Trossachs Community Council
Minutes of the Annual General Meeting held at 7:00pm
on Thursday 13th June 2024 in Brig O’ Turk Village Hall
Present: Richard Morris (Chair), James Hill (Vice-Chair), Sue Morris
(Secretary/Planning), Roger Drapper (Treasurer), Liz Maxwell, Christine
Blue.
In Attendance: Councillor Gene Maxwell (SNP), Ian Denvir (Community Development
Officer), Esther Lim (Minute Taker)
Apologies: None
Residents: 1 member of the public was present.
- Members Present and Apologies for Absence
The Chair welcomed attendees to the meeting and gave the apologies.
- Minutes of the Last Meeting
There was no AGM in 2023. Iain Denvir (ID) confirmed that members were not
required to confirm the minutes of the last AGM which took place on 9th June 2022.
- Chair’s Report and Questions from the Floor
The Chairman’s Report was distributed to members by Richard Morris (RM) prior to
the meeting. The full text is reproduced here.
Dear Council members and residents,
I welcome you to the Trossachs Community Council AGM, an opportunity for us to
review the achievements of the TCC over the last year. Unfortunately, we have no
previous Chairs report from 2023, with which to base our progression, however I
believe we have achieved a great deal in a short space of time.
In 2023 a new TCC was formed with 5 new local residents joining the existing
Treasurer and Planning officer to form a new TCC. With one member resigning within
the year, we end the year quorate with 6 members of the TCC. We have
held 8 meetings this year and our attendance rate for TCC members has been high.
This year the TCC has been successful in a number of areas:
- we have focused on ensuring good governance within the TCC. Our Agendas are
relevant and highlight not only the standard reports received from the Police,
National Park Authority and Stirling Council but also the everchanging
requirements of a vibrant community. Our meeting minutes are professionally
recorded (special thanks to Esther Lim for her professional support) and provided
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to Stirling Council in a timely manner. We have instigated an action tracker to
ensure we set recorded actions against people with timeframes for achieving them,
so that we can be held to account for achieving benefit for the community.
- we have modernised our method of storing and accessing TCC documents,
through digital file sharing and a centralised Web site access point that all
members have access to. We now offer and have successfully enabled meeting
participants to remotely join our meetings using video conferencing.
- we have successfully bid for and received funding to undertake the writing of a
Local Place Plan (LPP), which is being delivered by an external consultant. The
consultant organised two resident meetings (one specifically aimed for young
people) to gather information on how residents want their village and community to
progress with regards to nature and the environment, tourism and transport and
housing. The first draft of the LPP has been written and being edited.
- we have successfully engaged with and enabled the setting up of a road working
group, after a number of residents brought their concerns regarding speed limits,
safety and road signage within the community to the attention of the TCC. The
findings of the group have been discussed with Stirling Council and a plan will be
drawn up.
- we are in a positive financial position. Our starting balance at the commencement
of our term was £16,242.13 and our end balance is £15,829.13. The TCC are now
discussing how best we can support the community with these funds.
- We have been vigilant in reviewing 14 planning applications submitted to the
National Park planning office that are within the community boundaries, to ensure
that they are in the best interest of the community and that any plans which have
been successful adhere to the planning submission.
- our annual litter pick was supported over 25% of the local community volunteers
(23 adults and 12 youngsters), with rubbish collected over 10 miles of road side,
pathways and the surrounding greenery.
- closer ties have been forged with both the Trossachs Community Trust and the
Village Welfare Association through TCC representation at the respective
meetings to ensure information is shared and clarity is given on what each of the
groups have been set up for.
I would like to take this opportunity to thank TCC members for committing their time
and effort to the council and residents for giving their input and opinion, all of which
support the growth and continued development of an engaged and growing
community.
Sincerely
Richard Morris, Chair
The Chair’s Report was approved by all members having been proposed by Liz
Maxwell and seconded by Christine Blue.
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- Treasurer’s Report
ID confirmed that the Treasurer is not required to provide a written report as long as
the accounts have been audited and are approved by members.
The Treasurer distributed a copy of the financial statement for the period up to 31st
March 2024 and highlighted the following:
Expenditure for the period totalled £1,670 and comprised:
- Audit fee for the year 2022-23 – £25.
- Costs for the Minute Secretary – £200
- Travel expenses for RD to travel to the auditor – £64
- Contribution towards a map of the Trossachs area – £1,2821
- Hire of the village hall – £200
Income for the period totalled £1,905 and comprised the Annual Hydro Payment. The
Current Balance is £17,694.13. See Addendum 1 for details.
The Accounts were signed by John Robb, auditor.
The Treasurer’s report for the period was approved by members, having been
proposed by Christine Blue and seconded by Richard Morris.
- Election of Office Bearers
Ian Denvir took the Chair for the election of office bearers.
5.1 The re-election of Richard Morris as Chair was proposed by James Hill,
seconded by Christine Blue and approved by members.
5.2 The re-election of James Hill as Vice-Chair was proposed by Sue Morris,
seconded by Richard Drapper and approved by members.
5.3 The re-election of Sue Morris as Secretary was proposed by Richard Morris,
seconded by Richard Drapper and approved by members.
5.4 The re-election of Roger Drapper as Treasurer was proposed by Richard
Morris, seconded by Liz Maxwell and approved by members.
5.5 The re-election of Sue Morris as Planning Representative was proposed by Liz
Maxwell, seconded by James Hill and approved by members.
- Date of Next AGM
The next AGM of Trossachs Community Council will take place on 12th June 2025.
Addendum 1: End of Year Financial Statement
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