Superfast Start to Spring
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Connecting Council and Community Spring 2015 Superfast start to spring Inside your Council magazine: MugStock Festival, Schools tuck in, Pupils focus, Storm speaks 2 edlife www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk Contents Welcome to the Spring 2015 edition of Balanced Budget Edlife, the Council magazine for the people of East Dunbartonshire. for 2015/16 – Weather presenter Storm Huntley is but further cuts in featured on our front page - helping to celebrate the spread of superfast broadband in East years ahead Dunbartonshire (page 9). Edlife also took the chance to speak to the STV Glasgow star about At its February meeting, the Council growing up in Bishopbriggs and sticking in at confirmed that it had balanced the school (page 8). budget for 2015/16 as a result of its extensive ‘Your Services, Your Choices’ Mugdock Country Park is popular with consultation exercise in 2014 and the families across East Dunbartonshire and beyond, resulting budget reduction strategy. and visitors will be rocking and strolling later this The ‘Your Services, Your Choices’ Budget View 2 year with a new music and entertainment festival, consultation was designed to raise MugStock. Turn to page 5 for the full story. awareness of the £23 million savings the Excitement is growing as the area’s first new- Council needs to make in the next three build primary school prepares to open its Integrated Care 4 years and to find out the priorities of doors. See page 3 for all the latest on the new East Dunbartonshire communities. The Lairdsland Primary. consultation findings led to the budget reduction strategy, which the Council A running star has been given a boost thanks MugStock Festival 5 agreed back in September. to last year’s East Dunbartonshire Business Awards. The talented Merkland School pupil is The consultation identified that services to the vulnerable and to young What’s On 6 due to compete at the World Special Olympics this summer. Turn to page 7. people were a top priority. Decisions to make budget savings were taken Elsewhere in this issue there is information in October, November, and December, Jennifer’s joy 7 on recycling, Scottish Water roadworks, Self meaning the full savings requirement Directed Support, biodiversity success and more. of £7.2 million for 2015/16 had already been achieved when Council met in Storm on cloud nine 8 As always we hope you enjoy this edition of February. Despite this the Council was Edlife. And, remember, for the latest news you still able to prioritise an increase in Social can follow us on Twitter @EDCouncil, like us at Care budgets of £4.9 million in 2015/16. New lets system 9 www.facebook.com/edunbartonshirecouncil or Transformation and ensuring the Council visit www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk is as efficient as possible remain at the heart of the Budget Reduction Strategy Free schools meals 10 but with further savings of £9.4 million needed in 2016/17 and £6.7 million in 2017/18, future service cuts are inevitable. This document can be provided in large print, Braille, or on audio cassette, and can be translated into other community languages. Please contact the Council’s Corporate Communications Team on 0300 123 4510. Contact us To contact the Council, whatever your enquiry, simply call Customer Services on the following number: 0300 123 4510 edlife is produced by the Corporate Communications Team, Customer Services can also be contacted East Dunbartonshire Council, Civic & Corporate Headquarters, in person at the Kirkintilloch Community Southbank Marina, 12 Strathkelvin Place, Kirkintilloch, Glasgow G66 1TJ. Hub or at one of the two interim Hubs in Email: [email protected] For further information: www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk Bishopbriggs Library or in Brookwood Library Please get in touch if you have comments on this magazine or if there are any future in Bearsden. You can also email: features you would like to see. [email protected] In addition, you can find out a wide Printed on range of information on the Council on our recycled paper website, and also carry out a number of transactions. To find out more, visit: East Dunbartonshire Council takes no responsibility for advice or information contained on external websites. Acceptance of advertisements does not imply endorsement of the goods or services. Readers considering purchase or major investment decisions are advised to www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk seek appropriate professional advice. www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk edlife 3 Sky’s the limit New life could be breathed into under-used areas in East Dunbartonshire thanks to an inspirational new project. The Council successfully bid to be part of the Stalled Spaces Scotland programme - securing £15,000, which will be match- funded by the authority. That means a total fund of £30,000 is available as small grants to encourage the temporary use of stalled development