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Capelrig House A ‘HEALING house’ for child victims and witnesses of crimes can open in East Renfrewshire. Councillors have agreed to rent Capelrig House, in Newton Mearns, to charity Children 1st for 25 years at a minimal rent. In a UK-first, the charity will provide a place for children to recover from traumatic experiences and give statements to specially-trained staff. Medical care will also be provided at the centre of excellence. Council leader Tony Buchanan said: “I’m delighted we’ve been able to support this pioneering project. “It will benefit children right ac...

Councillors welcomed extra cash from the Scottish Government for councils which agreed not to raise the tax. They are expecting to get an additional £1.8m – equivalent to a 3% increase. But the settlement from Holyrood – currently £196m – came under fire from opposition councillors, with claims it shows “utter contempt” for local government. The council agreed to take £3m from reserves to cut the budget shortfall to £5.5m. With the area’s culture and leisure trust and health and social care partnership set to identify their own savings, the council needs to find £3....

Fly-tipping A CONTRACT extension has been agreed for a maintenance ‘Hit Squad’, tackling fly-tipping and carrying out repairs in East Renfrewshire. Councillors have approved a proposal which will see VERG, a third-party contractor, continue its work until the end of March, after an initial deal expired in November 2019. An “oversight” by council staff meant the deadline was missed and re-tendering delayed. That process began in March but was halted by Covid-19 – and the contractor has continued operating on a monthly basis, with the same terms as the old contract. VERG (Vo...