Recent News
Rent a lock-up
Neilston residents are being encouraged to make use of empty lock-ups.
For the council is writing to residents in Double Hedges Row in the village to let them know that there are lock-ups available.
And East Renfrewshire Council housing bosses reckon that when people are looking at ways of saving cash the lock-ups could be good value for money.
Lock-ups are a good way to keep your car or van safe and secure, it can reduce insurance costs and if you’re a council tenant you won’t pay tax.
The weekly rent is only £5.92 for council tenants and £6.96 for owner-occupiers.
You’ll need to be over 16 and have a car or van and if you’re a council tenant you can’t owe rent on your home when you start renting the lock-up.
Phone Jade or Jillian on 0141 577 3723 to find out more.
Bright sparks
Trading standards officers are saying that a ‘test purchase’ they carried out where they didn’t buy anything is good news for residents.
For they’re praising the 20 East Renfrewshire businesses registered to sell fireworks who didn’t in the days after the ‘permitted’ period ended earlier this month.
Steve Fox, the council’s principal trading standards officer, said: “The selling period for fireworks ended on 10 November, five days after bonfire night this year. We visited local premises on 11 and 12 November with the aim of doing test purchases.
“The good news for residents is that we weren’t able to buy anything. Our local traders stuck to the rules and we’re delighted with their work. We’re also happy to give praise when our local traders and businesses get things right because they recognise that public safety is part of their job,” added Steve.
Businesses and shops are registered by council trading standards services to store fireworks all year round and to sell them during four ‘permitted’ periods in the year.
Blog roll
East Renfrewshire’s website has two new blog sites.
One is from the council’s own web team to let visitors know about new developments on the site and to find out their thoughts.
The other is a book blog. It includes the top 12 books being read in East Renfrewshire libraries. And, local book groups and the council’s own well-read librarians will post reviews and suggest books that readers will enjoy.
Read the blogs and post your messages.
Bid for Christmas crime cracking cash
Council bosses are bidding for £20,000 Scottish Government cash to help crack down on Christmas crime in East Renfrewshire.
The council plans to match the Safer Streets cash to provide extra police patrols in Giffnock, Thornliebank, Barrhead, Clarkston, Eaglesham, Busby, Neilston and Newton Mearns to nip antisocial behaviour in the bud. Council wardens will also be involved along with youth workers to steer youngsters away from trouble and the council’s public relations service will deliver a campaign promoting the responsible use of alcohol.
The drive builds on the success of a similar police and council push last year and will run from 4 December to 15 January.
Community safety convener Councillor Mary Montague said: “We hope that our bid will be successful as we know that extra patrols will cut down anti-social behaviour such as street drinking and disorder. It’s important that the vast majority of law abiding residents can enjoy the festive period without having their enjoyment spoiled by a minority of trouble makers.”
Councils pull together on civil contingencies
Emergencies in East Renfrewshire, Renfrewshire and Inverclyde will have a speedier response thanks to a new, joint service pooling the expertise of staff in the three councils.
The £305,000 Scottish Government-backed scheme sees a new joint team of five emergency planning staff based centrally in Renfrewshire with a police inspector joining the team for two days each month and regular inputs from Strathclyde Fire and Rescue and NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde civil contingencies staff. A further trainee civil contingency officer post may be created if funding allows.
Renfrewshire will meet 50 per cent of the costs, East Renfrewshire 26 per cent and Inverclyde 24 per cent. Renfrewshire council will provide staff accommodation and the Scottish Government will be approached for support with start-up funding.
Work will now start on appointing staff after East Renfrewshire’s cabinet gave the green light for the scheme which promises better use of existing resources and a more responsive service across the councils.
Councillor Alan Lafferty, East Renfrewshire Council’s deputy leader said: “We have enjoyed an excellent level of service from our own civil contingencies manager since the council started in 1996 but have been dependent on the expertise and time of just one officer.
