Agenda Document Pack - Enterprise and Fair Work Committee - 16/02/2024
North Lanarkshire Council · 16 February 2024
Back to Enterprise and Fair Work Committee — 16 February 2024 and its agenda
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6 February 2024 Members of the Enterprise and Fair Work Committee Chief Executive’s Office Archie Aitken Chief Officer (Legal & Democratic) Civic Centre, Windmillhill Street, Motherwell ML1 1AB www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk Notice is given that a Meeting of the Enterprise and Fair Work Committee is to be held in the Council Chamber, Civic Centre, Windmillhill Street, Motherwell, ML1 1AB on Friday, 16 February 2024 at 10:00 AM which you are requested to attend. The agenda of business is attached. Archie Aitken Chief Officer (Legal & Democratic) Members : Clerk Name: Clare Louise McDonald Clerk Telephone: 01698 302190 Clerk Email: mcdonaldcl@northlan.gov.uk A McVey, F McKay, A Bustard, D Crichton, P Di Mascio, K Docherty, K Duffy, A Duffy- Lawson, H Dunbar, W Goldie, L Jarvie, A Khan, J Leckie, F MacGregor, A Masterton, A McCrory, M McPake, L Mitchell, L Nolan, L Roarty, G Robinson, R Sullivan, J Toner, S Watson, C Williams. Page 1 of 64
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Agenda 1 Declarations of Interest In Terms of the Ethical Standards In Public Life Etc. (Scotland) Act 2000 Operational 2 Transforming Places Economic Regeneration Delivery Plan Action Plan 2024 25 Submit report by the Chief Officer (Place) seeking approval for North Lanarkshire's Economic Regeneration Delivery Plan (ERDP) Action Plan for 2024/25 5 - 30 3 Insourcing of the Lanarkshire Business Gateway Service and Review of Business Support Services Submit report by the Chief Officer (Place) seeking approval for North Lanarkshire's Economic Regeneration Delivery Plan (ERDP) Action Plan for 2024/25 31 - 42 4 Net Zero Business Challenge Fund Submit report by the Chief Officer (Place) seeking approval for a Net Zero Business Challenge Fund to support local small to medium-sized businesses within North Lanarkshire to reduce their environmental impact and improve the sustainability of their operations 43 - 50 Contracts 5 Contract Award for East Airdrie Link Road Stage 3 (Preliminary Design & Planning) Submit report by the Chief Officer (Place) seeking approval for the award of a contract for Professional Service for Stage 3 of the East Airdrie Link Road Project 51 - 60 6 Contracts Awarded Below Committee Approval Threshold Submit report by the Chief Officer (Assets and Procurement) acknowledge the contract awards made since last committee reporting cycle 61 - 64 Page 3 of 64
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Enterprise and Fair Work Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref PH/SH/MH Date 16/02/24 Transforming Places Economic Regeneration Delivery Plan Action Plan 2024/25 From Pamela Humphries, Chief Officer (Place) Email Hyndsm@northlan.gov.uk Telephone Mark Hynds, Economic Analyst 07583 023 248 Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to seek approval for North Lanarkshire’s Economic Regeneration Delivery Plan (ERDP) Action Plan for 2024/25. The ERDP is a high-level economic development framework which is aligned to the composite capital programme and delivers on the first priority of The Plan for North Lanarkshire – improving economic outcomes and opportunities for all. It cuts across various themes of the Programme of Work but mainly focuses on the Transforming Places workstream. An updated ERDP was approved by the Enterprise & Fair Work Committee in February 2023 and covers the period 2023-2028. Since 2019, an ERDP Action Plan has been developed annually, detailing the key milestones and targets North Lanarkshire Council and our partners will take over the coming financial year to achieve the recommendations set out across the ERDP’s 4 key interrelated themes. Subject to committee approval, this 2024/25 action plan will undergo monitoring and review with an end year performance report due to be presented to committee Cycle 3 2025, alongside the ERDP Performance Framework which is used to monitor wider ERDP performance over the short, medium and longer-term (through to 2035). A copy of the draft ERDP Action Plan 2024/25 is appended to this report. Recommendations It is recommended that Enterprise and Fair Work Committee: (1) Approve the ERDP Action Plan 2024/25 which is attached to this report as an appendix. (2) Recognise that an annual performance report detailing progress against the 2023/24 Action Plan and wider ERDP Performance Framework will be presented to Committee in cycle 3 2024. Item 2 Page 5 of 64
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Programme of Work Transforming Places 1. Background 1.1 The 2023-2028 ERDP, approved by Enterprise & Fair Work Committee in February 2023, aims to help co-ordinate physical and economic regeneration activity across North Lanarkshire, increase economic output and help address social and economic inequality. It continues to build upon the first ERDP which covered the period 2019-2023 and focuses on the same four key interrelated themes. 1.2 Since 2019, an Action Plan to support the delivery of the ERDP through a range of key measures and investment programmes has also been produced and approved each year by committee. The Action Plan sets the priorities for the financial year ahead, reflecting progress made to date and the evolving priorities of the council. The current 2023/24 ERDP Action Plan was approved in February 2023. 1.3 An accompanying ERDP Performance Framework was approved by Enterprise and Growth Committee in February 2021. This comprises of a group of performance indicators at three levels. These indicators aim to collectively provide an overview of how the North Lanarkshire economy is performing as well as helping us to understand the impact that the delivery of the ERDP is having on improving economic opportunities and outcomes for all. 1.4 Since the inception of the ERDP, several significant milestones have been achieved through the delivery of the New Supply, Growth and City Deal programmes. These achievements have been reported to committee in previous annual progress and performance updates. The next performance report will be presented to committee in Cycle 3 2024, detailing progress against the 2023/24 ERDP Action Plan and wider ERDP Performance Framework. (3) Acknowledge that an annual performance report detailing progress against the 2024/25 Action Plan and wider ERDP Performance Framework will be presented to Committee in cycle 3 2025. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Improve economic opportunities and outcomes Ambition statement (1) Ensure a housing mix that supports social inclusion and economic growth (2) Refocus our town centres and communities to be multi- functional connected places which maximise social, economic, and environmental opportunities (3) Maximise the use of our marketable land and assets through improved development in business and industrial infrastructure (4) Market and promote North Lanarkshire as the place to live, learn, work, invest, and visit (5) Grow and improve the sustainability and diversity of North Lanarkshire's economy Page 6 of 64
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2. Report Economic Regeneration Delivery Plan 2023-2028 2.1 The refreshed ERDP continues to focus on the same four key inter-related themes as the 2019-23 plan: • developing housing that promotes improved quality of life and creates a better place to live; • reshaping our town centres to ensure that these provide modern and attractive centres that meet the needs of our communities; • improving our business and industrial infrastructure, creating opportunities for investment and for companies to start-up or relocate here; and • continuing to improve our connectivity and develop new opportunities by transforming our road, rail and digital infrastructure. 2024/25 Action Plan 2.2 To support the delivery of the ERDP objectives, annual ERDP Action Plans have been developed each financial year since 2019/20. 2.3 Appendix 1 provides detail on the key ERDP actions, targets and objectives for 2024/25. This is aligned to the four themes of the ERDP and details which ERDP priority each action is specifically seeking to achieve. 2.4 The delivery of the Action Plan will be overseen by the ERDP Steering Group with progress updates provided to committee on an annual basis. Detailed reports concerning individual project and programmes within the ERDP (e.g. City Deal Programme) are also provided to committee on a regular basis. 3. Measures of success 3.1 The annual ERDP Action Plan contains multiple targets with achievement of the targets being key to the success of the refreshed ERDP. 3.2 A robust Economic Performance Framework has been established and contains a series of key performance indicators, with short, medium, and long-term targets attached as the operational measures of success. 4. Supporting documentation Appendix 1 Economic Regeneration Delivery Plan Action Plan 2024/25 Pamela Humphries Chief Officer (Place) Page 7 of 64
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5. Impacts 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? The primary aim of the 2023-2028 ERDP is to support inclusive economic growth and opportunities for all. In doing so it aims to support investment in creating a more equitable and fairer place for residents of North Lanarkshire to live. If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your-community/equalities/equality-and-fairer- scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☒ No ☐ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☒ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? The 2023 - 2028 ERDP is funded through a mixture of external funding sources, and from the council’s capital programmes. 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts been discussed and agreed with People Resources? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☐ No ☒ Page 8 of 64
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If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e- mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.6 Technology / Digital impact Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Where the impact identifies a requirement for significant technology change, has an assessment been carried out (or is scheduled to be carried out) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☒ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? The 2023-2028 ERDP remains one of the council’s key strategies and will be promoted accordingly through corporate communications, mainly via our digital platforms. 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g. Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed? Risks are recorded and managed within Corporate Risk Register. Key risk is failure to deliver on the ERDP and its objectives of helping co-ordinate physical and economic regeneration activity across North Lanarkshire, increasing economic output and helping address social and economic inequality. This would result in economic and social benefits to residents and business across North Lanarkshire and significant reputational damage to the Council given the widespread public nature of the programme. 5.10 Armed Forces Covenant Duty Does the report require to take due regard of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty (i.e. does it relate to healthcare, housing, or education services for in-Service or ex- Service personnel, or their families, or widow(er)s)? Page 9 of 64
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Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the provision which has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the particular needs of the Armed Forces community to make sure that they do not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public services. 5.11 Children’s rights and wellbeing impact Does the report contain any information regarding any council activity, service delivery, policy, or plan that has an impact on children and young people up to the age of 18, or on a specific group of these? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact and the provision that has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the relevant Articles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). If Yes, has a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) been carried out? Yes ☐ No ☐ Page 10 of 64
