Agenda Document Pack - Housing Committee - 08/11/2023
North Lanarkshire Council · 8 November 2023
Back to Housing Committee — 8 November 2023 and its agenda
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30 October 23 Members of the Housing 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 Housing Committee is to be held in the Council Chamber, Civic Centre, Windmillhill Street, Motherwell, ML1 1AB on Wednesday, 08 November 2023 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: Lesley Dysart Clerk Telephone: Clerk Email: dysartl@northlan.gov.uk M McPake, J Reddin, B Baudo, H Brannan-McVey, G Brennan, B Burgess, J Cairns, T Carragher, M Coyle, P Di Mascio, H Dunbar, F Fotheringham, M Hughes, L Jarvie, D Johnston, J Jones, K Larson, J Leckie, J Logue, F MacGregor, M McBride, B McCulloch, M McCulloch, P McDade, F McKay, R McKendrick, C McManus, F McNally, J McPhilemy, A McVey, L Mitchell, L Nolan, P Patton, G Robinson, N Shevlin, A Stubbs, R Sullivan, J Toner, S Watson, G Woods. Page 1 of 196
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Agenda 1 Declarations of Interest In Terms of the Ethical Standards In Public Life Etc. (Scotland) Act 2000 Operational 2 Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan Annual Progress and Future Activity Homelessness Key Trends and Prevention Duties Submit report by the Chief Officer (Housing Management) providing (1) an overview of the progress achieved in year 4 (2022/23) on the delivery of the actions contained within the RRTP, of which £443,000 funding was provided by the Scottish Government from the Ending Homelessness Together Fund, and (2) a summary of the key homelessness trends in North Lanarkshire and future legislative requirements to pro-actively prevent homelessness through a collaborative approach with partner services (copy herewith) 7 - 36 3 Community Hub Safety - Mobile CCTV Provision Submit report by the Chief Officer (Housing Management) providing an update on the use of Mobile CCTV vehicles within North Lanarkshire Council (copy herewith) 37 - 42 4 Transforming Places - Tower Strategy Update Submit report by the Chief Officer (Housing Property Services) providing an update on current progress relating to the Tower Strategy, and the key achievements since the last reporting period (copy herewith) 43 - 52 5 Non Traditional House Types Update Submit report by the Chief Officer (Housing Property Services) providing an update on the progress on the upgrading of a number of the "non-traditional" housing stock, specifically in relation to works undertaken or planned in the British Iron & Steel Federation (BISF) properties and the Swedish Timber style houses (copy herewith) 53 - 58 6 Preservation Works Report 2022/23 and 2023/24 YTD Submit report by the Chief Officer (Housing Property Services) providing an update on housing repairs which relate to preservation works for 2022/23 and up to 31 August 23 (copy herewith) 59 - 64 7 Housing Repairs and Maintenance Debt Recovery and Administration Fees Submit report by the Chief Officer (Housing Property Services) (1) providing an update on the current volume of debtors' accounts being issued to tenants and owner occupiers by the service, and (2) seeking approval to amend the application of an administration fee, based solely on the value of the invoice (copy herewith) 65 - 70 8 Tenant Satisfaction Survey 2023 Submit report by the Chief Officer (Housing Management) providing an update on the results of the recent tenant satisfaction survey 2023 (copy herewith) 71 - 78 9 Transforming Places New Supply Programme - Update on Progress Submit report by the Chief Officer (Place) (1) providing an update on progress of the new supply programme, which aims to deliver 5,000 new homes by 2035, and against annual targets previously set, (2) outlining current challenges in delivering the programme, and (3) seeking approval for revised targets (copy herewith) 79 - 90 10 New Supply Programme - Community Benefits Update Submit report by the Chief Officer (Place) providing an update on associated Community Benefits to the new build housing programme since the last report in November 2022 for the period from 1 September 2022 - 1 September 2023 (copy herewith) 91 - 100 Page 3 of 196
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11 New Supply Programme - Procurement Update Submit report by the Chief Officer (Place) (1) updating the Committee on current procurement activity relating to the new build housing programme, and (2) seeking approval to progress procurement arrangements (copy herewith) 101 - 108 Financial 12 Housing Revenue Account - Revenue Estimates 2024/25 Submit report by the Chief Officer (Finance) presenting to Committee information that will enable the Council to set its Housing Revenue Account (HRA) budget and rent levels for 2024/25 (copy herewith) 109 - 120 Performance 13 Scottish Housing Regulator 22/23 Landlord Report Submit report by the Chief Officer (Housing Management) advising of the Landlord Report published by the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) which shows Scotland's social landlords' performance for Local Authorities and Registered Social Landlord (RSL's) against the Scottish Social Housing Charter (SSHC) (copy herewith) 121 - 126 14 Strategic Performance Framework Updates 14(a) Strategic Performance Framework latest performance results for Housing Management Submit report by the Chief Officer (Housing Management) highlighting the 2022/23 year end performance and the 2023/24 year to date performance of the Housing Management service for the performance indicators detailed at Appendix 1 to the report (copy herewith) 127 - 136 14(b) Strategic Performance Framework latest performance results for Housing Property Services Submit report by the Chief Officer (Housing Property Services) highlighting the 2023/24 year to date on performance of the Housing Property Services for the performance indicators at Appendix 1 to the report (copy herewith) 137 - 146 14(c) Strategic Performance Framework latest performance results for Housing Developments Submit report by the Chief Officer (Place) highlighting the 2022/23 year end performance and the 2023/24 year to date performance of the Place Service in relation to the performance indicators detailed at Appendix 1 of the report for new housing development (copy herewith) 147 - 154 Monitoring 15 Revenue Monitoring Reports 15(a) Revenue Monitoring Report - Housing Revenue Account Submit report by the Depute Chief Executive providing a summary of the Housing Revenue Account financial performance for the period from 1 April to 15 September 2023 (Period 6) (copy herewith) 155 - 162 15(b) Enterprise and Communities - Revenue Monitoring Report Submit report by the Depute Chief Executive providing a summary of the financial performance of the Enterprise and Communities service for the period from 1 April to 15 September 2023 (Period 6) (copy herewith) 163 - 174 Page 4 of 196
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16 Capital Programme Monitoring Reports 16(a) HRA Capital Monitoring Report - 1 April to15 September 2023 Submit report by the Depute Chief Executive reviewing progress towards agreed spending plans within the 2023/24 HRA Capital Programmes (copy herewith) 175 - 182 16(b) Enterprise and Communities - Capital Monitoring Report Submit report by the Depute Chief Executive regarding the financial performance of 2023/24 Enterprise and Communities capital programme for the period from 1 April to 15 September 2023 (copy herewith) 183 - 190 Contract for Noting 17 Housing and Corporate Repairs and Maintenance Contract and Gas Central Heating Repairs and Maintenance Contracts - Short Term Extension Submit report by the Chief Officer (Housing Property Services) regarding the application of a short term extensions for the continued delivery of the (1) Housing and Corporate Repairs and Maintenance services to Mears Scotland LLP, and(2) delivery of the Gas Central Heating Repairs and Maintenance services to Saltire Facilities Management Ltd (copy herewith) 191 - 196 Page 5 of 196
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Housing Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref SL/AMcG/MK Date 08/11/23 Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan Annual Progress and Future Activity / Homelessness Key Trends and Prevention Duties From Stephen Llewellyn, Chief Officer (Housing Management) E-mail llewellyns@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 01698 274192 Executive Summary North Lanarkshire’s Rapid Re-housing Transition Plan (RRTP) was approved at Committee on 24 November 2018 and subsequently submitted to the Scottish Government in December 2018. Taking a rapid re-housing approach ensures that those experiencing homelessness are resettled into a permanent housing option as quickly as possible rather than lengthy stays in temporary accommodation. Transitioning to rapid re-housing provides an opportunity for the council and its partners to redress the balance of housing and support options availability and accessibility. This five- year plan set out the steps required to move forward and deliver the future vision. The Rapid Re-housing Plan forms part of the Council’s Strategic Policy Framework with annual updates provided to committee. The purpose of this report is to provide an overview of the progress achieved in year 4 (2022/23) on the delivery of the actions contained within the RRTP, of which £443,000 funding was provided by the Scottish Government from the Ending Homelessness Together Fund. It also provides an overview of activities planned to meet the RRTP objectives in its fifth and final year (as attached in the appendix), for which £391,000 of Scottish Government funding has been received and seeks approval to progress these activities as outlined. This report also provides a summary of the key homelessness trends in North Lanarkshire and future legislative requirements to pro-actively prevent homelessness through a collaborative approach with partner services. Recommendations 1) It is recommended that the Housing Committee: 2) Recognise the progress achieved in meeting the key objectives in year 4 (2022/23) of the RRTP. 3) Approve progression of RRTP activities outlined (attached as an appendix) to prevent and alleviate homelessness aligned to the RRTP funding allocation for 2023/24. Item 2 Page 7 of 196
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1. Background 1.1 The Scottish Government set out their ambition to end homelessness for good within the Ending Homelessness Together Action Plan which has the delivery of rapid rehousing at its core. The RRTP is a planning framework for local authorities and their partners to transition to a rapid re-housing approach, working collaboratively to prioritise prevention activity, take a housing led approach to widening access to suitable long-term housing options and reducing stays in temporary accommodation. 1.2 The RRTP sits within a wider strategic planning framework, closely aligned to the Local Housing Strategy (LHS) (2021-2026), the Health and Social Care Strategic Plan and Strategic Commissioning Plan (SCP) (2020-2023), Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) (2022/23 – 2026/27), Locality Outcome Improvement Plans (LOIPs) as well as the overarching Plan for North Lanarkshire, which sets out our shared priorities and vision for North Lanarkshire in which inequalities are reduced, through increased shared opportunities and improved health and wellbeing. 1.3 The RRTP portrays how North Lanarkshire Council and its partners plan to deliver the future vision. It describes the changes required in temporary accommodation supply, housing supply and multi-agency support to enable settled sustainable housing options for homeless households as quickly as possible. 1.4 Part of this plan depicts the delivery of the Homes First project, which aims to provide a home first, along with wraparound intensive support from a range of partners, to assist some of the most vulnerable homeless customers into sustainable living arrangements and improve their health and wellbeing. 1.5 £443,000 of funding was received from the Scottish Government’s Ending Homelessness Together Fund to deliver the RRTP objectives and priorities in 2022/23, year 4 of RRTP. A further £391,000 has been received for the current 2023/24-year period to progress the remaining RRTP activities in North Lanarkshire. 1.6 This is the final year of RRTP funding; however, it is likely that future funding will be provided to enable the implementation of the Prevention of Homelessness Bill which is expected to be published in the second half of 2023. This Bill is intended to lead to system change, person-centred and trauma informed service responses that would meet individual needs to improve prevention and provide greater choice and control for those at risk of homelessness. A key tenet of the Bill is the intention to strengthen housing rights to include wider public bodies to ‘ask and act’ about housing situations. 1.7 This comes at a time when homelessness is rising across the country and is influenced by the cost-of-living crisis with surging food and energy costs and ongoing mortgage 4) Consider the key trends in homelessness in North Lanarkshire and future legislative requirements to prevent homelessness from occurring. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority All priorities Ambition statement (24) Review and design services around people, communities, and shared resources Programme of Work Resilient People Page 8 of 196
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interest rate increases. Homeless data for 2022/23 indicates that households are struggling to cope with the financial pressures and seeking support from a range of services including homelessness. A summary of key trends is included in this report. 2. Report RRTP Key Progress Achieved 2.1 The emphasis in 2022/23 has been on strengthening the partnerships within the RRTP and focussing on key objectives to reduce and prevent homelessness, provide sustainable housing for homeless households, and respond to the challenges of a post- pandemic climate and current cost of living crisis. 2.2 The Homes First Team has had two full years of operation since it was established in March 2021. The team consists of a partnership of key individuals from Housing, Health and Social Care, NHS as well as voluntary sector agencies who provide intensive support for homeless people with complex needs. 2.3 In the last year, Homes First has upscaled to provide wraparound support to 47 customers and the service is achieving 100% success in assisting those with complex needs to sustain their home with 26 customers having sustained for over a year. A further 8 customers are on their way to independence and in the process of a planned and agreed stepdown in the provision of their support. 2.4 A trauma informed approach is now embedded in homelessness practice with a focus on improving joint assessment and operational processes. This ensures a person- centred approach to prevent/reduce homelessness and tenancy sustainment. 2.5 Other key areas of success and activity over the past year include: • The creation of a Prevention Officer post to provide prevention support to a range of customers including young single tenants impacted by financial pressures and prison leavers through resolution of tenancy related issues and provision of housing options advice prior to discharge. • Extension of the Furniture Fund to include households experiencing homelessness across localities, rather than just Homes First customers. This fund provides good quality furniture items beyond the provisions of the Scottish Welfare Fund allowing homeless households to personalise their home and create a stronger feeling of belonging. Feedback highlighted that improved personalisation impacted positively on tenancy sustainment and an overall stronger feeling of wellbeing. • The creation of a Technology Fund, which was rolled out to housing localities during 2022/23, providing digital devices, such as phones, laptops and chrome books to homeless households to improve digital inclusion and access to online services. • Continuation of the Housing Self-Directed Support Fund enabling Homes First customers to access a broad range of supports and services such as gardening works, cleaning services, and driving lessons. These person-centred supports have empowered customers to have greater choice and control and contributed to improvements in tenancy sustainment as well as health and wellbeing. • A part time peer mentor post was created during 2022/23, which has been recently expanded to a full-time post, to provide peer mentoring and support around employability and training opportunities for Housing First individuals. Activities Page 9 of 196
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have entailed taster sessions at New College Lanarkshire, hillwalking and gardening at Summerlee Heritage Park, accredited horse-riding courses, bowling, and golf lessons. There is the intention to partner with the Wise Group on their new Relational Peer Mentoring service pairing people who require support with employability, fuel poverty or justice to peer experienced mentors. • Blue Triangle implemented an innovative ‘Tenant Guarantor’ test of change during 2022/23, which delivers intensive housing support for people with very complex needs, complimenting the existing Homes First service. • The continued delivery of accommodation for young people leaving care in partnership with Health and Social Care. Reception flats and a training flat are provided to build confidence and independent living skills, improve the overall level of tenancy sustainment, and avoid homelessness wherever possible. Future Actions 2.6 Future RRTP activity will continue to concentrate efforts on partnership working to address underlying causes of homelessness as well as a focus on early intervention to sustain tenancies and prevent the trauma of homelessness wherever possible. 2.7 Homes First will continue to provide pivotal intensive support for the most complex homeless households with a clear plan to improve outcomes and sustain tenancies. 2.8 A one year contract was awarded for the tenancy sustainment service provided by Say Women, extending the initial Scottish Government funded pilot in North Lanarkshire. This service engages with young women aged 16-25 years who have experienced childhood sexual abuse or another form of sexual violence and are or at risk of homelessness. Capacity will be increased to take referrals from across all locality housing teams as well as Homes First. Training was delivered to all housing localities on child sexual abuse and the links to housing and homelessness. 2.9 Alternatives to Violence Programme (AVP) Britain will facilitate a workshop aimed at breaking the cycle of offending for Homes First customers who wish to address conflict, anger, and violence in their lives. The AVP workshops will be extended to restorative justice identifying individuals who will receive hours against Community Payback Orders (CPOs). Alternatives to Violence Programme (AVP) Britain offers ‘Facing Up to Conflict’ programmes taking a holistic approach to tackling violence and conflict in society to build better and healthier relationships. 2.10 In conjunction with the Alcohol and Drug Partnership, an ‘Out of Hours’ Crisis Response Service will be jointly funded and will provide assertive outreach to individuals with complex needs at key times when they are experiencing heightened vulnerabilities in the evenings or weekends which are out with standard office hours. 2.11 A new pilot Household Support Fund has been developed to focus on assisting young single households aged 16-26 in receipt of Council Tax Single persons discount/ exemption experiencing financial hardship. This fund will support those who are or at risk of homelessness with rent arrears, energy, and food vouchers to alleviate their financial hardship. The RRTP Team have been liaising with the Energy and Fuel Debt Advice Service managed by the Wise Group to address issues around households with meter debt and energy vouchers are now being distributed to eligible people. 2.12 In partnership with Barnardo’s, Keys to the Future has been established providing practical and emotional support to families experiencing homelessness. The service is funded through the Barnardo’s Foundation for three years. Further detail of all activity planned is outlined in the attached Appendix. Page 10 of 196
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Current Context and Challenges 2.13 Tackling homelessness continues to be a challenge in North Lanarkshire, as it is across Scotland, despite the positive efforts to prevent homelessness and implementation of a rapid rehousing approach. There is significant pressure on both permanent and temporary accommodation due to rising waiting lists and homeless applications. These rises are being driven by the economic climate of a cost-of-living crisis, rising mortgage interest rates and the removal of local connection rules within homelessness legislation. Whilst wider changes are impacting on the wider housing market, in particular the private rented sector, through rising mortgage costs, legislative changes such as the rent cap, rate rises in Land and Buildings Transaction Tax for buy to let properties and increasing compliance and regulation. All of which is reducing the availability of wider housing options through the departure of private landlords from the housing market. This in turn increases pressure on social rented homes. 2.14 Further anecdotal evidence exists which indicates emerging complexities in relation to the private rented sector in North Lanarkshire. This includes reports from locality housing teams of an increase in approaches from private rented sector tenants for housing assistance and advice in response to notice from a landlord of their intention to sell the property or to live in the property themselves. It is apparent through interactions over recent months that many private sector tenants require support in relation to exercising their rights. Although there are safeguards in place for private sector tenants, which include the temporary moratorium on evictions and the rent cap through the Cost of Living (Tenant Protection) (Scotland) Act 2022, significant challenges remain to help ensure the Private Rented Sector provides accessible and sustainable housing solutions for households. 2.15 The current supply issues are further exacerbated by post-pandemic issues such as the ability of power companies to respond to meter repairs, shortages of tradespeople and building materials, as well as increased cost of materials to build new homes or complete void work; all of which impacts on the number of households in temporary accommodation and the ability to move households into a tenancy. Key Homelessness Trends 2.16 Over the 2021/22 - 2022/23 period homeless applications have risen by 13% in North Lanarkshire. This is similar to the national picture, although applications have risen slightly more in North Lanarkshire compared to Scotland overall (9% increase). In 2021/22, there was a very slight increase of 0.7% on the previous year 2020/21, which followed a period of decreasing homelessness applications since 2018/19. 2.17 The recent increase in homelessness applications is considered to be partly attributed to the cost-of-living crisis. Feedback from frontline staff identifies that rising energy and food costs are putting increased financial pressure on families which has led to an increase in households seeking assistance. However, it is worth noting that the number of homeless applications (1,917 in 2022/23) is still significantly lower than the 2,366 cases reported pre-Covid in 2018/19. 2.18 Reasons for homelessness are broadly similar to previous years with those being asked to leave representing the largest proportion. Disputes within household (violent or abusive) appears to be increasing over the past five years to 16.2% in 2022/23 from 13.5% in 2018/19 with an increase of 1.6% between 2021/22 and 2022/23. Page 11 of 196
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2.19 The number of homeless households with children has increased to 32.4% in 2022/23 from 30.4% in 2021/22, decreasing from 36.7% in 2018/29. Single parent households have increased to 27.5% from 25.3%, following decreases in the preceding years from 29.8% in 2018/19. 2.20 The proportion of 16–25-year-olds has fallen from 30.9% in 2018/19 to 24.1% in 2022/23, while the 26-59 age group has been increasing from 65.9% in 2018/19 to 71.3% in 2022/23. The decrease in the 16-25 age group may be a result of prevention activities targeted at young people to improve tenancy sustainment and early partnership intervention approaches to identify housing options to avoid young people becoming homeless in the first instance. 2.21 There has been a slight reduction in the proportion of households with children residing in temporary accommodation over the 2021/22 - 2022/23 period, with households with children residing in temporary accommodation accounting for 22.1% of all households in temporary accommodation at the end of March 2022 compared to 21.7% of all households at the end of March in 2023. 2.22 The average time spent in temporary accommodation for cases that closed is 145 days in 2022/23, for 2021/22 this figure was 131 days. This is significantly better than the Scottish average of 223 days. 2.23 It took an average of 171 days to close a case for homeless households in 2022/23 compared with 158 days in 2021/22. North Lanarkshire compares favourably against the Scottish average of 266 days to close a case for homeless households. Future Homeless Prevention Duties 2.24 The Scottish Government intend to bring forward a Prevention of Homelessness Bill in the second half of 2023. The new legislation is intended to strengthen the level of housing rights for individuals, improve homelessness prevention activity across partners and provide greater choice and control for those at risk of homelessness. 2.25 The ethos is that responsibility to prevent homelessness should be a shared public responsibility where all public bodies will have the responsibility to ‘ask and act’ if a person they are working with is homeless or at risk of homelessness. This duty will also be applied to all landlords within the social and private rented sectors. 2.26 The Bill will include key proposals for all partners to collaborate in the provision of community planning and delivery of services with a focus on unmet health and social care needs and enabling comprehensive support to those individuals who have multiple and complex needs. 2.27 These proposals are far reaching and will likely present significant resource implications for all partners involved, especially in this time of significant challenge and uncertainty. It is not yet known how these resource requirements will be met but the Scottish Government has indicated that this is currently under consideration and will be articulated once the Bill has been given royal assent and an implementation date identified. 3. Measures of success Page 12 of 196
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3.1 Delivery of actions set out in the RRTP Action Plan (as attached in the Appendix to this report). 3.2 Reduced homelessness, improved tenancy sustainment and wider life outcomes, as well as reduced health and social inequality for people affected by homelessness. 4. Supporting documentation 4.1 Appendix – Rapid Re-Housing Transition Plan Action Plan 2023-2024 Stephen Llewellyn Chief Officer (Housing Management) Page 13 of 196
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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? An EqIA was completed as part of the development of the RRTP and is regularly reviewed. Impacts of RRTP delivery is positive for all groups. 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? 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 14 of 196
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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? 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? 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 is identified in relation to failure to deliver/progress the RRTP actions and priorities as outlined. This risk is assessed and recorded on the Service Risk Register under the Local Housing Strategy (2021-2026) and managed accordingly. 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. The delivery of the RRTP is positive for all groups including Armed Forces Personnel when they seek housing assistance. 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 ☐ Page 15 of 196
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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). A Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment was undertaken for the LHS 2021-2026. If Yes, has a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) been carried out? Yes ☒ No ☐ Page 16 of 196
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Appendix – Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan Action Baseline 2022 Milestones Timescale Lead Progress Update Objective 1: Proactively prevent homelessness by extending housing options model across all partners who are supporting those facing housing crisis KEY ACTION 1.1 Roll out Housing Options Training Toolkit across Multi- Agency Partnership Housing Options Toolkit developed and launched Continue to roll out Housing Options Toolkit widely to embed improved, consistent approaches to housing options advice and information 2024 Business Development and Support Housing options training toolkit launched. Continue to participate in the ongoing development and learning impact assessment of the Housing Options Toolkit via the Housing Options Steering Group and Learning Impact Assessment Group 2024 Business Development and Support Initial learning impact assessment carried out, showing positive feedback. KEY ACTION 1.2 Optimisation of rehousing process through Common Housing Register, common Allocation Policies and common matching process teams 34.5% lets to Homeless list (2021/22) – additional lets also made via general list to applicants with confirmed loss of accommodation Continue to review NLC % lets to homeless households and to general list for applicants with ‘confirmed loss of accommodation’ to ensure delivery of RRTP objectives – Info now included in RRTP RAG 2023 RRTP Team April 23 – Housing localities to focus predominantly on lets to homeless to clear existing caseload – Continue to monitor on monthly basis, with current % lets to homeless households at 41%. Page 17 of 196
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Action Baseline 2022 Milestones Timescale Lead Progress Update 12.38% lets (2021/22) Work with RSL partners to review and to increase % lets to homeless households 2023 RRTP Team Re-establishment of RSL practitioner’s forum September 22 specific agenda to increase % lets – Contact information for housing localities disseminated. Change to Lanarkshire Housing Association allocation policy - points awarded to Stat Homeless increased to 150. KEY ACTION 1.3 Develop and implement robust protocols between partners for homeless households Revised Care Experienced Young People’s Protocol developed, launch and awareness raising planned Implement revised Care Experience Young People’s Protocol and Pathway in partnership with H&SC 2023 RRTP Team/ Health and Social Care Complete. Page 18 of 196
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Action Baseline 2022 Milestones Timescale Lead Progress Update accessing services to improve engagement and take up of services Reception flats and training flat established Continue to deliver bespoke housing and support solutions for Care Experienced Young People facing housing crisis and to help equip young people with the skills and confidence for managing a tenancy through delivery of: • The Reception Flats • Training Flat 2023 RRTP Team Revised procedures and arrangements in place to monitor effectiveness and usage of reception flats and training flats. - Consider, develop and implement IT requirements to identify and track CEYP Consider alternative process to taking a homeless application for Care Experienced Young People using Reception Flats L&A marker on person record – effective criteria developed for identification for CEYP which involves multi agency discussion 2022 Business Development and Support IT fix implemented in March 23. Guidance exists but refresh required Develop joint procedural guidance in partnership with H&SC on supporting people with ‘No Recourse to Public Funds’ to ensure consistent and improved approaches 2022 Business Development and Support Work ongoing to develop revised procedures. Page 19 of 196
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Action Baseline 2022 Milestones Timescale Lead Progress Update ‘Test of change’ pilots being explored around ‘whole systems approach’ Continue to work with the ADP, H&SC and other partners to assess need, identify gaps and develop services to meet needs 2024 All partners Work ongoing on several platforms to identify need, gaps and improve services (including but not limited to ADP Improving Care Programme, membership across ADP Board and Partnership Boards). Housing representation across all community care planning structures in place Continue to participate in the Strategic Planning Group, Health and Social Care Partnership Boards, ADP Board and other community care planning structures to identify opportunities to improve access to services, engagement, identify gaps and better meet needs 2024 Business Development and Support/ Housing Operations/ RRTP Team Housing representation in place across health and social care boards. KEY ACTION 1.4 Continue to develop preventative approach to homelessness Homelessness Prevention Duties Consultation closed at the end of March 2022 – awaiting publication of new duties Review prevention and early intervention activities in line with the enactment of the new future Homelessness Prevention Duties 2024 RRTP Team/ Business Development and Support Not started. Page 20 of 196
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Action Baseline 2022 Milestones Timescale Lead Progress Update Case file audits and support review carried out, providing some insights into prevention and early intervention activities Carry out an evaluation of prevention and early intervention activities taking place currently in advance of the new duties to improve tenancy sustainment and reduce homelessness 2023/24 RRTP Team/ Business Development and Support Not started. RSLs are key partners in the RRTP Steering Group Work in partnership with RSLs to identify resources to develop homelessness prevention and reduce incidence of housing crisis 2024 RRTP Team Linked to earlier key actions on increasing % lets amongst RSLs. Health and Homeless Plan developed and implemented Implement Health and Homelessness Action Plan 2024 Health and Social Care Work ongoing to refine the Health & Homeless action plan. Page 21 of 196
