The Role of the Troon Community Council

The Scottish Government announced earlier this week that South Ayrshire will move to Level 3 of its Local Protection Levels from 6.00 pm today. This is good news as it means we are clearly taking the right action in our communities to suppress the spread of the virus. The move to Level 3 will see some changes to our services:
 
Our Sport and Leisure facilities will re-open on Saturday 12 December and gym and swim bookings are now live

From Monday 14 December, our libraries will begin to offer their Connect and Collect service and book returns in all branches. To support our customers, there will be no late fees charged for any borrowed items until further notice, and our free e-reader offer of newspapers, books and magazines can still be accessed.
 
Museums and galleries, including Rozelle House, The Maclaurin Art Gallery and the Grain Exchange will re-open on Saturday 12 December. The McKechnie Institute will re-open on Tuesday 15 December.
 
Golf retail premises at Belleisle Park and Troon Links re-opened from 9.00 am today. Golf Clubhouse toilet facilities at Belleisle Park and Troon Links will re-open from 8.00 am tomorrow (Saturday 12 December). The Stables café will also re-open tomorrow with their normal winter opening hours of 10.00 am to 3.00 pm. Members’ guests will also be reintroduced at all locations tomorrow (guests must be South Ayrshire residents)
 
Information and updates on our services and current public health guidance is available on our social media channels, The Core and the website. I’d appreciate if you would continue to help us spread the word and keep everyone informed by sharing the links to our Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts with your friends and family

Please remember that, although we have moved to Level 3, travel restrictions remain the same, and you should not travel outwith your local authority area. You can read more about Level 3 guidance and what this means for you and your families on the Scottish Government website
 
It was also confirmed by the Education Secretary, John Swinney, that the 2021 Higher and Advanced Higher exams will be replaced by awards based on teacher judgement of individual pupil attainment. I know that this year has been extremely challenging for pupils and, as has been the case throughout this pandemic, our fantastic teaching and school staff will be there to ensure our young people are well supported and achieve their full potential. We are now awaiting further guidance from the SQA and, if you are a parent or carer in South Ayrshire, schools will keep you and pupils updated.

We’ve got some good news for children and young people who are entitled to free school meals. Thanks to additional funding from the Scottish Government, parents and carers of eligible school age children will receive a one off payment of £30.00 per child into their bank accounts on Tuesday 22 December. This will cover the period from Wednesday 23 December 2020 to Tuesday 5 January 2021.
 
The Scottish Government has also announced funding to help people pay for food, heating, warm clothing and shelter during the winter. The £100m winter support package will help those on low incomes, children and people at risk of homelessness or social isolation cope with winter weather and the economic impact of coronavirus (COVID-19) and Brexit.

We are hoping to make life a bit easier for residents with the launch of our new bins and recycling app ‘SAC MyBins’ on Monday 14 December. From reporting missed bins to booking special uplifts, the app will allow you to organise all of your household waste needs on the go. The free to use app, which was designed with Albion Environmental Ltd, includes features such as – personalised collection calendars; advice, tips and information on recycling; and access to online forms to report problems. The bin calendar function will let you see at a glance which bin is due for collection. So there will be no more relying on your neighbours to put their bins out first! You can even use the app to set up collection day reminders on your phone or tablet. Another great benefit of the app is the facility to contact the Council about waste collection services, such as special uplifts, direct from the app. There will also be a function which allows you to access the latest Council news and service alerts. You’ll find SAC MyBins on the app store on most mobile Apple and Android devices from Monday 14 December
 
The Employee Deal outlines our commitment to you, and our expectations of you in return. To help embed the Deal and plan for recovery, we want to hear your views on how COVID-19 has affected the way you work. A short survey for all staff has been developed which focuses on three areas: Wellbeing, Communication, and Homeworking. The survey will help us understand what impact COVID-19 may have on your health and wellbeing; develop an understanding of how we can maintain effective contact with you; and understand how changes to the way we work has affected you. The survey is available on The Core, and I’d appreciate if you would actively promote the survey across your teams. The survey is completely anonymous (you will only be asked to select your Service Lead and area) and is open until Friday 15 January. If you need any further information, please contact James.Andrew@south-ayrshire.gov.uk
 
