Agenda Document Pack - Policy and Strategy Committee - 26/09/2024
North Lanarkshire Council · 26 September 2024
Back to Policy and Strategy Committee — 26 September 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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17 September 2024 Members of the Policy and Strategy 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 Policy and Strategy Committee is to be held in the Council Chamber, Civic Centre, Windmillhill Street, Motherwell, ML1 1AB on Thursday, 26 September 2024 at 14:00 PM which you are requested to attend. The agenda of business is attached. Archie Aitken Chief Officer (Legal & Democratic) Members : Clerk Name: Mark Hamill Clerk Telephone: 07811294702 Clerk Email: hamillm@northlan.gov.uk J Logue, T Fisher, L Roarty, C Barclay, A Beveridge, H Brannan-McVey, A Bustard, T Carragher, C Costello, P Di Mascio, K Duffy, W Goldie, D Johnston, J Leckie, G Lennon, H Loughran, M McBride, L Nolan, G Robinson, A Smith, A Stubbs, R Sullivan, S Watson, G Woods. Page 1 of 236
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Agenda 1 Declarations of Interest In Terms of the Ethical Standards In Public Life Etc. (Scotland) Act 2000 Minutes 2 Audit & Scrutiny Panel Minute - 9 May 2024 Submit Minute of the meeting of Audit and Scrutiny Panel held on 9 May 2024 for approval. 5 - 10 3 Special Audit and Scrutiny Panel - 27 June 2024 Submit Minute of the meeting of Special Audit and Scrutiny Panel held on 27 June 2024 for approval. 11 - 14 Operational 4 Corporate Complaints Handling Procedure: Summary of Findings from Examination and Planning Future Improvementss Submit report by the Chief Officer (Business and Digital) summarising the findings from the examination into compliance with the Council's Complaints Handling Procedure 15 - 26 5 Automation and Generative Artifical Intelligence (GenAI) Framework Submit report by the Chief Officer (Business and Digital) setting out key activity with the 'Digital First Operations' theme. 27 - 72 Hear presentation by Chief Officer (Business and Digital) 6 Digital and IT Strategy 2024 2027 Update as at Setpember 2024 Submit report by the Chief Officer (Business and Digital) providing the first six-monthly update since implementation of the Digital and IT Strategy. 73 - 92 7 Media Policy Submit report by the Chief Officer (Strategic Communications and Engagement) seeking approval of the updated Media Policy. 93 - 106 Page 3 of 236
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8 Delivering the Programme of Work for 2023 to 2028 Submit report by the Chief Executive providing a six monthly update on the delivery of the Programme of Work to 2028. 107 - 150 Hear presentation by Chief Executive 9 Best Value Thematic Audit: Workforce Innovation Submit report by the Chief Officer (Business and Digital) presenting the outcome of the Best Value Thematic Audit on Workforce Innovation and how the council is responding to current workforce challenges. 151 - 188 10 One Place, One Plan - Governance update Submit report by the Chief Executive providing an update on the achievement of the financial savings to be delivered for 2025/26 in respect of the Chief Officer review, in relation to the Chief Executive's Service. 189 - 204 11 Strategic Asset Review and Investment Strategy (SARIS): Update Report Submit report by the Chief Officer (Assets and Procurement) setting out progress which has been made to date and the opportunities available in relation to the school and wider asset portfolio. 205 - 230 Contracts 12 Transforming Places - Chryston HS Extension - Contract Award Submit report by the Chief Officer (Assets and Procurement) (1) advising the status of the contract pricing and commercial activities for the Chryston High School Extension and (2) seeking approval to progress the Contract Award. 231 - 236 Page 4 of 236
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AUDIT AND SCRUTINY PANEL - 9 MAY 2024 1 9 May 2024 at 2 pm. A Meeting of the AUDIT AND SCRUTINY PANEL PRESENT Councillor Watson, Convener; Councillor B. McCulloch, Vice-Convener; Councillors Dunbar, Hughes, D. Johnston, Leckie and Robinson. CHAIR Councillor Watson (Convener) presided. IN ATTENDANCE Chief Officer (Business and Digital); Chief Officer (Finance); Principal Auditor; Strategy and Performance Manager; Chief Officer (Legal and Democratic); Chief Officer (Housing Management); Chief Officer (Housing, Property and Projects); Chief Officer (Assets and Procurement); Chief Officer (Strategic Communication and Engagement); Business Finance Manager and Area Community Partnership Manager; Technology Strategy Manager, Investment Manager and J. Boyd, Audit Scotland. APOLOGIES Councillors Brannan-McVey; Fisher and McLaren. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST IN TERMS OF THE ETHICAL STANDARDS IN PUBLIC LIFE ETC. (SCOTLAND) ACT 2000 1. There were no declarations of interest. AUDIT AND SCRUTINY PANEL TERMS OF REFERENCE 2. With reference to paragraph 8 of the Minute of the meeting of the Policy and Strategy Committee held on 7 December 2023, there was submitted the Terms of Reference of the Audit and Scrutiny Panel. Decided: that the Terms of Reference for the Audit and Scrutiny Panel be noted. STRATEGIC PERFORMANCE FRAMEWORK - PERFORMANCE REPORTING SCHEDULE QUARTERLY PERFORMANCE ASSURANCE REVIEW 3. There was submitted a report by the Chief Officer (Business and Digital) (1) providing the Panel with the outcome of the latest quarterly performance assurance review which was undertaken on performance reports submitted to Council Committees during Cycle 1 of 2024; (2) attaching, as Appendices to the report, (a) Chief Officer individual performance reviews submitted to Service Committees in line with the Strategic Performance Framework, and (b) Chief Officer Service specific performance reporting which took place to meet business and/or statutory obligations. During consideration of this item questions were asked in relation to (1) “what percentage of North Lanarkshire population has a master citizen record?” and (2) “how many service desk tickets were raised in relation to Education/School devices, and how many devices were not supported due to the age of the devices?” – (Councillor Robinson) Item 2 Page 5 of 236
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AUDIT AND SCRUTINY PANEL - 9 MAY 2024 2 The Chief Officer (Strategic Communication and Engagement) advised there were approximately 110,000 adults with a master citizen record. The Chief Officer (Business and Digital) intimated that she would pass the most up-to-date figure to Councillor Robinson. The Technology Strategy Manager advised that 50% of devices within the Education Service were unable to be supported due to the age of the device. Thereon, it was agreed that a Scrutiny item on the “critical systems/devices” would be added to this report, and reported to future meetings of the Audit and Scrutiny Panel. Decided: (1) that the composite overview of performance reporting, provided in Appendices 1 and 2 to the report, be noted, and the Panel maintain an awareness of each report within the performance reporting schedule for 2023-2024, and (2) that the report be otherwise noted. COMMUNITY BOARDS UPDATE REPORT 4. There was submitted a report by the Chief Officer (Strategic Communication and Engagement) (1) providing background to the establishment of the Community Boards; (2) demonstrating the links to The Plan for North Lanarkshire, and (3) highlighting, within the report, the Partnership work undertaken in progressing a variety of delivery mechanisms that surround and support the Community Board model, including Local Outcome Improvement Plans (LOIP). During discussion it was suggested that “items discussed at Community Boards needed to be more relevant and relatable to the general public, which in turn may improve attendance at the Community Boards” – (Councillor Leckie). The Chief Officer (Strategic Communication and Engagement) advised that LOIP priorities were being reviewed to ensure they remained relevant to each community and agreed to meet with Councillor Leckie and the Convener of the Audit and Scrutiny Panel to discuss this matter further. Decided: (1) that the significant progress made in establishing the Community Board model and associated local partnership delivery mechanisms be recognised; (2) that the ongoing development and evolution of the Community Boards and the work being undertaken by a variety of community planning partners to support the delivery of Local Outcome Improvement Plans and The Plan for North Lanarkshire be acknowledged and; (3) that the report be otherwise noted. IN-DEPTH REVIEW OF DIGITAL BROADBAND 5. There was submitted a report by the Chief Officer (Business and Digital) providing details of digital broadband deliverables achieved as at 5 April 2024 from the Digital Infrastructure Framework. Decided: that the current position be acknowledged, having considered the information presented in relation to the in-depth review requested through the Scrutiny programme. Page 6 of 236
