In this issue:
What's new?
New meeting arrangements
We’ve changed the way officer‑level decision‑making meetings work in line with our Connect for Success principles.
The new arrangements mean fewer meetings, More cross -service discussion , and progress is easier to see. The new approach gives a clearer focus on performance and priorities.
The new meetings are as follows:
- Executive Leadership Team meeting (ELT)
- Senior Leadership Team meeting (SLT)
- Monthly Strategic Planning Board
- Quarterly Business Review
- PMO Portfolio Review (project oversight and risk tracking)
For more information, visit New meeting arrangements from January 2026 | MyCouncilWorks
Last chance to join mental health first aid volunteers
Time is running out to sign up to become a mental health first aid volunteer.
We’re looking for compassionate and approachable individuals who are willing to play a vital role in in supporting the mental health of colleagues.
If that sounds like you, we’d love you to join our team of Mental Health First Aiders who offer a listening ear, signposting to appropriate resources and help to foster a culture of openness and support.
Please sign up by 31 January (tomorrow) by contacting Angela Downs, HROD Assistant.
Find out about what’s involved at Make a difference – mental health first aid volunteers | My Council Works.
New approach to your profile pictures
It’s always good to connect with your colleagues. With so many of us working remotely, we don’t often get the chance to meet face to face. To help put a face to a name and make day to day interactions more personal, we’re now making it mandatory for all of you to display a profile picture on Microsoft Teams.
This will make it easier to recognise your colleagues and build stronger relationships across the council. We are asking anyone who currently does not have a profile picture to add one. You can find information about appropriate photos and how to upload your new profile picture on Mandatory profile picture requirement for Microsoft Teams | MyCouncilWorks.
Thanks for helping us to keep our systems professional and consistent.
Coming up
New HROD helpdesk
A reminder that from Monday 2 February there’s a new and easier way to contact HR and Organisational Development (HROD). We’re replacing multiple email contacts with a new online enquiry form to help direct your enquiries to the right team. This means a much easier process for you and helps HROD respond more efficiently. You’ll still be able to call HROD on the usual numbers.
For more information visit HROD Helpdesk. The online enquiry form will be available here from 2 February.
Making it easier to find the information you need
We’re improving how we store and access data and information as part of our ongoing digital transformation programme – making it quicker and easier for you to find what you need, when you need it.
Over the coming months, we’ll be rolling out our Information Management project, working with teams to bring unstructured council information into one secure, searchable place. This involves moving shared drives to Microsoft 365, giving you better search tools, simpler access, and improved security.
It’s a significant piece of work, so we’ll be starting small and working with a few teams at a time.
Next steps
Our team will be in touch with managers to help review what is currently on your shared drives and what you need to keep. We can then help to move this to Microsoft 365 in a structured way. Look out for more updates soon – and find out how you can support the project.
For any queries, please don’t hesitate to contact the Information Management Project team by emailing Information Management Project
Congratulations
AB Recognition
Congratulations to everyone nominated over the last quarter, through AB Recognition. Many colleagues and members of the public wanted to say “thank you” for a job well done. Your work has such a positive impact, and it is very much appreciated.
It’s great to be able to start the year sharing some examples of the fantastic work you did.
Here are just a few reasons for people being nominated for recognition from October to December 2025:
- Ensuring a successful council-wide system upgrade by conducting essential testing.
- Doing a fantastic job with Christmas lunches, creating a festive atmosphere and managing a busy service.
- Understanding and adapting to a pupil’s unique needs, providing compassionate and proactive support.
- Transforming a workplace through extensive redecoration, creating a warm, welcoming environment.
View all our nominations from October to December 2025 on MyCouncilWorks
If you have access to the Hub, you can read more about our nominees
Shout out to our RIS colleagues
With heavy rain over the weekend of 10-11 January, our Roads and Infrastructure (RIS) colleagues who were on-call were busy across the area dealing with emergencies, keeping our communities safe and minimising disruption.
The main challenge was closing the road following the landslip at the A815 near the Dunoon road end but localised flooding in Campbeltown, Mid Argyll, Islay, Lomond and Mull also mean investigations and road closures until the water subsided.
Teams are on standby throughout the year, most noticeably over the winter months, so thanks for all your hard work. We’re not free of wintry conditions yet so the Council website has some reminders on how to prepare for bad weather and stay safe.
Connect for Success
Looking Ahead to 2026
Continuing to Grow, Evolve and Work Together
As we look forward to another busy year ahead, I want to take a moment to reflect on the progress we’ve made together and the positive direction we’re moving in as a workforce.
