Community infrastructure fund

The council recently established a community infrastructure fund and intends using a participatory budgeting model to involve local residents in identifying proposals and allocating funding.  The intention is to strengthen participation in public decision making. Each council electoral ward has been allocated £150,000 and as a first step the data gathered during the Engage Dundee consultation will help determine what the projects might be.

Proposals identified will not replace current budget commitments but could be used to enhance existing proposals or accelerate work. The final decision on works to be funded will rest with the local community and will be carried out in 2018/19.

It has been recommended, that as a guide, a minimum level of £30,000 and a maximum of £150,000 is set for projects. There is also a need to ensure that there are a number of proposals to take to a community vote.

The Ferry also get £20,000 a year from the community regeneration fund which the community planning partnership uses to award smaller grants to local groups to assist with projects that help meet the objectives of the local community plan.

An appropriate model for deciding how the community will vote on potential projects for the infrastructure fund will be required but it is likely to include on-line and public events. This is an exciting development and I look forward to being involved in the process.

Collingwood Crescent

I am pleased to see work underway to bring the pavements in Collingwood Crescent up to standard. With all of the unadopted pavements in Broughty Ferry I do what I can to ensure they get maximum priority points in the council’s unadopted footways programme. The pavements are reassessed every year and a revised priority list created. I had a search through some old maps and asked for an increase in the score to reflect the age of housing in the street (the criteria used includes age of housing amongst other things) as the majority of housing was built within the period 1920-1939 so an award of 9 points was appropriate. Still more pavements to be done but we’re getting there.

Mackinnon Centre Summer Fayre

From Dundee City Council

 

A SUMMER FAYRE to raise funds for service users at Dundee’s Mackinnon Centre takes place on Saturday (August 12). Staff, families, carers and centre users will be on hand with the usual stalls and games to keep all ages amused. Opening at 1pm the two hour event will feature face painting, a tombola, guess the elephant’s birthday and other attractions to raise money for the service users’ comfort fund.

The Mackinnon Centre is a skills centre for adults with physical disabilities or progressive illness and offers activities including sport, gardening, textiles, music, computing, art and cooking. It also offers respite services for adults with physical disabilities or progressive illness.

Staff at the Mackinnon Centre encourage and promote the spirit of independence so that service users can regain confidence and self-esteem, while at the same time acquire the necessary skills, knowledge and acceptance to cope with a changed lifestyle.

The centre is at 491 Brook Street, Broughty Ferry.

Flooding at Ferndale Drive and Deepdale Place junction

I continue to get complaints about blocked gullies causing ponding of water. The latest example is the terrible flooding that occurs at the junction of Ferndale Drive and Deepdale Place.

 

The council’s roads maintenance partnership has advised me that gullies are targeted for cleaning on an 18 month cycle in Dundee (which doesn’t seem enough to me). Broughty Ferry is programmed for commencement in mid-August in the Collingwood Street area then heading eastwards. 

 

The council has  been carrying out ad hoc cleans when required for flooding concerns. I have reported the problem in Ferndale Drive and have asked that it be treated with some urgency.