Agenda Document Pack - Council - 19/06/2025
North Lanarkshire Council · 19 June 2025
Back to Council — 19 June 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Clerk Name: Mark Hamill Clerk Telephone: 07811294702 Clerk Email: committee@northlan.gov.uk 10 June 2025 Members of the Council Chief Executive’s Office Rachel Blair Chief Officer (Legal & Democratic) Civic Centre, Windmillhill Street, Motherwell ML1 1AB www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk Notice is given that a Meeting of the Council is to be held in the Council Chamber, Civic Centre, Windmillhill Street, Motherwell, ML1 1AB on Thursday, 19 June 2025 at 16:00 PM which you are requested to attend. The agenda of business is attached. Des Murray Chief Executive Members : D Ashraf, A Ballinger, C Barclay, B Baudo, A Beveridge, M Boyd, H Brannan-McVey, G Brennan, B Burgess, A Bustard, J Cairns, A Campbell, T Carragher, C Costello, M Coyle, S Coyle, D Crichton, G Currie, P Di Mascio, K Docherty, K Duffy, A Duffy-Lawson, H Dunbar, T Fisher, F Fotheringham, W Goldie, H Gray, K Harmon, M Hughes, J Hume, L Jarvie, D Johnston, T Johnston, J Jones, P Kelly, J Keltie, A Khan, K Larson, J Leckie, G Lennon, J Logue, H Loughran, F MacGregor, A Masterton, M McBride, B McCluskey, A McCrory, B McCulloch, M McCulloch, P McDade, F McKay, R McKendrick, J McLaren, C McManus, M McPake, J McPhilemy, A McVey, L Mitchell, L Nolan, P Patton, C Quigley, J Reddin, L Roarty, D Robb, G Robinson, N Shevlin, W Shields, A Smith, A Stubbs, L Stubbs, R Sullivan, A Thomas, J Toner, S Watson, C Williams, N Wilson, G Woods. Page 1 of 10
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Agenda 1 Declarations of Interest In Terms of the Ethical Standards In Public Life Etc. (Scotland) Act 2000 2 Minutes of Meetings of Committees, Sub-Committees and Panels - Cycle 2 Submit volume of minutes of meetings of Committees, Sub- Committees and Panels for Cycle 2 for approval in terms of standing order number 21 (copy to follow) 3 Membership of Committees, Sub-Committees, Panels, Working Group and Outside Bodies Submit proposed amendments to Membership of Committees, Sub-Committees, Panels, Working Groups and Outside Bodies (copy to follow) 4 Notice of Motion submitted by Councillor Smith and Councillor Robinson “Council notes with concern the recent spate of fires which have occurred locally, including the significant wildfire in Cumbernauld in April. Council also notes the current Country parks and open spaces management rules do not mention fires, with no guidance or prohibition around fire setting. Council therefore agrees to request that a review of the management rules be undertaken, with a view to revising them to explicitly address the issue of fire raising. This review should also consider the resource implications of implementing and enforcing such changes. A report outlining proposed revision, along with an assessment of associated resources requirements, should be brought to a forthcoming Environment and Climate Change Committee meeting for consideration and approval.” 5 Notice of Motion submitted by Councillor Smith and Councillor Fisher “Council notes comments frequently made by North Lanarkshire residents that they are sometimes unaware of submitted planning applications and of planned development occurring in their local area until works commence. Council agrees that we should take all reasonable and cost-effective Page 3 of 10
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measures to ensure participation of North Lanarkshire residents in the planning process and welcomes the submission of representations to submitted planning applications. Council therefore agrees that pre-application consultations for national and major applications as defined in the Town and Country Planning (Hierarchy of Developments) (Scotland) Regulations 2009 will be publicised on the council’s social media channels and, further, that general promotion of the Planning Portal on the council’s social media channels will be carried out.” 6 Notice of Motion submitted by Councillor A Stubbs and Councillor Hughes “Council requests that officers bring a report to the Environment and Climate Change Committee outlining current processes for responding to instances’ where residents’ bins are lost or damaged during collection. The report should reference any current key performance indicators and, if none, consideration as to the introduction of these. The report should confirm current arrangements with regard to communications with residents and replacement bin delivery times, together with any improvements, where feasible, including the resource