The Role of the Troon Community Council

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The Education Secretary announced on Tuesday that all downgraded SQA exam results will be withdrawn, and qualifications will be based on teacher judgement.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.

Status: For immediate release

At South Ayrshire Council, we’re working with all 29 community pharmacies to ensure residents from Barassie to Ballantrae can still get vital medicines during the lockdown.

We’re delivering prescriptions to people who are shielding, or who live in isolated communities and can’t get to the nearest pharmacy. We have 25 dedicated staff volunteers supporting around 200 people every week.

To make sure those in need don’t miss out, we have also been phoning people on the shielding list to offer the prescription delivery service. So far, our staff volunteers have also made over 850 home visits to people on the list to make sure they’re OK.

John Barr from Monkton was worried he would not get his medication. He said: “It’s been fantastic. I was worried about what I was going to do during lockdown, but this service has been a huge help. First class.”

Fiona is one of our staff volunteers. She said: “I’ve made lots of deliveries all across South Ayrshire. I think most of the people we deliver to, would have struggled to get their prescriptions without our help.”

Jacob, who normally works in our Sport and Leisure service, said: “The comments you get make the job worthwhile; people are so appreciative! They don’t expect the Council to turn up on their doorstep with medicine, but they are very glad when we do.”

Councillor Peter Henderson, Leader of South Ayrshire Council said: “We are continuing to do all we can to help vulnerable people in our communities cope with the lockdown. Ensuring those in need can get prescriptions is extremely important, so our Community Response Team worked with NHS Pharmacy Advisors to set up the collection and delivery service. This is partnership working at its best and we will continue to deliver prescriptions to those in need for the duration of the lockdown.”

Anyone who is not on the shielding list, but still needs help getting medication, can contact us on the Covid-19 Helpline 01292 616101.

ENDS

Reporting roads, lighting and drainage faults has just been made easier with the proposed launch of a new Ayrshire Roads Alliance online portal on Monday 29 June 2020.

The Public Information Portal is map-based which means that residents in East and South Ayrshire who want to report a fault can identify the location on the map and leave a comment about the nature of the fault. They will then be given a reference number which they can use to go back online and check the status of the fault, as it moves from being reported to being worked on, to being completed.

For ease of use, residents can also search for the fault location by address, postcode or the reference number. Anyone looking at the map can also see at a glance which faults have already been reported by looking at the icons.

The portal is only intended for reporting general faults, and any emergency faults should be reported directly to ARA by calling 0345 724 0000 for East Ayrshire Council and 0300 123 0900 for South Ayrshire Council.

Access to the portal can be through South Ayrshire Council Website redirected to Ayrshire Roads Alliance website or by direct access.

1.1 The purpose of this report is to provide Elected Members with an update on the plans to reopen public conveniences in South Ayrshire in line with the Scottish Governments restriction easing route map.

2. Background

2.1 Full lockdown in Scotland officially began on 23 March 2020 – South Ayrshire took the decision, along with all local authorities in Scotland to close all public conveniences across South Ayrshire, in-line with national guidance. On the 18 June, the Scottish Government announced the move to Phase 2 of the route map through the crisis which allows local people to travel 5 miles within their community for outdoor leisure and exercise and expands further on outdoor gatherings. There is currently no formal national guidance around the reopening of public conveniences and they remain closed across Scotland.

2.2 During this time, South Ayrshire has been developing plans for the phased reopening of public conveniences when allowed to do so. This includes reviewing current cleaning advice for non-health care settings and establishing additional resource requirements to deliver a safe service. In the last week, a working group has been established by SOLACE that proposes to take an approach similar to that of the successful reopening of recycling centres, with a national sector led group to determine an agreed reopening plan. South Ayrshire is participating with the group and working with the Government and Public Health Scotland to establish appropriate hygiene and safety guidance to allow a safety led reopening of public conveniences. At this point it is being suggested that staffed public conveniences could be reopened at Phase 3 of the Scottish Government route map.

3. Further easing of restrictions

3.1 The First Ministers briefing on Wednesday 24 June set out further dates for the easing of restrictions including:

3 July

– travel restriction of 5 miles will be relaxed

– The use of self-contained holiday accommodation – such as cottages, lodges and caravans with no shared services – will also be allowed, along with second homes.

6 July

– pubs and restaurants will be able to open outdoor spaces, such as beer gardens

3.2 It is hoped that good progress will allow the transition to Phase 3 of the route map on 10 July and this will allow people to meet up in larger groups outdoors and a maximum of 2 households indoors. It should be noted that these dates are indicative and based on continued suppression of the virus and will be confirmed on 2 July and 9 July respectively.

3.3 It is clear the pace of lockdown easing is increasing, as is footfall in our towns and coastal areas. We will continue to actively participate within the SOLACE working group and prepare for the reopening of public conveniences as soon as safely practicable and in line with health and Scottish Government guidance.