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AUDIT AND SCRUTINY PANEL - 9 MAY 2024 3 CORPORATE INSURANCE PROVISION 6. There was submitted a report by the Chief Officer (Finance) providing details of the insurance cover in place for the Council through a combination of external insurance provision and self-insured elements; (1) advising that the Council was appropriately insured for the level of risk exposure it had and that by undertaking a tender exercise every three to five years, it could demonstrate that best value was being achieved, and (2) indicating that Members could be assured that the Council liaises regularly with other Local Authorities to ensure that the cost of premiums to the Council was in line with other Local Authorities. During discussion of this item a question was asked as to “what percentage of properties would be uneconomical to claim on the Insurance Policy because of the excess?” (Councillor Robinson). The Chief Officer (Finance) informed that she would provide a response to Councillor Robinson direct. Decided: that the insurance cover in place for the Council be acknowledged. RESPONSE TO PERFORMANCE REDUCTION SCORING OF SCOTTISH HOUSING QUALITY STANDARD AND ENERGY EFFICIENCY STANDARD FOR SOCIAL HOUSING 7. There was submitted a report by the Chief Officer (Housing and Property Services) providing the background to the Scottish Housing Quality Standards (SHQS) compliance process and information relating to the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH) (1) reminding Members that the Panel had requested a deeper dive into the reason the Quarterly Performance Assurance Review performance indicators had dropped for the SHQS, and EESSH; (2) advising (a) that the fall in performance over the last three reporting years was due to updates to the SHQS itself rather than a significant drop in the standard of homes in the Scottish social rented sector since 2019-20, with the three main revisions to the standard detailed within the report, and (b) that in 2022/23 North Lanarkshire Council’s compliance increased by 10% to 80.4% from 2021/22, with the increase predominantly due to work being able to restart on installation programme for the new heat and smoke detectors to the 37,000 properties; (3) indicating that for 2023/24 the Council’s SHQS compliance rate was projected to be 84% when reported as part of the Council’s overall ARC submission in April 2024, and (4) highlighting, within the report, the SHQS compliance process and the next steps. Decided: (1) that the report and supporting documentation be reviewed; (2) that the recent Scottish Government revisions and amendments to the SHQS and EESSH standard, which had impacted negatively on performance across all social housing landlords in Scotland, be noted. AUDIT AND RISK – RELATED ITEMS: ACTION LOG 8. There was submitted a report by the Acting Chief Officer (Audit and Risk) enabling the Panel to track implementation of requests and recommendations made by it in respect of Audit and Risk related items, with the action log, attached as an Appendix to the report, recording those requests and recommendations made by the Panel, and detailing when these had been addressed and/or were expected to be addressed. Decided: that the report be noted. Page 7 of 236
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AUDIT AND SCRUTINY PANEL - 9 MAY 2024 4 INTERNAL AUDIT: EXTERNAL QUALITY ASSURANCE REVIEW (EQAR) 9. There was submitted a report by the Acting Chief Officer (Audit and Risk) providing the Panel with the results of the independent External Quality Assurance Review (EQAR) of the Council’s internal audit function, which assessed compliance with the Public Sector Internal Audit Standards (PSIAS) (1) advising that the independent External Assessment concluded that the Internal Audit Service fully conformed with the PSIAS, with the attached report showing that the reviewer concluded that the Service was fully compliant with all aspects of the detailed requirements of PSIAS, and (2) indicating that the report contained an action plan, which included findings and responses, including planned actions which had been agreed by Internal Audit Management, and that providing updates on progress in the implementation of these improvement actions would be submitted to future meetings of the Panel. Decided: (1) that the report be noted, and (2) that further updates on the progress in implementing the improvement actions be submitted to future meetings of the Panel. INTERNAL AUDIT PLAN 2024-25 10. There was submitted a report by the Acting Chief Officer (Audit and Risk) (1) presenting the proposed Internal Audit Plan 2024-25 to the Panel for its consideration and approval; (2) explaining that, whilst the Plan had been presented to Chief Officers for consideration, responsibility for the approval of the Plan was the sole responsibility of the Panel; (3) setting out the background and context within which the Internal Audit planning process was undertaken, and providing a high-level overview on how Internal Audit resources would be allocated in 2024-25; (4) advising that it followed a well-established planning methodology, and (5) attaching, as the Appendix to the report, the proposed Internal Audit Plan 2024-25. Decided: (1) that the approach adopted to produce the 2024-25 Internal Audit Annual Plan be noted; (2) that the detailed list of proposed Internal Audit assignments for the 2024-25 Plan, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report, be acknowledged, and (3) that the 2024-25 Internal Audit Annual Plan, attached as Appendix 1 to the report, be approved, subject to the changes agreed by the Acting Chief Officer (Audit and Risk) arising from discussions with the Panel during consideration of the proposed assignments. INTERNAL AUDIT PROGRESS REPORT 11. There was submitted a report by the Acting Chief Officer (Audit and Risk) (1) providing an overview of Internal Audit activity; (2) reporting the results of Internal Audit outputs finalised since the last update to the Panel in February 2024; (3) highlighting the most significant issues arising from the completed audit work; (4) updating the Panel on other aspects of the work of Internal Audit, and (5) attaching, as an Appendix to the report, a brief summary of the scope, and the key findings of each substantive planning audit, together with a summary pack containing copies of these reports. Decided: Page 8 of 236
