider that it provides them with a stronger skills base than would standard recruitment practices.
At our PCC meeting it was expressed that people suffer from an inertia when it comes to volunteering. However, with something so important as our children, can we stand back and fail them through our inertia and lack of interest?
If you would like to help, please contact Anne Snoddy (Secretary) secretary@ccrbpeebles.co.uk
Peter Maudsley
Chair
Peebles and District Community Council
As many will know, Peebles and District Community Council (PCC) organised the local hustings for the Westminster elections. I was nervous, having never been involved in anything similar before and not knowing how it would turn out. However, my concerns weren’t justified. The Burgh Hall was packed, there was only a little barracking of the seven candidates, the audience were generally well behaved and so too were our politicians. A far better example of democratic principles than exhibited in some of the televised public debates. Perhaps Peebles can provide a lesson for all the others!
Only one criticism has fed back to me and that was there were no questions on local issues, but of course local issues were not what this election was all about. We were also lucky to have an excellent Chair in Father Tony Lappin and he deserves much of the credit for a successful evening.
Now that the general election is out of the way we can return to local issues. Just how healthy is our local democracy? On the surface it appears satisfactory, I believe your community council work well with the elected councillors and indeed the elected councillors regardless of party seem to work well together and they do work hard for the community they serve. PCC is represented on the community hospitals working group, NHS Borders recently gave invites to the public to allow scrutiny of its future direction and SBC continuously issue questionnaires to collect public views on a range of subjects.
It all looks good, but how effective is this local democracy? I would suggest not very. There is a general perception that much of this interaction with the public, by public services is window dressing. I am certainly coming to believe that. The Scottish Borders Community Council Network died off, partly due to a lack of volunteers, but mostly, because the way it was originally organised by SBC could never work effectively.
Local groups including the PCC are understaffed and almost always underfunded. People demand services, want events like Peebles in Bloom, the Beltane and the Christmas Lights and they ask PCC for help when they have a problem. However, most folk consider themselves far too busy to get involved with helping and when it all falls apart, they cry about how awful it is and so sad that no one provides these things anymore. Volunteer groups all need more people to give back to the community and not just to take from it.
In England, parish and burgh councils have an average annual budget of £1m and can make local decisions on what benefits the community. Community councils in the Scottish borders have just £60,000 between them and almost no local autonomy. Scotland’s regional councils are the largest in the developed world with an average population of 175,000. Across Europe the average is 10,000. Norway, long held up as an example to us with a similar population to Scotland has nearly 400 small but powerful councils compared to our 32 overblown edifices.
Effective local democracy? I don’t think so!
As always: support or comment to Anne Snoddy (Secretary PCC) secretary@ccrbpeebles.co.uk
Peter Maudsley
Chair
Peebles and District Community Council
This is the writer’s second AGM and covers a full year from May 2023.The report includes a lot of detail, probably more than an AGM usually requires. However, it is included to make two important points.
Firstly, on occasion we, that is the PCC has been accused of doing nothing worthwhile. This form of comment is always via social media and although it says more about the poster than it does about the PCC, it does cause some angst amongst our members. The detail here surely buries those comments stone dead. Allied to these comments is the occasional complaint that we haven’t taken a particular action that the poster would have liked to see. Assuming that the poster is eligible to be a member of the PCC, they are welcome to join us and work free for the community. We should take heart from all the supportive verbal feedback that we hear day in and day out.
The second point relates to the community council system itself. Peebles CC receives £1,501 per annum, with only Galashiels and Hawick receiving more at nearly £2,000. Communities such as Walkerburn receive just short of £700, which the writer would argue is still too little by a long way. Our population is approaching 10,000 and Walkerburn is a tenth of our size but receives 50% of our funding. Our funding has deteriorated year on year from an equivalent today of around £2,100. If the reader considers the size and complexity of Peebles, and that de-facto our community council is a poor replacement for a town council, then the support we have is pathetic. The average cost of a secretary today in Scotland is £28K per annum. Our secretary works three days a week for an honorarium of a few hundred pounds. If we don’t have a volunteer, we don’t have a secretary and then we don’t have a community council. Someone in government, local and national wants to think about this and with some urgency.