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Action Baseline 2022 Milestones Timescale Lead Progress Update • ‘Accessi ng Opportu nities’ pilot complete identifyin g barriers and opportun ities • Employa bility colleagu es represen ted in RRTP planning structure s to identify opportun ities and overcom e barriers Continue to develop employability services for those most disadvantaged households affected by homelessness 2024 RRTP Team Salvation Army now working with HF individuals on training opportunities, CV’s, job applications. Routes to Work now attending HF Working Group meetings, vacancy list being distributed monthly. - Create and implement a new dedicated post on prevention to work in tandem with the Housing First Team and wider housing locality teams, H&SC and wider partners 2023 RRTP Team Prevention Co Ordinator now in place Jan 23. Page 22 of 196
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Action Baseline 2022 Milestones Timescale Lead Progress Update Furniture fund which funds additional items beyond SWF items in place for Housing First clients Extend access to the existing ‘Furniture Fund’ beyond Housing First clients to enable wider positive outcomes for people who are homeless/at risk of homelessness 2023 RRTP Team Roll out commenced September 22 to all housing localities for individuals who are homeless in temp accommodation and receiving support. I HUB groups and workstreams at an advanced stage with membership from NL Housing and ADP Continue to be involved in the I Hub ADP and Homelessness Programme to identify barriers and opportunities to improve pathways and access to services 2023 Business Development and Support/ RRTP Team Final recommendations report published. KEY ACTION 1.5 Improve our understanding of the needs and requirements of LGBTQ+ service users Some research carried out as part of the Local Housing Strategy development to identify needs and requirements of LGBTQ+ people Carry out consultation with LGBTQ+ households to gain a better understanding of needs and requirements 2024 Business Development and Support Research to be commissioned from external organisation with specific expertise in this area. E- learning LGBTQ+ module created Multi-agency workforce development and training 2024 LOD E-learning module created and available for use. Page 23 of 196
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Action Baseline 2022 Milestones Timescale Lead Progress Update CHR data collection being considered as part of new requirements of equality characteristics collation Consider opportunities to enhance data collection and monitoring to enable improved services 2024 Business Development and Support On track – work underway to explore enhanced equality data capture via CHR. KEY ACTION 1.6 Improve policy, training and services in relation to domestic abuse to improve outcomes and reduce homelessness Policy development underway Develop and implement a Housing Domestic Abuse Policy in partnership with specialist organisations in North Lanarkshire and people with lived experience 2023 Business Development and Support Complete – approved at committee. Funding from Equally Safe Fund secured to extend Safe and Together training to housing staff and other key council services Extend and deliver Safe and Together training to housing staff 2023 Business Development and Support On track – training delivered. Housing representation on both strategic and operational groups as well as MARAC and MATAC structures Participate in the Violence Against Women Strategic Partnership and Operational Partnership to improve policy, procedures, training and services for people affected by domestic abuse 2023 Business Development and Support/ Housing Operations Strategic and operational housing representatives in place for the Housing Service. Page 24 of 196
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Action Baseline 2022 Milestones Timescale Lead Progress Update Participation agreed Participate in the national ‘REVIVE’ project to improve housing outcomes and prevent homelessness 2023 Business Development and Support/ Housing Operations Signed up as participating partner. Project recently commenced Implement and deliver SAY Women tenancy sustainment service for young women who have experienced sexual abuse 2023 RRTP Team/ Business Development and Support SAY Women Service extended beyond the initial Scottish Government funded pilot until March 2024. KEY ACTION 1.7 Continue to improve digital services to improve digital inclusion amongst people who are homeless/at risk of homelessness Digital NL workstreams underway Consider how Digital NL can assist us to improve services for people affected by or at risk of homelessness 2024 Business Development and Support Discussion to take place re possible options. - Consider, develop and implement IT requirements to identify and track Housing First households 2024 RRTP Team Housing first marker on person record – effective criteria developed for identification for HF which involves multi agency discussion. - Introduce dashboard of information via Power BI 2024 Business Support and Development Work ongoing in use of Power BI. Page 25 of 196
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Action Baseline 2022 Milestones Timescale Lead Progress Update - Establish and implement a ‘Technology Fund’ to improve access to a suite of technology for Homes First clients and people who experience homelessness 2023 RRTP Team In progress - £40k identified for spend 2022/23 rolled out to housing localities for individuals who are homeless in temp accommodation and receiving support. KEY ACTION 1.8 Implement further measures to ensure a proactive approach to prison releases in line with SHORE standards PAS modifications commenced Establish PAS recording for all short-term prisoners to enable SHORE standards to be monitored 2024 Business Development and Support/ Public Protection Team Complete. Some work undertaken currently, although scope exists to improve Establish housing links to courts at point of remand – Criminal Justice reps on RRTP Steering Group 2024 TBC Under discussion. KEY ACTION 1.9 Implement audit processes on Housing Options Interviews to ensure consistent, high- quality information and advice - Establish regular audit process on quality which includes a focus on protocol/priority points for domestic abuse, Care Experienced Young People, and other priority groups/complex needs RRTP RAG now provides data in relation to % lets to households with protocol points 2023 Business Development and Support Audit already complete – requires to be scheduled into regular audit cycle. Page 26 of 196
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Action Baseline 2022 Milestones Timescale Lead Progress Update KEY ACTION 1.10 Improve approach to tenancy sustainment - Develop and implement tenancy sustainment policy 2022 Business Development and Support Complete. KEY ACTION 1.11 Ensure wider links and activity to early prevention and intervention in health and broader settings GP link workers in place Review Health and Homelessness Referral process and housing locality links to GP link workers 2022 RRTP Team/ Health and Social Care Challenges in relation to accessing link workers, work ongoing to improve access. Referral pathways implemented Review Education Services links and referral pathways implemented to ensure effectiveness 2022 RRTP Team/ Education Referral process in localities to be explored further to identify issues/any scope for improvement. - Introduce routine enquiry on current housing status to identify those at risk of homelessness and establish pathways between housing and health. To initially focus on key areas: • Midwifery • Health visiting • ED and psychiatric liaison • Mental health and addiction services 2024 Health and Social Care Not commenced, although initial discussions held. Page 27 of 196
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Action Baseline 2022 Milestones Timescale Lead Progress Update KEY ACTION 1.12 Improve quality, consistency and access to information, advice and signposting in relation to prevention across services and partner organisations - Carry out review of information, advice and signposting available on websites, in offices, in other formats, in relation to prevention 2023 RRTP Team Not commenced – prevention officer to lead, in interim work will be undertaken to ensure information is accurate on website, offices and other mediums. Implement any recommendations arising from the review to improve quality, consistency and access to information, advice and signposting 2023 RRTP Team As above – not commenced yet. Objective 2: Enable service users with no/low support needs to access settled housing quickly KEY ACTION 2.1 Improve access to the Private Rented Sector for homeless people, people at risk of homelessness and reduce - Develop and implement a Private Rented Sector Access Scheme 2023 Business Development and Support PRS Access Scheme proposal paper developed, and also discussed at the Private Landlord Forum. Challenges exist in relation to implementation. Page 28 of 196
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Action Baseline 2022 Milestones Timescale Lead Progress Update homelessness from the Private Rented Sector Rent Deposit Guarantee Scheme in place but under- utilised with scope to re- design to improve uptake Review the Rent Deposit Guarantee Scheme and make recommendations to improve access/re-design – Reviewed & streamlined – Briefing sessions for housing localities to increase uptake 2023 Julie Smith Full review of scheme complete. Panel re- established with operational housing representation Enhance partnership working with the Private Rented Sector Panel for landlord registration, Below Tolerable Standard Issues and evictions 2023 Housing Operations Identified ops rep on panel. Date arranged for 10th May 2023 Improve engagement with private landlords to increase awareness of responsibilities and rights, to improve quality, reduce homelessness and improve access to the sector via establishing a Private Landlord Forum 2022 Business Development and Support Forum re- established and work ongoing. Development of resources and e-learning module underway Develop and deliver Private Rented Sector training and resources for frontline housing staff to improve knowledge and skills in delivery of wider housing options advice 2022 Business Development and Support E-learning module developed and rolled out to all locality housing staff. KEY ACTION 2.2 Conversion of temporary furnished flats to settled homes/Scottish Secure tenancies Procedure of flipping temporary accommodation developed and implemented Continue to where possible flip temporary accommodation to settled mainstream accommodation where this is suitable and continue to audit to inform efficacy Ongoing RRTP Team Reduction in flipped tenancies recorded in recent months - Continued focus across housing localities Page 29 of 196
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Action Baseline 2022 Milestones Timescale Lead Progress Update KEY ACTION 2.3 Increase housing supply for homeless households or people at risk of homelessness 75 homes purchased over the 2021/22 Increase Buy Back and Empty Home Purchase Scheme initiatives to increase supply for homeless households Ongoing New Supply Team OMPS expanded twice in the past year, firstly to enable purchase of a home in a block where the council owns the rest of the block to enable common works and most recently to enable purchase from a private landlord to prevent homelessness. 389 affordable homes delivered in 2021/22 Deliver 300 new social rented homes per annum through Affordable Housing Supply Programme (SHIP) – housing supply target to be reviewed following completion of HNDA3 Ongoing New Supply Team Delivering and exceeding current target set out in HNDA2 – new target will be set out following completion of HNDA3. Pilot commenced Pilot of providing two offers of housing concurrently 2022 RRTP Team Underway in Cumbernauld and Airdrie locality, for roll out across other localities. Page 30 of 196
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Action Baseline 2022 Milestones Timescale Lead Progress Update KEY ACTION 2.4 Implement North Lanarkshire Council Local Housing Strategy (2021- 2026) Strategic Housing Priority 3: We prevent and resolve homelessness effectively Local Housing Strategy published and implementation underway over the 2021-2026 five-year period Appropriate action taken to progress Amber and Red Actions identified through LHS Review process 2026 Business Development and Support LHS Steering Group meets quarterly and annual progress report reported to committee. Objective 3: Develop interim housing options which enable housing sustainment and independent living KEY ACTION 3.1 Minimise time homeless households spend in temporary accommodation 158 days (23 weeks) average case duration 2021/22 period Reduce homeless case duration Ongoing RRTP Team Work ongoing with localities. - Develop PIE Design Guide in partnership with Third Sector Providers 2023 Business Development and Support Not commenced yet. Design of Bank Street underway Complete remodelling/reconfiguration of residential accommodation at Bank Street 2024 New Supply Team Project at design stage. Refurbishment plans scoped Complete refurbishment of Black Street 2023 Housing Property and Projects Refurbishment costs have now increased significantly rendering the project financially unviable. Alternative options being considered. Page 31 of 196
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Action Baseline 2022 Milestones Timescale Lead Progress Update 658 units (comprising dispersed, specified and supported places) Continue provision of residential accommodation through supported and specified units where required Ongoing Housing Operations Ongoing Objective 4: Extend Housing First model enabling the most complex and disadvantaged service users to quickly access and successfully sustain settled accommodation KEY ACTION 4.1 Deliver and continue to develop the Housing First Support Service for those with most complex needs Housing First Team established Continue to deliver Housing First Support via the Housing First Team to 25 Housing First clients and 20 pathfinder clients - explore potential to extend/scale up – Additional 3 Forever Homes individuals transferred to service Ongoing RRTP Team 46 HF individuals housed, 1 awaiting offer 26 sustained over 1 year. 7 individuals in step down process – 8 New h/holds identified. - Review and redesign the Housing First Support Service Contract in tandem with the existing Housing Support commissioned contracts, internal housing support and health and social care support to deliver a sustainable, longer-term service that meets the broad range of needs and delivers on the RRTP objectives 2024 RRTP Team/ Business Development and Support Options appraisal commenced. Housing Self- Directed Support Fund established Increase access/uptake of the Housing Self Directed Support Fund for Homes First clients 2023 RRTP Team 50k per annum - SDS being utilised to assist HF individuals with opportunities to improve health & wellbeing Page 32 of 196
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Action Baseline 2022 Milestones Timescale Lead Progress Update Potential model options explored Explore piloting an ‘Out of Hours’ Crisis Response Service to prevent and mitigate housing crisis, improve access to assertive outreach and prevent tenancy failure 2023 Business Development and Support Contract awarded to Turning Point Scotland to deliver a service which provides crisis response, assertive outreach and overdose response. Being funded by ADP with a contribution from RRTP for year 1 of the service. KEY ACTION 4.2 Consider how Addictions Services can be redesigned to meet the needs of homeless households with most complex needs Housing represented on the ADP and senior social worker post integrated within the Housing First Team to improve pathways Contribute to the ADP Board and explore opportunities to improve access and referral pathways to addiction services for homeless households and those at risk of homelessness Ongoing RRTP Team Strategy attend ADP meetings and senior social worker in post to assist with developing pathways. Page 33 of 196
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Action Baseline 2022 Milestones Timescale Lead Progress Update Projects funded for a further year until 2023 by the ADP Deliver ADP funded RRTP projects in partnership with Barnardo’s: • Family Plus (families and children impacted by substance use and trauma) • Youth Life Coach (care experienced young people at risk of substance use) • Creative Faces (care experienced young people at risk of substance use) 2023 RRTP Team/ Barnardo's Projects continue to be delivered and have received confirmation of funding to 2026. KEY ACTION 4.3 Consider how Mental Health Services can be redesigned to meet the needs of homeless households with most complex needs Mental Health Strategy for Lanarkshire implemented and senior social worker post integrated within the Housing First Team to improve pathways Review and refresh pathway between Housing, Homelessness Service and Mental Health Services 2023 RRTP Team Not commenced yet. KEY ACTION 4.4 Develop Housing Contribution Statement (HCS) as part of the new Strategic Commissioning Plan (SCP) for 2023-2026 Existing HCS in place for current SCP (2020- 2023) Ensure HCS and SCP alignment and commitment to RRTP objectives 2023 Business Development and Support SCP for 2023/2026 period incorporating HCS published in April 2023. Page 34 of 196
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Action Baseline 2022 Milestones Timescale Lead Progress Update KEY ACTION 4.5 Review exclusion processes and strategies for engaging with clients with complex needs Guidance/ procedures in the process of being developed Develop and implement clear guidance and supports for supported accommodation staff and partner providers to reduce exclusions and identify alternative options to improve outcomes for those with complex needs 2022 Business Development and Support Procedures developed. KEY ACTION 4.6 Explore development of new supports and services to meet the needs of people with complex needs for whom Housing First may not be suitable Funding secured by Blue Triangle Housing Association to deliver ‘test of change’ Tenant Guarantor Model Develop and implement Tenant Guarantor Model 2023 Business Development and Support/Blue Triangle New service implemented. KEY ACTION 4.7 Continue to explore the development of new supports for people with complex needs to compliment the existing supports and services available - Explore implementation of peer support across Housing First and wider services 2023 RRTP Team Homeless Network Scotland delivered 4 half day sessions with HF Staff & service users on peer support/mentoring – and part time peer mentor post implemented. KEY ACTION 4.8 Continue to implement trauma- informed practice, Post in process of recruitment Recruit trauma-informed coordinator as part of the council’s wider plans to improve trauma-informed approaches across services and partners 2022 Health and Social Care Coordinator recruited and in post. Page 35 of 196
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Action Baseline 2022 Milestones Timescale Lead Progress Update services and systems Solihull training delivered to some housing staff and trauma-informed training e- learning developed Roll out trauma-informed training to all housing services staff with enhanced training for staff in roles with increased contact with clients with complex needs 2024 Business Support and Development Training plan underway. - Carry out trauma-informed walk-throughs focusing on specific priority areas to identify steps required to ensure trauma-informed environments, services and informed 2024 Business Support and Development Page 36 of 196
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Housing Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref: SL/GG Date 08/11/23 Community Safety Hub – Mobile CCTV Provision From Stephen Llewellyn, Chief Officer (Housing Management) E-mail llewellyns@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 01698 274162 1. Background 1.1 At the May 2023 Housing Committee the use of Mobile CCTV Vehicles in North Lanarkshire was discussed, and a request received for more information in the form of a committee report. An update on technologies that the authority will continue to investigate as solutions to provide a flexible approach to CCTV deployment will also be covered. 1.2 The Plan for North Lanarkshire aims to make North Lanarkshire a better place to live, work and visit, where homes and public spaces are safe and feel safe for everyone. Improving Community Safety through CCTV to tackle Crime and Anti-social Behaviour. Utilising technology to assist in the development and ongoing improvement of resources to facilitate the changing requirements of camera deployments. Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to update Committee in relation to the use of Mobile CCTV vehicles within North Lanarkshire Council. Various options have been considered in the past, however recent developments in the industry have resulted in an alternative mobile CCTV solution that is not vehicle mounted and does not require the same resource to be deployed in areas where temporary CCTV solutions would be beneficial. Recommendations It is recommended that the Housing Committee 1) Acknowledge the content of this report and recognise the ongoing positive impact delivery of this service has on the communities of North Lanarkshire. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Improve the health and wellbeing of our communities Ambition statement (14) Ensure the highest standards of public protection Programme of Work Transforming Places Item 3 Page 37 of 196
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2. Report 2.1 The community safety team, responsible for the CCTV infrastructure throughout the public space areas in North Lanarkshire, have previously investigated the costs and options around the procurement and utilisation of mobile CCTV vehicle-based solutions. To date there have been several reasons why this type of technology has not been procured. 2.2 Consideration was given to not only the procurement cost of having a vehicle supplied, but also the subsequent cost to have the CCTV equipment installed within the vehicle and the additional power resource required. The capital expenditure would be considerable to have the vehicle made available and thereafter the ongoing maintenance costs and life cycle of the vehicle were all considerations. 2.3 In order to provide some form of solution to the CCTV requirements that are flexible, cost effective and relatively quick to install, mobile telephony based 4G CCTV cameras have been available within the community safety team for several years. These cameras can be mounted onto street lighting columns and are deemed to be re- deployable CCTV cameras that can respond to particular issues. The one main issue however remains that these cameras require a 24/7 power supply. 2.4 Through market awareness and engagement a new device in the form of a towable trailer unit has come to the market and features the same 4G technology we are currently utilising combined with the ability to self-power for a period of over three weeks. The device consists of long-life batteries and Photo-Voltaic (PV) panels to keep the batteries topped up to provide some self-charging to allow the device to remain deployed longer than battery power alone. 2.5 The device features a fully functional Pan Tilt and Zoom (PTZ) camera that can be used to track activity and there is a further static camera that covers the entire trailer unit to protect against vandalism and unauthorised access to the device. Furthermore, the device has a vibration sensor fitted which activates an alarm within the CCTV control room to alert monitoring staff to persons potentially interfering with the device. 2.6 Initial testing has resulted in the unit being deployed and running self-powered for a period of around 4 weeks. During this period the device has had testing of the alarm modules and also performance of the camera while deployed at full extension of the telescopic mast. The camera is deployed at a height of between 6 and 7 meters and has been stable for the entire period. 2.7 There are several areas already identified that could benefit from the deployment of the mobile CCTV unit as a means to assess if permanent CCTV is required and also to combat increasing and ongoing Anti-social behaviour, youth disorder and criminal issues. It is intended that a four-week deployment at each location will allow for 12 deployments per annum. 2.8 The unit requires a full overnight recharge to fully condition the batteries prior to deployment and once it has been taken to site can be set up in less that two hours. This makes the device a truly redeployable resource that can quickly and efficiently be moved between locations. Image 1 below shows the camera deployed within Strathclyde Park and Image 2 shows an image taken from the camera to show the image quality from the PTZ camera. 2.9 Further to the device being flexible in terms of deployment opportunities, the device can be monitored remotely meaning that there is no additional resource requirement to remotely operate the camera. As no staff will be left on site with the unit it makes it less resource intensive and removes any staff from being deployed in potentially hostile Page 38 of 196
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areas. The camera will be deployed early in the day to remove risk from anyone interfering during the setup period. 2.10 Deployment of the device will be undertaken by the termed contractor for the CCTV and related service contract in line with current deployable camera installations. Image 1 – Photograph of Trailer deployed at Strathclyde Park. Page 39 of 196
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Image 2 – taken from the camera mounted on trailer. 3. Measures of success 3.1 In order to measure the success of the device, areas that are currently experiencing Anti-social issues, youth disorder or criminality will be monitored to establish if deployment has resulted in a reduction of these types of activities along with any incidents being recorded and reported that are detected on the unit. 3.2 It is anticipated that the unit will allow assessment of areas where permanent CCTV installations are being requested. This will allow for investment in areas most in need of permanent CCTV solutions. 3.3 Should the trailer mounted solution prove to be extremely successful, there is potential within the operating software to have additional units deployed and monitored for alarm activity and CCTV use on the same system moving forward therefore we could potentially add to the number of these devices without any restrictions from the operating systems point of view. 4. Supporting documentation 4.1 None Stephen Llewellyn Chief Officer (Housing Management) Page 40 of 196
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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 have been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts have 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 have 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 ☐ 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? Page 41 of 196
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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? 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? 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 42 of 196
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Housing Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref: CB/CR Date 08/11/23 Transforming Places - Tower Strategy Update From Brian Lafferty, Chief Officer (Housing Property Services) Email barrca@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 07583097785 Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to update Committee on current progress relating to the Tower Strategy, which sits within the Transforming Places Programme of Work, and key achievements in the last reporting period. The report also provides advance notice to Committee of projects which are at risk of significant delay and projected overspends. Recommendations It is recommended that the Housing Committee: 1) Acknowledge the progress of the tower demolition programme (Ambition) 2) Acknowledge the progress of the sprinkler installation & fire safety programme 3) Acknowledge the progress of major refurbishment projects 4) Acknowledge in sections 2.1.3 and 2.1.5 the anticipated overspends that are expected on the contracts listed and that a formal overspend report will be presented to a future committee and; 5) Acknowledge the planned measures that the Service will put in place to mitigate future unpredictable, increased costs on demolition contracts. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Improve the health and wellbeing of our communities Ambition statement (1) Ensure a housing mix that supports social inclusion and economic growth Programme of Work Transforming Places Item 4 Page 43 of 196
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1. Background 1.1 Committee will be aware that in 2017 as part of the HRA budget motion, the council announced its intention to commence consultation with stakeholders regarding the potential re-provisioning of its tower estate over the next 25 years, with phase 1 of the re-provisioning programme granted committee approval in May 2018. Subsequently approval was given at May 2023 Housing Committee to commence the Phase 2 re- provisioning consultation. Significant progress has been made to date with several high/low-rise blocks now demolished. 1.2 Committee will also recall that in February 2018, the council approved proposals to develop and deliver a programme to introduce enhanced fire safety measures within high-rise towers that included retrofitting of sprinkler systems, improved fire compartmentation, emergency lighting and installation of fire-doors to properties. 1.3 Following committee approval in 2016 to undertake condition surveys including external cladding assessment, internal fabric condition and structural integrity, the findings have now been assessed with a strategic approach to remedial action in line with government legislation developed. 2. Report 2.1 Demolition/Ambition 2.1.1 The programme is progressing on schedule with 1656 from 1750 properties identified within phase 1 having been made vacant, although 200 have subsequently been re- purposed to support the Ukraine resettlement programme. Following extensive negotiation with private owners, only one now remains in-situ with the council exploring all options for purchase. Detailed breakdown of the phase one programme as of September 2023 is provided in table 1: Table 1 Tower Vacant Properties Status Northburn Low-Rise, Airdrie 27 (100%) Complete Holehills, Airdrie 138 (100%) Complete Burnside Court, Coatbridge 44 (100%) Complete Gowkthrapple Low-Rise 303 (99%) On Site Shawhead Low-Rise 176 (100%) On Site Coursington High-Rise 351 (100%) On Site Jackson High-Rise 192 (100%) On Site Allershaw High-rise 41 (58%) Design Phase Dunbeth High-rise 130 (70%) Re-programmed High Coats 165 (86%) Re-programmed Birkshaw High-rise 89 (94%) Re-programmed 2.1.2 The contract to demolish the 19 low-rise blocks at Gowkthrapple, Wishaw was awarded in February 2023 and the contractor took possession in March 2023. Works are progressing well, although one private owner remains present, and negotiations are ongoing to purchase the property. Page 44 of 196
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2.1.3 The contract to demolish 11no low-rise blocks at Shawhead, Coatbridge continues, and a new haulage road aimed at reducing traffic congestion in nearby streets is complete and in use. Unfortunately, the contract has experienced delays due to contractor performance and service disconnections which the council delivery team are managing in accordance with the contract conditions. It is anticipated that the additional work required to complete the demolition will result in a delay to the project completion and additional costs resulting in an overspend. 2.1.4 Demolition of the three high-rise tower blocks at Coursington, Motherwell has commenced with demolition of 12-14 Draffen street and surrounding structures. Careful deconstruction of the tower superstructures is in progress with mast-climbers in operation. Nearby residents are being notified of ongoing works. There have been significant levels of previously unknown asbestos found within the structure. This coupled with delays caused by Scottish Power Energy Networks (SPEN) redirecting existing sub-stations located within the footprint of each tower has caused a substantial delay and is likely to result in an overspend on the contract. Further updates on the anticipated impacts of these issues will be reported to a future committee. 2.1.5 The contract to demolish Jackson Court, Coatbridge has been awarded with soft strip ongoing. This will be a landmark demolition project within the programme and will transform the surrounding area. Although the project is progressing well and is on programme, an overspend is projected, primarily due to the levels of textured coatings that have been identified and the level of property clean ups that were required before the building can be soft stripped. 2.1.6 The consultation for the second phase of the demolition programme was recently completed by the tenants located in each property put forward for reprovisioning. In its current form the programme contains a mixture of low-rise and tower blocks spanning several years. A report on the findings of the consultation exercise was approved at the Housing Committee in August 2023. 2.1.7 High Coats and Birkshaw Tower remain part of the phase 1 demolition programme with proposed dates for demolition to be confirmed in due course. Details of repurposing of these towers are noted under section 2.4.3. 2.2 Phase 1 Demolition Programme – Risk Update 2.2.1 As highlighted in sections 2.1.3 to 2.1.5 the demolition contracts at Coursington Towers, Shawhead low rise blocks and Jackson Court are currently behind programme and projecting overspends. 2.2.2 Refurbishment & Demolition (R&D) asbestos surveys (formerly type 3 asbestos surveys) are required as part of the normal demolition process. On occasion the client will decide which stage to request or include them, e.g. pre-tender or post tender, with value for money being always required via tendered rates as the basis for checking. 2.2.3 A contingency or provisional sum is allowed for as standard to cover these costs based on the information the client holds. To date, the Council have included asbestos surveys post tender award to save costs on security and reduce potential vandalism and antisocial behaviour, avoiding having buildings sitting vacant for longer periods of time while destructive surveys and tendering processes are undertaken. This approach was successful on the earlier demolition contracts in the phase 1 programme. 2.2.4 In regard to the demolition of Coursington, Allan and Draffen Towers in Motherwell. The contract award was £1.9m. Within the contract an allowance was Page 45 of 196