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Appendix 1 ERDP Action Plan 2024/25 Page 11 of 64
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Theme: Live ERDP Priority 1: Developing housing that promotes improved quality of life and creates a better place to live Reference Number ERDP Priority What we’ve delivered so far… What we’ll aim to deliver during 2024/25… Lead Team 1.1 Continue to focus investment towards the council’s affordable housing stock to make sure that the target of 5,000 new council homes for North Lanarkshire is reached by 2035 Between 2010/11 and 2022/23 NLC has delivered 1,016 new build homes across the authority via the New Supply Programme alone, with a further 334 scheduled to complete during 2023/24. Completion of 268 new build homes during 2024/25. New Supply 1.2 As of 31 March 2023, NLC has brought 630 homes into council ownership since the introduction of the Open Market/Empty Homes Purchase Schemes, with a further 125 estimated to be completed during 2023/24. 100 Open Market/Empty Homes Purchase Scheme completions during 2024/25 New Supply 1.3 As of 31 March 2023, NLC has acquired 123 new build homes from the private sector, with a further 78 planned to be completed during 2023/24. Complete the acquisition of 82 new build off the shelf units during 2024/25. New Supply Page 12 of 64
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1.4 Continue to support the delivery of the affordable housing programme including intermediate tenures such as mid- market rent Between 2010/11 and 2022/23, 1,646 affordable homes have been delivered via the council’s New Supply Programme and 2,319 by Registered Social Landlords (RSL’s) Prepare the 2025/26 Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) which will identify sites to meet Local Housing Strategy priorities and maximises the use of available Scottish Government grant funding. Support the delivery of sites within the current 2024/25 SHIP. New Supply 1.5 Enable private sector housing development to support the local economy and the regeneration of strategic sites such as Ravenscraig. 2,659 private tenure houses were completed and occupied across North Lanarkshire between 2019/20 and 2022/23. A further 867 private tenure units are estimated to be completed during 2023/24. 943 private tenure units estimated to be completed during 2024/25. Planning Page 13 of 64
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Theme: Invest ERDP Priority 2: Reshaping our town centres to ensure they provide modern and attractive centres that meet the needs of our communities Reference Number ERDP Recommendation What we’ve delivered so far… What we’ll aim to deliver during 2024/25… Lead Team 2.1 Establish and commence delivery of town action plans for all eight town centres (aligned with our approved town visions), agreeing short, medium and long-term investment plans for each. Eight Town Visions were approved by committee in 2021. Town Action Plans have been developed and approved for Airdrie, Motherwell and Wishaw. Finalise Town Action Plans for Bellshill, Kilsyth and Shotts. Growth 2.2 Initial consultation has commenced with the Coatbridge Community. North Lanarkshire Council has had early discussions with the UK Government around the Long-Term Plan for the £20m Town Fund awarded to Coatbridge town centre. Production and submission of a Town Action Plan for Coatbridge by August 2024, aligned to the UK Government’s requirements for the Long- Term Plan for Towns funding to secure and draw down the first tranche of the £20 million allocated to Growth Page 14 of 64
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Coatbridge over the next 10 years 2.3 NLC has acquired The Centre Cumbernauld, with the intention to demolish the building and redevelop Cumbernauld town centre. Continue with The Centre Cumbernauld project, including business and stakeholder engagement. Growth 2.4 Between 2010/11 and 2022/23 there were 1,663 new homes delivered within North Lanarkshire’s town centres (including edge of town developments). These properties have been delivered by NLC and Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) NLC and RSLs to deliver 105 new affordable homes within our town centres (including edge of town) during 2024/25. New Supply 2.5 Continue to prioritise funding and secure external investment for the regeneration of our town centres. Placed Based Investment Programme secured so far: - £2.807m in 2021/22 - £2.436m in 2022/23 - £1.698m in 2023/24 Deliver the Scottish Government’s Placed Based Investment Programme (PBIP) anticipated allocation of £1.698 million for 2024/25. Growth 2.6 £150k secured from Historic Environment Scotland (HES) and National Lottery Heritage Fund (NLHF) to develop Submit a final stage funding application for approximately £2.5m to HES and NHLF to support Growth Page 15 of 64
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plans during 2023/24 to deliver a heritage-led regeneration project in Airdrie. the Rediscovering Airdrie project. It is proposed that this project will include the redevelopment of Airdrie Library, the repurposing of Airdrie Town House, and shopfront improvements through grants to property owners. 2.7 NLC now has an established process in place for inviting Expressions of Interest from local community organisations, with support in place to submit external funding application forms where project ideas meet funding criteria. Continue to promote and engage with local community organisations to enable external funding applications to third party regeneration funds, where appropriate (e.g. Scottish Government’s Regeneration Capital Grant Fund) Growth 2.8 NLC has a track record of supporting community led projects to secure funding, to deliver projects and draw down awarded funds. Support community led projects, successfully funded under Scottish Government regeneration funds, including the Regeneration Capital Grant Growth Page 16 of 64
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Project examples include Springhill Community Hub (Shotts) and The Well Hub (Motherwell) Fund (RCGF) and Vacant and Derelict Land Investment Programme (VDLIP) 2.9 Review how NLC can be more effective in addressing failing buildings in our town centres, including potential use of Compulsory Purchase Orders (CPO) were required Since 2018/19, 58 town centre buildings or vacant sites have been re- purposed or redeveloped (including edge of town), across the authority. A further 20 properties/sites have been acquired by the council with a view to either converting existing properties to residential developments, building new homes on cleared sites or upgrading commercial premises. Continue to engage with local property / landowners with a view to acquiring key town centre properties / sites earmarked for conversion / redevelopment. Where necessary, commence CPO processes, as a last resort, if failure to purchase a site would be detrimental to town centre regeneration plans. Growth Theme: Invest ERDP Priority 3: Improving our business and industrial infrastructure, creating opportunities for investment and for companies to start-up or relocate here Reference Number ERDP Priority What we’ve delivered so far… What we’ll aim to deliver during 2024/25… Lead Team 3.1 Promoting a mix of development across our motorway corridors and £2.85m invested in business and industry zoned land or upgrades to NLC and Fusion Assets to invest a minimum of £3 million in key business and Fusion Assets / Growth Page 17 of 64
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accessible business locations to support the development of our foundational economy as well as high-end growth existing business and industrial infrastructure between 2018/19 and 2022/23. This includes NLC and Arms-Length External Organisations only. industrial projects – (e.g. Condor Park and Braidhurst Industrial Estate) 3.2 £16.85m external, private or loan funding secured for investment in office and industrial developments across North Lanarkshire between 2018/19 and 2022/23. £5 million external funding (including private sector funding) to be secured by NLC / Fusion Assets for business and industrial infrastructure in 2024/25 Fusion Assets 3.3 117,410 sq.ft if commercial workspace created as a result of investment by NLC, Fusion Assets or North Lanarkshire Properties across North Lanarkshire between 2018/19 and 2022/23. 27,300 sq.ft of business and industrial workspace to be created or refurbished by NLC, Fusion Assets and North Lanarkshire Properties in 2024/25. Growth / NLP / Fusion Assets 3.4 Secured £1.9m from the Scottish Government’s Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF) and £1.3m from the Place Complete delivery of the Braidhurst Industrial Estate project. Growth Page 18 of 64
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Based Investment Programme (PBIP) to support the delivery of the Braidhurst Industrial Estate project. Appointed works contractor to deliver the project works. This project will deliver 10 new build business start-up units and the refurbishment of 6 existing NLP owned units as well as environmental and infrastructure improvements throughout the estate. 3.5 N/A Develop a Business and Industry strategy and related Action Plan which will form part of evidence base for next Local Development Plan. Enterprise 3.6 Continuing to support enabling investment which brings our vacant and derelict land and brownfield sites into commercial use 7.74ha of land remediated or improved for business and industry use across North Lanarkshire between 2018/19 and 2022/23 4.5ha of land to be remediated or improved (by NLC or Fusion Assets) for business and industry use in 2024/25. Fusion Assets / Growth 3.7 Improving how we record and respond to enquiries from businesses to provide a co-ordinated approach across relevant council services to help A six-month Invest in NL pilot commenced September 2023 as part of the new Programme of Work. Progress delivery of the Invest in NL Programme of Work. Place Page 19 of 64
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attract, retain and expand business and employment opportunities The primary aim of the Invest in NL advisory team is to facilitate investment in NL by providing a co- ordinated advisory service to help accelerate the statutory consent process for developers. 3.8 NLC Business Solutions has been developing a Case Management System that will allow efficient and more detailed recording and reporting on the council’s interactions with businesses. It will also offer a better customer experience by allowing local businesses 24/7 access to a broader range of council services at the click of a button, via their business account. Deploy and promote the Case Management System to North Lanarkshire based businesses. Enterprise 3.9 Building upon work which supports innovation and skill development through the development of Three sectoral learning academies are being taken forward under the Brighter Futures Deliver NL Academies projects which are funded via UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). People Resources Page 20 of 64
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sectoral learning academies Programme of Work (Built Environment; Care and Digital), to help attract and train a workforce to meet demand in these key sectors and support the local economy. The Built Environment Academy and supporting Sector Board will implement, prioritise, and progress its plan of work and aim to implement a sustainable funding model for skills development within the industry. Within Care, a focus on collaborative apprenticeships is planned, along with ensuring pathways for people to work in the care sector are developed. Within the Digital Academy, work will be progressed to develop an approach to addressing the digital skills gaps within North Lanarkshire. 3.10 Supporting investment, via our Arms-Length External Organisations, that will continue to improve, modernise and Planning approval has been obtained for three phases of development at Gartcosh Industrial Park. Conclude sale of Phase 1 and progress the second phase of development at Gartcosh Industrial Park which consists of a further Fusion Assets Page 21 of 64
