Councils £240k Fine Art and Museum Storage to protect areas heritage

In February 2013 an investment programme totalling £240k was approved. The Council committed £90k of funding over three years and external match funding of £150k was secured from partners.

In addition to conservation of the fine art assets; an important aspect of the programme was to promote public accessibility, creating an online interactive heritage portal, using maps, historic photographs and other artefacts to illustrate the heritage of West Dunbartonshire.

So far almost 30 paintings some up to 200 years old have been restored for public display under the Council project, with funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Museums Galleries Scotland. Eighteen paintings have gone on display in the Art of Restoration exhibition at Clydebank Museum and Art Gallery.

The exhibition runs from 28^th May to 13^th August this year.

Notes:

1. The £240k investment programme has helped to restore fine art and to make it more accessible to the public through exhibitions and digital access.
2. The funding allowed for improvements to the storage, conservation and accessibility of the Council’s fine art and heritage assets.
3. The programme involved a series of improvements across 3yrs to conserve the most valuable items within the collections, ensure environmentally controlled conditions, promote accessibility and allow works to be displayed to the public.
4. It created a centralised Collections and Archives Store, to house the Council’s museum’s collection, fine art, archives and the nationally recognised Sewing Machine Collection and Singer Archive.
5. It created an environmentally sustainable collections area meeting national specifications for Managing Environmental Conditions for Cultural Collections; and the Guide to the Storage and Exhibition of Archival Materials.
6. Museums Galleries Scotland provided funding towards the purchase and installation of Eco Space Pull-out Picture Racking, allowing WDC fine art collection to be stored in a secure and accessible hanging system. This increased accessibility to the collection for staff, the public and researchers.
7. Museums Galleries Scotland provided support towards a complete refurbishment of its Collections Store to create a comprehensive collections and archives centre, increasing collections care and access.
8. The sector standard environmental controls installed throughout the collections store means that WDC’s Nationally Recognised Sewing Machine Collections and Singer Archive and other museum collections, such as fine art and archives, are now protected for future
9. The creation of a new study and volunteer area will improve capacity for volunteer input and improve public access to the collections.
10. The Museums Galleries Scotland provided funding to support the remedial and preventative conservation work relating to WDC’s fine art collection.
11. The project enabled remedial conservation work to a significant proportion of the fine art collection and construction of a purpose built, environmentally controlled storage area.

 

Restored Fine Art Collection goes on public display for the first time

More than a dozen historic paintings that have been expertly restored to their former glory will go on show in a special exhibition next week.

Many of the artworks, which range in age from around 80 to nearly 200 years old, used to hang in the large country houses of West Dunbartonshire’s captains of industry and came to the Council in poor condition. Over the past four years the local authority, with grant funding from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Museums Galleries Scotland, has undertaken a major project to restore 28 paintings with a view to putting them on public display. Many will now go on show for the first time, while being preserved for future generations to enjoy.

A total of 18 paintings, including several landscapes of Dumbarton and the Vale of Leven as well as portraits of historic West Dunbartonshire industrialists and their families, will be on display in the Art of Restoration exhibition from Saturday, 28 May, at Clydebank Museum and Art Gallery. The remaining artworks will be exhibited by West Dunbartonshire Council in future shows.

Helen Denny, wife of Peter Denny of the Denny shipyard in Dumbarton, the Dixon siblings of the Dumbarton Glassworks Company, and Sir Iain Colquhoun of the Colquhouns of Luss are among those featured in the collection. Meanwhile local artist William Donnelley’s work will be represented in two eighteenth century watercolours, painted when industry on the Clyde was booming. Alongside the paintings a selection of photographs demonstrating how they were restored will be displayed, including some before and after images of the artworks themselves.

Councillor Michelle McGinty, the Council’s Educational Services Convener, said: “The Council is dedicated to preserving West Dunbartonshire’s cultural heritage for generations to come and, with assistance from the Heritage Lottery Fund and Museums Galleries Scotland, has been able to deliver on that with this ambitious restoration project. It is fantastic to see paintings featuring such important sites and residents from the area’s history, and I hope as many people as possible will go along to see them in their newly-restored state.”

Councillor John Mooney, Depute Convener, added: “Our exhibitions at Clydebank Museum and Art Gallery regularly attract well over 6,000 visitors and I am sure the Art of Restoration will be no exception. To be able to display such noteworthy paintings, many for the first time, is wonderful, and I must thank everyone in our Culture and Creative Learning team who has worked so hard to make it happen.”

The Art of Restoration exhibition will be on display at Clydebank Museum and Art Gallery from 28 May until 13 August 2016. The exhibition will be open from 10am until 4.30pm Monday to Saturday and will be free to enter.

