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Child poverty in ߣsir��Ƶ and Bute is slowly falling according to new Scottish Government figures. At a meeting of ߣsir��Ƶ and Bute Council’s Community ߣsir��Ƶ Committee, members were presented with the second annual review of ߣsir��Ƶ and Bute’s Child Poverty Action Plan for 2020/21, which showed that 3,000 children and young people in ߣsir��Ƶ and Bute were experiencing child poverty in 2019/20 compared with 3,056 in 2018/19.

Teachers and social work staff in ߣsir��Ƶ and Bute have been undergoing training to become more trauma aware in order to help support children and young people affected by adversity and traumatic experiences. ߣsir��Ƶ and Bute Council is one of just three local authorities selected by the Scottish Government to take part in the pilot trauma training programme.

ߣsir��Ƶ and Bute Council proposes an extensive programme of community engagement to discuss and develop innovative ways to ensure sustainable management of rural schools. Schools in ߣsir��Ƶ and Bute face a unique set of challenges, including rural settings, declining populations, and competition for resources. But the region’s schools also enjoy a unique set of advantages, being leaders in digital access, outdoor learning, and engagement with their individual school communities.

The 2020 UEFA European Championship was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.  The tournament is now being played from 11 June to 11 July 2021 but is still called “UEFA Euro 2020”. If, as a Premises Licence Holder within ߣsir��Ƶ and Bute, you are planning to show Euro 2020 games in your premises this summer, you will no doubt, already have strong management practices in place to deal with any issues that arise.  

Please be on the lookout for blooms of potentially hazardous blue-green algae (also known as Cyanobacteria) in ߣsir��Ƶ and Bute’s lochs and rivers which may have developed during the period of warm weather. Where there is evidence of this, it would be sensible to avoid swimming or other water-based activities like canoeing or water skiing. Make sure that pets don’t drink or enter the water. More information about blue-green algae.

ߣsir��Ƶ and Bute Council Leader, Councillor Robin Currie, is leading the call for dog owners to be responsible and pick up after their pups, and he is asking communities to support the campaign. The council’s Environment, Development and Infrastructure committee backed plans to provide posters to local communities and develop a social media campaign to remind dog owners of their responsibilities. Councillor Currie said: “Most people clean up after their dogs – we know this. However, we want to remind the one in 10 that don’t that this just isn’t acceptable.

The council is developing its plan for growing its network of electric vehicle charging points as part of it commitment to tackling climate change in ߣsir��Ƶ and Bute. Local members and the public will be consulted on a long list of potential sites for new EV charging points across the area. These can then be installed as and when external funding becomes available. The Environment, Development and Infrastructure committee agreed to take this approach at Thursday’s meeting.

The Helensburgh and Lomond community will benefit from a new residual waste contract procured jointly by ߣsir��Ƶ and Bute and West Dunbartonshire councils. A key part of the procurement process was a need to provide additional community benefits.  The new contract with Barr Environmental Ltd will run from June 2021 until December 2025, and will save the council around £98,000 this year and approximately £397,000 over the term of the contract. The additional community benefits include:

Developing a flood protection scheme for Campbeltown will not only cut down on flood risk, but also deliver financial and economic benefits for homeowners and businesses by avoiding property damage. The Environment, Development and Infrastructure committee agreed the next stage to progress Campbeltown Flood Protection Scheme (CFPS) on Thursday. The full business case will be developed and invitation to tender issued for the construction of the main flood scheme and supply and installation of property flood resilience measures.

ߣsir��Ƶ and Bute Council continues its commitment to creating vibrant places to help stimulate local economic recovery.    The council is delivering £1.686 million of Town Centre funding to 28 projects across ߣsir��Ƶ and Bute, with an overall value of £9 million to the local economy. Projects range from improved town centre infrastructure, grants for charitable organisations and help for business owners to improve their shopfronts.