Issue - meetings

Consider report by Service Director Customer and Communities.  (Copy attached.)

There had been circulated copies of a report by the Service Director Customer and Communities seeking approval for the Scottish Borders Council British Sign Language (BSL) Plan 2018-2024, complying with the BSL (Scotland) Act 2015.  A signer was at the meeting to assist with the presentation of this item.  The report explained that the British Sign Language (Scotland) Act 2015 now required public bodies in Scotland to publish plans every six years showing how they would promote and support BSL. The overall aim of the Act was to make Scotland the best place in the world for BSL users to live, learn, work and visit.  The Council had taken a holistic approach to developing its BSL plan, with a focus on embedding BSL within its approach to customer services, communication, and training, and working with relevant Community Planning Partners including the local See Hear Group and the local BSL community and online consultation.  Two videos showing both the engagement process and the resulting action plan were shown.  Both Councillor Mountford and Councillor Thornton-Nicol spoke in support of the plan, with Councillor Thornton-Nicol signing part of her support, and thanked the officers for their work on this policy.  The Plan received unanimous support.

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DECISION

AGREED to approve the Scottish Borders Council British Sign Language (BSL) Plan 2018-2024, as contained in Appendix 1 to the report.