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AUDIT AND SCRUTINY PANEL - 9 MAY 2024 5 (1) the findings, conclusions, and recommendations of completed Internal Audit reports, together with the associated management responses be noted; (2) that the Acting Chief Officer (Audit and Risk) submit reports to future meetings of the Panel on progress being made in implementing agreed management actions in relation to all Audit recommendations categorised as high or medium, and (3) that the report be otherwise noted. INTERNAL AUDIT: FOLLOW-UP OF ACTIONS PREVIOUSLY AGREED BY MANAGEMENT IN RESPONSE TO AUDIT RECOMMENDATIONS 12. There was submitted a report by the Acting Chief Officer (Audit and Risk) (1) detailing the extent to which management had implemented actions previously committed to in response to recommendations in Internal Audit reports, where those actions were due to be completed by the end of March 2024; (2) advising that Internal Audit had concluded that 18 of the 29 actions agreed in response to relevant Internal Audit recommendations during the period had been fully completed, with ten having been assessed as partially implemented, and with one no longer relevant; (3) explaining that, of the eleven actions due in respect of External Audit outputs, five had been completed, one was partially implemented, four were not yet due, and one was no longer relevant; (4) attaching, as an Appendix to the report, commentary from management with details of proposed management actions, together with the revised target dates for completion of those outstanding audit recommendations where Internal Audit had assessed the residual risk as high or medium, and (5) attaching, as Appendices to the report (a) Internal Audit recommendations: Management actions assessed as “not yet complete” in this cycle; (b) residual risk rating definition, and (c) outstanding audit recommendations. During discussion of this matter a question was asked “although there was a marked improvement, if recommendations were over a year old could the relevant Chief Officer explain why this was the case?” (Councillor Robinson). It was agreed that the follow-up report presented by the Acting Chief Officer (Audit and Risk) would be amended to specifically highlight instances where Service action to address the recommendation was still outstanding but the original implementation date agreed by Management was over a year old. This will provide relevant information to assist the Panel’s consideration of the need for the relevant Chief Officer to submit a report on the matter and attend the next of the Panel. Decided: (1) that the contents of the report be noted, and (2) that the recommendations made by Internal Audit, attached as Appendix 1 to the report, be noted. NATIONAL FRAUD INITIATIVE – UPDATE 13. There was submitted a report by the Acting Chief Officer (Audit and Risk) (1) informing the Panel of the progress made to date by the Council in response to the 2022 National Fraud Initiative data matching, which had now been completed, and that preparations would soon be underway for the National Fraud Initiative 2024; (2) explaining (a) that the National Fraud Initiative was a data matching exercise organised by Audit Scotland, undertaken every two years, and was recognised as an important tool in preventing and detecting fraud, and (b) that the information enabled public bodies to follow-up matches on a targeted and prioritised basis to establish if fraud had occurred and to enable them to take appropriate action. Page 9 of 236
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AUDIT AND SCRUTINY PANEL - 9 MAY 2024 6 Decided: that the contents of the report, progress made to date and future planned action in relation to the follow-up of matches be noted. RISK MANAGEMENT UPDATE REPORT 14. There was submitted a report by the Acting Chief Officer (Audit and Risk) (1) providing an update on developments and changes in relation to the Corporate Risk Register, and other risk management developments, since the last update to the Panel in February 2024, with particular focus on changes to corporate risk scores; (2) reminding the Panel that the Corporate Risk Register was formally reviewed annually to ensure completeness and continued alignment to the Council’s strategic objectives; (3) advising that all corporate risks identified and agreed as meriting inclusion in the Corporate Risk Register, were subject to regular monitoring and review by relevant senior management, and that consideration of individual risks for both the Corporate Management Team and the Panel, in line with their respective governance roles, takes place; (4) intimating that a small number of additions and changes to scores had been made to risks included in the Corporate Risk Register and were highlighted within the report. Decided: (1) that the current scoring for risks on the Corporate Risk Register for 2023/24, as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report, be noted, and (2) that the information contained within the report, and respective risk management arrangements in relation to corporate risks and risks within Services, be noted. Page 10 of 236
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SPECIAL AUDIT AND SCRUTINY PANEL - 27 JUNE 2024 1 27 June 2024 at 2 pm. A Special Meeting of the AUDIT AND SCRUTINY PANEL PRESENT Councillor Watson, Convener; Councillor B. McCulloch, Vice-Convener; Councillors Brannan-McVey, Dunbar, Fisher, Hughes, Hume, D. Johnston, McLaren and Robinson. CHAIR Councillor Watson (Convener) presided. IN ATTENDANCE Chief Officer (Finance); Chief Officer (Business and Digital); Acting Chief Officer (Audit and Risk); Business Strategy Manager; Strategy and Performance Manager; Finance Manager, and Administrative Officer. APOLOGIES Councillor Leckie, and J Boyd, Audit Scotland. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST IN TERMS OF THE ETHICAL STANDARDS IN PUBLIC LIFE ETC. (SCOTLAND) ACT 2000 1. There were no declarations of interest. INTERNAL AUDIT ANNUAL REPORT 2023-2024 2. There was submitted a report by the Acting Chief Officer (Audit and Risk) (1) informing the Panel that the Public Sector Internal Audit Standards and the Council’s Internal Audit Charter required the Acting Chief Officer (Audit and Risk) to provide the Panel, the Chief Executive, and the Corporate Management Team with an annual summary of the work undertaken by Internal Audit, and with an annual independent opinion on the Council’s Corporate Government, Risk Management, and Internal Control arrangements; (2) explaining that the report fulfilled that requirement by providing an overview of the activities of the Internal Audit Section for the year 2023-2024 and by presenting, attached as Appendix 1 to the report, the Annual Internal Audit Opinion, and (3) advising that the Annual Opinion was unqualified and that the report offered a generally positive view of the Council’s Governance and Internal Control arrangements. The Panel agreed that the 2023-2024 Internal Audit Annual Report and associated Annual Opinion of the Chief Officer (Audit and Risk) be noted. STRATEGIC GOVERNANCE FRAMEWORK - ANNUAL REVIEW AND REFRESH 3. There was submitted a report by the Chief Officer (Business and Digital) (1) reporting that the Delivering Good Governance in Local Government: Framework required that, each year, local authorities test their arrangements against the Good Governance Principles set out within it by carrying out a review of existing arrangements, ensuring that their local Code is up-to-date, and reporting on compliance; (2) advising that, in this respect, the Strategic Governance Framework had been reviewed and updated; (3) presenting the updated Strategic Governance Framework to the Panel for approval in line with its role “to provide independent assurance to the Council and those charged with governance on the adequacy of the Council’s Risk Management Framework and internal control Item 3 Page 11 of 236
