February 2021

22 February - It's time to roll up your sleeves - vaccination appointment letters

Vaccine invitation letters are being sent out by NHS Scotland. Know what to expect:

• You will receive a letter in the post inviting you to your vaccination appointment. The letter contains information on how to access your appointment online, should you need to rearrange. Alternatively, you can call the national Covid-19 helpline who can rearrange your appointment for you.

• The letter will include an information leaflet about Covid-19 vaccinations and what to expect.

• There is a link on the back page to highlight access to alternative formats and languages.

Those aged 70 and over and the clinically extremely vulnerable, including those on the shielding list, will receive their first vaccine dose by mid-February.

Those aged over 65 will receive their first doses by the beginning of March.

Vaccination of the wider adult population will commence once the remainder of the JCVI priority groups are complete by early May.

We are all being encouraged to play our part and take the vaccine. Some of our frontline staff have already had the vaccine. To find out more, and see what the vaccine invitation letter looks like - visit our dedicated Covid-19 vaccine area here

You can View the Covid Vaccine TV Ad here

More information

If you have any questions about the COVID-19 vaccine,

• visit nhsinform.scot/covid19vaccineor

• phone 0800 030 8013 (available 8am to 8pm, seven days a week)

22 February - Self-isolation advice and support 

With the new strains of coronavirus being more infectious, it's more important than ever that people self-isolate immediately to stop the virus spreading. Look out for the new Scottish Government's Self-Isolation campaign running until 14 March.

The campaign reinforces the importance of isolating right away to help stop the spread, and also signposts to the National Assistance Helpline for a support in self-isolation for those who need may need financial or practical assistance.  Further testing has now been expanded to find asymptomatic cases.

Close contacts - testing

From Thursday 18 February, anyone who is identified as a close contact of somebody who has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) will be asked to get tested.  The measure is designed to find asymptomatic cases that would otherwise go undetected, as close contacts are at higher risk than the wider population, given their exposure to somebody with COVID-19.

Now everyone who has been identified as a close contact via the Protect Scotland app, or through manual contact tracing, will be provided with instructions on how to book a PCR test.

This approach does not replace self-isolation in any way, and close contacts who test negative will still have to complete 10 days of self-isolation, as the virus' incubation period means the risk of developing COVID-19 is only significantly reduced 10 days after exposure.

Remember to wear a face covering, avoid crowds, clean hands regularly, keep a two metre distance from others, self-isolate if you have symptoms - and book a test.

• You can View the Self-Isolation TV Ad here
• You can read the Self-Isolation factsheet - available in multiple formats and languages - here
• Find out more about Covid-19 contact tracing at nhs.inform
• The free Protect Scotland App from NHS Scotland's Test and Protect is available to download on protect.scot and through the App Store and Google Play.

22 February - Glasgow to Roll-Out Asymptomatic Covid-19 Testing Centres

Glasgow is set to begin the phased roll-out of Covid-19 asymptomatic testing aimed at identifying positive cases in communities and breaking chains of transmission.

The programme will offer testing to people without Covid-19 symptoms, who may be infectious and spreading the virus without knowing.

Pop-up test sites using Lateral Flow Tests will begin rolling out in communities from March 1, when the first centres will open in the Gorbals and Govanhill.

The new walk-in test centres will be located at Glasgow's Central Mosque, 1 Mosque Avenue, Gorbals, and at Govanhill Neighbourhood Centre, 6 Daisy Street, Glasgow. They will be in place in each area for several weeks and will be staffed by the Armed Forces with support from volunteers at the Mosque. (Opening times TBC)

People living in those areas who do not have Covid-19 symptoms will be encouraged to come forward for a test from March 1. Appointments are not necessary and by volunteering people will be helping to fight the pandemic.

This programme is in addition to existing testing for people with symptoms. Anyone with symptoms should book a test immediately at NHSinform.scot/test-and-protect or by phoning 0800 028 2816. They should not go along to an asymptomatic test centre.