It is impossible for this writer not to follow a trail. How much does local democracy cost in the Borders and how much in the country for a year? A little rounded up research gave less than £60,000. There are 68 community councils. Applied to the 1,200 in Scotland this gives a rough estimate of less than a million pounds for the year. Of course, we are a low population here and the average may not be very accurate. However, it’s almost certainly less than three million. So much for local democracy! Did those councillors who made the recommendations to SBC for another 10% fixed for three years after a hiatus since 2009 actually discuss anything of substance, or did they just decide 10% sounded like a nice round figure? Councillors should be on our side, the side of the voters, and although they have difficult decisions to make can they really defend such a position?
Read the chairman's full report
As always: support or comment to Anne Snoddy (Secretary PCC) secretary@ccrbpeebles.co.uk
Peter Maudsley
Chair
Peebles and District Community Council
As many will be aware, your Community Council was represented on an NHS working group that was looking into the organisation of the community hospitals of which there are four in the Borders. Our community hospital being Haylodge. We took comment from the community and fed back into the process. How much notice will be taken of this feedback is debatable.
It was specifically said at the outset of the process, that the treatment of minor injuries was not up for discussion. However, having had previous feedback from the public, We asked why “minor Injuries” was out with the scope of the exercise? The answer was provided that the decision resulted from previous work considering this issue alone. The deciding factor apparently being that wider training is required as to whether a particular injury can be dealt with on site or would need referral to A&E (e.g., if a head injury was involved).
The writer wasn’t convinced then and isn’t convinced now. Do all minor injuries amongst community hospital patients require referral? If not, then surely if staff are qualified to take appropriate action on site, then they should be able to place butterflies on a cut and bandage it and yes, if necessary, send the person to BGH? After all, we are talking only of first aid.
Setting the foregoing aside, we asked our community to comment and more than one ex doctor, ex nurse and administrator “saw no reason why minor injuries should not be treated at a community hospital".
The question keeps coming back; directly to us at PCC and on Facebook as per this example "Anyone know what happened to minor injuries at Haylodge? No-one would look at my four-year-old’s split chin and so now he had to go to A&E which isn’t the right place obviously, but what choice is there?"
Well, if you consult the website it says, "Hay Lodge Hospital … The hospital staff provide a 24-hour minor injuries services". It is now nearly six months since this writer first flagged up this error to NHS management.
Recovering from a recent operation myself, I wasn’t going to write an article this month until I was informed yet again of this issue. This time an accident of a pensioner on the Haylodge Site was, I am told refused first aid. Firstly, this goes in the face of natural decency. As a one time advanced first aider myself, I couldn’t turn away a person needing help. What is the world coming to? It goes against the information laid out in the NHS, Haylodge website.
A quote from a member of the public was "If they didn’t want to help others why did they enter the profession?" Why indeed? But this isn’t fair, the staff are only following orders from management and staff have no legal requirement to do otherwise. Under GMC Guidelines "Doctors must offer help in an emergency". It is only guidelines, but it says "must", not "may" or "should". It is in effect an ethical duty. We don’t see the RNLI ever refuse a callout and we should not see a refusal to help here either.
As always: support or comment to Anne Snoddy (Secretary PCC) secretary@ccrbpeebles.co.uk
Peter Maudsley
Chair
Peebles and District Community Council
First, your Community Council hope that you have had a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a HAPPY NEW YEAR. And now this is probably a good opportunity for us to look at all the activities of the Peebles and District Community Council (PCC) over 2023. It was a busy year.
The highlight as always was our Peebles in Bloom competition which once more showcased some of our truly excellent gardens and gardeners. We would all be the poorer without them. Once more I thank our team who did such a terrific job in organising it.