“The new system formalises links between the councils and ensures that we can deliver a better service which will allow us to preplan and work across council boundaries in emergencies thanks to staff working together and sharing their expertise and resources. This is a good example of councils working together for the benefit of the communities and getting best value out of their resources.”
Tourism partnership launched
The East Renfrewshire Tourism Partnership was launched recently at the group’s first meeting held in the Mearns Castle Golf Academy.
The launch was attended by representatives from local industry, East Renfrewshire Council and economic development convener Councillor Tony Buchanan.
Councillor Buchanan welcomed everyone and introduced guest speaker David Adams McGilp, regional director of Visit Scotland who gave a presentation on the role of tourism partnerships.
Mr McGilp explained that a tourism partnership is an industry led group set up to develop tourism. The partnership oversees product development, quality and standards, innovation, best practice, local marketing and investment for the future.
He said: “By developing business this partnership can help bring jobs to East Renfrewshire, boost visitor numbers, improve visitor experiences and increase revenue.”
Stuart Peacock of the Uplawmoor Hotel was elected as the partnership’s new chair and Suzanne Tyrell, of East Renfrewshire Council’s economic development team was elected vice chair.
Councillor Buchanan said: “This new partnership will be proactive in attracting more people to visit East Renfrewshire and to enjoy this attractive area. We have so much to offer visitors from excellent restaurants and hotels, shopping areas, sporting facilities, garden centres and parks. And there is a growing number of events on offer throughout the year. The Neilson Live festival pulls in more and more people each year and the Barrhead gala day and the new Stamperland gala day proved popular this summer as did Tartan Day in Rouken Glen Park, Go Greener’s open day in Eastwood Park Theatre.”
To find out more about tourism in East Renfrewshire and up and coming events including the Winter Festival at Eastwood Park on Sunday 30 November log on to www.dayvisitor.com or contact Suzanne Tyrell on 0141 577 3792.
Photo caption
The new East Renfrewshire Tourism Partnership plan to attract more visitors to the area. Left to right: Chair Stuart Peacock (Uplawmoor Hotel); Stephen Gilmour (Mearns Castle Golf Academy);Jennifer McAllister (Bar Milano); David Ferguson (Greenbank Gardens); Suzanne Tyrell (ERC); Leanne Young (Hazelden Equestrian Centre); Cllr Buchanan; Stephen McHendry (Dams to Darnley Country Park; Elizabeth Mackay (SPT); Euan Finlayson (Prestige Tours); David Adams McGilp(VisitScotland) and Vincent Waters (East Renfrewshire Chamber of Commerce).
Don’t weight visit the improved Action Zone
The Action Zone at Eastwood Leisure Centre has re-opened after a three week refurbishment programme.
Community services convener Councillor Mary Montague, who is a regular user of the gym, officially opened the facility.
In compliance with the Disability Discrimination Act the refurbished Action Zone now has over 40 new resistance and cardio vascular running machines and a new free weights area.
Many of the new machines have TV screens offering a choice of 14 channels and for those who prefer listening to music during a workout there is an inbuilt tuner that can tune in to any FM radio station.
Councillor Montague said: “With Christmas only a few weeks away it’s a good time to visit the new Action Zone and perhaps even lose a few pounds before the festive party season comes along. Inductions are now available and fitness instructors are on hand to welcome visitors and to show them around and demonstrate the new machines.”
Fitness fan Alasdair Cairns of Newton Mearns was most impressed with the refurbished Action Zone saying: “I think it is brilliant and a great improvement. This was my first visit here since the revamp and I worked about 10 minutes on each cardio vascular machine then worked my way around the weights. Most impressive.”
Photo caption:
Councillor Mary Montague and Action Zone manager Paul Martin look on as fitness instructor Sean Taylor helps Alasdair Cairns put one of the new machines through its paces.
European first for partnership
East Renfrewshire Community Learning and Development (CLD) partnership is celebrating its achievement of being the first partnership in Europe to receive a Committed to Excellence award.
The plaudit, awarded by Quality Scotland, is usually only given to agencies or businesses, but was given to the partnership in recognition of its commitment to continuous improvement and partnership working.