22 February - Carole Forrest - leaving in April

Carole Forrest, Director of Governance and Solicitor to the Council has decided to leave the council in the middle of April.

Annemarie O'Donnell, Chief Executiveexplains: "I don't intend to recount the successes of Carole's near three-decade career in the council here as there will be time for that later. But suffice it to say that Carole's support to me over these last six years has been beyond invaluable. She has been instrumental in overcoming some of the most complex problems the council has faced, as well as in delivering some of our greatest successes. I am sure you will join with me in wishing Carole well in whatever she decides to do next."

As Carole's post will not be filled - more information will be issued in due course about how her various roles will be taken forward.

It is important to note that Elaine Galletly, Head of Legal and Administration, Chief Executive's Department will assume the statutory role as Monitoring Officer for the council following Carole's departure.

22 February - Staff Rise to the challenge to support new vaccination centres

Catering and Facilities Management (FM) staff at Property and Land Services, Development and Regeneration Services, have risen to the challenge of supporting Glasgow's Covid-19 vaccination centres. The four centres, located in Glasgow Life venues opened on 1 February to administer the roll out of the Covid-19 vaccine, as the country fights its way out of the pandemic.

Linda Andrew, Senior Operations Manager said: "We explained to staff that a business-critical situation had arisen and we asked for their support. We have asked for Catering and FM Staff to relocate to the vaccination centres as they are now our top priority, the response has been overwhelmingly supportive. I would like to thank all of our staff for being so accommodating and flexible.

"The FM and Encore managers have been superb in engaging with staff and scheduling rotas for the venues. They have kept everyone motivated and worked tirelessly to keep everything running smoothly."

Kathy Houstonwho has thirty years cleaning experience with the council, said: "My manager explained that additional cleaners were needed in the centres to support the increased footfall and opening hours of the buildings. I was only too happy to help out, it feels good to know that I'm part of the collective effort to help try and return to normality."

Encore Manager, Morag Cooper said: "As hospitality is currently restricted, my venue is closed and my manager asked if I'd consider working in outdoor support at a vaccination centre. I welcomed the opportunity to be working again and trying something new. I felt like I'd been sitting about for too long and was missing the social interaction.

"My role involves car park management, entrance meet and greet and queue management. I'm relishing working as part of a team again and doing something that is so important and worthwhile."

Tom McLaren, Customer Operations Manager said: "We had three weeks' notice before the centres opened so it was a huge logistical challenge to resource staff from across the council, carry out risk assessments, source suitable PPE and organise site orientation sessions within the time frame.

"The staff involved have been fantastic and have really risen to the challenge.  They should all be extremely proud of their effort and I would like to thank them for their commitment and ongoing support."

"This project has seen the collaboration of various teams across the council family working together with a common goal of ensuring the vaccination centres were able to operate as planned."

An important aspect of the project involved reaching out across the Glasgow Family to get support from many areas.

Ellen McGowan, the council HR lead for the project, said: "The positive response from staff across the council family was outstanding - we all had to work quickly and flexibly to support this critical project.

"The contribution from Catering and FM was exceptional and we also worked closely with partners from Glasgow Life, and stood up a multi service team which also included staff from Financial Services and the Chief Executive's Department, Neighbourhoods and Sustainability and City Property - Markets Team. In summary, it has been a real team effort."

22 February - Keeping the city moving - in sub zero temperatures

Teams across Neighbourhoods Regeneration and Sustainability faced the Herculean challenge of keeping the city moving in a period of unprecedented sub zero temperature weather earlier this month.

Stephen Egan, Head of Neighbourhoods and Place - North West explained: "Every winter we work hard to plan for any bad weather that's been forecast. We've had to deal with heavy snow conditions before. But this year's weather posed particular challenges - with two separate heavy snowfalls within a week, each lasting a few days - and with sub zero temperatures throughout the week.