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made for asbestos removal that the Council had records of to be removed. In addition, there was a further amount in place for the removal of unrecorded asbestos as a provisional sum in the tender. 2.2.5 As the contract progresses it has become apparent that there are significant levels of asbestos located in areas that have not been surveyed, specifically in the superstructure between the existing external facade and cladding and also common room areas, which must be removed by a licenced asbestos contractor. These areas have not been part of any disruptive work in the past hence not recorded as containing asbestos. The costs associated with this activity are still to be finalised. It should be noted that, whilst this will result in an overspend on the contract, the costs associated with the removal of the asbestos are unavoidable and would have had to be borne by the Council if the level of asbestos was known at contract award stage. 2.2.6 In addition to the asbestos removal activities, a further unplanned spend event has been identified in relation to service disconnection works required for the demolition to take place. Within each of the three towers, there is a sub-station to service the tower, which can be the case from time to time. Although there was an awareness of the sub-stations being in situ, the service drawings obtained did not reflect these were also connected into the local grid to provide additional capacity for the network infrastructure in the area. This information only came to light when the demolition contractor commenced the disconnection process and started to engage with Scottish Power Energy Networks (SPEN). 2.2.7 Although this was identified at a relatively early stage, progress with the redirection of the services and re-provisioning of a new sub-station within the site only recently commenced, primarily due to extended timescales being apparent with SPEN to progress this issue. The additional time to undertake these service redirection works resulted in the need to instruct a protective structure over the sub-station at Coursington Tower to allow the demolition works to progress. 2.2.8 Due to the additional unrecorded asbestos having to be removed by a licensed asbestos contractor combined with the additional preparatory works to enable SPEN to complete their service relocation works, the allowances and contingency included in the contract is not large enough to accommodate these additional works. It is therefore anticipated that a report will be presented to a future committee highlighting an overspend on this contract which will be managed within the overall budget for the capital plan. 2.2.9 With regard to the demolition of Shawhead low rise blocks in Coatbridge, on 23th May 2022 a contract was awarded for the demolition of 11 low rise blocks at the so called “Shawhead back flats” in Coatbridge. The contract award sum was £646k. Within the contract an allowance was made for asbestos removal that the Council held records of. In addition, there was a further sum in place for the removal of unrecorded asbestos as a provisional sum in the tender. 2.2.10 As the contract progresses it has become apparent that there are significant levels of asbestos located in areas that have not been surveyed, specifically in the walls and ceilings and hidden boxed in areas, which must be removed by a licenced asbestos contractor. These areas have not been part of any disruptive work in the past hence not recorded as containing asbestos. Furthermore, there has been unrecorded thermal upgrade works undertaken in the past to the interior spaces of the blocks primarily insulated plasterboard to concrete walls. This had to be removed and the insulation manually separated before removal from site which is a significant task. The costs Page 46 of 196
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associated with these additional elements are still to be finalised. It should be noted that, whilst this will result in an overspend on the contract, the costs associated with the removal of the asbestos are unavoidable and would have had to be borne by the Council if the level of asbestos was known at contract award stage. 2.2.11 The contract at Jackson Court was awarded for £1.29m with a further sum set aside as a specific contingency to remove any unrecorded asbestos. As work progresses it has become apparent that there are increased levels of asbestos. The costs associated with these additional elements are still to be finalised. It should be noted that, whilst this will result in an overspend on the contract, the costs associated with the removal of the asbestos are unavoidable and would have had to be borne by the Council if the level of asbestos was known at contract award stage. 2.2.12 Due to the unrecorded asbestos having to be removed by a licensed asbestos contractor the allowances and contingency included in the contract is not large enough to accommodate these additional works. It is therefore anticipated that a report will be presented to a future committee highlighting an overspend on this contract which will be managed within the overall budget for the capital plan. 2.3 Mitigation 2.3.1 In advance of all future contracts being tendered for demolition, the stage at which the R&D asbestos surveys will be undertaken will be brought forward to the pre-tender stage. This will entail a contract being procured and undertaken in advance of the demolition contract being tendered, and the resulting report included in the tender documents. This new approach will ensure that the majority of costs associated with the removal of asbestos will be included in the contract and priced as part of the tender return. This will result in a delay between the block being vacated and the demolition contractor taking possession of the site. It should be noted that there may be some instances where the R&D survey doesn’t identify all areas of asbestos, however there will be a small sum included in future tenders which will allow for this scenario. 2.3.2 In order to mitigate the potential time and cost risks associated with the sub-station redirection activities that may be required in futures tower to be demolished as part of the Tower Strategy works, a list of all towers was sent to SPEN with a request for all sub-station information to be provided. This information will be included in future tenders for demolition contracts. 2.4 Next Steps 2.4.1 As the costs associated with the removal of existing asbestos are unavoidable, it will be the case moving forward that all demolition contracts will have full R&D asbestos survey information included. This approach will not provide a cost avoidance position as the costs for the removal of the material would need to be met by the Council but will allow for more budget/ cost certainty in future contracts. 2.4.3 As the additional surveys will require more time between the last tenant vacating the property and the demolition commencing, it does mean that the potential for anti-social behaviour or access to the blocks for other reasons increases in likelihood. It is Page 47 of 196
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therefore proposed that enhanced security measures are put in place for this additional timescale and potential cost. Where possible advanced survey activities will be carried out on fully vacant floors of occupied towers to reduce the amount of time between the tower being fully vacated and the demolition contractor taking possession of the site. 2.4.4 It should be noted that the proposed changes in 2.3 will reduce the identified risk to increased costs but will not remove it completely. The nature of demolition works to residential buildings of this age with limited historical records mean we are unable to plan for every eventuality. Contingencies and provisional sums allowed for in the contract should cover the majority of unplanned spend. 2.5 Sprinkler / Fire Safety Programme 2.5.1 Phase 1 of the sprinkler installation programme at Burnside, Lodge & Doonside Tower, Motherwell has now reached practical completion with snagging works ongoing. 2.5.2 Phase 2 of the sprinkler installation programme comprising of towers at Glassford, Woodside, Glen, Coltswood & Redbridge are currently in progress. 2.5.3 Phase 3 of the sprinkler installation programme is currently being developed and will be undertaken in 2024/25 2.5.4 The fire safety programme which includes installation of emergency lighting, fire-doors to properties and improved compartmentation/fire-stopping is complete. In line with recent change in legislation, interlinked smoke detection has also been installed within properties. 2.5.5 A contract to remove all spandrel panels to stairwells in 13 towers (recommendation following the Grenfell report) is also complete. 2.6 Major Refurbishment Projects 2.6.1 Refurbishment of the tower blocks at Blairgrove/Merryston (Lot 1) and Glen/Millbrae (Lot 2) is complete, snagging works continue. 2.6.2 Specialist consultants have now been appointed to provide design services in relation to the recladding and internal refurbishment of Whifflet and Calder towers, Coatbridge. 2.6.3 In order to support displaced citizens affected by the war in Ukraine, North Lanarkshire Council committed to reinstate circa 200 properties on a temporary basis. The properties, located within tower blocks in Coatbridge (High Coats) and Wishaw (Gowkthrapple) now have 200 families in residence. 3. Measures of success 3.1 The plans contained within this report will help to improve housing conditions and housing choice for our residents which contributes to addressing inequality. 4. Supporting documentation 4.1 Not applicable. Page 48 of 196
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Brian Lafferty Chief Officer (Housing Property Services) Page 49 of 196
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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? Any financial impact of the measures implemented will be contained within the HRA Capital Investment budget and will be drawn down via borrowing/CFCR as required and reported to committee. 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? Statutory compliance with Building Standards and recent fire safety legislation. 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 Page 50 of 196
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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? Upgrading of external building fabric to current energy standards. 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? Reprovisioning of towers and low-rise blocks must be included in regular corporate communications. 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 considered, frequently reviewed and recorded on project-specific risk registers. Risks with an inherently high score are escalated to project board/service level. 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? Page 51 of 196
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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 52 of 196
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Housing Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref: CB/BL Date 08/11/23 Non-Traditional House Types - Update From Brian Lafferty, Chief Officer (Housing Property Services) Email barrca@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 07583097785 Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to update Committee on the progress with the upgrading of some of the “non-traditional” housing stock located across the authority, specifically in relation to works undertaken or planned in the British Iron & Steele Federation (BISF) properties and the Swedish Timber style houses. This update also responds to a motion which was put forward at a previous full Council committee in March 2022. Recommendations It is recommended that the Housing Committee 1) Acknowledge the progress made in relation to the installation of external wall insulation (EWI) at the BISF properties across the authority. 2) Acknowledge that £2.45m of external funding has been brought into the council to support the BISF upgrade programme. 3) Acknowledge the progress of the pilot works to 4 Swedish Timber houses, and the programme which will follow in future years which will upgrade all remaining timber clad properties. 4) Acknowledge the proposal that further external funding applications will be submitted which will aim to further support the council in the delivery of energy efficient projects and programmes. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Improve the health and wellbeing of our communities Ambition statement (1) Ensure a housing mix that supports social inclusion and economic growth Programme of Work Sustainable Futures Item 5 Page 53 of 196
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1. Background 1.1 The following report provides a response to the motion which was tabled at the full Council committee in March 2022. 1.2 Following approval of the motion it was decided: (i) that the commencement of design works to non-traditional house types such as BISF and the delay in the pilot programme for different timber clad properties such as Swedish Timber houses be acknowledged; (ii) that it be noted that residents had raised a number of concerns regarding these properties, particularly in relation to their appearance and poor insulation. (iii) that the structural surveys be completed as a matter of urgency, in all non-traditional housing stock, to identify whether homes are suitable to progress, or other alternative solutions require to be sought, and (iv) that a report be submitted to a future meeting of the Housing and Regeneration Committee on the resource and cost implications of significantly reducing the timescale for delivering the analysis for this 1.3 Points (i) and (ii) in section 1.2 are acknowledged and noted respectively. 1.4 An update in respect of points (iii) and (iv) is provided within section 2 of the report. 2. Report 2.1 BISF Property Upgrades 2.1.1 Within its housing stock the council currently has 257 BISF properties. These non- traditional construction homes were earmarked for EWI to be installed as part of a programme within the 22/23 and beyond capital plan(s). 2.1.2 Since the commencement of the EWI programme to the BISF properties 189 have had upgrades completed. The remaining BISF properties will have EWI installed within the 23/24 capital programme. 2.1.3 In response to items (iii) and (iv) of the motion, it should be noted that structural surveys are carried out in advance of any design work commencing for each property. These surveys, and resulting reports, are completed in line with the planned programme of works. Acceleration of the survey programme and delivery of the upgrades is limited to annualised budget availability and existing contract capacity. 2.1.4 The costs associated with completing the programme of EWI works to BISF properties is projected to be £7.00m, with £4.48m spent in 2022/23, however Housing Property & Projects have been successful in obtaining external funding of £2.45m from the Social Housing Net Zero Fund to support the project, reducing the overall costs to the council for the delivery of the programme by the same amount. 2.2 Swedish Timber Improvements 2.2.1 As part of the wider programme to upgrade and improve the thermal efficiency in all non-traditional homes, a pilot project has been developed which will upgrade four Page 54 of 196
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Swedish style timber homes. On successful completion of the pilot a programme to upgrade the remaining 71 Swedish timber houses across the authority will be prepared. 2.2.2 It is appreciated the pilot has taken longer than anticipated to commence. This is primarily due to the need to ensure that the aesthetics of each building are maintained as part of the design to improve the overall thermal efficiency of each property. Also, as it would be the Service’s intention to submit an external funding application to bring in further support for the delivery of the project (and potentially wider programme), the start dates must align with the decision on the funding application being received. 2.2.3 A feasibility design proposal has been approved for the pilot scheme, and detailed designs are now being prepared. It is anticipated the designs will be complete imminently, with tenders issued for pricing soon thereafter, to enable the works to commence early in 2024/25. The funding application, which includes detailed cost proposals and designs will be submitted in January 2024, with a decision expected in March 2024. 2.3 Other Non-Traditional House Types 2.3.1 In addition to the BISF and Swedish Timber properties which are classified as non- traditional, there are also additional properties which have the same classification. Following completion of the works to the BISF and Swedish Timber properties, upgrades to these properties will also be undertaken on a programmed basis. It is estimated that the programme to carry out thermal improvement works in these homes will be complete within the next 2-3 years. 3. Measures of success 3.1 The plans contained within this report will help to improve housing conditions and housing choice for our residents which contributes to addressing inequality. 4. Other supporting Documents 4.1 Notices of Motion Received in Accordance with Standing Order 23 Which Will Appear on the Agenda for the Meeting of the Council to be Held on 31 March 2022 Brian Lafferty Chief Officer (Housing Property Services) Page 55 of 196
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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? Any financial impact of the measures implemented will be contained within the HRA Capital Investment budget and will be drawn down via borrowing/CFCR as required and reported to committee. 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? Statutory compliance with Building Standards and recent fire safety legislation. 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 Page 56 of 196
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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? Upgrading of external building fabric to current energy standards. 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? Reprovisioning of towers and low-rise blocks must be included in regular corporate communications. 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 considered, frequently reviewed and recorded on project-specific risk registers. Risks with an inherently high score are escalated to project board/service level. 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? Page 57 of 196
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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 58 of 196
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Housing Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref BL/MH/AC Date 08/11/23 Preservation Works Report 2022/23 and 2023/24 YTD From Brian Lafferty, Chief Officer, Housing Property Services E-mail HendryM@northlan.gov.uk Telephone Michelle Hendry, 07960974797 1. Background 1.1 There are different types of preservation which consist of the following forms; Condensation, this is the most common form of unwanted dampness in properties and occurs when warm moist air comes into contact with a cold surface. Air can contain varying amounts of water vapour; warm air can hold more water vapour than cold air. When warm air comes into contact with a colder surface, it cools down and can’t retain the same amount of water vapour and presents itself as moisture or water on surfaces such as window cills. If not managed by the householder/tenant can cause mould, mildew or fungus. Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to provide committee with an update on North Lanarkshire Council housing repairs which relate to preservation works, this is for the period 2022/23 and 2023/24 up to 31 August 2023. The report is also in relation to a motion passed at full council meeting on 15 December 2022. Recommendations It is recommended that the Housing Committee: (1) Acknowledge the report and its findings with relation to preservation related works. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Improve North Lanarkshire's resource base Ambition statement (1) Ensure a housing mix that supports social inclusion and economic growth Programme of Work Transforming Places Item 6 Page 59 of 196
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Rising damp, this affects the walls of the properties and is predominantly within ground floor properties where moisture from the ground travels up through the walls. This mainly occurs where there is debris in the wall cavity or subfloor void, internal or external renders / plasters overlapping the DPC, external ground levels being raised above the DPC, inappropriate insulation material in the cavity, intersecting masonry structures / abutting garden walls. Wet/dry rot, there are different types of fungal decay that affects the timber surfaces. The main difference is that wet rot likes to grow on timber with a high moisture content of over 50% and can be caused by defects to plumbing, guttering and leaking roofs and on occasion can cause condensation to appear. On the other hand, dry rot likes to grow at a lower moisture content of around 20-30% and can spread over a relatively dry timber if the humidity is right. It can also result in an insect infestation such as woodworm should the correct conditions prevail, the insects have laid their eggs in the timber. 2. Report 2.1 Housing related preservation works. 2.1.1 It should be noted that during 2022/23 that 1586 properties reported issues relating to condensation. The value of the works was £271,937.63, It should be noted that within 2023/24 which is up to 31 August 2023 that there have been 671 properties reporting condensation. The value of the works was £166,452.74. 2.1.2 It should be noted that during 2022/23 that 13 properties reported issues relating to rising damp. The value of the works was £33,288.22, It should be noted that within 2023/24 which is up to 31 August 2023 that there have been 10 properties reporting rising damp. The value of the works was £20,261.78. 2.1.3 It should be noted that during 2022/23 that 233 properties reported issues relating to rotworks which can be either be wet or dry rot or insect infestation. The value of the works was £1,079,387.48. It should be noted that within 2023/24 which is up to 31 August 2023 that there have been 109 properties reporting rotworks. The value of the works was £515,087.17. 2.1.4 With regards to surveys we also progressed preservation works. Within 2022/23 we progressed 596 surveys at a value of £86,882.03 and within 2023/24 which is up to 31 August 2023 we have progressed 226 surveys at a value of £30,261.78, these surveys will have led to some of the work being carried out. 2.1.5 Table 1 references the information noted from 2.1.1 to 2.1.4. Table 1 2022-2023 2023-2024 (YTD 31.08.2023) No of Properties Value No of Properties Value Page 60 of 196
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Condensation 1586 £271,937.63 671 £166,452.74 Rising Damp 13 £33,288.22 10 £20,289.99 Wet/Dry Rot (Rotworks) 233 £1,079,387.48 109 £515,087.17 Surveys Issued 596 £86,882.03 226 £30,261.78 Total * this excludes surveys £1,471,495.36 £732,091.68 2.1.6 As noted within 1.1 condensation is the main form of enquires from North Lanarkshire Council properties where any identified works are processed and actioned. As referenced within Table 1 there were 1586 properties within 2022/23 where condensation was noted as the cause of works this is in comparison to 13 properties for rising damp (0.8%) and 233 properties for rotworks (14%) this equates to 85% relating to condensation issues. 2.1.7 In reference to 2023/24 YTD up to 31 August 2023 there were 671 properties within where condensation was noted as the cause of works this is in comparison to 10 properties for rising damp (1.5%) and 109 properties for rotworks (16%) this equates to 82.5% relating to condensation issues. 2.1.8 It should be noted that advice and support is also given to tenants on how to reduce condensation within the home and further advice is also provided via North Lanarkshire Council website this can be accessed via Avoiding condensation | North Lanarkshire Council. 3. Measures of success 3.1 An annual review and appropriate action as issues arise and submission of an annual report to cycle 2 Housing committee will be a measure for success in terms of governance and accountability. 4. 4.1 Supporting documentation Not applicable. Brian Lafferty Chief Officer (Housing Property Services) Page 61 of 196
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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? 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 ☐ 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? Page 62 of 196
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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? 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? 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 63 of 196
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Housing Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref BL/MH/IP Date 08/11/23 Housing Repairs and Maintenance – Debt Recovery and Administration Fees From Brian Lafferty, Chief Officer (Housing Property Services) E-mail laffertyb@northlan.gov.uk Telephone Michelle Hendry, Repairs & Maintenance Manager – 07960 974797 1. Background 1.1 The Housing Repairs and Maintenance Service has, for a variety of reasons, a requirement to issue Debtors accounts to both council tenants and owner occupiers (often for communal maintenance required to multiple tenure properties). These accounts, including the administration fee, have generated an average income to the Housing Revenue Account of £343,000 per year. Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to update Committee on the current volume of debtors’ accounts being issued to tenants and owner occupiers by the service, and to seek approval to amend the historical application of an administration fee, based solely on the value of the invoice. Recommendations It is recommended that the Housing Committee 1) Acknowledge the volume, variety and level of income generated by the accounts currently being issued by the service. 2) Approve, from 1 April 2024, the proposal to amend the historical policy of a tiered application of administration fee, based on value of invoice, to a simplified and fairer fee, more reflective of the work involved in the production of the invoice. 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 Programme of Work Transforming Places Item 7 Page 65 of 196
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1.2 Accounts to council tenants tend to be for items such as, tenant damage, lock change following lost keys or works required prior to a change of tenancy. 1.3 An historical approach, of applying an administration fee to every account raised, based on the value of the invoice, continues to be policy. See link to report dated 15 January 1996, refer to section 8.1 - att49829.pdf (northlanarkshire.gov.uk) . This fee ranges from £5.00 to £20.00 and, for 2022/23 generated £70,000 of the £343,000 overall income. I.e., actual invoice value of £273,000, with applied administration fees of £70,000. 2. Report 2.1 The purpose of this report is to amend the current policy and inconsistent application of an administration fee when issuing accounts to tenants and owner occupiers. 2.2 Prior to preparing this report 13 other Scottish Local Authorities were contacted to establish what is common practice within the North Lanarkshire Council peer group. Of the 8 that responded, it became apparent, each Local Authority has their own policy and process. A percentage application was a recurring feature however, ranging from 5% to 15% of invoice value. There is also a theme of this administration fee being capped at a maximum of £50.00. 2.3 The average value for accounts for 2021/22 were approximately £129 per account. For 2022/23 the average account was approximately £157 per account. 2.4 Within the Repairs and Maintenance team, there are currently two members of staff who spend the majority of their time working on the calculation, preparation and issue of debtors’ accounts. In order to ensure that the integrity of the Housing Revenue Account is maintained, the administration fee applied should accurately reflect the costs involved. In addition, the service is required to review charges to ensure full cost recovery can be attained in line with the Council’s Revenue Resources Budget Strategy. This revised approach ensures the service can comply with that strategy. As the work content is the same irrespective of invoice value, it is proposed that for all invoices raised, a flat administration fee of £20.00 is applied. This would achieve a degree of consistency within the Service, and proportionally increase the level of income to the Housing Revenue Account. There is no requirement to apply the additional £50.00 for implementing a payment plan. It is suggested that the new rate becomes applicable from 1 April 2024. 2.5 If approved, this new rate would generate additional income to the Housing Revenue Account. Based on 2022/23 accounts, a further £30,000 is likely to be realised which will ensure full recovery of the administration costs associated with these types of work and ensure they’re not subsidised by housing tenants. 2.6 Officers from both North Lanarkshire Council Legal Services and Corporate Finance Teams were involved in discussions relating to this report and were satisfied the suggested amendments would have no legal constraints or financial implications. 3. Measures of success Page 66 of 196
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The administration fee applied to repairs and maintenance invoices issued by the service will more accurately reflect the costs incurred and will achieve some consistency with the approach applied by other local authorities. 4. Supporting documentation 4.1 Not applicable. Brian Lafferty Chief Officer (Housing Property Services) Page 67 of 196
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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? The increased income generated by the change in policy is likely to be available to further maintain protect current housing stock. 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 ☐ 5.6 Technology / Digital impact Page 68 of 196
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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? 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 is recorded on the Service Risk Register and managed accordingly. 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 69 of 196
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Housing Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref SL/TH Date 08/11/23 Tenant Satisfaction Survey 2023 From Stephen Llewellyn, Chief Officer (Housing Management) E-mail llewellyns@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 01698 274192 1. Background 1.1 The Housing (Scotland) Act 2010 and the Scottish Social Housing Charter (SSHC) introduced an obligation on landlords to regularly undertake surveys of their tenants and submit the resultant data to the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR). 1.2 As a landlord we are required to submit our tenant satisfaction data in the Annual Return on the Charter (ARC) by 31 May each year. 1.3 The SHR expects landlords to carry out a survey of tenants at least once every three years. Traditionally we have opted for a biennial survey, with the exception made during the covid pandemic, where the survey was delayed until 2021. Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to update committee on the results of the recent tenant satisfaction survey 2023. The survey covers satisfaction indicators across Housing Solutions and Housing Property and Projects. Recommendations It is recommended that the Housing Committee: 1) Acknowledge the content of this report. 2) Acknowledge the proposed approach to taking forward actions for those improvement items highlighted in the survey responses. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Enhance participation, capacity, and empowerment across our communities Ambition statement (20) Improve the involvement of communities in the decisions, and development of services and supports, that affect them Programme of Work Resilient People Item 8 Page 71 of 196
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1.4 Guidance produced by Engage Scotland on behalf of the SHR recommends that these large scale surveys should be conducted either via a postal, online, or by an interviewer via a face to face or telephone interview. Our survey meets the SHR technical guidance on: • Method of administering the survey. • Number of tenants who were surveyed. • Fieldwork dates of the survey. 1.5 Due to the covid pandemic our 2021 survey was carried out via the telephone however we have returned to the face to face interview process for our 2023 survey. 1.6 In addition to collecting the data on tenant satisfaction required by the SHR, the survey is a useful mechanism for the services to gather information from tenants on a variety of issues and areas affecting their home and tenancy. This information is vital in helping us improve our services to better meet the needs of our tenants. 2. Report 2.1 Research Resource was commissioned to carry out to carry out the tenant satisfaction survey following a procurement exercise. A copy of the report is attached at section 4. 2.2 It was agreed that the survey questionnaire developed with tenants for the 2018 survey and used for the 2021 survey would be, as much as possible, re-used so that comparisons and benchmarking could be made with the results of these surveys. The survey questions fully met the information needs for the service and included all issues of importance for tenants. 2.3 A total of 404 face to face interviews were carried out with our tenants to assess satisfaction with the services provided by the housing and property teams. Interviews took place during August and September 2023, with a selection of tenants from each council locality, occupying all types of housing stock, being selected for interview, to ensure a broad range of responses in the survey. Results of the Survey 2.4 The results of the 2023 Tenants Survey reveal that the majority of tenants are ‘very’ or ‘fairly’ satisfied with the services provided. When compared with the previous survey carried out in 2021, the survey found positive changes in satisfaction levels in the majority of areas. 2.5 When comparing the ARC indicators to the 2021 survey results all indicators showed an improved level of satisfaction. When compared to the Scottish Local Authority Average, we are performing significantly better across all satisfaction indicators as noted below. 2.5.1 ARC Indicator 1 – Percentage of tenants satisfied with the overall service provided by their landlord. 2018 2021 2023 Performance Direction LA Average 2023 91% 81.2% 86.6% Increase of 5.4% 83.2% Page 72 of 196
