May 2022

25 May - Event showcasing Avenues Plus project to take place at South Portland Street

An event on South Portland Street this Thursday (26 May) will offer local people, businesses and organisations the chance to find out more about the forthcoming Avenues Plus project, which will connect Glasgow city centre and communities on its fringes.

Avenues Plus is a £21.4million Sustrans-funded project under the Places for Everyone programme.  The project will complement and add to the Glasgow City Region City Deal-funded Avenues programme in the city centre to link with neighbouring communities, promoting active travel and increasing connectivity.

Between 10am - 3pm there will be information stalls, workshops, teas and coffees, Dr Bike workshops to give maintenance to bikes, the opportunity to try e-cargo bikes, with hosted information stalls there until 6.30pm providing the opportunity for informal discussion about proposals for the South Portland Street area. 

People and organisations attending the event will have the chance to speak to the Avenues and Sustrans teams, as well as the design consultant, about the needs on the area in terms of public space and barriers to active travel.  Children from local primary schools will receive Bikeability training from Glasgow City Council's Road Safety team.

Avenues Plus will see the creation of Avenues at:

• Duke Street (High St - Bellgrove St) and John Knox Street (Castle St - Duke St)
• Dobbie's Loan (North Hanover St - Canal St)
• South Portland Street (Carlton Pl - Norfolk St)
• Cowcaddens Road (Cambridge St - North Hanover St)

The Avenue Plus project will deliver a series of high-quality walking and cycling links with communities on the fringes of Glasgow city centre, featuring cycling storage hubs and programmes to encourage the use of these links, bringing health, social and environmental benefits.

The full construction of these avenues is expected to begin in the Summer of 2024, and be completed by the Spring of 2026.  Once complete, the project will feature:

• Safer, accessible and well-connected routes to and from the city centre to make local journeys by foot, cycling and wheeling easier.
• High quality urban realm including segregated cycle routes and wider pedestrian areas with an inclusive design.
• Provision of green infrastructure such as raingardens and urban trees.
• Community Engagement programme with an inclusive design process.
• A Behavioural Change programme to address barriers to active travel and facilitate active travel.
• Provide secure cycle storage facilities across the city centre and surrounding areas. Phase 1 (trial) will be delivered in 2022 and the lessons learned from this will be incorporated in the Phase 2 (full delivery) of secure cycle storage.  These facilities provide a safe and accessible space for people to park their bikes across various locations in the city centre, encouraging active travel.

The Avenues Plus project was developed following the recommendation of the Connectivity Commission that the (Glasgow City Region City Deal) Avenues programme be expanded: Glasgow City Council then submitted a funding bid to Sustrans to extend the scope of the programme to include further Avenues to provide further connections between the city centre and surrounding communities.

Avenues Plus is supported by Transport Scotland via Sustrans' Places for Everyone programme and in collaboration with the Glasgow City Region City Deal.

Councillor Susan Aitken, Leader of Glasgow City Council, said: "The fundamental aim of the Avenues Plus project is to make the areas featuring these Avenues more attractive, healthier and sustainable - and easier to get to and around.  This event offers a great opportunity to find out more about Avenues Plus and what the project will mean for the city centre and neighbouring communities."

25 May - Can you make a swap today?

Single use products, particularly plastic ones, tend to end up in landfill and the ocean, causing harm to wildlife and the environment. 

You can help to prevent this by choosing to use reusable and eco-friendly alternatives instead.

Here we give you some top tips to get started on how to use reusable items. A key part of circular living is to value all resources and change the way we think and consume items. Can you make a swap today?

Visit Sustainable staff news for more information and top sustainable living tips.

