How Good is Our Service -August 2026

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Voids performance has increased to 67% in August from 41% in July however this is still below our target of 85%.  The service has been working through properties received from the beginning of 2026/27 after focussing on the 2025/26 backlog of properties over the past few months.  The delay in starting these properties is still impacting on performance in this area however this will improve in the coming weeks and months when we complete and return these to the letting pool.  We constantly review process and have  made further operational changes within the section to deal with current demand. .  Performance in this area is now targeted at mainstream void properties only and doesn’t include homeless voids.  As a result, and due to the significant number of properties currently being worked on and returned, the performance is still below our target.  We are currently engaged with trusted contractors who are working with us to return properties and bring the numbers down to a manageable level which will see us achieve our targets.  We continue to be  focussed on improving and maintaining performance in the coming weeks and months with significant improvement expected over the next few months, returning the service to the appropriate levels of performance.

Property Maintenance have achieved our target of 100% Gas Servicing in August with 366 properties serviced in the month.  We continue to manage this contract robustly to ensure compliance each month and continually throughout the year.

The average number of days to complete non-emergency repairs in August is 10.3 days, slightly up from July and exceeding our target of 12 days.  Our focus remains on maintaining a high level of performance in this area throughout 2026/27 and we will continue to review operational process with a view to achieving our targets.

Kitchen, Bathroom Heating and Fencing upgrade programmes are ongoing and progress continues in carrying out reactive works across the education and non-housing stock with decoration works ongoing across the school estate. 

Cyclical maintenance gutter cleaning and close painting programmes are ongoing and will continue throughout 2026/27.

A new menu for 2026/27 has been designed and has taken into consideration of the feedback the Catering team have received from pupils and the schools last year.  The menu has also been passed to Food for Life, with a view of the Council re-applying for the bronze accreditation having worked with Food for Life over the past few months, ensuring their targets aren’t impacting the Council financially in terms of produce requirements and costs.

With the school’s returning on 17 August, the figures for free school meal uptake are not comparable at present given the Primary 1 pupils and S1 Pupils details are not on the system as yet.  The figures for September will be accurate and will reflect the full months uptake.  The Catering Service did provide breakfast and lunches to the Snack n Play classes across 6 schools during the summer holidays, which was a great success.

Fourteen of the fifteen new mechanised crossing points have now been installed.  The recruitment exercise for additional school crossing patrollers is ongoing with a view to staffing all vacant crossing points which are not currently or due to be mechanised.  Following the recruitment drive at the beginning of the year, there are only 10 vacancies now, with 4 new SXP now recruited since March 2026. 

Following the 20% reduction in cleaning across the Council’s Corporate estate, a new cleaning model has now been agreed and is currently being implemented.  The service has actively recruited for over 800 weekly hours across the East, West and Central areas, with the East and West now fully resourced.   Interviews are held regularly for positions within the Central area as and when applications are received. 

The service has robust measures in place to monitor performance with regards gas safety compliance across the Operational Estate. 

Officers continue to progress reactive repairs across the operational estate, although currently focusing on H&S related repairs and ensuring assets remain wind and watertight.  Officers are investigating drainage issues that are currently affecting Wester Cleddens PS and Bearsden Ps with our contractor.  Gutter cleans will commence over the next few months across the school estate with autumn approaching.

Estates Management continue to market vacant premises within the non-operational estate.  At present the non-operational estate is over 94% occupied, with vacant suites in Southbank Marina being actively marketed by agents, DM Hall.  
 
Officers continue to progress disposals with colleagues in Legal Services to ensure that capital receipts are delivered and ongoing liabilities i.e. non-domestic rates, utilities, security etc are reduced.  

The Service continues to progress a wide range of capital projects both in pre-construction and construction phases.  

Projects currently in construction include: 

• The Westerhill Development Road project, where initial construction phase activities are now progressing.  
• The construction of a replacement Balmuildy Primary School also continues to make good progress, with works now well progressed.  
• At Twechar Canalside, the construction of 15no. affordable Passivhaus houses continues to make good progress and remains on scheduled to complete in October 2026.
• Construction phase activities remain in progress at the Milngavie Early Years Centre, following the decant of staff and pupils in July. 
• Refurbishment of sports pavilions at Merkland, Colquhoun Park and Thorn Park are now underway.
• Roof replacement projects at Wester Cleddans Primary School and Colquhoun Primary School are well progressed, with both projects due to complete in September.
• Works to improve the energy efficiency of properties will commence at Ferguson Avenue, Milngavie through the installation of External Wall Insulation to Council and privately owned homes in the area.

Design development continues to progress for the Lenzie Academy Project.  The project planning application was submitted in February 2026 and has now been validated.  A separate planning application for proposals at the existing school site at Myrtle Avenue, Lenzie was submitted in June 2026.  A Stage 2 report will be submitted to Council confirming the final tendered construction cost following determination of the planning application for each site.

Proposals to introduce all-weather sports provision and upgraded changing pavilions at Oakburn Park, Milngavie were approved by Council in June 2026.  Options for car parking both on and off-site are now under review and will be submitted for consideration by Council in October 2026.

The Service continues to develop the next phase of a building decarbonisation strategy for the school estate, operational estate and for the existing affordable housing stock, with a variety of surveys, pilot projects and further feasibility reviews planned throughout the remainder of this financial year.  The revised Learning Estate and Corporate Property Asset Management Plans were approved within the Council’s revised Asset Management Plan and include proposals for the decarbonisation of the Council’s learning and corporate estates, including Phase 1 priority sites which will form the basis of activity in the coming financial year.

The delivery of several areas of on-going capital investment across the Council’s existing affordable housing stock continue, including several significant measures to improve housing quality and energy efficiency.  Works are also progressing on the next phase of the Council’s Mixed Tenure Roof Replacement programme and in undertaking a refresh of stock condition data

In June 2026, Council also approved the Stage 2 reports for new-build affordable housing projects at Cleddans, Merkland and Auchinairn.  Final contractual matters are being concluded for each project and contractor mobilisation is expected by October 2026 ahead of construction activity commencing at each site.  A report seeking approval to enter into the construction phase at Nithsdale Crescent, Bearsden will be considered by Council in October 2026.

• Achieved 100% compliance for Gas Servicing with focus on this continuing going forward.
• Kitchen, Bathroom and Central Heating upgrade programmes ongoing with positive feedback being received from tenants across all contracts.
• Cyclical maintenance gutter cleaning and close painting programmes are ongoing and are being well received.
• Positive level of performance in non-emergency repairs turnaround times with our focus being on maintaining and improving further in this area moving forward.
• Full decoration in void properties from 1st April providing a significantly enhanced standard of property for new tenants.
• Continue to focus on enhancing voids operational processes with the objective being to achieve our targets and further improve and maintain performance in this area going forward. 
• Improved functionality of Total Mobile and the integration with Servitor enables a more streamlined and efficient service.  We continue to explore alternative options for enhanced efficiencies moving forward.
• Improve communications with customers and stakeholders to ensure the highest level of service delivery.
• Continue to utilise robust reporting mechanisms for enhanced performance and service delivery.
• Progress decoration works across the school estate.
• 100% of Operational Assets requiring a Gas Safety check within the year’s anniversary of the previous check are completed.
• Schedule in the upcoming Gas Safety Checks with contractors which are required during August and September.
• Improve uptake of nutritious school meals.
• Improve communications with customers and stakeholders to ensure the highest level of service delivery.
• Reduce FM overtime.

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The Community Protection Service delivers on a broad statutory remit, with delivery measures centred on protecting public health and safety, well-being and consumer protection. During August 2026, the service continued to engage in the local Co-Production arrangement with Police Scotland, with regular community harm and risk meetings being held to provide the focus for joint work and activity to protect local communities across the East Dunbartonshire area. The service also continued to develop intelligence led approaches for all areas of work to target local public health, community safety and consumer protection activity towards the areas of greatest need, risk and priority.

Throughout the reporting period, Environmental Health played a key role in delivering essential public health services, fulfilling a wide range of statutory responsibilities with a view to protecting the community from environmental risks and supporting the development of responsible business.  In addition to routine inspections and response to environmental public health complaints, the team were progressing with a strategy for contaminated land and were finalising a draft air quality Annual Progress Report.

The Community Safety Team continued to deliver a broad range of front-line work for the benefit of local communities during the reporting period, working closely with a range of colleagues and key partners to successfully deliver appropriate interventions and to make our local communities safer. Officers from the team were engaged in the delivery of services in relation to community engagement/support, antisocial behaviour, neighbour disputes, environmental incivilities, dog control, decriminalised parking enforcement, fly-tipping, pest control, and mobile CCTV. The team continued to deliver enforcement work in relation to the new Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 parking prohibitions relating to pavement, double and dropped kerb parking recently introduced across the Council area. ASB patrol activity by the Community Wardens, with particular emphasis on several areas in and around Bishopbriggs, was also prevalent during the month. 
 
The Trading Standards and Licensing Enforcement team were engaged in the delivery of essential consumer protection and licensing services to local consumers and businesses to maintain and protect a fair-trading environment in East Dunbartonshire. During August, Trading Standards delivered scam prevention work in conjunction with Police Scotland colleagues on a Co-production basis, and in engagement with local bank branches. Staff undertook training on the changing legislative framework around sales of tobacco and vapes. Trading Standards continued to promote the Trusted Trader scheme to provide a valuable resource for consumers and a platform for trustworthy local businesses.  Licensing Advisors continued to provide tailored advice to applicants and existing Licensees on matters of liquor, civic licensing and in relation to the Kirkintilloch Big Weekend event.