We also need to highlight the town’s success in being selected for more than £4M of levelling up funding from West- minster for our Chambers Institution. For this success we thank our present team of SBC elected councillors & David Mundell MP. Already we can see what can be achieved. The Burgh Hall is magnificent now that it has had the suspended ceiling removed and has been redecorated. Peebles Community Council was the catalyst that kept William Chambers aspirations alive by pushing for change and our present SBC councillors who are the Trustees took up the challenge with enthusiasm. We now have a Beneficiary’s Group, led by SBC Councillor Robin Tatler and a management group led by SBC Cllr Julie Pirone and representation from several interested parties including PCC and the Peebles Civic Society.
The PCC was involved with the victims of the flooding in Walkershaugh and Tweed Avenue and is now closely allied with the Paul Spence’s Resilience Group.
We are also working with Colin Kerr of Walkerburn and the Tweeddale Area Committee Flood Advisory Subgroup. When we consider how badly affected Brechin was in the recent storms and how it could so easily have been us, it gives serious pause for thought. We need to help ourselves and keep pressure on SBC and SEPA likewise to help us.
We are represented on the NHS working group considering the community hospitals including Haylodge and have held meetings with NHS senior management and with the Chief Executive of NHS Borders. Any feedback from the community is encouraged and is being passed on.
Unfortunately, I am now restricted to circa 450 words in these articles, so a quick overview. In November last I had 18 meetings with 13 in October. Over the year these activities have included the Baptist Church building, the Victoria Park Centre, Victoria Park Lighting, meetings with residents, the Tweeddale Area Partnership, the future of the Community Councils Network with SBC, parking meetings, the High School, Peebles Youth Voice and much, much more. We make a difference. You too could help to make a difference, so contact Anne Snoddy, our secretary on secretary@ccrbpeebles.co.uk, or just attend our meetings as a member of the public on the second Thursday of each month.
Peter Maudsley
Chair
Peebles and District Community Council
Schools often encourage students to form student councils. The elected few liaise with the teaching staff to communicate ideas for improvements to student life. Items raised by pupils themselves are often real day to day things that make a difference to the young people’s school life. One primary school student councillor recently said that one topic on the agenda was that there should be more cake on the lunchtime menu, and it was hotly debated at several meetings.
One might draw comparisons between student councils and community councils, where community councils liaise with the local authority and other organisations on behalf of the community over items that often may make a real difference to their everyday lives.
Community councillors play a vital role in shaping our neighbourhoods, they represent the interests and concerns of residents, working together to improve the communities. They try to influence decisions on local issues like planning, infrastructure, and community events. Community councillors are passionate about making a positive impact and fostering a sense of belonging. The community council works hard to be the representative voice of the people, advocating for their needs and aspirations.
A good community councillor is someone who listens attentively to the concerns and ideas of their fellow residents. A community councillor is approachable, empathetic, and open-minded. They strive to understand and balance the diverse perspectives within the community, and they work collaboratively to find solutions that the majority can agree with. A good community councillor is also proactive, taking the initiative wherever possible to engage with residents, attend meetings, and stay informed about local issues. They are committed to transparency, accountability, and representing the best interests of the community.
Do you have some, or all, of these qualities? Are you a retired professional looking for an outlet to share your vast experience and skills? Are you new to the community and interested in learning about the infrastructure of Peebles? Are you a young person who is keen to have a say on the long-term future of your community? Are you someone who would simply like to increase their circle of friends and acquaintances whilst helping make a difference? Peebles Community Council would like to hear from you. There is a meeting held once a month on the second Thursday and you are very welcome to come along to watch and listen with no obligation whatsoever. Alternatively, you can contact the Secretary on secretary@ccrbpeebles.co.uk with any questions or, if you would prefer, to arrange an informal chat.
Community councillors are passionate about helping you and your community. However, do they have a recurring request for more cake on their agenda? No, but they might be able to ask for more parking spaces outside the bakery. So next time you see a community councillor, give them a thumbs up for their dedication!