18 May - Bee engaged!

How Glasgow is supporting UN World Bee Day

Did you know that we have between 25,000 to 30,000 different types of bees on our planet and without these precious pollinators we wouldn't have some of our favourite fruits or flowers. This is because bees fulfil a critical role and transfer pollen between flowering plants. They help to keep the cycle of life turning and work hard to help plants to flourish, breed and produce food. They are also responsible for pollinating many plants that produce seeds, nuts, and fruits which not only end up on our plates but are a valuable food source for local wildlife. Some scientists estimate that one in three bites of food we eat is the result of hard-working pollinators such as honeybees. (The Monticello News 17 Sept 2020)

World Bee Day  is on Friday, 20 May 2022 and this year's theme is 'Bee engaged: Build Back Better for Bees.' The Food and Agriculture organisation of the United Nations will hold a virtual event this Friday - conversations will include how we can help to protect bees and their habitats and raise awareness about the threats to these precious pollinators by human activities.

Bees in Glasgow

Council bees

In 2014 two beehives were installed on the roof of the City Chambers East building as part of a Stalled Spaces project to sustain the bee population in the city and boost the environment.

As Frances Nicoll, Volunteer Beekeeper and Assistant Co-ordinator (Information Management) in NRS explains: "We have a team of eight volunteer staff beekeepers who carry out inspections on our hives usually every week or two during their active period (April - October). The bees tend to look after themselves during the winter going into hibernation, but from spring onwards the hives are regularly checked to check the colonies are in good condition. By early April the bees are well awake and foraging across the city. Both hives have come through last winter well and are strong and healthy with numbers increasing by the day.

"Beekeeping is a fascinating hobby and tending to the hives gives us a chance to get away from the PC screen and out into the fresh air in the middle of the working day. Our primary aim is the health of the bees and we don't remove as much honey as a commercial beekeeper would - although what we do get is a delicious by-product, alongside the beeswax which one keeper is saving to refine into polish."

'Bee Stops' in the city

One of our COP26 Legacy projects saw us partner with Clear Channel who installed two new  Living Roof bus shelters in the Broomielaw Sustainable Corridor. Affectionately nicknamed 'Bee Stops', these sustainably-built shelters are planted with a mix of bee-friendly wildflowers to support pollinating insects and enhance biodiversity - and help boost insect numbers in the city.

• The plants on the 'living roofs' are wildflowers and include daisies and wild strawberries and aim to boost bees and other insects at a time when insects have been in decline in the UK and across the world.
• The bee bus stops scheme also aims to bring people closer to nature - if you are looking down from the top deck of a double-decker bus, you will see a prettier sight than the typical grey expanse of bus shelter roof. 

The initiative is a partnership between The Wildlife Trusts, a group of conservation charities, and Clear Channel, which operates bus-shelter advertising across the UK.

See how a 'bee stop' is created - visit our interactive Sustainable Glasgow Storymap and click on number 19 on the map to watch the video.

Honeybees are an essential part of our planet and play a key role in maintaining a balanced and successful ecosystem. The plants that honeybees pollinate create food and shelter for many other creatures, such as birds, squirrels, and insects and if our honeybees disappear, these plants and animals would soon follow. Unfortunately, honeybees face a lot of threats from climate change and modern farming practices - so we all have a role to help protect them to help our natural environment flourish.

Bee engaged

• Get involved - inspire the next generation with these activities to help protect bees and celebrate World Bee Day across the globe here.
• Visit the wildlife trust to find out the best plants for your garden to encourage bees and other pollinators
• Learn more - about the role of the different bees who share our planet here.
• Our Sustainable Glasgow Storymap showcases the variety and depth of the initiatives in development across the whole of Glasgow as we look to reach net-zero carbon by 2030.

18 May  - Hybrid working: top tips for your health and safety

Are you a hybrid or office worker? Your health and safety are important to us. That's why we have new hybrid/office working, health and safety standards for each council service. You will find the standards for your service on the dedicated health and safety section for your area, go to connect for more information.

We've summarised the top tips for your health and safety below including responsibilities for managers and staff, and the training and regular assessments that everyone needs to do.

Working at home or in the office, may involve using a PC, laptop, tablet, telephone and/or paper, all of which are generally low risk. However, there are some hazards associated with home/office working that may need your attention, including:

• Your work environment - this considers your use of display screen equipment (DSE), fire safety and electrical safety
• Working in isolation - which can cause stress, wellbeing issues, or concerns regarding personal safety and incidents.

