November 2021
24 November - National Pay Award Process - Update for Staff
We wish to update staff on the progress of the National Pay Award negotiations being managed by COSLA.
A proposed Pay Award agreement for local government employees was reached between COSLA and the Trade Unions on 29 October this year. Following this, the Trade Unions indicated their intention to ballot their members on the terms of this agreement - this consultation process is due to end on 29 November 2021.
Therefore, at this stage, the agreement on the Pay Award for local government employees - which is set at a national level - has still to be confirmed.
We are aware that information is circulating that suggests this back-dated pay would be made available to you in your December 2021 pay. However, please be aware that until the agreement is fully signed-off by COSLA and the Trade Unions, we are not able to begin the significant task of adjusting our pay-roll records to make payments to all our 26,000 staff.
As a result, subject to the agreement being confirmed, we do not anticipate any back-dated pay, arising from the proposed national pay award, to be paid to staff until January 2022 at the earliest.
We will keep all staff updated on this situation once more information becomes available.
24 November - COP26 achieves International Standard for Sustainability
COP26 has achieved independent international recognition for its approach to delivering a sustainable event, attaining the ISO20121 certificate.
ISO20121 is an international standard which sets out the requirements to establish, maintain and continually improve an event sustainability management system. It requires event organisers to demonstrate consideration to all key financial, economic, social and environmental factors related to planning and operations.
Organisations adopting ISO20121 are required to demonstrate that they are minimising potential negative impacts on the environment, communities and local economy - maximising the positive impacts and leaving a legacy to be proud of.
Large 'in-person' events can put a strain on local resources such as water and energy, and create significant waste, or tensions related to culture or proximity with neighbouring communities. COP26 was able to illustrate, using the ISO20121 framework, its commitment to sustainability and that the event was managed in a sustainable way.
To attain the certification, the UK Government appointed Arup and Crowberry as technical sustainability advisors. BSI, British Standards Institution, provided an independent audit for certification of compliance.
Sustainability was embedded throughout the delivery of COP26, through the adoption and integration of the COP26 seven Sustainability Governing Principles:
Actively manage potential impacts on the environment and local community and identify opportunities to deliver environmental and social value
Provide an accessible and inclusive setting for all
Encourage healthy living
Ensure a safe and secure atmosphere
Encourage more sustainable behaviour
Promote the use of responsible sources and responsible use of resources throughout the supply chain
Leave a positive legacy
Additionally, the COP26 Unit has worked collaboratively with HMG teams, delivery partners and other stakeholders to embed and demonstrate how they have robustly considered all dimensions of sustainability. This includes a detailed assessment within all the operational delivery areas of the event including the Blue Zone and Green Zone Venues, Transport, Security, Suppliers, Catering and Health and Safety.
More information on the actions taken to deliver a more sustainable event under the seven principles is provided on the COP26 Sustainability website.
24 November - City libraries - latest news
Glasgow Life have confirmed that five more community libraries will reopen to the public in early 2022 - thanks to funding from the Scottish Government, administered by the Scottish Library and Information Council (SLIC).
The Scottish Government Public Library Covid Recovery Fund grant of £448,068 means every Glasgow Library now has a projected reopening date.
The following libraries will reopen by the end of January: the Couper Institute; Library at GoMA; Maryhill Library and Whiteinch Library. Maryhill, Whiteinch and Couper libraries are historic buildings which will require substantial capital works in the future.
The building Barmulloch Library is being used as a vaccination centre until 31 January 2022 and the library will re-open at the end of this agreement. If the vaccination centre remains after 31 January, Glasgow Life will work to make the adaptations required to re-open the library.
Additionally, Shettleston Library, which is currently closed due to essential maintenance works, will reopen from early December.
Elder Park and Woodside Libraries are also planned to reopen in 2022 following significant investment and refurbishment.
The Scottish Government Public Library Covid Recovery Fund grant will also enable Glasgow Life to increase opening hours to pre-Covid levels in all reopened libraries by the end of January.