Over recent years, we have seen Connect for Success take shape across the council and start to change how we work, not just in a few teams, but throughout our services. We are seeing the benefits of becoming more data-led in how we understand demand and performance. Across teams, colleagues are using better insights to shape decisions, plan services more effectively and respond to local needs with greater clarity. At the same time, we are maximising new technology to streamline tasks, undertake training, enhance communication and support modern, flexible ways of working that make our days more effective.
Perhaps most importantly, we are working together more than ever — across services, locations and roles, to solve problems and achieve shared goals. Whether that’s through cross-service collaboration, taking part in The Link employee sounding board, or simply sharing experiences and learning with one another, our collective effort is what brings Connect for Success to life.
As we move into the year ahead, with spring around the corner, I encourage all of us to keep building on these strengths. Let’s keep experimenting with new ideas, supporting each other to learn and using data and technology in ways that help us focus on outcomes that matter to our communities. By living the principles of Connect for Success daily, bringing purpose, partnership and adaptability into our work, we will continue to make Argyll and Bute the place to be.
Thank you for all you do and for the energy, creativity and commitment you bring to your work every day.
Pippa
Training opportunities and useful resources
***Mandatory Training Reminder***
Please take a moment to log into LEON and review the status of your mandatory e‑learning courses, particularly if you have not checked them recently. Ensuring your training is up to date is an important part of maintaining compliance and supporting our organisational standards.
How to: Log into LEON, click on home and then select the orange mandatory training box to see a detailed overview of all your mandatory training courses.
New course alert
Working together, we want to make sure our workplace is safe, respectful and supportive for everyone.
We’ve added a new e‑learning course on LEON that helps everyone understand what sexual harassment is, how to spot it, and what to do if it happens. It’s a short, easy-to-follow module that you can complete whenever suits you – Sexual harassment
Education colleagues
The Education CLPL Catalogue is available at A&B Leadership and CLPL – Education CLPL Catalogue
Here, you’ll find a wide range of professional learning and development opportunities available to education staff. Subjects include leadership, wellbeing, curriculum, performance and improvement, education psychology, inclusion and equality and digital technology and STEM. Details of how to book are included in the catalogue.
Good to know
Save time, money and the planet – top tips for meal planning
If, like many of us, you’re still recovering from Christmas, January and February can feel like long months financially.
Here are some top tips from Charlotte Nicol, Catering Manager at Kilmory, on how you can save time and money this month with simple, smart food ideas.
From planning ahead to making the most of your leftovers, Charlotte has shared simple practical ways to keep meals tasty, affordable, and stress-free during the winter months.
- Plan around what you already have
Before planning meals, check what you’ve already got in your cupboards, fridge, and freezer. Use up what’s nearing the use by date and build your meals around that. It reduces waste and cuts your shopping bill.
- Freeze in portions
Portion everything into family-sized or individual servings so you can mix and match. Label with the name and date. If you can, freeze flat in freezer bags to save space.
- Batch cook base recipes
Make big batches of meals that can be eaten in different ways, so it doesn’t feel like the same dinner every night. For example, a chilli base can be used in baked potatoes, added to nachos, and used as a pasta sauce.
- Stretch meat further
Make meals where a smaller amount of meat still feels hearty. For example:
- Add lentils to mince
- Use chickpeas or beans in curries
- Combine veg and small chicken pieces in traybakes
- Make half-meat, half-veg pasta sauces
Your family likely won’t notice, and it adds nutrition too. For more ideas on how to make the most of the ingredients you have at home, visit the Love Food Hate Waste website (details below).
Flipping Good – Pancake Day – 17 February
Pancake Day is nearly here — and who doesn’t love a pancake?
Traditionally it was all about using up cupboard staples before Lent, but it’s still a great (and cheap) way to make the most of ingredients you probably already have: eggs, milk, flour, lemons, sugar or any leftover fruit.
Charlotte’s Easy Pancake Recipe (makes 8)
- 100g plain flour
- 2 eggs
- 300ml milk
- Pinch of salt
- Butter or oil for the pan
Whisk everything together into a smooth batter, heat a little butter in a pan, pour in a thin layer and cook until golden — toss, finish, enjoy.
Toppings
Lemon and sugar is a classic, but you can get creative: melt leftover Christmas chocolate and drizzle, throw on nuts, use up ripe bananas, or finish off any open jars of jam. Delicious!
Newsflashes from January
What's on?
ParentClub Scotland has a range of indoor and outdoor activities for children and young people – from tots to teens.