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expand commercial stock availability across North Lanarkshire Phase 1 is complete with the construction of 3 industrial units totalling 60,000 sq.ft of class 4,5 and 6 floorspace. Following letting of the 3 units, the scheme is currently being marketed for sale by the JV company as an investment. 3 units totalling 69,000 sq.ft. 3.11 Fusion Assets have secured planning consent for a 41,000 sq.ft multi let industrial scheme at Condor Park consisting of 8 units. A further phase of enabling works has been completed. The terms of a Joint Venture have been agreed, subject to securing loan financing. Progress delivery of Condor Park, Eurocentral through securing loan finance, tendering the construction contract and beginning construction of a speculative industrial scheme to provide an additional 41,000 sq.ft of industrial space. Fusion Assets Page 22 of 64
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3.12 Fusion Assets has delivered a total of 83,000 sq.ft across three buildings at Link Park, Newhouse (47,500 sq.ft at Plot A2through a development agreement and 35,000 sq.ft on Plot A1 through direct build). Following the successful letting of Building 2, explore funding opportunities to complete the development at Link Park, Newhouse by constructing a 20,000 sq.ft industrial unit on the remaining vacant plot. This is subject to a successful NLC capital funding bid and will also include contributions from the Scottish Government’s Vacant and Derelict Land Fund (VDLF) as well as Fusion Assets funding. Fusion Assets Theme: Invest ERDP Priority 4: Continuing to improve our connectivity and develop new opportunities by transforming our road, rail and digital infrastructure Reference Number ERDP Priority What we’ve delivered so far… What we’ll aim to deliver during 2024/25… Lead Team 4.1 Continue to deliver the City Deal Infrastructure Programme Ravenscraig Access Infrastructure Planning approval granted for new dual carriageway from Ravenscraig Regional Sports Facility to Continue to progress the delivery of Ravenscraig Access Infrastructure project to support the redevelopment and connect the M74 and M8 as part of the Pan Enterprise Projects Page 23 of 64
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Motherwell at the Airbles Road/Windmillhill Street junction. Bridge crossing under the West Coast Mainline Railway was completed in 2023. Land acquisition/ CPOs concluded. Lanarkshire Transport Corridor. Commence demolition works to former business sites at Airbles Road and Windmillhill Street. Procure and award a contract for advanced ground works. Procure and award a contract for the dual carriageway construction works. Develop detailed designs for upgrading the A723 from New Craig Road junction at Ravenscraig to the M8 at Holytown. 4.2 East Airdrie Link Road Ground investigation works complete and preferred option for East Airdrie Link Road identified. Continue to progress the delivery of the East Airdrie Link Road to improve north/south road and active travel connectivity as part of the Pan Lanarkshire Transport Corridor. Enterprise Projects Page 24 of 64
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Progress Design Manual for Roads and Bridges (DMRB) Stage 3 consultancy services contract. Confirm alignment and commence design. Commence Environmental Impact Assessment. Secure Outline Business Case (OBC) approval from the Glasgow City Region City Deal Cabinet. 4.3 A8/M8 Corridor Access Improvements Outline Business Case (OBC) for A8/M8 Corridor Access Improvements project approved. Progress delivery of the Orchard Farm roundabout to support the development of key business and industrial sites on the A8/M8 corridor. Secure Full Business Case (FBC) approval from the Glasgow City Region City Deal Cabinet. Enterprise Projects 4.4 Eurocentral Strategic Active Travel Sustainable transport improvements form part Progress delivery of the Eurocentral Strategic Active Travel project. Enterprise Projects Page 25 of 64
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of the A8/M8 Corridor Access Improvements project which was received Outline Business Case (OBC) approval Appoint consultants to develop detailed designs for Phase 1 (Holytown to Eurocentral and Holytown to Newhouse) and Phase 2 (Whifflet Corridor). Commence procurement for construction works. Appoint consultants to carry out an options appraisal, select preferred option and prepare concept designs for Phase 3 (Bellshill to Mossend). 4.5 Invest in the delivery of the council’s Active Travel Strategy to ensure a comprehensive connection of active travel routes to key places across North Lanarkshire 13.46km of active travel routes created between 2019/20 and end of 2022/23. Project examples include Newhouse to Salsburgh, A71 Horsley Brae (Wishaw), South Biggar (Airdrie), Woodside Street (Coatbridge), Ravenscraig Active Travel Link Phase 2, and Motherwell Station Active Travel Phase 1A Continue to develop the Active Travel Strategic Network Routes (SNRs), to ensure a portfolio of construction ready projects can then be progressed in line with external funding resources. Detailed designs for the 2 highest priority active travel Strategic Network Routes (SNRs) will be Infrastructure & Transportation Page 26 of 64
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progressed during 24/25. These are: • SNR7 (Uddingston to Caldercruix via Coatbridge and Airdrie utilising both NCN75 and A89 route operations) • SNR9 (Airbles Road to South Lanarkshire at Strathclyde Country Park and to Bothwell) 4.6 Ravenscraig Active Travel Links Construction of Phase 1 and Phase 2 of the Ravenscraig Active Travel Links project completed. Motherwell Station Active Travel Links Construction of Phase 1a (Muir Street to Braidhurst Industrial Estate) of the Motherwell Station Active Travel Links project completed. Continue to progress delivery of the Motherwell Station Active Travel Links project. Complete detailed design for Phase 2 of the project (Bellshill Road). Enterprise Projects Page 27 of 64
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Detailed design of phases 1b and 1c (Motherwell Rail Station and town centre to the Civic Centre) complete. 4.7 Ensure that inclusive economic growth remains at the heart of opportunity to support affordable and accessible transport systems (via the Local Transport Strategy) N/A Develop North Lanarkshire’s Local Transport Strategy, which will be the mechanism for delivering on this ERDP recommendation. Infrastructure & Transportation 4.8 Support the delivery of Electric Vehicle (EV) charging infrastructure and other green transport solutions across North Lanarkshire Progressed work to develop a Glasgow City Region EV Charging Strategy. Develop and implement a Glasgow City Region approach to appoint a provider to increase, manage and maintain public EV infrastructure. Community Operations 4.9 Work with the council’s digital partner to install and invest in infrastructure that helps create one of the best and most affordable/accessible digital provisions in the UK. Significant progress has been made against the fibre rollout to complete the Wide Area Network (WAN). This is key to enabling the provision of internet services and public wi-fi. Completion of the councils Wide Area Network (WAN), integrating all Corporate and Education sites. Progress next phase of call off contracts covering public Wi-Fi and CCTV services. Business Solutions Page 28 of 64
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4.10 As part of the Comms World Framework a number of community benefits have been delivered, including: • 6 Modern Apprentices recruited via NLC/Commsworld shared Apprenticeship Model • Delivery of SmartSTEM programme across North Lanarkshire schools including 1 primary school flagship event (200 attendees), 1 secondary school flagship event (200 attendees), and delivery of 20 individual primary school workshops to 1,418 pupils. • Development of an interactive, online map highlighting organisations and NLC and Commsworld Ltd will continue to maximise added value via the Framework Agreement for the provision of digital connectivity services and associated call-off contracts, ensuring the delivery of Community Benefits and additional value throughout 2024/25. The additional value will focus on increasing full fibre coverage, take-up of services and vouchers, choice & innovation and future proofing. Business Solutions Page 29 of 64
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venues delivering community based digital services and resources across North Lanarkshire. • Delivery of a flagship business event "Accelerate North Lanarkshire" attended by 196 people in Motherwell Concert Hall and Theatre. Page 30 of 64
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Enterprise and Fair Work Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref PH/YW Date 16/02/24 Insourcing of the Lanarkshire Business Gateway Service and Review of Business Support Services From Pamela Humphries, Chief Officer (Place) E-mail weiry@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 07508 001238 Executive Summary Further to the decisions made by North Lanarkshire Council’s Enterprise and Fair Work Committee meeting on 4 September 2023, and South Lanarkshire Council’s Community and Enterprise Resources Committee on 29 August 2023, this report provides an update on progress with insourcing the Lanarkshire Business Gateway Service from 1 March 2024. The insourcing of the Lanarkshire Business Gateway Service contract gives rise to a relevant transfer under the Transfer of Undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE) as this is a service provision change and, specifically, a change in the provider of a service by way of insourcing as activities are ceasing to be carried out by a contractor on behalf of both North and South Lanarkshire and will be carried out instead by North Lanarkshire Council on behalf of both North and South Lanarkshire Councils. There are a number of employees of Enterprise North East Trust Ltd (Elevator) who are in scope to transfer to North Lanarkshire Council on 1 March 2024 upon termination of the existing contract. The report provides an update on the proposed future operating model for the Business Gateway service and highlights that a wider review of the Council’s own business support services will be undertaken to ensure effective co-ordination and alignment of business support services and make best use of available resources. Recommendations It is recommended that Committee: (1) Note the position in relation to the insourcing and transfer of employees from Enterprise North East Trust Ltd (Elevator); and (2) Endorse the proposals for a review of wider business support services. Item 3 Page 31 of 64
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1. Background 1.1. Business Gateway is a publicly funded service delivered through Scottish Local Authorities providing access to free business support / impartial advice to start-up and existing businesses in Scotland. Business Gateway has an important role to play in promoting an entrepreneurial culture within Scotland and stimulating awareness of, and demand for, business support services (both public and private sector) among Scotland’s business base. 1.2. Business Gateway has the following service objectives: • Support more people with their ambitions to start a business; • Support more businesses to survive and achieve their growth ambitions • Support more people with their aspirations for high business growth; and, • Support more people from underrepresented groups to access mainstream business support. 1.3. Underpinning the service objectives there is a commitment to providing support across a number of themes such as Carbon Reduction, Fair Work, Innovation, Internationalisation, Digital Upskilling, Community Wealth Building, and Job Creation. 1.4. Business Gateway Key Principles have been developed and endorsed by Scottish Government and Local Government. Local Government remains responsible for ensuring that these principles are implemented. The eight key principles are: 1. Local Authorities are responsible for local economic development and Business Gateway is a key element of the support they provide to businesses. 2. Businesses across Scotland can expect a consistent start-up service and a consistent established business service. These core services are complemented by local services, designed by local authorities responding to the needs and opportunities of their local business base. 3. Business Gateway will be well integrated with other local authority services impacting on business to ensure that businesses get the information they need to set up and flourish. 4. Business Gateway will ensure its services are accessible, making best use of digital technology. 5. Business Gateway is a key part of the economic development landscape and will operate in a joined-up way with the range of other organisations offering business support with a particular role in signposting to relevant expertise and specific and/or sectoral support. 6. Local authorities across Scotland will use the Business Gateway brand within agreed guidelines. 7. Business Gateway will engage with businesses and their representative organisations to ensure they are responsive to business needs. 8. The governance structure and accountability of the Business Gateway will be clear and effective at the local authority level and at the national level. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Improve economic opportunities and outcomes Ambition statement (5) Grow and improve the sustainability and diversity of North Lanarkshire's economy Programme of Work Brighter Futures Page 32 of 64