During August, the Community Planning and Partnerships Team continued to support local communities, strengthen partnership working and address inequality across East Dunbartonshire.

Community development activity remained focused on priority communities, with staff working alongside local people to strengthen existing groups, support new community-led activity and help residents take forward local priorities. This work continues to support action on poverty, inequality and wellbeing.

Delivery of the CLD Plan 2025–27 also progressed during the month. Work linked to the Local Child Poverty Action Report remains focused on reducing inequality and improving outcomes for children, families and communities.

The new Local Community Grant Fund was launched during August. The Fund will provide £100,000 of support for community-led projects that respond to local needs and priorities. Developed with input from the Grant Advisory Committee, partners and local stakeholders, the Fund is intended to help communities deliver practical activity that strengthens local wellbeing, tackles inequality and supports positive local change.

The team is working with Asset Management and Legal Services to provide guidance to groups exploring Community Asset Transfers and considering responsibility for local assets.

Resettlement activity continued to develop, with the Resettlement Team supporting asylum seekers, Ukrainian families and others arriving through humanitarian programmes. In addition to practical help to understand local services and settle into their new communities, the team is progressing a series of hosted community conversations. These sessions will bring together new and established residents, creating opportunities to share experiences, build understanding and make stronger local connections. This work is being developed with East Dunbartonshire Welcomes Refugees and other local partners.

Well-being-focused kitchen sessions continued to provide practical and social support for young tenants and families. Participants are developing everyday skills, increasing confidence and building connections with others. The team is now exploring opportunities with third-sector partners to extend the approach to reach more households.

Preparations for the inaugural meeting for the Equality Action Planning Forum continued during August. The forum will support more joined-up working across services and partners, helping to strengthen the delivery of equality outcomes.

Work on women’s safety and wellbeing also remained a priority. Learning from the International Women’s Day programme is informing planning by the Violence Against Women and Girls Partnership for the 2026 16 Days of Action Campaign.

The team continues to support development opportunities for the Community Learning and Development workforce. Following positive feedback from the West Alliance Learning Festival practitioner session, further joint learning opportunities are being explored with the Centre for Good Relations.

Weekly community vaccination clinics remain available in Milngavie and Kirkintilloch, delivered in partnership with NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. These clinics continue to improve local access to vaccination and support wider public health outcomes.

Housing manages 3,925 social rented properties; 3,829 of these are mainstream accommodation and 96 are used for Homeless Temporary Accommodation.  The service also manages 48 Lead Tenancies which are rented from either private landlords (27) or Housing Associations (21), to assist with accommodating homeless households.

At present, the Housing list for East Dunbartonshire has 3,587 applications - made up of the following:

General Waiting list     2,749 applicants waiting (2 of which are on offer)
(Applicants who have somewhere to stay i.e., they are owner occupiers, a tenant of a private let, stay care of family etc. This queue allows the applicant to choose which area, house type etc they would like to move to).

Transfer waiting list    612 applicants (5 of which are on offer)
(Council or Housing Association tenants who are looking to move to another Council or Housing Association property, either for a different size, or, for a different area. This queue allows the tenant to choose which area, house type etc. they would like to move to).

Priority waiting list        224 applicants (15 of which are on offer) 
(Homeless)
(Applicants who have no accommodation or will have nowhere to stay within the next 2 months. This queue does not allow the applicant to choose area or house type).

Priority waiting list        2 applicants (0 of which are on offer)
(Urgent medical)
(Applicants who are unable to remain in their current home due to their medical condition. This queue allows the applicant to choose which area, house type etc. they would like to move to).

Within the last month, 40 properties were allocated, 36 of which were general needs mainstream and 4 was sheltered.

They were let to the following queues:

•    9 to the transfer queue
•    5 to the general waiting list queue
•    26 to the homeless priority queue

Environmental Health, Trading Standards and Community Safety Teams

• Delivery of effective services on a flexible basis to meet all statutory requirements and duties in relation to public health, community safety, consumer protection and licensing enforcement matters.
• Delivery of local Co-Production activity between Community Protection and Police Scotland, with particular focus on effective tasking processes and the delivery of joint action plans and work to protect the communities of East Dunbartonshire.
• Delivery of Business Improvement Plan activity relating to Community Protection - actions being implemented in accordance with set targets to deliver effective services in line with relevant corporate outcomes and with positive performance being reported.
• Delivery of regulatory services that assist with economic recovery and that are designed to support local businesses and communities.
• Environmental Health’s annual Air Quality Action Plan was submitted to SEPA and Scottish Government teams for approval.
• EHO’s working to assist the local NHS Health Protection team sampled a local household water supply as part of a legionella investigation.
• EHO’s attended Kirkintilloch’s Big Weekend as part of routine regulatory checks for food and safety purposes.  
• PNCA Committee approved both the Food and Health & Safety Service Plans which set out the objectives to meet the council’s statutory requirements in these areas.
• Environmental Health staff requested a Gas Safe engineer to a local takeaway premises which resulted in several cooking appliances being prohibited on the grounds of safety.  The operator replaced the equipment to recommence trade.  
• Delivery of decriminalised parking enforcement activity including enforcement for offences relation to pavement, double and dropped kerb parking. 
• Delivery of parking enforcement activity to support traffic free schools’ and all other school areas.  
• Delivery of targeted ASB patrols in response to reports of youth disorder, graffiti and vandalism.
• Deployment of mobile CCTV in several areas where fly-tipping is regularly occurring.  
• Delivery of patrols specifically in response to complaints of dog fouling. No offences witnessed being committed but several dog walkers spoken to and reminded of their responsibilities as dog owners. 
• On-going Community Warden activity under the MCR Pathways national programme with several officers actively mentoring local school children. 
• Community Wardens carried out drop-in public surgeries across the local authority area. 
• On-going promotion of the East Dunbartonshire Trusted Trader scheme through relevant channels, with the aim of attracting further local traders to join the scheme.
• Submission of logs to the National Intelligence Database for Trading Standards with contribution to the wider national and cross authority picture.
• Delivery of Co-production work with Police Scotland across the local authority area on scam prevention. 
• Advice and compliance oversight of the licensing requirements around the Kirkintilloch Big Weekend. 

Community Planning and Partnerships Team

• Community development staff continue to work alongside residents in priority communities to build sustainable community organisations and progress local action on poverty and inequality.
• Delivery of the CLD Plan 2025–27 and Local Child Poverty Action Report actions continue to support improved outcomes for children, families and communities.
• The Local Community Grant Fund launched in August, making £100,000 available for community-led projects that reflect local priorities and support positive change.
• Resettlement support is expanding through practical orientation, welcome activity and planned community conversations that help new and established residents build connections.
• Wellness kitchen sessions continue to strengthen confidence, practical skills and social networks among young tenants and families, with options being explored to extend the model.
• Work continues to strengthen equality, women’s safety and wellbeing, workforce development and access to local vaccination support.

Housing Services - Operations & Estates Team and Homelessness & Prevention Teams

• There were 9 nominations from the Housing waiting list sent to a Registered Social Landlord operating in East Dunbartonshire to be considered for allocation to their housing stock. Discussions are ongoing with Clyde Valley Housing Association to approve a new Nominations Agreement.
• Ongoing regular attended this month included Housing Liaison meetings where cases of relevance to Social Work, Community Safety and Police Scotland are discussed, MARAC meeting with other agencies, CPC MISE group to discuss Child Protection issues, Safe and Together forums,  2-weekly meetings of the Community Harm and Risk Meeting (CHARM) with Police Scotland, Community Protection, Trading Standards and Licensing and regular meetings with Legal Services regarding dispute over title deeds in the housing estate, NOP’s and other legal matters.
• Housing continues to review processes and make changes to them where possible to allow for a more customer, person centred approach. 
• The new on-line CRM system training has been issued for Housing staff using the system and now up and running.
• The team is part of new Steering Group to re-establish and implement new procedures for processing and issuing Tenant Recharges.
• Attendance at new 2-weekly Community Harm and Risk Meeting (CHARM) with Police Scotland, Community Safety, Trading Standards and Licensing officers continues. Attendance at East Dunbartonshire Safe and Together steering group is ongoing. 
• Hold monthly budget meetings with HRA accountant to keep abreast of costs. Weekly meetings with Void Team at Property Maintenance to focus on improving performance. Monthly attendance at new Housing/Social Work liaison meeting to discuss Throughcare cases and Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children.
• Monthly void property meetings with Property Maintenance to endeavour to improve performance.
• Work to reduce the Voids, - liaising with the Property Maintenance to streamline this process. 
• Ensuring all ASB cases are actioned 
• Ensuring turn around times on void properties falls and offers are out with applicants on these properties. 
• New Housing Support - Blue Triangle 
  • July – August – existing support cases (18)
  • August Referrals – 8 
• 24 homeless applications taken (40% decrease compared to last month; 40)
• 15 households booked into temporary accommodation 
• Rent income from temporary accommodation £144,414.84 (86%)
• 8 calls to homeless out of hours service (38% decrease compared to last month)
• No households were booked into unsuitable accommodation during August 2026 
• 173 application requests to landlord registration (68% increase from last month; 103) 
  • 19 cancelled
  • 28 new
  • 54 renewals 
  • 72 updates 

Key areas of focus in August for the Communications & Engagement team included the completion of the Milngavie Primary school refurbishment, presentation of Provost Champion Awards and the launch of the Local Community Grant Fund.

