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Hello and welcome to this week’s update. I hope it finds you well. As always, I am pleased to be able to share updates from recent days, showcasing what’s been happening across East Ayrshire.
You will find below information from this week’s Special Council Meeting, Equalities Strategy Group and Ayrshire Growth Deal Annual Conversation. I’ve also included updates from Wednesday’s Pathway to Careers Event and yesterday’s by-election. First though, I want to say a few words about Adult Support and Protection Day which colleagues in the Health and Social Care Partnership have been promoting all week.
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Thursday 20 February 2024 was National Adult Support and Protection Day, an annual event that I am always very happy to support. The viaduct in Kilmarnock was illuminated purple and throughout the week the Adult Support and Protection Committee have delivered a range of activities, including social media posts, spotlight sessions, presentations and other events. You may also have seen a themed screensaver on your laptop and bulletins in your email.
Some adults in East Ayrshire are more at risk of experiencing harm. This could be due to illness, trauma or a physical or mental health condition. It can happen anywhere; in someone’s home, where they work, or in a public place. It is often caused by the people closest to them and can even happen in places responsible for keeping someone safe, such as a care home, hospital or day centre.
It’s important to speak up about any concerns you have, as the person may not be able to do so themselves. If you are worried that an adult you know (or you, yourself) are being financially harmed - you can make an Adult Support and Protection referral to have the circumstances looked into.
Making an Adult Support and Protection Referral - ASP Referrals - is everyone's business. If you See Something, Say Something - everyone deserves to live a life free from harm. The Adult Support and Protection Committee invites us all to make a public protection pact to ensure that there is zero tolerance of harm against any member of our community.
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At this week’s Council meeting, Members agreed to increase next year’s housing rent by 7%, equivalent to an average increase of £5.95 a week over 52 weeks. The decision follows an extensive consultation with tenants, who were asked to consider two proposals. Nearly 12,000 tenants were contacted at the start of the consultation and the Council received a total of 1,011 responses. Feedback included:
- 86% chose Option 1, to increase rents by 7%, versus Option 2, which would have increased rent by 8%, with additional rental income used to deliver around 50 affordable new homes.
- 78% thought that the rent they pay is good value.
- 82% were happy with the level of consultation and information provided.
- Tenants’ priorities were for housing improvements (73%), new council housing (60%) and environmental improvements (18%).
My thanks to Blair Millar and his team for all the work that has gone into this year’s consultation and the report to Council.
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On Tuesday we had our quarterly meeting of the Corporate Equalities Strategy Group. We welcomed the chance to hear from Alyia Zaheed, Corporate Officer (Equality and Diversity) on a range of equalities related matters, including:
- Free access to period products
- Equality Champions
- Equality Impact Assessment Leads
- Ayrshire Shared British Sign Language Operational Action Plan
- Equally Safe in Practice.
We also received a helpful presentation from David Livermore, Director for AccessAble, an organisation that provides accessibility information for tens of thousands of venues across the UK and Ireland, including shops, pubs, restaurants, cinemas, theatres, railway stations, hotels, colleges, universities, hospitals and more.
My thanks to Alyia and colleagues on the Corporate Equalities Strategy Group for a constructive and worthwhile discussion around these reports. A special thanks also to Jamie Murray, Graduate Intern for Corporate Support, who has been working closely with Alyia to support our equalities work and who leaves the Council this week to take up a new post with Scottish Fire and Rescue. All the best for the future Jamie.
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On Wednesday I attended the Ayrshire Growth Deal Annual Conversation. The meeting provides opportunities for Growth Deal Stakeholders to discuss progress with UK and Scottish Government colleagues. There was also the opportunity to reflect on and discuss any concerns that local partners and governments have about the implementation of the Deal and the ambitions of the Deal going forward.
In terms of East Ayrshire projects, it was good to see planning permission being granted for two AGD projects prior to Christmas – Ayrshire Manufacturing Investment Corridor (AMIC) and Ayrshire Engineering Park (AEP).