Top tops for employees

1. Complete the DSE Awareness course on GOLD and consider completing the Remote Working course too.
2. Complete the DSE Hybrid Homeworking Self-Assessment at home.
3. Complete the DSE Hybrid Office Self- Assessment in the office.
4. Keep your line manager notified of any concerns you have and discuss any issues raised from your DSE assessments.
5. Make sure you maintain regular communication with your colleagues and your manager, this could be virtually on teams or by phone.
6. Maintain a good work life balance and make sure you take regular breaks from your workstation.

Top tips for managers

Make sure that all your staff are provided with suitable and sufficient information, training, and equipment to do their job safely and without risks to their health, where practicable. Follow the top tips below.

1. Establish good communication with employees (virtually or by telephone)
2. Make sure that employees have completed the DSE Awareness course on GOLD.
3. Make sure that employees have completed both the DSE Hybrid Homeworking Self-Assessment and the DSE Hybrid Office Self-Assessment.
4. Discuss the result of any DSE Assessments and implement any actions/controls required.
5. Make sure that employees are aware of your expectations of them.
6. Make sure that good communication is maintained across your team.

You'll find more supporting guidance on hybrid working on our staff website under the key information section here

18 May - How are we creating a city portrait?

Around forty officers from across the council came together recently to take part in an inaugural workshop that will be used to create a city portrait for Glasgow. This portrait will be used to guide decision-making and inform our polices and plans to become a thriving city, but one that does not have a detrimental impact on others or the planet.

Working with academics and researchers from the University of Glasgow, at the heart of the workshop was the question 'How can Glasgow be a home to thriving people, in a flourishing place, while respecting the wellbeing of all people and the health of the whole planet?'

The workshop invited discussions and opinions that looked at how economy, society and the environment all intersect and how our decisions and behaviours have a local impact and a wider global effect. Discussions ranged from basic human rights - food, clothing, shelter, education - to harmful and unsustainable consumption, finance, energy, greenspace, ecology, waste and pollution. It highlighted complex connections, the scale of the challenge and what a precarious situation the planet is in, but one that we must address as a city.

Linked to the C40 Thriving Cities Initiative, announced by the Leader of the council during COP26, creating a city portrait nurtures big-picture thinking and cross-service council collaboration with a network of influencers from academia, businesses, citizens, to effect change.

The tool provides a snapshot of the city and its impact through four lenses - social, ecological, local, and global - which together provide a new perspective on what it means for a city to thrive. It appreciates what makes the city unique, while understanding its global influence and responsibility.

These ideas suggest a sustainable economy is possible, if we can create the conditions for everybody to have access to all that they need for their own wellbeing (the social foundation), without using up an unsafe and unsustainable amount of the earth's resources (the ecological ceiling).

The city portrait project team are organising a series of workshop meetings during 2022 to explore these big ideas at a Glasgow level. As the project evolves, they will be inviting participants from more sectors to have their say.

Colin Hughes, Sustainability Policy Officer, who organised the workshop with university colleagues said: "These workshops will bring together people with knowledge and understanding of very different parts of the city, so that when we talk about the possible impacts of any action or policy, we can hear various and contrasting perspectives, from those who might be both directly and indirectly affected. This collaborative approach will also allow us to identify the policy and operational levers that could trigger a huge change and have the biggest impact."

Gavin Slater, Head of Sustainability said: "Having also been trialled in other Thriving Cities including Amsterdam, Portland and Philadelphia, creating a city portrait is an important step to support Glasgow's participation in the C40's Thriving Cities Initiative and the new "town and gown" GALLANT research programme with the University of Glasgow, to search for sustainable solutions to the climate crisis at the same time as tackling health, economic and social inequalities in the city."

18 May - Public Holidays 2022 reminder

As you may be aware, the Scottish Government announced an additional public holiday in 2022 to celebrate the Queen's Platinum Jubilee.

