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ISSUE 98 December 2014

Newsletter for the employees of West Lothian Council - Issue 99

westlothian.gov.uk

UK Threat level rises

Inside this issue

Customer focus is top priority

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UK Threat level risesSteven lands runner-up award

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UK Threat level risesHolocaust Memorial Day

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UK Threat level risesEducation leaders recognised

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The council has approved a new Customer Services Strategy for 2015/17.

Customer focus is top priority

Chief Executive’s column

Welcome to the first Inside News of 2015

By now you should all have been briefed on the council’s financial position, and the steps being taken to ensure we can continue to deliver quality services to our customers.

The council has successfully managed change over many years and I’m confident that, with your support, we can continue to deliver positive outcomes for local people, families and communities.

The launch of the new Customer Service Strategy is an important step for the council, helping keep the focus on our customers at the heart of everything we do.

We already have a strong reputation for good quality, high performing services. The new strategy will help us ensure that we continue to deliver the excellent customer service expected by local residents.

I hope you will all take the time to read the Customer Service Strategy, and consider how we can continue to improve our services for the benefit of local residents in the future.

Finally, I would like to congratulate everyone across the council who has been involved in the new council house building programme.

To have built more new homes than any other council is a fantastic achievement. I know the huge amount of works it takes to deliver completed homes, so would like to pay tribute to everyone who played a role in making it happen.

Graham HopeChief Executive

The three themes provide a structured approach to improving the quality and consistency of customer service for West Lothian Council services.

Head of Area Services, Steve Field commented: “The new strategy recognises the value of an engaged, interactive community and encourages services to find new ways to

involve local people in the delivery and improvement of local services.

“I would encourage everyone to become familiar with the Customer Services Strategy as it has an impact on every area of the council.”

The Customer Services Strategy is available on the internet. For more information email: karen.cawte@westlothian.gov.uk

The Purchase to Pay (P2P) team is based within the Financial Management Unit. They are responsible for the payment of all invoices on behalf of West Lothian Council and for administering the following systems:

Purchase to Pay

PECOS - eProcurement

e5 - Accounts Payable

Smart Data OnLine - Purchase Card

Any PECOS requests or incidents should be logged through the IT Self Service Portal and a member of the P2P team will respond.

Approximately 160,000 invoices per annum are processed through the e5 Accounts Payable system. Payment is made to suppliers within 30 days of the invoice date on a valid invoice. It takes one week from the invoice leaving PECOS to reach the suppliers bank. If a supplier has provided goods or services

to the council and has a query about getting paid, please direct them to: accountspayable@westlothian.gov.uk.

Purchase cards should be used for one-off low value transactions, as a replacement to petty cash and where using PECOS is impractical.

Please contact purchasecards@westlothian.gov.uk if you have any issues with the system or your purchase card.

Enquiries regarding contracts and content should be directed to the Corporate Procurement Unit: cpu@westlothian@gov.uk.

Excellent Customer Service: All council services will ensure that customer requests and enquiries are dealt with in a timely, efficient and professional way.

Improving Access: Our customers are able to access council services in the way most convenient to them.

Transforming Services: We will change the way we deliver services to ensure our customer’s journey, from start to finish, is the best route possible.

The strategy is integral to the successful delivery of other council strategies, such as the People Strategy, IT Strategy and the Financial Strategy, and it will ensure that the council has customer service at the heart of service development.

The strategy has been developed around the following themes:

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The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) in Scotland is changing on Wednesday 1 April 2015.

Pension scheme changes

It’s important you know that all of your benefits built up in the scheme to 31 March 2015 are protected. They will still be based on your final salary on leaving and the normal pension age of 65 in the current scheme.A video to explain the changes to members of the Local Government Pension Scheme has been produced. The video includes information on how Career Average will work, what happens to the benefits built up prior to April 2015 and explains the protections for members including those nearing retirement. The video is available online at: www.scotlgps2015.org/video A tool to help you model your LGPS2015 benefits built up from 1 April 2015 has also been added to the website. Remember if you are nearing retirement and were born before 1 April 1957 there is protection

for qualifying members to ensure their benefits will not be less than in the previous scheme. The pension modeller is available online at www.scotlgps2015.org/modeller A pension isn’t only about your future. As a member of the LGPS you still get valuable life cover, with a lump sum of 3 years pay if you die in service, cover for your family, with pensions for your dependants if you die, and ill health cover for you and you can still pay more to buy extra pension.Further information, member briefings and FAQs are available at the dedicated website www.scotlgps2015.org Changes will also be happening to the Scottish Public Pensions Agency in April 2015 and further details of these changes will be posted on MyToolkit as soon as they are available.

