We’ve plenty of food for thought
It’s important to remember as lockdown restrictions ease that things are not back to how they used to be.
Stay safe, keep your distance, remember hand hygiene, wear a mask if you use public transport and seriously consider wearing a mask in places difficult to maintain physical distance.
It’s important to reflect and use this hard experience to make things better in the future. It has been really difficult for so many people, especially those shielding and those for whom the situation has caused major problems.
Can we find any positives in any of this? Well, the response has shown remarkable partnerships across the public, private and volunteer services, all doing their best to ease the strain.
The response to COVID-19 has been quite extraordinary. When the crisis hit, we proved we can change rapidly and improve things. There have been moments of inspiration and achievement. We have to build on that with permanent and sustainable changes.
The pandemic has caused us to challenge traditional ways of working, our cultures and mindsets.To create a fairer, more equal postpandemic Scotland we need to capture what has worked well, work out what more needs to be done, and do it.
So, with the focus now moving to‘recovery’and ‘renew’the Scottish Government intends to build on policy and practice changes that have shown the potential to be genuinely transformative.
There is a real desire to re-evaluate what really matters – we cannot accept the inevitability of poverty or inequality. A social Renewal Advisory Board will be set up, including representatives from a broad range of backgrounds, with experience and knowledge of areas such as poverty, equality, disability, homelessness and regeneration.
For sure we shouldn’t allow this to become just a ‘talking shop’, and central and local governments must really address the big issues raised throughout this.
The local response in addressing the needs of local people has struck me forcibly. Here in East Kilbride, South Lanarkshire Council and its partners have been crucial in helping us cope, and will be no less crucial in moving forward, along with all the organisations that have, and are still, helping us through this.
I know SLC is working hard on its own recovery plan, with the intention of being much more responsive to local issues within its own area of operation. Intention too to rethink the big issues like the City Deal and to involve local communities much more than has happened in the past. We all must have a say in the future and what we expect and want for East Kilbride.
Of course, the UK Government must also be a partner in this recovery. It must recognise the most vulnerable in our society have been hit disproportionately and take bold, practical steps to right this wrong.
We need a National Debt Plan; a job guarantee scheme for young people; major investment in low-carbon initiatives; and an extension of Scotland’s financial powers to allow us to shape our own response to the pandemic.
We need, from everyone, a new approach, a willingness to be ambitious, a true commitment. That is indeed important. Meanwhile, stay safe and look after yourself.
STEPHEN BARK
Councillors from across the area have criticised Scotland’s Deputy First Minister over his handling of the government’s return to school policy.
Councils across Scotland had been preparing for ‘blended learning’ on the guidance of John Swinney throughout the coronavirus pandemic.
That would have seen schools operate at a fraction of capacity because of social distancing regulations.
But, Mr Swinney performed a u-turn last week and said schools could welcome back pupils at full capacity – that came after weeks of planning by councils.
The area’s Labour spokeswoman for eduction, Councillor Lynsey Hamilton, said the Scottish Government’s handling of the situation had been “totally shambolic”.
She added: “Labour are all for getting children safely back to school.
“We’ve been consistent in calling for a routemap to take schools out of lockdown – but John Swinney has no plan to get schools back for August.
“I have every confidence our teachers and council workers will do all they can to restart schools safely in spite of John Swinney’s leadership.
“These U-turns and mixed messages are chaotic and they’re just making the jobs of teachers and frontline workers even harder.”
Proposals before Mr Swinney’s newest announcement would have meant South Lanarkshire schools would have been at halfcapacity.
NICOLA FINDLAY
Labour councillors in South Lanarkshire have won support for a Community Wealth Building future for the local authority post-lockdown.
The plan aims to embed the five key principles of Community Wealth Building in the council’s plan for recovery from the COVID-19 crisis.
The principles are: fair employment and just labour markets; making financial power work for local places; progressive procurement of goods and services; socially just use of property and land and plural ownership of the economy.
With the economy tipping into recession and unemployment forecast to rise, South Lanarkshire Labour want to fight back against austerity and help build up local economies.
COVID-19 is expected to have a huge impact on That would have seen primary kids in two days a week and secondary pupils would five days in 10.
But those proposals have now become the contingency plans or the back-up if schools can’t return full-time on August 12.
Education spokesman for the South Lanarkshire Conservatives, Councillor Ian Harrow felt the “mixed messages from the Scottish Government are only causing confusion, concern and worry”.
However, he said there had been plenty of time to come up with ways of educating at full capacity.
The East Kilbride West councillor said: “Surely it was not beyond the wit of all parties to sit down and think in constructive ways to rekindle the education of our children.
“School next session and, perhaps, the session after that will not be what we have become accustomed to. But all parties have had 10 weeks to discuss how children can be taught for more than just a third of a week in school.
“Where is the imagination or out-of-thebox thinking that will lead our children back to education in August? The ideas suggested were simply trying to make use of what we have.
“What about using other facilities that are lying unused or creating new ones? We managed to create temporary hospitals in a couple of weeks; why can we not do the same for schools to increase.”
East Kilbride South councillor Fiona Drybrugh said there was no indication of a “sudden change of direction” from the government.
Praising the council’s efforts to draw up plans, she praised teachers for their response.
The Lib Dem’s South Lanarkshire education
The local response has really struck me as impressive...
local services and the local economy.
The Labour amendment to the council’s COVID Recovery Plan, which passed at a Virtual Executive Committee, won support for Labour’s and the restoration of council democracy as soon as it is safe to do so.
East Kilbride Central North Councillor Joe Fagan, Leader of the Labour Group, said:”Questions about ownership and control of our local economies are being confronted head on by progressive Labour councils like Preston and North Ayrshire and a new wave of municipal socialism.
“We want to bring those progressive, forward thinking ideas to South Lanarkshire Council.
“We are encouraged that the council is already entertaining Community Wealth Building approaches to post-COVID economic recovery but we want to make sure they get it right. spokeswoman said: “Councils have until now been directed that two-metre distancing would be needed in the new school year.
“Our headteachers and officers simply haven’t had any opportunity to prepare for restarting as normal and now, as the summer holidays start, they will be working flat-out to change plans.
“I am concerned the Scottish Government’s own education group had not agreed on the new plans. I need to be convinced that these decisions were taken on the basis of sound science.”
“This is not simply about procuring better, it’s about a concerted effort to keep more of the wealth generated by South Lanarkshire in South Lanarkshire. That’s how we get the best for local workers and local communities.”
Mr Fagan added:“At a time when budgets are going to come under enormous pressure and the economy is going into recession, it’s never been more important that we focus on using the full spending power of the council and other local institutions to the benefit of the community.
“We need a recovery from this crisis that works for us all.
“Going in to this crisis local government was under-funded, our economy was under performing and governments were letting us down. As we come out of the crisis, we need to build back to something better.”