ST. MONANS AND ABERCROMBIE COMMUNITY COUNCIL
Minute of the ordinary general meeting held in the Church Hall, Station Road on
Monday 19th February 2024 at 7.30 pm
| Present: | Marjory Ashworth (Chair), Morven Syme (Vice President), Eileen Montador (Secretary), David Robertson (Treasurer), Niamh Syme (Social Media), Cllr Sean Dillon, Cllr Alycia Hayes, Diane Martin (Minute Secretary) | |
| Apologies: | Mervyn Blank, Cllr Fiona Corps | |
| Members of the public: 14 | ||
| Welcome and apologies. Marjory Ashworth welcomed everyone to the meeting. Apologies were received and recorded. | ||
| Declarations of interest There were no declarations of interest. | ||
| Visiting Speakers/Community Groups SMAKE (St. Monans Auld Kirk Enterprise) – report by Pete Peddie– A meeting will be held on Wednesday evening when it is hoped that a decision will be made on the governance structure of the group. The choices are a Scottish incorporated charity, or a company limited by guarantee. Once the structure is in place, the charity or company will register with OSCAR, open a bank account and be ready for the next steps. At the moment, Fife Historic Buildings Trust are assisting with applying for grants/funding etc. Lots of information and surveys etc. are still required and things are progressing slowly. Hopefully there will be more positive updates towards the end of the year. The new email for this group is: smake1265@outlook.com Gardening Group – report by Lynn Leask – The community has been offered a space in the new polytunnel at the allotments. With access to this space the gardening group are willing to take on the planting of the tubs, gardens and boats. The estimated costs for plug plants, compost, granular feed etc. to plant up the various village sites is £400, and the group will need funding support for this. David Robertson advised that funding is available for the supplies. Watering of the 50 tubs will be a challenge and Marjory Ashworth requested that Tom Swankie is approached to provide a cost for this. A letter is to be delivered to the community to ask for financial support for the floral group, for donations of plants and cuttings and for volunteers to water tubs. Volunteers for the letter drop should speak to Morven Syme. Fundraising continues by way of the pipe at the welly garden (£170 in the last 6 months) and there are ideas to raise funds by bake/jam sales etc. 16 Hanging baskets will be ordered from Pathhead and someone has volunteered to water these. David Robertson will obtain a cost from Pathhead and will remove the surplus baskets for storage. Camera Club – report by Mike Child– Mr Child provided a very informative report to the CC about the St Monans Camera Museum. This museum houses over 3000 cameras which were bequeathed as an asset to the people of St Monans by Jim Matthew. This collection provides 140 years-worth of history and includes more than just cameras. The museum is located at 8 West Street, St Monans and is open from Easter until the end of September on Wednesdays between 11 and 2 pm (2024 opening times to be confirmed.) Openings can also be by appointment to cater for interested groups of up to 20/30 people. The museum is run as a charity and raising sufficient funding continues to be challenging. Mr Child invited the CC to visit the museum by arrangement at some point to help appreciate the size and scale of the collection. Marjory Ashworth informed Mr Child that he is always welcome to provide reports at CC meetings to keep the profile of the museum in the public eye via the minutes and discussion. N Syme will publicise the camera museum via social media and Cllr Dillon will take steps to ensure its’ location is detailed on the new St Monans village map. St Monans Allotments – report by Norma Greenwood– The Allotment Association is now established and the formal constitution has been accepted. The first meeting of the 40 plot holders took place last week. There is currently a small waiting list which is expected to increase. A committee has been established and office bearers will be appointed on Monday. The association, as per its’ new constitution, is keen to work with the school, the St Monans Gardening Group and the CC. The association is looking for initial grant funding from Fife Council to finance shared resources for the site (application to be submitted by 1.3.24). As office bearers are not yet established, the group is seeking partnership with the CC to assist with applying for this funding. The CC agreed that they would provide support here. N Syme will be the CC associate member and will attend the associations future meetings. St Monans Heritage Collection – report by David Robertson on behalf of Billy Morris– Works have been carried out to repair water ingress/dampness problems. Following painting the collection will be open to the public in April. Some additional volunteers have been found and more are still required .Sea Queen – report by David Robertson on behalf of Vicky Robertson– There are now sufficient volunteers to allow this to progress. The Food Festival will take place on 6th April and the committee is looking for people to take on tables for this. Arts Festival – report by Helen Marshall- The AGM to plan this event will take place on Thursday 29th February at 7pm in the Bowling Club. | ||
| Previous minutes and matters arising– N Syme highlighted via social media the need for more volunteers for the Heritage Museum and the Sea Queen committee. The January minute was proposed by Eileen Montador and seconded by Morven Syme. | ||