Our Budget Consultation Survey launched online earlier this week and we’d like to hear what you think. For example, should we look at raising or introducing fees for some services? Or change the way we deliver services, such as having fewer face to face services, or stop delivering some services altogether? This is your opportunity to get involved – the survey is available now and will be open until Friday 15 January 2021.

Each year, managers, team leaders and supervisors are required to calculate their own employees’ annual leave entitlement. A useful guide is now available on The Core to help you with the calculations. The public holidays for 2021 are also available to assist with this exercise. The guide also provides information on how to add entitlement to your employee records; carry forward any unused days from 2020; and add Enhanced Leave days. Due to the impact of COVID-19, there are changes to carrying forward annual leave. Details about this can also be found on The Core. If you have any queries that are not covered in the guide please email flexiusersupport@south-ayrshire.gov.uk

I am sure many of you will be aware that we are in the process of implementing Microsoft Office 365. M365 will bring a whole new suite of applications which will enhance the way we communicate and operate; one being Microsoft Teams. Access to Microsoft Teams has now been granted for staff who have Windows 10 and have been allocated the relevant M365 licence. Due to the number of requests from services to be able to use Teams for meetings and calls, we have decided to give access to this earlier than expected. Teams is a collaborative workspace, and there will be many more new functions rolled out over the coming months; however, at the moment, we have to limit this to Teams meetings only.
 
Our ICT team has worked really hard throughout the pandemic to keep us connected, and make it possible for more of us to carry out our work from home. At the moment, ICT support is provided from the office at McCalls Avenue, Ayr, however, this is strictly by appointment and for exceptional circumstances only. To ensure the safety of all staff, access to the building is not permitted without an appointment. In line with previous years, we will provide a reduced ICT support service for those of you who will be working over the festive period between Tuesday 29 and Thursday 31 December. If you have any issues or problems, please contact the ICT Service Desk at ict.servicedesk@south-ayrshire.gov.uk, or by calling 01292 612406

The winter edition of SAC Live Magazine is available on line. This edition features information on our budget consultation, Primary One photographs and tips on staying active during winter from our Health and Wellbeing team. We’re switching to quarterly editions of the magazine, which will now be available both online and in hard copy
 
Our Trading Standards and Environmental Health team works tirelessly to ensure we are all kept safe, even more so throughout the COVID-19 pandemic. I’m delighted to tell you that the team has been recognised for its efforts in this year’s APSE awards as finalists in the Best Service Team: Environmental Health, Trading Standards and Regulatory Service category. This nomination highlights the work the team has been doing during the pandemic to ensure businesses and organisations are operating safely

Today is National Christmas Jumper Day which we normally use as an opportunity to sport our best festive attire to raise funds for our employee charity partner. Due to Council buildings being closed, we are unable to provide traditional donation buckets, however, I know that some of you may still wish to make a donation to Ayrshire Cancer Support. You can find out more about the charity and how to donate on their website. The charity is also working to relieve the isolation and uncertainty felt by so many people affected by cancer, and face a lonely and anxious Christmas.
 
Finally this week, staff and pupils at Forehill Primary School have written and recorded a wonderful, uplifting song which promotes a message of love and hope in the run up to Christmas. The song, which was written by Principal Teacher, Lee McDowall, is called ‘Let Love In’. One special video version of the song even includes children performing the song using Makaton sign language. The school has released the song on a number of digital platforms and plan to make it available on CD early next week, with funds raised from this being donated to the Ayrshire Hospice. There’s no miss or maybe – it’s definitely a hit from me! I’m sure you’ll join me in congratulating the whole school for its efforts. or its efforts.

