Monday 7 November 2022
Dear All
Welcome to this latest edition of our fortnightly Depute Chief Executive Update. As always, I hope that you and your families are keeping safe and well.
With November well underway, we are definitely racing towards the Christmas season and there is news below on a Winter Wonderland offer and the launch of the annual Christmas Craft Exhibitions held in the Lillie Art Gallery and Auld Kirk Museum.
Important messages from the last fortnight include the announcement of the Council’s latest Cost of Living Support. If you’ve not yet seen it, Employee News 30 issued earlier today details a range of financial measures to help with the ongoing cost of living crisis. Further support was also agreed at the Council meeting last week (3 November) and eligible pensioners will also receive a payment of £100. We will also be launching a grant scheme for organisations to offer Warm Spaces across the winter months.
We also recently issued news about the new workstyles that have been agreed as part of our Smart Working for the Future approach (Employee News 27). It included a detailed set of Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs) on all aspects of smart working and a reminder of guidance in relation to accessing the workplace – do have a read and let us know if you have any further questions you’d wish to add to the list.
We were also able to share with you an update on this year’s pay award for those employees who come under the Scottish Joint Council Framework, including the implementation dates for payment and back pay for each of our pay runs. If you missed it, you can read Employee News 28 in the Employee Zone for further details.
Now, on with our regular updates:
News from the Council….
Opportunity to help guide licensing policy
You are being given the chance to help shape future licensing policy. The Licensing Board is carrying out initial, informal engagement between now and January 2023 and feedback will be used to inform a new Statement of Licensing Policy. This will then be used as a basis for decisions to regulate the sale of alcohol in local communities. Visit the Licensing Policy 2022 webpage to get involved. Topics for potential consideration include licensing hours, descriptions of premises, conditions for alcohol delivery, overprovision and the Supplementary Statement of Licensing Policy (published last year). Read more in our news release.
Council prepared for Winter weather
Don’t let the unseasonably mild temperatures fool you. Winter is coming, but our Roads team is ready for the challenge. The Council’s Winter Service Policy aims to keep pedestrians and traffic safe and moving. Our Roads colleagues are now on call 24/7 to manage and deal with the weather conditions that the colder months bring.
Our gritting page is updated daily and any actions are communicated via our social media channels – sometimes through the medium of song lyrics!
There are more than 450 grit bins across the area and if you notice your bin is low on grit please call 0300 123 4510 to request a refill. Additional grit is also available at Broomhill Depot, Kilsyth Road, Kirkintilloch, just remember to please bring a shovel and container when collecting. read our release - Council is ready for winter, for detailed information.
Staff discount to Walk in a Winter Wonderland
You don’t need to travel to Lapland to get the Christmas feels. Make plans to walk in a Winter Wonderland much closer to home. This December, Mugdock Country Park will be transformed with a festive light trail, stories with Santa, an array of Christmas market stalls and a children’s fun fair.
Employees of EDC, EDLC and East Dunbartonshire HSCP are being offered a 20% discount on tickets. When prompted to enter a coupon code, just before you proceed to the checkout, enter the code MCC20.
Tickets are limited so you are encouraged to book early. The event runs from Dec 8 to Dec 24. Visit mugdock's Christmas wonderland webpage.
Healthy Working Lives (HWL) news for November….
The November 2022 Healthy Working Lives Update is in the Employee Zone of the website with news of the campaigns that are taking place throughout the month, including links to helpful related information.
A number of health and wellbeing campaigns run throughout November, including:
1-30 November Movember, the annual moustache growing awareness campaign in support of men’s health
7-11 November International Stress Awareness Week
7-11 November Talk Money Week
As always, please remember that there is a full range of helpful wellbeing information and advice on a wide range of topics on the Wellbeing page of our Employee Zone.
Our Employee Assistance Programme also includes a free 24 hour confidential helpline/support service ‘Time for Talking’. It is available to all employees and full details of the service and how to access it can be found on our Employee Assistance Programme page in the Employee Zone.
News from EDLC Trust
Free Swim and Gym for local pupils
If you have a child at school in East Dunbartonshire, they can now access the free gym and swim initiative as part of the cost of living support package recently announced. From now until March 2023, all primary school pupils in the area will be able to enjoy free swimming while secondary students aged 12-18 can access a range of free gym sessions. This is all possible because the Council allocated £500,000 to deliver this programme, which will potentially benefit 17,291 pupils.
Stay local for your festive shopping
Last weekend saw the launch of the first of two local exhibitions which together will provide a treasure trove for Christmas shoppers. The Auld Kirk Museum’s ever popular Christmas Art & Craft exhibition opened on Saturday and will run until 23 December. This year’s guest artist is Etta Dunbar and a range of her paintings and craft works - all for sale - will be on show. These include beautiful, landscape paintings of Scotland and a selection of her beautiful handmade scarves and jewellery pouches.
At the Lillie Art Gallery, from this Saturday, 12 November, visitors will be able to enjoy the work of invited artists such as Michael Durning, Stanley Bird, Ruth Greer and Fiona Clasen, and local artists like Sally Walkinshaw, Anne Morrison and Pauline Muir as part of the gallery’s Christmas exhibition. Details of both can be found on our news release on the website.
Dates for your Diary…
1-30 November Movember – campaign to raise awareness of men’s health
7-11 November Scottish Careers Week
7-11 November International Stress Awareness Week
11 November Remembrance Day – two minute silence at 11am
13 November Remembrance Sunday – events throughout the area
17 November World Prematurity Day
17 November World Pancreatic Cancer Day
30 November St Andrew’s Day
And finally...
As usual, the next edition of this Depute Chief Executive Update, will be in a fortnight’s time, week beginning 21 November. Don’t forget Remembrance Sunday, which falls on 13 November this year as detailed in the ‘Dates for Your Diary’ section. If you’d like to attend one of the 11 events taking place for Remembrance across the area, you can find out more on when and where they take place on our Remembrance 2022 webpage.
Ann