Scottish Councils on track with Syrian Resettlement Programme

At a meeting of COSLA on Friday 27^th May, Council Leaders were provided with an update on the latest position with regard to the Syrian refugee resettlement programme.

The work that local authorities have done over a very short period of time has been nothing short of remarkable and has resulted in almost 800 refugees being resettled in Scotland since last Autumn.

When the UK Government announced the extension of their Syrian Vulnerable Persons Relocation Scheme (now known as the Syrian Resettlement Programme, or SRP) in September 2015, all 32 councils were very quick to express their support for the scheme and their willingness to be involved in whatever way they could.

As a result, by Christmas 2015, 16 Scottish local authorities had resettled 400 Syrian refugees.  This was 40% of the total number that had arrived in the UK.  By the end of May 2016, that number will have risen to close to 800 refugees across 28 local authorities, with a steady flow of up to 100 refugees arriving in Scotland every month.

The aim of resettling 10% of the UK’s total commitment by the end of the current UK Parliament, therefore, seems to be well within reach.

West Dunbartonshire Council like all Scottish Local Authorities is supporting refugees and is participating in the Vulnerable Persons Relocation programme assisting Syrians seeking sanctuary from a civil war.

The Council also accommodates other recognised refugees through the UK Gateway Protection Programme which is the UKs contribution to the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees global resettlement programme.

Notes:

1. COSLA secured an agreement that the resettlement should be local authority led and based on a voluntary contractual agreement between the Home Office and local authorities that have the capacity to receive refugees.
2. COSLA also secured multi-year funding for councils’ involvement in the scheme; a first for a humanitarian protection scheme of this nature.
3. At an operational level, the last eight months have seen COSLA’s Migration, Population and Diversity Team develop a significant body of work to support local authorities in their resettlement work.
4. In the first instance, this involved supporting them to make informed decisions about their participation and assisting them in planning the reception and integration of refugees, drawing upon existing expertise and best practice.
5. The COSLA SRP Officer Group has been the main mechanism by which this has been achieved. It initially met every three weeks, but more recently has moved to a six-weekly cycle and involves representation from all 32 councils in Scotland.
6. COSLA has also developed an online Knowledge Hub that allows key officers involved in local resettlement efforts to share information and documentation and ask questions of each other.
7. This has been a very successful means of sharing learning and resources and is a model that has now been replicated in other parts of the UK.

Modern Apprentice lands a job with the MOD

A Modern Apprentice was given an extra special 21st birthday present after landing a permanent job with the Ministry of Defence – just days after completing his training with the Council.

Craig Hutchsion, from Dumbarton, successfully completed a Level 2 Modern Apprenticeship in Sustainable Resource Management after spending a year working with the Council’s Waste Services section

It is the first time this Modern Apprenticeship has been offered by the Council and has proved extremely successful. Craig also gained an SVQ in Sustainable Resource Management – Waste Site Operative, having been supported by training provider Albion Environmental to complete his qualifications.

Former Our Lady and St Patrick’s pupil Craig, who lives in Castlehill, thoroughly enjoyed his year working with the Council and feels the skills learnt during this time helped him gain his new role with the MOD Police. He started his training with the MOD on 23 May – also his 21st birthday.

Craig said: “When I finished school I didn’t know what I wanted to do, and I went straight into a job at Kilmalid bottling plant. These shifts were really irregular and I wanted to get something more permanent. I saw the apprenticeship advertised with the Council and thought it was a great opportunity to get some hands-on work experience whilst also gaining a qualification.

“During the course of the apprenticeship I’ve worked in a number of the recycling centres dealing with waste and have also gained experience operating the yard. Other skills such as time-keeping, co-operation and team work have all definitely improved as a result of the work I’ve been doing.

“My apprenticeship really focused my mind on finding a career that was right for me and I’m excited about the new challenge with the MOD.”

The Council’s Modern Apprenticeships programme is delivered through the Working4U Service, offering 18-24-year-olds in West Dunbartonshire a route into work and the opportunity to gain a qualification.

A further £600,000 has been committed to this programme, which will provide over 100 young people with Modern Apprenticeships within the Council and private sector each year

Councillor Kath Ryall, Convener of Corporate Services, said: “I am delighted that Craig found his Modern Apprenticeship so beneficial and his story just goes to show what can be achieved. By developing real-life work experiences, this helps to build up the skills and knowledge that employers are looking for. We are committed to improving the life chances of young people throughout West Dunbartonshire and Modern Apprenticeships are an important part of the jigsaw. I wish Craig every success in his new career.”

Councillor Tommy Rainey, Vice Convener of Corporate Services, added: “There are a wide range of Modern Apprenticeship and training opportunities offered through the Council’s Working4U service and it is extremely pleasing to see them having a real impact on young people’s lives. In this tough economic climate it can often be difficult to find a route into work, so Modern Apprenticeships are a fantastic opportunity for our young people.”

