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Staff and pupils at Lochgilphead Joint Campus have been getting into the spirit of Halloween, whilst also doing their bit to keep ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute’s food banks stocked up. Science Technician, Caroline Waterhouse, came up with the novel idea of growing pumpkins at the school and inviting staff to pay to carve them.

¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute Integrated Joint Board (IJB) is the Governance Board of ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) and has responsibility for the planning, resourcing and overseeing of the operational delivery of integrated services. Membership of the IJB comprises elected councillors from ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥, NHS Highland Board members and individuals from a range of sectors and stakeholder groups including the Third Sector, Independent Sector, patients/service users, Trade Unions, staff and carers.

¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) is committed to ensuring that members of the local community are involved in the planning of Health and Social Care services within ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute. One of the ways of achieving this is through Locality Planning Groups (LPGs) which bring together NHS and Council staff, community members, carers, representatives from the third and independent sectors and community-based groups who work together to improve the health and wellbeing of the community in which they live. The HSCP has four LPGs and these are:

Do you know a young person in ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute aged between 11 and 25 who is truly inspirational?

Councillors have represented the transport needs of ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute in an official response to the Scottish Government’s National Transport Strategy. Responding to a public consultation on the draft National Transport Strategy, known as NTS2, ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ has supported the Strategy’s commitment to an inclusive and accessible transport system that results in a fairer and more prosperous Scotland, while calling for guarantees that there is no adverse impact on rural areas.

¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ has made significant progress in supporting and promoting the use of British Sign Language (BSL) over the last 12 months. At a meeting of today’s Policy and Resources Committee, members heard how six of the seven measures identified in its Joint British Sign Language Plan have either been completed or put in to practice since the plan was approved in October 2018.

Members of the public will be asked for their views on the council’s latest campaign to bring funding to ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute, as part of a consultation on budget priorities. At its meeting today (17 October), council agreed to seek the views of local people on how best to bridge an estimated funding gap of £9.2million in 2020/21. The consultation highlights work the council has been doing to increase funding for local services through the potential transfer of four council-run ferries to Transport Scotland.

A refreshed procurement strategy and policy which make it easier for small businesses to bid for work has been approved by ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥. The updated Procurement Strategy 2020/21 and Sustainable Procurement Policy set out to ensure the council achieves best value in its procurement processes and that small to medium sized enterprises (SMEs) are supported to deliver improvements for the people and communities in ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute.

Local suppliers across ¾ÅÐãÖ±²¥ and Bute are being offered free training and advice on how they can improve their chances of winning council tenders. A number of informative training events and roadshows are being held over the next few weeks as part of the Supplier Development Programme (SDP). The first event is a live, online ‘Talking Tenders’ webinar on 28 October. This will enable suppliers to discuss internal processes and upcoming tender opportunities discuss internal processes and upcoming tender opportunities from the comfort of their own desk.

Dunoon Grammar has been crowned the UK’s European Entrepreneurial School of the Year at a prestigious ceremony in Helsinki. The European Entrepreneurial School Awards recognise outstanding schools that are championing entrepreneurship in education across Europe. Schools are judged on how they involve staff and pupils on initiatives; the priority they give enterprise in strategic plans; and the extent to which they include the local community and business sector on entrepreneurial activity.