As with everything else, Wintertainment has been cancelled due to COVID-19. However this Sunday, the Christmas lights will be switched on to brighten the festive season. Shop local, but safely.

Please find attached an information sheet explaining how access to urgent care will change in Ayrshire and Arran from 3 November 2020.

https://www.gov.scot/news/helping-people-get-the-right-care-in-the-right-place/

Fullarton Woods is up for an award

https://www.keepscotlandbeautiful.org/local-environmental-quality/green-flag-award/awarded-parks/

As we begin the recovery phase of the Scottish Governments Phase 3 Recovery plan, changes are being made to the way health and care services are delivered to enable some Outpatient Services to re-start. These services will be operating with social distancing measures in place in order to keep patients and staff safe, and prevent the spread of the coronavirus which is still present.

It is important that we all continue to adhere to these social distancing measures and to re-inforce the distancing, hand-sanitising, mask wearing message to our client groups and staff so they understand why these measures are required and understand the need to protect themselves and others.

To help spread the message to our residents and communities we would be grateful if you could display the attached advice sheet and poster about restarting Outpatients Services where you can. There is also a video which might be helpful. The Information can also be accessed and shared via the Caring for Ayrshire Facebook, Twitter and web page – www.nhsaaa.net/caring-for-ayrshire

Thanks to the stellar efforts of teachers, support staff and services across the Council, our schools re-opened for pupils on a phased basis this week, and will return full time from Monday 17 August. I appreciate that young people have been away from the classroom for quite some time, and some may find it challenging to readjust to this, and the measures that have been put in place to ensure our schools are safe. If you are a parent or carer in South Ayrshire, and have any questions or concerns about your child’s return to school, please contact your school in the first instance

The Education Secretary announced on Tuesday that all downgraded SQA exam results will be withdrawn, and qualifications will be based on teacher judgement. The SQA will inform schools of the revised results by Friday 21 August to allow schools to tell pupils. All young people affected by this will be issued with a replacement certificate from the SQA. You can read about this in more detail on the Scottish Government website.

I’m sure many of you will be aware that we are implementing Microsoft 365 across the organisation. Colleagues from ICT and Organisational Development are working closely with our implementation partner SWORD and, to help progress this roll out, we are now seeking Office 365 Digital Colleagues. To find out more about this great opportunity watch this short video. You can also access more information, or register your interest here.

The latest edition of SAC Live online magazine is available now. This month you’ll find information on health and wellbeing; the latest update from our Trading Standards and Environmental Health team; and information on our services as we continue to emerge from lockdown. You can view the magazine here.

Our Culture team recently gave local young people the opportunity to take over their digital channels for the day to showcase their own ‘mini museum’ exhibitions. Budding exhibition guides provided some fantastic virtual tours which included a ‘Radical Recycling Museum’ and ‘Museum of Curiosities’. You can view the work of one of our demonstrators of the future here.

Nominations are now open for the Robert Burns Humanitarian Award 2021. This annual honour is awarded to an individual, or group, that epitomises the humanitarian values of the Bard. More information, including how to nominate, is available on our website.

Saturday 15 August marks the 75th Anniversary of Victory over Japan Day (VJ Day). This gives us all an opportunity to remember those who served and sacrificed in the Far East during the Second World War. With celebratory events unable to take place due to COVID-19, this year we will commemorate VJ Day virtually across our social media channels Facebook, Twitter and Instagram throughout the day tomorrow.

Our Communications Survey is still open and we’d really like to hear from you about how we communicate Council news, messages and changes to service delivery. If you’re a South Ayrshire resident I’d appreciate if you would take a few minutes to complete the short survey which is available here

As we’ve seen elsewhere in the county, this virus has not gone away. Therefore, it’s extremely important that we all continue to follow the latest public health advice to help keep everyone safe.

Once again, let me extend my thanks and appreciation to all of you for your ongoing effort and dedication during this unsettling time.

