Crossmichael & District Community Council
In Scotland, Community Councils are composed of publicly elected members working voluntarily as the voice of the community. Crossmichael & District Community Council consists of up to 11 elected members. The area we cover is much larger than just the village of Crossmichael.
The key role of community councils is to pass on the views of residents on issues affecting them to the local authority and other public bodies. We also respond to consultations and surveys coming to us from these bodies, on our community’s behalf. And we liaise with the Dumfries & Galloway Councillors who represent our ward (which is Castle Douglas & Crocketford).
Another important role is to support and, where appropriate, help coordinate the work of other organisations in the community such as the Memorial Hall, the Church, the School, the Wee Book Hoose and Arts Programme and Crossmichael Community Trust. We manage the Community Woodland.
Sometimes, these activities involve raising money. We have helped to raise funds recently for work at our War Memorial, for the Gala and the Community Woodland. We initiated plans for Crossmichael’s Heritage Centre and put in successful funding applications.
Community Council meetings are held in the Committee Room of the Memorial Hall at 7.00pm on the second Wednesday of every month except January and August. Members of the public are encouraged to come along to meetings as this is where issues affecting the whole community are raised, discussed and acted on.
The AGM takes place in May each year.
Look on the notice board on the bus shelter near Crossmichael shop for agendas and minutes of meetings and other information of interest. When available, the current agendas will also be posted here.
Current Members (elected or, where starred, co-opted)
Jane McCarthy (Co-Chair)
John Nelson (Co-Chair)
Caroline Carmichael (Secretary)*
Lindsey Smith (Treasurer)
Richard Middleton
Alistair Ross
Caroline Reeves
Jennifer Seymour
Cath Seeds
Carole Greaves*
Lindsey Graham*
Associate Members (with non-voting rights)
Geoff Fleming
Local Councillors (ex-officio with non-voting rights):
Pauline Drysdale
Iain Howie
John Young
Glenkens & District Community Fund
Crossmichael falls within the catchment area for the Glenkens & District Community Fund, which distributes community benefit payments received from local wind farms, notably Blackcraig. We are members of Glenkens & District Trust which, in collaboration with Foundation Scotland, is responsible for administering this fund. We welcome ideas for projects that might be suitable for an application to the fund and can offer help and support in developing such projects.
Full information about the Glenkens & District Trust and Foundation Scotland can be found here.
The site also contains summaries of GDT Board meetings. The Community Council nominates a trustee to the Board (currently Richard Middleton) and we have two representatives in respect of our membership (currently Jane McCarthy and Cath Seeds). In addition, individuals and organisations with an interest in GDT's work can apply to become Associate Members.
In addition to the main fund, the Glenkens & District Community Fund currently provides an annual grant of £2,000 to each community council within the catchment area. Organisations and individuals within Crossmichael & District can apply for grants from this fund. Guidelines and application forms can be downloaded below.
Planning Applications
Community councils have a statutory right to be consulted on any planning applications in their area. We will always do our best to represent the views of our community on planning issues to Dumfries & Galloway Council. To view recent planning applications in the Crossmichael & District area, please click here. Please note that, by clicking on this link, you are agreeing to Dumfries and Galloway Council's Terms and Conditions.
Community Resilience and Wellbeing
The Community Council sees itself as having an important role in supporting community wellbeing. We host our Community Resilience Team, made up of local volunteers who make themselves available to help in case of an emergency, such as the Covid pandemic.
The CRT Co-ordinator is Geoff Fleming. Full details, including the Resilience Plan, can be downloaded by clicking on the report
We have run a longstanding and on-going campaign on road safety issues in Crossmichael. One key focus is to implement a 20 mph speed limit in the village, something we expect to happen in the near future.
We have also recently published a report on the effects of traffic noise on residents' health, summarising the results of a detailed survey carried out on and around Main Street and in Townhead of Greenlaw. Click on cover to download.
© Copyright: Crossmichael Community Council except for images licensed Creative Commons Attribution. Slideshow images by Andy Adamson.