I am writing this month’s article a few days after the publication of SBC’s Live Borders recommendations for change as published in “Scottish Borders Council/Live Borders – Joint Transformational Change Programme Proposals”. A joint report by the Director of Resilient Communities and the CEO of Live Borders.

Readers may remember that this issue first came to our attention with the Integratis consultant’s report published last April. There was much in the report for us to take issue with. For example, without having collected any data and without providing any supporting evidence, the report recommend the closure of our Drill Hall, as having “no value to Live Borders”. Clearly this was wrong and a serious deficiency. (To see a critique of this report and others by PCC, please go to our website).

This recommended solution by SBC to their perceived problem is actually at least 2 years after the problem was first identified in a June 2023 strategic review. Conceivably, it can be argued that a failure to fully address the issue then, has cost SBC (in effect the public) a very significant amount of money indeed.

This writer finds it surprising that the new recommendations build strongly on the Integratis report which as noted, many at least in Peebles and probably across the Scottish Borders, consider to be seriously flawed. Within the joint SBC/LB report and its associated appendices, the Integratis report is quoted 74 times as a basis for change. How much confidence does this give you the reader to suppose that SBC this time have got everything right?

Ideally, all 68 Scottish Borders community councils would work together as one with SBC to resolve, what is undoubtedly a difficult situation, although we have previously argued that it is a situation that is at least partly self-inflicted by SBC. Sadly, at this time, all the Borders community councils find it difficult if not impossible to work together for the greater good.

Currently, it is effectively everyone for themselves. However, here in Peebles, fortunately, we seem able to fight our own corner fairly robustly. The Drill Hall management committee have done sterling work in both managing the facility, and also in constructing a defence for this valuable resource. SBC give the appearance of wanting to pressurise communities into “Community Asset transfers”, CATs.

The Drill Hall committee categorically do not want this; they want an improved status quo. Further, this perceived pressure seems to conflict with the principles of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015. The Act places communities firmly at centre of decision making and looks for our communities to produce their own proposals, not for councils to pressure communities with threats of closure.

The Scottish Government wishes to increase empowerment in communities. Scottish Border Council whilst appearing to engage effectively with communities actually through some of its actions, gives the impression that empowerment is the last thing it really wishes to see.

Peter Maudsley
Chair, Peebles and District Community Council

As always: support or comment to Anne Snoddy (Secretary PCC)