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Friday 7 August
Welcome to Council News, your fortnightly update from our council.
Our team is always keen to give you updates on the things that matter the most to you.
We also want to share positive stories about things that are happening in your community.
If you have news that you'd like to share – shining a light on an individual, community group or event – we would love to feature them in our Community bulletin.
Please email us at communitybulletin@dumgal.gov.uk with feedback or story ideas and one of our reporters will get back to you.
Appointment of new Chief Social Work Officer
Following a robust matching process, Charles Rocks has been appointed as Dumfries and Galloway Council’s new Chief Social Work Officer.
This follows budget savings relating to leadership costs which was agreed by Full Council in June: instead of two chief officers for Social Work in the council there will now be a single Chief Social Work Officer role, which will report to the Chief Executive, ensuring continued high-focus and governance support.
Charles currently serves as Head of Children, Families and Justice Services and has been with Dumfries and Galloway Council since 2024, having previously built his career at East Ayrshire Council for 10 years and North Lanarkshire Council for 12 years.
In his current role, his remit includes leading on Child protection, Youth Justice, Family Support, Fostering and Adoption and Corporate Parenting, to name but a few. As Chief Social Work Officer, his responsibilities will expand to include overall management of the council’s Social Work Services Directorate. He will also provide professional leadership of social work within the Health and Social Care Partnership.
Charles has dedicated a career of 24 years to social work, focusing on leading change and advocating for vulnerable children and families. His extensive experience has shaped his understanding of the complexities within the social care system, particularly in residential childcare, which he describes as a powerful environment for fostering hope and support.
Charles succeeds Stephen Morgan who has been appointed as Head of Children and Families and Justice Social Work /Chief Social Work Officer at Moray Council. Charles will assume his new role on 17 August 2026.
Overall Positive Picture for Dumfries and Galloway Exam Results
The 2026 Qualifications Scotland (QS) results present a mixed picture, with strong attainment in S4 and some encouraging improvements in S5 attainment.
The National 5 outcomes show a near 2% rise in pass marks from last year, with a 90.2% pass rate, up from 88.3% in 2025. Further data shows a 77.7% A-C pass rate, up from 75.9% in 2025.
Our S5 attainment has seen a positive improvement across all key S5 Level 6 measures compared with 2025. One plus at Level 6 increased from 46.6% in 2025 to 52.5% this year. Three plus at Level 6 increased from 28.0% to 32.7% and five plus at Level 6 increased from 11.5% to 14.3%.
S6 attainment has declined across some measurable factors compared with last year with one, three and five plus passes at level 6 all decreasing around 6.5% on average. However, this is balanced by some encouraging statistics around our digital Advanced Higher pass rates, particularly in History, Modern Studies and Maths where our pass rates were markedly above the national average.
Skills Development Scotland is running a dedicated support line for exam results advice and assistance. Learners, parents and carers should contact Skills Development Scotland on 0808 100 8000.
 Self-Catering Property Owners – Reminder to Respond by 7 September
The local Assessor is currently reviewing self-catering holiday properties across Dumfries and Galloway.
If you’ve received a letter requesting evidence of letting activity, please respond by 7 September.
This determines whether your property remains in the Valuation Roll for non-domestic rates or moves to the Council Tax Valuation List.
In the News
We publish all of our press releases from the last 12 months on our website so you can keep up-to-date.
- Council appoints new Chief Social Work Officer.
- Dumfries and Galloway Exam Results.
- Audit of self-catering properties across Dumfries and Galloway.
Have Your Say
We publish all of our consultations and engagement on our website. Open consultations and engagements include:
- Local Biodiversity Action Plan.
- Common Good Register Consultation.
- Consultation on the discontinuation of education provision at Dalry Secondary School.
- Consultation on the discontinuation of education provision at Ae Primary School.
Watch Council Meetings
We stream videos of a wide range of council meetings on our YouTube channel.
Ahead of the next meetings starting back on 20 August, you can watch previous meetings to find out the key issues being discussed. Recent meetings include:
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Education, Skills and Community Wellbeing Committee – 30 June 2026.
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Stranraer Common Good Fund Sub Committee – 1 July 2026.
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