"Over the normal festive period, we have to plan our services around the four days public holidays. But the weather in February was unforeseen; there were around six days where we just couldn't operate our normal services including bin collections and managing recycling sites; that's very unusual

"Staff from across a range of teams including parks, refuse collection staff and recycling workers all came together to support our winter maintenance plan. For almost a week around 80% of their time was spent on gritting and re-gritting priority footpaths and routes - including access routes to the city's four vaccination centres; and filling and re-filling grit bins within communities.

Stephen continued: "Thankfully we're back to more normal weather conditions. We've implemented our recovery plan for bin collections which has involved having extra staff involved and prioritising areas that are most in need. We are making good headway; we expect to be back to our normal schedule this week.

"There has been a substantial team effort to get through this very difficult period in the middle of a pandemic. I'd like to thank all the staff who moved away from their normal duties to support our efforts to resume normal services."

15 February - Let's See it Through - hope is in sight

On 2 February the Scottish Government launched its new Resilience Campaign: Let's See it Through.

The aim of the campaign is provide people with hope, reassurance and encouragement to build resilience during these challenging times. Acknowledging that whilst we've not reached the end of the road yet, we are getting there

The campaign will run until 1 March across TV, radio, press and digital.

View the Resilience TV Ad here

#WeAreScotland.

15 February - Summer internship programme 2021 - apply by 28 February

Applications are now open for this year's Summer Internship Programme - a 12 week placement from Monday 7 June until Friday 27 August, 2021. The deadline for applications is 28 February - with interviews taking place in March.

This year we will recruit 18 interns spread over seven council services. Six posts are for College HND graduates, and 12 for University undergraduates (due to enter their final year of study Autumn 2021). 

Beth McDonald, Development Officer, Adult Employment Team, Development and Regeneration Services (Economic Development) said: "We're delighted to be able to run the programme this year. As a result of Covid-19 restrictions our 2020 programme had to be postponed. That means that seven of our 2020 interns will be joining us this year to take up their 2020 placements, and we are looking for an additional 18 interns."

Eligibility criteria for applicants:

• For HND positions - students due to graduate from college this year

• For University undergraduate positions - students in their penultimate undergraduate year

• Must live at a Glasgow city address - to check your local authority visit

• Must be eligible to live and work in the UK

Undergraduate posts are now being advertised through university career sites, TargetConnect and CareerHub. HND adverts have been circulated by Glasgow college careers representatives at City, Clyde and Kelvin colleges - or can be obtained by emailing Interns (on Outlook)  Each post  has a unique link to MyJobScotland for the completion and submission of applications by 28 February 2021.

More information

Further details on the Summer Internship Programme can be found on the council's webpage

You can watch a short video about the programme, featuring three former interns, on Youtube

Interns will be paid the Glasgow Living Wage of £9.50 per hour and receive an additional six days' pay for accrued leave at the end of their 12 weeks. Students should not be planning to take time off during the period of their internship.

When applying students should state their place of study on their application that will assist feedback to their respective universities and colleges.

15 February - Live Chat - Digital Technology transforming the way we work

We are expanding the use of digital technology to transform the way we work and how we interact with our customers to deliver improved and more efficient contact channels.

Customer Business Services (CBS) within Financial Services have introduced live chat to handle Parking, Free School Meals, Scottish Welfare Fund and Revenues and Benefits enquiries.

Janice Timoney, Head of CBS said: "Our aim is to increase the number of contact channels available to our customers and the citizens of Glasgow.

"Live chat is an online channel that allows customers to communicate quickly and conveniently with us in real time."

Rebecca Danks, Business Analyst and Live Chat Project Lead said: "The simplicity and accessibility of live chat makes it an excellent customer service channel. We have had some really positive customer feedback."

Some examples of customer feedback are noted below.