In 2014 courses were delivered to 1,100 members of staff, with 99% rating them as either good or excellent. A full list of learning & development courses is advertised on Learning Zone at http://webwest1.app.westlothian.gov.uk/learningzone/. For additional information on courses, please call 01506 281395 or 281410If you can’t locate the event that you are looking for, then please drop a note of your suggested session to learn2develop@westlothian.gov.uk Staff are also available to consult and discuss any service specific training that you may require, subject to resources being available.Thinking of retiring in the next year? Please consider attending a pre-retirement course, as this will help you plan ahead and think about how this might affect you and your family.

Learning Zone

The New Year brings a number of new courses and bite size sessions for staff.

It’s the second year in a row that West Lothian has been named number one in Scotland for new build completions.The data was released by The Scottish Government, who compiled a list of all new build council homes being built across all 32 Scottish councils. To date, 781 new council homes have been completed in West Lothian, rising to 800 when Little Boghead in Bathgate is completed in the next few months.

A further 1,000 new homes are planned by 2017 across West Lothian. The house building programme also includes training and employment opportunities for local people and businesses.Alistair Shaw, Head of Housing, Construction and Building Services, said: “We are delighted that West Lothian Council has, yet again, been named number one in Scotland for the number of new council homes having been completed.

“When you compare the amount of new council homes being built by other local authorities the figures are really something to be proud of.”

Top for building new homesWest Lothian Council is building more council homes than any other Scottish council.

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West Lothian Civic Centre Planning Services Building Standards Access 2 Employment moved from

the 2nd Floor North to 2nd Floor South

St David House, Bathgate Revenues Community Facilities Community Regeneration More Choices More Chances

(MCMC) Sports Development

County Building Annex, Linlithgow

Trading Standards Environmental Health

Email addresses and telephone numbers have not changed.

The strategy aims to ensure that the council can make best use of its ICT infrastructure into the future. It recognises that there will be a continuing and increasing dependency on ICT systems to support the re-design of council services, enable the delivery of efficiency savings and meet the needs of our internal and external customers. The strategy outcomes are to:

Improve access to digital services for customers and employees.

Employ technology solutions to improve efficiency and effectiveness.

Reduce carbon emissions and make savings through using smart technologies.

Consolidate and share systems to achieve a more integrated customer focused approach.

Provide high performance network connectivity.Head of Corporate Services Julie Whitelaw commented: “The new strategy focuses on ICT as a key way to improve efficiency throughout the organisation. It also ensures that the council complies with legislation and regulatory factors so that we can continue to provide secure, modern services to support the council’s Corporate Plan.”The strategy is available on the intranet, visit the IT Services page.

A funding package was approved by elected members to develop of a modern community facility for the historic town.The project was delayed to allow a full review of options to be undertaken, after large amounts of asbestos were found in the building. Works will start later this year, with all asbestos removed in the parts of the County Buildings

affected by the works. The revised project that will see all of the existing building redeveloped and utilised. This could result in a number of facilities being on offer at the building including; Linlithgow Library, CIS, Local History Library, Family History Society, Annet House, St Michael’s Day Centre for the elderly.

Step forward for new depotsProgress is being made towards new modern depot accommodation in Bathgate and Livingston for key council services and a new waste transfer facility.

Council Executive approved the naming of the new facility in Bathgate as Whitehill Service Centre, with the Livingston facilty to be called Kirkton Service Centre. The new £18.8 million project for Whitehill Service Centre will provide a consolidated, single location of the Roads and Transportation Service, Waste Services, NETs and Land Services, Fleet and Community Transport, and Operational Services staff. The new facility located at Inchmuir Road will also include a new waste transfer facility and salt store. The project is expected to be completed by the summer of 2016. Work has started on the Kirkton Service Centre at Lister Road, which will become the base for Building Services, Archives, Museums and Records Management, and the Community Inclusion Team. The £3.9 million project is expected to be completed this summer. The new facilities mean that the properties at Guildiehaugh and Waverley Street in Bathgate; properties in Deans, Livingston, including: the Operational Services depots, garage, and Carmondean House are surplus to requirements and will be marketed from Spring 2015.

