october monthly 2016 - morayinterchange.moray.gov.uk/downloads/file108136.pdfbrighter than it is....

monthly

October2016

EditorialWelcome to October’s Connect!

Our cover story shines a light on the great work being done by our street lighting team in installing energy-efficient lamps across Moray. This is part of a multi-million pound programme that will save nearly four times that, and thank goodness someone’s got a head for heights!

Elsewhere in the magazine there’s some great examples of your generosity in helping colleagues and others in need, from walking to Russia to getting a haircut, proving that even in these budget-focussed times we can still be ready to help out.

Talking of budget matters, there’s still a couple of weeks to go before we finish taking suggestions via our social media and the internal ‘Bright Ideas’ staff scheme via HR.

And don’t forget, we’re always on the lookout for stories and news about what you’re getting up to, so call or email the team at Connect anytime! [email protected]

Cheers!The Ed

Dear Colleagues,

As you may have noticed, the council has been using Facebook as part of its campaign to encourage wider participation in community engagement. Maybe you have taken the opportunity to comment yourself? It certainly grabbed the attention of the local papers, although it was unfortunate that one editor chose to interpret part of the exchange as a council proposal to build a new super school!

tEam ConnECtPeter JonesCommuniCations offiCer

Raymond ShewanPubliC relations Coordinator

Jess Barbier-MarsdenProjeCt offiCer

Angus McNicholldesigner

Contributors this monthSimon Dix and Jane Fordyce

Using social media has certainly increased the number of people engaging with the council and hopefully this will translate into more views being submitted as to which services the public value the most. There has never been such a good opportunity to influence the future direction of the council nor, given the financial constraints, has there ever been such an important time to contribute to the debate.

Experience over the last 12 months would indicate that councillors are unlikely to make any radical changes to council budgets for 2017/18, but there is a commitment to do as much work as possible to pave the way for the tough decisions that the new council will have to make following the elections in May next year. There is still time to have your say on council priorities – forms can be submitted online, at council libraries, offices and schools by 14 October. Views expressed by this time will form a vital part of the information to be used by existing councillors and the new council to balance the budget over the next few, very challenging years.

We have had a number of good ideas from the staff suggestion scheme, but I’m sure there are more and bigger ideas out there. If you have not yet committed your ideas to paper or email please do so as soon as possible so that senior managers and

councillors have the benefit of our collective brain power.

I’m writing this from the train as I return from Edinburgh where earlier today (Thursday 29 Sept) I accompanied our Council Leader, Cllr Cree, at a meeting with Scotland’s Finance Minister.

The Minister listened to and acknowledged the position we presented and has asked that we keep him informed of progress. He was clearly concerned at the potential for the council not to be able to balance the budget for 2018/19 and has asked us to do some work benchmarking against other councils so that he can understand why we are the only council currently presenting such a case.

From conversations with colleagues in other councils we don’t believe we are alone in this regard and will do some more work to update our comparisons against other councils and encourage them to join us in highlighting the financial shortfall faced by local government.

Keep reading Connect and follow us on Facebook, or sign up our newsroom to stay abreast of developments.

Mark PalmerCorPorate direCtor

2 The Moray Council’s Staff Magazine

mailto:connectnews%40moray.gov.uk?subject=Connect%20October%202016

The nights are drawing in, and at the end of the month the clocks will go back – but Moray’s streets and paths will be brightly lit thanks to the installation of new, money-saving, eco-friendly LED streetlights.

“During a trial in May, 270 lanterns were replaced with the new LED lamps, generating a saving of 48,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity – that’s £5,600 in just one month!”

The LEDs use a group of highly energy efficient, tiny light emitting units (diodes) grouped together to provide a light source. The typical lifespan of an LED streetlight is estimated at around 100,000 hours – or 25 years – which is a huge improvement on the current streetlights, which have a typical lifespan of up to five years. In total, over 17,500 lamps are being replaced with the environmentally-friendly, energy-efficient LED units over the next five years.