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2.5.2 ARC Indicator 2 – Percentage of tenants who feel their landlord is good at keeping them informed about their services and decisions. 2018 2021 2023 Performance Direction LA Average 2023 92.5% 92.6% 95.8% Increase of 3.2% 81.1% 2.5.3 ARC Indicator 5 – Percentage of tenants satisfied with the opportunities given to them to participate in their landlord’s decision-making processes. 2018 2021 2023 Performance Direction LA Average 2023 92.5% 96.8% 96.8% Maintained 76.5% 2.5.4 ARC Indicator 7 – Percentage of existing tenants satisfied with the quality of their home. 2018 2021 2023 Performance Direction LA Average 2021 92% 87.13% 87.31% Increase of .18% 81.8% 2.5.5 ARC Indicator 13 – Percentage of tenants satisfied with the landlord’s contribution to the management of the neighbourhood they live in. This was a new indicator for the 2021 survey therefore there is no comparison available for 2018. 2021 2023 Performance Direction LA Average 2021 88.4% 91.3% Increase of 2.9% 82.5% 2.5.6 ARC Indicator 25 – Percentage of tenants who feel that the rent for their property represents good value for money. 2018 2021 2023 Performance Direction LA Average 2021 85.5% 77.97% 89.3% Increase of 11.3% 81.9% 2.6 When asked about how satisfied or dissatisfied they were with various aspects of the service some of the responses showed a further increase in satisfaction from the previous survey in 2021, with positive feedback being recorded across many service areas: Area of service % satisfied 2021 % satisfied 2023 General satisfaction with the way the Housing Service deals with repairs and maintenance 80% 87% Ease of reporting a repair 96% 97% Attitude of workers 97% 98% The time taken before work started 83% 87% The external appearance of your home and surrounding area 89% 90% Dealing with antisocial neighbours 76% 80% 2.7 Other aspects of the service showed a decline in satisfaction. It has been noted through contractor performance meetings that staff retention and recruitment difficulties coupled with difficulties and delays in obtaining materials required to provide services may have an impact on some areas of service delivery, this in turn will have a direct Page 73 of 196
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impact on our tenants’ satisfaction and may have impacted the results achieved in the areas noted below. Area of service % satisfied 2021 % satisfied 2023 Information given on when your repair would be carried out 93% 92% The time taken to complete the work 96% 83% Cleaning of indoor and outdoor communal areas for flats 85% 83% 2.8 When asking tenants to explain why they are ‘dissatisfied with the housing services contribution to the management of their neighbourhood’, in response to the returns for ARC Indicator 13, (Section 2.5.5) most of the reasons cited are not within the remit of the housing service. Where possible and where the tenant has provided contact details, we will work with other services, and link with the tenants, to address the issues highlighted. 2.9 As well as satisfaction levels, the survey provided vital feedback on tenants’ top priorities. Within the survey 84% of tenants expressed that the ‘day to day repairs service’ was within their top 3 priorities in service provision, followed by 56% for ‘planned improvements within homes’ and 48% for ‘managing the common areas around their homes'. These were the same top 3 priorities that were highlighted in the 2021 survey. 2.10 We also used the survey to determine the level of tenants with access to broadband within their home and what housing services they would access through the internet, where available. The survey showed an increase in tenants with broadband within their home with 77% advising they had this available, compared to 66% in 2021. Of the tenants who do not currently have broadband, 94% advised this was because they didn’t want it, compared with 88% stating the same reason in 2021. When asked what housing services the respondents would access via the internet, 60% of respondents advised they would not use the internet to access any housing services. Of those who would use these services, 36% said they would use it to ‘report a repair, 19% said they would ‘pay their rent’ and 14% said they would use it to ‘schedule their annual gas service’, and the same percentage would use it to ‘claim benefits’. 2.11 All of the issues raised in the tenant survey will be considered by the relevant Service Improvement Groups and used to develop improvement actions. These groups will drive forward and implement service specific improvements based on all the feedback from tenants in the survey. 2.12 Improvement actions will involve further tenant consultation at a local level and via current survey mechanisms with tenants at point of contact. Our tenant participation team continue to engage regularly with tenants and tenant’s groups through local meetings and the annual tenant conference which will be held on 4 November 2023. 3. Measures of success 3.1 All indicators reported on through the SSHC and ARC are included as a standard agenda item on each of the Housing Improvement Team meetings and Property Progress Team meetings that operate across all disciplines within both Housing Solutions and Housing Property and Projects respectively. These teams continue to Page 74 of 196
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review practices, procedures, and customer feedback to ensure that high standards of service delivery are achieved in all areas. 4. Supporting documentation 4.1 Not applicable. Stephen Llewellyn Chief Officer (Housing Management) Page 75 of 196
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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? 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? Production of an ARC and Annual Assurance Statement is a statutory obligation for all landlords. These both require the landlord to engage with tenants to determine satisfaction levels. 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 Page 76 of 196
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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? 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? The council have a legal requirement to provide and Annual Return on the Scottish Social Housing Charter to the Scottish Housing Regulator on an Annual basis, this return requires the service to provide information on tenant satisfaction levels in a number of areas of our service delivery. Failure to carry out this survey would would impact our ability to fulfil our legal obligation in this respect. 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). Page 77 of 196
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If Yes, has a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) been carried out? Yes ☐ No ☐ Page 78 of 196
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Housing Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref PH/JS Date 08/11/23 Transforming Places New Supply Programme – Update on Progress From Pamela Humphries, Chief Officer (Place) E-mail stevensonjam@northlan.gov.uk Telephone James Stevenson, Housing Development Manager, 07583098631 1. Background 1.1 In May 2018, the Committee approved proposals to increase the new supply programme to deliver 5,000 new homes by 2035. This was strategically linked to the potential re-provisioning of all tower blocks (4,600 flats) over 20 years. It was estimated that around 2,300 new homes (50%) would be built on the sites of the tower blocks Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to update Committee on progress of the new supply programme, which aims to deliver 5,000 new homes by 2035. This report also provides an update on progress against annual targets previously set, outlines current challenges in delivering the programme, and seeks approval for revised targets. Recommendations It is recommended that the Committee: 1) Consider the contents of the report regarding progress of the new supply programme. 2) Acknowledge the challenges and opportunities affecting delivery of the new Supply programme. 3) Approve the proposed targets for delivery of the programme set out in 2.3. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Improve the health and wellbeing of our communities Ambition statement (1) Ensure a housing mix that supports social inclusion and economic growth Programme of Work Transforming Places Item 9 Page 79 of 196
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following their demolition. The target also included an assumption that the council would purchase around 550 homes through an expanded empty homes purchase scheme, which had enabled the council to buy back a number of former council houses. 1.2 In September 2019, Committee approved proposals to pilot a proposed “Development Pathfinder” scheme to enable the council to acquire completed housing units from developers “off the shelf”. The council already acquired “off the shelf” from developers in the north area where the Affordable Housing Policy applies, however Committee agreed to extend this approach to the Motherwell, Bellshill, Coatbridge and Airdrie areas. It was noted that this could potentially act as a catalyst to enable private development sites to be brought forward and therefore stimulate investment in these areas and increase new housing provision. In November 2020, Committee approved proposals to extend the ‘Development Pathfinder’ scheme to cover all of North Lanarkshire. 1.3 In November 2022, Committee received an update on the progress with delivery of the programme and approved targets for the delivery of the programme up to 2035. It was previously agreed that an annual update would be provided to committee regarding the delivery of the programme. This report provides an update on progress to date against previous targets, outlines the challenges faced, mitigation measures in place to address challenges and sets out the proposed targets for the coming years. 2. Report 2.1 Progress to Date 2.1.1 New Build As of 14th September 2023, 1,138 new build homes have been handed over with 451 on site and 334 in total scheduled for completion during 2023/24. To date, 45 new developments have been completed with a further 10 on site. The programme recently reached a key milestone with delivery of the 1000th new build council home at Dykehead Road, Airdrie which demonstrates the transformational effect within the built environment that the programme provides. Key developments at Brandon Street, Motherwell, Castlehill Road, Gowkthrapple, Northburn Road, Airdrie and Ravenscliff Road, Motherwell are progressing well with completed properties providing modern, accessible, energy efficient homes that utilise sustainable technology and achieve enhanced standards of fire safety. Several brownfield sites are currently in development phase to ensure the programme meets its strategic objectives, whilst helping to support town centre regeneration and place making initiatives. Following recent approval to progress consultation with the phase 2 re-provisioning programme, site appraisals have commenced with a view to maximising development potential. 2.1.2 Open Market Purchase Scheme As of 14th September 2023, 689 homes have been purchased through the Empty Homes and Open Market Purchase Scheme since its inception. The Open Market Purchase Scheme (OMPS) has been proven as an effective housing delivery mechanism by providing much needed accommodation in areas of high demand, whilst representing value for money in the current market with an average purchase and repair cost of £111,645 in 2023/24. Page 80 of 196
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The number of applications this year has exceeded expectations, which is reflective of current inflationary rises and changing market conditions. Given the increased popularity of the scheme, it is therefore projected that at least 100 properties will be purchased in the current financial year, which exceeds the initial target of 75. Through our assessment process, officers continue to prioritise properties which are last in a block resulting in full council ownership; high demand areas and landlord properties where tenants are at risk of homelessness or contain vulnerable tenants. The volume of landlord enquiries has also significantly increased in 2023/24. 2.1.3 Off the Shelf (Affordable Housing Policy) As of 14th September 2023, in total 157 homes have been delivered through the Affordable Housing Policy / Off the Shelf initiative. In 2023/24, 34 properties have been purchased to date with another 104 under construction. Acquisition via this method remains good value whilst increasing housing supply in areas of high demand. Current projections indicate the potential for another 173 properties over 6 sites in the coming years. 2.1.4 Development Pathfinder Work at the former John Orrs site in Airdrie is nearing completion with the superstructure now wind and watertight. Properties are expected to be handed over to the council by the end of the calendar year. Negotiations continue with a range of developers to identify and develop opportunities that meet the councils housing need in town centre areas and beyond. 2.2 Challenges 2.2.1 Costs The cost of new build developments, driven by demand and resource costs, have been rising for several years, this is reflective of the tender prices recently received from contractors bidding for new supply projects. Tender cost increases over the past 12 months are on average between 5%-10% higher than the previous year and expected to extend in to 2024. Changes in legislation are also a contributory factor, requiring homes to achieve a high standard of energy efficiency (fabric first approach), increased use of renewable technology and enhanced fire safety systems, all of which have a high capital installation cost. This has been further exacerbated by high inflation this year of circa 6%. Cost projections to deliver key town centre regeneration projects are also significantly higher than initial estimates produced at feasibility stage. This is due to factors noted above and the additional complexity of complying with Historic Environmental Scotland’s (HES) requirements, which in many cases insist on façade retention and re- use of existing building features/structures. The increased costs associated with the delivery of the new supply programme will continue to be monitored and factored into the HRA 30-year projections which incorporates grant funding allocations. Acquisitions via the Open Market Purchase Scheme and Off the Shelf purchases continue to provide good value, augmenting the traditional new build option. Page 81 of 196
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2.2.2 Scottish Water - Surface Water Policy As previously reported to Committee, Scottish Water’s Surface Water Policy of not accepting any new connections to the combined sewer network, has impacted our ability to develop several sites. Alternative drainage solutions have been explored; however, many are untested within a social housing environment or are financially unviable. Regular liaison with Scottish Water representatives continues. 2.2.3 Ground Condition of Sites The vast majority of council owned sites are brownfield, which are typically problematic to develop due to a variety of factors such as contamination, mine workings and made ground. The cost to remediate unfavourable ground conditions can make smaller developments, in areas of high demand, financially unviable due to inability to achieve economies of scale that larger developments can accommodate. The council’s wider Ambition programme, including asset rationalisation and town/community hub programmes will result in new sites becoming available that may be more appropriate for housing development. Additionally, sites declared as surplus by the council are also assessed for their viability. 2.3 Programme Targets Due to the nature of the new supply programme and the fluctuating market in which it operates, long-term projections can often vary. Estimated targets for this and the next three years are set out in the table below, including the balance to be delivered by 2035. Table 1 New Supply Projections as at November 2023 2.4 The delivery of the targets for 2022/23 fell below original projections, due to a variety of factors affecting the construction market, including the challenges noted above but also contractor performance, sub-contractor availability due to fluctuating rates of pay, material availability and OMPS market conditions during the period. It should be noted that several completions have now been delivered within 2023/24. 2.5 Projections for 2023/24 through to 2035 have been adjusted to reflect previous slippage and sites under design development. The delivery of the new supply programme will be closely monitored with regular updates provided to Committee, including annual updates on progress against targets and any further adjustments that may be required. Year New Build Council New Build Off the shelf OMPS (incl. targeted extension) Total Approved Targets November 2022 2022/23 (actual) 76 6 70 152 220 2023/24 256 78 100 434 351 2024/25 186 82 100 368 448 2025/26 300 33 100 433 433 2026/27 233 39 100 372 333 2027 - 2035 827 315 605 1747 1721 Total 1878 553 1075 3506 3506 Completions to March 2022 817 117 560 1494 Grand total 2695 670 1635 5000 Page 82 of 196
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3. Measures of success 3.1 The measure of success will be the effective delivery of the council’s new supply programme which aims to deliver 5,000 homes by 2035. 3.2 The new supply programme will also contribute to the regeneration of town centres within North Lanarkshire which remains a key priority within the Transforming Places Programme of Work. 4. Supporting documentation Appendix 1 – New Build Sites as at 19 September 2023 Pamela Humphries Chief Officer (Place) Page 83 of 196
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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 new supply programme helps support delivery of the seven strategic outcomes of the local housing strategy whilst meeting the statutory requirements and contributing to national priorities and targets. 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 new supply programme is funded through a combination of prudential borrowing, capital funding, Scottish Government grant funding and subsidy income. The affordability of both the new supply and OMPS are reviewed each year and incorporated into the 30-year Business Plan. Grant funding has increased from £71,500 to £83,584 per unit, based on a 3-person equivalent as well as additional grant funding available for additional quality measures and renewables. 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 84 of 196
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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? The new supply programme has been considered through the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) as required by the Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005and there are no major issues of relevance identified. All new homes are built to the current technical standards or higher. 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 new supply programme is promoted via the strategic PR plan with Corporate Communications with Local Members and other key stakeholders. 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? The councils Risk Management Strategy 2023- 2026 is adopted at both a service and project level basis for delivery of the new supply programme. This incorporates risk management governance, structure and methodology which are reviewed at regular intervals. 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 85 of 196
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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 86 of 196
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Appendix 1 New Build Sites as at 19 September 2023 Area Location Units Comments Completed Holytown Main St 10 Completed (Amenity) Holytown Spruce Way 10 Completed Motherwell Ravenscraig (David Wilson Homes) 18 Completed (off the shelf) Airdrie Clarkston PS 19 Completed Millerston Coshneuk Rd 11 Completed (Amenity) Cumbernauld North Rd 29 Completed Wishaw Cambusnethan PS 20 Completed (Amenity) Viewpark Laburnum Rd (Phase 1) 12 Completed Viewpark Laburnum Rd (Phase 2) 28 Completed Moodiesburn Gartferry Road 50 Completed Cumbernauld Westfield Drive 30 Completed Airdrie Former Albert PS 14 Completed Chryston Lanrig Rd 27 Completed (Amenity) Coatbridge Corsewall St 14 Completed Bellshill Former Belvidere PS 20 Completed Kilsyth Fisher Ave 30 Completed Chryston Old Lindsaybeg Rd (Persimmon) 14 Completed (off the shelf) Motherwell Glencairn Tower site 25 Completed Viewpark Former Tannochside PS 16 Completed Wishaw Walkerburn Dr, Coltness 20 Completed Cumbernauld Cardowan Drive 30 Completed Cumbernauld Kildrum Nursery 16 Completed Chryston Station Rd (Persimmon) 30 Completed (off the shelf) Chapelhall Former St Aloysius PS (Phase 1) 24 Completed Chapelhall Former St Aloysius PS (Phase 2) 6 Completed Cumbernauld Brown Road 20 Completed New Stevenston Former New Stevenston PS 15 Completed Chryston Greenlea Road 21 Completed Coatbridge Old School Court 20 Completed Airdrie Former Alexandra PS 14 Completed Harthill Former Harthill PS 20 Completed Motherwell Cleekhimmin, Ravenscraig (Barratt) 10 Completed (off the shelf) Coatbridge Blair Road 40 Completed Motherwell Calder PS 30 Completed Gartcosh Johnston Rd / Inchnock Ave (Bellway) 16 Completed (off the shelf) Cumbernauld Cedar Road Nursery 14 Completed Chryston Main Street (Bellway) 18 Completed (off the shelf) Page 87 of 196
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Wishaw Meadowhead Rd, Ravenscraig (Keepmoat) 11 Completed (off the shelf) Bellshill Caledonian Avenue (Phase 1 ) 19 Completed Wishaw Dimsdale Road (Phase 1) 6 Completed Bellshill Caledonian Avenue (Phase 2) 8 Completed Wishaw Dimsdale Road (Further Phases) 55 Completed Coatbridge St James PS / Lismore Drive 58 Completed Wishaw Roberts Street (Belhaven House) 16 Completed Wishaw Mossburn St, Waterloo 20 Completed Plains Plains PS 16 Completed Bellshill Community Road 29 Completed Airdrie Dykehead Road, Holehills (Phase 1) 11 Completed Motherwell Torrance Park (Phase 1) (Barratt) 6 Completed (off the shelf) Chryston Chilterns Care Home, Lindsaybeg Road 21 Completed Airdrie Dykehead Road, Holehills (Further Phases) 67 Completed Stepps Gateside Farm (Barratt) 30 Completed (off the shelf) Motherwell Torrance Park (Phase 2) (Barratt) 4 Completed (off the shelf) Sub total 1138 Completed On Site Airdrie Dykehead Road, Holehills (Remaining Phases) 72 On Site Airdrie Northburn Place 31 On Site Airdrie Former Orrs Building (Wilson) 20 On Site (off the shelf) Wishaw Castlehill Road, Gowkthrapple (Phase 1) 97 On Site Coatbridge Berwick St 19 On Site Motherwell Former BRE, Ravenscliff Rd, Ravenscraig 24 On site Airdrie Glenacre Drive 16 On Site Airdrie Former Petersburn PS 40 On Site Motherwell Brandon Street 48 On Site Moodiesburn Auchengeich, Gartferry Road (Bellway) 12 On Site (off the shelf) Coatbridge Lorne Place (Allanwater) 24 On Site (off the shelf) Cumbernauld Dowanfield Road (Zoom) 24 On Site (off the shelf) Gartcosh Johnston Rd - Phase 2 (Bellway) 12 On Site (off the shelf) Shotts Springhill Road - (Keepmoat) 12 On Site (off the shelf) Sub total 451 On site Page 88 of 196
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Design Development Coatbridge Columba High School 127 Planning app submitted Motherwell Mabel Street 20 Planning app approved Glenmavis McArthur Ave 21 Planning app approved Viewpark Laburnum Rd 26 Planning app approved Coatbridge Bank Street 6 Planning app approved Chapelhall Gibb Street 25 Planning app approved Wishaw Graham Street 13 Planning app submitted Coatbridge Kildonan Street 49 Design development underway Cumbernauld Former Cumbernauld Village PS 8 Planning app approved Glenboig Former Police Station, Main Street 7 Planning app approved Wishaw King Street 5 Planning app approved Wishaw Stewarton Street & Kings House 18 Planning app submitted Motherwell Former Motherwell Town Hall 20 Planning app approved Airdrie Calderigg Place 42 Design development underway Millerston Coshneuk Road 16 Design development underway Wishaw Caledonian Road 15 Planning app submitted Coatbridge Mitchell Street 100 Design development underway Caldercruix Former St Mary's PS 25 Design development underway Bellshill Thorn Road 26 Design development underway Airdrie Airdriehill Street 65 Design development underway Motherwell Hope Street (Masonic Hall) 10 Design development underway Coatbridge Main Street 40 Design development underway Motherwell Dalzell Drive 24 Approved at Committee - Feb 2023 Newmains Former St Brigid's PS 35 Approved at Committee - Aug 2023 Coatbridge ` Former Pentland School (Tay Street) 16 Approved at Committee - Aug 2023 Coatbridge Former Portland HS (Kildonan Street) 16 Approved at Committee - Aug 2023 Sub total 775 Design development underway Re- provisioning Coatbridge Shawhead 111 Re-provisioning site Coatbridge Dunbeth 170 Re-provisioning site Page 89 of 196
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Motherwell Coursington 60 Re-provisioning site Sub total 341 Re-provisioning sites Off The Shelf Cumbernauld Community Growth Area - Phases 1-3 (Bellway) 75 Off the shelf Planning app submitted Chryston Gartferry Road (Allanwater) 22 Off the shelf Purchase approved at Committee Coatbridge Former DWP Offices, South Circular Road (ML5 Limited) 39 Off the shelf Purchase approved at Committee Motherwell Prospecthill Road (O'Brien Properties Limited) 23 Off the shelf Purchase approved at Committee Motherwell Torrance Park - Phase 3 (Barratt Homes) 4 Off the shelf Purchase approved at Committee Shotts Springhill Road - (Keepmoat) 10 Off the shelf Purchase approved at Committee Sub total 173 Future off the shelf purchases from developers Total 2878 Page 90 of 196
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Housing Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref PH/JS/NS Date 08/11/23 New Supply Programme – Community Benefits Update From Pamela Humphries, Chief Officer (Place) E-mail stevensonjam@northlan.gov.uk Telephone James Stevenson, Tel 07583098631 1. Background 1.1 Community benefits are tangible, positive outcomes linked to public sector contracts, which help to improve the lives of local people in North Lanarkshire and help local communities to thrive. Community benefits help to boost employment and skills opportunities for local people and support local community initiatives, in addition to the general economic benefit the investment brings to each area such as increased opportunities for local businesses. Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to update the Committee regarding Community Benefits related to the new build housing programme since the last report in November 2022 for the period from 1st Sept 2022 – 1st Sept 2023. The report also reflects on the community benefits in the last 3 years from 2020 to 2023. Recommendations It is recommended that the Housing Committee 1) Consider the contents of the report regarding the current position on the delivery of community benefits. 2) Acknowledge that an update on community benefits from the New Supply Programme will continue to be submitted annually. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Improve the health and wellbeing of our communities Ambition statement (1) Ensure a housing mix that supports social inclusion and economic growth Programme of Work Transforming Places Item 10 Page 91 of 196
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1.2 The Council is committed to maximising the delivery of community benefits. The procurements undertaken for any New Supply project includes a community benefit requirement which is assessed as part of the quality evaluation. 1.3 The Council predominantly use procurement Frameworks to deliver its new build programme where a points-based approach is used and the supplier must deliver a stated number of community benefits points depending on the contract value. A list of community benefit outcomes and associated points are provided which are specifically focused on recruitment and employment, however purchasers may agree on alternatives with the supplier depending on the needs of the local area. 1.4 As part of the Council’s Plan for North Lanarkshire to support young people towards more positive outcomes, collaboration between New Supply; Education and Families; Supported Enterprise and Employability teams helps facilitate work experience and opportunities to positive destinations within construction. There is a particular emphasis on supporting key priority groups, as part of the delivery of the Plan for North Lanarkshire and the Brighter Futures Programme of Work to help improve employment opportunities and tackle inequality. 2. Report 2.1 Current Position 2.1.1 Community benefits for each new build development are pledged by contractors during the tender process and are monitored through the contract. The New Supply Team work closely with the contractors and provide relevant support and assistance to help maximise the benefits for local people and meet the council’s requirements. 2.1.2 A Community Benefits Development group has been established which meet every two months with the various stakeholders such as Education, Early Careers, Virtual Schools, Developing the Young Workforce, Supported Enterprise, the Apprenticeship team, and Employability services. The Group helps to co-ordinate and maximise opportunities created through the new supply programme, establishing clear lines of communication, and developing plans to deliver and achieve the targets set out in each tender and to deliver the council’s objectives. This group has also assisted other parts of the service to manage their community benefits in a more consistent and collaborative approach. 2.2 Community Benefits Menu 2.2.1 Each of the elements below describe the Community Benefits included in the council’s tender process. 2.2.2 Employment - Targeted Recruitment and Employment The new supply team collaborate at the early stages of each project with ALEO “Routes to Work” to maximise the partnership with the contractors to match the right job for the right person within North Lanarkshire and to tackle any training requirements to support people into employment. Understanding the contractors’ proposed community benefits activities and outcomes from future projects, helps with forward planning, and the ability to collaborate with internal and external stakeholders prior to the commencement of the project to achieve maximum benefit. All relevant stakeholders meet at the Community Benefits Working Group chaired by New Supply to collaborate and discuss future plans and requirements. Page 92 of 196
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As outlined in Appendix 1, since 2020, there have been 30 local people employed through Community Benefits from key priority groups such as people who have been unemployed for more than 6 months and/or have no relevant experience and/or women returning to the labour market. A further 11 employment opportunities for people from priority groups are projected. The posts provided must be a minimum of 30 hours per week and last a minimum of 26 weeks. In addition, 26 new start apprentices have been employed. The apprenticeship must be filled either by a person aged 16 years of age or older. There have also been 33 workplace placements which lasts a minimum of 2 weeks for an unemployed person 16 years or over and include vocational tasters, to enable the person to gain a meaningful insight into the construction sector and/or business operations evident with the supply chain. Collaboration at the early stages of each development has proven to help secure a meaningful work placement or permanent position. Good examples of success and collaborative working include the Department of Work and Pensions “Kickstart Scheme” which provides an opportunity to offer young people facing multiple barriers to employment to not only gain valuable experience of the industry but also potentially access long term employment and careers. Kickstart Scheme, provides full time employment for 6 months as well as a supported training programme. The council’s new build sites in conjunction with “Kickstart Scheme” continue to develop new talent and promote young people into full time employment. 2.2.3 Education • Scottish Apprenticeship Week 2023 Collaboration with Education and Families is delivering prescriptive education events the schools and young people need through careers events and work experience. During the pandemic North Lanarkshire Council asked the contractors to come up with learning material that could be delivered virtually. In early 2022, with restrictions not fully eased to allow face to face sessions, the New Supply team worked together with Developing the Young Workforce, Skills Development Scotland, and contractors to plan and deliver construction related education sessions as part of the council’s Scottish Apprenticeship Week (SAW) “Introducing the Apprenticeship Family” and “Careers in Construction” event. We continue to mark International Women’s Day with several sessions set up throughout the week highlighting Women in Construction. The sessions were delivered by employees and apprentices from contractors working in North Lanarkshire as part of their community benefits. The SAW event was such a success that we have carried on delivering these sessions in a hybrid approach, we also delivered a construction only event “Step into Construction & the Built Environment” virtual event which ran during the week of the 7th of February 2023. The “Step into Construction and the Built Environment” virtual event was open to primary and secondary schools across North Lanarkshire, South Lanarkshire, and East Dunbartonshire with the aim of highlighting the range of career opportunities in construction and the built environment, the pathway from school into the sector through the college route and how the skills developed in school and college link to the world of work. Page 93 of 196
