Council bosses are urging East Renfrewshire residents to show they care for other people by getting the Covid-19 booster jag.
Speaking at a full council meeting last week, Cllr David Macdonald said there is now a “tangible difference” in constituents’ willingness to comply with Covid guidance or restrictions.
He said he had noticed “an increasing amount of frustration”, which hasn’t been helped by reports of alleged parties held by the UK Government during lockdown.
But council chief executive, Lorraine McMillan, said the council has a “duty to make sure our population understands the challenges ahead of us”.
And she added: “A lot of this is asking people to take responsibility and the message is you have to do this to care for other people.”
Cllr Macdonald said he found it “particularly frustrating” as the council is “tasked with the delivery of the message”.
“It all trickles down from high government all the way down to local authority," he said.
“I’m finding there is a tangible difference in willingness to comply now in my community. I’ve noticed that in the last couple of weeks, there is an increasing amount of frustration.
“It hasn’t helped with recent news reports that it seems parties have been happening all the way up to the highest political residences in the country. When that happens it undermines the government’s ability to have the public uphold these restrictions.
“It’s very difficult for us at a local level to be expecting the public to comply when the high-level don’t seem to understand, in my view, how to live by their own rules.”
Ms McMillan said: “I think we all have a duty to make sure our population understands the challenges ahead of us and do everything we can to encourage people to adhere to mask wearing, social distancing and in particular getting their booster jags.
“We are very lucky in our area that our population has very high levels of second vaccinations and boosters, which will hold our population in good stead.
“We are not in lockdown, the rules are not the same as they were. A lot of this is asking people to take responsibility and the message is you have to do this to care for other people. You’re showing your care for other people by doing this.”
And council leader Tony Buchanan said East Renfrewshire Council would continue to support the vaccination rollout.
He added there is close working between the Scottish Government and the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities, and asked people to think of others and get their boosters.