implications of such changes” 7 Notice of Motion submitted by Councillor Smith and Councillor A Stubbs “Council notes that the Environment and Climate Change Committee, at its meeting on 8 February 2023, agreed to implement a revised process for prioritising road safety improvements. Recognising that this process has now been in operation for over two years, Council agrees that a review should be undertaken to evaluate the effectiveness of the policy and to consider whether any further revisions may be appropriate. The review should include: • The number of requests submitted and assessed under the current policy framework; and • Details of those requests which have progressed to completion. Page 4 of 10
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Council further agrees that the findings of this review will be presented to a forthcoming Environment and Climate Change Committee.” 8 Notice of Motion submitted by Councillor Woods and Councillor Fotheringham “Council notes that 2025 marks the 20th anniversary of the Breastfeeding (Scotland) Act 2005, which arose from a Private Member’s Bill introduced by a former MSP for Coatbridge & Chryston and Central Scotland. The Act was a landmark in supporting and promoting breastfeeding across Scotland. Council welcomes the recent milestone achieved in North Lanarkshire, where 50.7% of babies born are now being breastfed; the first time this benchmark has been surpassed in the area. This positive trend reflects an increasing awareness among new mothers of the health and developmental benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and child. Council congratulates all staff working in NHS Lanarkshire’s Infant Feeding and Maternity Services, as well as those in North Lanarkshire Council and partner organisations across the wider public sector, for their ongoing efforts to support, encourage and promote breastfeeding. Council also recognises that while breastfeeding offers well evidenced health and emotional benefits, not all mothers are able to breastfeed due to a range of factors including health conditions, medical treatment, mental wellbeing, or family circumstances. It is important that efforts to promote breastfeeding are delivered in a way that is supportive, non-judgemental, and inclusive of all parents and carers. Council commends NHS Lanarkshire maternity services and their collaboration with both North and South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnerships, which led to the award of the UNICEF Achieving Sustainability Gold Baby Friendly Accreditation; a prestigious recognition of excellence in supporting breastfeeding and nurturing mother-baby relationships. Council affirms the well-evidenced health and emotional benefits of breastfeeding for both mother and baby and supports the celebration of World Breastfeeding Week, taking place from 1 to 7 August 2025. The theme for this year, Page 5 of 10
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"Prioritise Breastfeeding: Create Sustainable Support Systems", highlights the environmental sustainability of breastfeeding and its role in reducing the ecological impact of artificial feeding.” QUESTIONS 9 Questions Received in Terms of Standing Order 51 Submit three Questions Received in Terms of Standing Order 51 7 - 8 10 Committee Questions Log - Cycle 2 2025 Submit the Questions Log for Cycle 2 of 2025 outlining the questions asked at Committee Meetings during the cycle together with the officer responses. (A3 copy attached to agenda pack) 9 - 10 Page 6 of 10
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Notice of Question Procedure – Standing Order 51 Council Meeting - Thursday, 19 June 2025 at 4 pm Question Posed by Councillor (1) Please provide the attendance record, or confirm how many of the monthly COSLA Leaders Meetings the Leader of the Council has attended from August 2022 to the present, in representation of North Lanarkshire Council? Councillor Carragher (2) Please provide the name and attendance record, or confirm how many of the monthly COSLA Leaders meetings were attended by any member with substitute voting rights for the Leader of the Council, representing North Lanarkshire Council, from August 2022 to the present? Councillor Carragher (3) To ask the council what its plans are for the coming year in terms of actions and proposals on the utilisation of the Transport Scotland funding for active travel delivered to local authorities through the Local Authority Direct Award via the People and Place programme managed by SPT, and what the mechanism is for local communities to put forward their priorities to feed into plans for future years? Councillor Williams Item 9 Page 7 of 10