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Nineteen 30-minute sessions were hosted by New Supply Community Benefits Project Development Officer and Developing the Young Workforce representative. Each session was made up of two parts. The first session was delivered by lecturers and students from New College Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire College showcasing the fantastic range of courses available in construction and how subject choices, skills and interests related to these courses and the progression routes from each course into the world of work. The second part was delivered by people working in the construction industry to highlight the pathway from college into a career in construction and look at how the college courses described prepare young people for a career in the industry. Each 30-minute session consisted of a live presentation followed by a Q&A with schools asking questions via the chat bar. The recordings are on our NL Virtual Classroom creating a library of information that is available to all schools to access at any time and will be added to year on year. The event was another huge success, with 19 interactive sessions being delivered to 21 schools. 1,503 young people accessed the sessions. An average of 79 pupils per session, approximately 301 young people per day. Examples of how these sessions could be used in future might include incorporating them into school career events, to help young people understand what apprenticeships are and the benefits of them, to raise awareness of the range of jobs in construction and to reduce barriers to help make parents aware of the opportunities that are available to the young people. It is intended to continue to run virtual sessions in conjunction with face-to-face sessions as a hybrid approach to gauge how successful they are with a view to reach more young people including primary school age. Construction Skills Certification Scheme (CSCS) Training for Additional Supported Needs (ASN) Sector Another initiative supported by one of our new supply contractors involved delivery of bespoke training sessions to help reduce barriers for our young people with additional support needs, in preparation to enter the world of work. During 2022, 5 pupils from Buchanan High school participated in both SQA Health and Safety in a Construction Environment training and CSCS training. Each of these pupils has an additional support need from Global Learning Delay to Autism and at least 2 pupils have severe difficulty reading and writing. The pupils required the course to be well structured, clear, practical where possible, and support to be given in reading and writing. The appointed contractor has been instrumental in providing workshops to suit the needs of the young people. With the use of videos, activities and discussion the contractor created a solid foundation of understanding in Health and Safety in Construction. In 2022, 5 pupils passed their SQA exam, as has their support teacher. All were scheduled to take their CSCS Exam in autumn 2022 however the young people needed a little more time to get exam ready. Four of the 5 pupils (and their support teacher) passed their CSCS exam in early 2023. Following on from this, the 4 pupils who passed both exams have all secured apprenticeships with McTaggart Construction through the “No Limits” Apprenticeship Scheme. The 5th pupil who undertook the CSCS card has since been accepted for a mainstream college course in Digital Media. He would like to be involved in construction in the future (in cyber security area) so this is the perfect pathway for him. Page 94 of 196
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As part of the plan for North Lanarkshire, helping to break down these barriers to achieve these accreditations will help our disadvantaged young people into a construction related career. McTaggart Construction will take another cohort of pupils this school session - a larger group from Buchanan High School and a pupil from Caldervale High School. We have received some recent feedback from Buchanan High School staff as follows: “All of our young people have additional support needs and so many barriers to gaining a positive destination - the input from Community benefits and McTaggart’s has been the differing factor in ensuring they have a positive and sustainable future”. 2.2.4 Enterprise – Supply Chain Development As part of Supply chain development, the Council encourage appointed contractors to get involved in “Meet the Real Buyer” events. These events are useful in terms of engaging with small businesses within the area to help them develop and grow their business. A previous example of this is that as part of their Community Benefits, a new supply contractor delivered a Meet the Buyer session to approximately 30 construction businesses in partnership with Business Gateway Lanarkshire. This session covered how to join their supply chain and the process for securing work from them. They discussed future projects and upcoming activities that the local supply chain could be part of. A further 6 Meet the Buyer sessions, and 3 Business Mentoring sessions for SME’s. are forecast. 2.2.5 Community Engagement - Financial support There has been engagement with the Communities Team to develop new approaches to implement community benefits including Participatory Budgeting (PB). This allows officers who understand local communities at grass roots level to create a process for giving community groups an input to how and where funds should be spent in a fair, transparent and democratic process. It is intended that PB will be the preferred method to implement community benefits financial support and will be part of a future Community Benefits Wish List process being developed. Some examples of financial benefits provided to communities are outlined below: • £1,000 from our Petersburn site to purchase a 360degree camera to record virtual construction site training videos for use at the immersive classroom. • £1,080 donation pledged from our Brandon Street Project to Forgewood Allotments group to rebuild some raised beds for disabled plot holders. Also £3,000 earmarked for assistance at Muirhouse Primary School working with deprived young people. • £2,000 from our Berwick Street development for materials bought and sent to Restorative Justice team to build mud kitchens and planters for The Shawhead Family Centre nursery for their outdoor play equipment. Page 95 of 196
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The remainder of the budget outlined in Appendix 1 has still to be apportioned through the Participatory Budgeting process and community projects outlined in the tender documents. 2.2.6 Non – Financial Support The New Supply team receive requests or ‘wishes’ from local community groups. From 2020 to date, New Supply Community Benefits has enabled over £27,000 worth of non- financial support to schools, community groups within North Lanarkshire. This includes several non-financial support activities carried out during 2023 with an approximate value of £5,510. These activities are where the New Supply Team co-ordinate and collaborate with other internal and external agencies to achieve goals / activities and outcomes. Contractors who are part of the New Supply programme have donated various items such as training time, and excess construction related materials that may otherwise have been re-cycled or sent to landfill. There are multiple benefits with this process including environmental and financial savings. 3. Measures of success 3.1 Contract performance and community benefits are proactively managed against a number of Key Performance Indicators that are managed by the New Supply Team. Appendix 1 shows an extract from the New Supply Community Benefits Tracker showing measures of success from 2020 -2023 and the forecast for the coming months. 4. Supporting documentation Appendix 1 – Extract from Community Benefits Tracker 2020 – 2023 Pamela Humphries Chief Officer (Place) Page 96 of 196
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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? 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 ☒ 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? Page 97 of 196
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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? 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? 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. New supply programme complies with the published data relating to the Equalities Impact Assessment and have created housing for Scottish Veterans. New Supply Programme (Equality Impact Assessment) | North Lanarkshire Council 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 98 of 196
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Appendix 1 - Measures of Success Extract from New Supply Community Benefits Tracker The table below shows the completed Community Benefits 2020 – 2023 * 1 year constitutes no of completions from 1st Sept – 1st Sept of the following year. Targeted Recruitment and Employment 2020 2021 2022 2023 Completed 2020-2023 Forecast 2023/2024 TRE01 New Entrants – Key priority Groups 4 10 4 12 30 6 TRE02 New Entrants – no relevant experience 2 6 3 11 5 TRE03 New Entrant - Graduate 1 1 0 TRE04 New Start - Apprentice 7 15 4 26 1 Targeted Skills & Training 2020 2021 2022 2023 Completed 2020-2023 Forecast 2023/2024 TST01 Work Experience Placement (16 + years of age) 0 10 9 23 42 40 TST02 Work Experience Placement (14 - 16 +years of age) 0 1 0 1 3 TST03 Work Experience Placement - Graduate 1 1 0 TST04 Careers Event 1 1 25 26 53 11 TST05 Site Visit 9 8 17 8 TST06 School Mentoring or Enterprise Programme 1 0 6 2 9 3 Supply Chain Development 2020 2021 2022 2023 Completed 2020-2023 Forecast 2023/2024 SCD01 Supply Chain Briefing with SME’s 1 3 1 5 6 SCD02 Business Mentoring for a SME’s 3 Community Engagement 2020 2021 2022 2023 Completed 2020-2023 Forecast 2023/2024 CCE01 Financial Support for a Community Project 3 3 7 3 16 16 CCE02 Non-Financial Support for a Community Project 7 7 4 18 7 Page 99 of 196
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Completed = Total of completed community benefits from 14 developments from 2020 to date. Note total number of completions are higher than post contract award. Some pledges still to be achieved are included in the forecast figure. Forecast = Total includes the community benefits still to be delivered from 9 developments in progress or just started. A further 29 projects, total of 1116 units still to commence post September 2023 – 2027 which will become part of the forecasted figures as they complete the tender process. These figures will continually change as developments complete and new developments begin. Figures as per the New Build Summary update as at Sept 23. This does not include AHP and OTS. Page 100 of 196
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Housing Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref PH/JS Date 08/11/23 New Supply Programme – Procurement Update From Pamela Humphries, Chief Officer (Place) E-mail stevensonjam@northlan.gov.uk Telephone James Stevenson, Housing Development Manager, 07583098631 Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to update the Committee on current procurement activity relating to the new build housing programme and seek approval to progress procurement arrangements as outlined in the report. Recommendations It is recommended that the Housing Committee approves the procurement of a: 1) “Direct Award” call off procedure in line with the Scotland Excel (SXL) New Build Residential framework agreement to award a contract for the construction of new build housing at Shawhead, Coatbridge to CCG Construction Limited up to the revised value of £23.74M, including contingency allowance. If the procurement cannot be completed via the SXL framework within the validity period, then the contract will be procured via the Scottish Procurement Alliance (SPA) New Build Housing Construction H2 (Scotland) framework agreement. 2) “Mini Competition” call off procedure in line with the SPA New Build Housing Construction H2 (Scotland) framework agreement to award a contract for the construction of new build housing at the Columba High School site, Coatbridge, up to the value of £31.00M, including contingency allowance. 3) “Direct Award” call off procedure in line with the SPA New Build Housing Construction H2 (Scotland) framework agreement to award a contract for the construction of new build housing at Main Street, Glenboig to Connect Modular Limited up to the value of £1.645M, including contingency allowance. 4) “Direct Award” call off procedure in line with the SPA New Build Housing Construction H2 (Scotland) framework agreement to award a contract for the construction of new build housing at Glasgow Road, Cumbernauld to Connect Modular Limited up to the value of £1.88M, including contingency allowance. Item 11 Page 101 of 196
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1. Background 1.1 The council has an approved programme to deliver 5,000 new homes by 2035. The delivery of such a large scale programme presents a number of challenges, not least of which is the procurement of contractors to build the houses to the required standard, within the timescale required and at a competitive cost. In order to increase the pace of delivery, secure best value and minimise risk to the Council, a range of procurement options have been utilised. 1.2 The Housing and Regeneration Committee on the 25 November 2020 approved the procurement route for the next phase of the new build programme to commence procurement activity with the Scottish Procurement Alliance (SPA) and Scotland Excel (SXL) new build housing framework agreements to deliver the next phase of new build sites approved by the Committee. As reported at the Housing and Regeneration Committee on the 8 September 2021, due to the current capacity issues in the market we intend to utilise the ability in the SPA and SXL frameworks to direct award to available contractors, including to contractors who are not highest ranking. Justification for the identification of a contractor can be made by complying with the direct award criteria listed in the respective frameworks, with a contract award being subject to value for money assessment against the framework rates. A benchmarking appraisal was carried out for each project and is identified in each project’s “Contract Strategy”. 2. Report • Shawhead, Coatbridge, (re-provisioning site) (101 units), at the revised value of £23.74M, including contingency allowance. The feasibility costs obtained are considered to represent best value and, subject to benchmarking against the appropriate framework rates, it is proposed that a final tender price be agreed to allow the contract award. 5) “Mini Competition” call off procedure in line with the SXL Building Construction Consultancy framework agreement to award a contract to appoint a consultant design team for new build housing at Dalziel Drive, Motherwell up to the value of £140,000.00, including contingency allowance. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Improve the health and wellbeing of our communities Ambition statement (1) Ensure a housing mix that supports social inclusion and economic growth Programme of Work Transforming Places 2.1 The council has engaged with CCG (Scotland) Limited, who are a contractor on the SXL New Build Residential framework agreement for North Lanarkshire, and feasibility costs have been obtained for the project detailed below. The intention is to procure via the SXL framework agreement but if the procurement cannot be completed within the validity period, it is proposed that the project will be procured via the SPA New Build Housing Construction H2 (Scotland) framework agreement. Page 102 of 196
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2.2 It is proposed to use a mini competition call off procedure to procure the following new build housing project via the SPA New Build Housing Construction H2 (Scotland) framework agreement: • Columba High School site, Coatbridge, (127 units) at the value of £31.00M, including contingency allowance. The feasibility costs provided are considered to represent best value and the most economically advantageous tender will be checked and recommended to allow the contract award. • Main Street, Glenboig (7 units), at the revised value of £1.645M, including contingency allowance. • Glasgow Road, Cumbernauld (8 units), at the revised value of £1.88M, including contingency allowance. The feasibility costs obtained are considered to represent best value and, subject to benchmarking against the appropriate framework rates, it is proposed that a final tender price be agreed to allow the contract award. 2.4 It is proposed to procure via a mini competition call off procedure a consultancy design team via the SXL Building Construction Consultancy framework agreement as detailed below: • Dalziel Drive, Motherwell (21 units) at the value of £140,000.00, including contingency allowance. The feasibility costs provided are considered to represent best value and, subject to tender checking the most economically advantageous tender will be recommended to allow the contract award. Next Steps 2.5 The next batch of sites will be reviewed, and a suitable procurement route will be identified to progress these projects to deliver new build housing to align with the Plan for North Lanarkshire. Price Savings / Increases 2.6 There are no cashable savings attributed to the contracts outlined within this report. Price Stability 2.7 The pricing mechanism is a Priced Contract with Activity Schedule offering a good level of cost certainty. Community Benefits 2.8 The council is committed to maximising the delivery of community benefits. The procurement includes a community benefit requirement, this approach is designed to deliver local community benefits where possible. Fair Work Practices 2.3 The council has engaged with Connect Modular Limited who are a contractor on the SPA New Build Housing Construction H2 (Scotland) framework agreement. Feasibility costs have been obtained for the projects detailed below: Page 103 of 196
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2.9 All contractors appointed to the SPA and SXL framework agreements have evidenced fair working practices within their organisations as part of the procurement procedures to be appointed to the respective frameworks and have further demonstrated how they will promote them in the delivery of Council call-off contracts. Contract Strategy 2.10 Officers from New Supply will be responsible for managing contracts which will be undertaken in accordance with the council’s agreed approach to contract and supplier management. 3. Measures of success 3.1 The proposed contract awards detailed within this report will deliver the following outcomes: a) The appointment of contractors who have the experience and capability to deliver new build social housing; b) The procurement procedure applied are compliant with the procurement legislation, overarching framework agreements and internal procedures; c) That best value is both demonstrable and achieved; d) That contracts awarded secure a range of community benefits; e) That contracts awarded support payment of the real Living Wage to staff employed in the delivery of the requirements; and f) That the performance of contracts awarded are proactively managed against a number of Key Performance Indicators. 4. Supporting documentation 4.1 Not applicable. Pamela Humphries Chief Officer (Place) Page 104 of 196
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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? The Council’s new build programme helps reduce inequalities through a number of design specifications including: • Housing for Varying Needs; • Secure by Design; • Achieving the Scottish Government requirements for “Greener Homes” to reduce the incidence of fuel Poverty; and • The inclusion of design standards relating to access to internet capabilities including ‘fibre to the property’. 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 have been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☒ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? The funding for all of the projects referred to in this report can be met from the Council’s Housing Revenue Account budget for the New Supply Programme. Grant support is also provided by the Scottish Government. The costs associated with contract delivery will be contained within the New Supply budget. 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts have 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 have been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? Page 105 of 196
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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? 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 proposed award of contracts detailed within this report will ensure that the impact on the Council’s carbon footprint is mitigated. The specifications incorporated within the contract documentation will: deliver reduced energy need; encourage sustainable construction; promote health and wellbeing; reduce waste and resources through effective storage, collection and composting of waste and recyclable materials and; include measures which will reduce CO2 emissions. 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 implementation and delivery of the New Supply programme will be promoted through the New Supply PR plan and via communications with elected members and local stakeholders 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 associated with the New Supply Programme is managed within the New Supply Risk Register process. The risk register has been updated to reflect the impact of Page 106 of 196
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the current national issues affecting the costs and availability of materials and labour along with general high inflation on programme timescales and costs as well as how the risk to the council will be mitigated as far as possible. The tender cost increases over the past 12 months are on average 5% to 10% and this trend of tender price increases will extend into 2024 excluding the additional changes to legislation and meeting Scottish Government energy targets. Comparing similar sized projects the tender costs over past 18 months are on average 10% higher. The council will also undertake detailed ground investigation and other relevant site assessments prior to proceeding with the development of any particular site to help mitigate the risk of unforeseen costs relating to ground conditions, although this risk cannot be eliminated entirely. 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 107 of 196
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Housing Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref SL / GT Date 08/11/23 Housing Revenue Account – 2024/25 Revenue Estimates From Elaine Kemp, Chief Officer (Finance) E-mail kempe@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 01698 302408 1. Background 1.1 Income and expenditure in relation to a local authority’s own direct provision of housing must be recorded within a Housing Revenue Account (HRA) as set out in the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987. In addition, this Act sets out the requirement for local authorities to set an annual budget to support sound financial management and helps ensure that expenditure is linked to the key priorities of tenants. 1.2 North Lanarkshire is Scotland’s largest local authority landlord, with a housing stock of approximately 36,000. The number has reduced marginally over the last year reflecting the impact of tower re-provisioning, partially offset by additions to the stock through the Council’s new supply programme and buy back schemes. Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to present to Committee information that will enable the Council to set its Housing Revenue Account (HRA) budget and rent levels for 2024/25. Recommendations It is recommended that Committee: (1) Recognises the HRA cost pressures detailed in Appendix 1, (2) Recognises the base budget savings outlined in Appendix 2, (3) Considers the HRA reserve balances as detailed in paragraphs 2.5 to 2.8, and (4) Agrees to review the financial assumptions contained in this report at the Council meeting in December 2023 to approve the HRA Revenue Estimates and rent levels for 2024/25. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Improve North Lanarkshire's resource base Ambition statement (25) Ensure intelligent use of data and information to support fully evidence based decision making and future planning Programme of Work Statutory / corporate / service requirement Item 12 Page 109 of 196
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1.3 The Council approved its 2023/24 HRA budget of £164m on 23 February 2023 with £152m (93%) funded by rental income from tenants, £9m (5%) from other fees and charges and £3m from reserves (2%). 1.4 The average 2023/24 weekly rent in North Lanarkshire of £80.33 is the eleventh lowest amongst Scottish local authority landlords and 2% below the Scottish local authority average. The recent Landlord Report published by the Scottish Housing Regulator shows North Lanarkshire Council’s rents are between 14.1% (for a 1 apartment) and 17.8% (for a 2 apartment) below the Scottish average for all social housing rents. 1.5 In setting the HRA budget and rent levels in December 2017, the Council agreed to an average rental increase of 5% for 2018/19 and 5% for the subsequent three years up to 2021/22. For 2022/23 the rent increase was set at 3%, with a 5% increase approved for 2023/24. 1.6 Committee has received regular updates on the progress of delivering the Council’s ambitious plans for housing through the Economic Regeneration Delivery Plan. This has been further strengthened through The Plan for North Lanarkshire approved in March 2019 and revised in March 2023 with the Programme of Work through the Transforming Places theme with a renewed focus on transforming town centres and communities, creating places with high-quality homes and vibrant town centres. 1.7 Significant progress to date includes: • An increase in the target for new supply housing from 2,150 by 2027 to 5,000 by 2035, • Completion of 1,138 new build homes with a further 451 on site. Sites have been identified and are at various stages of progression for a further 1,289 homes, • Expansion of the buy back scheme with 689 homes purchased through the Council Buy Back Schemes at 14 September 2023, • The approval, development and ongoing delivery of plans for investment and re- provisioning of the Council’s tower properties, • Approval of a 5 year mainstream capital programme from 2021/22 to 2025/26 that aims to deliver £354m of investment in the Council’s housing stock; greater than 20% increase from the previous 5 year planning period. 30-year Business Plan 1.8 The 30-year Business Plan included as part of the 2024/25 budget setting process is shown in Appendix 3. Finance has worked closely with Housing Property Services and the New Supply Team to confirm future investment targets to support the development and refinement of financial modelling. The 30-year Business Plan continues to demonstrate affordability and sustainability of plans based current assumptions. Housing Benefit / Universal Credit 1.9 During the mid point of the current financial year, North Lanarkshire had over 24,000 tenants in receipt of some form of support for their housing costs, representing almost 69% of tenants. Almost 38% of tenants are now in receipt of the housing cost element of Universal Credit and a further 31% are in receipt of Housing Benefit. 1.10 A rent increase would result in some tenants receiving more Housing Benefit and some existing non-claimants becoming entitled to Housing Benefit. However, unless their circumstances change, most tenants will be liable for the same contribution towards their rent, with Housing Benefit making up the difference. Page 110 of 196
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1.11 Tenants currently entitled to the full housing cost element of Universal Credit would have their Universal Credit payment uplifted to reflect any rent increases up to the Local Housing Allowance cap. 1.12 Following approval at the former Housing and Regeneration Committee in November 2019, the Council established the Universal Credit Assistance Fund (UCAF). Following approval at this Committee in February 2023 the scheme evolved into the current Rent Assistance Fund. Over 10,000 tenants have been supported that would otherwise have fallen into arrears. In addition, in accessing these funds tenants have been provided with additional support and advice and signposting to other agencies where required ultimately contributing to longer term sustainability of tenancies. 1.13 These measures have ensured the Council has seen a stable position for rent arrears for current tenants with the arrears balance remaining largely unchanged throughout the current financial year where other landlords are experiencing significant increases in current tenant arrears. 2. Report HRA Revenue Estimates 2.1 In assessing the budgetary requirements of the Housing Revenue Account for 2024/25, a number of variables and factors have to be considered and analysed before determining the adjustments required in the base budget position. These base budget adjustments are outlined in Appendices 1 and 2, with the main factors described below: 2.1.1 Cost Pressures of £17.814m to ensure that the HRA can continue to deliver a highly performing repairs and maintenance programme, effective housing management and support and deliver the approved capital programme, including: • Employee costs (£0.746m) The anticipated cost pressure for employee costs incorporates a re- baselining for the 2023/24 current pay negotiations as well as an allowance for a further 3% increase for 2024/25. This is partially offset by an anticipate increase to the turnover savings to reflect the significant levels of vacancies experienced by the housing service. • Reduced employer pension contributions (£2.591m) It is however anticipated that a one-off saving of £2.591 will materialise for 2024/25 as a result of the Actuarial Valuation of the Strathclyde Pension Fund concluding that the fund is 146% funded allowing the employer pension contribution rate to be reduced for 2 years. The £2.591m is non- recurring therefore a recurring solution for this would need to be identified in future years. • Housing Repair and Maintenance (£6.830m) The Council’s repairs programme is delivered by external contractors. The contracts are indexed to inflation to reflect changes in the price of materials, labour etc. The Enterprise Contract which is currently going through the procurement process is anticipated to be in place from the new financial year. This cost estimate builds in an assumption around the potential rates given the significant levels of inflation experienced within the construction industry at the moment. Page 111 of 196
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• Loan charges (£10.174m) With increases to the Bank of England base rate, the cost of borrowing is increasing which will make the repayment of historic HRA capital borrowing more expensive. This cost pressure is based on an assumption that the repayment of debt will be at 4.75% however there is a risk that for one year in 24/25 the rates will be higher at 5.5%. For the purposes of setting rent for 24/25 this has been excluded and can be managed through reserves. • Other inflationary pressures for energy and other services (£1.510m) • Reversal of prior year Use of Reserves (£3.088m) • Housing Stock Profile (£1.943m) Changes in the profiling of stock during the year including additional units and progression through the tower reprovisioning programme has resulted in a recurring benefit of additional income of £1.943m. 2.1.2 Base Budget Savings are considered each year to ensure that the HRA continues to direct its resources towards key priorities. Appendix 2 outlines base budget savings of £1.165m to be implemented by the service in 2024/25. 2.1.4 The combined impact of these cost pressures and partially offsetting savings is a funding gap of £16.649m. This can be summarised as follows: £m Cost Pressures (see Appendix 1) 17.814 Base Budget Savings (see Appendix 2) (1.165) Funding Gap 16.649 2.2 A rental increase of 11.11% would be required to bridge the funding gap. 2.3 There is an opportunity to make an adjustment to the profile of capital financing within the HRA between borrowing and Capital Funded from Current Revenue (CFCR). Given the significant cost pressures facing the HRA it has been determined that there should be a reduction of £9.084m in CFCR from £27.146m to £18.062m in 2024/25. This would reduce the rent rise required in 2024/25 to 5%. 2.4 It should be noted that this will result in additional recurring revenue costs of c. £0.591m from 2025/26. To maintain this rent increase level beyond 2024/25, a further £4.287m CFCR reduction would be required in 2025/26. Members should note that this mechanism will increase the future borrowing requirement and expose the HRA to more expensive borrowing to support its capital investment however this has been deemed to be a prudent adjustment given the significant cost pressures faced by the HRA. Use of Surplus Balances 2.5 As part of its long-term HRA budget strategy, it is the Council’s policy to set aside approximately 1% of the HRA budget as a core reserve. As a result, the core reserve currently stands at £1.640m. 2.6 Based on the Period 6 Budget Monitoring position, the projected HRA reserves position at 31 March 2024 can be summarised as follows: Page 112 of 196
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£m Earmarked Reserves 9.981 Core Contingency Reserve 1.640 Unallocated Reserve 5.312 Total Projected at 31 March 2024 16.933 2.7 There will be a requirement to support a peak in loan charges expected in 2024/25 from reserves. This would require funding of around £3.700m from the Unallocated Reserve. In addition, there are continuing risks to the HRA from uncertainty within the wider economy and the impact of inflation on repairs and maintenance costs and interest rates on the cost of borrowing. 2.8 Elected Members are reminded of the Council’s Reserves Policy approved at Policy and Strategy Committee in January 2020 which aims to ensure that available balances are managed and utilised in accordance with effective governance principles and continue to support financial plans which are affordable and sustainable. 3. Measures of success 3.1 The Council is required to set a balanced budget for the Housing Revenue Account with expenditure plans fully funded by income, largely from housing rents. 3.2 The setting of an annual budget and thereafter monitoring the budget ensures that tenants can have confidence that the Council and its officers are accountable for the spending decisions they make. 4. Supporting documentation Appendix 1 Cost Pressures 2024/25 Appendix 2 Base Budget Savings 2024/25 Appendix 3 30-year Business Plan Summary Elaine Kemp Chief Officer (Finance) Page 113 of 196
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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 HRA budget for 2024/25 will ensure that the Council can continue to provide a highly effective and responsive housing management service for all tenants and improve the health and wellbeing and economic outcomes of communities through the delivery of significant additional capital investment in high quality and affordable social housing. 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 financial implications of the 2024/25 Revenue Estimates are outlined throughout the report. 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 ☐ Page 114 of 196
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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? 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? All activities undertaken by the council are subject to risk, and in acknowledging the Council’s approved Risk Management Strategy (September 2012), Services manage these as part of their overall corporate and service planning process. The current economic climate, in particular, has the potential to impact upon the Council’s ability to provide quality services within approved budget levels. The Government’s proposals for welfare reform include a number of changes to the housing benefit system which present significant financial risks to the HRA, including increasing rent arrears and cash collection costs, combined with lower levels of rental income. These risks are increased by the current cost-of-living crisis. These risks will be closely monitored throughout 2024/25 through the Council’s Financial Sustainability risk. 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 Page 115 of 196
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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 116 of 196