15 February - Deirdre and friends raise almost £7,000 for The Beatson Cancer Charity

Deirdre Craddock, a Planner in Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability has been keeping busy in her spare time during lockdown. Deirdre has been working with the 'Fatma's Waltz' music project which, to date, has raised almost £7,000 for The Beatson Cancer Charity.

Deirdre explained: "Just as the pandemic struck last spring, my friend Fatma's cancer returned and she became a patient again at the Beatson. Lockdown made visiting her impossible. Our friend, fiddle teacher and award-winning composer Adam Sutherland wrote the beautiful "Fatma's Waltz" to lift her spirits.

"We quickly realised that Fatma, a former nurse, had a compelling wish to repay the outstanding care she'd received from the Beatson - so this joint project, with the Beatson Cancer Charity, was born.

"We've been delighted at the level of support for the project which even received support from cross-party MPs after being congratulated in a motion in the House of Commons tabled by Patrick Grady MP for Glasgow North

Deirdre continued: "The composer of the tune, Adam, comes is from Errogie on Loch Ness, but now lives in Glasgow and is very popular locally for teaching music but also through Celtic Connections and bands such as The Treacherous Orchestra, Session A9 and his time in the Peatbog Faeries. Despite all of the restrictions, he fully orchestrated Fatma's Waltz and inspired 28 of the best Scottish traditional musicians to record it and to make a video."

Deirdre added: "I was part of a group that helped to organise and promote the project which we launched on You Tube and Celtic Music radio on 17 December.

"We've been delighted with the response; people have been very generous. We've already raised nearly £7,000 but we want to raise even more to support the crucial work done at the Beatson to support people suffering with cancer - particularly important during the current pandemic.

"If anyone would like to support the project by making a donation, that would be wonderful. And if not, I really hope the uplifting music of Fatma's Waltz will bring a smile to many faces at this very difficult time."

More Information

You can make a donation to the Beatson Cancer Charity here

You can buy the track, 'Fatma's Waltz' for £2 or donate here

Watch the video and enjoy the music on Youtube

15 February - Gaelic Skills Survey - have your say

The corporate Gaelic Development team invites you to complete the council's 2021 Gaelic skills survey.

The aim of the survey is to find out how many council family employees can speak, read, write or understand Gaelic. Your support will help the team develop new opportunities to increase Gaelic awareness and to learn and use the language.

Gaelic Development Officer. Donald MacPhee said:  "Feedback from our previous staff surveys was very positive and helped us produce three Gaelic Language Plans since 2009. The results of this survey will be the starting point for the next Gaelic Plan from 2023 to 2027.

"More and more people want to learn Gaelic and to find out more about our Gaelic heritage, culture and arts. It's important we understand what our staff know about Gaelic and work together across the council family to improve the Gaelic service that we offer.

"The more we know about staff skills and interests the better we can develop initiatives to get more people in the city, including our own staff, involved in championing the understanding and use of Gaelic."

Donald added: "Glasgow has a national reputation for delivering high quality Gaelic medium education (GME). Our Education staff do a brilliant job. The benefits of GME are well recognised and we now have over 1300 children and young people learning across three GME nurseries, three primary schools and a fourth being planned, as well as a Gaelic secondary school, Àrdsgoil Ghàidhlig Ghlaschu.

"We want as many people as possible to have the opportunity to share in the success of Gaelic in Glasgow. The council works closely with Glasgow Life and a range of community organisations to provide learning opportunities and to deliver the Gaelic Arts strategy. We delivered a hugely successful and enjoyable Royal National Mod in 2019, raised the profile of Gaelic in the city, and contributed around £4m to the local economy. 

"We now want to encourage staff from across the council family to get involved in Gaelic learning, arts and language development. By completing our survey, staff can help deliver our plans to achieve this."

Glasgow is home to over 10% of Gaelic speakers, the largest percentage outside of the Western Isles and the Highlands. It is the largest centre of Gaelic culture in mainland Scotland and is known as Baile Mòr nan Gàidheal, the City of the Gaels.

