COMHAIRLE NAN EILEAN SIAR

Minute of Meeting held in the Council Offices, Stornoway, on Wednesday 23 February 2005 at 4.00pm.

PRESENT	Mr Angus Campbell (Vice-Chairman)
	Miss Samantha E L Hawkins
	Mr John Mackay	Mr Keith Dodson
	Mr Iain Morrison	Mr Angus McCormack
	Mr Roderick Morrison	Mr Donald J Macsween
	Mr Norman A Macdonald	Mr Alexander M Mackintosh
	Mr Angus M Graham	Mrs Annie MacDonald
	Mr Malcolm J Graham	Mr Donald Macdonald
	Mr Ian M Macleod	Mr Archie Campbell
	Mr Neil Campbell	Mr Donald Maclean
	Mr Angus Nicolson	Mr Ronald J Mackinnon
	Mr Murdo Macleod	Mr Angus Macdonald
	Mr Norman L Macdonald	Mr Donald Manford
APOLOGIES	Mr Alex A MacDonald (Chairman)
	Mr Donald I Nicholson
	Mr Norman M Macleod	Mr Martin C Taylor
	Mrs Morag Munro	Mr Peter Carlin

Prayer		The Meeting was opened with prayer led by Mr Ronald J Mackinnon.
Tribute:  Mr Angus M Graham		The Vice Chairman referred to Mr Angus M Graham who was attending his first Meeting of the Comhairle following his recent illness.
Tribute:  Mr Martin C Taylor		The Vice Chairman referred to Mr Martin C Taylor, Member for Benbecula North, who was unwell and, on behalf of the Comhairle, wished Mr Taylor a speedy recovery.
Declarations of Interest	1	There were no declarations of interest.
		FINANCE
Recommendation on Local Taxation PR110.03.01	2	The Acting Director of Finance submitted a Report detailing a proposed response to the consultation document on Local Taxation in Scotland.  The Report stated that the consultation was being conducted by the Local Government Finance Review Committee and sought to review different options for local taxation, including reform of the Council Tax system.  The Report further detailed the scope of the consultation and the core issues to be addressed. It was agreed that it be delegated to the Acting Director of Finance, in consultation with the Chief Executive and the Finance Working Party, to respond to the consultation on Local Taxation in Scotland, taking into account the views expressed by Members.
		COMMITTEES
Committee Decision Report	3	The Comhairle approved the recommendations within the Environmental Services Committee Decision Report of 23 February 2005.
		ADDITIONAL ITEMS
Sandwick Road Campus LB38.01	4	The Director of Corporate Services submitted a Report detailing the proposals of the Sandwick Road Campus Member/Officer Working Group in relation to the future use of the Nicolson Lewis Sport Centre site and the surrounding campus.  It was agreed that: (1) the works detailed at Appendix 1 to the Report be carried out at the Sandwick Road campus in terms of the layout shown at Appendix 2 to the Report; and (2) the Director of Technical Services, in consultation with the Vice-Convener, Director of Corporate Services and Acting Director of Finance be authorised to determine the most appropriate method of procurement for these works to ensure value for money for the Comhairle.
Mail Out of the Uists PR31.02	5	The Director of Technical Services submitted a Report detailing the outcome of a meeting held between the Comhairle, Royal Mail and Highlands and Islands Airports Ltd in order to discuss the ongoing difficulties with mail deliveries out of the Uists.  The Report detailed proposals to provide short-term assistance to the fragile business community within the Uists while longer-term options were explored. It was agreed to reduce the passenger capacity of the Benbecula – Stornoway Inter-island Air Service by two seats on the afternoon flight on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday in order to allow the guaranteed mail capacity to be increased by 150kg to 300kg for the period from 28 February 2005 up to 28 March 2005.
		It was agreed that, under the terms of Section 50 A (4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 as amended, the public including the press, be excluded from the Meeting during consideration of the following item on the grounds that exempt information as detailed in paragraphs 6, 8 and 9 of Schedule 7A of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, namely, information relating to any particular person other than the Comhairle would be disclosed, information relating to the financial business affairs of any particular person, other than the Comhairle, information relating to the amount of any expenditure proposed to be incurred by the Comhairle under any particular contract for the acquisition of property or the supply of goods or services and Information relating to any terms proposed or to be proposed by or to the Comhairle under any particular contract for the acquisition or property or the supply of goods or services.
The Bridge Centre:  Request for Additional Funding H10	6	The Director for Sustainable Communities submitted a Report detailing a request for additional funding to enable redevelopment of the Bridge Centre.  The Report indicated that the Bridge Centre Project had been unable to secure Scottish Executive funding to support the application for ERDF funding and had therefore requested that the potential underspend from the Comhairle's allocation of private sector housing grants be utilised for the Bridge Centre Project. It was agreed that the Director for Sustainable Communities, in consultation with the Vice Convener and Chairman of the Housing Committee, be authorised to negotiate with the relevant officials of the Scottish Executive and Communities Scotland to seek consent to allocate any underspend (including, for the avoidance of doubt, £650K already allocated to the Bridge Project in terms of the Comhairle decision to that effect dated 10 February 2005) up to a maximum of an additional £465K which could not either be spent during 2004/05 or carried forward to the 2005/06 financial year within the Comhairle’s allocation of Private Sector Housing Grant to the Bridge Project and in the event that such consent was obtained to so allocate the underspend subject to the Acting Director of Finance being satisfied that any such underspend could competently be allocated to the project from the 2004/05 allocation while protecting the Comhairle’s interests should the Bridge Project not proceed and without adversely affecting the Comhairle’s ability to assist other projects in future financial years.