| Police matters and report– There were no representatives from the police present and Eileen Montador provided a brief report on their behalf: There were 12 calls made to the police in the previous month from St Monans, with 1 crime recorded.There was 1 call to police from Abercrombie, with 0 crimes recorded. Members of the community are once again warned to be on their guard against bogus workmen. There has been an increased police presence in the village in recent weeks, monitoring the speed of traffic at 3 different locations. It was raised that, due to the road closure at Elie, diverted traffic, including heavy goods vehicles, is speeding through Abercrombie and also Balbouthie Loan. Cllr Hayes will contact the Police in this regard. | ||
| Chairperson’s report – report by Marjory Ashworth– Marjory Ashworth thanked everyone who attended, helped and supported the recent CC Burns Supper event. This was a hugely successful evening which was enjoyed by many. The CC committee has been meeting to work on various funding areas. More information will follow at future council meetings. | ||
| Treasurer’s report – report by David Robertson– There continues to be delays with the bank re the change over of signatories. David Robertson is actively pursuing this.Floral Accounts Balance @ 19th February 2024 – £1462.48 Money is available for supplies. Cash Flow Accounts Balance @ 19th February 2024 – £848.13 £508 still due from Fife Council who won’t release the funds until signatories sorted. Extension required.Profit of £145.70 raised from the Burns supper.Heritage Accounts Balance @ 19th February 2024 – £ 561 £1900 funds are ringfenced for the recent repairs. However, the repairs are likely to be around £2300. This shortfall will need to be met, probably from the Cash Flow account.£64 per month for water bills.Fundraising options – Gin recipe, selling cards and prints, donations, possible book?Future for the Heritage would be Charitable status. | ||
| Secretary’s report– Queries about cycle path. Letter received will be available at next meeting.Painting of bus stop – Cllr Dillon advised that this will be potentially removed, and he will make some enquires. | ||
| 10. | Members’ ReportsNiamh Syme (Social Media)– Linking information on Facebook to prevent items being lost in feeds. Morven Syme (Vice President)- Fife council installing new internal and external doors and windows at 9 and 10 West Shore.Planning applications: 1 Mid Shore changing dormer roof to clay pan tiles. | |
| 11. | Councillors’ ReportsCllr. Sean DillonSeawall: Having been contacted by a concerned resident regarding the seawall at Burnside, I have reported this to the Harbours & Shoreline team. They have reviewed their title records and believe ownership does not lie with the council. In line with Fife Council procedure, the legal team are now undertaking a land search to confirm ownership. Once this is complete, I will let the community council know.Streetlights:Following several requests to resolve longstanding faults with streetlights in the village, I believe these are now fixed. If there are any other faults, please let me know and I will contact Scottish Power.Speed Survey:I understand that at the last meeting concerns were raised regarding the amount of speeding at the east entrance to the village. I have spoken to the council’s Roads & Transportation Service regarding this and have been informed it has been some time since there was last a speed survey carried out here. If the community council is agreeable, I will request one be carried out. The results of this will determine whether there is any need for traffic calming measures.Shuttle Bus:I have been made aware of several complaints regarding the shuttle bus service currently operating due to the road closure at Elie. While some teething issues were expected when the service started, I have been dismayed to hear of residents being left waiting in either Pittenweem or Colinsburgh for up to an hour as the service hasn’t operated on time. I have met with council officers to share my concerns and they have passed these to the bus company and reiterated that the buses which should wait for the shuttle service do so. Cllr. Alycia Hayes· There are 20 road faults reported for St Monans and Abercrombie in:Station Road Elm Grove Forth Street West Shore A917 and the Abercrombie RoadSome of these were scheduled to be fixed by September 2023! I have highlighted the neglect to the Council and asked that they complete the outstanding work and update their system asap.Fife Council provides free numeracy courses as part of the Fife Multiply programme to help adults build confidence with numbers. There are courses available locally for beginners and more advanced courses such as National 5 Maths, Functional Skills Qualifications, or equivalent.These courses cover topics such as:Numeracy VocabularyNumbers and MoneyUsing numbers in measurementTime and numbersUnderstanding Graphical InformationCalculationWorking with other Fife-based providers, there are lots of free, easy to access courses across Fife that can help residents with maths and build confidence with numbers. To find out more about Multiply in Fife, and the courses on offer, visit: www.fife.gov.uk/multiplyfifeFife Council is updating its Active Travel Plans and invites you to participate by leaving comments on an interactive map. There will also be supporting face to face public engagement events held across