Council and elections

Every year the Provost of Renfrewshire recognises the unsung heroes within our communities at the Provost’s Community Awards. 

The winners are chosen for their outstanding commitment to making Renfrewshire a better place to work and live.

You can nominate a person or a group for an award if you feel they deserve recognition for their contribution to life and the community in Renfrewshire. 

They can be a friend, relative, colleague or someone you know in your community. 

You can nominate someone again even if they've been nominated in a previous year.

You can nominate a person or group who fits in to one or more of these categories.

Arts and culture

Open to: individuals or groups

This category is open to individuals or groups who have demonstrated creativity through the common elements of arts and culture, such as music, art, dance, theatre, and literature. Their activity should be for the benefit of the community and not to generate a profit.

This award is sponsored by Renfrewshire Council.

Community group

Open to: groups

This award recognises groups  that have improved their community, like:

• supporting others to make their lives better
• involvement in local environmental project
• helping establish a community event
• contributing to improving community safety.

This award is sponsored by City Gate Construction (Scotland) Ltd.

Community volunteer

Open to: individuals

This award recognises an individual's dedication and selfless contributions to the people and organisations in their community.

This award is sponsored by Glasgow Airport Ltd.

Employee of the year

Open to: individuals

Employers or colleagues can nominate employees who have gone above and beyond in their role, such as supporting their colleagues, or giving exceptional customer service which has made a real difference.

This award is sponsored by Unison Renfrewshire.

Sport Award

Open to: individuals or groups

This award recognises individuals or groups who have 

• achieved success in competition as a competitor or a coach
• used sport and exercise as a tool for health and wellbeing.

This award is sponsored by Acre Industrial Services.

When you nominate someone online, you'll need to tell us their:

• name
• age, if they are under 18
• address
• phone number
• email address
• workplace, centre or unit they go to.

Give us details on what they have done to deserve an award and what makes them special.

We'll also need to know your:

• name
• address
• phone number (including day and evening numbers, if they are different)
• email address
• relationship to the person you're nominating (such as friend, relative, colleague).

 Make a nomination

Nominations close at midnight on Friday 2 January 2026.

If you need help filling in this form, phone the Provost's Office on 0141 487 1108.

Nominations for the Provost's Community Awards 2026 closed on Friday 2 January 2026.

How we make a decision

Our judging panel is made up the Provost, the award sponsors, and several councillors from across the political parties.

They look at all the nominations and make a decision once the closing date for nominations has passed.

If you or your nominated person wins

We’ll invite the winning candidates and the people who nominated them to the Provost's Community Awards ceremony at the Glynhill Hotel in Renfrew on Friday 20 March 2026. 

The winners will also need to take part in the publicity of the awards.
 

If you want more information about the Provost's Community Awards, contact the Provost's Office by:

• phone on 0141 487 1108
• email at provostawards@renfrewshire.gov.uk 

The current provost of Renfrewshire is Councillor Lorraine Cameron.

Provost Cameron was appointed as provost of Renfrewshire in May 2017 and re-elected in 2022. She has been a serving councillor since 1999, currently representing the Paisley South West ward.

The depute provost is Councillor Cathy McEwan.

What the provost does

The provost is Renfrewshire Council’s civic leader  and represents the council and local communities at events throughout the year.

The provost attends engagements throughout the year as the representative of Renfrewshire Council.

These include:

• major civic events, such as Remembrance Sunday
• events celebrating significant community anniversaries
• community events to recognise individual or group achievements
• citizenship ceremonies
• meeting visiting dignitaries.

Every year, the provost hosts the annual Provost’s Community Awards where members of the local community are recognised for their efforts in making Renfrewshire a better place to work, live and visit.

The provost also oversees the council’s civic hospitality arrangements. This can range from providing refreshments for an important community event to hosting a reception of international visitors.

You can invite the provost to an event you are planning, or apply for civic hospitality, by contacting the provost’s office.

How to contact the provost’s office

To contact the provost’s office, email cllr.lorraine.cameron@renfrewshire.gov.uk. 

If you want to apply for civic hospitality, email civicevents@renfrewshire.gov.uk. 

Provost's charities and fundraising

The provost is also involved in raising funds and awareness for local charities during their term in office. These are chosen by the provost themselves and are often causes close to their heart.

You can donate to the Provost's charity fundraising scheme by:

• BACS using sort code 82-54-04 and account number 20041937
• cheque made out to: Renfrewshire Council.

Follow Provost Cameron on Facebook to stay up to date with the latest charity activities.

