Renfrewshire Council

I would like to wish you and your families a very happy new year and for those who have had time off, a warm welcome back. I hope you all managed a break and some well-deserved rest over the festive period.

I would also like to thank all our colleagues who worked throughout and will continue to do so over the winter, providing a wide range of round the clock services so many in our communities rely on. This includes our waste, roads and gritting teams, emergency repairs, social work colleagues and our colleagues in health and social care. 

As we start the new year, I wanted to look ahead to some of the exciting projects we are set to deliver for communities in Renfrewshire in the coming year.

Before I do, I wanted to update you on the Council's financial outlook and savings planning.

I met with senior leaders from across the organisation in December to discuss the ongoing financial challenge for public services and our collective role in driving savings and an awareness and understanding of the council's financial position with our teams.

To meet our future savings targets, each service will be required to contribute fairly and to develop detailed, evidenced-based options which can be delivered over the next few years and you will be kept informed of this work through your own service channels. 

We have a strong track record of delivering significant savings by transforming services and working smarter and I'm confident we'll continue to do this. However, we already know this will not by itself be sufficient to address the financial challenge and inevitably the Council, like all local authorities across Scotland, will also need to consider how to reduce the scale and scope of some areas of service whilst doing all that we can to protect the areas of greatest importance. I will continue to keep you updated on our progress and will ensure fairness and openness is at the heart of the process.

This makes the council's role as a place leader more important than ever before. And this year one of my main priorities will be building on this and strengthening our relationships with partners and local communities. If we are to overcome our financial challenge and strengthen and build public trust, we need to have a real focus on meaningful community engagement. This means really listening to and working with our partners and communities and acting as a connector between local stakeholders. It is only by working even better together and  pulling in the same direction that we will achieve our ambitions for Renfrewshire. We've done it before, the award winning #YouDecide campaign is a great example of working with and empowering local communities, and these increased levels of engagement will be key to informing our decision making moving forward.

Look ahead to 2024

As part of our major investment in our venues and a wider push to use culture and heritage to drive Paisley's regeneration, I'm looking forward to the reopening of the refurbished Paisley Arts Centre later this year. 

It will be yet another addition to Paisley's cultural offering following last year's reopening of the Town Hall and the new Library/Cultural and Learning Hub. With the transformation of Paisley Museum into a world-class visitor destination ongoing, it's a really exciting time for Paisley as we aim to create new reasons for people to visit Renfrewshire and to drive town centre vibrancy. 

Our investment in council housing continues, including through our £100m ten-year Housing-led Regeneration and Renewal Programme, which will improve the standard of council housing in eight areas across Paisley, Renfrew and Johnstone.

Work is continuing on the new Paisley Grammar School Community Campus, with construction expected to start on vacant land near the town's Renfrew Road in the spring, and the building ready to welcome pupils from summer 2026.

Our Children and Families team continue to Keep The Promise to care-experienced children and young people and help brothers and sisters to remain together while in care.

As part of that promise, we want to see more children and young people having a safe and loving home, and that means increasing the number of people willing to foster them.

People who work in the public sector, such as the council, are far more likely to take the decision and see if fostering is for them, and I think that reflects the values we all have.

If you have been thinking about it for a while and want to take the next step, you can email childrenandfamilies@renfrewshire.gov.uk and ask any questions, or visit our fostering page on the website for more information.

As we look to encourage people to leave their cars, get active and live healthier lives, the new Paisley to Renfrew cycle track is set to open in May.

This year also sees the completion of our £320,000 investment in tennis courts in Renfrew, Johnstone and Paisley. The sites at Robertson Park and Park Road are being transformed, while works to repair the courts at Brodie Park has already been completed.

As part of the investment, we will work with OneRen and the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) to deliver; free park tennis sessions for all ages, playing levels and experience, free coaching to local schoolchildren, and local tennis leagues will also have access to the courts to provide friendly, sociable opportunities to get active.

We are also set to see the installation of the new and first ever opening road bridge over the River Clyde, with the bridge and its connecting roads, cycling and walking routes, set to connect Renfrew with Yoker and Clydebank, when it opens early next year, bringing new jobs and developments to the riverside.

These are just a handful of the exciting projects we'll be delivering this year, and I'm also looking forward to seeing our #RenZero campaign advance this year as we continue to work towards Renfrewshire becoming net zero by 2030.

As a council, we are considering climate change in every decision we take and this is making a difference to our own emissions, but we do need colleagues, local businesses, partners and communities to play their part too. You can find out more about our approach on the council website.

And finally, the council's financial challenges are no different to the challenges faced by households. The council is committed to providing advice and support to staff who might be concerned about or struggling with money. Talking about it can be difficult, but the earlier you seek the help, the better. Please speak to your manager or visit the financial wellbeing section of the council website which is a good place to start if you think you need help or financial advice.

Once again, I wish you a happy and healthy 2024. 

Alan

Published Friday 12 January 2024