Media relations overall was consistent this month with 13 releases issued (six in July), four photocalls, (seven in July) and 14 media enquiries dealt with (17 in July).

All releases are on the Council website news section and the local coverage achieved equated to an equivalent advertising value of £7,240 (£9,740 in July).

Facebook, Instagram and LinkedIn again all saw increases in followers with the most popular posts this month relating to the refurb of Milngavie Primary, affordable housing in Kirkintilloch and current vacancies.

Across the Council’s four social media channels the average engagement rate was 4.1 (a good engagement rate is 0.5, anything above 1 is deemed great).

The Council website had 185,262 visits (excluding internal traffic). The most popular page was the Bin Collection tool with 28,158 views.

There were 4,353 call-to-action button clicks. 

The most watched video on Facebook was the Milngavie Primary school refurbishment with 24,108 views. On YouTube the same video had 498 views.

In August 2026, the Corporate Performance and Research team continued to fulfil required duties in relation to reporting of performance and risk management at a corporate level and provision of service level data and statistical support as well as continuing to ensure the Council has adequate insurance arrangements in place, providing advice and support in relation to insurance related queries and acting as a point of escalation in regards to any claims. 

The team also continues to undertake complaints handling at a corporate level, coordinating responses to complaints across all service areas, ensuring they are addressed appropriately, and that adequate responses are provided within statutory timescales.

The team have continued to face some challenges in August with complaints levels continuing to be high leading to a slight backlog in processing times. Additionally, the team have continued to have challenges in fulfilling some elements of service specific reporting as resources have been prioritised to assist with the HCM/ Oracle fusion implementation.

Throughout August the Customer Service team handled a variety of enquiries and requests for service including 9,452 telephone calls, this is less than the previous month’s total of 10,377, the team also served 190 appointments and 904 drop-in customers in the Community Hubs, this is a slight increase in appointments and decrease in drop-ins than the previous month which was 182 and 962 respectively. 

The Housing Capital team held training sessions with Customer Service Agents across August, these useful sessions enhance agents’ knowledge and understanding of the work undertaken by the capital team enabling them to handle customer enquiries more efficiently.

With all community telecare alarms now ready for the digital switchover, East Dunbartonshire Council has achieved the platinum digital telecare implementation award, this is the highest level of readiness recognised by the Digital Office.  The Emergency Response Centre team continue to support the development of the digital call handling platform with work beginning to implement various further modules available on the platform. 

The Human Resources & Organisational Development (HR&OD) teams lead on workforce centred activities including, policy development, resourcing, workforce and succession plannning, workforce analytics, people development, Job Evaluation, attendance and wellbeing improvement as well as providing strategic and operational employee relations support including case management and partnership working.

A significant focus across the HR&OD Teams in 2026/27 includes the project to implement the new Oracle Fusion HR and Payroll system which will replace iTrent.

Communications & Engagement

• Two videos created and 36 design jobs completed overall
• Co-ordination of the launch of the Local Community Grand fund including guidance notes, form, website updates, social media and press release
• Promotion of the positive inspection of Colquhoun Park Primary and Early Years Centre with social media and press release
• Progression of the Provost’s Community Champions Awards with publication of winners stories 
• Co-ordination of Taking Part, the tenant newsletter including writing stories and design
• 186 websites jobs completed including updates and creation of new pages.

   

Corporate Performance

• The successful submission of the annual Local Government Benchmarking Return to the Improvement Service and responses made to validation queries.
• The performance guide for 26/27 outlining our requirements and dates for performance reporting for the rest of the financial year was finalised and issued to senior managers.
• Completion of the tender for the Council’s Insurance brokerage services.
• Increased assistance was provided to the change team in relation to the rollout of Oracle Fusion.
• Submission of annual SOURCE data return to Public Health Scotland

Customer Services

• The customer services team continued to handle customer enquiries via all contact channels, with service quality and prompt response times continued key priorities for the team.
• The Council achieved the Digital Office’s Platinum Digital Telecare Implementation Award in recognition of the progress made in telecare alarms in preparation for the digital switchover.

Human Resources & Organisational Development

• Continued engagement with the Trade Unions on strategic and operation HR initiatives, including service reviews and policy development.
• Continued support and guidance for employees and managers on HR policy, with support and attendance on Employee Relations case work.
• Within Payroll Services, the team have maintained and processed the payover of the various payruns within timescales, with the completion of a series of statutory returns.
• Implemented Teachers Pay Award and increments due in August 2026.
• The HCM Project Board, continues to provide oversight and governance in support of moving to the new Oracle Fusion HR/Payroll system (HCM). 
• Teams across HR and Payroll continue to undertake series of milestones and output required as part of the HCM project, whilst managing operational work. 
• The People Development team delivered 27 sessions across a number of topics including SMART Working, Induction, Health and Safety, EDC policy sessions & Leadership Topics. 
• Continued support by team in the facilitation of statutory training in a number of services areas to ensure continued compliance and certification. 
• In August, 349 delegates received training across a range of topics.  

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Work commenced at Colquhoun pavilion with Maxi Construction Limited commencing the extensive refurbishment at the end of July. Temporary changing accommodation is being sought and in the short-term Portaloo’s have been provided for players, officials and spectators. 

The Allander bid farewell to the Glasgow Warriors who had occupied the multi-purpose studio for their ‘return to play – physio sessions’. During the summer period the Warriors took 66 All Inclusive memberships to allow their players and staff to utilise our fitness equipment until their return to Scotstoun Leisure Centre. Allander customers enjoyed seeing many of the Rugby stars in and around the facility.

For the second successive year, Charlies Soft Play (Leisuredrome) held its “meet your pupils” event, in which new Primary 1 children had the opportunity to meet and play with their new classmates. This continued to grow from the success of last year and we look forward to making it an even better experience for the kids next year. 

Libraries

For the second consecutive year, libraries are hosting author talks and events live streamed into our libraries from the Edinburgh International Book Festival.  These events are completely free, allowing local communities access to high profile authors without the cost or inconvenience of traveling to Edinburgh.  This year’s highlights, so far, have included John Grisham, Lorraine Kelly and Val McDermid.  

The Summer Reading Challenge ended, with a 30% increase in children participating in the national event this year compared with last year. The high participation rate reflects the work the Children & Families team undertook visiting every school in the area, prior to the summer holidays.

Bearsden Library, which re-opened in February, is now busy with events and talks which, in period 5 included, Guide Dogs Scotland and local author Geraldie McFaul..

Westerton Library hosted a Panini Stickers exchange for the first time. Collecting, swapping and displaying these stickers is a huge hobby for many people, and the library was buzzing with happy children and adults taking part. The event will be rolled out across East Dunbartonshire Libraries. 

Milngavie and Lennoxtown libraries hosted special summer Family Quiz nights, as well as a programme of summer talks – including one about Auchentoshan Distillery, a mountaineering and photography talk from G Robertson; and a special talk from the sister of a staff member who gave a fun and educational talk about her volunteer work with a wildlife rescue centre in Australia.

Heritage & Arts

The Archives & Local Studies area within William Patrick Library was closed for a two week period to allow for essential maintenance and upgrade work to be carried.  These improvements will help ensure the safe care of East Dunbartonshire’s archive collections. As a result of the temporary closure, usage was lower this period, with 742 visits in person and 208 enquiries. 

Museum, Archives and Local Studies Collections received 728 visits to outreach displays in libraries. 

The heritage and arts newsletter and mailing list received 81 new subscribers in period 5, taking the total number of subscribers up to 4,164.  

Promotion of the online collections via social media channels and email marketing saw visits rise to 1,949 during period 5.  

The Auld Kirk Museum opened its first ever Young Artists Art Exhibition, showcasing young talent of artists aged 14 to 25 years.  Three East Dunbartonshire secondary schools took part in this inaugural exhibition, with awards being presented by Provost Gillian Renwick during the opening on Saturday the 15th  August. 

Scottish Women in Sport Conference

Two members of the Active Schools Team attended the Scottish Women in Sport (SWiS) Conference on 18th August. The conference brought together organisations and partners from across Scotland to explore the barriers, opportunities and approaches to increasing women’s and girls’ participation in sport and physical activity.

The learning from this event will help the Active Schools team to support the continued development of our Fit for Girls initiative and the wider Active Schools programme. Some of the key themes covered on the day were understanding girls’ needs, creating positive and inclusive environments, removing barriers to participation and providing activities that are relevant and appealing to girls. All of these themes will be considered in future planning and delivery which will help us to improve opportunities for girls to be active across East Dunbartonshire.

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The Service has made very good progress against priorities in the Business and Improvement Plan (BIP) 2026-2029. 