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SPECIAL AUDIT AND SCRUTINY PANEL - 27 JUNE 2024 2 environment”, and (4) intimating that the annual review process and refreshed Strategic Governance Framework were also key pieces of evidence used to inform the development of the Annual Governance Statement for 2023-2024. The Panel agreed:- (1) that the annual review, which had been undertaken to refresh the Strategic Governance Framework to ensure that each of the elements and mechanisms listed therein were up to date, be acknowledged and the review programme be updated and reported to the relevant Committee; (2) that the review programme be updated at an appropriate interval and reported to the relevant Committee; (3) that the Panel continue to carry out its role in respect of the Strategic Governance Framework, in terms of providing independent assurance to the Council and those charged with governance on the adequacy of the Council’s Risk Management Framework and internal control environment, and (4) that the refreshed Strategic Governance Framework be approved. ANNUAL GOVERNANCE STATEMENT 2023/24 4. There was submitted a report by the Chief Officer (Business and Digital) (1) informing the Panel that the Council was required to produce an Annual Governance Statement in line with the Local Authority Accounts (Scotland) Regulations 2014, and that this Statement was required to be included within the Council’s Annual Accounts and was subject to review by the external auditors as part of their year-end Annual Audit Report process; (2) attaching, as Appendix 1 to the report, the Annual Governance Statement for 2023/24, which outlined the Council’s governance arrangements for the previous financial year and demonstrated how the Council complied with the Delivering Good Governance in Local Government Framework (2016), and (3) advising that included in the Annual Governance Statement was the annual Internal Audit opinion from the Acting Chief Officer (Audit and Risk) on the Council’s internal control systems which concluded that “reasonable assurance can be placed on the adequacy and effectiveness of the Council’s Framework of Governance, Risk Management and Internal Control for the year ended 31 March 2024”. The Panel agreed:- (1) that the Annual Governance Statement for 2023/24 be noted, and (2) that the inclusion in the Annual Governance Statement for 2023/24 of the Assurance Statement regarding the management of the risk of fraud and corruption be confirmed. DRAFT UNAUDITED ANNUAL ACCOUNTS FOR THE YEAR ENDING 31 MARCH 2024 5. There was submitted a report by the Chief Officer (Finance) (1) informing the Panel that the unaudited accounts for the year ended 31 March 2024 had been completed and would be submitted to Audit Scotland by 30 June 2024 in accordance with the statutory deadline, and (2) attaching, as the Appendix to the report, the unaudited Annual Accounts for the year to end 31 March 2024. During consideration of the Annual Accounts, a number of questions were asked and it was noted that the Chief Officer (Finance) would respond to the elected members direct. Page 12 of 236
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SPECIAL AUDIT AND SCRUTINY PANEL - 27 JUNE 2024 3 The Panel agreed that the contents of the report, and the unaudited Annual Accounts which would be submitted to External Audit by 30 June 2024, be acknowledged. Page 13 of 236
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Policy and Strategy Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref LJ/JL Date 26/09/24 Corporate Complaints Handling Procedure: Summary of Findings from Examination and Planned Future Improvements From Katrina Hassell, Chief Officer (Business and Digital) E-mail hassellk@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 07903 096121 1. Background Executive Summary This report provides the Policy and Strategy Committee with the findings from the recent examination of complaints handling in North Lanarkshire Council as requested by members at their meeting held on 6 June 2024. The findings, based on a representative 10% sample of Stage 2 complaints received and concluded during 2023/24, demonstrate that while council services are generally adhering to the council’s Complaints Handling Procedure, there are opportunities to improve consistency and strengthen complaints handling administration. This includes responding to customers on the findings and outcome of the council’s investigation into their complaint and onward signposting to the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) if complainants remain dissatisfied. To this end, the report identified a series of improvement actions to be implemented during the remainder of this reporting year. The report also restates council guidance on when it is necessary to engage directly with a customer who is making a Stage 2 complaint to confirm the council’s understanding of their complaint and the outcome being sought. Recommendations It is recommended that the Policy and Strategy Committee: 1) Acknowledges the findings from the examination into compliance with the council’s Complaints Handling Procedure for Stage 2 complaints and endorses the planned improvement plan to address identified inconsistencies; and, 2) Endorses and restates the council’s Complaints Handling Procedure to mirror guidance in the SPSO’s Model Complaints Handling Procedure in relation to when it is necessary for the council to contact a customer to confirm the points being raised in their complaint and their expected outcome. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority All priorities 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 4 Page 15 of 236
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1.1. During discussion on the Minute of the Audit and Scrutiny Panel of 26 February 2024 at the meeting of the Committee on 6 June 2024, a question was raised regarding application of the Council’s Complaints Handling Procedure, and in particular the requirement to advise complainants of the outcome of the complaint in the stage 2 response. The Chief Executive and Chief Officer (Legal and Democratic) both confirmed that complainants are advised in the stage 2 response whether the matter has been resolved, upheld, partially upheld or not upheld. In addition, the stage 2 response signposted complainants to the SPSO should they wish to pursue the matter further. A commitment was given to providing further information to elected members on the application of the Council’s Complaints Handling Procedure, with this report now satisfying that requirement. 1.2. The Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) is the final stage for complaints about public service organisations in Scotland. 1.3. To support councils in administering, investigating and engaging with people who wish to make a complaint, the SPSO produced the local authority Model Complaints Handling Procedure (MCHP) in 2013 and this has been adopted as the standard procedure across all Scottish local authorities. 1.4. North Lanarkshire Council was an early adopter of the Model Complaints Handling Procedure and our, ‘Listening to You – Complaints Handling Procedure’ is aligned to the SPSO guidance and best practice. A customer-facing leaflet summarising the council’s procedure and providing information to members of the public on how to make a complaint is published via the council's website How to Make a Complaint_0.pdf (northlanarkshire.gov.uk). 1.5. The Complaints Handling Procedure provides examples of the types of matters that members of the public can complain about and the council defines a complaint as ‘an expression of dissatisfaction about our action or lack of action, or about the standard of service provided.’ 2. Report Complaints Handling and Classification 2.1. The council’s Complaints Handling Procedure aims to provide a quick, simple and streamlined process for responding to complaints early and as close as possible to the point at which we provide the service. The two-stage complaints process, with final recourse to the SPSO for independent external review where the customer remains dissatisfied, is summarised below. Stage 1: Frontline Response – 5 Working Days 2.2 Stage 1 is for issues that are straightforward and simple, requiring little or no investigation and where an ‘on-the-spot’ apology, explanation, or other action to put the matter right completes the investigation. 2.3 The complaint is resolved or a response provided in five working days or less (unless there are exceptional circumstances in which case we will notify the customer and the complaint can be extended to 10 working days). Complaints can be addressed by any member of staff, or alternatively referred to the appropriate point for a frontline response by the relevant service. Response is normally face-to-face, e-mail or by telephone (though sometimes we will need to put the decision in writing). The service dealing with the complaint will tell the customer how to escalate their complaint to Stage 2 if they remain dissatisfied. Page 16 of 236