Community Empowerment – Action On Old Kilpatrick (AOK)

 

 

 

 

 

 

A great example of community empowerment in Old Kilpatrick.

AOK_newsletter_02_May16

AOK are also on Facebook if you want to keep up to date with their activities: actionoldkilpatrick

Update on Data Protection Act Enforcement Notice from Information Commissioners Office (ICO)

An Enforcement Notice from the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO) which followed an investigation into the Council’s compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998.

In July 2014, the Council self-referred to the ICO after Legal Services had been advised by HSCP that the car of one of their employees had been broken into and a document including personal data which was contained in a bag had been stolen from the boot of the car along with other personal items.

On 26th April 2016, the Council received an Enforcement Notice from the ICO which followed an investigation into the Council’s compliance with the Data Protection Act 1998, following a security breach within HSCP on 21st July 2014. The areas noted by the ICO were:

• There is a mandatory data protection training programme for all staff (including news starters) and refresher training on an annual basis;
• Completion of such training is properly documented and monitored to ensure training is completed within an appropriate timeframe;

A home working policy is implemented to provide sufficient guidance for staff working remotely. A risk assessment should also be incorporated in the home working procedure to cover security of equipment.

Since the data breach incident was reported in 2014, there have been numerous contacts between the Council and the ICO before the Enforcement Notice was issued in 2016. During this time period, the ICO has requested responses and supporting evidence to a large number of questions that it has posed to allow them to investigate the breach further.

When the Enforcement Notice was received by the Council, there was a 28 day appeal period contained within to allow the Council to consider its position but the ICO released a press statement within two days of the notice without asking the Council for a response.

Part of the Enforcement Notice stated that “there is a mandatory training programme for all staff. This is in contrast to Legal Service’s response at the time of the audit which was for a “needs based’ approach which is dependent on identifying the relevant staff that handle personal data as a large part of their job”. This approach is comparable to most other local authorities and is the preferred option rather than embarking on a tick box exercise.

The Council is currently considering its position in relation to the appeal process and as well as taking in-house legal advice. The Data Protection Officer is also talking to other Scottish Local Authorities with a view to ensuring that the Council’s position is comparable to peers within the public sector.

It is anticipated that procedures for handling personal information and ICT security when working remotely or flexibly will be incorporated into guidance that OD are currently developing.

It should be noted that the Enforcement Notice was issued instead of a monetary penalty which could have been imposed with a sum of £500,000 being the maximum penalty.

The Enforcement notice followed enquiries dating back to the initial data loss in July 2014, but also referred to follow up from the Consensual Audit of Data Protection compliance which the Council underwent in January 2013, and which resulted in a finding by the Information Commissioner of “reasonable assurance” which is seen as being a very good outcome, despite the terminology.

In the response to the initial recommendations from the ICO Audit, the Council was very specific that its delivery would be targeted at specific staff – ‘A needs based’ data protection, information management and information security training will be delivered via the Council’s e-learning platform. This will be included as part of the induction process and a central log will be kept of all employees taking part. Specific awareness training will also be delivered council wide as required”.

Following the original recommendations, Legal Services began a process of compulsory Data Protection and Security training for all new staff through the induction process, and also identified staff groups through selective and discussion with the relevant services.

Examining the correspondence from the Information Commissioner’s office, the first reference to an apparent expectation that the Council would be providing Mandatory Training for all staff came in an email in July 2015, where the case officer enquired:- Is your data protection training a mandatory requirement for all staff and is refresher training provided periodically?” The Council’s response was: “The initial aim has been to prioritise front facing staff who handle personal data as well as staff whose duties include handling high volumes of personal data.”

It is the belief that whilst the Council was undoubtedly at fault for the loss of the data, as the Council are responsible for the actions of its employees, the terms of the Press Release gave a materially false impression, in that it suggested that the Council have been repeatedly told over years that there was to be mandatory training for each employee of the Council and that the Council have failed to address that demand.

There will undoubtedly be resource implications associated with the proposed changes to delivery and uptake of training. These will be quantified once it is determined the frequency; however a universal approach will inevitably mean loss of productivity to services during attendance.

There are no financial implications from the ICO in relation to this data breach however; there will be costs incurred by loss of productivity as staff who are identified as handling personal data are provided with time to review the data protection training via the e-learning platform. This will increase substantially if all staff are required to be subjected to this training.

Notes:

The Council has delivered face to face data protection and ICT Security training to around 1200 staff. This has focused on staff who handle personal data as part of their role such as our teams within customer services, housing maintenance, education, legal and regulatory services.”

Council invests £100,000 of funding in children and young people

Youth charities and groups across West Dunbartonshire are being invited to apply for a share of £100,000 to help improve the lives of hundreds of local young people.