• Education welcomed three new Head Teachers to the authority, Lenzie Academy, Baljaffray Primary and also an Acting Head Teacher to Meadowburn Primary School.
• Quality Improvement Officers and Education Development Officers from across the authority participated in a Development Day focussing, firstly, on improving attendance across schools, early years centres and specialist provision. The second part of the day involved planning for upcoming Curriculum Improvement Cycle (CIC) initiatives, including upcoming cluster-based events looking at pedagogy, meta skills and local and national curriculum developments. 
• All Quality Improvement Officers have been working with Head Teachers to provide feedback on Standard & Quality Reports and support School Improvement Planning for this session.
• Early Years and Primary officers are piloting a new joint visit focussing on effective transitions, opportunities for joint working to improve learning and teaching experiences. 

• The popular band, Saint Phnx, visited P5 and P6 at Colquhoun Park Primary School to deliver a positive mental health workshop called 'My Happy Place'.  
• Torrance Primary School welcomed Masterchef winner Gary McLean to officially open their newly refurbished school bistro. The bistro is a fantastic learning space for pupils to learning about helath and wellbeing and take part in cooking and hospitality activities.

Early Years, Primary, Secondary and Supporting Families

•  116 Provisionally Registered Teachers (PRTs) started their Teacher Induction Scheme (TIS) year at the start of the new academic session. 59 Secondary PRTs have been allocated between all Secondary schools and 57 Primary PRTs were allocated between almost all Primary Schools.
•  Primary and Secondary PRTs have participated in the first session of their tailored Professional Learning programme. 
•  The QIO with responsibility for Secondary and Primary teaching students has collaborated with partner Universities to match students to all schools. Almost all students will begin placements in October with a few beginning placements in September.
•  Two Primary Head Teachers and the QIO lead for the IMAGINE Leadership group co-designed a Primary Depute Head Teacher (DHT) Professional Learning Network during 2025/2026. The first session was delivered in August with almost all DHTs from the Primary sector attending. The session focussed on building professional networks and strategic change.
•  9 members of staff from both the primary and secondary sectors successfully completed the year-long Improving Our Classroom (IOC) programme. As a result, all 9 participants achieved GTCS Professional Recognition, with eight also attaining 30 Masters-level credits through Glasgow Caledonian University. A further 9 members of staff are currently participating in this year’s IOC programme, continuing to strengthen professional learning and support the ongoing development of high-quality classroom practice across the sectors.
•  A comprehensive professional learning offer covering all aspects of literacy, numeracy, play, enquiry and meta skills has been launched across early years and primary settings.
•  Over 60 new staff and PRTs attended basic training from Promethean to enable them to make a fast start to using their interactive displays in class to enhance learning and teaching.

Additional Support Needs (ASN) and Children’s Services

•  3 staff members from Bishopbriggs Academy joined colleagues in Renfrewshire Council as part of a capacity building session for Mentors in Violence Prevention (MVP). The session will enable staff to facilitate MVP programmes within school, supporting senior phase pupils as mentors to younger pupils. 
•  Education Central Officers benefitted from high-quality Child Protection professional learning focused on CSE, group based CSE, Prevent and Domestic Abuse. Excellent feedback evidences the relevance of the training, with staff reporting increased confidence in recognising risk and responding appropriately. This supports a strong culture if safeguarding and aligns with key national and local priorities.
•  The new Virtual Service pilot project (Aug – Dec) has commenced. The pilot was agreed in consultation with schools, educational psychology service and the ASN team, whereby 20 pupils with emotional based school non-attendance/care experience have been identified and team members will link with schools and families early in the new term and begin working with learners at home and in community venues across EDC. The service aims to offer one to one support and small group support to access learning. 

Education Psychological Service (EPS)

•  Dyslexia Leaflets for parents and carers, primary and secondary school aged children are currently being finalised and will be shared across schools. 
•  Primary probationers attended training on the CIRCLE framework in which both the Inclusive Classroom Scale and Participation Scale were explored.  Professional Learning Community (PLC) sessions for colleagues in Early Years Centres, Primary and Secondary sectors will begin in September.  
•  As part of the implementation of the Education Strategic Trauma Informed Practice (TIP) Plan, Level One TIP Training was delivered by EPS to education who have a specific remit to support children and young people experiencing trauma and/or adverse childhood experiences, including Primary Wellbeing Support Service, Secondary Wellbeing Support Service and Positive Achievements.  The training was positively evaluated and has resulted in these staff teams being offered access to multiagency Transforming Connections Level 2 Trauma Skilled Training in session 2026/2027.
•  Level 1 Trauma Informed Training packages have been produced which include education specific content. These have been piloted in one secondary school and 2 primary schools.  Feedback will be used inform future delivery and roll-out across EDC schools.
•  Since presenting at New Vision on Relationships (NVR) National Conference in Liverpool in June, the two educational psychologists have linked with two other authorities in Scotland to share East Dunbartonshire’s approach to rolling out NVR. Dates have been set for planned Level 1 and Level 2 training as well as PLCs for the academic session and shared via the professional learning calendar. 
•  Suicide and Self Harm Multi-Agency Guidance has been finalised and will be shared at Head Teachers' Forums and at an open day in December, where multi-agency partners will be able to attend.

School Planning and Improvement

•  Milngavie Primary School pupils were welcomed back into their newly refurbished building, which is a lovely learning space for all.
•  Milngavie Early Years service has temporarily been relocated to Clober and Oakburn Early Years Centres to allow for a new Early Years Centre to be built on the same site.  Work is currently progressing well.
•  Lenzie Academy roof replacement programme completed for over the music and art wing.  This included internal decoration.

Skills for Life, Learning and Work

•  The Count Me In project successfully supported 13 adults achieve their National 5 Maths qualification including 8 with an A grade. Learners ranged from 19 years old to over 70 years old and with a wide variety of objectives for taking part. Feedback from learners indicated that they found the small, informal classes and variety of teaching approaches very effective and motivating, whilst the inclusive, non-judgemental ethos greatly reduced anxiety around maths. Individuals reported: that they now felt that other challenges in life weren’t as scary; that they were now looking for further learning opportunities in both maths and other areas; that they have now been accepted to university thanks to gaining the qualification; and that their children were now starting additional school subjects at higher SCQF levels following their own success.

   

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Finance 

The Finance Team worked on the accounts for 2024/25 and 2025/26 during August.

The Finance Team are experiencing a critical period of demands on the team.  Phase 2 of the ERP Fusion programme is progressing with HCM migration.   The team continue to balance resources to provide essential services and support projects.  The team have initiated an internal training programme to address future demands as part of resource and succession planning.  This is a long-term working review and will place pressure on the team until it comes to fruition.

The team has started preparations for 2026/27 year-end.   The P&R outturn for period 4 HRA, capital and general fund has been reviewed by committee and period 5 is now being investigated.  In addition, work has commenced on the year end position for 2025/26, whilst working on audits for 2024/25. Mugdock Annual Accounts for 2025/26 will be presented to the Mugdock Joint Board in September. Work has now commenced on the 2027/28 budget.

The Council continues to deliver against an ambitious capital programme supported largely by borrowing. 
Treasury Management Reporting continues to highlight the increasing revenue costs associated with the current programme with ongoing affordability being challenged within a tight funding settlement.  Reports to Council have provided updates on the programme, the associated costs and any mitigations required.  

Revenues & Benefits

The Revenues and Benefits team have continued to progress Council Tax and Benefits services and administration of the Scottish Welfare Fund. 

The Council Tax Collection Rate at 46.03% is marginally behind the target of 46.21% for this point in the year.    The number of accounts which pay over twelve months rather than ten has been steadily increasing over the past few years.  This may be because of the cost-of-living issues and residents spreading the costs.   The Council’s Recovery and Enforcement Procedures continue to be applied, and individuals being signposted to the exemptions and discounts available as appropriate.

Shared Services

The Shared Services Team continues to provide support across all Council services.  The Letting Team have been significantly busier during this year’s annual letting due to the implementation of a new system for 26/27.  The Homecare Team continues to support an initiative from the Planning & Commissioning Team, processing variations in addition to their normal workload.  The Transport Team worked on the transport arrangements for 26/27 in preparation for the new academic year.  

ICT Services 

The ICT Services team continues to support the Council’s information technology systems and services to ensure high availability and performance in line with agreed service levels.  The Team resolved 1372 tickets in August and dealt with 202 telephone calls.  ICT Support conducts a satisfaction survey for all users who raise a ticket, 97.2% of respondents were happy with the service provided from ICT Support in August.  

ICT Infrastructure continues to support the delivery of major projects in conjunction with the Business & Digital Change Team and Major Assets team.    The team continues to review telephony services across the estate in preparation for the PSTN switch off.   The team continues to monitor the underlying infrastructure to ensure maximum performance.   The ICT Security team continues to monitor the estate and perimeter defences alongside ongoing improvements to ensure that our systems and data are protected. Patching compliance is at 90.2% for August. 

Housing Rent and Tenant Participation 

The maximisation of housing rental income and pursuit of rent arrears continues to be a priority for the service, to safeguard income. This is achieved by a dedicated team of Officers, whose role is to actively pursue rent arrears and provide advice and support to tenants struggling to pay their rent. This includes issuing letters, home visits, telephone calls, emails, etc, which begin as soon as arrears are accrued on a rent account; pre tenancy advice on rent charges, payment options and discussing rent affordability to new tenants at the time of offer acceptance of their new tenancy; signposting tenants struggling financially to relevant support services to ensure household incomes are maximised; having a weekly presence at Kirkintilloch Job Centre to provide additional support for tenants in receipt of the housing element of Universal Credit; and escalating arrears actions to include court action or eviction for serious rent arrears cases. Active rent arrears of £1,035,560.03 are £17,029.09 higher than the projected target of £1,018,530.94 (week 22) with the team committed to working to reduce arrears.
The Tenant Participation Team continues to provide direct ongoing support to active Tenants and Residents Associations.