We'll update this page with the latest changes to council services due to adverse weather or other circumstances.

For information on household waste recycling centres, or closures to primary schools and secondary schools, visit the relevant service page.

You can also find updates from the council and our partners via our Facebook and Bluesky channels.

Glasgow and the Clyde Valley Strategic Development

This committee prepares, monitors and reviews the strategic plan for the area on behalf of the member councils.

See more information about the Glasgow and the Clyde Valley Strategic Development Planning Authority Joint Committee on the Committees and Councillors website.

Renfrewshire Community Planning Partnership

Brings together public, private and third sector agencies, along with Renfrewshire's local communities, to plan and deliver better services and to ensure that these services make a real difference to people's lives.

See more information about the Renfrewshire Community Planning Partnership on the Committees and Councillors website.

Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Integration Joint Board

Deals with the planning and delivery of integrated community health and adult social care services.

See more information about the Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Integration Joint Board on the Committees and Councillors website.

Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Committee

Provides independent assurance on the adequacy of the risk management framework, the internal control environment and the integrity of the financial reporting annual governance processes.

See more information about the Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Committee on the Committees and Councillors website.

Renfrewshire Licensing Forum

Reviews the operation of the licensing system in Renfrewshire and gives advice and recommendations to the licensing board.

See more information about the Renfrewshire Licensing Forum on the Committees and Councillors website.

Joint Renfrewshire Licensing Forum and Licensing Board

A joint meeting between the Renfrewshire Licensing Forum and Licensing Board.

See more information about the Joint Renfrewshire Licensing Forum and Licensing Board on the Committees and Councillors website.

Renfrewshire Valuation Joint Board

Make decisions over council tax, valuation for rating and electoral registration. 

See more information about the Renfrewshire Valuation Joint Board on the Committees and Councillors website.

Scotland Excel

As the Centre of Procurement Expertise for the local government sector in Scotland, Scotland Excel supports the delivery of the wide range of essential public services provided by councils. It also provides assessment change management and education services.

See more information on the Committees and Councillors website about

• Scotland Excel
• Scotland Excel Executive Sub-committee
• Scotland Excel Chief Executive Officers Management Group

The joint boards, committees, partnerships and groups we work with at the Council.

Chief Executive’s Service

The service is led by:

• Alan Russell, Chief Executive and Director
• Alasdair Morrison, Head of Economy and Development  
• Laura McIntyre, Head of Policy and Partnerships
• Lucy Adamson, Head of Marketing and Communications.

Children’s Services

The service is led by:

• Janie O’Neill, Director, Children’s Services
• John Trainer, Head of Children and Justice Social Work
• Gerard McLaughlin, Head of Education (Strategy and Improvement)
• Emma Henry, Head of Education.

Environment, Housing and Infrastructure

The service is is led by:

• Gordon McNeil, Director, Environment, Housing and Infrastructure
• Chris Dalrymple, Head of Facilities and Property Services
• Gavin Hutton, Head of Operations and Service Development
• Louise Feely, Head of Housing Services
• Gerard Hannah, Head of Climate, Public Protection and Roads.

Finance and Resources

The service is led by:

• Alastair MacArthur, Director of Finance and Resources
• Karen Campbell, Chief Auditor
• Christine McCourt, Head of Finance and Procurement
• Mark Conaghan, Head of Corporate Governance
• Patrick Murray, Head of Digital Transformation and Customer Services
• Raymond Cree, Head of People and Organisational Development
• Emma Shields, Head of Business Services, Risk and Safety.

There are four departments in Renfrewshire Council:

• Chief Executive’s Service
• Children’s Services
• Environment, Housing and Infrastructure
• Finance and Resources

Leisure and culture services in Renfrewshire are managed by OneRen. 

Health and social care services in Renfrewshire are managed by Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (RHSCP).

These are led by the Corporate Management Team.

Corporate Management Team

The corporate management team are:

• Alan Russell, Chief Executive
• Janie O’Neill, Director of Children’s Services
• Gordon McNeil, Director of Environment, Housing and Infrastructure Services
• Alastair MacArthur. Director of Finance and Resources
• Victoria Hollows, Chief Executive of OneRen
• Billy McClean, Chief Officer of Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP).

How to watch council board meetings

You can watch

• council board meetings live
• the recordings on our YouTube playlist.

You can also find a link to the recording for a specific meeting in the agenda details.

For dates of meetings, agendas, reports and minutes, go to the Committee and Councillors website.