Tag: Action Plan

Action Plan to tackle Meadows disorder

Councillor Adam McVey has outlined the action plan being put in place to prevent repeats of recent anti-social behaviour in the Meadows.

Council Leader Adam McVey said: “Following the appalling scenes at the Meadows last weekend we’ve been working closely with colleagues in Police Scotland to address the issues and put in place an action plan that will drive home the message that this anti-social behaviour will not be tolerated.

“It’s not just about preventing a repeat of what we saw last weekend but also tackling the various issues recently reported in the park and neighbouring streets. Everyone should remember that it’s currently illegal under the Coronavirus regulations to drink alcohol in public spaces.

“This weekend and over the coming weeks there will be additional patrols by our Park Rangers and Street and Environment Enforcement Officers who will hand out black bags, give advice on litter management and if necessary issue fines. There will also be increased presence of police officers and the Council’s CCTV resources to ensure the safety of everyone enjoying the park.  

“It’s important that everybody takes responsibility for their behaviour in our parks and considers fellow visitors to the park and neighbouring residents. Our parks have been hugely important to residents of the city throughout the last year and continue to be. We’re determined that the actions of a reckless minority will not spoil it for the majority and through our action plan we’ll ensure the Meadows can be enjoyed safely.”

Council actions include:  

  • The Council CCTV van will be deployed over the course of the weekend to provide a visible deterrent to any anti-social behaviour and to assist in gathering evidence if required.
  • Mobile CCTV cameras will be deployed to hotspots for street urination and defecation, with signs in place to warn against this behaviour.
  • The public toilets will continue to remain open until 8pm over the course of the weekend
  • Park Rangers and Street and Environment Enforcement Officers will be patrolling the Meadows to hand out black bags and advice on litter management. In addition, enforcement action will be taken (in the form of Fixed Penalty Notices) where littering offences are witnessed.
  • There will be increased street cleansing teams in the Meadows to carry out more regular litter picking. Regular inspections of the litter bins will take place throughout the day and additional emptying will take place if required.

Generation Equal: Scottish Government to be accountable for delivery of equality action plan

The First Minister’s National Advisory Council on Women and Girls (NACWG) has laid out its vision for the future in Scotland’s progress towards  gender equality, as it comes to the end of its initial three-year term. 

In a next steps report to First Minister Nicola Sturgeon MSP, the NACWG has laid out the rationale for developing a model which sees it move into an accountability and scrutiny role for a further three years to push forward the implementation of the systemic changes required to tackle gender inequality in Scotland.

Since 2017, the NACWG has worked with communities, activists, academics, leaders of public services, and members of the public in Scotland to explore gender inequality and produce a package of recommendations to be taken forward collectively to deliver tangible systemic change.

All recommendations from the first two NACWG reports have been accepted by the First Minister, with feedback yet to be presented on the latest report, published in January 2021. 

The NACWG has been clear from inception that it didn’t anticipate continuing with its current model indefinitely and, given the scope of the NACWG’s recommendations to date, it has now advised that the repeated annual submission of further recommendations at this level would be unhelpful, without taking time to take stock and allow them to be implemented and the consequences analysed.

The system needs time to adapt – especially if wholly inclusive intersectional gender mainstreaming is to remain the end goal for Scotland.

In its next phase, the NACWG suggests building on and upscaling existing accountability practices to assess the progress of the implementation of the recommendations and ensure these are taken forward as intended. 

Co-chair Louise Macdonald OBE said: “The First Minister asked the NACWG to be bold and to challenge the government and public services, private sector and public where required – and that’s exactly what we’ve done with the ambitious recommendations set out in our annual reports.

“The first iteration of the NACWG has delivered a strong package of recommendations but now, to ensure we continue our work to make Scotland a gender equal society, we believe the subsequent phase should focus on the scrutiny of the development of these recommendations.

“Systemic change requires time for any recommendations to bed in and we are not advocating for the next iteration of the NACWG to become “part of the system”. Instead, our aim would be to have a degree of independent oversight of implementation and assess impact so that at the end of this period there is a clear understanding of the successes, any unintended consequences, and whether further work is required.”

Louise added: “We didn’t recommend quick fixes or tweaks, but systemic change and we thoroughly understand that care needs to be taken and careful attention paid to implementation. 

“Every member of the First Minister’s Advisory Council on Women and Girls has considered it a privilege and an honour to be part of this work. We are proud of what we have achieved – but that pride is matched with a certainty there is much more to do to realise the transformational impact our recommendations could deliver, and a belief that through collective will, effective collaboration and shared ambition gender inequality CAN become a historical curiosity in Scotland.”

The decision around the next steps and remit for this work going forward sits with the First Minister.