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Stage 2: Investigation – 20 Working Days 2.4 A complaint is investigated at Stage 2 where the customer is not satisfied with the Stage 1 response, or refuses to engage at the frontline, or where the complaint is complex, serious or ‘high-risk’. The complaint is acknowledged within three working days. 2.5 The council will contact the customer to clarify the points of complaint and the anticipated outcome being sought, however, where these are already clear, we will confirm them in the acknowledgement letter to the customer to ensure our understanding is accurate. 2.6 The complaint will be resolved, or a definitive response provided within 20 working days following a thorough investigation of the points raised. In exceptional circumstances, and recognising the complexity of some matters, the complaint can be extended every 20 days and the customer duly informed. 2.7 In both of the above stages, the customer is advised at the end of the process that the complaint is closed and the matter has been resolved, upheld, partially upheld or not upheld. Independent External Review – SPSO 2.8 If the customer remains dissatisfied, having received the council’s final decision on a complaint at Stage 2, they can contact the SPSO. The SPSO will assess whether there is evidence of service failure or maladministration by the service provider in how the complaint was investigated and whether the council has adhered to our Complaints Handling Procedure. In relation to social work decisions the SPSO can also look at professional decisions. Sample Compliance and Assurance Testing 2.9 In response to the question raised at the previous Policy and Strategy Committee meeting seeking confirmation that Stage 2 responses provide the rationale behind the council’s decision on the outcome of a complaint, and wider discussion around good practice, Business and Digital has completed a sampling exercise of complaints to examine the extent to which services are adhering to the Complaints Handling Procedure. Sample Selection 2.10 The council administers and manages complaints received through a corporate Customer Relationship Management system developed as part of our digital transformation and hosted via Microsoft Dynamics. All complaints, regardless of how they are submitted to the council (ie via the website, Customer Service Hub, e-mail, hard copy, or in person) are recorded on Dynamics and assigned to the relevant service to acknowledge and action, including ultimately responding to the customer with the findings and outcome of the complaint investigation. 2.11 For the purposes of this complaints sampling exercise, it was agreed that a 10% sample size should be examined. As such a 10% sample of Stage 2 complaints received during the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024 was selected at random from across each of the complaints categories. The sampling included only inactive complaints (ie those that are closed) to ensure that the full end to end process, from acknowledgement to outcome notification, could be examined. Page 17 of 236
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2023/24 Stage 2 Complaints Total Inactive General Complaints Total Inactive Employee Complaints Total Health and Social Care General Complaints Total Health and Social Care Employee Complaints 467 79 30 17 10% Sample 47 complaints 8 complaints 3 complaints 2 complaints 2.12 Total sample size equals 60 complaints. Of these, however, two complaints were resolved on the day of submission, lessening the requirement for compliance with all stages of the Complaints Handling Process and one complaint was recorded as a Stage 2 in error and the response at Stage 1 was provided timeously. Scope of Examination 2.13 The above complaints and associated paperwork were examined in accordance with the Complaints Handling Procedure to identify where services complied with the following Stage 2 requirements. • Contacting the customer on receipt of the Stage 2 complaint to ensure the council has a clear understanding of the nature of the complaint and the customer’s anticipated outcome - where this information is not clear from the complaint itself. (Contacting the Customer) • Providing the customer with a detailed description of the council’s findings and decision on the complaint after the matter has been investigated. (Decision) • Providing the customer with the outcome of the complaint in terms of whether it is Resolved, Upheld, Partially Upheld or Not Upheld. (Outcome) • Providing the customer with contact details for the SPSO when the council’s handling of the complaint and investigation is complete, and our final decision reached and communicated to the customer. (SPSO contact details) • Providing the customer with a named officer should further contact be necessary. (Contact name in NLC) Findings 2.14 Appendix One provides the full results of the examination for each of the above requirements and the following paragraphs provide a summarised overview of the composite findings. Contacting the Customer 2.15 In just over half of all cases (52%) there was no need to contact the customer at the beginning of the Stage 2 process because the reason for the complaint was clear. For example, failure to empty household waste bin. 2.16 In 30% of cases, the council did contact the customer to ensure correct understanding of the complaint and the anticipated outcome being sought by the customer. 2.17 In three cases (5%), it has been established that there was no contact with the customer at the start of the Stage 2 process. In the remaining 13% of cases, however, there is insufficient detail provided in the correspondence or information held on Dynamics or by the service to confirm whether the council contacted the complainant. Page 18 of 236
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Decision 2.18 The council’s findings and decision on the complaint, having investigated the matter, were provided to the customer in 85% of cases. 2.19 The requirement to notify the customer of the council’s decision was not applicable in the three cases (5%) referenced at 2.12 above. 2.20 In six cases (10%), however, the nature and extent of the decision provided to the customer cannot be ascertained due to the response being provided by telephone in two cases and insufficient detail being uploaded to Dynamics for both these and the remaining four cases. Outcome 2.21 In 65% of cases, the outcome (Resolved, Upheld, Partially Upheld, Not Upheld) was provided to the customer. In 4 cases (7%) where the response was provided by telephone or resolved at the point of submission, it is not possible to confirm whether the outcome was explicitly stated to the customer using these terms. In 2 cases, insufficient detail uploaded to Dynamics prevents us from knowing whether the customer was informed of the outcome. However, in 22% of cases where the information is available, it can be seen that the customer was not explicitly made aware of the outcome as per the Resolved, Upheld, Partially Upheld or Not Upheld definitions contained in the Complaints Handling Procedure. SPSO Contact Details 2.22 Contact details for the SPSO were provided in 82% of the cases sampled. There are two cases where it is known that contact details were not provided: one of these cases was dealt with as a ‘request for service’ rather than a complaint, thereby removing the requirement to provide SPSO contact details; and in the other, the customer had advised that they did not wish to discuss the matter. 2.23 In the Stage 1 complaint that was inadvertently included in this sample due to the recording error referenced at 2.12 above, there was no requirement to provide SPSO contact details since the matter was dealt with at Stage 1. Similarly, and also noted at 2.12, two complaints were resolved at the point of submission. 2.24 Again, however, it is not possible to ascertain whether SPSO contact details were provided in 10% of cases either due to insufficient details being held on Dynamics or the response being provided by telephone. Contact Name in NLC 2.25 A council contact name was provided in 80% of cases. In 5 cases (8%) it cannot be ascertained whether a contact name was provided due to insufficient detail being uploaded to Dynamics. In 4 cases (7%), a contact name was not provided, however, in 3 of these cases the response was emailed to the customer providing a point of contact if required. The aforementioned complaints (referenced at 2.12 above) account for the remaining 5% of cases. Future Action and Recommendations Based on Findings 2.26 The findings show general compliance with the Complaints Handling Procedure, however, there are inconsistencies. Broadly speaking, compliance is around 80 to Page 19 of 236
