thewww.southlanarkshire.gov.ukrepor ter GENERATION GAMES New project brings young and old together Inside: Good news on your council tax, plus all the latest on new schools and council homes across South Lanarkshire I walk because... 2 the reporter Welcome New beginnings at Calderglen message by Zoo in time for Council Leader Spring 26-27 4-5 Providing p34-35 loving homes Young and old through benefit from fostering and innovative p6-7 adoption project 6-7 28-29 Huge housing programme Scheme announced with extended plans provides 8-9 head start with South School building scheme is Lanarkshire’s Youth Employment largest in Europe 10-11 Initiative 30-31 Autism services flourish in new p12-13 dedicated hub 12-13 Major transport project of the p10-11 Glasgow City Region City Deal completed 14-15 £1bn of investment over 20 years inside to fund major infrastructure projects 16-17 your RECYCLING EXPECTED TO reporter BE ABOVE 50 PER CENT FOR THE FIRST TIME EVER PAGES 18-19 New app now sets out personalised schedules for our workers 32-33 Redevelopment of play areas Local businesses reap reward of throughout South Lanarkshire council assistance 34-35 20-21 Scotland’s first “new” town is The Haven offers much needed celebrating its 70th birthday this services to all surrounding local year 36-37 communities 22-23 Low carbon economy strategy to put East Kilbride as a centre for excellence in Scotland 24-25 Editor Tom Little News editor James Davitt 01698 453857 Cover photo Anne- Janine Nugent Publisher Communications and Strategy, South Lanarkshire Council, Council Offices, p36-37 Almada Street, Hamilton ML3 OAA p30-31 www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk the reporter 3 WORKING HARD FOR OUR AREA’S Even in tough economic times, your council will protect key frontline services By Eddie McAvoy, Council Leader ELCOME to the depend on across South Lanarkshire, 2017 edition of The especially those which support the Reporter. We send elderly, the young and our most this publication to vulnerable citizens. SouthW Lanarkshire residents This has been an increasingly once a year to make sure you tough job. This year we faced another know what your council is doing big cut in our government grant and on your behalf. have been forced to find another There is a lot of work to tell you £19m in savings - and this is on top of about, and this magazine is full of the more than £100m of efficiencies articles covering the wide range of that we have already had to make. services provided by the council. Inevitably, there has been an This introduction also offers me a impact on some services. But your chance to let you know about some councillors and council officers have of the big decisions that councillors worked together to balance the have taken on your behalf, especially budget once again, and we have made KEY TO around the process sure that we can SUCCESS: of setting the budget continue to provide Isa Russell for the financial year the sort of services was the first ahead. highlighted in resident to One of my abiding this edition of The receive the concerns has been Reporter. keys to her to ensure that South This includes new Fernhill Lanarkshire Council the continuation home by does everything of two ambitious Council Leader Eddie McAvoy possible to protect programmes which our residents from I think epitomise the ongoing economic our collective difficulties and the investment in the update on our Schools Modernisation impact of government future of South Programme. With every secondary austerity. Lanarkshire. school already rebuilt, we are nearing As you may already On pages 8 and 9 the completion of our programme know, one early action you will see details to replace all 128 of our primary I took to do this was of our council schools. In the process we have to commit the current house building created the best schools estate in Labour administration programme. In Europe, and the benefits of teaching to a council tax freeze recent days I have all our kids in a modern learning for 2017/18. You will see more doubled our commitment, to building environment are being felt in hugely details on this decision in the article a total of 1,000 new homes, and this encouraging exam results. accompanying this welcome note. means we can make major inroads On pages 6 and 7 and pages 32 and The second key approach has been into the waiting list for much-needed 33 you will see examples of how the to continue to protect the frontline social housing. council helps elderly residents too. council services which residents Then, on pages 9 and 10, there is an Readers may be interested to know 4 the reporter NO RISE WORKING HARD TO BUILD IN YOUR COUNCIL TAX YOUR council has agreed that it will make NO increase to the Council FUTURE Tax which will be paid by South FOR OUR AREA’S Lanarkshire households this year. This will continue the local Council Tax freeze for a tenth year, despite the fact that the national freeze previously agreed between the Scottish Government and local authorities has been ended, meaning taxes will rise in some parts of Scotland. But not in South Lanarkshire. Council Leader Eddie McAvoy said: “It’s a tough job to balance the budget every year, and after cuts to our government grant the council has been forced to find another £19 million in savings for 2017/18. “We could have put up the council tax by as much as 3% and that would undoubtedly have made it easier to balance the budget. But I know that many of our residents are struggling “We have with their budgets too. been able to Costs are rising achieve plans everywhere and for a balanced I think it is right budget while that we do not add to the burden on continuing our residents.” to protect Mr McAvoy the frontline added that one services reason he wanted to avoid a general council tax rise was because a number of householders were already facing higher bills after the Scottish Government introduced an increase on properties at Bands E to H which will apply across the country. That change was ratified by the Scottish Parliament last November and will impact on about one in four households. Mr McAvoy said: “That rise was not the council’s decision. There were that as part of the budget-setting across our wonderful area that only a tiny proportion also many people suggesting we should process I have been able to secure impose out own increase, across all extra investment which means we can be crammed into these 40 pages. But I hope it gives bands. Obviously if we had done that can accelerate our plans to build it would have helped to offset the cuts three new home care facilities. you an insight into some of in funding we will receive this year Elsewhere in The Reporter you will the services that are being from the government. be able to read about services which delivered day-in, day-out by “However, we have been able to support families living with autism, your hard working council or which get people into work and staff. tackle this without adding further to help local businesses grow. There are For my own part, I am the burden faced by council tax payers also details on everything from how standing down at this and we have been able to balance our we empty your bins to our projects May’s local elections after budget while continuing to protect as part of the £1.13bn Glasgow City more than 20 years as a frontline services.” Deal. councillor. It has been a In fact, so much is being done privilege to work for you. the reporter 5 Visits by nursery children are transforming generational links in South Lanarkshire YOUNG AND OLD BENEFIT FROM been aware for some time of BYPROJECT LYNNE CARSTAIRS lots of good practice via inter- N innovative project generational work and really bringing a group of believed that such a project could four-year-olds together be something that each would with older people with benefit from. Adementia is pioneering inter- “A lot of our children have generational learning in South grandparents who are really Lanarkshire. pretty young, and have very Crawforddyke Nursery little if any contact with the ‘older School and the Jenny MacLachlan generation’ which was again Day Centre, Carluke, have already something that we considered as reported “real and lasting” a bonus.” benefits from the programme With positive feedback from where the group of five children parents and the day centre to – Charlie, Emma-Jane, Sophie, the initial idea, the teams spent Leo and Reegan – visit the centre a lot of time planning and risk fortnightly, and spend an hour assessing the project before the with service users with dementia. first phase was up and running. This is the second phase “We are learning from each of the project, with the pilot set of children too,” adds Eleanor. finishing last June when the first “Leo, for example was unsure in participants set off for primary the first week, and very quiet. We school. spoke to him and his parents to has thrown himself into this with “One service user All involved describe “an see if we could help, or if maybe great enthusiasm.” emotional and life-affirming” the project wasn’t going to be Christine Stillie, Senior Day had formed a really experience from what started right for him.