Glasgow Life has also been awarded a further £31,791 for two projects aimed at helping to address the impact of the pandemic. More than £22,000 will go towards a home library service, designed to deliver books to people unable to visit their local library. And, nearly £10,000 has also been awarded to the charity to enable them to deliver an early years' literacy project to help to reduce the attainment gap created during the pandemic.
Funding approved for relocation of Parkhead Library to new East End Hub
The council has approved funding of £444,238 to relocate Parkhead Library and allow its incorporation into the proposed Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) Hub to serve the north-east of the city.
The Hub - which will bring together different parts of the HSCP's services - will be located in a 5.15 acres site bounded by Duke Street, East Wellington Street, Nisbet Street and Salamanca Street.
Planning permission for the Hub was granted in August 2021, with enabling works - including the demolition of the former Parkhead Hospital - completed in April of this year.
Approval of funding - in addition to £2.5million from the Community Hub Fund, approved in September 2019 - allows the inclusion of the library into the project.
The project will be now be put forward as a Full Business Case submission to the Scottish Government's Capital Investment Group next month.
24 November - Glasgow joins world-wide 16 Days of Action campaign to end gender-based violence
Thursday 25 November marks the start of the annual 16 Days of Action campaign (25 November - 10 December) when organisations across the world push to bring an end to violence against women.
This year is the 30th anniversary of the international campaign which focuses on challenging men's behaviour and attitude towards women.
In 1991 the United Nations declared 25 November as International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and Girls. It is the first day of the 16 Days campaign which ends on 10 December, International Human Rights Day. It takes in other significant events including World Aids Day on 1 December and the anniversary of the Montreal Massacre on 6 December - the date in 1989 when 14 women, all engineering students, were shot and killed in an act of gender-based violence.
The massacre at the University of Montreal led to the creation of the White Ribbon movement. The White Ribbon is now the symbol of men's challenge to end violence against women.
In 2016 Glasgow was awarded White Ribbon City status in recognition of the work being done to tackle violence against women.
Every year the city supports 16 Days of Action by co-ordinating local activities to raise awareness and challenge unacceptable behaviour through the Glasgow Violence Against Women Partnership (GVAWP), a city-wide multi-agency group made up of statutory and voluntary organisations concerned with addressing any form of violence against women.
This year the GVAWP has organised a radio campaign to remind residents about the support that's available 24/7 for anyone living in fear or suffering abuse whether physical, sexual or verbal.
Ann Fehilly Group Manager, Violence Against Women (VAW) and Community services, NRS, said: "Glasgow has been a tireless champion of this campaign, which demonstrates that violence against women isn't simply domestic abuse. 16 Days of Action wants to end all forms of male violence against women including rape and sexual assault, childhood sexual abuse, stalking and harassment, prostitution and other forms of commercial sexual exploitation, Female Genital Mutilation and 'so-called' Honour Crimes.
"Glasgow's work on violence against women includes the coordination of the Glasgow Violence Against Women Partnership (GVAWP), the Routes Out Service, the Trafficking Alliance Raising Awareness (TARA) service, ASSIST, the court advocacy service linked to domestic abuse courts and MARAC (Multiagency Risk Assessment and Conferencing).
"The council is clear on its objectives - in providing vital support and services to the victims of violence, and in working with all agencies to eradicate this damage."
The Glasgow Violence Against Women Partnership (GVAWP), formed in 2000, brings together a range of statutory and voluntary agencies in Glasgow (GCC, Police Scotland, NHSGGC, HSPC, Third Sector organisations) who are concerned with tackling domestic abuse; rape and sexual violence; stalking and harassment; child sexual abuse; harmful cultural practices; commercial sexual exploitation or any form of violence on children and women.
In Glasgow, services include:
ASSIST - a specialised support service linked to Glasgow's Domestic Abuse Court and focusses on reducing the risk to and improving the safety of victims of domestic abuse. ASSIST aims to make sure that all survivors of domestic abuse, women, children and men, are safe, informed and supported throughout their involvement with the criminal justice system. Find out more about at ASSIST
Routes Out - offers a wide range of services to women involved in prostitution or those considering it. Routes Out main concern is for women's safety and can offer harm reduction supplies and practical advice. Find out more about at Routes Out
Trafficking Awareness Raising Alliance (TARA) - provides support to women aged 18 or over who have been brought to Scotland for commercial sexual exploitation. Find out more about at TARA
More information
Visit http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/vaw for further information on the range of services available.