How to take survey

Please help the Gaelic Development team by completing the survey which you can access here

Submissions must be made by Wednesday 3 March

More information

You can view the council's Gaelic Plan here

8 February - Updated Financial Forecast

An updated financial forecast shows a reduced spending gap for the next financial year - and the opportunity to set a final budget in March.

The forecast issued by Financial Services in October last year detailed an assumed net spending gap for 2021 to 2022 of £36.3 million - considering a predicted reduction in available funding, alongside increased costs, mostly from inflation.

These assumptions can now be reviewed following the initial reading of the Scottish Government's budget and officers now forecast a significant reduction in the city's spending gap to £7.9 million.

This is mostly due to an increase in government grant, combined with additional funding to freeze Council Tax - partly offset by some additional costs.

The impact of these changes is summarised below:

The forecasts are not, themselves, a set of proposals - and they are continually refined as more information becomes available about national spending and allocations to local government.

For example, the national budget is not yet agreed and is not due to be until 9 March. With the Scottish Government requiring opposition support to pass the bill, it is possible there could be further changes in the resources available to Glasgow before this date.

It is now proposed that the city will set its budget on the statutory date of 11 March, rather than the anticipated 18 February - with City Administration Committee being asked to approve this change on Thursday.

Although councils are permitted to set Council Tax up to 11 March, under normal circumstances, Glasgow chooses to set it budget earlier due to the time required to prepare and print household bills before the start of the new financial year.

Last year, this meant setting a budget before the Scottish Government - and it was necessary to revisit some elements of the budget at a later date, as more resources were made available.

This year, Government funding to freeze Council Tax means that work on preparing bills could carry on independent of the budget process.

8 February - Scotland, it's time to roll up your sleeves

People across Scotland are being encouraged to 'roll their sleeves up' and get the COVID-19 vaccine as soon as they are eligible.

A new campaign has launched to emphasise the importance of the vaccine and its safety, highlighting that it is the best way out of coronavirus, as it offers the best protection.

Find out more at our dedicated vaccination resource page.

8 February - Staff in HSCP get vaccinated

Our frontline colleagues working on behalf of Glasgow's Health and Social Care Partnership have been among the first to be offered the vaccine.

Adijat Mohammed, a Social Care Assistant at Riverside Care Home, was delighted to have had her first dose of the Covid 19 vaccine - watch her video here

Staff in HSCP eligible for the vaccine took part in a live questions and answers session with an NHS clinician, you can read their frequently asked questions on our dedicated vaccination resource page.

8 February  - Time is running out

Following decisions by the UK Government, the UK has now left the EU.

EU citizens living in Scotland will need to apply to the UK Government's EU Settlement Scheme in order to continue living, working and studying in the UK after 30 June 2021.

If you are an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen who was resident in the UK on 31 December 2020 you will have to apply to Stay in Scotland through the EU Settlement Scheme

We encourage those staff who are EU citizens, and eligible to apply to the scheme, to do so today. You can read our updated staff briefing  on the support available to help you with your application and what to do next to help you Stay in Scotland.

8 February -  Reminder to take our Information Security Essentials Course for 2020 to 2021

Our annual training course is developed to help us all understand our role and responsibilities when handling information - to help protect our buildings, staff, data and citizens. We all need to take it each year to comply with core policies.

Our quick Information Security Essentials refresher course for 2020 to 2021 is available to take online from home using GOLD - as GOLD can be accessed from any device at any time.

For example, you can login using your own device at home, to take the course, at a time that is convenient to suit your own personal circumstances.

With many of us currently working in different ways, and in different locations - the quickest and easiest way to take this course is on GOLD. However, if you are unable to access GOLD your manager can supply you with an alternative format of this course.