Fiona Richardson
Minute Secretary
Peebles and District Community Council
There is currently what is called “A national conversation on local democracy and community power” being conducted by the Scottish Government under the heading “Democracy Matters – Your Community, Your Ideas, Your Future”. It sounds good, we can all identify with it can’t we? Perhaps, if the initiative leads to regional councils not only listening to communities more, but more importantly demonstrating this by their actions, then it will have been worthwhile. This, we are told is to empower us to shape our own futures.
In a previous article, I described how the Community Trust (PCT) and the Community Council (PCC), and others are sounding out the community and drafting a Community Action Plan and Place Plan. We are doing our bit. It remains to be seen how well Scottish Borders Council (SBC) buy in to it. Although we do see more engagement than before it will still mark a major change if we are finally seen to work closely together for the community good.
One problem that we have, is that few in the community appear interested in joining with PCC, or PCT, or indeed many voluntary organisations. Not just in Peebles, but anywhere. Community spirit is waning, insularity is growing, and engagement is weak. We in the PCC often hear, when in casual conversation, how we are making a positive contribution to the town. We are contacted numerous times each month to help support planning applications or to join in objecting to them. We are asked to help intercede with SBC if someone has a problem or to lend support to an issue such as putting pressure on policing, asking for changes to the High School design, keeping the problem of flooding alive, or getting the streets tidied up. The list is endless. However, when it came to asking for views on the draft Community Action and Place Plans in the article mentioned, there were no responses to our request for feedback and our efforts to publicise them. This makes it difficult for PCC to truly represent your views. We receive very few complaints, but when we do, often the accusation is of a lack of democracy. However, without engagement there is no democracy!
This takes us back to the National Conversation. Whilst we know that there are some community councils who would quite happily be directly responsible for say 10% of their councils’ services and where some third sector organisations have the infrastructure to take on more responsibilities, this is certainly not the case for all. We can only look at it from our own perspective. Our town Action Plan is down to one well qualified individual. Without him, it would not fly. PCC is made up of some retirees, but also working people with jobs, families, and commitments and retirees have their own responsibilities too. Taking on additional work is not an option and anyway taking on responsibilities for public money comes with serious accountability. There would be a need for offices and secretarial support, etc. In effect, we would have re-introduced Town Councils. How many would volunteer to work for nothing and be publicly accountable? If skills were needed to manage this new community power, how would they be recruited and managed? how efficient would it be? To this writer, for our own community it won’t work, at least, not for now.
We believe that community councils are necessary to provide a link between the service provider, SBC, and the community. SBC councillors are also part of this interface, but they are few, part time, and not well remunerated. They do their best.
PCC needs you; it needs your views and if you have skills, you think we can use please contact Anne Snoddy secretary@ccrbpeebles.co.uk
Peter Maudsley
Chair
Peebles and District Community Council
The chances are that most readers will have given little or no thought to town planning. This was something that town councils did and generally we just accepted the results. However, town councils were abolished almost a century ago and since then the level of local control has become less with each passing year.
Parish and town councils became district councils and then later still became regional councils. Scottish Community Councils were created in 1973, many years after the abolition of the Parish Councils. Presumably, government recognised that a great deal of local direction had gone and that at the very least this was causing some concern.
However, it is effectively local democracy on the cheap and one gets what one pays for! Peebles Community Council receives a grant of £1,365 a year, set in 2009, and is made up of volunteers who have varying degrees of spare time. Expertise changes with each passing year and sometimes community councils just wither away. In the past, local authorities often paid lip service to the wants, needs and wishes of the local community. The community were not served well by these arrangements.
Feedback to the community council has always expressed concerns that Scottish Borders Council (SBC) doesn’t listen, that some services are not great, that some roads have traffic issues and others are not well maintained, that local health services are over stretched, and that the level of building and development outstrips the ability of local services to cope with demand and so it goes on.
Of course, it is human nature to raise complaints when they are felt to be justified and again human nature to give little credit where credit is due. There is a lot that SBC do well, and the writer acknowledges that they do a difficult and complex job without adequate money with which to do it.