We continue to provide critical services which are currently operating without issue.

Reopening of Schools

The Scottish Government have now confirmed schools will reopen full time for all pupils in August. In South Ayrshire schools will reopen on 12th August but in most schools the first three days will be a phased return. This is to allow us to test new arrangements such as safe pick up and drop off; one way systems; hand washing; break times; social distancing for adults and between adults and children. Schools will contact parents and carers to confirm who should attend on the 12th, 13th and 14th of August. All pupils will return full time from Monday 17th August.

Exam results

The Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) will make exam results available next week (Tuesday 4 August). Results have been determined in line with guidance from the SQA following the cancellation of SQA exams this year because of Covid-19. The basis for awards is a holistic review of a learner’s performance over the duration of the course and Education staff undertook significant work to ensure estimated grades reflect a fair and consistent approach for all our young people. Following quality checks, all estimated grades were submitted to the SQA on 29 May 2020. SQA may adjust estimates where they deem it necessary and therefore no information on estimated grades has been shared with pupils. Support is available for all pupils and schools will let them know the arrangements for speaking to staff about any concerns.

Digital Education Initiative

Next week we will receive 1200 Chromebooks from the Scottish Government as part of the roll-out of the digital education initiative. The ICT team are working with colleagues in Education to distribute the devices to the identified young people prior to pupils returning on 12 August.

Business Support Grants

We have now paid £22.7 million in business support grants to local businesses. We are working through the final 65 cases remaining cases, to ensure all information has been provided to enable us to verify applications. Applications for the scheme closed at 5.00pm on 10 July 2020.

Shielding

In her Briefing of Thursday 30 July, the First Minister confirmed that Shielding will end, as anticipated, on 1 August 2020.

Free School Meals

As indicated in previous Briefings, the last deliveries of food boxes will take place on 6 August, at which point we will have delivered 50,088 food boxes to children who are eligible for free school meals.

Digital Services

Our Digital Services team have been working hard behind the scenes providing essential support to a range of services during the pandemic. This includes developing a range of online forms to ensure customers can access services digitally. These include creation of an online summer hub booking form to make it faster and easier for key workers to book childcare and a digital business grant form used by over 2075 applicants.

Ayrshire Cancer Support

Our employee charity partner, Ayrshire Cancer Support, are running their ‘Hope and Memories Walk’ campaign throughout August. Fundraising activities have been affected by Covid-19 and they urgently need funds to allow them to continue to deliver essential services to those affected by cancer in Ayrshire. The charity is encouraging people to Walk with Hope for someone who is going through their cancer journey, or in memory of someone we have lost. They are also encouraging golfers to take part in Golfathon 2020, playing 4, 3 or 2 rounds of golf in 1 day to help raise money.

Standards Commission For Scotland

The Standards Commission has issued its July update.

Communication

We continue to post information and updates through the local media, in hard copy, on a range of social media channels such as South Ayrshire Council Live Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and on our website.

Following the Deputy First Minister’s announcement on 16 July the Scottish Government has today published further information regarding the Transitional Support Fund for Childcare Providers.

The Transitional Support Fund will help childcare providers in the private, voluntary and not-for profit sectors, including out-of-school care providers,meet the extra costs incurred to comply with public health guidance in response to COVID-19. The Fund will provide one-off grants to eligible settings. Grant amounts vary according to the number of Care Inspectorate registered places in your setting.

To be eligible for the Fund your setting needs to be registered with the Care Inspectorate as being:

a ‘day care of children’ service; and
a ‘Private’ or ‘Voluntary or Not For Profit’ service.
This includes private and voluntary settings delivering out of school care; childcare settings in independent schools; and outdoor childcare settings. You will also need to confirm that your setting has already reopened or confirm that your setting will have reopened by Monday 7 September.

The Fund will be administered by local authorities. There will be a standard application form in order to make the application process as straightforward as possible.