Business & Digital Change Team

During August the Business & Digital Change Team continued to support services across the Council in the delivery of key strategic digital development projects.

The Team also continues to support our corporate business systems, ensuring incidents are resolved promptly and that all systems remain supported and upgraded in line with an agreed plan.  We also ensure our systems are reliable, resilient, scalable, standardised, value for money and secure.

Internal Audit 

Current focus is on recruiting into the vacant Lead Auditor post to support the new structure in with the shared Chief Internal Auditor post.  The Service Level Agreement has been signed, and work is ongoing with regards to IT arrangements and Data Protection Impact Assessments.

Work continues towards completion of several audits on the 2026/27 plan as the team provides assurance over key areas of risk, making recommendations and following up on these to improve the control environment.  Audits nearing completion include Green Waste Permits, a review of the Supply Teacher Database and a review of Winter Planning arrangements.  Recruitment into the Lead Auditor post will be key for ensuring timely completion of these audits.  It is expected that the role will be filled in December 2026.

Corporate Fraud 

The Corporate Fraud Team continues to prioritise the investigation of referrals and the proactive vetting of applications across key service areas, including Housing, Education, Licensing, and Estates. This work is essential to safeguarding access points and preventing fraud and error from entering council systems. 

Preparatory work continues for a further National Fraud Initiative (NFI) data matching exercise.  Several datasets from various services will be required to be extracted from systems to allow for submission to Audit Scotland at the start of October.

In advance of this, it is essential that the team review the data holdings and ensure that any data to be shared is accurate and can be extracted in the required format.  A review is also required to ensure continued compliance with the NFI Data Matching Code of Practice. 

The Economic Crime and Transparency Act 2023 has, from 01 September 2025, introduced a new criminal offence applicable to public bodies who fail to prevent fraud by employees or agents.  The team have attended briefing sessions held by CIFAS on the measures required to be taken to ensure compliance.   A briefing document for SLT and fraud risk assessment templates have been developed and issued to SLT for consideration.

The team continues to experience challenges in obtaining information from certain external data holders, some of whom are now only able to disclose information under the provisions of the Investigatory Powers Act 2016. Consequently, a policy framework requires to be developed, and appropriate committee approval obtained to ensure that investigatory processes are not compromised and that all enquiries are conducted in full compliance with legislative requirements. This will enable the service to undertake all relevant lines of enquiry, regardless of whether they result in inculpatory or exculpatory evidence being identified.

Finance 

•  The Oracle Fusion General Ledger system project has now been signed off as green status with a few legacy tickets to be completed.  Phase 2 with HCM and PBCS/Fusion has now commenced and likely to last for 18 months. The Education budgeting system will be reviewed after this project.
•  Staff development is a key focus and amid a challenging external recruitment market, the service is continuing to upskill existing staff where possible.  A practice of grow your own is progressing and will see benefits over the next few years.
•  The Treasury team continues to monitor cash flow closely, ensuring that there is liquidity for all Council activities.  Additional borrowing continues to be taken in line with the Council's capital programme expenditure. 
•  Period 4 HRA, Revenue Monitoring & Capital have been through committee.

Revenues and Benefits 

•  In the month of August, the team issued:
•  2,660 Council Tax bills and 4,975 Benefits notifications; and,
•  420 crisis grants and community care grant applications were received.
•  The team received and dealt with 1,520 documents for Council Tax queries and reduction and 655 for benefits.  In addition, the team received 2,100 ATLAS notifications from DWP.
•  The team dealt with 2,685 telephone enquiries.ICT Services 
•  ICT Services are working closely with the Business and Digital Change Team across several projects including HCM and Fusion.  
•  The Infrastructure Team have:
  •  Moved on to replacing Windows 11 desktops.
  •  Completed classroom improvements for Bearsden Primary School
  •  Initial planning for the accommodation moves from Southbank House to Marina HQ.
  •  Scope of works completed for upgrading of the Education Domain Controllers.
•  ICT Security have:
  •  Resolved an issue with between Microsoft and the mail filtering solution and as a result implemented a change which has improved mail flow.
  •  Tested a new remote assistance tool with infrastructure colleagues to improve the support of remote workers.
  •  Prepared upgrades to Microsoft Endpoint Management console, installing fixes and new functionality for endpoint management.
  •  Reviewed passive logs from File System protection being introduced to Education file servers, preventing the storage of dangerous file types or mass encryption of data.

Shared Services

•  The Residential Team added 86 service agreements to CareFirst for clients moving into care homes or for supported living services within their own homes.  
•  The Homecare Team added 380 service agreements to CareFirst for clients receiving a homecare service or a direct payment.  
•  Direct Payment Audit Team – 30 audits including both final and standard audits completed for clients receiving self-direct support. 
• The EMA Team processed 54 of 77 applications received for Education Maintenance Allowance.

Housing Rent and Tenant Participation

• Active Tenant Rent Arrears were £1,035,560.03 and are higher than the projected target for week 22.
• Housing Officers continue to utilise all avenues to maximise rental income and reduce rent arrears, apply a firm but fair approach when escalating actions against tenants whose rent arrears are increasing, and also provide advice and assistance to tenants who engage and need additional support.
• Weekly Tuesday morning appointments for tenants at Kirkintilloch Job Centre with Housing Officers and Work Coaches to assist those in receipt of the Universal Credit housing element.
• A Tenant Participation Working Group meeting held at Hillhead Community Centre, Kirkintilloch. This was attended by tenants, tenant representatives, elected members, and EDC staff.
• Online issue of the Taking Part newsletter published with links emailed to all EDC tenants where they have provided their contact email address. Newsletter available on EDC website and advertised on EDC social media platforms
• Annual rent setting consultation launched, giving tenants a six-week opportunity to give their views on proposals for a rent increase for the financial year 2027/28

Business & Digital Change 

•  During the reporting period, the Business Systems team successfully delivered 6 solution upgrades, resolved 27 incidents and provided support across 4 key workstreams, remediated 1 vulnerability, and decommissioned one area of the 2012 server environment, helping to maintain and enhance key business services.
•  The HCM HR/Payroll implementation remains on track against the revised programme plan. User acceptance testing (UAT) planning is well advanced, with the draft test plan and most test cases completed. Initial security role testing is underway. Data migration iteration 6 optimisation and improvement activities have been completed. The primary focus is now on completing data migration for mid-September target.
•  Undertook an initial assessment of cloud migration options for TLMS, exploring the potential requirements, considerations and implications of moving the service to a cloud environment.
•  Investigated reported performance issues affecting CareFirst users accessing the system from council offices undertaking troubleshooting to identify the underlying root cause with a view to implementing a resolution in the coming weeks.
•  Work with the supplier to identify key areas for re-planning phase two of the IHMS programme, supporting the development of scope and priorities for the next phase.  This involved input from Project Leads, Legal and Procurement colleagues. A comprehensive review of the plan has been completed as it is currently being evaluated by the supplier.
•  Held workshops with service teams to prepare for upcoming solution design events with the supplier, focusing specifically on Housing Online and Customer Services.
•  Updated existing user guides for the core housing product and developed a consistent corporate branded template for phase two guides, providing a standardised look and feel and a foundation for further development as the phase progresses.
•  The CRM team has continued to enhance the new annual lettings application, Improving the efficiency of managing both annual and ad hoc letting requests.  Development of a customer portal is also underway, which will allow customers to log in and view the status of their letting requests.
•  The CRM team successfully launched a new local community grant fund and evaluation monitoring form, enabling feedback to be captured on the outcomes and impact achieved through the allocated funding.
•  The CRM platform has also been migrated to a new cloud storage solution, enhancing system resilience and improving overall performance.

Internal Audit

•  The Team is working on the Internal Audit Plan, in line with available resources. There is a vacancy at the Lead Auditor level, with the role expected to be filled in December 2026. 
•  Advice continues to be provided by Internal Audit in line with the Internal Audit Charter to support the enhancement of governance arrangements, risk management and controls.  
•  Work on audits continues with audits such as Green Waste Permits, the Supply Teacher Database and Winter Planning Maintenance being near completion. 
•  Work has been completed in the form of a gap analysis & action plan for the new Global Internal Audit Standards.  

Corporate Fraud

•  Corporate Fraud is investigating allegations received, focusing on suspected fraud or error within Education, Housing and Revenues Services and on the remaining cases resulting from the NFI.   The team also continues to undertake vetting on applications, from several services, to prevent fraud, error and any potential reputational damage.
•  The team is focused on maximising its value adding activity through prioritising large value cases, which in some instances are challenging to resolve and require an update of the policy base to support action – specifically the creation of a Communications Data Policy.
•  The team will also be focussing on the measures required to ensure compliance with The Economic Crime and Transparency Act 2023. 
•  The team will continue the preparatory work for the forthcoming 2026/2027 NFI Exercise and ensure we remain compliant with the Code of Data Matching Practice regarding the retention of personal information.