As part of the Council’s commitment to supporting children and young people, £100,000 has been invested in a Youth Charities Fund to support existing groups with funding that enables them to deliver and improve their services.

The money, which is available this year, is designed to help groups deliver innovative new services, and provide long-term sustainable projects that will continue to thrive beyond the funding period.

This Fund is intended to supplement existing external funding for local organisations, by supporting them to enhance the services they currently provide for children and young people within West Dunbartonshire.

Councillor Kath Ryall, Convener of West Dunbartonshire Council’s Corporate Services Committee, said: “This funding will make a real difference to the lives of hundreds of local young people. As a Council, we are fully committed to improving the life chances of children and young people and this investment will go a long way to ensuring that every child in West Dunbartonshire is supported and encouraged to realise their full potential.”

Vice Convener, Councillor Thomas Rainey, added: “I would encourage local groups to apply for a share of this funding which will help them continue and improve the valuable work they do with our young people. This funding will be welcomed by the many youth groups which are dedicated to improving the lives of our young citizens to get the best start in life and grow into confident individuals.”

Applications for up to £100,000 and consortium bids will be considered and the successful applicant will deliver services across West Dunbartonshire. The funding will be available for one year to successful projects which must start in 2016/17.

For further information and an application form, please contact Corporate & Community Planning on 01389 737269 or email corporateandcommunityplanning@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Forms should be returned by Thursday, 30 June 2016.

Application forms will be assessed and scored by a scrutiny group and decisions to award funding will be made based on recommendations by the group.  It is intended that all applicants will be notified of the status of their application by 22 July 2016.

West Dunbartonshire pupils enjoy globetrotting adventures on far flung school trips

Pupils have travelled the globe and visited countries as far afield as America, Africa, Spain and Italy on school trips in the last year.

The area’s five secondary schools organised 18 overseas education trips to enhance pupils’ learning visiting New York, Philadelphia, Washington, Malawi, Morocco, Paris, Rome, Belgium, Germany, Holland, France, Spain, Sicily and Northern Ireland.

The trips included pilgrimages to iconic religious sites, skiing in the Swiss Alps and opportunities to converse in the local dialect in France.

Secondary school pupils also enjoyed outdoor pursuits during residential stays at education centres across the country.

Twenty-three primary schools sent groups of their pupils to enjoy the great outdoors at education centres in Scotland and England, including Ardentinny, Kingswood, Lochgoilhead, Auchengillan and Lockerbie.

Support is available from schools for families on low incomes to ensure all pupils have the opportunity to attend residential and day trips and the costs are kept as low as possible. Payment plans are also available so that the cost can be spread throughout the year.

Councillor Michelle McGinty, Convener of Educational Services, said: “The school trips available for our young people offer experiences they may not otherwise have had the chance to take part in and are a valuable part of the learning experience in our schools. Even our primary school pupils have enjoyed residential outings to outdoor centres as far away as England and developed independence, confidence and team building skills as a result.

”We made a commitment when Ardlui Outdoor Education Centre closed that our pupils would continue to enjoy high-quality outdoor education. We’ve kept to that promise and these trips evidence that.”

Councillor John Mooney, Depute Convener of Educational Services, added: “It’s fantastic to see our young people being given these opportunities to travel off the beaten track and visit places such as Africa as part of their education. Each of these trips has helped to equip them with valuable life skills and experiences and of course, have fun.”

Housing developments progressing in West Dunbartonshire

Cube Housing is planning to build 44 new homes on the former Bonhill Primary School site. The former primary school closed in 2014, and the area has been designated as a brownfield site. The site has been earmarked for housing in the Councils Local Development Plan. The development is part of the Councils strategic partnership with Wheatley Group.

 

 

Notes:

1. In West Dunbartonshire, more than 4000 homes were built from 1996 to 2009, with 87 per cent being built on brownfield sites.
2. The Council has plans for new Council housing across the authority.
3. New homes are being constructed at the Former Kippen Dairy site in Alexandria.
4. There are further developments in Renton and at the former Leven Cottage site in Alexandria.
5. Barratt Housing is also looking at a new housing development in Bonhill.
6. Plans have been submitted for new homes in Haldane.
7. Wheatley Group/Cube HA have plans to develop housing in Dumbarton West.
8. Plans are being developed in Dumbarton for around 1.200 new homes at Dumbarton Harbour.
9. Around 44 new homes are planned for the former ABC site in Clydebank.
10. The Council recently agreed that the former St. Andrews High School site in Clydebank would be used for 100 homes for rent.
11. A further 100 homes are earmarked for the Braidfield site in Drumry.
12. Between 800 – 1,000 homes are also planned for the former John Browns Shipyard in the town.