To take the course on GOLD

• Use the link below to take the course in the Core/How to Handle Information section
• http://tracking.brightwave.co.uk/lnt/Glasgow/Login.aspx?category_id=92&programme_id=1361&course_id=66843
• You will need your SAP number and your GOLD login details
• For support on how to login to GOLD from home read our Frequently Asked Questions

If you don't have access to GOLD - please speak to your manager for an alternative version of the course.

8 February - NRS teams pull out the stops to tackle severe winter weather

Teams from Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability have been working flat out to help keep the city moving safely during the recent challenging weather - in addition to dealing with the restrictions of the current pandemic.

The first heavy frosts of any winter fire the starting gun for Neighbourhoods, Regeneration and Sustainability (NRS) teams to take action. We've already had spikes of winter weather that have resulted in significant build-ups of black ice and some snow across the city - and there could still be more to come.

Teams at NRS work round the clock, clearing busy roads and pavements on priority routes, in parks and taking preventative action to make sure that those who still require to leave their homes can do so as safely as possible. Winter Decision Makers in the Severe Weather Hub use real-time CCTV images of the city to direct resources appropriately.

In addition to gritters spreading thousands of tonnes of grit and salt, in local communities across the city officers have sought to replenish continually the network of 1546 grit bins which have been in heavy use.

The work undertaken by NRS teams is complemented by the efforts of a team of 59 volunteer winter wardens who have been provided with resources to support gritting in their local neighbourhoods.

Brendan Frankgate, Group Manager (NRS Roads Maintenance) said: This winter has been the coldest in the last 10 years and has been very challenging due to frequent freezing rain, black ice, snow and extremely low temperatures. Specialist roads forecasts are used by the Winter Decision Makers to help inform what gritting should be undertaken.

"I am pleased that due to the combined efforts of NRS's gritting teams this winter all priority one roads, pavements and cycle ways have remained open and kept the city moving safely."

More information

You can find out more about the Winter Maintenance Plan, here

You can find the interactive Winter Gritting Story Map, here

1 February - Glasgow's Covid 19 Vaccination Centres

Glasgow has five Covid 19 vaccination centres which are all wheelchair accessible.

Vaccination centres are operated by NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde. It is the NHS who will invite you to an appointment at a vaccination centre (not the council).

The city's vaccination centres are located at:-

• NHS Louisa Jordan on the Scottish Events Campus; Stobcross Road, G3 8YW
• Glasgow Club Donald Dewar, 200-220 Garscadden Road, Drumchapel, G15 8SX
• Glasgow Club Easterhouse, 47 Auchinlea Road, Easterhouse, G34 9PQ
• Barmulloch Community Centre, 46 Wallacewell Quadrant, Glasgow, G21 3PX
• Glasgow Club Castlemilk, 10 Dougrie Rd, Castlemilk, G45 9NF

Only attend at a vaccination centre if you have an appointment. Wear a face covering (unless you are exempt) and observe social distancing. Please take your appointment letter.

Try to arrive no more than 10 minutes before your appointment. Due to the high number of people being vaccinated, a queuing system will be in place. This may be outdoors at some point, so please dress for the weather, but wear short sleeves below coats / jumpers to make the vaccination process easier. If you need a carer to help you at your appointment, don't worry, that's fine.

Any questions about your vaccination (for example if you need to change your appointment), should be directed to:-

• NHS Inform's Covid 19 vaccination helpline - phone 0800 030 8013. Available from 8am to 8pm, seven days a week.

Parking and Transport

Free parking is available at City Parking's Hydro car park adjacent to the NHS Louisa Jordan and the route of  the Stagecoach X19 bus service has also been extended to take in the NHS Louisa Jordan. This service also passes Glasgow Club Easterhouse.

Free parking is available, but limited at the other locations.

See story below for details of support with transport to get you to a vaccination centre.

Beware of Covid vaccination scams

Please remember, no-one should ever ask you to pay for a Covid 19 vaccination. The injections are provided by the NHS and are free!