   

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The HSCP and its staff continue to work hard to ensure quality delivery of the Council’s operational delivery of statutory social work services, which are integrated with NHS services under the strategic governance of the Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) Board. Service quality and outcomes associated with these specific social work services are the focus of this report with reference to three identified performance indicators in accordance with the Council’s strategic approach to business improvement planning.

The wider objective is that improved customer and organisational outcomes can be achieved through successful integrated planning and collaborative delivery of health and social care functions, under single management, with a combined budget, working to a single set of outcomes and operating to a single Strategic Plan. The impact and performance of all these integrated health and social care services overall are reported on a quarterly and annual basis to the HSCP Board and through agreed representation and reporting arrangements, to the Council.

In August 2026, performance was above target for the two indicators with reportable data. Data for the community care assessment to service delivery measure was not available at the time of publication.

Key Achievements:

•  East Dunbartonshire achieved Platinum accreditation for Digital Telecare implementation, recognising the successful completion of the analogue-to-digital telecare transition programme and the delivery of a fully digital telecare service for service users.

Areas of Focus:

HSCP Wide:

•  Deliver year two of the East Dunbartonshire Public Health Framework, including alignment to national priorities and a whole-systems approach to prevention
•  Embed the Empowering People and Communities service grouping through realignment of functions and development of an integrated workplan
•  Develop and implement a new Carers Strategy, aligned to national policy and supported by partnership working
•  Establish and expand the use of AI and digital tools to improve service efficiency and delivery, in line with the EDC AI Policy
•  Implement year one of the HSCP Digital Strategy to strengthen digital capability and service integration
•  Improve quality and relevance of information on HSCP webpages to enhance access, signposting and self-management
•  Implement year two actions of the HSCP Workforce Plan, including strengthened recruitment and increased apprenticeship opportunities
•  Promote and enhance staff wellbeing through increased awareness of support mechanisms, peer support and return-to-work arrangements

Children’s Services:

•  Improve access to early intervention and prevention support for families at risk of or experiencing poverty
•  Progress self-evaluation activity to inform the national review and public inquiry on Group Based Child Sexual exploitation and Group based child criminal exploitation, with an agreed improvement plan led by Public Protection Chief Officers
•  Write the 2024-2026 report on The United Nations Convention on the Rights of The Child
•  Write the Integrated Children’s Services Plan 2026-2029

Adult Services:

•  Review Care at Home services to strengthen reablement and optimise service delivery, staffing and leadership models
•  Conclude the Learning Disabilities Supported Accommodation review to support development of local Learning Disability provision
•  Implement Learning Disability review recommendations to reduce reliance on high-cost care packages through expansion of supported accommodation
•  Implement outcomes of the Clinical Service Review for CMHT and OPMH, including development of an integrated leadership model
•  Develop core and cluster accommodation models for individuals with complex and challenging needs, supported by increased local capacity
•  Progress commissioning of a centralised specialist service model for complex needs, supported by collaborative contracts and financial frameworks
•  Implement the East Dunbartonshire Frailty Hospital at Home within care homes and the community, including establishment of bed capacity and pathways
•  Implement the outcomes of the Adult Social Work Service Review, including reconfigured staffing models and modernised service delivery

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Land Planning & Development have progressed a number of significant work streams during August 2026 in line with the Business Improvement Plan commitments.  

•  Public consultation on a draft Greenspace Strategy for East Dunbartonshire was launched on 03 August 2026, running until 25 September 2026.  To support the consultation, six in-person drop-in sessions were held across the local authority area throughout August.  
•  Local Place Plans covering the Lenzie and South Kirkintilloch and Waterside areas were approved for registration at the Place Neighbourhood & Corporate Assets Committee on 27 August 2026.
•  Officers met with the Planning and Environmental Appeals Division of the Scottish Government to discuss the recent Gate Check submission for Local Development Plan 3.

   

• Progress updates were requested from Executive Officers on implementing the CAP actions, a meeting was held to update the two CAP working groups, and the Climate Change Duties Report was prepared to be taken to a Climate Change Member Officer Group which has been scheduled for August.
• The first meetings of the Community Climate Change Forum and Youth Climate Change Forum were organised for August and promotion of the forums was undertaken with the Comms Team and Education Team respectively.
• The Transport Officers Group was convened to build on the detailed internal and external discussion on Draft ATS2 that was held throughout July. A Transport Working Group meeting has been scheduled for August.

• GIS and Idox system are fully operational. Users can access GIS layers, maps, Uniform live/Enterprise, Unimap web, DMS, Stamper and Planning Application.
• GIS Service & Error Reporting Action app continues to work well with service users utilising the software. The Team is currently supporting a range of projects across the Council to provide GIS technical support.
• Street Naming and Numbering database is up to date and the team is continuing to act as first point of contact for all street naming and numbering queries and applications. The daily One Scotland Gazetteer Improvement service file is currently processing successfully with no data quality adjustments necessary.

• The Housing Policy Team presented information on legislative changes introduced by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2025 including new model Tenancy Agreements to Housing teams. 
• Policy Officers successfully completed Trauma Informed Practice Level 1 and a short course on policy writing and reporting.  
• Performance Monitoring officers contributed to the Council’s Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP). 
• The Systems IHMS team are contributing to IHMS Workshops to support the project moving to a second phase. 
• Systems officers assisted in the development and implementation of a formula to predict rent arrears and are assisting the Housing Estates officers to move tasks from Smartsheet to NEC. A new Housing Support Referral has also been developed in conjunction with the Homelessness & Prevention team. 
• Strategic Estates delivered useful easy read guides on new Telecare equipment to tenants in sheltered housing complexes

• Various business support and Business Gateway work streams ongoing. 
• New grants for digital and green business support are launching in the next couple of weeks.  These are funded through Local Growth Fund.
• In an quality assurance review by Business Gateway National, East Dunbartonshire was found to have a 97% satisfaction score for the first quarter of 2026.  For the previous year East Dunbartonshire’s BG satisfaction score was 100%

• Various work streams ongoing, with Bishopbriggs Civic Space and the Westerhill Development Road now on site. 
• Enabling Commercial Space project is now underway for Southbank House, with business case consultants appointed to produce a Full Business Case for approval by Council and Glasgow City Region in 2027.  The Project will address local demand, such as for general commercial space to relieve pressures on constrained local markets and offer particular benefit to SME businesses and start-ups that struggle to fund being sited in appropriate commercial space, and potentially businesses supporting wider supply chains, including to support supply chain clustering underpinning other high value commercial uses.  The Project will also support the Councils wider Accommodation Strategy.

• Various work streams ongoing, with work being undertaken to finalise designs for Lennoxtown Greenspace project, which is expected to go to site later in 2026. 

• Various work streams ongoing which includes procurement work for services to support the delivery of Capital Path and Active Travel projects over the coming financial year. 

• During the reporting period the planning side of the team has determined 51 applications and validated 48 applications. 
• The Building Standards team have received 107 building warrants and approved 97 applications.  
• The Planning Enforcement team have opened 9 new cases and closed  14 cases.

• Progress on the draft Active Travel Strategy
• Preparation for the Greenspace Strategy consultation.

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Throughout August, the Democratic Services Team continued to support the internal governance of the Council, in addition to certain regulatory functions.  Five  governance meetings took place during August.  Preparations are well advanced for the use of Modern.gov to support the maintenance and publication of Members’ Registers of Interest and it is anticipated that this will launch in September.  This will be followed by the development of the system for use in the preparation, approval, and publication of Technical Notes and Contract Standing Orders waiver forms.  In time, it will also be used to support public engagement and consultation, and a petitions function.

As part of the Primary and Secondary Schools Registration process, the Team continued to deal with mid-term applications and appeals for placing requests in relation to the 2026/2027 during August.

Meetings and other preparations have commenced for the Scottish Local Government Elections in 2027, both locally and nationally.  This work involves winding up the current Council, putting in place all of the necessary arrangements for the election including an electronic count, and preparing for the new Council.  Members will be aware that the Scottish local Government Elections comprise an electronic count.  A new contactor has been appointed by the Scottish Government, and the Team has already attended a number of events in preparation for the electronic count.

The Team continues to support Children’s Hearings Scotland as part of the North Strathclyde Area Support Team and is currently supporting the annual recruitment of Panel Members.  Ongoing support continues to be provided to Community Councils, and the Team is finalising the processing of the Community Councils annual grants.  The Team also continues to participate in local and national resilience partnership meetings and training exercises.

The Council continued to deliver registration services in August and supported colleagues in neighbouring authorities.  In addition, the service continued to engage with partners across Greater Glasgow as part of ongoing resilience planning for potential incidents which may impact on demand for services, in relation to both storage and registration in the event of a mass casualty event or periods of excess deaths.

The service continued to support Members and the Strategic Leadership Team.  Officers from SLT Support and Members Support participated in the Civic Committee and delivered many of the decisions of that Committee.  The Information Management Team continued to provide important support and advice to the MS365 implementation team, in addition to business-as-usual support in relation to freedom of information and data protection.