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Committee Cycle Date Item and Title Question Responsible Officer Answer Status Reported to Council Date Policy and Strategy Cycle 1 - 2025 13 March 2025 3 - Delivering the Programme of Work to 2028 – Key Achievements In respect of gross weekly pay for those in full time and part time – provide the Government National Statistics Office Formula (Councillor Larson) Chief Executive Data on Gross Weekly Pay comes from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) which is based on a 1% sample of employee data from HMRC PAYE records. The headline statistics for ASHE are based on the median rather than the mean. The median is the value below which 50% of employees fall. This is the preferred measure of average earnings used by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) as it is less affected by a relatively small number of very high earners who may skew the distribution of earnings. We can confirm that questions regarding Gross Weekly Pay were not included in the 2022 Census as this would only provide data for a snapshot in time when the Census was conducted and therefore would not be directly comparable to the data produced by ONS. The ONS figures are updated on an annual basis and are the most reliable measure of earnings on Gross Weekly Pay. Complete 19 June 2025 Policy and Strategy Cycle 1 - 2025 13 March 2025 3 - Delivering the Programme of Work to 2028 – Key Achievements In respect of the difference of gross weekly pay between full time and part time posts – provide further analysis from the census data (Councillor Larson) Chief Executive Data on Gross Weekly Pay comes from the Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings (ASHE) which is based on a 1% sample of employee data from HMRC PAYE records. The headline statistics for ASHE are based on the median rather than the mean. The median is the value below which 50% of employees fall. This is the preferred measure of average earnings used by the Office of National Statistics (ONS) as it is less affected by a relatively small number of very high earners who may skew the distribution of earnings. We can confirm that questions regarding Gross Weekly Pay were not included in the 2022 Census as this would only provide data for a snapshot in time when the Census was conducted and therefore would not be directly comparable to the data produced by ONS. The ONS figures are updated on an annual basis and are the most reliable measure of earnings on Gross Weekly Pay. Complete 19 June 2025 Policy and Strategy Cycle 1 - 2025 13 March 2025 9 - Strategic Capital Investment Programme 2024-25 to 2028-29 Provide details of all external grant funding received from the Scottish Government. (Councillor Larson) Chief Officer (Finance) I can advise that the Strategic Capital Investment Programme 2024/25 to 2028/29 includes £24.770m of confirmed funding from the Scottish Government. A further £24.446m relates to City Deal which you’ll recall is jointly funded by Scottish Government and UK Government. I attach a breakdown of the Scottish Government funding broken down by funding stream and financial year. Complete 19 June 2025 Wellbeing and Tackling Poverty Cycle 2 - 2025 25 April 2025 3 - Towards a Fairer North Lanarkshire - Tackling Poverty Strategy 2023 to 2026 Update Provide a more in depth understanding of data pertaining to older people, not often linked digitally to the Council’s progressive targets? (Councillor Loughran) Chief Social Work Officer (Children, Families, Justice & Integrated Practice) We are only aware of the number of pensioners who are in receipt of Pension credit and/or Council Tax Reduction. We do however provide a targeted income maximisation service to residents who are in receipt of Home Support/Community Alarm Service (who primarily are pensioners). We have also ran recent campaigns in relation to Pension Credit and Winter Fuel Payments and we intend to do further campaigns during the course of the year in addition to our overall offer to residents via the Cost of Living Helpline and awareness raising via key partner organisations, all of which support us reach older people who may need support in this area. Complete 19 June 2025 Wellbeing and Tackling Poverty Cycle 2 - 2025 25 April 2025 3 - Towards a Fairer North Lanarkshire - Tackling Poverty Strategy 2023 to 2026 Update With the initial funding package come to conclusion for The Hyve to support businesses, can reassurance be provided in terms of future sustainability of The Hyve and funding to take forward local businesses? (Councillor