First of all this week, I’d like to update you on changes to our Administration. Councillor Peter Henderson was yesterday unanimously elected as the new Leader of South Ayrshire Council. He takes over from Councillor Douglas Campbell who announced his intention to resign from the role of Leader earlier this month. I’m sure you’ll join me in wishing him the very best in his new role. Councillors also agreed changes to Portfolio Holders and details are available on our website

With our COVID-19 recovery plans now well underway, our Elected Members have decided not to take the planned summer recess. This means Councillors will be present and available to make decisions, address any issues without delay, and assist constituents over the summer

As we enter Phase 2 of the Scottish Government’s COVID-19 route map, we’ll see further changes to our services over the coming weeks

The Coronavirus Business Support Grant Scheme will close on Friday 10 July 2020 and no further applications will be accepted after this date. If you know someone who could benefit from the scheme, there’s still some time to apply and details can be found on our website

Parking enforcement will phase back in from Monday 29 June. Parking attendants will initially focus their attention on critical areas including: junctions, disabled bays and known hot spots where inconsiderate and illegal parking can cause serious disruption. Normal enforcement duties, including on and off-street pay and display car parks, will restart on Monday 6 July. Key workers’ parking permits for on and off street Council parking bays will remain valid at the moment

To help keep everyone safe, plans are in place to ensure that parking ticket machines are cleaned and disinfected regularly. However, if you have any concerns about using parking machines you can download the cashless parking app, RingGo, which allows you to pay for parking without the need for coins. More information, including how to register can be found at www.myringo.co.uk .You can also register online here

Following the Scottish Government’s schools announcement this week, we are now planning for a full-time return in August. If you are a parent or carer, your school will keep in touch with you about arrangements for the new term

In perfect timing for the beginning of the school holidays, our playgrounds and outdoor gyms will re-open from Monday 29 June. Guidance on how you can access these safely can be found on our website

During the pandemic our Social Work teams joined forces with Hansel to ensure that people with learning disabilities, their carers and families were able to access support through a range of new and innovative approaches. With traditional day services temporarily closed, the usual help that families rely on wasn’t available. Delivered from Hansel, a range of activities were offered including micro and short breaks.

Armed Forces Day on Saturday 27 June gives us an opportunity to show our gratitude for the Armed Forces community who work tirelessly to keep us safe in the UK and abroad. Throughout the COVID-19 outbreak, the Armed Forces have provided critical services to those who need them most. While the pandemic has meant planned celebratory events have been cancelled, we will show our support by raising the flag at County Buildings tomorrow. Walking With the Wounded are running an online Armed Forces Day Quiz. So if you’d like to test your Forces knowledge, this link takes you to their Just Giving page where you can access the quiz for free. There are many ways that you can get involved and pay tribute to our Armed Forces from home, including #SaluteOurForces. You can find out more about this and other ideas here

I want to extend my thanks to our teachers and education staff for their hard work and commitment over the last few months. We’ve received some fantastic feedback from pupils, parents and carers on their learning from home experiences. I would like to wish our young people, teachers and support staff an enjoyable, well-deserved summer break and I hope you come back refreshed and ready for the new term

Status For immediate release

We know that the last few months have been challenging for young people, teaching staff and parents.

Our education staff have gone above and beyond to support pupils to learn from home over the last 12 weeks.

South Ayrshire schools break up for summer today, and we have been working hard on plans for blended learning for the new school year in August. We’d like to thank the pupils, parents and carers who took part in our ‘Recovery of Schools and Early Years Centres’ survey. Their feedback helped to shape our plans for blended learning.

We now know that we may not need to put these blended learning plans in place, as the Scottish Government announced this week that schools can expect to re-open full-time in August, with no social distancing for pupils, if the virus continues to be supressed.

Douglas Hutchison, Director- People and Depute Chief Executive said:

“We intend to do everything possible to make sure schools can reopen fully, but we need to ensure the health and safety of all pupils and staff members.

“Schools will now work to make a number of changes before pupils return. The summer break is due to begin this week, and the late announcement from the Scottish Government gives us limited time to make these changes.

“We intend to continue with a planned start date of August 12, but the first week will be a ‘soft start’. This means that pupils may not be in school full days, or every day for the first three days of term, but we aim to have everyone back in school full time by Monday 17 August.

“We’ll keep in touch with pupils, parents and carers over the next few weeks to confirm specific details for each school.

“While many things are uncertain at the moment, one thing is crystal clear, and that is the commitment of teachers, and all staff, to make sure our young people get the best possible chance to recover what has been lost.

“I’d like to say a huge thank you to all teachers and education staff for their continuous hard work and dedication.”

Councillor William Grant, Portfolio Holder for Children and Young People said: “I’d like to thank parents and carers for their support during this difficult time.

“I’m really proud of all school staff for their innovation and creativity in developing new ways for young people to learn. They have worked tirelessly to support our young people over the last three months, and I want to extend my thanks for their continued dedication.

“Finally, I want to recognise our amazing young people who have shown remarkable resilience and a commitment to learning.

“I wish them a great summer break and hope they come back refreshed, and ready to learn.”

For information on schools and education in South Ayrshire visit www.south-ayrshire.gov.uk/schools/