We continue to provide critical services and these are currently operating without issue.
Licensing
The First Minister announced yesterday 18 June that, while we are now entering Phase 2 of easing lockdown restrictions, some changes will not yet come into effect. Many licensed premises with beer gardens had anticipated being permitted to open this weekend, but they will have to remain closed for a further period. These are matters which are entirely outwith the control of the Licensing Board, however we will continue to liaise with the trade and to pass on any information from the Government as it is made available. The next review is anticipated on 2 July and the full re-opening of licensed premises is not expected until Phase 3. Guidelines have now been published which will allow the licensed trade to make plans for re-opening – https://www.gov.scot/publications/coronavirus-covid-19-tourism-and-hospitality-sector-guidance/
Re-opening of Play Parks
Further to the First Minister’s announcement yesterday, playparks can reopen from Monday 29 June. We are therefore putting arrangements in place to reopen on 29 June, ensuring signage is put up to promote public health and physical distancing.
Re-opening of Public Toilets
We are participating in the SOLACE working group to take a national approach to the re-opening of public toilets.
School Holidays
We have amended the school holidays for 20/21 to reflect the earlier start to the autumn term of Tuesday 11 August. The four days of ‘lost holidays’ have been added to the February 2021 long weekend.
Housing and Homelessness
The social effects of COVID-19 have increased the need for homeless temporary accommodation and the demand for housing advice and support.
The number of current homeless applications being managed by our Housing Options & Support Team has risen since March of this year – from 331 at 31 March to 410 at 15 June 2020. Although the level of new homeless applications has not risen significantly in comparison to normal trends, the Council’s ability to discharge our duty to households and to secure permanent housing solutions has been reduced as a consequence of the Covid-19 restrictions to service delivery. Additionally, the number of households requiring temporary accommodation has increased due to the limited other options available to applicants. We have therefore increased our stock of temporary accommodation by 14% since lockdown, using longer term empty properties from our own stock and additional private sector leased properties. There are 285 units of temporary accommodation in use across our hostels/supported accommodation units, dispersed temporary accommodation within our own stock, private sector leased properties and temporary accommodation provided by Ayrshire Housing. This is the highest number we have needed since September 2012, but so far we have avoided the need to use bed and breakfast accommodation.
We have also seen a spike in complaints about individuals in temporary accommodation who have not complied with the government’s social distancing guidance. We continue to work with clients, maintaining regular contact to ensure that they are supported during this challenging time.
Response, Recovery and Resilience Fund
The number of local organisations who have successfully secured funding now number 14, with grants awarded totalling £55,712.00 as detailed in the table below.
| Organisation | Project | Funding |
| Voluntary Action South Ayrshire | To support the costs of two new part-time staff who will co-ordinate food processing orders as part of the food delivery service VASA is providing to 3000 elderly and vulnerable people in South Ayrshire. | £4,584.00 |
| Girvan Youth Trust | To contribute to providing stationery, games, puzzles and toiletries to young people living tin the wider Girvan area as part of a fortnightly Care package. | £1,000.00 |
| North Carrick Community Benefit | To contribute towards the cost of staff, volunteers and the production/distribution of information about the support available for people affected by Covid-19 living in the North Carrick area of South Ayrshire. | £5,000.00 |
| Kirkmichael Village Renaissance | To replenish the stocks of the community shop in Kirkmichael, which is the only local shop serving an immediate village population of 400 people. | £5,000.00 |
| 1010 Trust | To provide freshly cooked nutritious meals packaged in a way which can be easily reheated. | £5,000.00 |
| Maybole and North Carrick Community Resilience Team | To provide a free delivery service for food, prescriptions and hearing aid batteries to people of any age group who are in self-isolation due to Covid. | £3,675.00 |
| Vics in the Community | To develop a dedicated response to the present COVID-19 crisis including meal provision, footballs for physical health and materials for mental health. | £5,000.00 |
| Broken Chains (Ayr) Limited | To increase the Support Worker’s hours by 10 hours per week to deliver services differently so that clients can be supported remotely and provided with food vouchers for the next three months. | £3,350.00 |
| Girvan Community Sport Hub | To contribute to the purchase of sports equipment which will be shared with and loaned to vulnerable and disadvantaged families in the South Ayrshire area, encouraging children to keep fit and active during the lockdown period. | £2,103.00 |
| South Ayrshire Autistic Society | To purchase IT equipment, supermarket vouchers and craft supplies to support families with autistic children in South Ayrshire. | £3,500.00 |
| Straiton Village Co-operative Limited | To ensure the community run shop in Straiton has the stock and volunteer support in place to provide a home delivery service to residents who are self- isolating. | £5,000.00 |
| Wellington Mental Health and Wellness Trust | To grow the existing remote counselling services to meet new demands from people suffering mental health problems due to covid-19. | £5,000.00 |
| Moving Arts Scotland CIC | To provide art materials, tutorials and on-line health and wellbeing content to support 100 people in Ayr to produce art and crafts and reduce social isolation. | £2,500.00 |
| Ayrshire Cancer Support | To contribute to increased costs of delivering a cancer patient transport service and increased demand for counselling and wellbeing helpline services. | £5,000.00 |
Support For Local Businesses – Business Support Grants
We have now paid £20.5 million in business support grants to local businesses and have fewer than 190 cases to process, pending receipt of information required to verify applications.
Support for Local Businesses – Bed and Breakfast Hardship Fund
This fund launched on 15 June and is specifically for small Bed and Breakfasts (B&Bs) who have faced hardship due to COVID-19, but were ineligible for other support, as they do not have a business bank account. The Fund offers a one-off grant of £3,000 and applications should be made online. Details of eligibility criteria and how to apply can be found on the council website – https://beta.south-ayrshire.gov.uk/article/19481/Information-for-Businesses
Belleisle House Hotel
The sale of Belleisle House Hotel concluded on 18 June, which is the date of entry for the Council. The purchase price of £275,000 was reduced to £153,835 to account for the sum of £121,164 which was due to the Council because of the emergency works following the fire.
Proposed AIG Women’s British Open (Royal Troon Golf Course 20-23 August 2020)
Discussions are currently taking place with the R&A on the possibility of holding the AIG Women’s British Open at Royal Troon from 20-23 August 2020. Should the event go ahead, it will not be open to spectators. There would, however, be TV coverage. The R&A will make a decision on whether the competition will run in early July.
In the meantime, the R&A has asked our Planning team to proceed with a proposed Section 11 Access Exemption Order to suspend public access rights during the event. This is in the interests of player, staff and public safety and to help minimise the risk of spreading Covid-19. Although the event has not yet been confirmed, the Planning team is making the order now to allow time for public and community feedback, for consideration of any objections and for the Government to decide whether to approve the order. This means the order would be in place for the start of the event, should it go ahead. A public notice will be placed in the local press next week detailing the Proposed Access Exemption Order and asking for views.