Falkirk Council Agenda - 11 December 2025, 10:15 
A meeting to be held at Grangemouth Community Education Unit, 69-71 Abbots Road, Grangemouth, FK3 8JB at 10:15 on 11 December 2025.
| Number | Item |
|---|---|
| In accordance with section 43 of the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 the Provost has directed that this meeting will be conducted in such a manner as to allow remote attendance by elected members. The meeting will be livestreamed via the Council website at:- https://www.falkirk.gov.uk/live | |
| 1 | Sederunt |
| 2 | Declarations of Interest Members should declare any financial and non-financial interests they have in any item of business at the meeting, identifying the relevant agenda item and the nature of the interest. |
| 3 | Minutes |
| (a) | Minute of Meeting of Falkirk Council held on 2 October 2025; View Papers |
| (b) | Minute of Special Meeting of Falkirk Council held on 6 November 2025; and View Papers |
| (c) | Minute of Special Meeting of Falkirk Council held on 27 November 2025. (To Follow) |
| 4 | Rolling Action Log View Papers |
| 5 | Falkirk Council Falkirk IJB Draft Business Case and Health and Social Care Partnership Update Report by the Director of Health and Social Care Partnership. View Papers |
| 6 | Health and Social Care Partnership Engagement with Falkirk Council and Elected Members Joint Report by the Chief Executive and the Director of Health and Social Care Partnership. View Papers |
| 7 | Annual Report of the Chief Social Work Officer 2024/25 Report by the Director of Health and Social Care Partnership. Note - Standing Order 20.15 applies to this agenda item View Papers |
| 8 | Learning Estate Review Joint Report by the Directors of Education Services and of Place Services. View Papers |
| 9 | Planning Scheme of Delegation Joint Report by the Directors Transformation, Communities and Corporate Services and of Place Services. View Papers |
| 10 | Appointments Report by the Director of Transformation, Communities and Corporate Services. View Papers |
| 11 | Minute Volume and Information Bulletin |
| (a) | Volume of Minutes - Volume 2 2025/26; and View Papers |
| (b) | Information Bulletin - Volume 2 2025/26. View Papers |
| 12 | Three motions submitted in accordance with Standing Order 29 are set out below. Motions that refer to matters within the remit of the Executive, will stand referred to the appropriate body, without discussion, unless:- (1) special circumstances exist which, in opinion of the Provost (having consulted with the Council Leader and the Leader of the main Opposition groups) requires an exception to be made; (2) two thirds of the members present vote in favour of the matter being discussed; or (3) the motion raises an issue with significant impact on the Council area which the Provost, having consulted with the Leader of the Council and the Leaders of the main Opposition groups, considers suitable for debate at Council. All three motions stand referred to the Executive unless otherwise determined by the Provost, having consulted with the Leader of the Council, the Leaders of the main Opposition groups and a representative of the Independent members:- |
| (a) | Battery related Fires in Waste Collection Vehicles and Recycling Facilities Council recognises that battery-related fires in waste collection vehicles and recycling facilities have increased. In 2023/24, in the UK, there were over 1,200 battery-related fires, a 71% increase on the previous year. In September this year Glasgow City Council had three bin lorry fires caused by batteries. Council acknowledges that these incidents are now costing the UK over £1 billion annually, threatening not only vital infrastructure but also the lives of frontline workers tasked with managing the nation's waste. The collection, environmental damage and fire-risk costs are borne heavily by councils, waste managers and the public. Value in recovered materials is lost where batteries are improperly disposed of. Council understands that under the previous government, DEFRA consulted on extending producer responsibility for Waste Electronic EE (including vapes) so that producers bear the full net cost of collecting, treating, and recycling Waste Electronic and Electronic Equipment (WEEE) - including small electricals and embedded batteries. Council also understands that whilst a government response was expected in 2025 what and when this will be is less clear, all the while the threats around improperly disposed batteries and vapes continues. Council asks the council leader to write to the UK Government, copying the Scottish Government, to ask DEFRA to urgently revise the Waste Batteries and Accumulators Regulations as part of broader EPR reforms, to include the introduction of: o A UK-wide household collection system for both small and bulky WEEE. o Enhanced obligations on retailers (take-back), including requiring sellers to accept old large items when delivering replacements. o New responsibilities for online marketplaces, stronger transparency, possibly modulated fees to encourage better design, and increased recycling Proposed by Councillor Bundy |
| (b) | CCTV Falkirk council does not have a specific policy for the use of private domestic CCTV. It currently refers residents, who have concerns about direct surveillance onto their property by a neighbour, to the Information Commissioner's Office (ICO) for guidance and advice. The police also do not have a role tackling data protection breaches. The ICO to whom we direct residents for support, advises that there is limited amount of action they can take to make a person comply with their data protection obligations other than writing to them to remind them. The ICO advises that is highly unlikely that they would consider taking enforcement action against a home CCTV owner. In the case that neither the ICO, nor the police nor Falkirk council will take action to curtail deliberate surveillance, affected residents can continue to be plagued by this form of antisocial behaviour. Council asks that officers report back setting out the Council's role in addressing this issue both as landlord and more generally with any appropriate policy proposals. Proposed by Councillor Bundy |
| (c) | Housing with Care Concerns As we move into our Budget setting period, we recall that Council recognised the serious implications of the actions of the Integration Joint Board at its Special Meeting of Council in September 2025. Despite a number of proposals tabled at the IJB meeting of 21 March 2025, a £2.592 million shortfall for the 2025/26 budget remained. Falkirk Council is being asked to meet this underfunding from already stretched finances. One of the proposals - the reprovisioning of care service at Tygetshaugh Housing with Care Facility in Dunipace - has repeatedly been shown to be flawed and?must?be reconsidered. The substantial negative impacts to Falkirk Council finances and increasing reputational damage are simply too onerous to sustain.? Falkirk Council therefore calls on the Chief Officer of the Health and Social Care Partnership to revisit the provisioning of care services at Tygetshaugh and provide to the next meeting of Council: 1. The revised savings figures from the reprovisioning of care service providers. 2. The identity of care service providers being proposed. 3. The process (including the dates and the teams undertaking the work) involved in residents' consultations to identify a care provider of their choice. 4. Falkirk Council further calls on the Integration Joint Board to reconsider its decision to reprovision and withdraw this decision in order to maintain the complete continuation of care services and community activities currently enjoyed by existing residents. Proposed by Councillor McCabe |