Brannan-McVey) Chief Social Work Officer (Children, Families, Justice & Integrated Practice) We have secured additional funding through UKSPF for the Hive up to 31st March 2026 which is supplemented by income we receive from businesses who are renting workspace and rooms at the Hive. We are commencing a review of current and future funding and income generation options alongside reviewing the impact and outcomes the Hive has achieved to-date to enable us to bring forward options beyond the current funding period. Complete 19 June 2025 Wellbeing and Tackling Poverty Cycle 2 - 2025 25 April 2025 5 - Public Sector Equality Duties - Composite Report In relation to Project Search, (1) has the number of graduates going through the project increased; (2) are employers recruiting more graduates and (3) how is the project going to be developed in the future? (Councillor Goldie) Chief Officer (People Resources) The numbers of students on each site is 8, as Project Search is a partnership between NCL and NHS, the college set the number of students per site and is based on the classroom learning that takes place within the programme. The target for Project Search job outcomes is set by Project Search at 75%. The programmes in North Lanarkshire are very successful and the majority of graduates gain employment by the end of the course, however if they still require support on their employment journey Supported Enterprise Service provides this. There is an ambition from DFN Project Search to scale up the Project Search model in Scotland (which is a franchise) and for every local authority area to have a site, however this is a large investment for employers and to date DFN Project Search haven't sourced funding for this. The two North Lanarkshire sites are at capacity based on a number of factors, ratio of students for Lecturers & Job Coaches and also accommodation and placements which is determined by the host business NHS Complete 19 June 2025 Communities Cycle 2 - 2025 28 April 2025 2 - Community Board Local Development Programme Following discussions on the location of the Cumbernauld New Town Heritage Signage, who will make the final decision on the location of the signage? (Councillor Ballinger) Chief Officer (Strategic Communication & Engagement) Area Community Partnership Manager Point 1. Councillor Ballinger has been contacted and is satisfied with the consultation approach undertaken and with the proposed outcome regarding location for the Cumbernauld New Town Heritage Sign. No further action required. Complete 19 June 2025 Communities Cycle 2 - 2025 28 April 2025 2 - Community Board Local Development Programme Is there any update on the outdoor gym at Shotts Leisure Centre and can an update on the drainage issues at Hartwood play park be provided? (Councillor Hughes) Chief Officer (Strategic Communication & CPO – Outside Gym proposal was found to show no community interest. Drainage works have been put in place at Hartwood playpark and will be maintained by Streetscene team, Councillor Hughes advised of update. Complete 19 June 2025 Environment and Climate Change Cycle 2 - 2025 30 April 2025 3 - Update Report on Vape Recycling Can clarification be provided on whether there is any significant increase in vape disposals points at the local HWRC? Business Manager (Protective Services) Following the request from elected members at the Environment & Climate Change committee on 30 April 2025, please note the below vape disposal figures which have been recorded at the Council’s HWRCs. Month Tonnage January 0.294 February 0.139 March 0.174 Complete 19 June 2025 Environment and Climate Change Cycle 2 - 2025 30 April 2025 3 - Update Report on Vape Recycling Can clarification be provided on how many fires at recycling centres have been started by disposal of vapes? Chief Officer (Community Operations) We had one instance in 2020-2021 and no other incidents according to our data services Complete 19 June 2025 Environment and Climate Change Cycle 2 - 2025 30 April 2025 4 - Strathclyde Regional Bus Strategy (SRBS) Consultation Copy of SRBS Consultation Questionnaire to be shared with Members? Infrastructure and Transportation Manager SRBS Consultation Questionnaire circulated to Members on 3 June 2025. Complete 19 June 2025 Environment and Climate Change Cycle 2 - 2025 30 April 2025 7 - Petition – Request for a Pedestrian Crossing Carfin Road, Newarthill Clarity on whether the 2 minor injuries at paragraph 2.5 of the report and if the Council have any information on whether these accidents was due to drivers’ behaviours or absence of appropriate traffic calming measures on the carriageway? Engineering