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1.5. A new National Service Specification for Business Gateway was approved by CoSLA Leaders on 24 November 2024. This identified the following four key service areas which will form Business Gateway from 1 April 2024: 1. Start-Up Advisory Service (core service); 2. Existing and Growing Businesses Service (core services); 3. Business Gateway Local Services (determined locally to meet local needs); and 4. Additional Services utilising external funding (where appropriate and to meet local needs) 1.6. There will also be a robust, consistent Aftercare programme developed nationally as part of the renewal of the Business Gateway service, using best practice from around the network to design the programme that can be successfully delivered locally. 1.7. The new National Service Specification has also identified the following Customer Categories which will form part of the local service specification and operating model: • Pre-start: An individual who has indicated an interest in starting a business. • Pre-start Plus: An individual with a clear plan for a new business which has the potential to show sustained levels of growth and offer employment. • New Business: A business up to one year from being ‘claimed’ as a start-up. • New Business Plus: A business up to one year from being ‘claimed’ as a start- up that was previously in the Pre-Start Plus category. • Business Base: Any existing business. • BG Growth: A trading business with plans for significant growth. • Local Priority: To be determined by individual areas but expected to be for businesses who do not meet the BG Growth definition, and who are eligible for individual local authority support programmes. 1.8. The nature and intensity of the support provided will be determined by client needs and ambitions, and the potential for economic impact, hence the expectation that those offering higher growth potential will typically receive more intensive support. 1.9. North Lanarkshire Council has managed the delivery of Business Gateway Services on behalf of both North and South Lanarkshire Councils since 1 April 2008. The service since then has been delivered through outsourced contracts. Following the conclusion of an options appraisal carried out earlier this year, both Councils obtained Committee approval to insource the service with effect from 1 March 2024 with North Lanarkshire Council delivering the service on behalf of both Councils. A letter terminating the current contract with effect from 29 February 2024 has been issued to the current service provider Enterprise North East Trust Ltd (Elevator). This has been acknowledged in writing by Elevator. 1.10. In addition to Lanarkshire Business Gateway Services, the Council is already delivering a complementary range of business support services through the Enterprise Development Team. These services include: • Business Grant Funding – through the delivery of the Council’s Business Start- Up Fund, the Small Business and Self-Employed Support Scheme, The Energy Audit Voucher Scheme, the Business Growth Fund, the Tourism Challenge Fund and subject to approval, the Net Zero Business Challenge Fund. With the exception of the Energy Audit Voucher Scheme, these funds are all supported by the UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF). Page 33 of 64
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• Expert Help Framework – funded through the UKSPF, the Framework provides up to five days of specialist consultancy support to businesses in the areas of Financial Management; Human Resources, Leadership and Skills; Procurement; Marketing; Information and Digital Technology; Legal Support; Energy Efficiencies and Net Zero; Business Development; and New Market Opportunities and Internationalisation • Inward Investment and Business Engagement – this includes the delivery of the Council’s inward investment activities and campaigns, the provision of a single point of contact for investors and businesses looking to locate in North Lanarkshire or do business with North Lanarkshire Council, and the provision of free property and land searches. • Business and Industry Strategy – the team are leading on the development of the Council’s Business and Industry Strategy. • Procurement and Supply Chain Development – this includes the local delivery and promotion of the national Supplier Development Programme which provides support to those looking to tender with the public sector and the delivery of Lanarkshire Meet the Real Buyer Event which enables businesses to engage on a 1-2-1 basis with buyers from the public sector and Tier 1 contractors. In addition, the team arrange for bespoke tender training for specific tenders and meet the buyer events linked to key contract opportunities. • Sector-Specific Support o Manufacturing – through the continued delivery of Smart Hub Lanarkshire and wider sectoral activities. o Tourism – through the delivery of the North Lanarkshire Tourism Strategy and visitor destination marketing via the Visit Lanarkshire brand. Funding is also in place through the UKSPF to deliver a heritage trail, support bespoke marketing activity and to deliver the tourism challenge fund. o Social Enterprise – through the delivery of the North Lanarkshire Social Enterprise Framework and Action Plan including the delivery of bespoke social enterprise support funded through the UKSPF. o Construction and Built Environment – through the delivery of the Hub South West Build Lanarkshire programme and work to support the development of the sector and pathways into the sector for young people and those seeking employment. o Digital and Creative – engagement with businesses to address the digital skills gaps and shortages, and development of support for the film and creative sector including the delivery of Lanarkshire Screen Locations which provides a free support service for filming enquiries in North Lanarkshire. o Fair Trade – promotion of Fair Trade across North Lanarkshire to support the council’s Fairtrade Zone status, local businesses and communities. o Food and Drink – support for the development of Lanarkshire Larder and wider sectoral initiatives. o Life Science – direct engagement and officer-led support for the growing sector. Page 34 of 64
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• Development of Entrepreneurship – Through UK Shared Prosperity Funding, the Council is delivering bespoke community-based advice and support to individuals who typically experience structural barriers to self-employment or running their own business. This support includes the development of Lanarkshire Women in Business programme, the development of a women’s business incubator in Airdrie and tailored business support to the Black and Minority Ethnic (BAME) communities in North Lanarkshire. • Development of the Young Entrepreneur – working with education to develop and deliver pathways into entrepreneurship for young people including the delivery of the annual Dragons’ Lair Competition for teams of S3 pupils across North Lanarkshire. • Business Events – delivery of keynote business events including the annual Lanarkshire Business Excellence Awards, Lanarkshire Meet the Real Buyers and an annual digital business event delivered in partnership with Commsworld. 2. Report 2.1. This report provides an overview on progress with the transfer of Lanarkshire Business Gateway services and also an overview of the review of the Council’s current business support services. In-Sourcing of Lanarkshire Business Gateway Services 2.2. The termination of the Business Gateway Lanarkshire Service contract is a relevant transfer and, specifically, a service provision change under Regulation 3 of TUPE. Following discussion and correspondence with Elevator, it has been determined that the additional conditions for a service provision change have also been satisfied: • there is an organised grouping of employees situated in Lanarkshire; • the principal purpose of the organised grouping is the carrying out of the activities on behalf of North and South Lanarkshire Councils; • North Lanarkshire intends to carry out the activities on its own behalf and on behalf of South Lanarkshire Council; • The activities do not relate to a single specific event or short-term task; and • The activities do not consist wholly or mainly of the supply of goods for North Lanarkshire’s use. 2.3. As this is a relevant transfer, the contracts of employment of transferring employees do not terminate, but transfer. An employee caught by the automatic transfer principle transfers on existing terms of employment and with continuity of service intact. This automatic transfer principle extends to both contractual and statutory benefits. 2.4. Engagement is underway with the employee representatives regarding the transfer to the Council Individual meetings with employees have also taken place which includes an initial introduction and induction to working for North Lanarkshire Council in advance of their start date of 1 March 2024. Page 35 of 64
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2.5. An interim operating structure has been developed, incorporating all of the current staff covered under the TUPE transfer and has been subject to discussion with the employee representatives. It is currently anticipated that 20 posts equating to 18.4 FTE will transfer to the council to deliver the Lanarkshire Business Gateway service. 2.6. The following table highlights the proposed changes to governance once the service has transferred to North Lanarkshire Council. A Service Level Agreement is being drawn up to reflect the role of North Lanarkshire Council and how the service will be managed and delivered by North Lanarkshire Council on behalf of both Councils. Current Governance Proposed Governance Contract Management – NLC on behalf of NLC and SLC Service Management – NLC on behalf of NLC and SLC Lead Officer Group – NLC/SLC - Monthly Lead Officer Working Group – NLC/SLC – Monthly NLC/SLC Memorandum of Understanding Service Level Agreement between North and South Lanarkshire Council including a Data Processing Agreement Business Gateway Lanarkshire Steering Group – officer/member group chaired by SLC which meets quarterly to oversee delivery; two elected members from each council on the Steering Group. Business Gateway Lanarkshire Board – comprising senior officers from North and South Lanarkshire and relevant managers to monitor service delivery - Quarterly 6-monthly reports to respective service Committees Marketing, Social Media and PR 2.7. A communication and marketing plan is being developed. This is being supported by Strategic Communications and will be agreed with South Lanarkshire Council. 2.8. There is a national marketing budget for Business Gateway held by CoSLA. A proportion of the national marketing spend will be allocated to fund local marketing activity across North and South Lanarkshire Council areas. This activity will be planned by the Business Gateway National Unit (BGNU) with input from Local Authority Service Managers. The budget will not transfer to North Lanarkshire Council. Any wider marketing undertaken locally including events and PR is required to follow Business Gateway brand guidelines and utilise the national marketing toolkits. It is proposed that the Council will maintain a small additional marketing budget for ad hoc activities that cannot be funded through the national budgets. Quality Standards and Survival Monitoring 2.9. There is an expectation that once transferred to North Lanarkshire, the Lanarkshire Business Gateway service will deliver a high-quality service, and that minimum quality standards will be met in line with the levels of service which clients can expect. Performance against these standards will be monitored to ensure that clients Page 36 of 64