We are investing in a ‘spend to save’ scheme over the next five years to reduce our electricity bills for street lighting. All of the old-style sodium orange and yellow street lamps currently in use across Moray will be replaced by more efficient and long-lasting light-emitting diode (LED) units, which emit a more targeted, whiter light using less power. This saves money and helps the environment.

Connect visited the street lighting crews in Fochabers as they made the changes, and they ‘enlightened’ us about their work (geddit?).

“We’re just at the start of the project,” said Vince Woods, Lighting Supervisor.

Our own Jess interviewing Vince Woods on-site

During the trials we saved 48,000 kilowatt hours (kWh) of electricity – that’s £5,600 in just one month!

Vince Woods, Lighting Supervisor

3Connect Monthly — October 2016

Because of the blue content in the LEDs, the human eye perceives LED light as being brighter than it is.

Vince Woods, Lighting Supervisor

Once completed, the street lighting programme – costing in the region of £5.5m – should save us approximately £20m in electricity costs over the next 20 years, reducing energy use by around 50% as well as carbon emissions by approximately 2,000 tonnes. The eco-friendly lights dim between 12:00 am to 6:00 am when there is less traffic: the difference is hardly noticeable to the eye but energy usage decreases by up to 50%.

“Because of the blue content in the LEDs, the human eye perceives LED light as being brighter than it is – but it’s not actually brighter, it just looks it,” Vince explains. “The LED lights use less energy and put light in the right place. With the current sodium lamps, light ‘spills’ everywhere, for example into gardens and bedrooms – but with the LEDs, we can reduce light pollution.”

In Findhorn, light pollution in the form of ‘sky glow’, or the orange ‘glow’ around urban areas created by excess light, is hardly noticeable anymore now that the new lamps are in place.

bEforE and aftErPictured left is one of the old yellow sodium lights, while below is one of the newly fitted LED lamps.


A survey went to communities before the programme started, and Findhorn responded very well so it was natural to use it as the first site.

Steve MacKenzie, a road worker who has been seconded to the electricians, and has been with Moray Council for seven years, said: “There’s been a lot of feedback from the public, especially in Dufftown which is nearly finished and we’ve done much of Tomintoul. You can see the street better. The people in Findhorn were very positive and quite liked the idea of the white lights and LEDs.”

Steve drives the vehicles, makes sure the electricians have what they need and makes sure the vehicles are equipped with the correct equipment.

He’s working with electrician David Eddie, who when we caught up with them was braving the heights of a mobile elevating work platform to fit the replacement lights to a string of heritage-style streetlamps in Fochabers High Street. David and Steve are part of a 13-strong operational crew carrying out the street lighting programme, supported by eight members of staff in supervisory and administrative functions.

The team will be working together to keep the LED replacement programme continuing throughout the winter, apart from times of severe weather, to light up our nights across Moray.

For more information visit www.moray.gov.uk/LED and click on the FAQs link.

There’s been a lot of feedback from the public, especially in Dufftown which is nearly finished

Steve MacKenzie, Road Worker


http://www.moray.gov.uk/LED

http://www.moray.gov.uk/LED

PaysliP EnquiriEsWe mentioned earlier in the year the importance of checking your payslip.

Due to restrictions from HMRC, the council can only correct your pay up until the point before it reaches your bank account.

To clarifyThe cut off point for this is 10am the day before pay day. After this point payments are unable to recall or adjust any payments so any amendments would be made in the next pay.

star awardsThe STAR Award nomination period is now closed, thank you for sending in your nominees. We are excited to be launching the very first Colleagues Choice Award and we need YOUR vote! Look out for nominee and voting information which is LIVE now…

REMEMBER TO VOTE FOR YOUR FAVOURITE

The winner of the The Colleagues Choice Award (along with the Chief Executive’s Award for Excellence) will be announced and presented at the Ceremony in November and publicised soon after.

Voting is electronic, copy and paste this link into your browser: www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/tmccc16

Check Now!

some pics from the staff conferences...


https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/tmccc16

https://www.surveymonkey.co.uk/r/tmccc16

RiskManagement9

Risks are a part of everyday life and we all consciously and subconsciously assess, manage and mitigate those risks on a daily basis.