sites, under-used green spaces, and vacant and derelict land in East Dunbartonshire. The national programme is Plan and the Town Centre First and temporary public art. twice a week and we have two being delivered by Architecture Principle, the programme will Tim Cowen, of Woodlands open sessions for volunteers. I and Design Scotland (A+DS) and focus on stalled spaces located CommunityGreyfiars Garden, Gardenhas been in the Merchantknow City, that Glasgow the garden - taken haslast broughtsummer by Lenny Warren. forms part of the Commonwealth within town and other settlement involved in transforming a derelict the neighbourhood together - Games Legacy and the Council is centres. site in Glasgow - a great example people who don’t usually mix one of just seven local authorities Support will be available to of what could potentially be socially will meet in the garden.” chosen to be part of the individuals keen to form groups to achieved through Stalled Spaces. Stalled Spaces Scotland inspirational scheme. take forward projects. “It was a rubbish dump, is a Legacy 2014 programme The aim is to have two Potential ideas could include completely overgrown and administered by Architecture and bidding rounds - with the first temporary food-growing projects, unloved,” he said. “We turned into Design Scotland and funded by opening in April 2015 and the community gardens, market a successful community garden. Scottish Government. Check out second planned for late autumn places, wildflower meadows, “We work with a range of the Council website and the local 2015. To link in with the Scottish outdoor gyms, natural play areas, groups - we have people with press for more details of how you Government’s Town Centre Action event and performance spaces, learning disabilities who come can get involved. For more information Visit www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk or First new-build www.ads.org.uk primary school to open 21 April 2015 Planned move Planning changes to your home? East Dunbartonshire Excitement is growing as East school communities involved in for pupils, providing modern Council’s Planning and Dunbartonshire’s first new-build the Primary School Improvement schools which fully support the Building Standards Services school under the Primary School Programme is ongoing to establish Curriculum for Learning. have moved offices. Improvement Programme final designs to meet the needs The Council is also The team is now located at: prepares to open its doors. and aspirations of schools users, embarking on a major community Planning and Building Standards, The new Lairdsland Primary the education service and the local engagement exercise to look at Development and Regeneration is set to open for employees community. options for education provision in Services, Southbank House, and pupils following the Easter The programme includes Baldernock. Strathkelvin Place, Kirkintilloch holidays, with a formal ceremony nine local schools – Lairdsland, Gordon Currie, Director of G66 1XQ taking place in May. Woodhill, Auchinairn, St Agatha’s, Education & Children’s Services Decant preparations are now St Flannan’s, Lenzie, Lenzie Moss, at East Dunbartonshire, said, All telephone numbers and e-mail well underway at the existing St Joseph’s and St Andrew’s - as “We’re very much looking forward addresses remain unchanged. school building in Kerr Street in part of a multi-million programme, to seeing the finished result at Telephone 0300 123 4510 or Kirkintilloch town centre, which which also includes five new, Lairdsland and, more importantly, e-mail opened 140 years ago in 1875. state-of-the-art buildings. to seeing our young people [email protected] Meanwhile, a series of The aim is to provide an enjoying the additional benefits it consultation events with the other enhanced learning environment will bring to their education.” 4 edlife www.eastdunbarton.gov.uk may choose to use several SDS Christmas tree recycling Support to options to meet the different parts of your support plan. success makes 2014 live the way Kelly Gainty, Adults and you want Community Care Support Worker, the greenest ever said, “SDS is about making sure It has been a year since Self that service users can access the Local residents made 2014 the Directed Support (SDS), which support to live the way they wish greenest festive period ever in enables people with social care to live their lives. Their East Dunbartonshire - recycling needs to have more control over assessment and support is person- a record number of Christmas the support and services they centred rather than service-led trees. receive, came into force. and provides personalised and More than 30 tonnes of There are many ways in outcome-focused services. discarded trees were collected which you can direct your support “There is a dedicated SDS by East Dunbartonshire Council, and you can have as much or page on the Council’s website which gave residents the option as little control over this as you which provides information of dropping off their tree at a choose.