COMMUNITY figures have heard of work to help the most vulnerable in Bute and Cowal in the event of extreme weather.
But the project manager admits there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach, while there are also implications from data protection.
Andy MacPherson, of Argyll Countryside Trust, has met with community councils and representatives in all four areas of Argyll and Bute to engage them in the process of a resilience plan.
An update was given to Argyll and Bute Council’s Bute and Cowal Community Planning Group at its meeting on Tuesday, November 4.
Mr MacPherson said in a report prior to the meeting: “I have reviewed all the existing plans that I have access to. While there are common themes, many are out of date, and they vary enormously in depth. What they have in common is that any resilience planning is better than none.
“Rural and isolated communities are often at greatest risk of being cut off and deprioritised due to low population, but often also have more agency. ‘Do nothing’ while waiting for emergency services is not an option and being able to make call handlers aware that even under best case scenarios, response times are significant is seen as a valuable piece of knowledge to share.
“There are widespread concerns about capacity within communities: often it is the same group of volunteers doing everything, and in some areas some 70 per cent of the population are over 65.
“[There is] widespread agreement that the most vulnerable should be protected but concerns over GDPR implications of this.”
Councillor William Sinclair (Liberal Democrat, Cowal) said: “When I talk with community councils, resilience is really up there. You make the point about weather incidents, and that is becoming really relevant.
“I have noted down a few points, like in an emergency, who in the community council is responsible for opening the hall, and what do they do?
“As far as the council is concerned, if we have an emergency, is it Argyll and Bute wide or is it localised? Is it 999 they phone?
“And as a lot of halls go on to full electricity, as there are a number out there that have gone on to heat pumps and solar panels, what do they do about electricity? If the community is cut off, what happens?”
Mr MacPherson responded: “There is no one-size-fits-all. Some halls have a big influx of funding applications because of the interest in solar panels so that they continue to have power in the event of a power cut.
“I have been trying to find out what works in various areas, and when you talk to groups, they say that it will not work.
“Due to the funding agreement, I work under the same confidentiality clauses as other council employees, which is important with data protection issues and protecting identity. It is a Catch 22.
“One thing which is clear is that the council does not have money for new resilience bags, so the question for me is what does a resilience bag look like in 2025?
“Where should they be kept and where do we get funding for them? And if you have a generator for a village hall, you want it to be working for them.”