Partnership Centre for Linlithgow

New ICT Strategy approvedA new Information, Communication and Technology (ICT) Strategy has been approved for 2015/17.

A £3.9 million investment is set to deliver a modern partnership centre at County Buildings in Linlithgow.

On the moveSeveral council services have relocated recently

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Congratulations to NETs, Land & Countryside Apprentice Steven Cairns, who was runner up at the UK wide APSE Horticulture Apprentice of the Year 2014.

The apprentice awards are specific to front line service areas and support excellence in training standards within local authorities and their partner organisations throughout the UK.The Association of Public Sector Excellence (APSE) national awards ceremony was held at Stratford-Upon-Avon recently, where Steven had to undertake a rigorous panel interview following the successful submission of a detailed portfolio of work.NETs, Land and Countryside Manager, Andy Johnston said: “Steven should take tremendous credit for this achievement as he has put in a lot of hard work both at college and on-the-job since starting his apprenticeship in June 2013. Steven represented himself and the council very well at the awards ceremony and continues to be a front line ambassador for West Lothian Council.”West Lothian Council also received an award in recognition for its continued support in the development of apprentices.

Now in its eighth year, the awards recognise excellence among the council’s Housing, Construction and Building Services apprentices. Alistair Shaw, Head of Housing, Construction and Building Services, welcomed the audience and apprentices to the event at Howden Park Centre recently.Apprentice roofer Kim Armstrong won both the coveted Apprentice of the Year trophy and Robert MacMillan Excellent Skills Award.Plumber Ryan Sim was crowned Best 1st Year Apprentice, with electrician Craig

Forbes clinching the 2nd Year award. Electrician George Graham won the Best 3rd Year Awards, with bricklayer Blair Hart lifting the 4th Year trophy.Awards for Excellent College Work, Customer Service and Health & Safety Awareness were won by apprentice roofer Daniel McEwan, apprentice joiner Ben Shearer and apprentice electrician Jordan Kerr respectively.Apprentice joiner Adam O’Hara and apprentice plumber Ryan Sim shared the Best Logbook award, while the Michael Clark Award went to apprentice

storeperson Gary Short.Lee Middleton (Gas Engineer) and John Slater (Approved Electrician) also shared the Excellent Mentors Award.The event was sponsored by a number of companies including MGM Timber, JMJ Ironmongery, Ross Electrical, Hire Station, Thornbridge, Buchanan Skip Hire, Graham, Envirovent, Wishart, White & Milne, Keyline, Murray’s Tool Store, The Electric Heating Company, Kirkton Flooring, and Park Grove Scaffolding.

Highly commended:Best 1st Year ApprenticeAdam O’Hara (Apprentice Joiner) and Jordan Tait (Apprentice Roofer) Best 2nd Year ApprenticeDaniel Campbell (Apprentice Plasterer) and Jamie Edwards (Apprentice Plumber)Best 3rd Year ApprenticeRoss MacDonald (Apprentice Electrician) and Ryan McIntosh (Apprentice Roofer)Best 4th Year ApprenticeGregg Dyer (Apprentice Joiner) and Darren Moore (Apprentice Roofer)Excellent College PerformanceRoss Leadbetter (Apprentice Joiner) and Jamie Morrow (Apprentice Electrician)Robert MacMillan Excellent Skills AwardBrian Douglas (Apprentice Painter) and George Graham (Apprentice Electrician)

Steven lands runner-up award

Craft Apprentice of the Year Awards

More than 20 of West Lothian Council’s Craft Apprentices were honoured at the Apprentice of the Year Awards.

Two council venues have been recognised at the West Lothian Best Bar None awards recently.Both Howden Park Centre and Linlithgow Burgh Halls were awarded the Gold award at the police-organised event for licensed premises, which aim to reward good customer care and high safety standards.Howden Park Centre scooped the top award for the third year running, and was one of only five licensed venues in West Lothian nominated for a Best Bar None national award. It was the first time Linlithgow Burgh Halls had entered the event, so to go straight to a Gold award was a significant achievement.