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accessing support from Lanarkshire Business Gateway service are receiving a high- quality service, and identify any areas for improvement. Customer Satisfaction is also monitored closely and this is undertaken by an independent body appointed by the Business Gateway National Unit (BGNU) to all individuals who receive a service. 2.10. BGNU will also deliver a robust survival monitoring methodology on behalf of the council. Clients who have been given assistance to start a new business are contacted via text survey at the 12 month and 36-month anniversary of their trading start date to determine if they are still in business. The responses from the survey are reported at a national and regional level on an annual basis. Premises 2.11. As a nationally recognised brand, and to maintain brand awareness, it is preferable that the Service be delivered in suitable branded premises for customers to easily access. A potential working base for staff is being progressed within the Dalziel Business Centre. The Business Centre provides a professional working environment for staff within a public-facing building. In addition, the Business Centre has bookable training facilities which can support event delivery which is a key feature of the ongoing service provision. 2.12. Additional premises are being identified within the estates of both North and South Lanarkshire Council for the Business Gateway staff to use as touchdown facilities, to meet clients and to deliver events. As the service covers both North and South Lanarkshire Council areas it is important that the service is visible across all areas and would include Hubs, libraries and community facilities. Wider Review of Business Support Services 2.13. As outlined in section 1.7 above, the Council is already delivering a complementary range of business support services through the Enterprise Development Team. It is proposed that in-line with the in-sourcing of the Lanarkshire Business Gateway Services, all business support services will be reviewed during 2024 to ensure that best use is made of available resources to deliver effective business support across Lanarkshire. The review will identify any opportunities and/or gaps in provision, consider opportunities for external funding, income generation and efficiency savings, consider the changing external environment and business needs in North Lanarkshire, and consider associated key performance indicators. 2.14. The review will also consider: • How the Council engages with businesses to improve coordination across services • How bespoke support to businesses looking to set up and locate or expand in North Lanarkshire is delivered • How entrepreneurialism is promoted in North Lanarkshire to raise business birth and survivability rates • How businesses are supported to improve their digital capabilities • How businesses are supported to reduce their carbon emissions and achieve net zero • How to engage businesses in Community Wealth Building • How to better understand and help meet the skills and employment needs of businesses to improve access to employment, training, and work experience opportunities for residents and young people. Page 37 of 64
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2.15. It is proposed that a review of these services will be undertaken and concluded by autumn 2024 bringing forward key recommendations for consideration following this review. 3. Measures of success 3.1. Delivery of an insourced operating model and approach which ensures services are fully aligned and integrated with business-facing services and aligned within the Plan for North Lanarkshire and Programmes of Work along with associated South Lanarkshire Council services and plans within the available budget envelope, meeting performance and quality standards. 3.2. As well as any local measures of success, a new Performance Measurement Framework is being put in place nationally for Business Gateway which will include: • Input measures: resources committed to Business Gateway services (financial and human resources); • Activity measures: number of enquiries received, appointments, phone calls, letters and emails completed, number of defined products delivered, number of referrals made (internal and external partners), category referrals completed, research requests made to EFRS, aftercare activity and number of event attendees are uploaded to the BG Datawarehouse ultimately allowing a calculation of the number of unique clients supported. • Output measures: number of businesses achieving a growth category (formerly segmentation); number of completed action plans (including cross cutting themes, for example sustainability, exporting, innovation, fair work which will provide a degree of flexibility to meet changing economic priorities). • Outcome/ impact measures: number of viable new business starts; improved survival rates of new businesses; tracking employment in supported businesses; level of business ambitions met. 3.3. As the new Performance Measurement Framework is substantially different from the current Framework, work is underway to map existing deliverables to support the identification of initial targets which will remain under review during the first year of delivery. 3.4. In relation to quality assurance and customer satisfaction, a minimum score of 80% will be expected across the following four KPIs on a quarterly basis: • overall satisfaction with the service received; • whether the service delivered met expectations; • benefits the business will gain from the service received; and • whether the client would recommend Business Gateway to someone else. Page 38 of 64
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4. Supporting documentation 4.1. There is no supporting documentation. Pamela Humphries Chief Officer (Place) Page 39 of 64
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5. Impacts 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? The service provides support to individuals looking to become self-employed or to set-up a business and also provides support to existing self-employed individuals and businesses to assist them to grow. The EQIA considers how the service will be accessible to all and any positive actions proposed. This will be a working document with related equalities workplan. In addition, businesses supported will also be encouraged to consider equalities and Fair Work practices. The service will also report equalities information through its KPIs. If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your-community/equalities/equality- and-fairer-scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☒ No ☐ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? The cost of the insourced service will be contained within the current operating budget of £1.15m. In addition to the operational costs, there will be one-off costs associated with the transfer. It is estimated this will be in the region of £80 - £100,000 which can be met from Business Gateway earmarked reserves. 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts been discussed and agreed with People Resources? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? It has been established that the insourcing of the Lanarkshire Business Gateway Service contract gives rise to a relevant transfer under the Transfer of undertakings (Protection of Employment) Regulations 2006 (TUPE). There are a number of employees who are in scope to transfer to North Lanarkshire Council. 5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Page 40 of 64
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Notice for the termination of the current contract with effect from 29 February 2024 has been given. Consideration is being given to ensure all contractual obligations are met. A Service Level Agreement with South Lanarkshire Council is also being developed. 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e- mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☒ No ☐ 5.6 Technology / Digital impact Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? The service will require access to IT equipment and mobile telephones. Access to software and platforms will be required with staff required to maintain their bgateway.com emails as well as new Northlan.gov.uk emails. In addition, a central telephone number linked to mobiles will be required. The new premises will also require WiFi and access to network connectivity. Discussions on the above have taken place with Business & Digital team. Where the impact identifies a requirement for significant technology change, has an assessment been carried out (or is scheduled to be carried out) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? Yes ☐ No ☒ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? It should be noted that the service will support businesses to reduce their carbon footprint and work towards net zero. 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? There will be communication required with Business Gateway customers and stakeholders to advise of the change. In addition, the Council will be responsible for local marketing of the service and event delivery. The Council will assume responsibility for the local Business Gateway social media channels. A communication and marketing plan is being developed. 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g. Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed? Page 41 of 64
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A detailed Project Risk Register has been developed. 5.10 Armed Forces Covenant Duty Does the report require to take due regard of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty (i.e. does it relate to healthcare, housing, or education services for in-Service or ex- Service personnel, or their families, or widow(er)s)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the provision which has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the particular needs of the Armed Forces community to make sure that they do not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public services. 5.11 Children’s rights and wellbeing impact Does the report contain any information regarding any council activity, service delivery, policy, or plan that has an impact on children and young people up to the age of 18, or on a specific group of these? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact and the provision that has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the relevant Articles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). If Yes, has a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) been carried out? Yes ☐ No ☐ Page 42 of 64
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Enterprise and Fair Work Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref Date 16/02/24 Net Zero Business Challenge Fund From Pamela Humphries, Chief Officer (Place) E-mail weiry@northlan.gov.uk Telephone Yvonne Weir, 07508 001238 Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to seek approval for a Net Zero Business Challenge Fund to support local small to medium-sized businesses within North Lanarkshire to reduce their environmental impact and improve the sustainability of their operations. Recent research has highlighted one of the key barriers to small and medium-sized businesses achieving net zero is finance. Utilising funding from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund enables North Lanarkshire Council to support local businesses to reduce emissions through establishing a Net Zero Business Challenge Fund. The Fund will ultimately help deliver on The Plan for North Lanarkshire, North Lanarkshire’s Climate Plan ACT2030, and also the UK Shared Prosperity Fund outputs and outcomes. Recommendations It is recommended that the Enterprise and Fair Work Committee: (1) Approves the proposed use of UK Shared Prosperity Funding to support businesses within North Lanarkshire to reduce their environmental impact and enhance the sustainability of their operations by establishing a Net Zero Business Challenge Fund. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Improve economic opportunities and outcomes Ambition statement (5) Grow and improve the sustainability and diversity of North Lanarkshire's economy Programme of Work Sustainable Futures Item 4 Page 43 of 64