Police Scotland are reminding everyone to be alert to potential scam messages connected with coronavirus vaccines. These include text messages, phone calls and emails.

Chief Inspector Anton Stephenson, of Police Scotland's Safer Communities Division, said: "The messages suggest people are eligible for the coronavirus vaccine and in some cases ask for payment. We are asking people to be aware that unsolicited email, text messages and calls may not be from the person or organisation which they appear to be from.  

"The NHS and other government departments will never ask for any form of payment or other method from you to either pay for a vaccine or confirm your identity. I would a urge anyone who is concerned that they have provided personal or financial information via a link in a message of this sort to contact Police Scotland on 101.

"We are working closely with partners to deter this kind of scam and to pursue pursue anyone who sets out to cause this kind of harm and anxiety to our communities.

"If you receive any communications relating to vaccines that you are in anyway concerned about please contact your GP who will be able to confirm your status regarding a vaccine and do not give out any personal details or payment information."

Take Five to stop Fraud

Police Scotland recently launched a campaign to raise awareness of fraud. It highlights ways people can protect themselves and remain vigilant to this kind of crime.

The Take Five to Prevent Fraud campaign features a range of tips for members of the public about how to protect themselves from fraudsters, and avoid falling victim to scam attempts. Information is available on the Police Scotland website at https://www.scotland.police.uk/takefive

1 February - New public transport helpline for people travelling to vaccination centres

A new helpline has been set up to help people who need to travel to Glasgow's Covid 19 vaccination centres by public transport.

The Traveline Scotland phoneline went live on Wednesday 27 January. It will be staffed round-the-clock seven days a week.

Anyone with an appointment at one of Glasgow's vaccination centres, open from Monday 1 February, will be able to check the best way to get there if they need to use public transport.

With capacity on public transport constrained due to physical distancing requirements, we encourage people to leave space on public transport for those who need it most. If you don't have access to a car, or are unable to use active travel options, the helpline can assist with information on public transport. Information will be provided by a person - not an automated service.

Glasgow's  vaccination centres are located at:-

• NHS Louisa Jordan on the Scottish Events Campus; Stobcross Road;
• Glasgow Club Donald Dewar, 220 Garscadden Road, Drumchapel;
• Glasgow Club Easterhouse, 12 Auchinlea Road, Easterhouse;
• Barmulloch Community Centre, 46 Wallacewell Quadrant, Glasgow;
• And Glasgow Club Castlemilk, 28 Dougrie Rd, Castlemilk.

The Traveline helpline number is 0141 465 1878.

When calls are answered, you'll initially hear the message "If you require public transport information to assist with travel to or from a Vaccination Centre, please hold to speak with an agent". Hold on to speak to someone in person.

The route of the Stagecoach X19 bus has been extended to take in the NHS Louisa Jordan and also passes Glasgow Club Easterhouse.

People with mobility issues can use SPT's bookable, door-to-door MyBus service. Registration is required prior to booking and advance booking is recommended, as capacity is limited due to social distancing requirements. Details are available at www.spt.co.uk/bus/mybusor phone  0345 128 4025.

Only people with appointments (and where necessary, a carer) should attend at a vaccination centre. Please remember, no-one should ever ask you to pay for a Covid 19 vaccination. The injections are provided by the NHS and are free!

Calls to the Traveline helpline will be charged at local rates. The helpline can also provide information about public transport options to mass vaccination centres outwith Glasgow.

1 February 2021 -  Support for VPN users working from home

Some staff who are using laptops to work from home, have reported issues with loss of VPN connection. These can often be quickly resolved without technical support.

Before contacting CGI Service Desk, please have a look at our guide which may solve the problem you are having. This will help to reduce the number of calls being logged with CGI - and help you to get reconnected quickly.

View the guide

If you still have unresolved issues, you can contact the CGI Service Desk by email to GCC Service Desk (CGI) or phone 0141 287 4000.