Pictured are Stuart Ferguson from Howden Park and Lesley Brown from Linlithgow Burgh Halls with the awards.

Council venues are Best Bar None

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Howden Park Centre in Livingston hosted the event on 27 January to pay tribute to the victims and survivors of the Holocaust on the 70th Anniversary of the liberation of Auschwitz-Birkenau death camp and the 20th anniversary of the genocide in Srebrenica, Bosnia. The theme of this year’s event was ‘Keep the Memory Alive’, which focused on sharing the memories of those affected by the Holocaust. Pupils from Broxburn Academy, Deans

Community High School and St. Margaret’s Academy delivered a joint presentation on what they learned on their visit to Auschwitz, followed by an informative documentary, containing survivor footage. Arts Services staff Len McCaffer and Dennis O’Donnell gave a talk on Holocaust victims Bat Sheva Baseches and Pinya Berkovich, whose names have been especially given to West Lothian to remember.

A special remembrance tree was planted on the grounds of Howden Park Centre, with guests all invited to lay a pebble.HMD is held annually on the 27 January to remember of the millions of people killed in the Holocaust , under Nazi Persecution, and in the following genocides in Cambodia, Rwanda, Bosnia, and Darfur. For more information on HMD visit www.hmd.org.uk/

West Lothian marks Holocaust Memorial DayWest Lothian Council staff took part in a moving event to mark Holocaust Memorial Day (HMD) recently.

By following a few simple steps to reduce print volumes and mail costs the council could deliver not only financial savings but also a reduction in our carbon impact. There are lots of practical things that you can do to reduce the amount of paper which you print and mail that you send:

always print double sided and where possible print documents 2 pages per sheet,

proof read documents on screen, use print preview to check that the layout of

the document is correct prior to printing, use laptops and projectors to share

information at meetings rather than printing off copies of the papers,

use email to send papers rather than mail delivery. Remember to always Think Before You PrintThe introduction of Equitrac print management software in council offices allows for more detailed information to be provided on print volumes for each service area. This information will be analysed and best practice approaches to printing will be identified and shared across service areas.

To achieve the most cost effective rate for mail, you should:

use the standard mail templates make sure the address is typed on the letter

or a label. Hand addressed letters are 3p more expensive to post.

make sure that the postcode is visible through the envelope window. Leave out the county rather than the postcode if you need to save space.

finally, before sending mail, consider whether there is a more cost effective option, such as scanning and emailing.

The Mail and Print Policy can be found on the intranet. For advice on practical steps to reduce print and mail volumes contact Ann Jack, Civic Centre Admin Manager, on 281332 or Alison Egan, Senior HR Adviser, on 281409.

Arts Services staff Dennis O’Donnell and Len McCaffer lay special stones for Holocaust victims Bat Sheva Baseches and Pinya Berkovich.

In the last 12 months across all council services over 50 million sheets of paper have been printed at a cost of £400,000 and 200, 000 pieces of mail posted at a cost of £124,000.

WEST LOTHIAN

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OPTIONS XCITE PS MONTHLY

NORMAL PRICEMONTHLY

Xcite P.S. Gold Single: £27.60 £34.50

Xcite P.S. Gold Couple 1 Staff: £51.10* £58.00

Xcite P.S. Gold Couple 2 Staff: £46.40 £58.00

Xcite P.S. Silver Single: £20.80 £26.00

Xcite P.S. Silver Couple 1 Staff: £38.80* £44.00

Xcite P.S. Silver Couple 2 Staff: £35.20 £44.00

Xcite P.S. Premier Single: £31.20 £39.00

Xcite P.S. Premier Couple 1 Staff: £59.20* £67.00

Xcite P.S. Premier Couple 2 Staff: £53.60 £67.00

Xcite P.S. P.O.L Prime of Life Single: £14.40 £18.00

Council staff can be part of the biggest Health & Fitness Club in West Lothian with 10 Xcite venues for you to use. Xcite PS membership gives staff an opportunity of staying active and healthy!

Gym Session Personalised Fitness Programmes & Regular

Reviews Swimming & Swimming Lessons Sauna & Steam Rooms Badminton, Tennis, Short Tennis, Squash,

Golf, & Indoor Bowling Xcite Gold includes all of the above

activities, any day, anytime. Xcite Silver includes all of the above

activities, weekdays, opening to 4.30pm Xcite Premier includes all of the above

activities, any day anytime PLUS Fitness Classes.