It has been agreed that the council will change the public holidays schedule for 2022 to match those announced by the Scottish Government.

For those working a standard five-day working pattern, we have moved the late May Monday holiday originally scheduled for Monday 30th May to Thursday 2nd June and declared Friday 3rd June 2022, as an additional public holiday to mark the Queen's Platinum Jubilee and allow an extended break.

For those who work either a non-standard work pattern or on a part-time basis, they will be entitled to observe the additional public holiday on Friday 3 June 2022, should it be a scheduled working day. If Friday 3 June 2022 is not a scheduled working day, then the additional public holiday can be observed as a day in lieu of this, at a later point.

A full list of the public holidays for 2022 is available on Connect here.

18 May 2022 : Digital drop-in-sessions on how to use Microsoft Teams

Become more confident using Microsoft Teams: Sign up for our new Digital Drop In events

Do you lack confidence using Microsoft Teams? Then sign up for our new in-house digital drop-in sessions.

Microsoft Teams makes it possible for teams to work together in real time. It allows us to meet, chat and share files quickly and efficiently. Run by our graduates from Organisational Development and Corporate Human Resources, these short events will you show tips and tricks to help you and your team get the most out of Microsoft Teams.

Event information

The informal sessions are open to all staff who use Microsoft Teams.

Tuesday 25 May 2022

• 10.00 - 10.30
• Sign up through the online registration form or email Organisational Development (on Outlook) 

Thursday 16 June 2022

• 10.00 - 10.30
• Sign up through the online registration form  or email Organisational Development (on Outlook) 

Both sessions will be held on Microsoft Teams

18 May - Celebrating Scottish Bus Week

Scottish Bus Week  (23 to 29 May 2022) is an ideal opportunity to celebrate the bus and its role in connecting communities, improving air quality, and tackling climate change by encouraging us out of our cars and onto more sustainable forms of transport.  It's also a chance to show gratitude to those working in the industry who provided essential services throughout the pandemic.

An initiative from #lovemybus through Transform Scotland and supported by Paths for All and partners including major bus operators - Scottish Bus Week 2022 will be delivered in partnership with CPT Scotland.

Encouraging people onto buses by creating conditions that make it more attractive is a key focus of the council's new Transport Strategy - with an ambition of reducing car vehicle kilometres travelled in Glasgow by 30% by 2030. The council also works closely with the bus industry through the Glasgow Bus Partnership to address the current challenges to bus travel.

Work is ongoing by council staff on a variety of initiatives and projects that prioritise bus and reduce congestion to support faster, more reliable services. Measures such as camera-enforced bus gates, bus lanes and traffic signal priority are all practical ways to speed up bus journey times - with additional funding recently secured from Transport Scotland to explore further bus priority measures in the city.

As well as delivering sustainability benefits, we also recognise that bus is playing a significant role in reducing levels of harmful air pollution - with a much greater proportion of cleaner, low and zero emission buses now running through our city centre since the introduction of the first (bus-only) phase of Glasgow's Low Emission Zone in 2018.

The #lovemybus team will be in different towns and cities across Scotland throughout the week including Glasgow. You can find out more at lovemybus.scot/scottishbusweek.

You can also plan your bus and integrated public transport journey in and around Glasgow by visiting Traveline Scotland's website.

11 May - Council Election 2022: full results

For full results and further information on our council Election 2022 visit http://www.glasgow.gov.uk/29269 where you will be able to view the results in each ward, or download full details of including details of transfers and votes per stage.

11 May -  How many caddies of food waste does it take to watch a movie?

The answer is '5 caddies worth of food waste could power a cinema long enough to watch a full movie.' Source: walesrecycles.org.uk

To help you make a difference to both the environment and your pocket we share some top tips to help reduce food waste and live more sustainably.

Reducing our food waste is really important in the fight against climate change becausewhen we discard food we are filling up landfill unnecessarily, squandering water and producing harmful methane gas - which when released into the atmosphere from food decomposing in landfill, has over 21 times more warming power than CO2!