The council likewise needs to manage and mitigate the risks it faces. The way in which it does this affects its success in achieving stated objectives and in delivering services. It has never been more important to ensure that service delivery is directed in an efficient and cost effective way.

The council’s appetite for risk is that it should be managed rather than avoided. Innovative solutions are encouraged, the most obvious current example being the consultation exercises taking place on the need to secure savings. While these solutions will often involve risk, they can be progressed with full awareness and management of the risks that present.

The council’s policy on risk requires managers at all levels to identify and control risk and opportunities in all their activities and areas of responsibility. This involves proactively identifying, recording and managing risk to secure best use and prioritisation of resources in relation to day to day operations, major projects and when considering development options.

Managers also have a responsibility to regularly review and update risk registers, to monitor the effectiveness of the risk mitigation measures, and to ensure risks likely to impact on the continuing delivery of essential services are incorporated into business continuity plans.

Further information on risk management is available on the intranet in the Council’s Risk Management Strategy, Policy and guidance documents.

Risk management makes good business sense because management of risk is inseparable from effective management of performance. The benefits of effective risk management are:

ཟ Better informed decision making

ཟ Improved customer services and better outcomes

ཟ Improved strategic, operational, and financial management and value for money

ཟ Enhanced reputation and securing trust from the communities and citizens we serve

ཟ Enhanced resilience and

ཟ Improved compliance, with risk management being an integral part of good corporate governance.

Successful management of risk allows the council to move forward and develop in a positive way. Risk arises as much as from failing to capture opportunities when pursuing policy objectives, as it does from the threat that something bad will happen.


Waste management staff at the Ashgrove depot have been recognised by the Royal Society for the Prevention of Accidents after setting up their own training team.

They have run a number of safety training courses for frontline staff within the section, including one on manual handling endorsed by RoSPA.

recognition

The trainers themselves put in a substantial amount of time and effort in successfully completing the courses through a mix of classroom sessions and distance learning.

It now means that staff within the section are receiving safety training of the highest standard.

Waste management officer Steve Williamson is seen presenting a RoSPA award to recycling assistant Fiona Burnett as two other recipients, Ally Gordon and Mike Neary, look on.

Other staff members making up the training team are Jennifer Fulton, Stuart Dey and John Ross.

Safety is never a waste


Carbon Connect

Did you know that the energy we used in our schools in Moray last year cost over £1.5 million?

This also resulted in 7,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide being emitted into the earth’s atmosphere – just from schools in Moray. 7,000 tonnes of carbon dioxide would fill Hampden Football Stadium three times.

Could your school be more careful about the energy you use? Could you make a difference?

Our energy provider EDF Energy is promoting the Switch off Fortnight Campaign in November 2016 and you can find out more information by looking at their website – Join The Pod. The first 2,500 schools to sign up across the UK will receive a free resource pack including badges, stickers and posters.

So far, we have four schools in Moray signed up to Switch off Fortnight – New Elgin, Craigellachie Primary, West End Primary and Elgin Academy. Their Eco-groups have committed to making a special effort over this fortnight to switching off the equipment they are not using and paying more attention to the amount of energy they use in their school.

The Energisers at

Craigellachie Primary

School

14th - 27th November

The Moray Council Energy Team also have useful resources to help your school to take part. If you would like an energy workshop to coincide with Switch Off Fortnight email us [email protected] to arrange a date.

I


http://jointhepod.org/home

mailto:energy%40moray.gov.uk?subject=Switch%20Off

mailto:energy%40moray.gov.uk?subject=Switch%20Off

Mark Ewen, the husband of our own Design Coordinator Ishbel, was diagnosed with Secondary Progressive Multiple Sclerosis (SPMS) 10 months ago, a chronic autoimmune disease with no known cure.

Symptoms have progressivly worsened to the point that Mark has had to give up his work and is now unable to walk any distance. The progressive nature of the disease means that symptoms will only get worse.

But there is hope. Mark has been accepted to receive life changing Hematopoitic Stem Cell Treatment (HSCT) in Moscow, Russia. This treatment is not free however, with the programme costing... £40,000.