Manager As advised to Committee there were two slight injury accidents recorded at the location in question in the 5-year period assessed. Neither of these collisions were during school times and both incidents were vehicle on vehicle collisions that did not involve pedestrians. Having reviewed the description of these accidents as recorded by Police Scotland, being cognisant of the sensitive nature of this data, I would advise that the introduction of additional road safety measures such as traffic calming or pedestrian crossings at Carfin Road would not substantially reduce the likelihood of similar accidents occurring at this location in future. Complete 19 June 2025 Enterprise and Fair Work Cycle 2 - 2025 02 May 2025 4 - Glasgow City Region Investment Zone Clarity on what tax incentives /breaks for the tax site identified in Renfrewshire will be? Enterprise Manager Response being worked on and will be sent to Members of the Committee in due course. Will be included within the Committee Questions Log for Cycle 3 2025 Incomplete 19 June 2025 Enterprise and Fair Work Cycle 2 - 2025 02 May 2025 6 - Routes to Work Ltd – Performance and Finance Reports Circulate the Knowledge Transfer Partnership findings to Committee Members? Business Manager Employability Support and Skills Development I'm pleased to attach the link which takes you to a summary of the project and within that summary there is a link to download the full report. Routes to Work - Understanding the Social Value of Employability and Skills Interventions in the Third Sector - Social Value UK I think you’ll find the summary of interest and agree with me that it clearly demonstrates the value of investment in providing opportunities to those within our communities who are on the margins of the labour market. Complete 19 June 2025 Adult Care and Social Work Cycle 2 - 2025 13 May 2025 4 - Revenue & Capital Budget Monitoring Report: Adult Social Care Period 12: 01/04/2024 to 28/02/2025 What is the average cost difference between having a contracted member of staff employed compared to an agency worker? (Councillor Sullivan) Chief Officer (Adult Social Work) Response being worked on and will be sent to Members of the Committee in due course. Will be included within the Committee Questions Log for Cycle 3 2025 Incomplete 19 June 2025 COMMITTEE QUESTIONS LOG CYCLE 2 2025 Item 10 Page 9 of 10
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Adult Care and Social Work Cycle 2 - 2025 13 May 2025 5 - Health and Social Care Partnership Medium Term Financial Plan 2025/26 - 2027/28 What are the anticipated savings from using the dynamic scheduling tool? (Councillor Sullivan) Chief Officer (Health & Social Care North Lanarkshire) Response being worked on and will be sent to Members of the Committee in due course. Will be included within the Committee Questions Log for Cycle 3 2025 Incomplete 19 June 2025 Adult Care and Social Work Cycle 2 - 2025 13 May 2025 5 - Health and Social Care Partnership Medium Term Financial Plan 2025/26 - 2027/28 What is the average length of stay in care homes and the projected reduction in the length of stay and anticipated savings? (Councillor Sullivan) Chief Finance Officer (Health & Social Care) Response being worked on and will be sent to Members of the Committee in due course. Will be included within the Committee Questions Log for Cycle 3 2025 Incomplete 19 June 2025 Adult Care and Social Work Cycle 2 - 2025 13 May 2025 5 - Health and Social Care Partnership Medium Term Financial Plan 2025/26 - 2027/28 What are the anticipated savings resulting from the self assessment process? (Councillor Sullivan) Chief Officer (Adult Social Work) Response being worked on and will be sent to Members of the Committee in due course. Will be included within the Committee Questions Log for Cycle 3 2025 Incomplete 19 June 2025 Finance and Resources Cycle 2 - 2025 21 May 2025 8 - Revenue and Benefits Update Can you advise what percentage of uncollected Council Tax relates to residents in private lets or residents without access to public funds? (Councillor Ballinger) Chief Officer (Finance and Technology) The Council Tax system does not record the type of housing tenure and information on access to public funds for us to be able to break down the uncollected balances in the way requested. Complete 19 June 2025 Finance and Resources Cycle 2 - 2025 21 May 2025 9 - Revenue Monitoring Report Council Summary 1 April 2024-28 February 2025 Can a breakdown of the increase in transport costs linked to ASN and Gaelic provision be provided? (Councillor Watson) Chief Officer (Finance and Technology) The Education and Families