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Appendix 1 Housing Revenue Account Cost Pressures 2024/25 £000 £000 Employee Costs Pay awards (2023/24 balance plus 2024/25 estimate) 1,220 Incremental drift 26 Increase in turnover vacancies (500) 746 Reduction in employers pension contribution (2,591) Inflationary Pressures Housing repairs inflation and stock movements 6,830 Trading and support service costs 467 Energy costs 594 Future credit losses 1,129 Release of Ambition funding (733) Void rent loss increased costs 53 8,340 Capital Financing Costs Loan charges associated with increased capital investment 10,174 Movement and profile of housing stock (1,943) Reversal of prior year Use of Reserves 3,088 Cost Pressures Total 17,814 Page 117 of 196
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Appendix 2 Housing Revenue Account Base Budget Savings 2024/25 £000 Employee Costs Reduced costs associated with former employee pensions 110 Property Costs Reduced home loss and disturbance payments linked to the Phase 2 Tower and Walk Up Flat reprovisioning programme 95 Other Operational Efficiencies Reduced operational delivery costs linked to office expenditure and recharges from other service areas (i.e. HRA share of wider operational efficiencies across the Council) 960 Total base budget savings 1,165 Page 118 of 196
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Appendix 3 30 Year Financial Model 2023/24 Revenue Estimates 30 Year Year 2020/25 2025/30 2030/35 2035/40 2040/45 2045/50 Totals Average Mainstream Housing Stock 35,036 34,172 33,404 32,514 31,894 31,839 New Build Housing Stock 1,237 2,239 3,036 3,329 3,372 3,362 Average Housing stock 36,273 36,412 36,440 35,843 35,266 35,201 Capital Investment £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 Prudential borrowing 319,275 591,893 620,251 644,687 832,579 443,366 3,452,051 Capital receipts 41 0 0 0 0 0 41 Other receipts / Government Grants 112,836 109,690 63,782 4,868 0 0 291,176 Sub total 432,152 701,583 684,033 649,555 832,579 443,366 3,743,268 CFCR 129,220 96,682 121,396 135,729 135,731 135,730 754,488 Total resources 561,372 798,265 805,429 785,284 968,310 579,096 4,497,756 Loan Analysis Opening debt 324,109 602,643 1,101,589 1,561,575 1,958,196 2,465,582 324,109 Prudential borrowing 319,275 591,893 620,251 644,687 832,579 443,366 3,452,052 Principal repayment - historic debt 35,018 51,654 62,434 75,517 51,354 30,382 306,359 Principal repayment - new borrowing 5,723 41,293 97,831 172,549 273,839 404,971 996,206 Closing debt 602,643 1,101,589 1,561,575 1,958,196 2,465,582 2,473,595 2,473,596 Per house (£) - Closing Stock 16,614 30,254 42,853 54,633 69,914 70,271 70,271 Housing Revenue Account 135,273 282,533 449,214 657,620 862,465 1,097,968 3,485,073 663,461 720,346 823,383 923,435 1,019,725 1,139,145 5,289,495 798,734 1,002,879 1,272,597 1,581,055 1,882,190 2,237,113 8,774,568 Other income (87,663) (80,545) (80,545) (80,545) (80,545) (80,545) (490,388) Balance to be financed by rents 711,071 922,334 1,192,052 1,500,510 1,801,645 2,156,568 8,284,180 Average weekly rent (£) 78.15 98.98 126.91 161.97 196.78 235.62 Rental Income 711,069 922,334 1,192,050 1,500,511 1,801,646 2,156,572 8,284,182 Average Yearly % increase 4.58% 5.00% 5.00% 4.53% 3.92% 2.96% Capital charges as a % of rent income 19.02% 30.63% 37.68% 43.83% 47.87% 50.91% 5 Year Bands Loan charges Other costs Page 119 of 196
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Housing Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref SL/TH Date 08/11/23 Scottish Housing Regulator: 2022/23 Landlord Report From Stephen Llewellyn, Chief Officer (Housing Management) E-mail llewellyns@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 01698 274192 1. Background 1.1 The SHR and the SSHC were enacted by the Housing (Scotland) Act 2010, which required Ministers to set standards and outcomes that social landlords should be achieving for tenants and other customers through their housing activities. The Act also established the SHR as an independent Regulator directly accountable to the Scottish Parliament. Scottish social housing landlords significantly vary in stock size from 1 to 42,718 properties. 1.2 The SHR requires social landlords to collect and provide key information on their performance in achieving the SSHC outcomes and standards in an Annual Return on Executive Summary This report is to advise committee of the Landlord Report published by the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) which shows Scotland’s social landlords’ performance for both Local Authorities and Registered Social Landlords (RSL’s) against the Scottish Social Housing Charter (SSHC). Recommendations It is recommended that the Housing Committee: 1) Acknowledge the content of this report and the link to the Landlord Report provided by the SHR in section 4 which identifies North Lanarkshire Council’s performance in relation to the SSHC. 2) Acknowldges the progress being made in the production of our annual report to tenants. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Improve the health and wellbeing of our communities Ambition statement (1) Ensure a housing mix that supports social inclusion and economic growth Programme of Work Statutory / corporate / service requirement Item 13 Page 121 of 196
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the Charter (ARC). Returns are required by 31 May each year. Landlords also have a duty to publish a performance report, which requires to be made available to all tenants. 1.3 In addition, all landlords have a legal requirement to submit a signed Annual Assurance Statement to the Regulator by 31 October each year. A separate report on this was presented and approved by Committee on 30 August 2023. 1.4 Following submission of each local authority and RSL’s ARC, the SHR publish a landlord profile of all social landlords, which allows tenants to compare landlord’s performance across Scotland. In addition, a Landlord Report is produced by the SHR which reports on indicators within five main categories: • Homes and Rents • Tenant Satisfaction • Quality and Maintenance of Homes • Neighbourhoods • Value for Money These areas for reporting were agreed by the SHR through significant consultation with tenants. These indicators require to be set in context as detailed in this report. 1.5 The SHR publishes individual Engagement Plans in April each year for all social landlords highlighting any areas of service they will focus on, to work with the local authority concerned. The Engagement Plan for our service does not report any current areas of concern, but highlights the service areas which the Regulator monitors across organisations. 2. Report 2.1 On 31 August 2023, the SHR published its tenth Landlord Report reflecting the performance reported in each authority's completed ARC. At the time of writing this report, the Landlord Report has not been published as a separate document, but instead shows on the SHR’s webpage, therefore a link to the report for North Lanarkshire is included in section 4 of this report. 2.2 Landlord report categories A summary of the performance figures from the five main areas detailed within the Landlord Report are shown below. Homes and rents 2.2.1 This report indicates that the council are performing better than the Scottish average in several areas reported. Average weekly rents are well below the Scottish average. The average rent for all North Lanarkshire properties, as reported in the ARC return for 2022/23, was £76.95 per week. When compared to others using the dataset available, this compares extremely favourably with the reported Scottish average for all landlords of £87.59. Tenant satisfaction 2.2.2 Our last tenant satisfaction survey was completed in August 2021 via telephone as opposed to the face-to-face interviews we have used previously. This change was Page 122 of 196
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necessitated by Covid restrictions which were still in place. Our performance continues to be strong despite the impact on services from Covid, and for the majority of our satisfaction indicators we are performing better than the Scottish average. 2.2.3 The 2021 survey results have been reported in the ARC for two consecutive years. Survey results are permitted to be submitted for a maximum of 3 years. A new tenant survey was conducted throughout August 2023 the results of which will be reported in our 2023/24 ARC and are part of a separate report to Committee this cycle, which overall is showing an improving situation for North Lanarkshire. 2.2.4 Overall satisfaction in the 2021 survey was 81.2% which was a 9.8% decrease on our previous survey in 2018 and 6.5% lower than the national average of 87.7% in 2021/22. The national average for 2022/23 has fallen by 1% to 86.7%. It is likely that overall satisfaction decreased as a consequence of general disruption to all council services being halted or impacted by Covid restrictions, rather than a decrease in satisfaction solely with Housing and Property services. Quality and maintenance of homes 2.2.5 The percentage of homes meeting the Scottish Housing Quality Standard was 80.4%, this is a rise of 10% on the 2021/22 figure and compares favourably to the Scottish average of 79% and Local Authority average of 70.9%. 2.2.6 Our time taken to complete emergency repairs was 3.3 hours on average, compared to a Scottish average of 4.2 hours, and our time taken to complete non-emergency repairs was 6.8 days compared to the Scottish average of 8.7 days. 97.3% of reactive repairs were completed “right first time” compared to the Scottish average of 87.8%. The positive results achieved in this area of work reflect an element of focussed activity which has taken place to further enhance ‘right first-time’ outcomes, and to ensure service providers consistently exceed target timescales. 2.2.7 Satisfaction levels with the service received, for tenants who had repairs carried out rose to 95.2% this year, which again compares favourably with the Scottish average of 88%. Neighbourhoods 2.2.8 For cases of anti-social behaviour reported in the last year, 97.7% were resolved at the year end and within the locally agreed targets, this was higher than the Scottish average of 94.2%. The remaining 2.3% of cases not resolved at year end were carried forward to the following year and resolved within locally agreed targets in 2023/24. We therefore performed at 100% compliance for the targets agreed for the management of anti-social behaviour within the service. Value for money 2.2.9 Our rent collection levels for 2022/23 were 98.9% which is 1.7% more than our 2020/21 performance. Our housing Central Rents team continue to secure more direct Universal Credit payments and pursue other non-Universal Credit tenant debt which has had a positive impact on the overall arrears’ levels. We also introduced the Rent Assistance Fund for our tenants as approved by Committee on 15 February 2023, to assist tenants falling into rent arrears and to encourage engagement from service users which also allows staff to work with and provide wider income maximisation services. To date the service has provided almost £495,000 in support to our tenants through the Rent Assistance Fund. Page 123 of 196
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2.2.10 Our average days to re-let homes increased by 0.5 days to 32.3 days during the year, this mainly being due to shortages in supply of materials, and difficulties with recruitment and workforce retention being experienced by our contractors and also due to delays with power companies dealing with meter issues. However, while we saw a slight increase in our outturn we continue to perform well when compared to the Scottish average of 55.6 days, which rose by 4 days on the 2021/22 performance. Our housing solutions and repairs teams are working together and liaising closely with our contractors to continually improve these timescales with a view to bringing our performance back to pre-pandemic levels. 2.2.11 Monitoring rent loss continues to be a priority for our service with our void rent loss reported at 0.9%, which compares favourably to the Scottish average of 1.4%. Annual performance report 2.3 In line with the SHR requirements placed on the council to provide a report to tenants advising of performance against the SSHC, a group of tenant representatives have been working to review the performance data and to agree the content and format for the annual performance report. The timescale for publishing the report is 31 October each year. A link to the annual performance report will be made available to all Members on publication. 3. Measures of success 3.1 All indicators reported on through the SSHC and ARC are included as a standard agenda item on each of the Housing Improvement Team meetings and Property Progress Team meetings that operate across all service areas within both Housing Solutions and Housing Property and Projects respectively. These teams continue to review practices, procedures, and customer feedback to ensure that high standards of service delivery are achieved in all areas. 4. Supporting documentation 4.1 There are no supporting documents, however, the full Landlord Report data is provided on the following link to the Regulators website. Stephen Llewellyn Chief Officer (Housing Management) Page 124 of 196
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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? 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 council has a legal obligation to provide an Annual Return on the Scottish Social Housing Charter to the Scottish Housing Regulator. The Landlord Report is produced following the submission of this return. Failure to provide the return would be a breach of the Council’s statutory obligations. 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? Page 125 of 196
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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? 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? The Landlord Report produced by the Scottish Housing Regulator is published and available for the public, failure to provide satisfactory services would present reputational risk for the service and the council. The service have identified all work in relation to the Scottish Housing Regulator as a Risk within the Service Risk Management Plan. 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 126 of 196
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Housing Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref SL Date 08/11/23 Strategic Performance Framework - latest performance results for Housing Management From Stephen Llewellyn, Chief Officer (Housing Management) E-mail LlewellynS@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 01698 274192 1. Background 1.1 There are six inter-related strategic frameworks which are key to assessing the success of The Plan for North Lanarkshire and monitoring delivery towards achieving the overall vision by ensuring each stage is appropriately aligned, planned, guided, implemented, and governed. 1.2 The six frameworks focus on ensuring a corporate one council approach in respect of Policy, Governance, Performance, Self-Evaluation, Project Management, and Demonstrating Improved Outcomes for Communities. Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to highlight the 2022/23 year end performance and the 2023/24 year to date performance of the Housing Management service for the performance indicators detailed at Appendix 1. Recommendations It is recommended that the Housing Committee: 1) Review the high-level performance overview presented in Appendix 1, and the supporting data contained within the linked Excel spreadsheet and identify where further information is required to understand or investigate performance further. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority All priorities Ambition statement All ambition statements Programme of Work Statutory / corporate / service requirement Item 14(a) Page 127 of 196
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1.3 The Strategic Performance Framework comprises performance measurement at three levels (as per the diagram on the right). This aims to collectively provide an overview of performance to help understand the impact of council activities on improving services and outcomes for the people and communities of North Lanarkshire. The measures in this Framework allow for day to day activities, and progress towards achieving the long-term vision set out in The Plan for North Lanarkshire, to be regularly monitored, reported, assessed, and scrutinised. 1.4 The Strategic Performance Framework is aligned to the Accounts Commission statutory direction which places a requirement on councils to report a range of information in terms of (1) improving local services and outcomes, and (2) demonstrating Best Value. Key points of note in this respect are that the Accounts Commission also expect to see: (a) A balance in reporting areas of improvement that have been achieved and not achieved. (b) Reporting that is undertaken in a timely manner. (c) Easy access to performance information for all citizens and communities. 1.5 A Performance Reporting Schedule supports the timely submission of a range of performance information that facilitates Elected Members and senior management to undertake regular performance reviews that inform scrutiny, challenge, and decision making processes. This Schedule, endorsed by the Audit and Scrutiny Panel in February 2023, includes Chief Officer’s individual six monthly Performance Reviews at Service Committees in line with the Strategic Performance Framework. 1.6 This report therefore presents the Housing Committee with the latest performance results for Housing Management for Members’ further review and scrutiny. 2. Strategic Performance Framework Housing Committee responsibilities 2.1 In line with the terms of reference outlined in the Scheme of Administration, the Housing Committee is responsible for monitoring and reviewing performance information for the following Ambition Statements from The Plan for North Lanarkshire: 1. Ensure a housing mix that supports social inclusion and economic growth. 2.2 The high-level performance overview in Appendix 1 presents Members with a summary of the latest results for each performance indicator within the remit of the Chief Officer (Housing Management). 2.3 The information in Appendix 1 comprises the following: • An ideal direction arrow - this indicates whether a higher or lower figure is the preferred direction of travel. • Measurement unit - for example whether the result is a %, a number, a unit cost (in £), or a ratio. A higher figure is better A lower figure is better Page 128 of 196
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• Performance results for the last five financial years (depending on availability of data) along with the latest year’s target and corresponding RAG status (for indicators where it is appropriate to set targets). • The most recent monthly or quarterly results, along with the corresponding target and RAG status. Note the inclusion of this information is dependent on the measurement frequency of the indicator and availability of data as at the time of reporting. • A trend graph - this captures the direction of travel achieved over the five financial years and includes the most recent monthly or quarterly results where available. • Comments - narrative summarising the current position and providing an explanation for any significant variations in performance. Where applicable, this narrative also highlights the effect of the pandemic on service delivery, e.g. any increase or decrease in the volume of transactions or enquiries processed. 2.4 A large volume of data supports the high-level performance overview in Appendix 1. This is outlined in the latest performance results for Housing Management Excel spreadsheet which is available through the following link for Members to carry out a deep dive and review and scrutinise each performance indicator further. The Menu on the second tab of the spreadsheet contains built in hyperlinks that automatically take the user to a tab for each performance indicator and therefore provides a useful navigation aid to review the contents of the file. • Latest performance results for Housing Management.xlsx Current context 2.5 The financial pressures experienced by our tenants due to the rise in the cost of living is a priority for our service. The Rent Assistance Fund, introduced in February 2023, aims to help council tenants who may be on low-incomes, and also others who may be on universal credit. The rent assistance fund seeks to ensure tenancy levels are maintained despite the challenges faced by cost of living increases. Our dedicated Income Maximisers who help support our tenants can also identify any additional financial assistance they might be entitled to. Last year the team secured over 14 million pounds in additional income for our tenants and this assistance resulted in more positive outcomes for our tenants. Last year saw us welcome families escaping the conflict in Ukraine, rehousing 200 families in the two tower blocks in Coatbridge and Wishaw. The families are settling well into their new communities and have been assisted by our tenant participation team to set up a tenants and resident groups. A new Tenant Survey was commissioned, going back to the face to face method we used prior to the pandemic. The results of which are positive and reported in a separate report to this committee. Recent performance highlights 2.6 Performance across the service remains strong. Rent arrears reduced last year from 7.6% in 2021/22 to 7.3%, 1.7% below our 9% target and well below the 9.6% Scottish Local Authority Average. Similarly rent collection levels increased by over 1% on the previous year at 98.9% and remains above the Scottish Local Authority Average of Key to RAG status Green Performance is on target and/or within acceptable thresholds Red Performance does not meet target and is outwith acceptable thresholds Blue Performance surpasses the target and exceeds expectations Page 129 of 196
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98.8%. Much of this success is due to the increased levels of positive engagement staff are having with tenants as a result of the introduction of the Rent Assistance Fund. The percentage of rent lost through properties being empty also improved in 2022/23 to 0.89% from 1% reported in 20212/22, and below the 1% target. We also perform well in this indicator against the Scottish Local Authority Average of 1.7%. Tenancy sustainment increased to 91% in 2022/23, slightly better than our 2021/22 outturn of 90.92% and in line with the Scottish Local Authority Average of 91.4%. Our percentage lets to homeless in 2022/23 was 40.5% of all lets made in the year, over 3% higher than our 37% target. Year to date we have met a similar percentage at 40.3%. This higher percentage of lets has increased because of a higher level of homeless presentations experienced in the past 12 to 18 months. The percentage of decisions made within 28 days for households under 25 years old presenting as homeless was 97% which was better than our 95% target. We continue to achieve high levels of satisfaction with the quality of temporary accommodation at 96.3%, 2.3% above our target of 94%, year to date we see the same levels of satisfaction. This satisfaction is due to the overall good quality of the accommodation provided, including the furnishing and fixtures, as well as the high level of decoration within the properties. Areas of performance requiring improvement 2.7 The percentage of decisions made within 28 days for all households presenting as homeless is 94.7% which is slightly below our target of 95%, however, our average time to make these decisions is 19 days. This performance compares favourably with the Scottish Local Authority Average of 21 days. Our performance in this area can be affected by the transient nature of the client group, where maintaining contact to allow staff to make decisions within timescale can be difficult. The average number of days to re let properties has increased to 32.3 days, up 0.5 days on the 2021/22 outturn. However, our performance remains strong in comparison to the Scottish Average of 55.6 days. This increase has been due to a number of factors, such as delays with power companies and also labour and material issues with our main repair contractors. Year to date the days to let has increased further to 35.9 days this is as a result of properties which have been delayed for the above reasons now beginning to be re let. Next steps 2.8 As noted in paragraph 1.5, the Strategic Performance Framework is supported by a Performance Reporting Schedule. This sets out the arrangements for service, statutory, and Strategic Performance Framework reporting to committee. In this respect the relevant Committee can expect to receive the following in respect of Housing Management areas of work during 2023/24. Report Description Committee Committee cycle Scottish Housing Regulator: annual landlord report This report presents the annual landlord report published by the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) which shows Scotland’s social landlords’ performance for both Local Authorities and Registered Social Landlords (RSL’s) against the Scottish Social Housing Charter (SSHC). Housing Committee Cycle 4 in 2023 Scottish Housing Regulator: Since April 2019, Social Landlords in Scotland are required to advise the Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) if they Housing Committee Cycle 3 in 2023 Page 130 of 196
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Annual Assurance Statement meet the regulatory standards and requirements by submitting an Annual Assurance Statement between April and October each year. Each landlord should confirm in its Statement its level of compliance with all of the relevant requirements at section 3 of the Regulatory Framework. The SHR assesses each Statement as part of their regulatory risk assessment and publishes an engagement plan for each landlord. From March 2021, RSL engagement plans include a regulatory status which is the SHR judgment on whether the RSL complies with regulatory standards and requirements. • Latest report in August 2023: https://mars.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/egenda/imag es/att101119.pdf Annual housing / Scottish Social Housing Charter performance report The annual performance report to tenants is designed to keep tenants, service users, and other customers informed of council performance and how the council is progressing towards meeting the outcomes of the Scottish Social Housing Charter (SSHC). n/a, published on the council’s website in the autumn each year Community safety CCTV performance This report provided a one off update on the performance of the Community Safety Hub following its merger into Housing. Moving forward this report will be incorporated into the service’s programme of annual service performance reports. • Latest report in May 2023: https://mars.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/egenda/imag es/att100529.pdf Housing Committee Cycle 2 in 2023 Homeless performance and processes This report provided a one off update in terms of performance in relation to the provision of homelessness services which continued to be delivered throughout the pandemic and, despite the challenges the pandemic brought, highlights many areas of improved performance. Moving forward this report will be incorporated into the service’s programme of annual service performance reports. Housing Committee Cycle 4 in 2023 3. Measures of success 3.1 Measures of success include: • Regular oversight and monitoring of performance across the organisation to gain assurances in terms of governance and accountability. • Regular review and challenge processes to scrutinise the performance of the council to ensure effective use of resources and that resources are directed in accordance with agreed policy and according to priorities, while ensuring sound decision making and clear accountability for the use of resources in achieving improved outcomes for service users and the local community. • Performance monitoring, management, and reporting arrangements that support the demonstration of improved performance in local services and outcomes, and the delivery of Best Value. Page 131 of 196
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4. Supporting documentation 4.1 Appendix 1 - High-level performance overview Stephen Llewellyn Chief Officer (Housing Management) Page 132 of 196
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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? 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 ☐ 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? Page 133 of 196
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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? 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? 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 134 of 196
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Appendix 1 Housing Management High-level performance overview - as at September 2023 Page 135 of 196
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Housing Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref BL Date 08/11/23 Strategic Performance Framework - latest performance results for Housing Property Services From Brian Lafferty, Chief Officer (Housing Property Services) E-mail LaffertyB@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 01698 524758 1. Background 1.1 There are six inter-related strategic frameworks which are key to assessing the success of The Plan for North Lanarkshire and monitoring delivery towards achieving the overall vision by ensuring each stage is appropriately aligned, planned, guided, implemented, and governed. 1.2 The six frameworks focus on ensuring a corporate one council approach in respect of Policy, Governance, Performance, Self-Evaluation, Project Management, and Demonstrating Improved Outcomes for Communities. 1.3 The Strategic Performance Framework comprises performance measurement at three levels (as per the diagram on the right). This aims to collectively provide an overview of performance to help understand the impact of Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to highlight the 2023/24 year to date on performance of the Housing Property Services for the performance indicators at Appendix 1. Recommendations It is recommended that the Housing Committee: 1) Review the high-level performance overview presented in Appendix 1, and the supporting data contained within the linked Excel spreadsheet and identify where further information is required to understand or investigate performance further. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority All priorities Ambition statement All ambition statements Programme of Work Statutory / corporate / service requirement Item 14(b) Page 137 of 196
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council activities on improving services and outcomes for the people and communities of North Lanarkshire. The measures in this Framework allow for day to day activities, and progress towards achieving the long-term vision set out in The Plan for North Lanarkshire, to be regularly monitored, reported, assessed, and scrutinised. 1.4 The Strategic Performance Framework is aligned to the Accounts Commission statutory direction which places a requirement on councils to report a range of information in terms of (1) improving local services and outcomes, and (2) demonstrating Best Value. Key points of note in this respect are that the Accounts Commission also expect to see: (a) A balance in reporting areas of improvement that have been achieved and not achieved. (b) Reporting that is undertaken in a timely manner. (c) Easy access to performance information for all citizens and communities. 1.5 A Performance Reporting Schedule supports the timely submission of a range of performance information that facilitates Elected Members and senior management to undertake regular performance reviews that inform scrutiny, challenge, and decision making processes. This Schedule, endorsed by the Audit and Scrutiny Panel in February 2023, includes Chief Officer’s individual six monthly Performance Reviews at Service Committees in line with the Strategic Performance Framework. 1.6 This report therefore presents the Housing Committee with the latest performance results for Housing Property Services for Members’ further review and scrutiny. 2. Strategic Performance Framework Housing Committee responsibilities 2.1 In line with the terms of reference outlined in the Scheme of Administration, the Housing Committee is responsible for monitoring and reviewing performance information for the following Ambition Statements from The Plan for North Lanarkshire: 1. Ensure a housing mix that supports social inclusion and economic growth. 22. Facilitate a North Lanarkshire wide approach to asset rationalisation, including with communities and partners. 2.2 The high-level performance overview in Appendix 1 presents Members with a summary of the latest results for each performance indicator within the remit of the Chief Officer (Housing Property Services). 2.3 The information in Appendix 1 comprises the following: • An ideal direction arrow - this indicates whether a higher or lower figure is the preferred direction of travel. • Measurement unit - for example whether the result is a %, a number, a unit cost (in £), or a ratio. • Performance results for the last five financial years (depending on availability of data) along with the latest year’s target and corresponding RAG status (for indicators where it is appropriate to set targets). A higher figure is better A lower figure is better Key to RAG status Green Performance is on target and/or within acceptable thresholds Page 138 of 196
