Strike Action and Scottish Borders Council Services - update
Sunday, August 10 2008
National strike action has had an impact on Council Services in the Scottish Borders but negotiations with the Unions has resulted in essential services being largely unaffected.
Householders will have experienced fairly widespread disruption to their bin uplift services. There were no uplifts today in the Kelso and Jedburgh areas and recycling collections have also been affected in Morebattle and Linton; Crailing, Eckford and Yetholm; Ancrum, Belses, Sandystones and Minto and the Roxburgh, Smailholm and Makerestoun areas.
Meanwhile, the Gala and Eshiels depot was working at nearly normal capacity so uplifts were largely carried out as normal in the Ettrick & Lauderdale and Tweeddale areas.
In order to have more vehicles dedicated to clearing the backlog of general waste over the next few days, recyclate collections in Roxburgh on Thursday and Friday have been cancelled. This will affect Hawick, Denholm, Hobkirk, Note’o’gate, Newcastleton to Bonchester road) & Newcastleton, Stichill, Ednam and Newtondon. In addition, the garden waste route which normally collects from Stirches and Silverbuthall in Hawick on Thursday will now happen on Friday instead.
General waste bins which have not been collected today will be collected later in the week. Householders should leave their bins out until they have been emptied.
An update of the situation in Berwickshire will follow and any further instructions to householders will be on the Council website and on Radio Borders.
Recycling Centres at Eshiels, Eyemouth and Selkirk are open as normal while Hawick, Langlee and Duns are closed.
Social work services in the Borders remain largely unaffected by today's strike action. All residential homes for children and the elderly remain open as normal and our area Social Care and Health offices remain open to the public.
The closures for today within social work services are Saltgreens, Jedburgh and Dunwhinny day centres for older people. Our Children & Families Offices in Kelso and Selkirk will be closed to the public while the Gala office will be dealing with emergencies only. Our Criminal Justice office in Gala is closed while the Selkirk office is operating but not open to the public. Coverage of court cases remains unaffected.
All Council contact centres are open as normal with the exception of Duns, which was a planned closure due to staff annual leave. Phonecalls to the office will be re-routed.
The Borders registrars service is operating to normal, advertised hours today.
The Council was aware by yesterday afternoon (Tuesday) of a number of necessary school closures and every effort was made to communicate this information to parents.
Primary schools closed today are: Ayton, Burnfoot, Earlston, Glendinning Terrace, Newcastleton, Reston, Stirches – but Stirches nursery class is open - Trinity, Howdenburn, Newtown St Boswells, Drumlanrig, Knowepark, Cockburnspath and Wilton.
Nursery classes closed are: Parkside, Coldstream and Chirnside
Secondary schools closed are: Earlston, Galashiels Academy, Hawick and Kelso
Additional Support facilities: Certain classes in Langlee Support Centre and Howdenburn School House are cancelled today.
All other schools are open as usual but there are no school lunches so parents have been advised to send their child to school with a packed lunch.
All schools will be open as normal on Thursday 21st August 2008.
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