When I wrote my column in the Spring edition last year, we were very much in the eye of the storm and adapting to a new ‘normal’.
The Covid-19 pandemic has affected us all but 12 months on, I hope we are now on the final furlong and that better times are ahead. We are all desperate for normality to return but please remain cautious and follow the guidelines. They are in place to guide us through this pandemic and by sticking with it we will get there sooner.
Again, I need to thank you for all your support during these tough times. We have all stuck together and collectively we have made a difference to our communities.
Please remember that there is help out there for you too. I appreciate that these unprecedented times have posed countless challenges and have taken their toll. There is a growing network of wellbeing warriors that provide 1-1 support, while our Livewell team is continually updating their activities and projects. Details are on Connects so please check these out. Please always reach out for support and help if you need it.
You will all be curious about what the future holds for office and home working. You will read more within Staff Talk but generally speaking we are working on what any new working arrangements will look like and building on what we have already learnt from the pandemic. Things will be different in the longer term but we believe they will be better for everyone and allow us to work in a safe and flexible environment.
I think we all recognise that our best way out of this pandemic is the vaccine and a huge thanks to our partners at the NHS for the incredible roll-out. What this pandemic has shone a light on is the incredible work the public sector is capable of. This has been seen throughout the last year and we should all be very proud of the way we’ve adapted to support others.
By the time Staff Talk is published, we will be a few weeks away from the Scottish Elections. This is a big undertaking for our Election team and volunteers in normal times but the pandemic has created an array of different scenarios which they have had to deal with. To their enormous credit, planning has gone well and we hope for another good turnout on 6 May. We can assure anyone with concerns that the election will be held in a safe and secure environment.
We set our Budget at the start of March. The full details of this are outlined within Staff Talk. I would like to thank all officers involved for helping us produce a fair budget not only for our communities but also for our staff. The budget also allows further investment in our priorities in our vision of a ‘Fairer North Ayrshire’.
When restrictions are lifted in the coming weeks, please support local businesses as much as possible. They have been through an awful lot these last months and their recovery will be instrumental to our economic recovery.
Thanks,
Craig