Scotland's Domestic Abuse and Forced Marriage Helpline: 0800 027 1234
National Rape Crisis Helpline: 08088 01 03 02
24 November - We Need Your Views: Mental Wellbeing in the Workplace Survey - See Me
In its Mental Health Transition and Recovery Plan, the Scottish Government has committed to working closely with stakeholders, including trade unions and employer groups, to promote mentally flourishing workplaces where mental well-being is meaningfully discussed, promoted and supported, and where stigma and discrimination are addressed.
See Me has been working with key partners through the Employment and Mental Health Short Life Working Group to get a sense of what challenges and barriers to mental well-being in the workplace, and to capture existing promising practice that could help and/or inspire others to take action to support those that have been impacted by Covid-19 the most at work.
Share your views - please submit by 6 December
As part of this, See Me are keen to hear from a diverse group of people, including from those that may have been struggling with poor mental health for a short while or that experience mental illness.
You are asked to complete this short online survey. The information you provide will help strengthen existing knowledge and allow us to develop an in-depth understanding of current issues.
Please complete and submit the online survey by close of business on 6 December 2021.
You can access the survey at: https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/7C2KF8J
17 November - My IT - an easier way to get help
The new self-service portal 'My IT' has now launched. The portal allows staff to manage IT incidents and requests from their device without the need to call or email the Service Desk.
My IT will also enable CGI to handle the request process with a quicker and more efficient approach than before.
Brendan Murphy, Head of Digital Innovation said: "The key benefit of My IT is that it logs tickets immediately. This means CGI can start working on the request straight away - in most cases 24 hours faster than if you send an email.
"It empowers staff by giving them the ability to track the progress of their requests and incidents by providing an overview of all job tickets in the one location. It also has the functionality of being able to add comments to tickets which will be seen by the Service Desk immediately."
More information
To find out more about My IT and how to use it you can read the Manager's Briefing.
17 November - Glasgow City HSCP's Homeless Health and Asylum Service is People's Choice Winner at Scottish Health Awards
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Huge congratulations to our Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership's (HSCP) Homeless Health and Asylum Service (now called the Complex Needs Service) who were announced as the winner of the People's Choice Award at the Scottish Health Awards 2021 on Thursday, 4 November. The service was one of six finalists with the winner decided by a public vote.
The Scottish Health Awards is the most prestigious and recognised awards for those working across NHS Scotland and its partners to deliver high quality health and social care services to the people of Scotland. Run by the Daily Record in partnership with NHS Scotland and the Scottish Government, the awards recognise those that go that extra mile to improve the health and wellbeing of others.
The Homeless Health and Asylum Service provides health and social care assessment and treatment to some of our most vulnerable and complex patient groups in Glasgow. At the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, the service changed its model of delivery away from clinics to outreach and more face-to-face contact.
Every element of the service was reviewed in response to the rising numbers of homeless people and asylum seekers in the city.
During the pandemic, Glasgow accommodated over 600 newly homeless people in hotels while dealing with ongoing pressures in finding homes for asylum seekers.
Lisa Ross, Service Manager said: "We're absolutely delighted to win the People's Choice Award and would like to give a massive thanks to all who took the time to vote for us. I'm so proud of our team and all the finalists across all the categories. The last two years have been very challenging but the whole service completely pulled together. We wouldn't be able to achieve what we do without the partnership model that we work in."
Jim McBride, Head of Adult Services (Homelessness) said: "The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted a population within Glasgow with multiple and complex needs; needs that do not fit neatly into one group or that can be dealt with by a single service. The response by the team to this high-risk population achieved positive and sustainable outcomes with increased engagement, service retention and a significant decrease in risk.
"Service user feedback highlighted the positive impact of the changes and provided confirmation of the model to be maintained for the future.
"The team has achieved hugely positive results and ultimately, due to all of their efforts, have contributed to the development of a service that is far more patient-centred and responsive to need, and positive in relation to collaborative and partnership working. They totally deserve this award."