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1. Background 1.1 The UK Shared Prosperity Fund (UKSPF) is a central pillar of the UK Government’s levelling up agenda and succeeds the former EU funding received by the UK. Funding of £2.6bn of capital and revenue has been put in place from April 2022 to March 2025 across the UK, with each lead authority receiving a direct allocation over the 3 financial years. 1.2 The key priorities of the UKSPF are to deliver pride in place and better life chances through support for a range of strategic interventions across 3 key investment themes: Communities and Place, Supporting Local Business and People and Skills, and a final ring-fenced allocation to Multiply - an adult numeracy programme. 1.3 The UKSPF Investment plan for Glasgow City Region was approved on 5th December 2022. Within that, North Lanarkshire’s UKSPF Investment Plan will receive an allocation of £13,871,047 and will manage its distribution to projects across each of the investment themes and throughout North Lanarkshire for the duration of the UKSPF. 1.4 The UK Shared Prosperity Fund Investment Plan for North Lanarkshire was approved at the Enterprise, Growth and Fair Work Committee in August 2022 with £250,000 allocated against the following Intervention: • S20: Support for expert business advice and support programmes at the local and regional level, including support for decarbonisation, climate adaptation and circular economy advice. 1.5 To deliver on Intervention S20, this report proposes to establish a Net Zero Challenge Fund that will enable North Lanarkshire Council to meet the outputs and outcomes associated with its UK Shared Prosperity Fund allocation and support local businesses to move towards decarbonising their business and operate in a more environmentally sustainable manner. 1.6 The Net Zero Business Challenge Fund will also complement the Energy Audit Voucher Scheme that was approved by the Enterprise and Fair Work Committee in November 2022. The Energy Audit Vouchers provide North Lanarkshire-based small to medium- sized businesses with up to £2,500 of financial support to undertake an energy audit to identify how the business can reduce its energy bills. 2. Report 2.1 Tackling and preventing further climate change is important to us all. In 2019, North Lanarkshire Council declared a Climate Emergency and set a target to reach net-zero for North Lanarkshire by 2030. 2.2 North Lanarkshire Council’s Climate Plan ACT2030 details how the council will respond to the climate emergency and work towards achieving net zero emissions. The Climate Plan highlights there are over 10,000 businesses operating in the area and each generates carbon emissions through their use of buildings and transport as well as industrial or farming processes. 2.3 In 2022, a first of its kind survey of businesses from the United Nations-backed Small to Medium Enterprise (SME) Climate Hub shows that SME businesses need additional resources and guidance to reduce their carbon emissions. The SME Climate Hub conducted a survey of 194 of their member businesses representing a sample of Page 44 of 64
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companies around the world, and across sectors, size, and income. The most common barrier to reducing emissions reported by companies was a lack of skills and knowledge (63%), followed by funding (48%), and time (40%). In addition, only one-third of SMEs have been offered a financial incentive to reduce emissions, with only 8% of SME owners having received support from their banks. 2.4 A more recent report from the Bank of Scotland, published in 2023, outlines 3 principal barriers to SME businesses achieving net zero including finance, but also factors around control, which centres around the difficulty in reducing emissions outside of their own operations, and assessment, as it can be difficult to measure environmental impact. To account for this, applicants to the Net Zero Business Challenge Fund will be required to utilise the Energy Audit Voucher to assess any gaps in their knowledge and assessment of their business’s environmental impact. Applicants will be able to incorporate an Energy Audit Voucher as part of their Net Zero Business Challenge Fund bid but this cannot be used as evidence of match funding. 2.5 The proposal to establish a Net Zero Business Challenge Fund for North Lanarkshire will offer local businesses the opportunity to address all three of the principal barriers through a competitive application process. With a £250,000 budget, it is anticipated that a minimum of 20 successful bidders could receive up to a maximum of £15,000 each to help make their business more environmentally sustainable and/or reduce emissions. The Fund will only be available to North Lanarkshire-based small to medium-sized businesses. 2.6 While match funding is not required, applicants will be made aware that value for money is a key criterion in the assessment of applications and applicants are encouraged to provide some match funding to support their application, this can be contributions from the applicant organisation or external funding from another provider. Local Authority funding from other grant schemes cannot be used as match funding. 2.7 Projects must deliver activity that is line with the UKSPF Prospectus and The Plan for North Lanarkshire and help identify a solution to reduce a company’s emissions or help the business to trade more sustainably. Specifically, proposals should seek to deliver either a step change in a business's ability to decarbonise their operations, trade in a more climate-friendly way, and/or embeds circular economy principles into their products, services, or operations. Some examples of proposals that will be considered include: • Developing systems and/or processes for monitoring, quantifying, and reducing carbon emissions. Workable solutions for ease in calculating carbon footprints and carbon accounting. • Developing sustainable, circular manufacturing models or remanufacturing processes to minimise waste. • Developing new products using recycled materials, repurposed materials, minimising waste, or utilising waste from other industries. • Developing new products and/or services that enable decarbonisation. This can include products that already exist but are new to the applicant business or new products designed to reduce carbon usage. • Enabling a business to undertake pilot work or prototype development for new products and systems. • Creating green jobs. • Creating training tools and courses or importing training into a business to retrain or upskill staff to develop a workforce that operates as carbon neutral or net zero. This may lead to new job roles or changes to existing staff roles. Page 45 of 64
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• Developing business systems and manufacturing processes that utilise alternative, renewable energy sources. This may also include innovative approaches to energy generation and storage. • Developing innovative approaches to utilising degradable/biodegradable materials or find alternatives raw materials or more efficient extraction processes to redress the decline in valuable commodities (e.g. rare earth metals). • Developing innovative solutions for product packaging, to reduce waste and promote environmental awareness. • Development of new innovative business solutions to address the impacts of climate change. 2.8 The fund will be administered by North Lanarkshire Council staff and companies will be invited to apply with all applications adhering to a set deadline. Applicants must explain in their application how they have estimated each of the outputs and results for their project, demonstrating clearly how each of the proposed outputs and results link to their specific project activities and objectives. An example of outputs and outcomes by intervention is listed in Table 1 below, with S20 detailing those which are mandatory to report as part of the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. Table 1: Summary of Outputs and Outcomes by Intervention Intervention Outputs Outcomes Support for North Lanarkshire businesses to develop new business models, new products, new circular manufacturing processes, retrain or upskill staff for create new roles in sustainability. • Increase in revenue. • Creation of green jobs • Demonstrating North Lanarkshire’s business community’s ability to innovate • Understanding of carbon accounting and monitoring • Creation of carbon reduction plans • Increased number of businesses operating as carbon neutral or net zero • Raise awareness of the advantages of circular businesses models and circular manufacturing • Demonstrate reductions in carbon footprint and proactive approach to reaching North Lanarkshire and Scotland’s Net Zero targets S20: Support for expert business advice and support programmes at the local and regional level, including support for decarbonisation, climate adaptation and circular economy advice. • Number of enterprises receiving grants • Adoption of new to the firm technologies or processes 2.9 Applications will be assessed against a range of criteria, such as how the proposal will benefit North Lanarkshire by supporting the delivery of existing plans and policies; the outputs and outcomes it will deliver for the business; deliverability of the project, and Page 46 of 64
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how the business will be more environmentally sustainable as a result of the award. An assessment panel will then score applications with those scoring highest awarded funds from the Challenge Fund. The assessment panel will comprise representatives from North Lanarkshire Council and relevant stakeholders from, for example, Scottish Enterprise’s Sustainability Team or Zero Waste Scotland. In selecting the proposals to be funded priority will be given to those that have the greatest potential to deliver against key local growth priorities such as The Plan for North Lanarkshire; the Economic Regeneration Delivery Plan (ERDP); Active Travel Strategy; and North Lanarkshire’s Climate Plan ACT2030. 2.10 It is proposed the Net Zero Business Challenge Fund will by launched by the end of February 2024 and a first call for applications would look to close towards the end of March 2024. Should there be any underspend further funding rounds may be launched but this will be dependent on any funding remaining from each subsequent call. 2.11 Following acceptance of the grant award in April 2024, businesses would have until 31st March 2025 to complete their project. Successful applicants will be required to sign a Grant Offer Letter from North Lanarkshire Council which will include several stipulations relating to monitoring and evaluation of the project and funds can only be paid out retrospectively once eligible project costs have been incurred. Applicants must also commit to providing outputs and outcomes one year following conclusion of the fund. 3. Measures of success 3.1 A range of key performance measures will be in place for the Net Zero Business Challenge Fund. These will include: • Reduction in CO2 emissions • Investment by businesses to support net zero project (match funding) • Number of businesses adopting new to the firm technologies or processes • Number of jobs created. • Number of jobs safeguarded. • Number of grants awarded. • Value of grants awarded. 4. Supporting documentation 4.1 None Pamela Humphries Chief Officer (Place) Page 47 of 64