Xcite P.O.L is available to 60yrs + and includes all of the above any day, anytime PLUS fitness classes.

PS

Paralegal Kirsty Haggarty has been a member of Xcite Livingston since 2003. Kirsty makes use of the gym, swimming pools and fitness classes, not only at Xcite Livingston but at all the Xcite facilities across West Lothian.

Single = 1 person as a public sector employee Couple 1 Staff = Couple membership when 1 person is public sector employee and 1 person is not.Couple 2 Staff = Couple membership when 2 persons are public sector employees.

*When only one person is a public sector employee then there would be a charge for 1 joining fee at £30.00 (excluding promotional offers).

PS includes

Xcite PS is available at any Xcite venue but is not available online. You will be required to bring your Staff ID Card as proof of employment.

** Terms and conditions apply.

More benefits:20% Off Monthly Premier, Gold, Silver and POL Memberships!

You’ll also be eligible for FREE joining fee worth up to £30.00 per person.

With an Xcite membership you are not tied into a 12 month contract**

Armadale • Bathgate • Broxburn Craigswood (Livingston) • East Calder

Fauldhouse • Linlithgow • Livingston • Whitburn

www.westlothianleisure.com

Kirsty said: “I think the facilities at Xcite are fantastic. I really enjoy going and would recommend the Xcite facilities to anyone. There are activities for all ages and abilities. Both my children are members and learned to swim at Xcite also. “The choice of equipment is excellent and I enjoy the atmosphere. “When I’m there, I regularly meet familiar faces from across the council, so the facilities and the staff membership

scheme is obviously popular. “I think I must have tried all the fitness classes on offer, including the new ones, which has taken me to all the Xcite facilities. “I’ve been a member of other gym providers but I can honestly say that Xcite’s facilities are tremendous and really do provide excellent value for money. The trainers are very friendly and the variety of classes change regularly”

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Successful participants who gained their General Teaching Council for Scotland (GTCS) Professional Recognition in Project Leadership came together for a special event at Deans Community High School in Livingston recently.They were joined by the programme development team, Abi Adam and Lesley Henderson, as well as Depute Chief Executive Moira Niven, Head of Service Elaine Cook, Ellen Doherty from the GTCS

and other invited guests to celebrate their success in gaining GTCS Professional Recognition in Project Leadership. The event aimed to highlight the participants' hard work, dedication and commitment to developing their leadership skills and the positive impact this has had on their school communities and in raising attainment for all children and young people in West Lothian.

Registration Services is looking for confident, organised, presentable and customer focused people to become marriage officers.Training would be given to allow those selected to visit venues or the registration offices within West Lothian to perform marriage, civil partnership, renewal of vows and baby naming ceremonies for customers. They would be looking for the right individual to be available Monday to Friday primarily, but the opportunity occasionally arises for Saturday and Sunday weddings as well. Ceremonies are allocated around six weeks in advance. Staff applying who

already work within the council would need to be aware that the ceremonies would need to be performed in their own time, but you would receive a fee. For more information about the role, or if you would like to be considered, please contact wendy1.thomas@westlothian.gov.uk by Friday 13 March 2015.

Education leaders recognisedThe hard work and dedication of everyone involved in the West Lothian Introduction to Educational Leadership programme has been recognised.

Say to a new opportunity

Do you have what it takes to conduct a marriage, civil partnership or baby naming ceremony?

Step forward for new health and social care board Moves to create a new body to guide health and social care service delivery in West Lothian have taken a step forward.A public consultation process over the new West Lothian Health and Social Care Partnership Board has now been completed. The Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 requires health boards and local authorities to delegate some of their relevant functions to a single body, who will be responsible for commissioning health and social care services in each area.Staff will continue to be employed by either the council or NHS, working alongside each other to deliver services.For more information, please visit www.westlothianchcp.org.uk/hsci

Running challengeAdvanced Technical Specialist Beverley Dodgson in IT Services has been hot footing it over to America.She started the year with a holiday to Florida to take part in the runDisney Goofy Challenge marathon weekend. The event involves completing 5K, 10K half marathon and full marathon distances on consecutive days around the various Disney Theme parks.Not content with this achievement Beverley is heading out to California to take part in the equivalent Pixie Dust Challenge in May – she says it is worth it for the bling!