The Corporate Policy Unit and the Community Support Unit have chosen to help raise funds for Mark’s treatment

by doing what he cannot... covering the distance from Rothes to Moscow (2,347 miles), by walking,

jogging, running, swimming or cycling the distance by Saturday 08 October.

If you would like to show your support, please make a donation by dropping whatever you can into the Piggy Bank in Room 207 at HQ, or online by donating at: www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/mark-ewen-3

Latest Progress (day 5 of 15)

Averaging out the mileage gave a Day 5 target of 782 miles, the team (25 participating) have walked, cycled, jogged, danced and swam 958 miles, 41% of the way there; ahead of target!

So far, we’ve crossed the Channel, stopped off for a quick history lesson at Dunkirk, popped into Belgium to scoff chocolate and admired the diamonds in Antwerp, got on our bikes through the Netherlands and now reached Dortmund. Tomorrow we continue across Germany and onwards to Moscow!!

cday 5


http://www.justgiving.com/crowdfunding/mark-ewen-3



Changing Track

We’re excited to share that your brand new communication station will soon be ready for exploring. The interchange, your new intranet, will launch this month (October) and we’ve a future packed full of dynamic and interactive content in store.

We asked in a previous edition of Connect what you wanted and need from a new intranet, and what improvements we could make to give you a better user experience. We’ve also had feedback through conversations with admin staff and managers in various sections – thank you for your input so far.

You told us:

ཟ What you need regular access to

ཟ To minimise clicks to help you find information sooner

ཟ You want easy-to-locate policies, procedures and guidance

ཟ To have FAQs visible on the homepage

ཟ You’d like corporate newsletters available

ཟ A logical layout is vital

ཟ A search function is one of the most important additions we could introduce

ཟ Up-to-date information is a key priority for you

ཟ The interchange should be mobile-friendly

ཟ Consistency should be ensured across the site

ཟ Quick access to CLIVE would be a bonus

ཟ Facilities information is used day-to-day

ཟ Staff communications should be grouped together

We’ll have these suggestions in place for launching in October, with further developments such as improving the social space and phone book planned for further phases. We’ll also be migrating more content over to the interchange from the current intranet, with input from all services involved.

We’ve produced a list of Q&As you may have about the interchange, and what will happen with the current intranet. You’ll find this on the intranet front page.

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Valid via any premitted route

Internet

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Changing Track!

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Oct–16

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Valid via any premitted route

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Adult Standard Class

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Anytime Access

14092016–1996–2016–14–01 . 00

Changing Track!

Valid everyday from

to

Date of travel

Oct–16


Good morninG CoffEE

Two members of staff in the corporate policy unit took a 20-mile diversion as they pedalled to the office on National Cycle to Work Day.

The daily commute for Louise Marshall and Carl Bennett, both of whom live in Elgin, is normally only a mile-and-a-half or so and usually takes about 10 minutes.

Colleague Bob Ramsay, on the other hand, has taken to cycling to and from his home in Portessie, 18 miles from council headquarters, setting off at 6.30am every morning.

So in a show of solidarity and in a spirit of camaraderie, Louise and Carl got up at the crack of dawn and cycled to meet Bob halfway and act as outriders for the rest of his journey to work.

“Our daily commute is nothing compared to Bob’s and since it was National Cycle to Work Day we thought it would be a nice gesture to give Bob some company,” said Louise.

“It was a lovely morning when we met Bob at Garmouth and the three of us had a great time cycling along together.”

takinG thE lonG way round

Last Friday’s coffee morning in aid of Macmillan Cancer Support raised a fantastic £869.

The event in the canteen area of the annexe building was very well supported as usual and the organisers would like to extend a heartfelt ‘thank you’ to everyone who helped make it such a success.

Louiseand Carl

Bob


Employee development worker Grant Edwards sacrificed his collar-length locks as part of a fund-raising effort to buy his daughter Isla a good quality wig.

Grant had his head shaved during a coffee morning organised by colleagues in the employment support service based in the HQ annexe.

The shearing was done by colleague Brenda Weaver – a hairdresser for 20 years in a previous incarnation – with help from 12-year-old Isla, who has suffered from alopecia since she was a toddler.

