Renfrewshire Council

Each winter, from gritting the roads to help with financial wellbeing and energy costs, colleagues across the Council provide a variety of services that can be a lifeline for the people of Renfrewshire throughout the colder months.

This year, as part of our Ready for Winter programme, preparations are well underway so we can meet any challenges we face while continuing to offer the high standard of services local people rely on.

As part of that support, you can find practical advice for residents, communities and local businesses on our website.

Resilience planning in the Council

Just like the emergency services, here at the Council we are a category 1 responder, which means we have a duty to respond to emergency situations.

Civil contingencies officer, Charlotte McCallum, works with colleagues across the organisation to ensure we are ready to do that whenever we need to.

For Charlotte, our values, in particular learning and collaboration are key ingredients for effective resilience planning.

Charlotte explained: "We've seen some large-scale incidents over the past several years, including COVID-19 and the beast from the east. What these events usually highlight for people is the need for pre-planning and joined up working.

"It's only when we've learned the information that we can put it into action and doing that effectively with our colleagues takes coordination and teamwork.

"There are a number of ways you can build resilience for winter in your personal life too! I'd recommend keeping up to date with the latest information about Renfrewshire on our public website.

"The Ready Scot website is another great resource with lots of advice on how to be more prepared for emergency situations year-round."

For Business Continuity Week back in May, Charlotte shared lots of helpful information and tips for colleagues. You can read her advice-packed article in 'Staff stories'.

Celebrating our frontline heroes

Flooding team We've already had a glimpse of the critical work of our flooding teams who have been out doing all they can to keep waterways and drainage systems clear ahead of winter.

During the recent severe weather conditions, they worked tirelessly to minimise the impact of heavy rain on residents and businesses by pumping water and clearing roads and gullies where flooding was having an impact. 

Over the next six months, we'll be looking at more of our colleagues on the frontline, and their round the clock support to keep Renfrewshire safe and moving during winter. Look out for their stories alongside more helpful insights and key information coming soon.

Are you ready for winter?

Charlotte and our Civil Contingencies colleagues are on-hand to help you and your team plan ahead for emergency situations. If you think your service area could benefit from some guidance, you can contact Charlotte at charlotte.mccallum@renfrewshire.gov.uk.

Wherever you work, understanding your team's emergency protocols and being able to keep in touch with your manager is always essential, particularly throughout winter and during the festive period. Please speak to your line-manager if you are unsure or need guidance on this.

You can keep up-to-date with the impacts from the latest weather warnings for Renfrewshire on our public website or by following Renfrewshire Council on Facebook and @RenCouncil on X (previously Twitter).

Don't forget you can learn how to prepare for scenarios like power cuts and travel delays, get help with the rising cost of living and access emergency contacts all in one handy place on our website. Visit www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/RenReady.

Published on Thursday 12 October 2023