Dear Colleague,

Thank you for tuning in to News In Brief with important updates and news highlights of all that is happening over the next seven days. Don’t forget to check out the Staff News website for the latest information and news from across the council.

Monday 1 December: Christmas campaign gets under way

This week sees the return of our annual Christmas social media campaign. Over the next five weeks we will spotlight some of the ongoing initiatives and services which are available to our communities in the lead up to Christmas and over the festive period.

The campaign aims to provide our residents with useful information that will be available this winter and will include topics such as financial and food support available – including Money Matters, the Fairer Food network and cost-of-living support, supporting your high street, winter readiness health and wellbeing and festive recycling tips and Christmas and New Year bin collection arrangements. We will be using the hashtag, #NAChristmas25, on the relevant corporate social media accounts – X, Facebook and LinkedIn – and we would greatly appreciate your support in helping us to spread the message far and wide.

Tuesday 2 December: Reclaim the Night Walk

The North Ayrshire Violence Against Women Partnership, which includes the Council, is supporting the Reclaim the Night movement by hosting a Reclaim the Night walk on Tuesday. If you would like to join the walk, meet at the Portal leisure centre, 66 High Street, Irvine at 5pm. Walkers will be offered glow sticks and LED candles to light the way and will get moving at 5.15pm to make their way to Fullarton ConneXions in Church Street. There will be soup, sandwiches, tea and coffee on arrival. The event is part of the broader 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence. Read more on the council website.

Also on Tuesday: Cabinet

The December meeting of Cabinet gets under way at 2.30pm on Tuesday. You can see the agenda on the Council website. Proceedings can also be viewed live online on the live webstream.

Thursday 4 December: APSE Performance Network Awards

Good luck to all the teams who have been nominated at this year’s APSE Performance Network Awards. The ceremony takes places in Blackpool over the Thursday and Friday and shines a light on some brilliant, sector leading work being done across the public sector. North Ayrshire teams have been nominated in a number of categories such as Best Performer in Building Maintenance, Best Performer in Refuse Collection, Most Improved Performer in Refuse Collection, Best Performer in Roads, Highways and Winter Maintenance and Most Improved Performer in Street Cleansing.

Friday 5 December: Vaccine deadline

The DTP and Meningitis vaccine are administered in local schools, and an envelope with an information booklet about the vaccines, ingredients, and any potential side effects – as well as a consent form – have been given by schools to all S3 pupils and any older pupils with incomplete courses. Forms should be completed and returned to the school by no later than Friday. Read more in the vaccines and the immunisation programme in North Ayrshire news article.

Budget engagement – please share your views

If you haven’t already done so, please take a few moments to fill out our Budget engagement surveys. The first survey is focused on schools and related services for young people while the second considers other council services. The results will help inform elected members when they set the 2026-27 Budget early next year.

One week left to book annual leave for 2025

The deadline for booking annual leave in 2025 is fast approaching. All annual leave must be booked on Kelio by Monday 8 December.  Read our booking annual leave on Kelio news update on what you need to know in relation to annual leave entitlement before the end of this year.

We are now on WhatsApp!

The Council has its own WhatsApp channel where we will share key service updates and emergency communications on this platform so it’s worth a follow to ensure you’re kept informed of any priority council news.  Search North Ayrshire Council in the app updates tab or via this WhatsApp link. This is an update channel only and not used for messaging. You can use our other social channels to comment and message us directly. Updates and emergency communications will continue to be shared across all our channels.

Free mental health support

Colleagues are reminded that a new mental health text service is now available across North Ayrshire for anyone who may be struggling at this time of year. Read about it in the North Ayrshire mental health support news update.

E-Scooter update from Trading Standards

Police Scotland, Strathclyde Fire and Rescue Service and the three Ayrshire Councils are working together to highlight the legal issues surrounding the use of e-scooters. Did you know that it is illegal to use an e-scooter on public land? This is because an e-scooter is considered to be a Private Light Electric Vehicle (PLEV), meaning that it is subject to the same road legislation as other vehicles. As we approach Christmas, please consider this if you are thinking of purchasing one. More information in the E-Scooters guidance from Trading Standards.

That’s all for now

If you have any updates you would like the team to share in News In Brief or on Staff Latest News, please click the button below to email the Communications team. Your updates will be required by midday on Friday this week. Email: communications@north-ayrshire.gov.uk