1 February - Invest Glasgow team help to attract 12,000 new jobs

A newly approved report highlights the success of the Invest Glasgow team at Development and Regeneration Services (DRS).

The team have helped to attract almost 12,000 new jobs to the city over the last four recorded years (2016/17 to 2019/20); 2019/20 was the most successful year - with 3,619 jobs coming to the city through foreign direct investment (FDI).

The report describes the city's recent performance in attracting FDI and capital investment, and also details the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic has had on normal working methods and the new measures now introduced to help the delivery of the team's work.

Sharon Thomson, Assistant Head of Economic Development said: "Invest Glasgow was established in 2012 with the aim of raising the city's investment and business profile; targeting specific audiences and markets; and propel Glasgow further up recognised FDI rankings - all in order to secure as much investment and jobs as possible to the city.

"Examples of the recent success of the team's FDI strategy include supporting the investments and expansions of JP Morgan and Morgan Stanley, who have brought around 4,000 new jobs to the city.

Sharon added: "Almost £1.2billion of FDI has been attracted to Glasgow since Invest Glasgow was established in 2012.  The countries who have invested most in Glasgow in recent years include the USA, Canada, Germany, France, Italy and Switzerland.

"Since the start of the Covid-19 pandemic, global flows of FDI are down around 40%, with a forecast decrease of 5-10% over the course of 2021 before an expected recovery in 2022."

The Scottish Government has launched a new Inward Investment plan which identifies nine key sectors that align well with Glasgow's own priority sectors.  The UK Government has created a new Office for Investment that will act as a shopfront to promote high-value and high-impact investment opportunities.  SDI (Scottish Development International) is to focus resources on supporting the expansion of the top 50 existing investors and targeting the 50 leading global investors they aim to attract.

Anne Murray, Group Manager (Inward Investment) said: "We are working in challenging times as a result of the pandemic. We are collaborating with SDI on lead-generation strategies to create as many new investment opportunities as possible given the restrictions of the pandemic - with no site visits or large trade shows which has led to fewer enquiries and lower levels of investment.

"We are also making greater use of technology to help us attract more investment to the city. This includes the imminent introduction of a new customer relationship marketing system; digital marketing and promotional materials, and the redevelopment of the Invest Glasgow website.

Anne concluded: "For the short-term we expect that webinars, online events and virtual tours will replace overseas travelling. We're planning a new series of webinars including an event in partnership with the Department for International Trade and SDI that will showcase Glasgow's pre-eminence in precision medicine."

"The pandemic is presenting many challenges for everyone, but we are working hard to make sure that Glasgow is still very much on global investors' radar as a location of choice."

More information

To find out more about Invest Glasgow visit www.investglasgow.com

You can read the full media release about the report at https://www.glasgow.gov.uk/index.aspx?articleid=16159

1 February - Plan today so you can vote in May

On 6 May this year, the election for the Scottish Parliament will take place. If you are 16 or over and live in Scotland and are registered to vote, you have some big choices to make, so let's start with an easy one.

There are two options available - You can vote in person at your local polling station, where all the usual Covid protections will be in place to keep you safe. Or you can choose to vote from home by applying for a postal vote. The deadline to do this is 6 April but it is recommended that you plan ahead and apply as soon as possible.

A TV advert will run across Scotland until 16 February to promote these options. We have worked with the other Electoral Registration Offices across the country to make sure that a consistent message is given to everybody in Scotland. This will be supported by messages across social media platforms, Facebook and Twitter.

Hugh Munro, Electoral Registration Officer said: "The first priority is to make sure you are registered to vote. You can then decide if you want to vote as normal in person at your local polling station or at home by post. If you decide to vote by post, please apply as soon as you can and definitely before the deadline of 6 Apri."

More information

For details on how to apply for a postal vote in Glasgow, visit www.glasgow.gov.uk/registertovote

If you live in a different local authority, please contact them directly or visit www.electoralcommission.org.uk/postalvote