Ayrshire Manufacturing Investment Corridor aims to deliver sector specific business support for food and drink businesses in the region. AMIC consists of a new-build Food and Drink Centre of Excellence, food grade incubator units and terraced units, and an advanced manufacturing industrial unit. These facilities will provide support for new and growing businesses linked to the food and drink industry.
Ayrshire Engineering Park will provide a range of industrial units for engineering and light manufacturing businesses to support their growth within the region. The quality and varied production and engineering spaces provided on site will be suitable for a range of businesses, including new businesses and those looking to upscale. The AEP element will also provide serviced plots for purchase, for businesses who wish to build their own bespoke premises within the Innovation Park.
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My thanks to everyone who took part in Wednesday’s Pathways to Careers event at Ayrshire College Kilmarnock Campus. I was delighted to see that over 50 local and national companies had signed up to take part in the event organised by Education and Developing the Young Workforce Ayrshire. Young people from across East Ayrshire, along with their parents/carers and educators were able to explore stands and learn more about the huge range of careers that are available within Ayrshire.
Getting young people ready for the world of work and ensuring that they have access to high quality opportunities is hugely important to me personally and so it’s great to see events like this taking place. Any time I meet with local businesses, they are always keen to support and inspire young people and to give something back to the community, so it was good to see so many businesses taking part.
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Our election staff were on the go early yesterday morning, ensuring that our Ward 2 polling places were set up and ready to welcome voters from 7am. Throughout the day, I was pleased to have the opportunity to visit our polling places, where polling staff were doing a brilliant job.
The polling stations closed at 10pm and our teams were quickly on the road, collecting ballot boxes and election materials and ensuring their safe onward delivery to our Count Centre. I was pleased to have the chance to catch up with Kayden from our Children and Young People's Cabinet, who was there to observe the count.
The count started shortly after 10pm, using an electronic counting system, which scans and counts voter preferences and then calculates the results for each ward, using the Single Transferable Vote methodology.
There are several stages to process, including registration and verification, all of which helps to ensure the integrity and security of the process and gives us trust and confidence in the results. With all votes counted and the results formally declared, I can confirm that Caroline Barton (Scottish National Party) was elected.
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An enormous thank you to everyone who took part in the electoral process, including our outstanding team of election workers and all those who took the time to cast their vote. Thank you to my Deputy Returning Officers and the Election Team for their hard work, all of which helped to ensure that Election Day and the count ran as smoothly and efficiently as possible.
Thank you also to everyone who worked to support the setting up and running of our polling stations and to everyone involved in the count. It really is a cross-Council effort, with support from Council Officers, our Housing Asset Team and Margaret and Tracey from the canteen at London Road, who provide sustenance throughout the day.
We can be confident in the integrity of our democratic process and our voters and all the candidates can have full trust in the results declared.
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I'm delighted to share that our Economic Development Business Support Team has been shortlisted for the prestigious LGC Awards in the Net Zero category for their pioneering Net Zero Accelerator Programme - the first of its kind!
Launched in January 2023 in partnership with Scottish Enterprise and Net Zero Nation, this ground breaking initiative has already made a huge impact helping local businesses cut 14,500 metric tonnes of CO2 emissions, create more than 100 jobs and secure over £37 million in contracts.
The programme supports small and medium sized businesses on their journey towards Net Zero, providing free energy audits, expert consultancy and carbon compliance certification. It's a shining example of how we can drive environmental change while boosting our local economy and I'm proud of the team's heard work and leadership in making this happen.
Wishing the team the very best of luck on the awards night to be held later this year.
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This morning I will be attending a ceremony at Dumfries House, which is being held in memory of three young people who attended Auchinleck Academy and who each lost their lives in 2008.
Prior to the demolition of the old school, their memorial tree was moved to the grounds of Dumfries House. The ceremony will be led by the Provost, who will say a few words, along with the school captains from The Barony Campus and local religious representatives.
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As I sign off, I want to take the opportunity to thank you, as always, for the incredible work that you do for the communities of East Ayrshire. Thank you also for taking the time to read my weekly update. And remember if there are events coming up or services that you want to see highlighted in future updates, please don’t hesitate to let me know. |
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