Report link: 

https://onescotland.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/590637_SCT0321216300-001_p1.pdf

Coronavirus: Business as Usual … for now

CORONAVIRUS ACTION PLAN PUBLISHED

The Scottish Government, Welsh Government, Northern Ireland Executive, and the UK Government have today jointly published an Action Plan setting out a collective approach to the ongoing outbreak of coronavirus (COVID-19).

The Scottish Government has also published additional Scotland-specific guidance on its resilience and response arrangements, which provides further detail on how the response will be delivered and coordinated if there is a sustained epidemic.

First Minister Nicola Sturgeon said: “The Scottish Government and NHS Scotland are well-prepared to deal with a coronavirus outbreak. As well as the four nations’ Action Plan published today, we have also published tailored guidance for Scotland’s unique landscape.

“The Action Plan and the detail of our additional resilience arrangements for Scotland set out very clearly what we know so far about coronavirus, the different phases of managing an infection of this nature, what each phase means and the actions that have been or could potentially be taken at each stage.

“Much of this planning is based on reasonable worst case scenarios which will be refined as our understanding of the virus develops, but it is vital that we are well equipped to deal with all possibilities as this outbreak grows globally.

“We will continue to work closely with the UK Government, Welsh Government and the Northern Ireland Executive as part of a coordinated response to this virus.”

Health Secretary Jeane Freeman said: “Scotland is well equipped to deal with infections of this kind and health boards and social care services plan and prepare for a range of emergencies in order to minimise disruption as far as possible.

“We have a proven track record of dealing with challenging health issues and follow the highest safety standard possible to protect health and social care staff, patients and the public.

“The NHS has been specifically preparing for the possibility of further spread of coronavirus since it was first detected in Wuhan and today’s planning information outlines the processes and protections in place to ensure a coordinated response to this outbreak.”

Scottish Conservative shadow health spokesman Miles Briggs MSP said: “Understandably many people in Lothian are deeply concerned about whether the Scottish NHS will be able to cope with the extreme demands that the Coronavirus will place on it.

“Over the last six years we have seen a significant reduction in hospital beds with the loss of hundreds of acute hospital beds over a six year period.

“The worst case scenario outlined by SNP Ministers and the Chief Medical Officer suggests a high number of vulnerable patients will require hospitalisation. The SNP must therefore consider the worst case scenario and recommission NHS beds across the hospital estate urgently.

“It is the responsibility of all of us regardless of politics to make sure that guidance is followed to help protect individuals and families and to provide advice and assistance especially to the most vulnerable in our society.”

Prime Minister Boris Johnson told the press this morning: 

Good morning and thank you for coming along, and I am very glad to be joined this morning by the government’s Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Advisor.

Today we have published the Coronavirus Action Plan setting out how all four parts of the UK will take all necessary and reasonable steps to tackle this outbreak.

The plan has four strands. Containing the virus, delaying its spread, researching its origins and cure, and finally mitigating the impact should the virus become more widespread. That is, contain, delay, research, mitigate.

And let me be absolutely clear that for the overwhelming majority of people who contract the virus, this will be a mild disease from which they will speedily and fully recover as we’ve already seen.

But I fully understand public concern, your concern, about the global spread of this virus. And it is highly likely that we will see a growing number of UK cases.

And that’s why keeping the country safe is the government’s overriding priority. And our plan means we’re committed to doing everything possible based on the advice of our world leading scientific experts to prepare for all eventualities.

Let’s not forget – we already have a fantastic NHS, fantastic testing systems and fantastic surveillance of the spread of disease.

We will make sure the NHS gets all the support it needs to continue their brilliant response to the virus so far.

The plan does not set out what the government will do, it sets out the steps we could take at the right time along the basis of the scientific advice.

Our country remains extremely well prepared, as it has been since the outbreak began in Wuhan several months ago.

Finally, crucially, we must not forget what we can all do to fight this virus, which is to wash our hands, you knew I was going to say this, but wash our hands with soap and water. And forgive me for repeating this but there will be people who will be tuning into this for the first time: wash your hands with soap and hot water for the length of time it takes to sing Happy Birthday twice.

It’s simple advice but it’s the single most important thing we can do, as I think our experts would attest.

But at this stage, and with the exception of all of the points I have just mentioned, I want to stress that for the vast majority of the people of this country, we should be going about our business as usual.

Coronavirus_action_plan_-_a_guide_to_what_you_can_expect_across_the_UK

Council to launch Electric Vehicle Action Plan

Strategic charging zones for electric vehicles could be rolled out across the Capital as part of Edinburgh’s first Electric Vehicle Action Plan. The innovative zonal approach to charging hubs – believed to be the first of their kind in Scotland – are one of five key strategic objectives in the Council’s Action Plan, which will be considered by members of the Transport and Environment Committee today. Continue reading Council to launch Electric Vehicle Action Plan