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• The most recent monthly or quarterly results, along with the corresponding target and RAG status. Note the inclusion of this information is dependent on the measurement frequency of the indicator and availability of data as at the time of reporting. • A trend graph - this captures the direction of travel achieved over the five financial years and includes the most recent monthly or quarterly results where available. • Comments - narrative summarising the current position and providing an explanation for any significant variations in performance. Where applicable, this narrative also highlights the effect of the pandemic on service delivery, e.g. any increase or decrease in the volume of transactions or enquiries processed. 2.4 A large volume of data supports the high-level performance overview in Appendix 1. This is outlined in the latest performance results for Housing Property Services Excel spreadsheet which is available through the following link for Members to carry out a deep dive and review and scrutinise each performance indicator further. The Menu on the second tab of the spreadsheet contains built in hyperlinks that automatically take the user to a tab for each performance indicator and therefore provides a useful navigation aid to review the contents of the file. • Latest performance results for Housing Property Services.xlsx Current context 2.5 Service pressures have been difficult and recruitment of relevant trades by our contractors continue to have a direct impact on service delivery. Recent Performance highlights 2.6 Our timescale for completing emergency repairs within our housing stock for all 3 linked contractors, year to date, is 3.2 hours, below our 3.7 hours target for 2022/23. Our performance for the non-emergency repairs is also below our 2022/23 target of 7 days at 6.6 days. The percentage of reactive repairs carried out in the last year completed right 1st time is also above our target of 96% at 97.45%. Our corporate property repairs performance is strong across most indicators, with the percentage of emergency repairs completed within timescale at 96.9% for 2022/23 and 97.8% year to date. The percentage of routine repairs completed within timescale was above target at 98.5% for 2022/23 and is continuing to improve at 98.9% year to date. The average time to complete routine repairs was below the target of 9.9 days at 9.0 days for 2022/23, and 9.5 days year to date. Areas of performance requiring improvement 2.7 The Corporate Property Repairs indicator for the average time in hours taken to complete emergency repairs is 0.9 hours above the 3.3 hour target at 4.2 hours. This is due to the materials and trades shortages. Remedial actions include having weekly meetings with contractors where issues are highlighted at the earliest stage to allow proactive resolution. A further issue is that our contractors’ new operatives are not closing lines in the correct way and are receiving further training to improve this process. Next steps Red Performance does not meet target and is outwith acceptable thresholds Blue Performance surpasses the target and exceeds expectations Page 139 of 196
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2.8 As noted in paragraph 1.5, the Strategic Performance Framework is supported by a Performance Reporting Schedule. This sets out the arrangements for service, statutory, and Strategic Performance Framework reporting to committee. In this respect the relevant Committee can expect to receive the following in respect of Housing Property Services areas of work during 2023/24. Report Description Committee Committee cycle Mears LLP In 2010 Morrisons Facilities Services Ltd successfully bid to become the council’s strategic partner to deliver housing and corporate repairs over a 10- year period with the contract commencing on 21 January 2011. Mears PLC subsequently bought Morrisons Facilities Services Ltd as a going concern, so now own the 67% shareholding in the Mears Scotland LLP (Mears) strategic partnership and the inherent North Lanarkshire service contract. The council owns the remaining 33% of Mears Scotland LLP. The contract expired in January 2021 with extensions being approved at Committee, with Mears now in the third year, this commenced on 8 January 2023 to 7 January 2024. • Latest report in August 2023: https://mars.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/egenda/image s/att101121.pdf Housing Committee Cycles 1 and 3 Saltire Following approval by Committee in March 2017, the sale of the council’s 33% shareholding in Saltire was concluded in May 2017. The works agreement would govern the Central Heating Repairs and Maintenance Delivery service, also being varied to maintain the benefits and protections which the council had previously enjoyed from its shareholding until expiry on the contract in January 2021 and agreed extensions that have been approved at Committee. In relation to the contract extension, Saltire are now in the third year, this commenced on 8 January 2023 to 7 January 2024. • Latest report in August 2023: https://mars.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/egenda/image s/att101122.pdf Housing Committee Cycles 1 and 3 3. Measures of success 3.1 Measures of success include: • Regular oversight and monitoring of performance across the organisation to gain assurances in terms of governance and accountability. • Regular review and challenge processes to scrutinise the performance of the council to ensure effective use of resources and that resources are directed in accordance with agreed policy and according to priorities, while ensuring sound decision making and clear accountability for the use of resources in achieving improved outcomes for service users and the local community. • Performance monitoring, management, and reporting arrangements that support Page 140 of 196
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the demonstration of improved performance in local services and outcomes, and the delivery of Best Value. 4. Supporting documentation 4.1 Appendix 1 - High-level performance overview Brian Lafferty Chief Officer (Housing Property Services) Page 141 of 196
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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? 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 ☐ 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? Page 142 of 196
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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? 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? 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 143 of 196
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Appendix 1 Housing Property Services High-level performance overview - as at September 2023 Page 144 of 196
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Housing Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref PH Date 08/11/23 Strategic Performance Framework - latest performance results for Place - housing development From Pamela Humphries, Chief Officer (Place) E-mail HumphriesP@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 07939 280710 1. Background 1.1 There are six inter-related strategic frameworks which are key to assessing the success of The Plan for North Lanarkshire and monitoring delivery towards achieving the overall vision by ensuring each stage is appropriately aligned, planned, guided, implemented, and governed. 1.2 The six frameworks focus on ensuring a corporate one council approach in respect of Policy, Governance, Performance, Self-Evaluation, Project Management, and Demonstrating Improved Outcomes for Communities. Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to highlight the 2022/23 year end performance and the 2023/24 year to date performance of the Place Service in relation to the performance indicators detailed at Appendix 1 for new housing development Recommendations It is recommended that the Housing Committee: 1) Review the high-level performance overview presented in Appendix 1, and the supporting data contained within the linked Excel spreadsheet, and identify if further information is required to understand or investigate performance further. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority All priorities Ambition statement All ambition statements Programme of Work Statutory / corporate / service requirement Item 14(c) Page 147 of 196
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1.3 The Strategic Performance Framework comprises performance measurement at three levels (as per the diagram on the right). This aims to collectively provide an overview of performance to help understand the impact of council activities on improving services and outcomes for the people and communities of North Lanarkshire. The measures in this Framework allow for day to day activities, and progress towards achieving the long-term vision set out in The Plan for North Lanarkshire, to be regularly monitored, reported, assessed, and scrutinised. 1.4 The Strategic Performance Framework is aligned to the Accounts Commission statutory direction which places a requirement on councils to report a range of information in terms of (1) improving local services and outcomes, and (2) demonstrating Best Value. Key points of note in this respect are that the Accounts Commission also expect to see: (a) A balance in reporting areas of improvement that have been achieved and not achieved. (b) Reporting that is undertaken in a timely manner. (c) Easy access to performance information for all citizens and communities. 1.5 A Performance Reporting Schedule supports the timely submission of a range of performance information that facilitates Elected Members and senior management to undertake regular performance reviews that inform scrutiny, challenge, and decision making processes. This Schedule, endorsed by the Audit and Scrutiny Panel in February 2023, includes Chief Officer’s individual six monthly Performance Reviews at Service Committees in line with the Strategic Performance Framework. 1.6 This report therefore presents the Housing Committee with the latest performance results for Place (New Supply) for Members’ further review and scrutiny. 2. Strategic Performance Framework Housing Committee responsibilities 2.1 In line with the terms of reference outlined in the Scheme of Administration, the Housing Committee is responsible for monitoring and reviewing performance information for the following Ambition Statements from The Plan for North Lanarkshire: 1. Ensure a housing mix that supports social inclusion and economic growth. 2.2 The high-level performance overview in Appendix 1 presents Members with a summary of the latest results for each performance indicator within the remit of the Chief Officer (Place). 2.3 The information in Appendix 1 comprises the following: • An ideal direction arrow - this indicates whether a higher or lower figure is the preferred direction of travel. • Measurement unit - for example whether the result is a %, a number, a unit cost (in £), or a ratio. A higher figure is better A lower figure is better Page 148 of 196
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• Performance results for the last five financial years (depending on availability of data) along with the latest year’s target and corresponding RAG status (for indicators where it is appropriate to set targets). • The most recent monthly or quarterly results, along with the corresponding target and RAG status. Note the inclusion of this information is dependent on the measurement frequency of the indicator and availability of data as at the time of reporting. • A trend graph - this captures the direction of travel achieved over the five financial years and includes the most recent monthly or quarterly results where available. • Comments - narrative summarising the current position and providing an explanation for any significant variations in performance. Where applicable, this narrative also highlights the effect of the pandemic on service delivery, e.g. any increase or decrease in the volume of transactions or enquiries processed. 2.4 A large volume of data supports the high-level performance overview in Appendix 1. This is outlined in the latest performance results for Place – housing development Excel spreadsheet which is available through the following link for Members to carry out a deep dive and review and scrutinise each performance indicator further. The Menu on the second tab of the spreadsheet contains built in hyperlinks that automatically take the user to a tab for each performance indicator and therefore provides a useful navigation aid to review the contents of the file. • Latest performance results for Place - housing development.xlsx Current context 2.5 The Affordable Housing Supply Programme is delivered by the council and Registered Local Landlords (RSLs) and supports the delivery of the council’s Local Housing Strategy, with projects identified and approved through the Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) which is approved annually by the Housing Committee. The delivery of the affordable housing supply programme (AHSP) continues to be impacted by high cost inflation; increases in costs due to increased sustainability standards, and ongoing challenges in the labour market and contractor capacity. Recent Performance highlights 2.6 Despite on-going cost and delivery challenges the number of new build affordable homes completed increased to 539 in 2022/23, well above the Local Housing Strategy annual average target of 300. The proportion of new build homes built to full wheelchair standard also exceeded the target of 5% for housing association new build homes and 10% for council new build homes. Areas of performance requiring improvement 2.7 While the council’s own new supply programme did not meet the original targets set for 2022/23 due to programme slippage on a number of sites and slow down in demand for the Open Market Purchase Scheme (OMPS), it is likely that the programme will exceed its out-put target for 2023/24 and is currently on track track to deliver a record 434 new homes this year (new build and OMPS). It should however be noted that there has also been slippage in the RSL new build programme with some projects not going ahead due to increased costs. This is likely to impact on the overall affordable housing Key to RAG status Green Performance is on target and/or within acceptable thresholds Red Performance does not meet target and is outwith acceptable thresholds Blue Performance surpasses the target and exceeds expectations Page 149 of 196
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supply programme delivery in the current and future years. Next steps 2.8 As noted in paragraph 1.5, the Strategic Performance Framework is supported by a Performance Reporting Schedule. This sets out the arrangements for service, statutory, and Strategic Performance Framework reporting to committee. In this respect the relevant Committee can expect to receive the following in respect of New Supply areas of work during 2023/24. Report Description Committee Committee cycle New supply programme annual update on progress This report provides an update on progress with the delivery of the new supply programme which aims to deliver 5,000 new homes by 2035. Housing Committee Cycle 4 in 2023 3. Measures of success 3.1 Measures of success include: • Regular oversight and monitoring of performance across the organisation to gain assurances in terms of governance and accountability. • Regular review and challenge processes to scrutinise the performance of the council to ensure effective use of resources and that resources are directed in accordance with agreed policy and according to priorities, while ensuring sound decision making and clear accountability for the use of resources in achieving improved outcomes for service users and the local community. • Performance monitoring, management, and reporting arrangements that support the demonstration of improved performance in local services and outcomes, and the delivery of Best Value. 4. Supporting documentation 4.1 Appendix 1 - High-level performance overview Pamela Humphries Chief Officer (Place) Page 150 of 196
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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? 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 ☐ 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? Page 151 of 196
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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? 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? 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 152 of 196
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Appendix 1 Place - housing developments High-level performance overview - as at September 2023 Page 153 of 196
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Housing Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref SL/GT/AN Date 08/11/23 Revenue Monitoring Report – Housing Revenue Account From Andrew McPherson, Depute Chief Executive E-mail telferg@northla.gov.uk Telephone Greg Telfer, Business Finance Manager, 07586 010692 1. Background 1.1 The Council approved its Housing Revenue Account budget of £164m on 23 February 2023. 1.2 The Financial Regulations require Services to remain within their approved budgetary provision, and to report all significant deviations – defined as the higher of £100,000 or 5% - within their budget monitoring reports. Where significant deviations are identified, Executive Summary This report provides a summary of the Housing Revenue Account financial performance for the period 1 April 2023 to 15 September 2023 (Period 6). The report illustrates the projected outturn as at 31 March 2024, with major outturn variances highlighted and explained in accordance with the Council’s approved Financial Regulations. The Service is currently projecting an overspend of £3.805m for the financial year which is primarily due to anticipated increased loan charge costs, reflecting the impact of higher interest rates. Approved savings of £0.070m have been included within the budget and are currently anticipated to be fully delivered by the end of the financial year. Recommendations It is recommended that the Housing Committee: 1) Acknowledges the financial position of the HRA revenue budget 2023/24. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Improve North Lanarkshire's resource base Ambition statement (25) Ensure intelligent use of data and information to support fully evidence based decision making and future planning Programme of Work Statutory / corporate / service requirement Item 15(a) Page 155 of 196
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Services must provide explanatory commentary outline the action required to rectify such a deviation, and where relevant, must also highlight the impact this has on other budget headings. 2. Report 2.1 The service is currently projecting an overspend of £3.805m for the financial year. 2.2 Analysis of Significant Variances 2.2.1 The Housing Revenue Account currently anticipates an underspend of £2.000m within Employee Costs which is a result of increased turnover/vacancy savings. The position also incorporates the impact of the current pay award offer being negotiated between COSLA and the Trade Unions. Whilst negotiations remain ongoing, the financial impact will continue to be monitored and reported as appropriate. 2.2.2 An overspend of £2.875m is anticipated within Property Costs due to increasing costs associated with repairs (£2.000m), void rent loss (£0.485m) and grounds maintenance (£0.460m). With ongoing changes in the demand profile for housing repairs and maintenance and uncertainties over costs with volatile inflation, there is an ongoing financial risk relating to the outturn position for repairs and maintenance. The service is aware of these risks and is continuing to monitor and manage the overspend without impacting on key service delivery objectives. 2.2.3 An underspend of £0.125m is projected within Administration Costs due to decreased legal activity impacting legal fees (£0.100m) and sheriff officer fees (£0.025m). 2.2.4 An underspend of £0.500m in Apportioned Expenses is projected as a result of lower than anticipated IT recharges to the Housing Revenue Account. 2.2.5 An overspend of £3.847m in Capital Financing Costs is projected as a result of increased loans funds charges due to higher than anticipated borrowing rates affected by the current market conditions. It is currently expected that these additional costs will be met from a draw down on reserve balances associated with the loan debt holiday. 2.2.6 An under-recovery of £0.090m is projected within Fees and Charges due to reduced court dues/fines (£0.050m), and the temporary removal of charges for laundry facilities (£0.040m) as the service seeks to introduce new payment technology. 2.2.7 An over recovery in Rents of £0.347m is anticipated due to increased mainstream rental income. 2.2.8 An over recovery of £0.035m in Interest is projected as a result of a higher than expected return of interest on revenue balances associated with increased market rates. 2.3 Earmarked and One-off Resources 2.3.1 HRA reserve balances brought forward from 2022/23 total £26.318m, this includes a revised contingency fund balance of £1.640m and unallocated reserves of £5.312m. It is anticipated that a total of £9.386m will be utilised during 2023/24 including a draw down of £3.847m to offset the increased costs of loan charges highlighted in paragraph 2.2.5 above. Appendix 2 provides further detail of the reserve balances. Page 156 of 196
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2.4 2022/23 Budget Savings 2.4.1 The service uses a variety of information, records and processes to monitor achievement of its approved budget savings of £0.070m. As at Period 6, it is anticipated that 100% approved savings will be delivered by the end of the financial year. 3. Measures of success 3.1 The Service continues to operate withing approved resources and meet required savings targets. 4. Supporting documentation 4.1 Appendix 1 HRA Summary Appendix 2 Earmarked Reserves / Balance Sheet Provisions Andrew McPherson Depute Chief Executive Page 157 of 196
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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? The financial impacts are contained within the report and supporting appendices. 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 ☐ 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? Page 158 of 196
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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? 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? All activities undertaken by the council are subject to risk, and in acknowledging the Council’s approved Risk Management Strategy, Services manage these as part of their overall corporate and service planning process. The current economic climate, in particular, has the potential to impact upon the Council’s ability to provide quality services within approved budget levels. Reflecting the risk analysis matrix included within the Risk Management Strategy, the Service considers the impact of inflation on key service contracts and the cost of living crisis presents an ongoing risk to the financial outturn for 2023/24 and this is an ongoing focus of discussion within the Service and with Finance. To minimise risk, this report has been prepared by Finance personnel in consultation with budget managers, in accordance with the Financial Regulations. 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? Page 159 of 196
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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 160 of 196
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Appendix 1 FINANCIAL MONITORING REPORT 01 April 2023 to 15 SEPTEMBER 2023 (Period 6) COMMITTEE: HOUSING CATEGORY ANNUAL PROJECTED ANALYSIS BUDGET OUTTURN % (1) (5) (6) (8) (10) £ £ EMPLOYEE COSTS 31,762,510 29,762,510 2,000,000 FAV 6.3% Underspend due to increased turnover savings PROPERTY COSTS 62,279,850 65,154,850 (2,875,000) ADV (4.6)% Overspend mainly due to increased repair costs, void rent loss and ground maintenance costs SUPPLIES & SERVICES 734,020 734,020 0 - 0.0% Balanced budget TRANSPORT & PLANT 387,440 387,440 0 - 0.0% Balanced budget ADMINISTRATION COSTS 5,585,040 5,460,040 125,000 FAV 2.2% Underspend due to decreased legal and sheriff officer fees PAYMENTS TO OTHER BODIES 231,120 231,120 0 - 0.0% Balanced budget APPORTIONED EXPENSES 7,764,850 7,264,850 500,000 FAV 6.4% Underspend due to decreased IT recharges CAPITAL FINANCING COSTS 27,400,280 31,247,280 (3,847,000) ADV (14.0)% Overspend due to increased borrowing costs impacting loan charges C.F.C.R. 27,146,260 27,146,260 0 - 0.0% Balanced budget OTHER COSTS 765,101 765,101 0 - 0.0% Balanced budget TOTAL EXPENDITURE 164,056,471 168,153,471 (4,097,000) ADV (2.5)% OTHER GRANTS 0 0 0 - 0.0% Balanced budget FEES AND CHARGES 8,881,320 8,791,320 (90,000) ADV 1.0% Under recovery due to laundry charges and court dues / fines RENTS 151,542,404 151,889,404 347,000 FAV 0.2% Over recovery of mainstream rental income INTEREST 15,000 50,000 35,000 FAV 233.3% Over recovery due to interest received on revenue balances DEPARTMENTAL CHARGES 538,607 538,607 0 - 0.0% Balanced budget SURPLUS 3,079,140 3,079,140 0 - 0.0% Balanced budget INCOME 164,056,471 164,348,471 292,000 FAV 0.2% NET EXPENDITURE 0 3,805,000 (3,805,000) ADV FAV = Favourable variation, underspend etc 362,119 ADV = Adverse variation, overspend, income under-recovery etc PROJECTED OUTTURN VARIANCE (7) Page 161 of 196
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Appendix 2 DESCRIPTION OF EARMARKED RESERVES VALUE OF EARMARKED RESERVE CARRY FORWARD ANALYSIS VALUE % (1) (2) (3) (4) (5) (6) £ £ £ Ambition 4,385,433 3,088,000 29.6% 1,297,433 To fund 2023/24 HRA and residual balance required in future years UCAF 350,208 350,208 0.0% 0 Budget fully utilised Rent Assistance Fund 1,003,563 1,003,563 0.0% 0 Budget fully utilised Enterprise Contract 1,000,000 1,000,000 0.0% 0 Budget fully utilised Rent Restructure 334,586 97,028 71.0% 237,558 Balance required in future years Loan Debt Holiday 9,792,625 3,847,000 60.7% 5,945,625 To manage loan charge position and residual balance required in future years HRA Capital Programme 2,500,000 0 100.0% 2,500,000 Balance required in future years SUB TOTAL 19,366,415 9,385,799 51.5% 9,980,616 Change Management/Risks & Uncertainty 5,311,595 0 0.0% 5,311,595 Mainly required to fund future years Core Reserve 1,640,000 0 100.0% 1,640,000 No call anticipated in 2022/23 TOTAL 26,318,010 9,385,799 64.3% 16,932,211 PROJECTED OUTTURN North Lanarkshire Council Housing Revenue Account - Earmarked Reserves 01 April 2023 to 15 SEPTEMBER 2023 (Period 6) Page 162 of 196
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Housing Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref GT/JMcG Date 08/11/23 Enterprise and Communities – Revenue Monitoring Report From Andrew McPherson, Depute Chief Executive E-mail telferg@northlan.gov.uk Telephone Greg Telfer, Business Finance Manager, 07583 010692 Executive Summary This report provides a summary of the financial performance of the Enterprise and Communities service for the period 1 April 2023 to 15 September 2023 (Period 6), with major outturn variances highlighted and explained as per the Council’s approved Financial Regulations. In summary, the Enterprise and Communities service is currently forecasting a year end underspend of £1.023m. This underspend is mainly attributable to employee vacancy savings across the Service. The Service continues to review inflationary pressures and also work with Business and Digital to progress plans for delivery of digital savings which are temporarily offset this financial year through grant which has been received in advance of need and an earmarked reserve. Recommendations It is recommended that Committee: (1) Acknowledges the financial position of the 2023/24 Enterprise and Communities revenue budget. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Improve economic opportunities and outcomes Ambition statement (25) Ensure intelligent use of data and information to support fully evidence based decision making and future planning Programme of Work Statutory / corporate / service requirement Item 15(b) Page 163 of 196
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1. Background 1.1 The Council’s approved Financial Regulations require services to remain within their approved budgetary provision, and to report all significant deviations – defined as the higher of £100,000 or 5% - within their budget monitoring reports. Where significant deviations are identified, services must provide explanatory commentary, outline the action required to rectify such deviations and where relevant, must also highlight the impact this has on other budget headings. 1.2 The most significant financial risk facing Enterprise and Communities during 2023/24 is the delivery of the Digital NL savings. Inflationary pressures are also being closely monitored. The Service will continue the curtailment of non-essential expenditure to manage the overall budget position. 2. Report Summary of Financial Position 2.1 The Council approved its General Fund Revenue Budget on 23 February 2023, of which £153.119m (15.65%) represented the approved Net Revenue Budget for Enterprise and Communities. There has been an in year transfer to the Chief Executive’s service of £0.238m in relation to the Customer Contact Centre. Therefore the revised budget for the service totals £152.882m. 2.1.1 Enterprise and Communities is currently forecasting an underspend of £1.023m mainly linked to vacancy savings which the Service is actively seeking to recruit. 2.1.2 In addition, the Service faces a cost pressure attributable to the delay in implementation of savings linked to the DigitalNL programme (£1.960m). The service continues to work with Business and Digital to progress plans for the delivery of these savings. This burden is offset this financial year by utilising grant received in advance of need and also an earmarked reserve. 2.1.3 Section 2.2 provides commentary on the financial performance of the Service per division. In addition, Appendices 1 to 6 of this report provide further explanation of the significant budget variations contributing to this outturn position. 2.1.4 The 2023/24 Enterprise and Communities budget incorporated £4.969m of savings with £2.500m of savings (50.31%) forecast to be delivered within the current financial year. Further information regarding particularly challenging savings is noted in paragraph 2.4 below. Analysis of Significant Variations 2.2 The Enterprise and Communities service is currently forecasting an underspend of £1.023m. As at Period 6, the main variances across the divisions are further explained as follows: 2.2.1 Assets and Procurement (£0.281m underspend) Assets and Procurement is currently forecasting an underspend of £0.281m which largely relates to employee savings across the division (£0.739m) partially offset by increased use of external advisors to support the delivery of projects as a result of key staff vacancies (£0.308m) and timing of the office rationalisation saving (£0.174m). Page 164 of 196
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The service anticipates an under-recovery in paid school meal income (£0.195m) which is fully offset by reduced food costs and net employee cost savings across the division. At this stage in the financial year forward projections are based on the assumption that uptake for free school meals is in line with that experienced during 2022/23. This will continue to be monitored throughout the remainder of the school year. Inflation within food costs is also being monitored closely. 2.2.2 Community Operations (£0.202m underspend) Community Operations is projecting net employee savings of £0.705m, largely due to vacancies within Land Management (£0.478m) and Fleet (£0.308m). In Waste, underspends of £0.533m are expected within tipping fees as a result of a new contract for Paper and Card waste collection, as well as more favourable pricing across various tonnage streams and reduced volume of waste in some areas. Delays in recruitment have led the service to source agency staff which is resulting in a projected overspend of £0.187m in Administration Costs. The service anticipates an over-recovery of income from the Active Schools programme at Strathclyde Park (£0.172m), which is fully offset by the forecast under-recovery of special uplift income in Waste (£0.172m). 2.2.3 Within Fleet an underspend of £0.308m is forecast within Employee Costs mainly due to difficulties in recruiting mechanic posts. These savings are reduced by increased driver costs providing the school transport service within Education. As a result of the shortage of mechanics the service anticipated additional costs of £0.852m with the inspection and repairs on larger vehicles are currently being completed by external partners resulting and the requirement to hire additional vehicles while there are delays in completing repairs. The Services continues to seek to recruit these key positions. 2.2.4 Place (£0.524m underspend) The Place division is currently forecasting net employee savings of £0.612m. Given the number of staff vacancies the service has utilised external advisors to support the delivery of projects (£0.253m). The service is also benefiting from additional one-off grant funding supporting core activity (£0.100m) which contributes to the overall projected underspend position. 2.2.5 Included within the reported outturn is the Council’s trading services. For 2023/24 the Council approved a surplus budget of £0.551m. The Council must comply with a statutory requirement to at least break-even over a rolling three year period. The combined surplus, excluding non-cash technical accounting adjustments, in 2020/21, 2021/22 and 2022/23 was £0.554m. As at Period 6 the Trading Accounts is forecasting a reduced surplus of £0.210m which attributable to lower than anticipated income for the trade waste function, the Service is currently reviewing this Service and the costs associated with it. 2.2.6 Payments to other bodies are detailed in Appendix 3. This expenditure category accounts for £20.863m with a projected minor variance in 2023/24. Earmarked and One-off Reserves 2.3 Enterprise and Communities was given approval to earmark £16.187m of resources during the completion of the 2022/23 annual accounts. At Period 6, £12.017m of the reserve balance is anticipated to be utilised in 2023/24. A balance of £4.160m is required for the original purpose in future years. The remaining balance of £0.010m is no longer required. Appendix 4 details the individual Earmarked Reserves. 2023/24 Budget Savings and Growth Page 165 of 196
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2.4 The Service uses a variety of information, records and processes to monitor achievement of its approved budget savings of £4.969m. As at Period 6, £2.500m (50.31%) of its approved savings are forecast to be achievable during the year. The gap of £2.469m represents digital savings (£1.910m), which have been offset this financial year by grant income received in advance of need and an earmarked reserve. There is also a timing delay in office rationalisation (£0.415m) which has been offset this year by an earmarked reserve. The other staffing related saving (£0.117m) are offset by in year vacancy savings. 2.5 As part of the Council’s investment budgets for 2023/24, Enterprise and Communities was allocated £1.081m towards both Community Operations and Anti-Social Behaviour. Appendix 6 highlights there is an underspend forecast this financial year (£0.286m) due to timing delays in recruiting the permanent posts within Land Management, Fleet and Environmental Facilities. The funding will be carried forward into 2024/25. Management Actions 2.6 The Service continues to take a range of corrective management actions to ensure it manages cost pressures. This includes curtailment of non-essential spend and monitoring of vacancies. Change Management 2.7 The Service is forecast to utilise £0.180m of the Council’s Change Management Fund mainly to support reinstatement at Palacerigg Country Park, the litter bin strategy and voluntary severance costs. Costs within the Change Management Fund are not included in the Service outturn position.2.1 3. Measures of success 3.1 The Service continues to operate within the approved budget resources 4. Supporting documentation Appendix 1 Objective Analysis Appendix 2 Subjective Analysis Appendix 3 Payments to Other Bodies Analysis Appendix 4 Status of Earmarked Reserves Appendix 5 Challenging Savings Appendix 6 One-Off Investments Andrew McPherson Depute Chief Executive Page 166 of 196