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85% in terms of contacting the customer, providing details of the council’s decision, and providing contact details for both the SPSO and a named officer within the council. However, the compliance level dips in terms of clearly stating to the customer whether their complaint is Resolved, Upheld, Partially Upheld or Not Upheld. 2.27 In all of the categories assessed during this examination, the ability to draw fully conclusive results was impacted by insufficient details on some cases being uploaded to Dynamics by the relevant services. 2.28 The findings demonstrate a need for improvement intervention and further training to strengthen our procedures and ensure a consistent approach across all services in relation to how complaints are administered, managed and recorded. Importantly, there is a need to restate the council’s procedure and expectations in terms of engagement and dialogue with customers, including communicating the final decision and outcome to their complaint following investigation by the council. To this end, an improvement action plan will be developed and implemented during the remainder of this reporting year to 31 March 2025. Planned activity includes: • Sharing this report and examination findings with the Complaints Handling Network, which comprises designated officers from each service with responsibility for administering complaints, to emphasise the importance of adherence to the Complaints Handling Procedure. • Providing training on the Complaints Handling Procedure for officers and managers, especially where there have been establishment changes and in those service functions that typically experience high volumes of complaints (for example: Bins and Recycling). Similarly, training will be provided to services that were previously delivered by Culture and Leisure NL Limited since the former arm’s length external organisation was responsible for its own complaints and compliments handling arrangements • Ensuring universal and consistent use of Dynamics by all services for administering, recording and saving all complaints related correspondence, including file notes documenting the purpose and key messages of any telephone discussions/outcome decisions between council officers and customers. Training videos describing each stage in recording, updating and closing a complaint on Dynamics have already been produced. • Providing training and awareness raising on the role and statutory powers of the SPSO. • Ensuring that all officers and managers with responsibility for administering, managing and investigating complaints have access to the council’s Complaints Handling Guidance, model templates for correspondence and examples of best practice in managing and responding to complaints and engaging with customers. 2.29 Ultimately, the overall aim and guiding direction in rolling out the above improvement plan is to deliver a shared and universally applied commitment to managing and handling complaints effectively and in a responsive manner. Knowledge and confidence in applying the council’s Complaints Handling Procedure are critical at all levels across the council. Accordingly, the above improvement plan will also include tailored input to the council’s Operational Management Team on managers’ duties in relation to complaints - fostering shared ownership, responsibility and commitment at a senior level to meeting our obligations when addressing complaints from customers and people who use our services. Alignment to SPSO Model Complaints Handling Procedure Page 20 of 236
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2.30 This exercise and specifically examination of when it is necessary to contact the customer to ensure an accurate and shared understanding of the complaint, has also involved reviewing the council’s Complaints Handling Procedure to ensure it continues to reflect the Model Complaints Handling Procedure (MCHP) issued by the SPSO. 2.31 During 2018-20 the SPSO conducted a review of the existing MCHP to assess its effectiveness and usability. The updated MCHP which was published in January 2020 made a number of revisions including: • Merging local authority services into a single procedure; • Encouraging councils to ensure maximum accessibility for customers who may wish to submit a complaint; and • Introducing the new outcome category of ‘resolved.’ 2.32 Strengthened guidance in relation to when it is necessary to contact the customer at the beginning of a Stage 2 complaint was also introduced. Figure 1 below shows the relevant extract from the revised MCHP issued by the SPSO. Figure 1 2.33 Figure 2 shows the comparable extract from the council’s procedure. Page 21 of 236
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Figure 2 2.34 Both extracts illustrate that the requirement to contact the customer is only necessary if further understanding or clarification on the complaint and outcome being sought are required. If the points of the complaint are clear (for example “My household waste bin was missed – I would like my rubbish collected”) then we can confirm our understanding of the complaint in the acknowledgement letter. 2.35 Local authorities were required to implement the SPSO’s revised MCHP by 1 April 2021 and the council’s Policy and Strategy Committee approved adoption of the changes on 18 March 2021. In so doing, however, the report to Policy and Strategy Committee stated that complainants must always be contacted by the council at Stage 2 to confirm our understanding of the complaint. This does not reflect long-standing custom and practice nor understanding and knowledge held by officers who have operational or management oversight responsibility for handling complaints within the council. As such, we have made direct contact with the SPSO to reaffirm our understanding and obtain the definitive interpretation of the MCHP. The SPSO has confirmed that it is only necessary to contact the customer at Stage 2 if the points of the complaint and the outcome sought are unclear – otherwise, where clarity exists, our understanding of the complaint can be conveyed in the acknowledgement letter to the customer. Policy and Strategy Committee members are requested to endorse this restatement of the council’s Complaints Handling Procedure to mirror SPSO guidance and the MCHP. 3 Measures of success 3.1 Introduction of the planned improvements described above will ensure increased corporate understanding and adherence to the council’s Complaints Handling Procedure and in turn, compliance with our statutory responsibilities and best practice Page 22 of 236
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as recommended by the SPSO. The planned improvements will introduce greater consistency, improved administration and records management and ensure that complaints are handled effectively and responsively with improved communications and reporting back to customers. 4 Supporting documentation 4.1 Appendix 1: Detailed Findings from Examination of 10% Representative Sample of Complaints Handling (2023/24 Stage 2 Cases) Katrina Hassell Chief Officer (Business and Digital) Page 23 of 236
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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? 5 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 24 of 236