However, Borders towns have no management oversight, and by that we mean a dedicated manager at SBC to fight our (Peebles) corner for us and to develop plans and to make actions happen. Councillors don’t fulfil this need as they have too wide a remit, are underfunded for the role they are tasked with, don’t have authority over officers and often don’t have the skill set necessary.
Peebles Community Trust (PCT) as a focal point for a group of Peebles organisations headed up, with the Peebles Community Council (PCC) and the Peebles Civic Society (PCS), the drafting of the original “Town Action Plan” in 2016, and similarly SBC produced a “Tweeddale Locality Action Plan” in circa 2019. SBC also, as required by law, produced a “Local Development Plan” (LDP) and LDP2 has just been approved by the Scottish Government and is back with SBC for finishing and then adoption.
The Town Action Plan attempted to find out what Peebles wanted and to document it and thus produce a way forward. The PCT actioned some things that it had control of but of course had little control of other items and there was no legal requirement for SBC to read the document let alone take actions from it. In any case, there was little or no joined up thinking between the town and SBC, and without this, problems are created and not resolved.
The PCT, supported by PCC and PCS has taken a lead over the last three years to seek out opinions from townsfolk as to what you like, what you don’t like and what you wish to see change. More than 1000 comments have been received and an immense amount of data collated. You may ask if it is all worth it if SBC will ignore it. However, local authorities are changing. In some respects, they are being forced to change by legislation that makes them involve communities more and partly we are seeing a willingness in SBC to be more responsive to local aspirations.
On the legislative side, “The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015” and “the Town and Country Planning (Local Place Plans) (Scotland) Regulations 2021” mean that the community voice must be heard. Early signs are that SBC is at least making the right noises.
So, what have you, the community, said you want to see? Again, to do a subject justice in 1200 words is not easy and the following headings need serious expansion. However, most agree that Peebles needs some things urgently and some things preferably, and that some projects can be done in months and that some will take years but should be planned for now. Many subjects overlap with each other.
Peebles regeneration – Ensuring that the physical assets are maintained properly and managed effectively, and that the town is a vibrant place to live, shop and for visitors to come to.Field sports infrastructure upgrade – Improving sports facilities throughout the town to benefit all who enjoy taking part in and watching local sport.Peebles active travel infrastructure improvement – Making all forms of active travel within Peebles easier – for bikes, pedestrians, wheelchairs, horses, etc.Hay Lodge Park / Riverside active travel – Removal of the hump and extension of hard path from the town to Fotheringham Bridge.South Peebles social and economic infrastructure – What does the southside of Peebles need to enhance life for residents? A satellite health centre? More shops, a meeting place? Etc.Review public / community indoor space provision – How do we ensure that our community spaces (PCT Hub, Drill Hall, Chambers Institution, Church Halls, etc.) can complement each other and be used to best effect without competing?A Safer Community – Address issues of vandalism and antisocial behaviour; and improve presence of police/community officers. and provide more support for young people.Strengthening community capacities – Increase resourcing of key community organisations including the PCC, PCT and Borders Community Action (previously The Bridge) and Citizens Advice Bureau.Adult and further education project – Looking at outreach from Borders College with teaching satellite hubs for modern apprentices, further education, adult education, etc.New business park / light industrial estate – You’ve said that Peebles needs more and better employment.Second bridge across the Tweed – Long term project to protect the south side crossing and reduce traffic flow across the existing bridge.Peebles “Open for Business” project – Selling Peebles to prospective employers as a good place to do business.Creative industries cluster project – Attracting hi-tech industry/business that feeds off itself and attracts other connected businesses.Peebles community hospital and improved health provision Green infrastructure and food security initiatives – Bringing more green space, including March St Mill allotments, under community management; improving local biodiversity and food production and reducing food poverty.Low cost, low rent housing – for lower income individuals, families, and first-time buyers.Reducing energy demand and increasing energy efficiency – Moving towards net zero, reducing household energy costs.20-year plan for development of Peebles – This can include a maximum capacity calculation that restricts or encourages certain types of development.Peebles flood defence project
There is a lot here and each of the above deserves its own page of explanation. However, they are all here because of your feedback and you can still feedback to us with your support or your objections using the PCC secretarial email address (secretary@ccrbpeebles.co.uk) and your views will be taken into account as they should be in any democracy.