The Fund will open for applications by the end of August 2020. The last date for submitting a grant application will be Friday 9 October.

Further information on the Transitional Support Fund, including the levels of grants, is available here. This page will be updated as more information becomes available, including confirmation of the date on which applications can be made.

A further communication will be issued to settings ahead of the Fund opening for applications.
Find out more about our work at: www.careinspectorate.com

Following the First Minister’s review of the COVID-19 regulations yesterday, we have been able to make further progress with our recovery plans

Our Property Maintenance team will resume routine repairs from Monday 3 August. Housing tenants can now follow the normal process for reporting issues with their homes, and more information about this can be found on our website

All public toilets across South Ayrshire have now re-opened. They remain free to access at the moment and will be open from 10.00am until 6.00pm Monday to Sunday, with the exception of Barassie, Girvan Harbour, Maybole and Arthur Street in Ayr which will be open 24 hrs. In order to ensure physical distancing, it has been necessary to limit the number of cubicles and sinks available for use in some of our facilities. Regular enhanced cleaning will be in place at each facility throughout the day. You can find more information about our public convenienceshere

Our Economic Development team launched the 11th issue of their ‘Business Beat’ e-magazine this week which was created in partnership with our Trading Standards and Environmental Health team. This issue contains information on current guidance and compliance measures for local businesses and is available to read here. Please share the link with anyone you think may find it beneficial.

Over the last few months, we have been working to support people who have been financially affected by the COVID-19 pandemic. Our Information and Advice team has remained on hand to offer free, impartial and confidential advice over the phone. The skilled advisors have helped residents to maximise their income; check they have applied for the right benefits; appeal DWP benefit decisions; and find debt solutions. The team can be contacted on 0300 123 0900 or at informationandadvicehub@south-ayrshire.gov.uk. Information on benefits and welfare advice can also be found on our website

Throughout the crisis, our Employability and Skills team has offered practical advice to residents on how to get a new job and identify new learning opportunities. If you know anyone who is worried about redundancy, please let them know that we are here to help them. Our friendly officers are available on 0300 123 0900 or at employability.skills@south-ayrshire.gov.uk

Kevin Stewart MSP has written an open letter to social housing tenants. The letter includes a range of information and advice for individuals and families in Scotland as we move through the different phases of easing restrictions. The letter has been publicised to our housing tenants and can be viewed here

Due to the continuing low levels of COVID-19 infection in Scotland, residents who have been shielding will no longer have to do so from Saturday 1 August. Those affected will receive a letter from the Chief Medical Officer outlining the updated guidance and details about the pause in shielding. A SMS Shielding Service has been set up for the latest updates about shielding, which you can join by sending a text to 0786 006 4525. The Scottish Government is also developing a COVID-19 forecasting service for shielding. This will allow people who have been shielding to sign up to an SMS update that tells them about their risk of being exposed to COVID-19 in their local area. You can read the latest shielding guidance here

The Scottish Government has issued updated guidance on Test and Protect. The guidance states that in order to self-isolate safely and effectively under Test and Protect, in exceptional circumstances, a person may be advised to separate from the rest of their household. You can read more about this via this link

NHS Ayshire and Arran are looking for feedback on proposed content for a new mobile app which will offer local and national information on Autism, ADHD, FASD and Learning Disability for individuals, families, carers and professionals. You can access the survey here , it only takes a few minutes to complete and will remain open until Friday 31 July

As hospital outpatient services and visits resume, NHS Ayrshire and Arran have put together some short videos which explain what we should expect if we attend hospital for either visiting or an appointment. Information for outpatients can be viewed here and you can also watch the short video on visits here. Full details around visiting people in hospital can be found on the NHS website

With everyone spending more time at home over the last few months, many people have seen their energy bills increase. Home Energy Scotland are supporting vulnerable households to keep warm and help people manage their energy bills by offering free and impartial energy saving advice. If you’d like to find out more you can visit their website or call an advisor on 0808 808 2282

Things are still changing quickly at the moment, so I’d encourage you to continue to keep yourselves informed by checking the website regularly. Remember you can also follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, where you’ll find updates about our services

We continue to provide critical services which are currently operating without issue.