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5. Impacts 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your-community/equalities/equality- and-fairer-scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? £250,000 of funding has been secured from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund for the establishment of net zero support for businesses in 2024/25. 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts been discussed and agreed with People Resources? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e- mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☐ No ☐ Page 48 of 64
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5.6 Technology / Digital impact Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Where the impact identifies a requirement for significant technology change, has an assessment been carried out (or is scheduled to be carried out) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? The Net Zero Business Challenge Fund will support local businesses to reduce their own emissions and/or improve the environmental sustainability of their operations, products, or services. 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Ongoing marketing and communications is essential for the delivery of the Challenge Fund. The Corporate Communications and Marketing Team will be actively involved and engaged in the delivery of the Challenge Fund. 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g. Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed? Risks are managed in accordance with the council’s agreed Risk Management Strategy to ensure that risks are managed at the appropriate level. There are no significant organisational risks associated with the Net Zero Business Challenge Fund. Key risks will be recorded through a project risk register that reports to North Lanarkshire Councils UK Shared Prosperity Fund Board. 5.10 Armed Forces Covenant Duty Does the report require to take due regard of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty (i.e. does it relate to healthcare, housing, or education services for in-Service or ex- Service personnel, or their families, or widow(er)s)? Yes ☒ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the provision which has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the particular needs of the Armed Forces community to make sure that they do not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public services. Page 49 of 64
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5.11 Children’s rights and wellbeing impact Does the report contain any information regarding any council activity, service delivery, policy, or plan that has an impact on children and young people up to the age of 18, or on a specific group of these? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact and the provision that has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the relevant Articles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). If Yes, has a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) been carried out? Yes ☐ No ☐ Page 50 of 64
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Enterprise and Fair Work Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref: PH/LN Date: 16 February 2024 Contract Award for East Airdrie Link Road Stage 3 (Preliminary Design and Planning) From Pamela Humphries, Chief Officer (Place) E-mail noblely@northlan.gov.uk Telephone: Lyndsay Noble, City Deal Manager, 07970 016256 Executive Summary The Committee is asked to approve the award of a contract for Professional Service for Stage 3 (Preliminary Design and Planning) for the East Airdrie Link Road Project (the ‘Contract’) to AtkinRéalis UK Limited. This procurement recommendation follows the completion of a procurement exercise, where the successful tender has been evaluated as providing the most economically advantageous tender in terms of cost and quality for the council. The Contract is for a period of 16 months anticipated to commence on 18 March 2024. The value of the Agreement is two million, eight hundred ninety-four thousand eight hundred and seventy-one Pounds Sterling (£2,894,871.00) exclusive of VAT. The Contract will support the delivery of the North Lanarkshire Council City Deal East Airdrie Link Road Project. Recommendations It is recommended that the Committee: (1) Approves the award of the East Airdrie Link Road Stage 3 (Preliminary Design and Planning) Professional Contract to AtkinRéalis UK Limited at the value of two million, eight hundred ninety-four thousand eight hundred and seventy-one Pounds Sterling (£2,894,871.00) exclusive of VAT. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Improve economic opportunities and outcomes Ambition statement (5) Grow and improve the sustainability and diversity of North Lanarkshire's economy Programme of Work Transforming Places Item 5 Page 51 of 64
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1. Background 1.1 The East Airdrie Link Road is a key City Deal infrastructure project and is the northern section of the Pan Lanarkshire Orbital Transport Corridor which forms an important north south strategic link between the M74 and the M80. The project will provide a new single carriageway road east of Airdrie, between the M8 and the A73 south of Cumbernauld. It will also deliver a separate north-south route for walking, cycling, and wheeling focusing on the A73 linking local communities to key destinations, offering local and strategic routes. Critically, the proposed link road will also provide access to the New Monklands Hospital at Wester Moffat, Airdrie. 1.2 In line with earlier Committee reports and approvals, the procurement is for professional services for the development of the preliminary design for the link road and preparation of the planning application with supporting documents including an Environmental Impact Assessment. 1.3 As previously reported to Committee, the programme for the development and delivery of the EALR has been reviewed. This is to accommodate complex design and planning requirements, to allow for technical approvals and implementation of the land acquisition strategy. In moving into DMRB Stage 3, the programme can progress at pace and further consultation will take place with key stakeholders including Members, local communities and residents. 1.4 This multidisciplinary professional services contract has been procured to further develop proposals to deliver the East Airdrie Link Road. The Contract will specifically progress the Project through Preliminary Design and submission of a Planning Application. Through the development of the preliminary design, the road alignment will be fixed, structures and links to the local network will be agreed and land take understood to inform the land strategy to deliver the link road. 2. Report 2.1 An internal user intelligence group of technical and procurement representatives was formed to review technical specifications, trading processes, market conditions and trends, ways to maximise community benefits and sustainability and to agree the contract strategy that would deliver maximum benefit for the council via the Contract. 2.2 The initial estimated value of the Contract dictated that the procurement procedure be undertaken in accordance with the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015. 2.3 The procurement procedure therefore was undertaken from the Scotland Excel framework agreement for Engineering and Technical Consultancy Services 0820 Framework Agreement (the “Framework Agreement”) with Lot 1 Roads and Structures being specifically used. 2.4 Invitation to Tender documentation was issued to companies appointed to the Framework Agreement following a capability and capacity enquiry and the approval of a Contract Strategy. The council received 6 tender submissions. 2.5 Following the completion of the procurement procedure, AtkinRéalis UK Limited has been evaluated as demonstrating Best Value for the council. Page 52 of 64
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2.6 Appendix 1 confirms the scoring achieved by each tenderer, further details of the procurement procedure are provided in Appendix 2 and the SME status and location of all tenderers is located within Appendix 3. Financial / Budget Consideration 2.7 Following completion of the procurement procedure, the value of the Contract to be awarded is two million, eight hundred ninety-four thousand eight hundred and seventy-one Pounds Sterling (£2,894,871.00) exclusive of VAT. 2.8 The costs associated with delivery of the Contract will be contained within the North Lanarkshire Council City Deal Programme budget which combines capital funding from UK and Scottish Governments and Member Authorities. Price Stability 2.9 The pricing mechanism is a Priced Contract with a robust Scope of Services and an agreed Activity Schedule offering a good level of cost certainty. Community Benefits 2.10 The council is committed to maximising the delivery of community benefits. The procurement included a community benefit requirement, this approach is designed to deliver local community benefits where possible and has been carried out in line the Glasgow City Region City Deal Community Benefit Strategy. The Community Benefits will be delivered through the design, and planning phases. The community benefits menu within the City Deal Community Benefits Strategy has been used to target benefits that support the council’s key aims and objectives and deliver against priorities. 2.11 Within their tender, AtkinRéalis UK Limited committed to deliver the following community benefits within the Contract: Community Benefit Type Quantity Committed EMP01 New Employee Full Time Job (from Priority Group) 1 EMP06 New Entrant Graduate - Full Time (from Priority Group) 1 SKL03 Work Experience Placement - Foundation Apprenticeship – Civil Engineering, placements to take place in June 24 and / or Oct 24 4 SKL06 Work Experience Placement - Non School 4 SKL10 Work Experience Summer Placement 2 SKL11 Primary School Engagement (mini careers event for P6 / P7) QTR 1 24/25 1 SKL12 Careers Event (Virtual Teams Session) Scottish Apprenticeship Week (SAW) in March 24 1 COM02 Non-financial support for a community project (Minimum 7 hours). 2 Page 53 of 64
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Fair Work First 2.12 All consultants appointed to the Scotland Excel Engineering and Technical Consultancy Framework have evidenced Fair Work practices and demonstrated how they will promote them in the delivery of contract call-offs from the Framework. Contract Management 2.13 Officers from both the City Deal Team and Infrastructure and Design Team in Place will be responsible for managing the Contract which will be undertaken in accordance with the contract and supplier management conditions applied within the Contract. 3. Measures of success 3.1 The Contract will deliver the following outcomes: • Preliminary Design for the East Airdrie Link Road • Route alignment • Stage 3 Assessment • Stakeholder consultation and Engagement Plan • Whole life costings • Planning Application 3.2 The Contract will facilitate the delivery of strategic road infrastructure to enable forming an important part of the Pan Lanarkshire Transport Corridor and will significantly improve north and south connectivity facilitating the realisation of associated economic benefits. The contract also contributes to enabling the development of Monklands Replacement Hospital at Wester Moffat, Airdrie. 4. Supporting documents 4.1 Appendix 1 Summary of Tender Evaluation Process Appendix 2 Summary of Procurement Process Appendix 3 SME Status and Location of All Tenderers Pamela Humphries Chief Officer (Place) Page 54 of 64
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5. Impacts ( http://connect/report-template-guidance ) 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? An Equality Impact Assessment has been carried out for the East Airdrie Link Road project and will be further developed and integrated into the preliminary Design. If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your-community/equalities/equality-and-fairer- scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☒ No ☐ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? The cost of this procurement will be met from the City Deal Programme, which combines capital funding from UK and Scottish Governments and Member Authorities. 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts been discussed and agreed with People Resources? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☒ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? The City Deal Team work closely with Legal Services on all sub projects focusing on land acquisition and CPO, procurement and contract preparation and management, funding agreements and any other related matters. 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e-mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☐ No ☐ Page 55 of 64