Peter Maudsley
Chair
Peebles and District Community Council
In relation to crime and antisocial behaviour, the community council (PCC) seemed to be a lone voice until late 2022 and the frustration this caused with our members led to talk as to whether the effort, we made was worth it. Indeed, in November 2022, our chairman finally decided that enough was enough and resigned. The writer took up the reigns. To be fair, our past chairman, Les Turnbull supported by Malcolm Bruce was making progress. We were also fortunate to have the support of Iain Gibson who was experienced in young people’s charities and projects.
At the end of last year several parties, many of whom were already doing good work, including SBC, Police, Oorspaceyouthy, Peebles Youth Trust, Tweeddale Youth Action, and St Andrews Leckie Church. helped to create Peebles Youth Voice. Although early days, this has made a forum that pools knowledge and experience and includes a strong involvement of young people. Several initiatives are under way such as young peoples’ coffee evenings at Costa Coffee (suggested by constable Moody), Teen events at the Eastgate Theatre, part funded by the Common Good, and plans for a youth shelter in Victoria Park funded by SBC. Present councillors including “Youth Champion” Cllr Julie Pirone are very supportive.
Much work has also gone into the possibility of creating a Streetpastors group in Peebles. Streetpastors is a national organisation which has a proven track record. They are volunteers from different churches who care about their community. They are non-judgemental and do not push their religion. Street Pastors help, listen and by their presence reduce tensions and problem behaviour. A recent Peebles trial of Streetpastors was held and an internal report, looks very encouraging. To quote from the report: “We returned to Tweed Green and engaged with a different group at the old band stand. We noticed a large group heading towards the town when some sort of skirmish happened. This was very brief and over by the time we got there. However, a couple of youngsters spoke to us about it and appeared grateful that we were around”. The writer can see a real benefit from Street Pastors being implemented and the PCC is grateful to the local churches and their members for giving it consideration.
Unfortunately, almost during the same period that these initiatives were being taken, a small group has raised the problem from antisocial behaviour and mindless vandalism to downright criminality. This should not detract from the good work being done which is producing a foundation which we hope will have a positive effect. Recent events have generated a great deal of comment, directly to PCC and on social media. Some of this, is informed and reasoned and some not so.
It is not easy to write an article in just 1200 words that does justice to a very complex subject but let us lay one subject to rest. There is no room for vigilantism. It is criminal behaviour and quite rightly so. Many innocents have been hurt or worse by vigilantes. Ninety-eight percent of kids are well behaved and respectful, if a little noisy at times. We should not alienate them as this would only make matters worse.
Some feedback on the proposed youth shelter at Victoria Park suggest that the shelter will be vandalised, destroyed, create rubbish, and concentrate trouble. Therefore, one should do nothing. These views are understandable, and indeed there are reports of shelters being vandalised elsewhere in Britain. However, the Thames Valley Police publication “Youth Shelters and Sports Systems – a Good Practice Guide”. includes experience and advice about the problem of young people with nowhere to meet and socialise with their friends. The document notes that the police are often called to deal with congregating youngsters, but that moving youths on is not effective, as they merely move back as soon as police have left. This process frustrates everyone involved and conflicts can escalate resulting in more serious offences. Examples from councils where shelters have been properly considered demonstrate that at least in those areas there is a reduction in problem behaviour. A consultation event in Victoria Park attended by Tweeddale East councillors demonstrated that 78% of respondents agreed that it should be tried.
These initiatives will help with those young people, who are like me in my youth. I was naughty but not nasty and if we truly look back and are honest, most of us would fit into that category. The good kids of course aren’t a problem. For the very small percentage who can be trouble: then we need the police and the criminal justice system to work and around this there is great deal of public concern.