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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? Failure to provide efficient, effective and responsive complaints handling for customers does not reflect our statutory best value and complaints handling obligations. Moreover, the SPSO has a statutory oversight role to ensure that complaints are properly administered and investigated, with the findings and outcome duly reported back to the customer. The SPSO has the statutory powers to find a local authority guilty of potential maladministration where the SPSO identifies that the local authority has failed to observe and adhere to its adopted complaints handling procedure. 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 25 of 236
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APPENDIX 1 Detailed Findings from Examination of 10% Representative Sample of Complaints Handling (2023/24 Stage 2 Inactive Cases) Yes No N/A Don’t Know Total Did the council contact the customer at the outset? General (47) 13 General - General 26 General 8 60 Employee (8) 2 Employee 2 Employee 4 Employee - H&SC General (3) 1 H&SC General 1 H&SC General 1 H&SC General - H&SC Employee (2) 2 H&SC Employee - H&SC Employee - H&SC Employee - Sub Total 18 Sub Total 3 Sub Total 31 Sub Total 8 Did the council convey its findings and decision? General (47) 39 General - General 3 General 5 60 Employee (8) 7 Employee - Employee - Employee 1 H&SC General (3) 3 H&SC General - H&SC General - H&SC General - H&SC Employee 2 H&SC Employee - H&SC Employee - H&SC Employee - Sub Total 51 Sub Total - Sub Total 3 Sub Total 6 Did the council state the outcome? General (47) 31 General 9 General 1 General 6 60 Employee (8) 5 Employee 2 Employee - Employee 1 H&SC General (3) 1 H&SC General 2 H&SC General - H&SC General - H&SC Employee (2) 2 H&SC Employee - H&SC Employee - H&SC Employee - Sub Total 39 Sub Total 13 Sub Total 1 Sub Total 7 Did the council provide SPSO contact details? General (47) 37 General 2 General 1 General 7 60 Employee (8) 7 Employee - Employee - Employee 1 H&SC General (3) 3 H&SC General - H&SC General - H&SC General - H&SC Employee (2) 2 H&SC Employee - H&SC Employee - H&SC Employee - Sub Total 49 Sub Total 2 Sub Total 1 Sub Total 8 Did the council provide a contact name in NLC? General (47) 36 General 4 General 1 General 6 60 Employee (8) 7 Employee - Employee - Employee 1 H&SC General (3) 3 H&SC General - H&SC General - H&SC General - H&SC Employee (2) 2 H&SC Employee - H&SC Employee - H&SC Employee - Sub Total 48 Sub Total 4 Sub Total 1 Sub Total 7 Page 26 of 236
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Policy and Strategy Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref KH/SL Date 26/09/24 Automation and Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) Framework From Katrina Hassell, Chief Officer (Business and Digital) E-mail HassellK@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 07903 096 121 Executive Summary Technology can offer so many benefits for the people and communities in North Lanarkshire - it can support people to live independently in their own homes, it can enable seamless end-to-end processes to fulfil requests for service, it can mean vulnerable people get more joined up help when it really matters. It can provide a way to better use data to monitor and manage demand and improve the delivery of services to the public. It is key to connecting people and communities with place and through enabling quicker and easier access to essential care, supports and services, creates scope to improve quality of life by providing access to new opportunities, new ways of working, learning, and doing business. The Council’s approved Digital & IT Strategy 2024-2027 (‘the Strategy’) illustrates how embedded digital thinking and practice supports the Council to embrace available technologies to find new ways to interact with its communities – at pace and scale - to ultimately turn the Council’s overall ambition of inclusive growth and prosperity for all in The Plan for North Lanarkshire into a reality. A separate report on today’s agenda illustrates progress made to date on the Digital & IT Strategy 2024 to 2027. As members are aware, the Strategy and related Programme of Work (PoW) contain twelve key deliverables, categorised as: (a) Digital Culture, Leadership and Knowledge; (b) Improved Customer Experience; (c) Digital First Operations and (d) Performance Optimisation. This report is focused on the following key activity within the ‘Digital First Operations’ theme: Trends in and use of automation and AI are growing, with many of the Council’s vendors already advising of plans to embed within their future product roadmaps. It therefore isn’t a question of whether NLC should use AI, but more a consideration and assessment of where, when and how, whilst simultaneously developing governance and support mechanisms that balance risks against desired benefits realisation. In addition to defining the Council’s AI ambition, the framework attached for member consideration and awareness describes the background to AI and likely business and productivity opportunities (use cases). It also recognises that AI deployments can bring increased risk, and to that end, our framework details the governance and control arrangements being developed to protect the council as it looks to achieve its AI ambition. Develop and implement a framework that defines the Council's architectural model for artificial intelligence (AI) use, and which governs deployment of automation and GenAI use cases across the Council Item 5 Page 27 of 236
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1. Background 1.1 Reports presented to committee in recent years illustrate that the Council and the communities we support need to function in a modern digital world, which is fast moving, forever changing, and increasingly reliant upon technology for work, learning, business, and connecting with others. 1.2 As technology continues to play an ever-increasing role in the way in which service users, residents, and businesses live, learn, work, invest, and visit within North Lanarkshire both now and in the future, it is vital that the council - as a critical provider of public care, supports, and services - does all it can to keep pace with the development of technology, while improving the user experience, focussing resources on those individuals in the most vulnerable situations and most in need, and reducing the cost of service delivery to be able to do more with less. 1.3 The Council’s approved Digital & IT Strategy 2024 to 2027 (‘the Strategy’) provides direction on what ‘being digital’ means for the council and the services it delivers. It identifies key digital business trends and ‘technological’ PESTLE implications, with automation, machine learning and artificial intelligence (AI) solutions a recurring theme and area of focus. 1.4 Members are aware that the vision of a Digital North Lanarkshire also features as one of the seven priorities for delivery in the Programme of Work for 2023 to 2028. Through its twelve key deliverables and four themes below, the Digital North Lanarkshire PoW delivery plan (‘the delivery plan’) sets out a roadmap for developing a skilled digital workforce, providing digital leadership for an evolving North Lanarkshire, and promoting innovative, connected, and secure service delivery for our communities. (a) Digital Culture, Leadership and Knowledge (b) Improved Customer Experience (c) Digital First Operations (d) Performance Optimisation 1.5 Like the Strategy, the delivery plan includes requirements around automation, Internet of Things (IoT), and AI, with this report therefore describing the Council’s vision in this space, and the approach adopted – at this time – for setting that level of ambition. The framework attached for member consideration provides background information regarding AI and, Recommendations It is recommended that the Policy and Strategy Committee: (1) Consider the key elements detailed within the attached Automation and Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) framework. (2) Recognise the Council’s vision for GenAI presently focusses on creating productivity and operational efficiencies, and (3) Note the governance and control arrangements being developed to protect the Council and its information as we look to deliver on our AI ambition. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority All priorities Ambition statement All ambition statements Programme of Work Digital North Lanarkshire Page 28 of 236