Fife. To take part in the consultation, visit: www.fife.gov.uk/activetravel· As of February 12th, upholstered furniture must be separated from other items brought to Household Waste Recycling Centres.This follows updated guidance from SEPA on the acceptance, storage and disposal of waste upholstered domestic seating.Upholstered furniture can be taken to any recycling centre except Cowdenbeath, Cupar, Dalgety Bay and St Andrews and must be placed inside the container labelled ‘upholstered furniture’. These items should not be placed outside of the container or into any other container.Upholstered furniture can also be booked into the free bulky uplift service: Voting, democracy and politics can be confusing, and language can sometimes be unclear and old-fashioned. Welcome to your vote week is here to help young people get informed and engaged. You will need ID to vote at the coming General Election. If you do not have photo ID, you can apply for a free Voter Authority Certificate- you just need a national insurance number and a photo. Visit fife.gov.uk search: “elections and voting”You can learn more about different type of elections and how to make sure you are registered to vote. There is lots of information at . to help young people feel more confident and knowledgeable about elections, and how to get involved in democracy.#WelcomeToYourVoteCommon Good Accounts will come to Area Committee on February 28th April. There are a few great visitor attractions in St Monans, which deserve to be put “On the map.” To apply for a brown tourism sign, please click this link. Brown Tourist Signs | VisitScotland.org I am happy to help in any way I can.Fife Council primary one applications – now open!If your child turns 5 between 1 March 2024 and 28 February 2025, the application process for enrolling them into P1 is now open. If your child doesn’t turn five until after the school summer term starts you do have the choice to defer for a year. Applications for P1 must be received by 15 March 2024.Check out the criteria and apply online www.fife.gov.uk/schooladmissionsFife Council Early Learning and Childcare (ELC) applications are also now open.Was your child born between 1 March 2021 and 28 February 2022?If yes, ELC funded hours can be accessed through Fife Council nurseries as well as private nurseries, playgroups and childminders working in partnership with Fife Council.Applications for three- and four-year-old children must be received by 31 January 2024.Check out the criteria and apply online www.fife.gov.uk/nurseryapplicationsIf you don’t have access to a smartphone or computer, you can ask the nursery you’d like your child to go to to post out a paper copy of the form. You can use this form to make more than one placing request.Fife Families Information ServiceI also include below some links to sources of funding. Through the year, you may find that there are projects you might aspire to, to improve facilities and opportunities in the area. As we know- everything requires money! Here are some places to look.The first two have a very close deadline. It’s only a small amount, but if you wanted to do something around flooding/ ice etc, it might help:The National Centre for Resilience currently has two funds open until the end of January, one being aimed at Community Councils – National Centre for Resilience (gla.ac.uk) New Scotland-wide community research funding available!’Healthy Planet, Healthy People’ Awards are designed to support healthy environments and healthy communities. Apply for up to £5,000 to enable your community-led research projects on the following themes: climate; nature; or food. Deadline: 22 January 2024Funding & Collaboration – Royal Society of Edinburgh (rse.org.uk) https://funding.scot/ https://www.royalcountrysidefund.org.uk/how-we-help/rural-communities/ https://www.inspiringscotland.org.uk/news/funding-for-rural-communities/ https://www.fife.gov.uk/kb/docs/articles/council-and-democracy/community-group-support-and-funding/fife-grantsAZETS have done this year’s external Audit of Fife’s Council’s finances and once again have found no cause for concern but have made one criticism.I would like to close by pointing out that I am available to anyone that requires my help. Advertised surgeries are now considered to be ill advised, due to safety concerns, so instead I am available to meet with any individual at any mutually convenient time. Simply email: cllr.alycia.hayes@fife.gov.ukOr Phone: 03451 555555 ext: 430489 | |
| 12. | Public Questions– Absence of mechanical street sweeper – Cllr Dillon to investigate.Drains needing cleared – Fife Council experiencing a back log of calls.Point system for bulky refuse discussed. | |
| 13. | AOCB– Jane Wilding provided leaflets detailing the films to be shown at the Colinsburgh Cinema. The showings are every second Friday from September to May, and cost £5 on the door.Marjory Ashworth enquired if there would be community interest in a 2024 beach clean. This was agreed and will be organised for the end of April/ beginning of May ahead of the tourist season.There is an issue with the tangles on the beach attracting flies. Cllr Dillon will advise Fife Council but suspects they have other priorities at the moment. | |
| 14. | Close/date and time of next meeting – The next meeting will be held on Monday 18th March 2024 at 7.00/7.30 pm. Marjory Ashworth thanked everyone for their attendance and brought the meeting to a close. | |
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