To succeed in life, we all need self-discipline and values that should “treat others as we would like to be treated ourselves”. Mostly self-discipline is learnt from parents who teach right from wrong and from discipline enforced in schools. Sadly, a minority of parents leave this to the schools and many in the community are concerned that school discipline is not what it once was. Authorities need to consider this and take appropriate action.
I’ve been asked to pose a question. Where did you go as a teenager growing up in Peebles? The Wimpy Bar which opened late? The cinema perhaps? There were discos as well. Apparently, there was quite a lot for young people to do and in this respect, there isn’t quite so much now. Perhaps something to think about?
Now to the police. We have two police officers allocated to Peebles, PCs Vivien Carsley and Serena Moody and it is up to us as a community to support them. Crimes that are unreported don’t exist and crimes reported but for which no one provides evidence go unpunished. We should make one thing clear. These officers are not sitting idle. They are pursuing initiatives, working with the High School, and supporting Peebles Youth Voice. However, the fact that Scottish Borders Council pay £560,000 a year to fund some community policing in the Borders via the Community Action Teams (CAT) means that Police Scotland is either underfunded or is short-changing the Borders community. In essence, we are subject to double taxation, firstly, through general taxation and then through our council tax. Also, front line police are often replacing back room civilian staff weakening the system even more. This article is not the place to debate the use of CAT teams, but it does need to be debated. Perhaps there is a better way to use them? The threat to the policing of events such as the Beltane surely means there are too few officers. Once upon a time, we apparently had a fully manned station in Peebles with up to 14 officers. Not so now. There is another issue. If an officer arrests a person, they can only be processed in Hawick, Edinburgh, or Dalkeith. In effect two officers must escort the person to one of these centres to book them. Immediately the town loses its police cover, probably for an entire shift. Not ideal we think.
We know that statistically, Peebles is not a high crime area. We also know that the growing trend of reported crime recently, is creating concern amongst the public. Two major fires and several recent assaults are deplorable and any further increase is clearly unacceptable.
Peter Maudsley
Chair
Peebles and District Community Council
It was in November 2019 that a fire destroyed a large section of Peebles High School and set the foundations for where we are today. Where we are is of great importance to all those in Peebles who have children or grandchildren destined to go to the new school over the next few years and indeed for generations to come. The new school after all will have a life of fifty plus years.
To give Scottish Borders Council (SBC) its due, there was no question of “make do and mend”. They allocated a budget of £50M plus to the project to build a brand-new school and advanced the work ahead of both Hawick and Selkirk schools. Unfortunately though, one cannot say that the planning was without some hiccups. A “Proposal of Application” Notice (PAN) was published in June 2021 and the public saw an outline of the proposals for the first time. Peebles Community Council (PCC) were contacted by a member of the public in October 2022 who had concerns about a consultation event that, to the respondent at least, had been seriously flawed. This consultation event generated a flood of adverse feedback from residents, especially parents and some teachers. PCC took the position that the Parent Council had the resource and a strong motive to lead on their concerns, but that PCC should provide support and a public forum. We know that SBC finally listened to us as they made substantial changes to the design, and it is virtually certain that these changes would not have been made without the pressure from the public. This writer’s files now hold more than 600 items which represent a lot of pressure.
Notwithstanding the promised changes, there are still concerns, and discussion between SBC and the Parent Council has apparently become limited. Consistently, SBC and its elected councillors have said that the high school will be better than the original and, in many ways, this is now agreed. However, the high school has always had an excellent reputation for music and drama and for that a hall of at least the same quality as the original is required. The original outline plans presented in 2021 contained a double height auditorium. However, the revised plans that were submitted for the full planning application were found to have been completely revised without further consultation, and surprisingly with the auditorium completely removed, and the only space remotely usable for larger musical groups being the single height space labelled “drama”, but completely unsuitable for performances such as traditional school concerts and shows. The planning statement promised that “A new community education campus would be provided which would enhance the existing educational, sport and leisure facilities available to the entire Peebles community” but this was not borne out in the detailed design of the proposed new music and drama department. The planning application also did not comply with SBC’s own strategic brief regarding the key requirement for a large assembly and event space (Schools Strategic Brief Guidance, April 2022).