Key Achievements / Areas of Focus

• Registration & Customer Services completed 94 birth and 145 death registrations in August.  37 marriages and 1 civil partnership were also registered in this period.  
• There were 12 new citizens welcomed in Citizenship Ceremonies held during August.
• Continued development of the new committee administration system, which included further support for report writers, elected members and development of additional functionality.
• Information Management received and processed 159 FOI/EIRs, 3 internal review requests and 26 SARs (Subject Access Requests).  

The indicators chosen for monthly reporting represent transactions where Legal Services involvement is nearer the end of the process.  Each indicator relates to services which are important to individuals and Council Services, but that also have an impact on the local economy.  They also represent areas where performance was not previously as good as it might have been, which resulted in the introduction of the PIs.  Whilst performance is consistently high, the continued application of the PIs ensures that this remains the case.  It also ensures that any change in performance is identified and addressed early.

Performance against all indicators for Legal Services for August is 100% apart from taxi licences where one application was processed outwith the 5 day turn around period.

Legal Services continues to support services across the Council in the delivery of projects, contracts and otherwise to manage legal risk.  This includes advice and work on confidential matters that cannot be included in a public report.

Key Achievements / Areas of Focus

•  During August, the Team processed 8 contract review forms and 3 contract award letters, and 1 open market purchase offer.  In addition, 24 taxi licence applications processed, and 2 housing repair grants were processed.  All were processed within the timescales.  Considering this, it is not proposed to take any steps currently other than to continue to monitor progress against the set PIs.
•  The Team continued to provide support to the wider City Deal team during construction phases specifically during this period supporting ongoing discussions re utilities, land boundaries and ongoing contract management matters.
•  Property and planning work included concluding four open market purchase for the Council’s affordable housing stock and issuing a licence to occupy Council land to the organisers of the Kirkintilloch Big Weekend.

   

•  Contracts and procurement work in this period included ongoing support for AHIP2 project, reviewing contractual documents for the City Region EV Charing Project, contracts awarded for refurbishment of toilets at Gartconner Primary School, Independent Quality Monitor and Clerk of Works services, damp and mould surveys and management, Merkland Sports Pavilion Refurbishment, Merkland 5s & 7s Pitch Renewal.
•  The Litigation and Licensing Team continued to provide support to Social Work in relation to adults with incapacity and permanence planning and to Education on a variety of matters including a significant number of cases in the Additional Support Needs Tribunal.  The team supported the placing request appeals this month including providing training to the panel.  The Team continues to provide advice on a wide range of confidential matters including employment advice and support the Housing Service.  The team provided support in responding to the ongoing appeal by Men’s Shed to the Scottish Ministers on the Council’s refusal of a Community Asset Transfer request.  The appeal was dismissed and the Council’s decision has been upheld.

   

•  Members of the Team also continued with its support in relation to an ongoing appeal hearing before the Non-Domestic Rates Board in addition to other Committee work including supporting the report on the Community Asset Transfer application for the Campsie View Site and advising quasi-judicial Boards.  In addition, the team completed the consultation, required under the Civic Government (Scotland) Act 1982 for the creation of the taxi stance in Bishopbriggs.  The team addressed concerns raised in representations so there were no objections.  The team will now support the creation of the stance through the TRO process.

   

During August, the Procurement Service continued to support other services across the Council in the delivery of various projects, including ongoing support to several strategic procurements/projects, particularly in relation to City Deal, ICT, Business & Digital Change, Key System renewals and upgrades, and various Capital projects.  In particular, the Team continued to be heavily involved in data cleansing, Solution redesign, Communication planning, Key User training and support, Data Reconciliation and Supplier data correction as part of the ongoing management of the new Fusion Financial system.  This continues to place a significant demand on the resources of the Team.  In addition to the above, the Team is now finalising testing and training/support documentation for a major upgrade to the Fusion system and the implementation of the Supplier Portal model.  The upgrade is of such magnitude that it requires to be managed as a project in its own right and will require support from other Council services.  

The Team continuously works to manage and support the operational activity in terms of the buyers work centre, Fusion catalogue management, supplier management and payment processing, and in August remained focussed on delivering against the increased demand from Services around queries in relation to Fusion, whilst managing the ongoing implementation, remodelling and updating of the System.

The Team was also heavily involved with multiple Capital programme requirements, system software renewals, Grant funded projects, Council Building planned maintenance, Transport Contracts  and Housing New Build Maintenance support.

The team has been co-ordinating the actions instructed by SLT regarding additional authorisations and prioritisations around spend controls, and the contract requirements against budgets, through newly implemented governance procedures and controls.

Key Achievements / Areas of Focus

•  Providing ongoing support to the City Deal team in relation to Contract requirements and alternative procurement route options.
•  Supported key Capital, Business & Digital Change projects such as Oracle Fusion Redwood upgrade , Fusion HCM Phase 2, IHMS, Westerhill Development Road, Capital projects such as school estate, Professional Fees, Itrent extension options, Oracle Support updates, school new build contracts, and general budget projects such as school maintenance works, Systems Support whilst supporting workforce of the future planning and Business as Usual workstreams.
•  Participation in extensive meetings and workshops to train, test, reconcile and solution implementation for the Oracle Fusion Redwood upgrade.
•  Completed renewals for support and maintenance of business-critical systems to facilitate workforce of the future.
•  Ongoing support to the /implementation of Fusion to support the technical requirements for Payment integrations, Managed Stores, and e-invoicing. 
•  Commenced preparation for the 2025-2026 Annual Procurement Report to include alignments with organisational Climate Action Planning, Circular Economy Strategy, Community Wealth Building & the City Region Community Wish List planning.
•  Support to Commissioning team to co-ordinate papering and progressing contractual opportunities around un-commissioned spend and ongoing HSCP service reviews
•  Commenced workstream for replacement of 67 new vehicles for Fleet at a value of £3.5million
•  Submitted 2025-2026 Financial information for review prior to publication on the Scottish Government Observatory for spend profiling.
•  Processing invoices, payments, and Fusion housekeeping actions.
•  Continued efforts to improve payment KPI’s, planning and communications for Oracle Fusion.
•  Continued Business Critical expenditure considerations within Buyers Work Centre for spend in excess of £16,500.
•  Ongoing work on the review of Contract Standing Orders for alignment with organisational changes, financial management and Procurement governance for reporting to Council in December 2026.
•  Continued Fusion Redwood upgrade actions and communications in alignment with the quarterly Oracle schedules, managing the backlog resulting from the system downtime and managing business as usual.
•  Continued workstreams for the Oracle Fusion upgrade to Redwood Self Service Procurement, including testing and revisiting personalisation to consider business impacts.
•  Continued workstreams for the implementation of the Oracle Fusion Supplier Portal, including testing and revisiting system set up prior to roll out 
•  Identification and management of further Fusion electronic feeder payment files for electronic processing.
•  Review of resourcing considerations to support Project workload and business as usual priorities.
•  Commencement of Contract Supplier Management trial within two operational service areas.  Associated document and process developments, alongside training and support with initial supplier meetings for the services involved.

During August,  the Strategic Commissioning team guided and supported  progression of the HSCP’s Transformation and Budget programme, whilst leading the commissioned market daily, intervening if/where necessary to support sustainability and/or other related pressures.    

Key Achievements / Areas of Focus

•    Finalised  commissioning arrangements to support an individual transition from hospital to a bespoke community-based setting.  The complex planning involves a comprehensive and multi-disciplinary approach grounded in a person centred / values-based approach. 
•    Aligned to national policy, finalised implementation of Scottish Living Wage uplifts for Adult and Children’s services.
•    Supported  the progression  of several key review workstreams relating to commissioned and in-house services and provided added value via the provision of technical commissioning, project management and budget management expertise.   
•    Guided the reprovisioning of commissioned business following the cessation of a provider  - ensuring minimal impact / disruption to service users and carers 
•    Continued to support and progress transitional planning arrangements for 2026/2027 which includes working with individuals and their families to identify and secure permanent and appropriate adult placements – within the local area if /where possible.
•    Working collaboratively with children and families’ providers to explore alternative commissioning arrangements that deliver more flexible, innovative and value for money services /models. 
•    Continued to monitor and report on financial frameworks underpinning strategic reviews to ensure accuracy, alignment with the HSCP’s medium term financial plan and respective commissioning delivery plans.   
•    Contributed to and supported progression of multi-agency collaborative inpatient redesign approaches geared towards alleviating acute and community pressures.  
•    Informed the development of an Accommodation with Support Strategy and guided the next steps.  The Strategy, which sets out the vision for accommodation with support for people with learning disabilities, is aligned with national policy and will be developed in collaboration with key stakeholders including providers and registered social landlords.
•    The team continued to play a central role in leading and supporting the HSCP with the operational and business / commercial aspects of commissioned services, ensuring delivery of safe and effective services and value for money. 

Click image to enlarge

The Roads and Neighbourhood Service continue to oversee the maintenance function and safe operation of the adopted public carriageway/footway network, adopted open spaces (including trees), cemeteries, domestic, commercial waste & recycling collection, fleet, and transportation within East Dunbartonshire. In addition, the Service also oversees the management and operations of Mugdock Country Park.