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5.6 Technology / Digital impact Does the report contain information that has an impact on either technology, digital transformation, service redesign / business change processes, data management, or connectivity / broadband / Wi-Fi? Yes ☒ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? The East Airdrie Link Road will make provision for digital connectivity as part of the preliminary Design. The council’s Digital Partner, CommsWorld has been identified as a stakeholder within the Scope of this Contract and there is a requirement that the consultants will engage with CommsWorld to ensure Digital connectivity is integrated into the preliminary design for the Link Road and that in partnership that innovation and contributions to digital transformation is identified and enabled as part of this stage of the East Airdrie Link Road. There may also opportunities for the Link Road to support the Digital Strategy of the Monklands Replacement Hospital. Through liaison with NLC, CommsWorld and NHS Lanarkshire any opportunities will be explored and where appropriate integrated into this design stage of the Link Road. Where the impact identifies a requirement for significant technology change, has an assessment been carried out (or is scheduled to be carried out) by the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG)? Yes ☐ No ☒ 5.7 Environmental / Carbon impact Does the report / project / practice contain information that has an impact on any environmental or carbon matters? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? All infrastructure projects developed by the council as part of the GCR City Deal will be subject to relevant environmental and sustainability appraisal and as part of the design process and subsequent planning application approvals and procurement. Furthermore, to adhere with HM Treasury Greenbook best practice, each iteration of project business case seeking GCR City Deal funding will include a review of the sustainability considerations, this will include carbon management, involving categorisation, assessment and mitigation. Within the Scope of Services relevant environmental appraisals will be carried out particularly in the form of an Environmental Impact Assessment to inform the preliminary design and environmental mitigation including landscape, contamination, ground conditions, energy, materials, waste and will support the submission of a full Planning Application for the Link Road. As part of the requirements of the contract, a carbon management plan will be developed to identify the impacts and set out an action plan for appropriate mitigation over the life of the Link Road. 5.8 Communications impact Does the report contain any information that has an impact on the council’s communications activities? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Page 56 of 64
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The City Deal programme and the delivery of the East Airdrie Link Road will continue to be promoted through Corporate Communications and the Glasgow City Region’s Communications team. Specific to the East Airdrie Link Road, a joint communication plan will also be developed with NHS Lanarkshire and North Lanarkshire Council to coordinate communication, stakeholder engagement and promote the projects as they develop. 5.9 Risk impact Is there a risk impact? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the key risks and potential impacts, highlighting where the risk(s) are assessed and recorded (e.g. Corporate or Service or Project Risk Registers), and how they are managed? Risk management of North Lanarkshire’s City Deal activity is incorporated within the council’s City Deal programme risk register which is reviewed by the City Deal Manager and reported to the council’s City Deal and Ravenscraig Steering Group. The City Deal risks are also integrated in the Place Service Risk Register. The East Airdrie Link Road has a detail risk register and is managed by the Project Manager. A joint Risk Register has been developed with NHS Lanarkshire to identify partner risks, common and shared risks and agree on mitigation and risk ownership. This will be reported and managed by the NLS/NHS Lanarkshire Project Interface Board over the lifespan of the two projects. 5.10 Armed Forces Covenant Duty Does the report require to take due regard of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty (i.e. does it relate to healthcare, housing, or education services for in-Service or ex-Service personnel, or their families, or widow(er)s)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the provision which has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the particular needs of the Armed Forces community to make sure that they do not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public services. 5.11 Children’s rights and wellbeing impact Does the report contain any information regarding any council activity, service delivery, policy, or plan that has an impact on children and young people up to the age of 18, or on a specific group of these? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact and the provision that has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the relevant Articles from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). If Yes, has a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) been carried out? Yes ☐ No ☒ Page 57 of 64
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Appendix 1 – Summary of Tender Evaluation Process Final Rank Tenderer Name Total Tender Score (%) Recommended for Award (Yes / No) 1 AtkinRéalis UK Limited 83.89% Yes 2 Stantec Uk Limited 76.58% No 3 Amey OW Limited 72.00% No 4 Sweco UK ltd 61.99% No 5 Mott MacDonald 55.05% No / Aecom Limited Failed to meet pass mark No Page 58 of 64
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Appendix 2 – Summary of Procurement Process Response CPT Contract Reference Allocated: NLC-SLP-23-011 Procurement Procedure Utilised: Call off via a mini competition from existing Framework Governing Legislation / Regulations: Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015 Date Contract Strategy Approved: 03 July 2023 Framework / DPS Owner: Scotland Excel Framework / DPS Title: Scotland Excel Engineering and Technical Consultancy Services Framework Framework / DPS Reference Number: Ref 0820 Lot Reference / Title: Lot 1 Roads and Structures Companies Appointed to Framework / Lot: 14 Number of Companies Invited to Take Part: 14 Date ITT Published: 13 July 2023 Tender Platform Utilised: PCS-Tender (PCST) Tender Return Deadline: 27 September 2023 Number of Tenders Received: 6 Tenders from SME’s: 6 Tenders from NLC Based Tenderers: 1 Tenders from Supported Businesses: 0 Number of Non−compliant Tenders: 1 Number of Compliant Tenders: 5 Number of Recommended Tenderers: 1 Basis of Award: Quality: 70% Price: 30% Evaluation Team: NLC Enterprise Projects team and Infrastructure and Design team. Anticipated Start Date of the Agreement: 18 March 2024 Total Agreement Period (Months): 16 months Awarded Value of the Agreement: Two million, eight hundred ninety-four thousand eight hundred and seventy-one Pounds Sterling (£2,894,871.00) exclusive of VAT. Page 59 of 64
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Appendix 3 – SME Status and location of all Tenderers Name of Tenderer Size of Tendering Organisation (Micro, Small, Medium or Large) Location (Local Authority / Council Area) AtkinRéalis UK Limited Large Edinburgh Stantec Uk Limited Large Glasgow Amey OW Limited Large North Lanarkshire Sweco UK ltd Large Glasgow Mott MacDonald Large Edinburgh Aecom Limited Large Edinburgh Page 60 of 64
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Contracts awarded below Committee approval threshold North Lanarkshire Council Report Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref JMcK/CPT Date 16/02/24 From James McKinstry - Chief Officer (Assets and Procurement) E-mail McKinstryJ@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 07939 281 102 Executive Summary In accordance with the Council’s General Contract Standing Orders (“GCSOs”), GCSO 21.10 requires a summary report be presented to members with details of contracts awarded since last committee, specifically for the spend range: • over £50,000 but below £500,000 for supplies or services; and, • over £500,000 but below £2,000,000 for works. Recommendations It is recommended that the Enterprise and Fair Work Committee: (1) Acknowledge the contract awards made since last committee reporting cycle. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority All priorities Ambition statement All ambition statements Programme of Work Statutory / corporate / service requirement Enterprise and Fair Work Committee Item 6 Page 61 of 64
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1. Background 1.1 The Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 section 81 requires local authorities to “…make standing orders with respect to the making by them or on their behalf of contracts for the supply of goods or materials or for the execution of works.”. 1.2 The Council’s General Contract Standing Orders (“GCSOs”) set out the council’s specific procurement procedures and responsibilities at all spend levels, and include the reporting requirements of procurement activity, including contracts awards, to committee for either approval or acknowledgement. 2. Report 2.1 In accordance with GCSO 21.10, this report summarises the contract awards since last committee, specifically for the spend range: • over £50,000 but below £500,000 for supplies or services; and, • over £500,000 but below £2,000,000 for works. 2.2 If you require further information regards the contract awards reported, please refer to the lead service area / Chief Officer detailed in the appendix. 3. Measures of success 3.1 All requirements contracted contribute to either the council’s programme of work and/or fulfil a statutory requirement. 3.2 All contract awards secure best value for the council in accordance with their evaluation criteria. 3.3 All necessary diligence has been undertaken in the evaluation and appointment of contractors. 3.4 All contract awards are logged in the council’s contract register. 4. Supporting documentation 4.1 Appendix 1 – Summary of contracts awarded. James McKinstry Chief Officer (Assets and Procurement) 5. Impacts 5.1 Impacts considered as part of the contract award procedures are recorded in the individual contract award reports held by the lead service area. Page 62 of 64
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Appendix 1 – Summary of Contracts Awarded Contract Ref NLC-CPT-23-031 Title Targeted entrepreneurial support for Black and Minority Ethnic Groups (BAME) Classification Services - Standard Lead Service Area / Chief Officer Pamela Humphries, Chief Officer (Place) Competition Governance Lower Threshold Regulations - The Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 Procurement Route Single Stage No. of Expressions of interest 25 No. of Bids Received 6 Award Criteria Most Economically Advantageous Tender Evaluation Score – Successful 78.61% Evaluation Scores – Unsuccessful 78.17% to 58.99% Comments Tender evaluation was conducted by officers with subject matter expertise Award Details Value £155,362 Contract Duration 15 months Contractor Name Asian Business Chamber Limited Contractor Size Micro Contractor Location Cumbernauld, North Lanarkshire Status - Payment of Living Wage? Yes Status - Living Wage Accredited? No Impacts this section highlights which impacts were considered for this contract award procedure Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty ☐ HR Policy Impact ☐ Data Protection Impact ☐ Environment / Carbon Impact ☐ Risk Impact ☒ Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact ☐ Financial Impact ☒ Legal Impact ☐ Technology / Digital Impact ☐ Communications Impact ☐ Armed Forces Covenant Duty ☐ Further details regarding these impacts can be obtained from the Lead Service Area / Chief Officer Page 63 of 64
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