Following increasing concerns during 2022 about the inadequate performance space, and the perceived lack of consultation with staff and the community, a revised layout was prepared that re-introduced a double height auditorium presented at the public engagement event in February this year. There were several positive improvements in this, which were welcomed, but concerns were raised about the restricted performance space, the lack of enclosure and the number of seats. The architects appeared very responsive to these comments and said that they would discuss possible improvements with SBC. However, the updated design that was published this May, disappointingly showed a reduced rather than enlarged performance space. Again, this reflects a reduction in standards and not an improvement.
We understand the difficulties that budgetary constraints have on planners but promises of a better school should be honoured; after all any damage done now will last for generations. The argument has been made that there are other suitable venues in the town that the high school could use for its performances. However, this is not an accurate representation of reality. The Eastgate Theatre, although a lovely venue, is too small for larger groups of performers, and is considered by some, too dry acoustically for music as it is designed as a theatre, while the Drill Hall on the other hand is far too resonant and too small. The newly refurbished Burgh Hall has poor acoustics, but the main problem here is that there are zero backstage facilities.
On an additional note, SBC has duties under the Equality Act 2010. These include a duty to produce an equality impact assessment (EIA) to consider how the needs of children with disabilities and other protected characteristics under the law will be met. Such a document should be written early in the planning process, and it should be a living document which informs the design. Sadly, SBC appear to have ignored this requirement.
At our last meeting, PCC made a plea to elected councillors to act as honest broker between the Parent Council and SBC. This request stands and we trust that once completed, the new Peebles High School will live up to the substantial claims made for it.
Peter Maudsley
Chair
Peebles and District Community Council
Summer is approaching and the gardeners amongst us are out and about, tidying and planting, and replacing the casualties from last winter’s heavy frosts. This brings us to Peebles in Bloom once again and your Community Council are keen to return this event to the prominence it held before Covid struck. We know that many in the town get great pleasure from their gardening and from seeing other gardens that are bursting with colour or that demonstrate great design. We love the hanging baskets and tubs in the High Street too. Many people like to have their efforts recognised and over the years the event has collected a series of cups and trophies worthy of the different garden styles they represent. Of course, there is more to flowers than just gardens and some of our businesses make a tremendous effort to brighten up the town and these also deserve recognition. Nor should we forget Bonnie Peebles and Bonnie Peebles Plus which do such great work with the floral displays around the town.
Volunteer members of the Community Council are managing the event again this year and I applaud their efforts as there is a lot to manage. Firstly, in July, Community Councillors are each delegated an area of the town to walk around, and they put forward those gardens and business premises whose displays impress them the most. This is a fair task on its own. Each member walking more than 10,000 steps to complete their area. Then there is a review to create a manageable short list and then independent judges make the final decisions by touring the town in August.
There are 10 categories:
Large garden Medium garden Small garden Courtyard garden Business premises Community garden Very small garden Best street All year-round garden Secret garden These are not easily seen from the road, so we depend on folk nominating their own or someone else’s garden (contact details for nominations to secretary@ccrbpeebles.co.uk)
So, if you see someone looking over your garden gate and making notes on a clipboard, it’s probably one of us and nothing to worry about!
This year there is also a sunflower competition for children aged 12 and under. Sunflowers are the national flower of Ukraine. Our thoughts are with the Ukrainians in our community, and we join them in hoping for a just peace and a swift return to normality in their homeland.
The tallest sunflower will win, and judging will take place during the second week in August so better get planting now!
Finally, all the trophies need to be collected from previous winners, trophies cleaned, and engraved. Runners’ up certificates printed, the Burgh Hall booked, the hall decorated, teas and coffees and a raffle organised, and invitations sent out to garden owners and businesses. A lot of work for our small group of volunteers.
Peter Maudsley
Chair
Peebles and District Community Council