220622 Leader's Report
North Ayrshire Council · 22 June 2022
Back to North Ayrshire Council — 22 June 2022 and its agenda
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LEADER’S REPORT For the period covering: 19 May – 12 June 2022 The attached report gives a summary and brief details to Council, of meetings and events attended by the Leader of North Ayrshire Council, Councillor Marie Burns.
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LEADER’S REPORT • • • 1 LEADER’S REPORT For the period covering: 19 May – 12 June 2022 COSLA LEADERS, 27 May On 27 May I attended COSLA Leaders to discuss a packed agenda including some of the following items: • Transient Visitor Tax • Water and Billing Charges • National Strategy for Community Justice Revision • Mental Health Law Review • Prevention of Homelessness Duties • Ukrainian Displaced Persons COSLA and the Scottish Government have been in discussions concerning a draft Partnership Agreement that sets out the role of, and partnership between, Local Government and Scottish Government in supporting Ukrainian Displaced Persons (UDPs) who arrive in Scotland under the Scottish Super Sponsor (SSS) scheme. Over the past three months staff from North Ayrshire Council have worked closely with COSLA and the Scottish Government developing working arrangements for the resettlement of Ukrainian Displaced People. The Partnership Agreement has been drafted as a means of setting out key principles associated with the SSS scheme and the delivery of the national matching service for UDPs. I am proud to say that since late May, North Ayrshire Council has been working tirelessly to welcome and provide support to Ukrainian families. I would like to thank Yvonne Baulk, Head of Housing at North Ayrshire Council and her dedicated team, for their continued work in providing the much-needed support to these Ukrainian families. REDUCING THE COST OF THE SCHOOL DAY CONFERENCE, 30 May I was delighted to go along to the Cost of the Schools Day Conference held on 30 May at the Ardrossan Civic Centre and hear more about a range of initiatives that will aim to tackle the issue of child poverty here in North Ayrshire. The conference, which was well attended by young people, schools, parents, teachers, Elected Members and Community Planning partners heard presentations from some of our youth guest speakers who were kind enough to share a range of young people’s experiences of child poverty.
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LEADER’S REPORT • • • 2 As Leader of North Ayrshire Council, I am fully committed to building a fair and equal society where children and young people have the best start in life. This Council has already made significant progress in challenging poverty in Scotland with a range of successful inclusion initiatives including the current £500,000 recurring commitment to address the cost of going to school in North Ayrshire. I look forward to building on that work further through collaboration between my Administration and officers within Education and Connected Communities. I would like to thank our Executive Director, Dr Audrey Sutton and her teams for their continued work. OPENING OF THE IRVINE ELDERLY FORUM, 31 May On 31 May, I was delighted to be asked to open the Irvine Elderly Forum Day held at the Irvine Volunteers Room. The event brought members of our elderly community together to enjoy a light lunch as well as pick up useful information from one of the many stalls on display. It was also great to hear from a speaker from the Scottish Pensioners Forum. MINISTERIAL MEETING, INWARD INVESTMENT, 8 June On 8 June, together with North Ayrshire Council Chief Executive, Craig Hatton, I attended a meeting with the Minister for Business, Trade, Tourism and Enterprise, Ivan McKee MSP to hear more about inward investment opportunities for Ayrshire as part of the Ayrshire Growth Deal. The meeting, also attended by representatives from East and South Ayrshire Councils, provided the opportunity to hear about aspirations to increase employment opportunities in Ayrshire. VISIT TO THE HERITAGE CENTRE, 9 June On 9 June, I visited the North Ayrshire Council Heritage Centre in Saltcoats, and it was great to meet the team there and have a chat with them to find out more about their work at the Centre. I was also able to enjoy the latest exhibition on display, “Following the Lights: the history of Scottish Lighthouses" as well as enjoy a tour round the Centre to see some of the other interesting artefacts on display. AYRSHIRE SHARED SERVICES COMMITTEE, 10 June I chaired a meeting of the Ayrshire Shared Services Committee on 10 June and took part in discussions around Ayrshire Civil Contingency planning.
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LEADER’S REPORT • • • 3 FINALLY Together with my Administration, I would like to thank officers in North Ayrshire Council for their hard work over the past months prior to, during and after the local elections. I would also like to thank the staff involved in arranging the induction sessions for our newly Elected Members as these have proved to be invaluable learning tools in helping our Councillors familiarise themselves with the various strands of work within the Council. I look forward to continuing to build on some of the great work already done in North Ayrshire Council and to ensure our communities receive the vital services and much-needed support over the coming years. Councillor Marie Burns Leader North Ayrshire Council