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Digging deep for toy appeal

Hundreds of new and second hand toys were handed in at the West Lothian Civic Centre and at various Xcite centres around West Lothian.The appeal, which is now in its 31st year, benefits a large number of West Lothian children from the families in most need of assistance. Referrals

originate from various sources such as Citizens Advice Bureaus, Health Visitors, Social Workers, Family Centres and Homeless Units.The appeal is organised by the River Kids charity, and for more information please visit www.westlothiantoyappeal.org.uk

Staff were able to make a donation to receive both Christmas and New Year e-cards to send to friends, colleagues and family instead of normal cards.Over £1,500 was collected and split between

the Open Door Accommodation Project and Newlands Supported Accommodation, who provide accommodation, information and support to some of the most vulnerable young people in West Lothian.

Double success for e-card

Rachel is running the 10k race at this year's Edinburgh Marathon Festival, to raise money for The National Autistic Society and to also raise awareness of Autism, ASD and Aspergers Syndrome."This charity is particularly close to my heart as my son Charlie has Aspergers Syndrome," said Rachel."Charlie is an awesome, unique and very handsome little boy, but unfortunately some way or another he struggles on a day-to-day basis due to his Aspergers."Rachel has never done a run of any sort before, hence the need for her intense training. But she's determined to make it all the way to the finishing line."There are many approaches, therapies and interventions which can improve an individual's quality of life,"

she added."My aim is to raise money to allow the likes of Charlie's friends, family, teachers, football coaches, future employers, or anyone that comes into contact with him, to have an awareness and understanding of this condition, allowing everyone with Aspergers the opportunity to reach their full potential but with support, and also help the person or family who provide that support."I am very lucky and grateful to be surrounded by a great network of friends and family who support my little family in so many ways."However other families aren't so fortunate, but the National Autistic Society can provide support and advice which can be invaluable."

Marathon effort for autismShe hasn't quite managed to run to her work yet, but Rachel Fry, a clerical worker with the Support at Home Services team, based at Strathbrock Partnership Centre, can be found pounding the streets round her Bathgate home most evenings of the week.

Furry residents of West Lothian were in for a treat, as the Cat and Dog Appeal 2014 attracted hundreds of donations from big hearted council staff.

Food, toys, blankets and money were all handed into the appeal, which helps needy and vulnerable animals in West Lothian. Donations were handed over to the West Lothian Cats Protection, and the Dogs Trust, who were both very grateful for the contributions.

Help for cats and dogs

2014 unwrapped a whole lot of surprises for the West Lothian Toy appeal, as contributions from generous donors flooded in.

Two local good causes have been helped by the council’s Festive e-card appeal.

toy appeal

Rachel has set up a JustGiving page at the following link:https://www.justgiving.com/Rachel-Fry/

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After reaching for the stars, when he was lead singer and rhythm guitarist in a number of bands, John now spends much of his time looking up at them as his interest in astronomy grows.Keen to encourage more people to take up the hobby, John has recently set up a star-gazing site www.lothianastronomy.co.uk where he hopes people will submit their night-sky photography."The site is not bogged down in technical jargon," said John, "and there is also a tutorial section, so hopefully it will help people take more of an interest."I want to fill the gallery as much as possible."John, who became a dad for the first time, in December, says he used to spend his time looking up at the sky, with his head sticking out the tent, when he went camping. His appetite was further whetted when his brother got a telescope.From there, John developed his interest in astronomy, purchasing his own telescopes and cameras. He still recalls how excited he was the first time he managed to capture Jupiter. "What a feeling it was," he added.John said that now is the best time of the year for astronomy. "There's not much point in the summer when it's too light," he explained. "I am still learning, and I would encourage others who are also interested to go onto the website or check our Facebook page at LothianAstro."He also urged would-be astronomers to watch the BBC Stargazing Live programme, which will be broadcast in March.