More information
Read the full story.
Watch the video on YouTube https://youtu.be/aQTj_GYeodA
17 November - Plan for Glasgow city centre's recovery revealed
The council has this week revealed its city centre recovery plan for 2022 to 2024 - featuring a wide range of short- and long-term actions to deliver the city centre recovery.
The plan has four main objectives:
Maximising activity and footfall
Maximising employment and business development opportunities
Maintaining and enhancing the city centre so that it attracts people to work, live, visit, study and invest there
Embed climate mitigation and adaptation from the Climate Plan at every opportunity
To deliver these objectives, a wide range of actions will be delivered - with funding currently in place for most actions either for pilot activity, full delivery, or the development of related projects. Some of the short-term actions include continued advocacy to the Scottish and UK Governments, a vacant units plan, considering the repurposing of property, with longer-term actions such as District Regeneration Frameworks, the City Centre Living Strategy, and the design and delivery of the Avenues programme to follow.
The City Centre Recovery Plan also outlines the objectives and themes for the next two-year period. There is an immediate focus on short-term footfall-driving actions, alongside the continuing focus on longer-term strategic deliverables like the City Centre Living Strategy, and the District Regeneration Framework and Avenues programmes. Parallel strategies including the new Economic and Transport strategies will also coming forward in early 2022. And underpinning all of this is the city's commitment to becoming net zero carbon by 2030.
Councillor Angus Millar, co-chair of the City Centre Taskforce and Depute City Convener for Inclusive Economic Growth, said: "Glasgow city centre's unique position in Scotland as a metropolitan core means that the economic impacts of the pandemic have been felt particularly keenly. We will continue our partnership approach - which has already delivered significant results - to drive the recovery of the city centre economy over the next few years.
"The City Centre Recovery Plan sets out how the public and private sector will work together to deliver a range of actions that will support a thriving, inclusive and sustainable city centre for people to live, work and spend time in."
More information
Read the full media release at glasgow.gov.uk
You can view The Glasgow City Centre Recovery Plan at glasgow.gov.uk
17 November - City Region to put Population Health at Centre of Capital Spend
Glasgow City Region has been selected by the Health Foundation, an independent charity, to be part of its new funding programme aimed at strengthening relationships between economic development and health.
The Economies for Healthier Lives programme is providing a total of £2.1 million to support four partnerships from across the UK, of which Glasgow City Region (GCR) is one, for up to three years. The partnerships, each led by a local authority or at city region level, bring together a range of organisations, including academics, practitioners, business and the community.
The project being developed by Glasgow City Region, supported by £347,000 of funding, seeks to improve population health and reduce health inequalities by building routine assessment of the likely health outcomes into all large capital spend projects across the City Region.
Councillor Susan Aitken, Chair of the Glasgow City Region Cabinet and Leader of the Council said: "Glasgow City Region has a long history of economic and health inequality. Local large-scale investment has often focused on physical regeneration and economic outcomes. We need a new approach that considers the likely health, wellbeing and inequality outcomes of large-scale capital infrastructure spend."
GCR will deliver the project working in partnership with the Glasgow Centre for Population and Health (GCPH) and Public Health Scotland. The project will create an innovative new toolkit which, once tested, will be used in the development and delivery of capital infrastructure projects at all stages (from initial project scope to delivery and operation) and will ensure that decisions made at every level focus on maximising benefits for better and more equal population health.
There will be a four-stage approach to the project's development with the first stage looking at current decision-making processes on Regional large-scale capital infrastructure projects. Building on this, stage two will use learning gained to develop the new 'Capital Investment Health Inequalities Impact Assessment' (CHIIA) tool and test it on projects of various sizes, types and stages of development. This will include piloting the tool on the Glasgow City Region Housing Retrofit programme, a proposed £10 billion scheme to insulate homes across the Region. The third stage will be about making changes to the tool based on the learning and putting it into everyday practice, through training users and continued monitoring. Finally, stage four will involve bringing together all the project learning and sharing this widely across Scotland and the rest of the UK.