This Service area is divided into eight portfolio groupings:

•  Roads Network Operations
•  Roads Technical & Engineering 
•  Streetscene Technical Support (including Bereavement and Arboriculture)
•  Streetscene Operations (including grounds maintenance, street cleansing and cemetery operations)
•  Waste Services (including domestic & commercial waste & recycling collections)
•  Fleet Services (including fleet operations, maintenance, and transportation)
•  Mugdock Country Park
•  Corporate Health & Safety Team 

Each team has specific areas of responsibility; however, they all operate, and function collectively as required. Within their own areas, each team has several service accountabilities contributing to local outcomes.

The various sections within the portfolio groups continue to progress both revenue operation/maintenance work and internally and externally funded capital projects with colleagues in Procurement, Finance and Health & Safety. Several projects are time specific due to the external funding conditions to it is very important to make best use of the time available to bring these projects to fruition for the benefit of local communities.

Health & Safety

The Corporate Health and Safety team provides a range of occupational safety and health services, including advice on statutory guidance, safety action notices, safe working and training, incident reporting and investigation, including RIDDOR and support for services when requesting statistics under Freedom of Information requests as well as personal injury claims incident reports. The H&S Team continues to work cooperatively with Trade Union colleagues to review incidents statistics and other health and safety activities.

Ongoing and comprehensive health and safety assistance is provided to services throughout the council, HSCP and EDLCT, conducting multiple site visits to offer expert guidance, address emerging issues, and assist with the completion of risk assessments and safe systems of work. 

The H&S Team have been involved in developing and delivering of training including Induction Training, Manual Handling and Violence and Aggression Training.

The H&S Team were present at EDLC 1st Tier meeting, ED HSCP Subgroup meeting and 3rd Tier (service level) meetings for Property Maintenance, Facilities Management, Roads, Streetscene, Fleet/Waste and Estates and Facilities.

Workplace assessments and individual risk assessments, in collaboration with HR colleagues, continue to be reviewed and assessed, as well as continuing to review First Aid Needs Assessments with HR People Development. Display Screen Equipment assessments continue to be reviewed alongside line managers.

The focus continues for Construction Design and Management compliance with site visits, inspections, reviewing construction phase plans, risk assessments and method statements for refurbishment, general estate repairs, new builds, paths, roads and greenspace projects for various teams. Specific site visits during this period include Colquhoun Park Pavillion refurbishment, Lairdsland EYC and Wester Cleddens Roof Work.

The team continue to work with Shared Services and HR to reinstate the health surveillance programme.

Fire Risk Assessments are conducted in accordance with the predetermined schedule. Officers undertake routine inspections and continue to carry out site visits to address any fire safety concerns, assess fire documentation where required and support with personal emergency evacuation plans, offering expert advice. Fire Safety training has also been delivered by the team including fire extinguisher training and fire safety awareness training.

The team promote a positive health and safety culture by encouraging the prompt reporting of health and safety incidents and near misses throughout the council. These are recorded and investigated where required. The team liaise with relevant managers and the Health and Safety Executive (HSE) where appropriate to ensure that any necessary corrective or preventive actions are implemented.

Carriageway & Footway Defects

Between 1–31 August 2026, 221 defects were identified across East Dunbartonshire. Of these, 178 repairs were completed within SLA (80.2 %), 22 were late (9.9 %), and 22 (9.9 %) remain outstanding but are still within SLA. 

Road Works Delivery (July 2026)

A wide programme of carriageway and footway works was delivered, predominantly minor excavation repairs addressing surface defects and potholes across Lenzie, Kirkintilloch, Bearsden, Bishopbriggs, and surrounding areas. The majority of projects were completed on schedule as advised on technical notes. 

Technical Notes 2026, Issue 70 - Roads & Neighbourhood Services 2026/27 Carriageway and Footway Resurfacing Programme - East Dunbartonshire Council

Gully Cleaning Performance (July 2026)

A total of 22,011 gullies is maintained across the network. Between 1 April 2026 and 31 August 2026, 10,055 gullies were cleaned (46.91 %). This includes 5,391 of 6,372 gullies on primary routes (85.3 %) and 4,576 of 13,991 on secondary routes (32.6 %). This reflects strong delivery in drainage maintenance and contributes to reducing flood risk.

Safety Inspections

A total of 12 scheduled safety inspections were completed, all within required inspection intervals.

Winter Maintenance

No Action.

Streetlighting 

Capital LED replacement programme is ongoing

Traffic 

•  Installation of illumination for terminal signs at various locations in Bearsden.
•  Installation of 20mph signs in various locations in Bishopbriggs.
•  Installation of DYL TTRO at Cairns Drive and Buchannan Street junction (North side).
•  Preparation of Pavement Parking Exemption and Mitigation Report

Flooding/Drainage

•  Flooding Emergency – Garngaber Road / Court Lenzie – Completed. 
•  Car Park off Douglas Place / Roman Road Bearsden – Lining works to drainage carrier pipe - Completed.

Structures

•  All structure inspections continue as per work plan 

Streetscene Operations

•  Herbicide works in open spaces, including Japanese knotweed treatment.  Carriageway herbicide being carried out in-house following liquidation of contractor (Technical note produced).
•  Pitch contract tender being evaluated.
•  Cutting of flood bankings/Iona Way
•  Overseeing contracts relating to Verge cut (2nd cut) and hedge cutting.

Streetscene Technical Report

•  Twechar Pump Track – construction has commenced – practical completion agreed 
•  Twechar Healthy Living Centre – several pieces of equipment updated/added – reviewing other opportunities
•  Briefs for Play Areas at Lennox Park (Gym/Fitness), Lennox Crescent (replacement equipment), Langfaulds Park (refurb play area), High Park (refurb play area) Milton of Campsie  (Gym/Fitness) – all now with procurement
•  Cemetery Management Rules – Scottish Govt regs now being finalised and implemented prior to March 2026 – EDC rules will now be updated for submission to committee  - date to be confirmed
•  Headstones/Memorials Inspection – inspections complete at Campsie Cemetery and New Kilpatrick Churchyard – make safe progressing at Campsie and New Kilpatrick. Inspections complete in Cadder Cemetery
•  Langfaulds Cemetery - consultants working to finalise design works for next phase
•  Ash Dieback  - committee report approved by full Council  - recommendations to be progressed from report with sub group now set up
•  Lenzie Moss – signage for site designs agreed – will be installed Sept/Oct
•  Nature Restoration Fund – funding now confirmed for 26/27 – programme has been drawn up for spend  
•  Management Plans – Lenzie Moss, Whitefield Pond, Cairnhill Woods and Heather Avenue – 1st year actions largely complete – now progressing to 2nd year actions
•  Bishopbriggs Park Management Plan – now in draft will be shared with community groups at an in person meeting in September

Mugdock Country Park

•  8 volunteer days (40hrs) with a total of 81 volunteers
•  12 events with 108 participants in total. 
•  No schools due to holidays

Waste Services collect over 400,000 assorted household bins monthly, providing collections for residual, recycling, food, garden and special waste collections. The team also manage the waste and recycling collections from over 400 of our local businesses and provide recycling disposal provision at the Mavis Valley Recycling Centre.

•  The Waste Technical and Compliance Team dealt with 1049 general enquiries in August.
•  The Mavis Valley Household Waste Recycling Centre received 17349 bookings.
•  Waste Services Officer attended Waste Managers Network Meeting.  The meeting focused on many of the legislative changes impacting the industry at present – Emissions Trade Scheme, Extended Producer Responsibility, Digital Tracker and the pending consultation for the new Code of Practice.
•  Officers attended a Deep Dive session with the Scottish Government to discuss potential changes ahead in relation to organic waste streams including food and garden waste.
•  Waste are working with Streetwave as part of the Glasgow City Region 5GIR Program (now called the Smart Connected Social Places Programme) in undertaking a GCR wide connectivity assessment which requires devices fitted in our refuse and recycling vehicles to check connections across the area.

•  Between 1st to 31st July 2026, the team inspected and repaired 226 vehicles and items of plant, all in accordance with our servicing schedules and defect procedures. 
•  We are currently awaiting delivery of several new vehicles and plant assets to replace older equipment as part of our scheduled fleet replacement programme.
•  We continue to support Council services by delivering ASN transport and distributing essential supplies to vulnerable residents, including meals for early years facilities and lunch clubs.
•  Work is progressing on managing the capital programme for fleet asset replacements throughout the financial year.
•  We are actively identifying and evaluating suitable council sites for EV charger installations. This infrastructure planning is a critical step in enabling the replacement of our internal combustion engine (ICE) vehicles with electric alternatives.
•  We are maintaining our CPC training schedule to ensure all relevant drivers meet their requirements before the deadline. Furthermore, we continue to manage our fleet operations in full compliance with operator licensing legislation, maintaining a 'Green' DVSA Operator Compliance Risk Score for both Traffic and Compliance.
•  Our in-house maintenance team continues to support front-line operations, covering everything from standard vehicle repairs to the upkeep of horticultural and construction plant equipment.
•  We are currently in the process of replacing our Fleet Management and Telematics and Camera systems.
•  We have implemented a data-led approach to fleet management, evidenced by our recent utilisation report. By using telematics data to identify under-utilised assets, we can refine our vehicle replacement programme, ensuring resources are focused on high-demand service areas while driving down the overall fleet size. 
•  We are actively monitoring external hires.
•  Fleet have developed a new driving at work and fleet management policy.
•  Recent recruitment exercises have been successfully carried out, and the workshop staff is now fully staffed.