Monday 23 March
Huge thanks to each and every one of you for your continued commitment, support and co-operation as the Council implements the national guidance in relation to coronavirus (COVID-19) whilst ensuring that vital services continue to be delivered to our communities.
It continues to be a challenging time as the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic develops across the UK. You will be aware from both UK and Scottish Government announcements from yesterday how essential it is for public health advice in relation to social distancing to be followed to stem the spread of the virus.
The health, safety and wellbeing of our employees and service users is paramount and based on the latest position from both Governments the Council is making further changes to its service delivery.
As such, the following is confirmed:
- Council will continue to deliver services where it is possible to do so through home working and online and telephone provision. Those of you who are able to work from home should continue to do so. You should also ensure that you and your households follow the advice issued on social distancing, to significantly reduce contact with other people to reduce the spread of the virus.
- An alternative provision for children of key workers (who meet the Government’s criteria and who have no other safe child care) and for vulnerable children within East Dunbartonshire, is being put in place by Education, with support from the East Dunbartonshire Leisure & Culture Trust and Facilities Management.
- The East Dunbartonshire Health & Social Care Partnership will continue to provide essential care and protection services, and will deliver these in line with its Business Continuity Plans as well as the Caring for People Plan.
- All other frontline Council services will move to emergency service delivery only.
Resulting Changes to Service Delivery
The following services will be provided across each strategic portfolio:
Education
Education employees will work remotely from home, excluding:
- Schools
- School based teaching & essential education support staff who are required to be physically present in the education hubs
- Early Years
- Essential staff only - required to be physically present in the education hubs
- Central Education Team
- Educational psychologists to support vulnerable children - required
Assets & Facilities
Where roles allow, employees will work remotely from home. For those employees in jobs where home/remote working is not possible, employees will be expected to remain at home, excluding:
- FM
- Essential school based Cleaners, Catering & Janitorial staff to support the alternative provision with the Education hubs
- Cleaning and catering provision with Ferndale and John Street
- Janitorial and cleaning within KHCC, Broomhill, William Patrick Library and Southbank Marina Block 4
- Police stations where we currently provide
- Janitorial and cleaning for Lennoxtown Hub - GP practice
- The FM Emergency Response Team for emergency on-call overnight service to minimise risk and ensure compliance with Health and Safety and for alarm provision
- Property
- Emergency skeleton call out rota for emergency repairs in residential and non-residential property only
Roads & Environment
Where roles allow, employees will work remotely from home. For those employees in jobs where home/remote working is not possible, employees will be expected to remain at home, excluding:
- Roads
- Emergency response required for Roads incidents including continuation of the Winter Plan in the event of a major weather event (Winter Plan is scheduled until 9 April 2020)
- Emergency call out rota for flooding issues damaging property; flooding issues that may cause injury or cause significant impact to traffic flow; and monitoring flood defences in the event of a major weather event
- Emergency response required for Road Traffic Accidents and Road/Footway Surface defects which have the potential to cause injury/damage to vehicle
- Emergency response for fallen trees fallen onto or in danger of falling onto the public road
- Street Lighting
- Emergency response required for Lighting response to incidents including: Lighting fault where live cables are exposed such as vandalised column doors; and, Lighting columns damaged in road traffic accidents or any that pose risk of falling onto the public road
- Cemeteries
- Continued provision of the services to bereaved families, including graveside services
- Mugdock Park
- Operations and businesses at the Park will close with no access to any car parks. Emergency call out rota will be in place.
Neighbourhood
Where roles allow, employees will work remotely from home. For those employees in jobs where home/remote working is not possible, employees will be expected to remain at home, excluding:
- Waste
- Residential general waste collections (grey bins) will continue based on the current uplift arrangements
- Recycling collections will be suspended until further notice
- It is recommended that residents dispose of food waste within their general waste (grey) bin
- Commercial residual waste will continue based on the current arrangements
- Mavis valley will be closed
- Fleet
- Internal Transport
- Emergency response to support revised education provision where needed
- Emergency support to Care of People plan when clarified
- Workshop - Emergency call out provision only
Housing
Where roles allow, employees will work remotely from home, excluding:
- Homelessness
- Emergency call out response to vulnerable families and/or adults presenting as homeless
Land planning & Development
Where roles allow, employees will work remotely from home, excluding:
- Building Standards
- Skeleton emergency call out only for unsafe building response in the event of an emergency
Place & Community Planning
Where roles allow, employees will work remotely from home. For those employees in jobs where home/remote working is not possible, employees will be expected to remain at home, excluding:
- Environmental Health
- Emergency Call out response for Public Health and food safety response and Health & Safety enforcement
- Trading Standards
- Emergency call out response for Consumer Safety response and Public Safety enforcement
- Licensing Standards
- Emergency call out response for Licensing Standards - Criminal or civil licensing breach for taxis
- Community Safety
- Emergency call out where urgent response required for CCTV, Anti-Social Behaviour investigations and emergency call out for Pest Control and Control of Dogs response
Customer & Business Support Services
Where roles allow, employees will work remotely from home. For those employees in jobs where home/remote working is not possible, employees will be expected to remain at home, excluding:
- Customer Services
- Emergency Reponses Centre - Provision of emergency 24/7 and out of hours services including community alarms; hourcare response and the Scottish Welfare Fund
- Contact Centre – a Skeleton rota will be in place where attendance at a Council facility is required
- Registration
- Pending emergency legislation, face to face registrations will be postponed and further updates will be provided before the end of this week
- Revenues & Benefits
- A skeleton rota will be in place to ensure all activities that require attendance at a Council facility to ensure delivery of revenues and benefits can be carried out
- Shared Services
- Skeleton rota will be in place where attendance at a Council facility is required
Legal & Democratic
Where roles allow, employees will work remotely from home. For those employees in jobs where home/remote working is not possible, employees will be expected to remain at home, excluding:
- Legal
- Emergency call out rota to respond to any emergency legal action in the event of a major incident.
- Emergency call out rota to provide essential legal support in relation to child/adult protection matters.
- Attendance at pre-arranged court proceedings
- Democratic Services
- Civil Contingency response to COVID-19 Pandemic
- Civil Contingency cover for any other emerging incident
Organisational Transformation
Where roles allow, employees will work remotely from home. For those employees in jobs where home/remote working is not possible, employees will be expected to remain at home, excluding:
- HR&OD
- Essential Payroll resources to process pay and meet payroll deadlines and payover to the bank and HMRC/SPF to ensure payment of wages to employees
EDLCT
Where roles allow, employees will work remotely from home. For those employees in jobs where home/remote working is not possible, employees will be expected to remain at home, excluding:
- Snack n Learn programme staff to support revised education provision
- Emergency call out response to any emergency calls or alarm responses - Leisure Officer Rota for call out on a geographical basis
Other Decisions that have been taken in relation to our services include:
- Parking Charges are suspended
o We will only communicate with the public via email or by telephone (there will be communications to advise of this)
o There will be no mail collection or distribution
- No debt collection
- No launching the annual care of gardens scheme
- No commencement of allocation of allotments
NHS guidance and information
The NHS continues to update their guidance and advice in relation to:
-
For the latest on Covid-19 visit NHS Inform [opens in a new window] which has the latest guidance and information across a wide range of sections.
This latest information in relation to Council Services will be updated and published to the Council website, which can be reached from the link on the homepage.
Details will also be issued through social media so that our communities are kept informed of these latest developments.
Thank you once again for your ongoing support as we continue to ensure our vital Council services continue to be delivered in line with the latest government position and public health guidance.
Thank you
Ann Davie
Depute Chief Executive - Education, People & Business
23 March 2020