The award was retained through the work of HWL Steering Group, which was set up to support services and the council in developing and delivering agreed action plans to improve and support employee health. The role of group includes working with their services to develop, deliver and co-ordinate employee health activities and promotions, working with Human Resources to analyse sickness absence trends to identify particularly areas of health concern in relation to occupational groups, and working with the other members of the HWL Steering Group to develop and deliver council wide health activities normally focused around employee health weeks.It has representatives from every council service including: Chris Keenan (HR); Scott Jones (Housing, Construction and Building Services); Gosia Lawes (Planning and Economic Development); Linda Callaghan and Margaret Walker (Operational Services); Angela Jenkins (Area Services); Kate Marshall (Social Policy); Sharon Leitch (Finance & Estates); Stuart Forrester (Education); Vivian Spencer (Corporate Services); Tara McLaren representing the non-teaching Trade unions; and Barry McMahon from the teaching trade unions.

More focus on supporting employee healthAction plans to help each service improve the health of their employees are being prepared.As part of a drive to take a more proactive and strategic approach to supporting employee health, action plans will be integrated with other planned actions such as focus groups to review employee survey results or relevant health and safety actions.The Employee Health and Wellbeing

Framework, agreed in June 2014, sets out a process for developing Employee Health Profiles for each functional area to be refreshed annually. The profile considers a range of information such as the age and gender of the workforce; sickness absence information; accidents/incidents reports; identified occupational issues/ hazards and what arrangements are in place for managing these concerns; employee communication and engagement; and general health issues identified.

Gold award for health group

Sky’s the limit for JohnA camping trip as a youngster led to a life-long hobby for John Green, electrical technician with the Void Team at Whitehill, Bathgate.

West Lothian Council has retained the Healthy Working Lives (HWL) Gold Award.

The council’s corporate training programme regularly offers events such as Stress Less, Personal Safety at Work and Managing Positive Relationships at Work that supports a healthy workplace. Information can be found on the intranet and on noticeboards.

The council offers self-referral counselling and physiotherapy to employees free of charge. This service can be accessed online at via www.westlothian.gov.uk/ article/2195/HR-Forms or through ‘mytoolkit’ under HR Forms. If you have no internet access, please contact HR on 282222 for assistance.

Employees will have several opportunities at various council sites to have free ‘Body

Checks’ conducted by NHS nurses. There will be an employee health week

in late spring/ summer that will provide employees with the opportunity to engage in health activities and events, as well as providing health promotion information.

There will also be specific health promotions to support employees including ‘No Smoking Day’ on the 11 March 2015 and ‘Cycle to Work Day’ on the 3 September 2015. For more information, please visit www.nosmokingday.org.uk/im-supporting-people-quitting/ or www.cycletoworkday.org/

Healthy Working Lives events and health promotion in 2015

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Congratulations to…Lesley Henderson, who has recently been appointed as HR (Human Resources) Services Manager.

Eddie Mahon from Housing’s Homeless Assessment team on achieving his

half century.

Joanne Reilly, Allocations Officer in Housing, on both her engagement and her daughter Rebecca’s acting debut in River City.

Mandy Armit from the Civic Centre Admin Team on the safe arrival of baby Brodie on 18 January, 7lb 11oz.

Revenues Officers Jillian Muir and Hazel Bennie on their recent engagement to their respective partners.

Tom Henderson, Category Manager with the Corporate Procurement Unit, on achieving his Master of Laws degree from the University of Nottingham recently. Tom was

awarded a LLM Public Procurement Law & Policy with Merit.

Finance and Estates apprentices Kerr Anderson, Aaron Fraser, Nicola Gray and Abbey Rafferty, who have all completed their SVQ 2 in Business and Administration. All four apprentices received a ‘Shining Star’ letter of praise from West Lothian College for the quality of their work.

Revenues Officer Louise Spencer completed her IRRV qualification from the Institute of Revenues Rating and Valuation.

Welcome to…Karen McMahon, who has recently joined the Civic Centre Admin Team as Admin Assistant to Elaine Cook and Jim Cameron. She replaces Jacqui Kerr, who takes on a new role as Support Assistant for the Provost and Civic Office.

Proceeds went to Motor Neurone Disease and local MacMillan Nurses Centre at St John’s.

The ‘Great Revenues Bake-Off’ competition raised money to buy 111 toys for the West Lothian Toy Appeal. Organised by Sarah Hollins from Revenues, the event saw staff baking goods to compete for the top prizes. They were sold off once the judging was completed, and alongside raffle tickets sales, helped raised £503.26 for the appeal.