Evaluation of the project will be ongoing and will be undertaken by GCPH. It will answer 'how' questions and assess the potential impacts of changes made to projects following the application of the tool.
The Health Foundation will support the partnerships to integrate economic development activity with work to improve health and/or reduce health inequalities. The RSA will provide learning support for each of the projects
More information
You can find out more about Glasgow City Region here
Find out more about the Health Foundation at health.org.uk
Find out more about the Glasgow Centre for Population Health at gcph.co.uk
Find out more about Public Health Scotland at publichealthscotland.scot
17 November - Glasgow's Active Travel Strategy 2022-2031 - have your say
The Active Travel Strategy team at NRS invite you to help shape the council's Active Travel Strategy, which supersedes the Strategic Plan for Cycling 2016 to 2025.
Jan Boyd, Senior Project Officer, NRS said: "We're moving towards a greater focus on more walking, wheeling and cycling in the city and we'd like as many people as possible to share their views through this consultation.
The strategy recognises the positive impact that transport, and active travel in particular, can make towards city's wider policy objectives on a number of areas including climate and the environment, health and wellbeing, inclusion and equality and wealth and inclusive growth."
The strategy includes three policy and action areas:
- Connectivity, People and Place: rebalancing our streets and spaces - with a focus on networks and infrastructure in our street environments.
- Unlocking Change: enabling everyone to walk, wheel or cycle - focussing on training and education and working collaboratively.
- Thinking Differently: encouraging, motivating and sustaining change - focussing on communication and promotion and inspiring people through larger events and other activities.
How to have your say - by 22 November 2021
We welcome your feedback on the draft strategy, so please take 10 minutes to complete the online consultation survey. Additionally, view the City Network proposals and add your comments to the mapping.
If you require any of the documents to be supplied in another format, such as large font or Braille, please email the team at Activetravel@glasgow.gov.uk
Find out more about active travel at glasgow.gov.uk/activetravel
17 November - Council crematoria facilities refurbished and upgraded
Major investment from the council has resulted in improved and more modern services at both Linn and Daldowie crematoria.
Over £4m has been invested at Daldowie to refurbish the existing facilities and, in the process create a new south chapel which opened on 11 January, 2021 and has already delivered over 740 services.
John Downes, Bereavement Services Manager, NRS said: "This contract marked the greatest single investment in Daldowie in many years, bringing the two existing chapels to a standard that complements the bereavement service and with the addition of the South Chapel.
"The service not only caters for services with a large attendance but can provide the smaller, more intimate atmosphere in the new south chapel. The refurbishment has also incorporated state of the art sustainable, technology in lighting and multimedia to meet the needs and expectations of service users, particularly important during this challenging time."
The proposal to refurbish crematoria facilities and equipment, at both Linn and Daldowie, was approved in 2010. In 2014 £3.2m was invested to replace the cremation equipment - with the work completed in 2018.
During 2015 to 2016, further capital funding of £7.6m was granted for the refurbishment of property at both Linn and Daldowie - with approval for the addition of a third chapel at Daldowie.
The Project, Management and Design Team at NRS managed the project design and the construction work was carried out by teams from City Building, managed by Martin Bredin, the Senior Contracts Manager for City Building
Martin said:"Despite the challenge of having to maintain service delivery throughout the contract works, working in cooperation with the Bereavement Services Team proved to be very effective. Meeting with the BS Team regularly and finding ways to meet the challenges together meant the final outcome was very successful."
Other work carried out as part of the investment has resulted in:
East and west chapels providing capacity for 150 people seated in each chapel and the south chapel offering 68 seated.
All three chapels have the capacity to be video-linked so services can be streamed between chapels
There are 120 hour-long service bookings available each week
A further service for a direct cremation is available; where the service is held elsewhere and the cremation is carried out without a chapel service
Each chapel has the capacity to provide webcasting, visual tributes and access to an extensive library of music.
Heating throughout the crematorium is provided by heat recovered from the cremation process.
The external elements of the extension of the south chapel have been constructed in a similar stone to that of the existing building to maintain aesthetic continuity.