Revenue Budget Monitoring Report (Period 12) was reported to the Education Children and Families Committee on 20 May 2025. Section 2.2.5 of the report outlined the composition of the projected overspend position of c. £2.192m for the 2024/25 Financial Year of which, ASN and Gaelic provision equates to c. £1.912m and c. £0.237m respectively. The cost of ‘Home to School’ Transport aligned to Gaelic provision equated to approximately £0.5m in the 2024/25 Financial Year. Complete 19 June 2025 Finance and Resources Cycle 2 - 2025 21 May 2025 11 - Capital Monitoring Programme 2024-25 Monitoring Report Can additional information on the adjudication which would reduce contractors claims be provided? (Councillor Hume) Chief Officer (Finance and Technology) In relation to the contractor claim the adjudication referred to in the monitoring report relates to refurbishment works at four towers in Coatbridge (Glen, Millbrae, Blairgrove and Merryston). The dispute arose linked to specific requests for payment by the contractor which Council officers disagreed with. The initial estimates included within the budget monitoring were essentially a worst-case scenario but following conclusion of the adjudication process the actual amount payable to the contractor was more favourable for the Council. Hence the positive movement highlighted in the budget monitoring position. Sale of Land or Buildings - Value Mid Forrest, Cumbernauld - £2,856,000 Kilbowie House Site, Oban - £1,350,000 Former Columba High School site, Coatbridge - £1,230,011 Willowbank School, Coatbridge - £275,000 Stoneyetts, Moodiesburn - £246,689 John Street, Bellshill - £150,000 Jubilee Way, Bellshill - £85,000 455-461 Cambusnethan Street, Wishaw - £45,000 Ardgoil Drive, Broadwood Retail Park - £15,000 Combined Miscellaneous Sales under 10k - £50,180 Selling Expenses -£11,628 Total £6,291,252 Complete 19 June 2025 Policy and Strategy Cycle 2 - 2025 05-Jun-25 3 - Leadership and Operating Model - Phase 2 Progress Update What type of bookings, if any are made for the football pitch at Riverbank Community Hub, from organisations out with the area? (Councillor McBride) Chief Officer (Strategy & Engagement) The information taken from the booking system and confirmed by the community facilities bookings team indicates that the clubs with regular bookings tend to be from Coatbridge and Airdrie, as below and taken from the month of May 2025 bookings. Burnbank FC, Whifflet Lanarkshire FC Youth Football Coatbridge Coatbridge Athletic Dunbeth Greengairs, Airdrie Milan, Coatbridge North Calder Colts Old Monkland FC Young Pumas Academy Complete 19 June 2025 Policy and Strategy Cycle 2 - 2025 05-Jun-25 5 - City Deal Programme - East Airdrie Link Road update Can you confirm the exact location of the Forrest Street roundabout as set out in the plan on page 125 of the agenda pack? (Councillor Watson) Chief Officer (Place) Response being worked on and will be sent to Members of the Committee in due course. Will be included within the Committee Questions Log for Cycle 3 2025 Incomplete 19 June 2025 Policy and Strategy Cycle 2 - 2025 05-Jun-25 5 - City Deal Programme - East Airdrie Link Road update Can you provide an update on the historical Eurocentral Active Travel Routes into Coatbridge from the Tannochside/Viewpark area, through the Connecting Communities programme? (Councillor Loughran) Chief Officer (Place) Response being worked on and will be sent to Members of the Committee in due course. Will be included within the Committee Questions Log for Cycle 3 2025 Incomplete 19 June 2025 Policy and Strategy Cycle 2 - 2025 05-Jun-25 5 - City Deal Programme - East Airdrie Link Road update Can the option to utilise one of the vacant units within Cumbernauld Town Centre be explored for any future consultations to encourage greater engagement and participation? (Councillor Smith) Chief Officer (Place) Response being worked on and will be sent to Members of the Committee in due course. Will be included within the Committee Questions Log for Cycle 3 2025 Incomplete 19 June 2025 Policy and Strategy Cycle 2 - 2025 05-Jun-25 7 - Accounts Commission Briefing - Local Government Budgets 2025-26 Can further information on the national commitments, funded by the Scottish Government, and the delivery of those commitments be provided as well as a promotional video be arranged for a future meeting of the Committee? (Councillor Carragher) Chief Officer (Finance and Technology) Response being worked on and will be sent to Members of the Committee in due course. Will be included within the Committee Questions Log for Cycle 3 2025 Incomplete 19 June 2025 Page 10 of 10