Read more about how you can make a change today and reduce your household food waste here - read some  shocking facts!

More information is available on our staff sustainable news pages under key themes on how to live sustainably. We include lots of top tips to help you make a change. Check out how to reduce your carbon footprint, save energy, reduce your printing use, follow a circular living and how to recycle more.

11 May - How we plan to expect the unexpected: to keep the council delivering for the city

In the event of an unplanned incident that impacts our city, citizens and our staff, we have to make sure that our external, customer-facing operations continue running, alongside our internal staff processes.

Laura Heggie, Interim Head of Strategic Information, Innovation and Technology said: "The council provides a diverse range of services to our citizens, clients and communities, some of whom are among the most vulnerable. It's important therefore that we work with our colleagues internally, and partner agencies across the city, to maintain these vital functions in the event of any disruption or unplanned activity.

"Our Business Continuity Framework provides each Service with a structured set of documents to help with their own local business continuity planning. Local plans are essential to making sure that we can continue to co-ordinate our most vital functions during an incident. By working together, we can make sure that our city keeps moving - no matter what comes our way."

Business Continuity Week, 16 To 20 May 2022is a global initiative, run by the Business Continuity Institute (BCI). This year's theme is very topical given the recent pandemic and is around 'building resilience in the hybrid world.' There are interactive webinars staff can take part in.

Laura added: "Over the past couple of years, teams across multiple Services have demonstrated how structured local continuity plans played a vital role in helping us to keep critical services delivered across the city in line with the ever-changing government restrictions. During this time staff demonstrated how they worked well together, with many of you going above and beyond the call of duty to put others first to keep operations running. I am so proud of how we all adapted and showed resilience to work in a different way, often remotely - supported by our continuity planning arrangements."

In support of Business Continuity Awareness Week - we would like:

• all staff to understand what Business Continuity is about and how to learn more here.
• all managers to know where to access the relevant support and undertake critical training to help them understand their role during an incident and what is expected of them - find out here

More information or questions

• in the first instance speak to your local champion
• more detailed information on Connect
• email specific enquiries to Business Continuity (on Connect).

11 May - Our hybrid meeting rooms: have you booked one yet?

To support hybrid working, two meeting rooms in the city centre chambers complex have been kitted out with new technology to provide hybrid MS Teams rooms. This means that meetings can be held in person and others can join on MS Teams from home or any other location.

A high-definition video camera and two large screens allows everyone to see each other, and documents can be shared and viewed as normal. Multiple desktop microphones provide a good quality sound for everyone in the meeting.

When you enter a hybrid meeting room, details of the meeting will be displayed on a desktop unit and all that is required is to press the Join button for the meeting to start, and everyone in the room can then take part in the meeting.

Stephen Sawers, Head of Facilities Management said: "With more staff now working in a hybrid way and time split between home and office, it's been more challenging to run meetings that either need confidentially or more interaction with each other, like a project workshop; the hybrid room has worked well on these occasions to meet the needs of everyone, no matter where they are working from."

Book a hybrid meeting room

For now, there are two rooms which can now be booked: 2.09 in City Chambers East and G22 in Exchange House, 231 George St.

As we only have two hybrid rooms at the moment and we want everyone to have a chance to test the rooms. 

You should only book a room when you need multiple attendees to attend both in the room and digitally, for example, workshops and project meeting with multiple stakeholders.

Try not to book for every meeting you schedule or block book for whole days/weeks. You can continue to have the bulk of your meetings as you do now on Teams or face to face in other meeting rooms.

Read the guide on how to book and use a hybrid room

The hybrid rooms are part of the hybrid working pilot and they will be tested and reviewed as part of the programme, to understand the demand for further investment in this technology.

4 May - What would you do if you lost information?

The answer is to report it immediately - #SafeGlasgow.

Kenny Meechan, Head of Information and Data Protection Officer explains: "The information that we all use and handle as part of our day-to-day work should be protected, held securely and handled with care. We all have a part to play to make sure that the lives of our citizens, and our colleagues, are not turned upside down because we have shared or lost key information - because lost information can have devasting consequences!