More information
Find out more about the council's Bereavement Services at glasgow.gov.uk
17 November - Health and Safety Policy - keeping safe is everyone's responsibility
We are committed to improving workplace Health and Safety. We all have a key role to play in helping to keep staff and service users safe.
Our recently updated policy takes account of new legislation and the reorganisation of council services. The policy will be reviewed annually and amended when necessary.
While the Chief Executive, Executive Directors, Head of Human Resources and Senior Officers all have a key role in supporting the policy, staff also have their part to play.
To support the aims of the policy, all staff are asked to:
- Take reasonable care to avoid injury to themselves and others
- Report to their line manager or supervisor any hazards they cannot eliminate or control themselves
- Use correctly all work items provided by the council in accordance with their training and instruction
- Participate in health and safety training
- Report all accidents, incidents or near misses to their line manager or supervisor
- Seek first aid medical treatment for any injury sustained at work
- Work safely and do not remove any safety device/guard provided
- Participate in any consultations on health and safety matters
- Cease any work activity or leave any work area where you feel there is serious or imminent danger to yourself or others
- Cooperate directly and fully with any investigation into the circumstances of any incident in which you are involved
The updated policy also includes information on a wide range of topics, from asbestos, fire, legionella, lone working, infection control to noise, stress, training and induction, violence and workplace welfare.
John Paterson, Head of Corporate Asset Governance, Chief Executive's Department said: "Every council service has a Health and Safety Champion, a dedicated Health and Safety team, in addition to their own service's intranet page.
"I'd like to encourage all staff to read our updated policy. It's important that we all understand our individual and collective responsibility to help reduce incidents and ill health within the workplace. Through working together and knowing what to do, we can all make a difference."
More information
You can access the updated Health and Safety policy at http://connect.glasgow.gov.uk/article/14636/Health-and-Safety-Policy
17 November - Summer Interns 2022 - do you need help with a project?
Do you have a new developmental piece of work that your team requires to do that could be carried out by an HND or undergraduate intern over 12 weeks?
Services and ALEOs are invited to submit proposals for the 2022 Summer Internship Programme.
Heads of Service have been contacted seeking their support for the programme. They have been issued with full details, in particular the types of projects being sought, programme details and timetable.
The Summer Internship Programme is managed byEconomic Developmentin the Chief Executive's Department (CED).
Mike McNally, Group Manager, Employment and Strategy said: "The programme has been really successful. Since 2011 230 students have been given the opportunity to work with us for 12 weeks over the summer.
"It's a great opportunity for the interns who - supported by a mentor and project manager - carry out a meaningful project in a real work environment which really enhances their employability prospects.
"There's also a benefit to teams, having an identified business requirement developed by an enthusiastic intern sharing fresh ideas which can also result in the development of new skills by team members. It really is a win: win situation."
How to submit a project idea
If you have an idea for a business needproject that could benefit from an extra pair of hands and would give an intern a meaningful workexperience within the council family, please discuss with your manager - approval must be obtained from your service prior to submission.
Submissions should be submitted by managers by Friday 26 November 2021
More information
Further details on the programme and how to submit a proposalcan be found on Connect
http://connect.glasgow.gov.uk/summerinterns
You can also view a video highlighting the programme on youtube
If you have any questions about the Summer Internship Programme, please email Catherine Campbell or Beth McDonald (on Outlook.)
17 November - Could you support a young unaccompanied asylum seeker?
The Glasgow City Health and Social Care Partnership are looking for people who can open their home and hearts to unaccompanied asylum seekers 16 to 18 years old.
Members of the public who take on the role as a carer will build positive relationships with the young person and work in partnership with their support team to promote their independence. Carers will be able to continue in employment / education.
The Host Family Supported Carer Service will support those who come forward by helping undertake the assessment process in order to know they are ready for the role as well as providing some financial support.
Carers will also be assigned a supervising social worker to provide ongoing support, provide relevant training to undertake your role and arranging regular support groups and informal peer supports.
More information
To register your interest, please email HostFamilyService@glasgow.gov.uk or phone 0141 302 2800
You can find out more at the hfsc area at glasgow.gov.uk