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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? The Service continues to curtail non-essential expenditure and take management action to minimise the impact of cos pressures on the Council’s overall financial position. 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 167 of 196
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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? 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? 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? All activities undertaken by the Council are subject to risk, and in acknowledging the Council’s approved Risk Management Strategy, Services managed these as part of their overall corporate and service planning processes. The current economic climate, in particular, has the potential to impact upon the Council’s ability to provide quality services within the approved budget levels. To reduce other financial risks, this report was prepared by service based Finance personnel in consultation with budget managers, in accordance with the Financial Regulations. 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 168 of 196
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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 169 of 196
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APPENDIX 1 DIVISION OF SERVICE ANNUAL BUDGET PROJECTED OUT-TURN PROJECTED OUT-TURN VARIANCE % PERIOD MOVEMENT SINCE ANALYSIS P4 [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6] [7] £ £ £ £ Assets & Procurement 41,694,381 41,413,625 280,756 FAV 0.7% (47,919) Employee vacancies savings across the service partially offset by consultancy costs, property costs and reduced paid school meal income. Community Operations 88,819,673 88,617,241 202,432 FAV 0.2% 91,889 Employee vacancy savings across the service offset by overtime costs and turnover. Tonnage costs less than anticipated within Waste. Increased agency costs in Waste as well as increased Hires and Outsourcing costs within Fleet. Under-recoveries of Special Uplift income in Waste offset by over-recoveries of Active Schools income at Strathclyde Park. Housing Operations 5,652,817 5,425,212 227,605 FAV 4.0% 227,605 Minor Variance Housing Property Services 8,585,905 8,587,518 (1,613) ADV (0.0%) (1,613) Balanced Budget Place 8,591,146 8,066,740 524,406 FAV 6.1% 100,081 Vacancy savings partially offset by additional external advisor costs. Trading (462,202) (252,111) (210,091) ADV 45.5% (201,769) Underrecovery in Trade Waste income NET EXPENDITURE 152,881,720 151,858,225 1,023,495 FAV 0.7% 168,274 NORTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report - Objective Analysis Period 06 (01 April 2023 - 15 September 2023) Enterprise & Communities Page 170 of 196
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APPENDIX 3 [1] [2] [3] [5] [7] £ £ £ APS ROADS MAINTENANCE 12,352,284 12,352,284 0 0.0% BUSINESS SUPPORT GRANTS 3,873,901 3,873,901 0 0.0% HOMELESS SUPPORT FEES 1,380,920 1,380,920 0 0.0% PAYMENTS TO OTHER BODIES - GENERAL 1,379,178 1,376,986 2,193 FAV 0.2% Minor Variance PAYMENTS TO CONTRACTORS - ROADS MAINT 857,221 829,841 27,380 FAV 3.2% Minor Variance SUB-CONTRACTOR PAYMENTS 296,000 298,630 (2,630) ADV (0.9%) Minor Variance AGENCY FEES 280,904 280,904 0 0.0% PUBLIC ANALYST FEES 267,000 279,286 (12,286) ADV (4.6%) Minor Variance PRIVATE SECTOR HOUSING GRANTS 176,000 176,000 0 0.0% TOTAL EXPENDITURE 20,863,408 20,848,752 14,657 FAV 0.1% ANALYSIS [4] NORTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report - Payments to Other Bodies Period 06 (01 April 2023 - 15 September 2023) Enterprise & Communities CATEGORY ANNUAL BUDGET PROJECTED OUT-TURN PROJECTED OUT-TURN VARIANCE % Page 171 of 196
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APPENDIX 4 Period 06 (01 April 2023 - 15 September 2023) Value % £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 Service Specific Earmarked Reserves: Dilapidations 400 124 524 18 400 76.3% 0 0 400 Costs associated with leased in property disinvestment Office Rationalisation 500 0 500 500 500 100.0% 0 0 500 Costs associated with Office closures and new energy mgt system Enterprise Contract 1,224 0 1,224 425 1,224 100.0% 0 0 1,224 Ongoing set up cost for the Enterprise Contract Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Funding 75 0 75 0 75 100.0% 0 0 75 Consultancy spend for LHEES program Winter Reserve 1,500 0 1,500 0 1,500 100.0% 0 0 1,500 Contingency for significant winter event Open Space Strategy (temp Posts - Park Rangers) 113 0 113 52 113 100.0% 0 0 113 Temporary Staffing Housing Grants to owner occupiers 176 0 176 5 176 100.0% 0 0 176 Funding for Private Sector Grants Fleet - Grant for Lease Vehcles 118 0 118 54 118 100.0% 0 0 118 Grant funding for electric vehicles Bellshill Depot Eco hub 200 0 200 0 200 100.0% 0 0 200 Set up costs for Eco Hub Service Developments (fleet pressures inc hires) 739 0 739 738 739 100.0% 0 0 739 Contingency for increased fleet pressures Service Developments - Ash Dieback 300 700 1,000 41 41 4.1% 259 0 41 Works associated with removing ashdieback Protective Services Environmental Improvements 665 111 776 133 665 85.7% 0 0 665 Environemtal Improvements Park Rangers 35 0 35 0 25 71.4% 0 10 25 Staffing costs Cemeteries increased demand Bothies 318 0 318 27 68 21.4% 250 0 68 Funding for works in cemetery bothies; extra cleaning/ waste and plant hire due to covid. Digital NL 1,960 0 1,960 735 735 37.5% 1,225 0 735 Digital Savings less income uplift and grant income received in advance of need HEEPS 0 591 591 0 0 0.0% 0 0 0 Energy Efficiency Schemes - contributions to current programme Rapid Rehousing 1,081 0 1,081 262 1,081 100.0% 0 0 1,081 Rapid Rehousing programme to tackle homelessness Homelessness Surplus 0 283 283 0 0 0.0% 0 0 0 Homelessness surplus 22/23 Renewables 200 0 200 0 200 100.0% 0 0 200 Maintenance of renewable heating systems Electrical Testing 600 0 600 314 600 100.0% 0 0 600 Electrical testing programme City Deal - Delburn Street / Manse Road 59 0 59 0 59 100.0% 0 0 59 Temporary Property costs as a result of capital programme Business Recovery 3,172 480 3,652 64 3,172 86.9% 0 0 3,172 Costs to support business recovery LUF Ravenscraig 26 0 26 0 26 100.0% 0 0 26 Costs assocaited with LUF bid Smith Stone - Roadworks (former capital receipt) 150 0 150 150 150 100.0% 0 0 150 Roads works linked to former capital receipts Local Deelopment Plan 150 137 287 0 150 52.3% 0 0 150 Set up cost to produce LDP Total 13,761 2,426 16,187 3,519 12,017 1935.6% 1,734 10 12,017 Reserves Required In Year Commentary Regards UsageDESCRIPTION OF EARMARKED RESOURCE Reserve Allocation 2023/24 Profiled in Future Years Approved Reserve Total Spend to Date Projected Spend Reprofile to Future Years No Longer Required FINANCIAL YEAR - 2023/24 NORTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report - Status of Earmarked Reserves Enterprise & Communities Page 172 of 196
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APPENDIX 5 Period 06 (01 April 2023 - 15 September 2023) £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 Savings 2021/2022 and 2022/23 EC10 Asset Management Rationalisation/Office Dis- investment. Assets & Procurement Solutions 800 385 415 Timing of Office Closures Ear Marked Reserve 415 0 EC37 Review of staffing within Business Intelligence and Strategic Resourcing Housing Mgt 76 0 76 Delays in staff changes Vacancy savings within Service 76 0 CE05 Digital Savings Service Wide 1,960 50 1,910 Service working with Digital Team to identify oppotunities for savings Funding in advance of need / Ear Marked Reserve 1,910 0 Base Budget Savings 23/24 0 0 ECBB03 Income Generation Countryside Rangers Community Operations 22 0 22 Difficulties within NHS funding has forced a review of the provision of this service to them at present, and charging status. Other income over recoveries in this Service 22 0 ECBB04 Greenspace Income Community Operations 31 26 5 Small shortfall in income generation Other income over recoveries in this Service 5 0 ECBB19 Protective Community Operations 41 0 41 Timing Delays for VRS Vacancy savings within Service 41 0 TOTAL 2,930 461 2,469 2,469 0 Reasons for Savings Gap NORTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report - Challeging Savings Enterprise & Communities DESCRIPTION Value Revised Savings Gap CommentarySavings Gap APPROVED SAVINGS REPLACEMENT SAVING / FUNDING Ref. DESCRIPTION OF APPROVED SAVING DIVISION Target Value Value Deliverable Page 173 of 196
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Budget 2022/23 Enterprise & Communities Appendix 6 Investments Priorities £000 £000 £000 Division Council Motion Narrative 2023/24 Allocation Projected Outturn Outturn Variance Approved in Feb 2023 Anti Social Behaviour Staffing 111 111 0 Community operationsSeasonal Staff to Permanent/ Additional Mechanic/ Environmetnal Protection Officers 970 684 286 1081 795 286 Page 174 of 196
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Housing Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref LC/VR/GT Date 08/11/23 HRA Capital Monitoring Report – 1 April 2023 to 15 September 2023 From Andrew McPherson, Depute Chief Executive E-mail Telferg@northlan.gov.uk Telephone Greg Telfer, Business Finance Manager, 01698 302836 Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to review progress towards agreed spending plans within the 2023/24 HRA capital programmes. At this stage in the year the Mainstream programme is projected to fully spend. The New Build programme is projected to overspend by £2.253m, this is due to an acceleration in the programme for the site at Lorne Place, Coatbridge. Phase 1 is scheduled to complete in November 2023. This was originally due to complete in 2024/25. The Buy Back Programme is projected to overspend by £3.458m, this is mainly due to the average price of properties purchased and repairs being higher than anticipated, and a revised acquisition target from 100 to 120 properties. Recommendations It is recommended that the Housing Committee: (1) Acknowledges the financial position of the 2023/24 HRA Capital Programmes. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Improve North Lanarkshire's resource base Ambition statement (25) Ensure intelligent use of data and information to support fully evidence based decision making and future planning Programme of Work Transforming Places Item 16(a) Page 175 of 196
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1. Background 1.1. Mainstream Working Programme 1.1.1 The Housing and Regeneration Committee on 10 May 2023 approved an outline mainstream programme for 2022/23 based on targeted expenditure of £60.882m. The overall programme is funded as follows: £000 Prudential Borrowing 32,871 Capital Funded from Current Revenue (CFCR) 22,476 Total projected resources 55,347 Slippage allowance 5,535 Working Programme 60,882 1.2. New Build Programme 1.2.1 The 2023/24 working programme for new build is £59.995m, with 348 completions expected for the year and is funded as follows: £000 Prudential Borrowing 40,236 Capital Funded from Current Revenue (CFCR) 4,670 Scottish Government Grant 15,089 Total projected resources 59,995 1.3 Council Buy Back Schemes 1.3.1 As part of the 2023/24 Revenue Estimates, the budget provided for the continuation of both the Council’s Empty Homes Purchase Scheme (EHPS) and the Open Market Purchase Scheme (OMPS). This will allow approximately 100 properties to be brought back into Council use. 1.3.2 In addition to the EHPS and OMPS, the Mortgage to Rent scheme (MTR) was also added to the overall Council Buy Back scheme and is anticipating an additional 5 properties to be brought back into council use in 2023/24. 1.3.3 Funding requirements for 2023/24 for the Council Buy Back Scheme is made up as follows: £000 Prudential Borrowing 5,754 Scottish Government Grant Subsidy Income 4,000 296 Total projected resources 10,050 Page 176 of 196
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2. Report 2.1 Mainstream 2.1.1 A summary of the mainstream working programme and actual spend to 15 September 2023 (Period 6) is included within Appendix 1, highlighting that at this stage in the financial year: • £55.232m (91% of the working programme) has been legally committed; and • £23.592m (43% of the projected resources) has been spent. 2.1.2 Legal commitments are higher than historic trends (100% - 78%) and spend to date is slightly higher than previous years (43% - 34%). The programme is projected to fully spend. 2.2 New Build 2.2.1 A summary of projected outturn spend on the new build programme is contained within Appendix 2. Projected spend totals £62.248m, an overspend of £2.253m, and is funded by Prudential Borrowing, CFCR and Scottish Government Funding. 2.2.2 There are currently fourteen projects on site at Dykehead Road, Airdrie; Northburn Place, Airdrie; Former Orrs Building, Airdrie (off-the-shelf purchase); Castlehill Road, Wishaw; Berwick Street, Coatbridge; Ravenscliff Road, Ravenscraig; Glenacre Drive, Airdrie; Petersburn Road, Airdrie; Brandon Street, Motherwell; Auchengeich, Gartferry Road, Moodiesburn (off-the-shelf purchase); Lorne Place, Coatbridge (off-the-shelf purchase); Dowanfield Road, Cumbernauld (off-the-shelf purchase); Johnston Road, Gartcosh (Phase 2) (off-the-shelf purchase); and Springhill Road, Shotts (off-the-shelf purchase). 2.2.3 Handover of the next 16 homes at Dykehead Road, Airdrie, took place on 7th September 2023, with 78 of the 150 homes now complete. 2.2.4 Following a revision of Scottish Water’s surface water policy, the council is continuing to progress financially viable solutions for connection issues that will allow a contract award to be made at Laburnum Road, Viewpark. 2.2.5 To date, 1,138 new build homes have been completed as part of the Council’s ambitious new supply programme of 5,000 new homes. Currently, 451 homes are under construction, with a total of 377 homes expected to complete during 2023/24. 2.2.6 Sites have been identified and approved at Committee for a further 1,289 homes across 35 sites, with site investigations, title checks and design development on these sites progressing. 2.2.7 The Council has appointed contractors who are progressing layouts and designs for several sites, with site investigations underway. 2.3 Council Buy Back Scheme 2.3.1 A summary of projected outturn spend on the Council Buy Back Schemes is also contained within Appendix 2. Projected spend currently totals £14.603m collectively between the Council buy back schemes, £13.984m attributable to EHPS and OMPS and £0.619m to the MTR scheme. This is funded by Prudential Borrowing, Scottish Government Funding and Subsidy Income. Page 177 of 196
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2.3.2 To date, 62 properties have been brought back into use as affordable housing in 2023/24, with 120 properties expected to be acquired during this financial year. A Scottish Government grant contribution of £1.975m has been secured for 2023/24, with further funding to be made available depending on progress. 2.3.3 The final cost of borrowing will equate to a potential drawdown of £0.574m in 2023/24 from the amounts set aside for “Our Ambition”. 3. Measures of success 3.1 The successful delivery of the HRA capital programmes, providing high quality housing stock. 4. Supporting documentation 4.1 Appendix 1 – 2023/24 HRA Capital Programme – Mainstream Budget Monitoring Period 6 Appendix 2 – 2023/24 HRA Capital Programme – New Build / Council Buy Back Scheme Budget Monitoring Period 6 Andrew McPherson Depute Chief Executive Page 178 of 196
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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? Financial impacts are outlined throughout the report. 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 ☐ 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? Page 179 of 196
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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? 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? All activities undertaken by the Council are subject to risk, and in acknowledging the Council’s approved Risk Management Strategy, Services managed these as part of their overall corporate and service planning processes. The current economic climate, in particular, has the potential to impact upon the Council’s ability to provide quality services within the approved budget levels. To reduce other financial risks, this report was prepared by service based Finance personnel in consultation with budget managers, in accordance with the Financial Regulations 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 180 of 196
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Appendix 1 Page 181 of 196
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Appendix 2 Page 182 of 196
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Housing Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref GT/JM Date 08/11/23 Enterprise & Communities – Capital Monitoring Report From Andrew McPherson, Depute Chief Executive E-mail telferg@northlan.gov.uk Telephone Greg Telfer, Business Finance Manager, 07583 010692 1. Background 1.1 Financial year 2023/24 is the third year of the 5 year capital programme which was initially approved by the Policy and Strategy Committee on 18 March 2021. 1.2 The Enterprise and Communities 2023/24 capital programme of £190.796m was approved by the Policy and Strategy Committee on 16 March 2023. The programme has since been increased by £22.403m relating to carry forwards from 2022/23 and Executive Summary This report highlights the financial performance of 2023/24 Enterprise and Communities capital programme for the period ended 15 September 2023 (Period 6). In summary the Service has a total capital budget of £154.265m. At this stage in the financial year the service expects expenditure to be £13.631m lower than current programme. Further explanation of project variances and management action taken by the Service is included within the main report and attached appendices. Recommendations It is recommended that the Committee: (1) Acknowledges the financial position of the 2023/24 Enterprise and Communities capital programme. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Improve economic opportunities and outcomes Ambition statement (25) Ensure intelligent use of data and information to support fully evidence based decision making and future planning Programme of Work Statutory / corporate / service requirement Item 16(b) Page 183 of 196
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reduced external funding £4.084m. Reprofiling of £55.049m to future years was approved at the Housing Committee on 30 August 2023. A further transfer between services of £0.200m was actioned. This results in a revised working capital budget of £154.265m. 1.3 The Council’s approved Financial Regulations required services to remain within their approved budgetary provision, and to report all significant deviations – defined as the higher of £0.100m or 5% - within their budget monitoring reports. Where significant deviations were identified, services must provide explanatory commentary, outline the action required to rectify such deviations and where relevant, must also highlight the impact this has on other budget headings. 2. Report 2.1 At Period 6 the service is projecting that expenditure will be £13.631m less than budget for the current financial year. Capital budgets and expenditure are summarised into Project/Themes (see Appendix A). 2.2 Assets & Procurement (£8.046m less than budget) Within the Town and Community Hub theme there is a variance of £4.347m mainly in relation to St Kevin’s Community Hub where the Council is currently in Stage 2 of development and in the final stages of market testing. Additional site monitoring is required in support of the planning application. The Outdoor Education theme is forecasting a variance of £2.938m. The Service is concluding site investigation and feasibility work in relation to four pitch projects that were funded from Council Growth funds. These projects will span into next financial year when the majority of the spend will take place at the construction phase. The ASN Rationalisation theme is forecasting a variance of £2.802m. The Service is currently issuing tender documents for interest in the Edward Lawson Centre project to determine if this project is within the current budget allocation and as a result this project is now likely to span into the new financial year. The 1140 Early Learning theme is also forecasting a variance of £0.434m as the Service is experiencing difficulties with the current contractor and actively seeking a new solution to deliver the Heathery Park project. Within the Office Rationalisation theme there is a timing delay resulting in a forecast variance of £2.223m. Works to the Civic are under review due to increased contractor costs. Various projects continue to be considered and progress continues to be made on the closure of Fleming House where negotiations are well underway on the relocation of antenna to allow the demolition to then be scheduled. These variances have been partially offset by additional expenditure and acceleration throughout the remainder of the programme. Within the Maintaining Existing Assets theme additional expenditure of £3.296m is forecast. This is largely attributable to re- roofing projects (£2.583m) where there have been additional costs for asbestos removal and acceleration of works on other sites. In addition, the service has sought to accelerate works on school re-roofing projects to minimise disruption within the school term time. There is also additional in-year expenditure of £1.182m forecast within the Carbon Management theme. As part of the Council’s commitment to achieve net zero Page 184 of 196
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emissions capital funds are allocated for delivery of projects through the Non Domestic Energy Efficiency framework (NDEE). The NDEE project includes a wide range of energy measures that will contribute to the mitigation of ongoing financial burdens, both revenue and capital and reductions in the Council’s carbon footprint. The measures include upgrades that will add to the comfort of the buildings via improved lighting and centralised heating controls bringing an added value to the occupants such as school children. The NDEE framework benefits from external support which assists with the pace of delivery and eases pressure on Council resource. It is also a key lever in the Council Climate Plan. Therefore, it has been deemed necessary to accelerate future budget allocations. The Leisure Development theme is forecasting accelerated expenditure of £0.247m in total across a number of upgrades. The demolition theme is forecasting additional in-year expenditure of £0.135m as funds have been accelerated in order to dispose of surplus properties as efficiently as possible. 2.3 Community Operations (£5.738m less than budget) The Cemeteries Theme is forecasting a variance of £4.163m which is largely attributable to the replacement cemetery at Pather where the Service is awaiting a tender return to determine if the project is still within the current budget allocation and confirm the timeline for the project. It is anticipated expenditure will fall largely into the new financial year. The Parks Master Plan theme is also reporting a variance of £1.541m as a result of delays in the announcement from the Scottish Government for the Green Growth Accelerator project. Given this delay it is anticipated that the contingency element of the project will not be required until the new financial year. 2.4 Place (£0.153m more than budget) Within City Deal, an in-year variance of £0.153m is projected reflecting current contract progress expectations. 3. Measures of success 3.1 The Service aim is to be in a balanced budget position at financial year-end and will take current reprofile requests to Committee. 4. Supporting documentation 4.1 Appendix 1 Summary Expenditure by Project/Theme Andrew McPherson Depute Chief Executive Page 185 of 196
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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? The Service aims to operate within approved funding levels and utilise budget virements to support emerging issues and mitigate variances across budget heads. 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 186 of 196
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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? 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? 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? All activities undertaken by the Council are subject to risk, and in acknowledging the Council’s approved Risk Management Strategy, Services managed these as part of their overall corporate and service planning processes. The current economic climate, in particular, has the potential to impact upon the Council’s ability to provide quality services within approved budget levels. 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). Page 187 of 196
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If Yes, has a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) been carried out? Yes ☐ No ☐ Page 188 of 196
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Appendix 1 Enterprise & Communities Capital Programme 2023/24 Theme Expenditure Summary 1st April 2023 - 15th September 2023 (PERIOD 6) Thematic Category Revised Budget £ Actual £ Committed £ Uncommitted £ Projected Outturn £ Outturn variance £ ASSET & PROCUREMENT SOLUTIONS Maintaining Existing Assets - windows, re-roofing, re-wiring and condition survey works for the Council's building assets 9,510,204 6,302,240 11,198,523 1,607,404 12,805,927 (3,295,723) Carbon Management 2,326,512 83,364 3,283,365 224,824 3,508,189 (1,181,677) Office Rationalisation 2,967,842 157,281 480,286 264,672 744,958 2,222,884 Shared Campus 0 0 0 - 0 0 Leisure Development 647,669 672,589 695,595 200,066 895,661 (247,992) Health & Wellbeing & Digital Classrooms 225,000 252,907 252,830 - 252,830 (27,830) Rationalisation including ASN & Social Work 4,534,425 259,571 364,667 1,367,624 1,732,291 2,802,134 Curriculum Development 695,311 384,987 384,987 99,129 484,116 211,196 Sustainable Estate 2,548,759 698,575 1,872,322 418,402 2,290,724 258,035 Outdoor Education and Outdoor Spaces 3,568,666 470,927 501,380 128,434 629,814 2,938,852 Future Capital Receipts Investments 869,749 113,323 678,999 190,750 869,749 0 Design Fees 1,417,101 801,953 1,696,045 - 1,696,045 (278,944) 1140 Early Learning and Childcare Expansion 953,737 71,397 71,397 448,807 520,204 433,533 Demolitions 460,159 356,287 595,693 - 595,693 (135,534) TOTAL ASSET & PROCUREMENT SOLUTIONS 30,725,134 10,625,400 22,076,090 4,950,111 27,026,201 3,698,934 TOWN AND COMMUNITY HUBS Town and Community Hubs 28,948,123 11,361,850 17,010,861 7,590,569 24,601,431 4,346,692 TOTAL TOWN AND COMMUNITY HUBS 28,948,123 11,361,850 17,010,861 7,590,569 24,601,431 4,346,692 COMMUNITY OPERATIONS Contaminated Land and Pollution Control 296,170 80,677 80,677 215,493 296,170 0 Vehicle Replacement Programme 4,020,068 1,178,171 1,674,671 2,345,397 4,020,068 0 Depot Rationalisation and Investment 5,900,935 2,082,362 3,707,958 2,192,977 5,900,935 0 HWRC Equipment 269,923 88,065 128,571 141,352 269,923 0 Cemeteries/Tree Infrastructure 5,041,200 614,792 727,866 150,443 878,309 4,162,891 Road Asset Management including street lighting, road improvements and gateway signage 12,993,813 4,119,595 9,771,511 3,222,302 12,993,813 0 Greenspace Infrastructure Health & Wellbeing 1,520,527 339,390 753,227 734,189 1,487,415 33,112 Play Area Equipment and surface renewal 240,485 52,358 52,358 188,127 240,485 0 Bin rationalisation project and replacement 126,955 0 0 126,955 126,955 0 Replacement of Plant & Machinery 735,531 227,670 467,352 267,264 734,616 915 Parks Masterplans 3,310,879 507,244 855,065 914,613 1,769,678 1,541,201 TOTAL COMMUNITY OPERATIONS 34,456,486 9,290,322 18,219,255 10,499,113 28,718,368 5,738,119 PLACE Economic Regeneration 26,835,941 11,544,873 16,529,889 10,306,053 26,835,942 (1) City Deal 19,942,442 8,833,047 13,068,153 7,000,698 20,068,851 (126,409) Enterprise Projects 1,560,524 585,977 661,086 926,013 1,587,099 (26,575) Infrastructure & Transportation Improvements 11,719,350 3,946,640 9,183,689 2,535,661 11,719,350 0 Antonine Wall Project 30,103 0 0 30,103 30,103 0 TOTAL PLANNING & REGENERATION 60,088,360 24,910,537 39,442,817 20,798,528 60,241,345 (152,985) HOUSING PROPERTY & PROJECTS Water Quailty / Ventilation 47,187 22,076 22,076 25,111 47,187 0 TOTAL HOUSING PROPERTY & PROJECTS 47,187 22,076 22,076 25,111 47,187 0 TOTAL ENTERPRISE & COMMUNITIES 154,265,290 56,210,185 96,771,100 43,863,432 140,634,532 13,630,760 YTD OUTTURN Page 189 of 196
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Housing Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref BL/SS Date 08/11/23 Housing and Corporate Repairs and Maintenance Contract and Gas Central Heating Repairs and Maintenance Contracts – Short Term Extension From Chief Officer of Housing Property Services E-mail laffertyb@northlan.gov.uk Telephone Siobhan Starbuck, Contract Support Manager – 07583 062739 Executive Summary Committee is asked to acknowledge the application of a short term extension for the continued delivery of the Housing and Corporate Repairs and Maintenance services (the ‘Contract’) to Mears Scotland LLP. The extension covers the existing agreement which will commence on expiry of the existing contract (21st January 2024) for up to 6 months. The value of this Contract extension is estimated at Twenty-seven million five hundred thousand pounds sterling (£27,500,000) exclusive of VAT. Committee is also asked to acknowledge the application a short term extension for the continued delivery of the Gas Central Heating Repairs and Maintenance services (the ‘Contract’) to Saltire Facilities Management Limited. The extension covers the existing agreement and will commence on expiry of the existing contract (7th January 2024) for up to 6 months. The value of the Contract is estimated at four million, two hundred and fifty thousand pounds sterling (£4,250,000) exclusive of VAT. Members are advised that the Council at its meeting on 17 August 2023 agreed that, in order to allow sufficient time for the procurement to conclude and the new contract to be mobilised, the current contracts be extended for a short period of time, of between three and six months, beyond their January 2024 expiry date and authority be delegated to the Chief Executive to finalise the detail and period of the contract extensions. Item 17 Page 191 of 196
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1. Background 1.1 The initial period of the Housing and Corporate Repairs and Maintenance contract and the Gas Central Heating Repairs and Maintenance contracts expired in January 2021, with the option to extend for a further 3 years. 1.2 The extensions from January 2021 to January 2024 have been previously agreed by committee. 1.3 Members are advised that the Council at its meeting on 17 August 2023 agreed that, in order to allow sufficient time for the procurement to conclude and the new contract to be mobilised, the current contracts be extended for a short period of time, of between three and six months, beyond their January 2024 expiry date and authority be delegated to the Chief Executive to finalise the detail and period of the contract extensions. 1.4 The contractors proposed for these works are the incumbents. 2. Report 2.1 The vehicle to implement the extension was in accordance with General Contract Standing Orders (GCSO's) 38 and Regulation 72 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015. The value of the extension for the Housing and Corporate Repairs and Maintenance services has value of approximately £4,600,000 per month, it is anticipated that this agreement will be in place for up to 6 months, therefore the anticipated value of the negotiated tender is £27,500,000. 2.2 The value of the extension for the Gas Central Heating Repairs and Maintenance services has value of approximately £710,000 per month, it is anticipated that this agreement will be in place for up to 6 months, therefore the anticipated value of the negotiated tender is £4,250,000. Recommendations It is recommended that the Housing Committee: 1) Acknowledges the application of a short term extension to Mears Scotland LLP for the continued delivery of the Housing and Corporate Repairs and Maintenance contract for a period of up to 6 months. 2) Acknowledges the application of a short term extension to Saltire Facilities Management Limited for the continued delivery of the Gas Central Heating contract for a period of up to 6 months. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority Support all children and young people to realise their full potential Ambition statement (1) Ensure a housing mix that supports social inclusion and economic growth Programme of Work Statutory / corporate / service requirement Page 192 of 196
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2.3 The Enterprise contract will see approximately 42 contracts transition under the one delivery vehicle. A number of contracts that will transition have statutory compliance implications, therefore it is critical that service continuity is maintained. 2.4 The majority of the contracts within the scope of the Enterprise contract have been reprocured in the past few years, the duration of the contracts was designed to align with the commencement of the new contract. A number of short-term measures have been implemented in line with GCSO 3.2.5 (direct award by Chief Officer) to ensure service continuity is maintained. 2.5 The mobilisation of the transitioning contracts will need to be agreed with the successful bidder once the procurement process for the new Enterprise Strategic Vehicle has concluded. Further short-term measures may have to be determined based on when the contracts can be mobilised by the bidder. 2.6 The costs associated with contract delivery will be contained within the HRA budget. 3. Measures of success 3.1 Continuity of service is maintained; 3.2 The procurement procedures are compliant with procurement legislation and internal policies; 3.3 Best Value is both demonstrable and achieved. 4. Supporting documentation 4.1 Not applicable. Brian Lafferty Chief Officer Housing Property Services Page 193 of 196
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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? 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? Legal risk exists due reliance on regulation 72 of the Public Contracts (Scotland) Regulations 2015. 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 194 of 196
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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? 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? 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 exist surrounding the mobilisation of the new Enterprise Strategic Vehicle, service continuity is critical for a number of contracts that are expected to transition into the new contract, details of when transition will occur is not yet known, therefore the service are continuing to procure and direct award interim measures to ensure continuity of service is achieved. 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 195 of 196
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