The CLD partnership which includes the council’s community resources staff, CHCP and housing services along with Reid Kerr and Langside College’s, Careers Scotland and Strathclyde Fire and Rescue, was recognised for adopting a shared planning template which has lead to real partnership working.
This included integrating the communities resources planning template, recently adapted by the section for use in adult and family learning teams and active schools, to enable the partnership to achieve their outcomes. This will enable the sharing of good practice and a shared targeting of resources and services.
Photo caption:
Dave Bradley, chief operations officer at Quality Scotland presented the Committed to Excellence award to community services convener Councillor Mary Montague.
Also pictured are members of the CLD partnership which includes Reid Kerr College and Langside College, Barrhead Housing Association and the council’s libraries and learning, CHCP, adult and family learning and community planning services.
New Head for St.Mark’s
Gerard McLaughlin has been appointed head teacher of East Renfrewshire’s St Mark’s Primary School in Barrhead. He replaces Patricia Kennedy who has retired. He takes up his new post on 5 January 2009.
St Mark’s hit the headlines in March 2007 when it achieved a record 11 ‘excellents’ in its HMiE report. Now the new head teacher says he plans to further develop the 246-pupil school serving the Auchenback and Springhill areas of Barrhead.
Thirty-seven year-old Gerard is a graduate of the former St Andrew’s College of Education. He began his teaching career in 1993 at St Stephen’s Primary School in Glasgow, held promoted posts in St Leonard’s Primary School, East Kilbride and St Monica’s, Glasgow, becoming head teacher of St Clare’s, Drumchapel, in 2004. He leaves that post to come to St Mark’s.
Gerard McLaughlin said: “I am looking forward to coming to St Mark’s to work with pupils, staff, parents and the community to build on the considerable and nationally-recognised strengths of the school and to develop new ones. As a local East Renfrewshire resident, I know the area well and come to St Mark’s at an exciting time for Barrhead with regeneration of the town going ahead. ”
Married with two young children, Gerard who lives in Giffnock, is a former pupil of St Ninian’s High School and a parishioner of St Joseph’s Church, Clarkston.
‘Stop poaching’ Director tells private schools
The director of Scotland’s leading education authority has written to the rector of a private school to remind him of the protocol for contacting East Renfrewshire schools.
The move follows a similar case involving Hutcheson’s Grammar School in June when it approached an East Renfrewshire nursery asking for promotional leaflets to be distributed in an attempt to lure able pupils away from the state sector.
Now John Wilson, East Renfrewshire’s director of education, has written to Mr John Broadfoot, Rector of Kelvinside Academy, after an East Renfrewshire head teacher reported receiving Kelvinside recruitment information directly.
In his letter, John Wilson advises Mr Broadfoot that ‘it is discourteous in the extreme to approach a council school directly for the purpose of enlisting pupils or staff’. And Mr Wilson has also enclosed copies of a leaflet aimed at the parents of East Renfrewshire pupils attending private schools to persuade them to come to their local state school, and asks if they could be distributed in Kelvinside Academy
John Wilson said: “This is the second case of a private school thinking it has some sort of right to approach our parents directly through our schools. We regard ourselves as being in competition with private schools, so, if they want to distribute material to attempt to cream off our most able pupils, we also want the right to recruit their most able local youngsters for East Renfrewshire schools. The shift from the private to the state sector is growing in any case in East Renfrewshire as more and more parents recognise the advantages of a local, high-performing, fee-free school and if private schools want to get their message over in our schools, they have to accept that we will seek to get our message over in their establishments.”
A copy of the East Renfrewshire leaflet aimed at private school parents living in East Renfrewshire is attached for information.
When East Renfrewshire took over its 24 primary and seven secondary schools from Strathclyde Regional Council in 1996, 11 per cent of school-age pupils living in East Renfrewshire attended private schools. The current figure is now just above one per cent as increasing numbers of local parents choose an East Renfrewshire school.
Choose your local school (PDF 519kb)