"When we lose information there can be a real danger of fraud or identity theft and this can put our citizens' lives at risk - this is also embarrassing for the council and can damage our reputation and could also result in a substantial fine. We all need to understand how to protect our information and know what to do if it gets lost."

Report it

If you lose or accidentally disclose sensitive information report it immediately to Data Breach (on Outlook) and tell your manager - you can also phone 0141 287 3777

Data loss prevention - top email tips

Below are some of the key actions you can take to help prevent information getting lost when using email:

• always double check email content before you send it - paying particular attention to who you are emailing.
• if you are forwarding an email chain, make sure there is no sensitive material down the chain.
• make sure the email has the right level of Protective Marking applied.
• if, despite these precautions, you make an error, report it immediately to your line manager and also Data Breach (on Outlook)

For more information click:

• #SafeGlasgow - Report lost information
• Information Security Staff Guidelines
• Acceptable Use of IT Policy

4 May - Technology is transforming how citizens can pay us

More ways to pay online with the latest digital solutions

The Income Management Team in Financial Services has recently implemented a new digital solution - Capita Pay 360, which means that citizens and businesses can pay for more services online or by using automated telephony, making it easier and more secure for everyone who deals with the council.

Around 20 new online payments were added recently along with enhanced security measures, including paying for homecare bills, fixed penalty notices and rent charged by City Property.

If a payment must be made in person this can now be done by using chip and pin machines or Apple or Google Pay.

Moira Carrigan, Head of Service Development in Financial Services said: "Implementing Capita Pay 360 is a significant step forward for the council. Not only do customers now have more access to digital channels like online payments but the council now meets its requirements in relation to keeping customer payments secure. Delivery of this project is an integral part of how the council is transforming its customer interactions. This solution also supports more flexible working for staff as payments can be taken by staff working at home under the hybrid pilot as well as in the call centre."

Capita Pay 360 is one of several projects that are part of the council's digital transformation programme which supports our digital strategy. The programme is being managed by the Strategic Innovation, Information and Technology Team under the council's ICT contract with CGI.

Much of the contact citizens and businesses had with the council was to pay for services such as council tax, non-domestic rates, or customer invoices. In the financial year 2020/21, the council managed a total income of more than £3 billion and processed three million individual transactions - 90% of council payments are now done electronically.

Whilst the shift to digital channels offers customers more choice about how they deal with us and makes the council more efficient, we will continue to provide options for those customers who are unable to transact using digital methods.

4 May - Simply the best: team win national award

GO Awards Scotland 2022 - Success for Corporate Procurement Unit (CPU)

Congratulations to our Corporate Procurement Unit (CPU) who won Procurement Team of the Year Award at the GO Excellence in Public Procurement Awards 2022 - held in the Crowne Plaza, Glasgow on 19 April.

The team were also finalists in another three award categories - Continuous improvement, COVID-19 Outstanding Response and Public Sector and Best Procurement Delivery Award

Since 2002, the GO Awards have set out to recognise the achievement and success of procurement teams from all aspects of the public, private and third sector organisations.

Maureen Fitzpatrick, Head of Corporate Procurement said: "What a night and what a fantastic and talented team to lead. I am delighted the team received this well-deserved recognition and prestigious award.

"Despite the significant challenges faced during the last two years, through strategic collaborative relationships, hard work, determination and resilience - the team have continued to deliver commercially focussed and innovative contracts across the city. I am extremely proud to work alongside my colleagues in public sector procurement and help achieve valuable and impactful outcomes for citizens in our communities through our work with stakeholders and suppliers in awarding contracts.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank all our stakeholders in Service areas, our colleagues in Legal, Health and Safety and Financial Services for their support and collaboration - without which we would not have achieved this prestigious award."

For more information

• Meet the CPU team and learn more about their work here
• Read case studies that demonstrate how the goods, services and works contracts awarded by the Corporate Procurement Unit benefit our citizens, communities and the city.