Early Learning and Childcare

We are on track to deliver 1140 early learning and childcare hours in August 2020, should national guidance on this change as anticipated on 30 July. These increased hours would be delivered within the funding allocated by the Scottish Government. Where a building programme is ongoing or not completed, there will be a limited range of options (session times) for parents in some areas. Full details on the approach to early learning and childcare, including information on the current status of building works, can be found here.

Shielding

Due to the continuing low levels of COVID-19 infection in Scotland, residents who have been shielding will no longer have to do so from Saturday 1 August. Those affected will receive a letter from the Chief Medical Officer outlining the updated guidance and details about the pause in shielding. A SMS Shielding Service has been set up for the latest updates about shielding, which residents can join by sending a text to 0786 006 4525. The Scottish Government is also developing a COVID-19 forecasting service for shielding. This will allow people who have been shielding to sign up to an SMS update that tells them about their risk of being exposed to COVID-19 in their local area. You can read the latest shielding guidance here.

Test and Protect

The Scottish Government issued updated guidance on Test and Protect on 21 July. This guidance states that in order to self-isolate safely and effectively under Test and Protect, in exceptional circumstances, a person may be advised to separate from the rest of their household.

• This may be best achieved through provision of alternative isolation accommodation for the individual, or by relocation of their household contacts.
• Most people will be able to self-isolate effectively in their own homes, and isolation accommodation should only be considered on an exceptional basis.
• Any decision to facilitate moving someone out of their home would have to be informed by multi-agency decision making, and in keeping with the wishes of all individuals concerned.
• Isolation accommodation is for the purpose of allowing safe and effective self-isolation, and some hostel-style accommodation may not be appropriate.

Test and Protect guidance places significant reliance on local authorities regarding the provision of ‘out of hours’ services and accommodation to support people under the circumstances outlined above. We are therefore developing an approach to manage this which is being led by the Housing Service.

Letter to social housing tenants from the Minister for Local Government Housing and Planning

Kevin Stewart MSP has written an open letter to social housing tenants which provides information and advice following the publication in May of Scotland’s Route Map for moving out of the crisis.

The letter includes a range of support, information and signposting for individuals and families in Scotland as we move through the different phases of easing restrictions. The letter has been publicised to South Ayrshire tenants via social media and our website and can be viewed here.

Property Maintenance

The reporting of routine repairs resumed as of Thursday 23 July. Tenants have been advised to follow the normal reporting process, where they will be given an appointment on or after Monday 3 August.

Public Toilets

All public toilets across South Ayrshire have now re-opened. They remain free to access at the moment and will be open from 10.00am until 6.00pm Monday to Sunday, with the exception of Barassie, Girvan Harbour, Maybole and Arthur Street in Ayr, which will be open 24hrs. In order to ensure physical distancing, it has been necessary to limit the number of cubicles and sinks available for use in some of our facilities. Regular enhanced cleaning will be in place at each facility throughout the day. You can find more information here.

Business Support Grants

We have now paid £22.6 million in business support grants to local businesses.

We continue to work through the remaining cases, which number fewer than 100. Of these, the majority of applicants need to provide further information to enable us to verify their application. Applications for the scheme closed at 5.00pm on 10 July 2020.

Support For Local Businesses

The Economic Development team launched the 11th issue of their ‘Business Beat’ e-magazine this week. This issue has been created in partnership with Trading Standards and Environmental Health and provides information for local businesses on complying with current guidance. The e-magazine can be viewed here.

Communication

We continue to post information and updates through the local media, in hard copy, on a range of social media channels such as South Ayrshire Council Live Facebook, Twitter and Instagram and on our website.