Finance and Estates Services raised £345 for the West Lothian Toy Appeal over the festive period which enabled them to buy 56 toys for children aged between three months and pre-teen. Special thanks to Caroline Murphy and Michelle Shergold for taking the time to organise the collection and buy the various gifts.

As a local authority, we are bound by the Public Bodies Climate Change Duties to monitor and reduce our emissions. To achieve these targets, climate change and sustainability are embedded within the governance structure of the council, driven by the Climate Change and Sustainability Working Group and the Environment Forum.There are a wide range of climate change-related projects underway, aiming to reduce both corporate and area-wide emissions, including renewable energy projects, energy efficiency,

air quality monitoring and improvement, better waste management and recycling, sustainable travel development, and green space regeneration projects. In addition, a number of adaptation projects are underway in order to ensure that our natural, built and social environments are equipped to withstand the effects of our changing climate. Some highlights include the Severe Weather Plan and Local Flood Risk Management Plan as well as a number of peatland restoration, woodland expansion and meadow management projects.

Taking on Climate Change

The Civic Centre Admin Team would like to thank staff and colleagues for helping them raise £840 on December 10th at their fund raising event.

Helping hand

Your news

For a comprehensive insight into everything that the council is doing to mitigate and adapt to climate change, please see the annual Scotland’s Climate Change Declaration Report, which can be found on the council’s Climate Change web pages. To find out how you can contribute, visit www.westlothian.gov.uk/green-impact

The council is committed to taking measures to help mitigate and adapt due to the impact of climate change

We are always keen to receive suggestions for articles or features, and photography. For details on future deadlines for Inside News contact: Corporate Communications, West Lothian Civic Centre, Howden South Road, Livingston, EH54 6FF

01506 282006 media@westlothian.gov.uk

The West Lothian Faith Handbook highlights the needs and influences of different faith communities for local employers, members of the community and those delivering services locally, in order to create a deeper sense of understanding of faith groups within West Lothian.Subjects covered in the handbook include an outline of foods, fasting and customs around death, mainly points of sensitivities. The handbook can be found online at www.westlothian.gov.uk/community-engagement.The guide was developed by members of the West Lothian Faith Group, supported by the

West Lothian Community Planning Partnership (CPP).The West Lothian CPP, which is made up for 15 organisations working in West Lothian including the council, police and NHS, recently received a glowing report from the Accounts Commission.They said the CPP has made good progress in improving outcomes for people living in West Lothian, especially in relation to the economy, community safety and aspects of health and wellbeing. Plans in are in place to develop the partnership further by agreeing an ambitious improvement plan and an event in Summer 2015 to celebrate partners’ achievements.

A new service aims to help unwanted office equipment and furniture find a good home.

Anyone looking to get rid of or find second-hand office materials should first register on a web-based office swap shop called WARPit at www.warp-it.co.uk/westlothiancouncil.Waste Services has launched the service to help advertise and claim items for reuse within the workplace. This can be anything from furniture to folders, so it’s great for getting rid of items after an office clear out or if you are going to be moving office or building.You can even create a wishlist so that the system will notify you if an item you are looking for becomes available. The responsibility for collection of items is with the person who claims them.

As the only council-wide staff publication, it’s important that Inside News reflects council news, staff stories and achievements from the wide-range of different services across the council. Please help us to continue to develop Inside News by telling us your views by taking the Inside News 2015 Survey at www.westlothian.gov.uk/corporatecommunications

Faith handbook launchesA new guide aims to promote inter-faith working in West Lothian.

EARTH HOUR 2015West Lothian is set to join millions of people around the globe marking Earth Hour 2015.

At 8:30 pm on Saturday 28 March, millions will switch off their lights for one hour in a spectacular display of support for action on climate change and for a more sustainable future. In what is becoming an Earth Hour tradition, West Lothian Council will team up with Historic Scotland to switch off the lights at Linlithgow Palace. The council has also pledged to be a Super Local Authority by aiming to get as many people as possible involved. Sign up at earthhour.wwf.org.uk to take part and see a map of participants in your area. The website also has many suggestions for things to do during the hour of darkness, be it on your own, or with family, friends or your community. For more information about getting involved, or to share your Earth Hour story, please contact environment@westlothian.gov.uk.

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Joanna Anderson with Reverend Robin Hines