Isla has had a number of hairpieces which have served the purpose as she has grown up but as her teenage

years approach she has become increasingly keen to get a good quality, properly fitting wig.

Her dad’s workmates quickly rallied round and began fund-raising, with the coffee morning and sponsored head shave raising around £1200.

A big crowd gathered to witness Grant losing his locks and to sample some of the delicious homemade cakes and goodies donated by colleagues.

GrEat PErformanCEWell done to Ann Hay who completed the Great North Run in three hours and 20 minutes. But more importantly she and husband Simon, who clocked two hours 20, raised more than £1200 for Macmillan Cancer Care.

It was their first attempt at the Great North Run, a half-marathon held annually in Northumberland and one of British sport’s biggest participation events.

“It was an amazing experience,” said Ann, who is an assistant community care development officer at Spynie. “It was very hot on the day but the support along the whole route was incredible.”


Two members of staff have taken their leave of employment support services.

Patty Innes was with the council for 14 years in total, latterly with Greenfingers where she was presented with gifts and flowers.

Meanwhile clerical assistant Anna-Marie Cleminson (right), who has been with EES for almost a year, has left to go to college.

Chris Hall has retired from the public transport unit after 16 years and was given a send-off by colleagues Sharon McGlinchey, Carole Dawson and Donald MacRae (right). Chris, who was planning officer for community transport, joined the council on the same day as Donald.

Depa

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Waste ManagementThe council has had to review its waste management strategy to help it achieve targets and becoming more efficient.

Why?

Landfill tax currently costs the council over £2M per year – the more we reduce the waste in bins the lower this figure will become.

On average the waste collected from each green bin costs around £1 in landfill tax alone.

We need to future proof our service to ensure it can accommodate proposed service alterations and waste streams.

The council needs to reduce its annual spend by £12m, so to help we must be as efficient as possible.

The council has a legal duty to arrange for the collection and disposal of household waste and in a manner which produces a high quantity and quality of recyclable material.

Biodegradable waste will be banned from landfill on 01 January 2021.

We have to meet the Scottish Government’s Zero Waste Plan targets:

ཟ 60% by 2020 ཟ 70% by 2025 ཟ Maximum residual waste of 25%

to Energy from Waste facilities by 2025

ཟ Maximum 5% residual waste to landfill by 2025

Action!

Moycroft Rationalisation: We’re proposing to move the waste management operation in Elgin from the current cleansing depot at Brumley Brae and our materials recovery facility at Lossiemouth to a redeveloped site at Moycroft, which will be extended to cater for this. It may also be possible to move Environmental Protection operations there from Ashgrove.

Dallachy Landfill: Only has capacity for residual waste until 2020, and must cease acceptance of waste by 2021. As a landfill it will close but will remain for the foreseeable future as a storage and transfer site, as well as a recycling centre.

Energy from Waste: The Moray Council, Aberdeenshire Council and Aberdeen City are working together to develop an Energy from Waste (EfW) facility in Aberdeen. The plant is designed to generate both electricity and heat to a distribution network. If approved it is not likely to be operational before 2022, so we’ll have to find an alternative disposal outlet for the intervening period between Dallachy closing and the EfW opening.

Intervention Campaign & Recycling Aspirations: We are one of the top performing authorities in Scotland with a recycling rate in 2015 of 57.4% - great work! However, as up to 50% of material in the household bins and 35% in recycling centre skips is recyclable – but still goes to landfill – we’ve got more to do.

Our intervention campaign was created to address this problem. Diverting further material from landfill through a combination of publicity, education, better service delivery and making them easier to use.

How can you help?

Full participation will maximise recycling, reduce waste going to landfill and ultimately reducing costs.

Council staff can have a key role encouraging friends, family and acquaintances to make full use of the recycling services available.

All comments and suggestions to assist would be most welcome and can be submitted through the staff suggestion scheme ‘Bright Ideas’ or direct to the waste team.


noun1. an exchange, especially of ideas or information, between different people or groups

Your brand new intranet is coming...

...get on track in October 2016

october monthly 2016 - morayinterchange.moray.gov.uk/downloads/file108136.pdfbrighter than it is....

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