British Sign Language

Some of the services we provide include:

• schools and learning in the community
• council housing
• bins and rubbish collection, and recycling facilities
• roads and street lighting
• Building warrants and planning applications
• taxi licenses
• welfare and money advice

You may want to contact the council when there is a problem or when you want to apply for something, for example to:

• report roads, footpath and lighting defects
• get advice on applications for housing benefits and council or rent rebates
• apply for free school meals and clothing grants
• request special uplifts and report litter problems
• request maintenance or repairs to a council house
• apply for help through the Garden Assistance Scheme
• collect and submit application forms for all council services
• find information about council meetings, councillors' surgeries, council vacancies and the electoral register

When you need to contact the council there are a number of ways you can do this as a BSL user:

1. You can go to one of the council’s First Stop Shops where you can access a whole range of council and other public services, rather than having to go to each departmental office. There an assistant will go online to Contact Scotland BSL where a BSL interpreter will be waiting to interpret online for you and the assistant. 

Contact Scotland BSL is free and can be used as a first step when contacting the council, for instance to make an appointment, or to report a problem, or to get information about something, for instance who your local Councillor is and how you can get in touch with them.

2. You can download the Contact Scotland BSL App on your smartphone or tablet and you can then access an interpreter who will contact the council, or any other public service for you, and then interpret for you both. You can do this on the go from anywhere.