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reflecting the level of ambition being targeted, also details some potential use cases and benefits. 1.6 Increasing use of automation does however increase the likelihood of Security Threats and Risks (STR). To mitigate against these, appropriate governance and controls are essential. Developments must be ‘secure by design,’ with our framework providing a model (Diagram One below) that allows business ideas and innovation to flourish, but also ensures that governance and control continues to operate effectively. Diagram One 1.7 For completeness, the framework examines some of the key generative AI (GenAI) technologies e.g.: Microsoft 365 CoPilot Studio, currently being explored and promoted to Council services via the Council’s Digital Centre of Excellence (CoE). 2 Automation and Generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) Framework. 2.1 Our framework starts with the basics: What is AI? What is Generative AI (GenAI), and why are organisations moving at pace to adopt it? Table One below includes definitions of each. Artificial Intelligence Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) Artificial Intelligence (AI) is the computational application of advanced analysis and probabilistic logic-based techniques, including machine learning (ML), to interpret and act upon patterns derived from large datasets. Generative AI refers to artificial intelligence techniques that learn a representation of artifacts from large, unstructured data pools. Generative AI can then create brand new, completely original artifacts at scale, such as images, video, speech, text and more. Table One 2.2 The framework describes AI and its usage, highlighting that such typically range from reactive/basic AI - which responds consistently to the same input so cannot/does not anticipate future actions – to generative AI as defined in paragraph 2.1 above. The Council previously explored reactive AI through its original DigitalNL programme, introducing Robotic Process Automation (RPA) initially within Financial Solutions during 2020-21 for Page 29 of 236
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high volume, repetitive and manually intensive tasks such as community care grant applications. 2.3 Whilst our RPA journey is still live, the emergence of ChatGPT in 2022-23 created an explosion of interest around generative models, with many industries and vendors rapidly moving to deploy and adopt the underlying technologies. Our strategy recognises that the Council must do all it can to keep pace with such developing technology, therefore, our framework and AI vision: 2.3.1 Detail business capabilities available through generative AI 2.3.2 Explore scope for generative AI to be deployed within the organisation, and 2.3.3 Describe the approach being adopted to identify and assess appropriate business processes/capabilities 2.4 Generative AI (GenAI) provides opportunities for us to be truly transformative, and to do more, and deliver better, with less. With tools such as M365 CoPilot available to employees with an existing M365 E5 licence, there is scope for the Council to deploy at scale. However, in recognising increased automation can fuel a higher likelihood of Security Threats and Risks (STR), our vision for GenAI presently focusses on creating productivity and operational efficiencies, with “better, faster, cheaper” processes and service delivery being our key aim. 2.5 To successfully deliver our AI ambition and vision, potential users (service managers, frontline employees etc) need to understand how such can support them to manage/meet day to day organisational pressures and ultimately achieve their required business goals, objectives and priorities. Although Table Two below illustrates examples of the use cases and benefits referenced within our automation and AI framework, we require clear ownership, governance and technical direction to be in place to ensure that deployment of ideas into mainstream activities doesn’t negatively impact the Council’s information integrity, data privacy or security. GenAI Capabilities Benefit to Organisation Content Creation and Augmentation Workplace Augmentation: AI in the general back- office workers toolkit, augmenting their ability to produce and edit content, and speeding up day to day tasks. With the potential to aid project and process delivery that conceivably can be considered as additional resource increasing productivity. Data Summarisation and Insights Smarter Policymaking: By analysing vast amounts of data, AI can provide insights that inform better policy decisions. This includes predicting trends, identifying areas of need, and optimizing resource allocation. Process and Workflow Automation Efficient Operations: AI streamlines processes, reduces administrative overhead, and enhances decision-making. It can help detect fraud, optimize infrastructure projects, automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks, and even triage cases. Workforce Productivity and Enablement Semi-skilled task capabilities: AI assistant technologies can support the ability to carry out some basic tasks with limited skill and knowledge that have previously been considered niche or highly skilled, for example, producing graphics and images, complex spreadsheet functionality etc. Page 30 of 236
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GenAI Capabilities Benefit to Organisation Forecasting and Scenario Planning Simulate complex systems that allow policy makers to experiment with different policy options and spot unintended consequences before fully committing to a measure or decision. Customer Assistance Reimagined Service Delivery: AI can enhance citizen services by automating routine tasks, improving response times, and personalizing interactions. For instance, chatbots can handle citizen queries, freeing up human resources for more complex tasks. Table Two 2.6 The Digital North Lanarkshire PoW – Communities Update report recently considered at the Communities Committee (19th August 2024) described the Digital Centre of Excellence (CoE) approach in place to encourage ‘citizen developers’ – employees within services rather than traditional ICT type developers - to use the products available within our M365 suite/licence (PowerBI, CoPilot Studio, PowerAutomate, PowerApps and PowerPages) to innovate and automate their day-to-day service delivery. In recognising this CoE already exists to support the development of use cases, user knowledge and expertise, our automation and AI framework confirms this will also be used to ensure appropriate information governance and security controls remain, thereby simultaneously facilitating the essential ownership, governance and technical direction requirements. 2.7 Although the separate report on today’s agenda - progress made to date on the Digital & IT Strategy 2024 to 2027 - describes our current efforts to use AI to develop a web-based Chatbot to handle customer queries (initially) in respect of Council tax and household waste services, and highlights an early practical deployment of our AI ambition and vision, members will wish to note such is aligned with the ‘opportunity approach’ detailed within the attached framework. 2.8 Diagram Two below illustrates that AI can either be ‘everyday’ or ‘game-changing’, with such being deployable – via use cases - to enhance a combination of internal and external customer-facing operations. Its key purpose is to aid the CoE to explore ideas generated by services / citizen developers, with each potential use case being mapped into one of the four opportunity zones following consideration of appropriate level of feasibility. Diagram Two – Opportunity Radar Page 31 of 236
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2.9 By way of an example, an idea plotted on an ‘inner ring’ of the opportunity radar diagram – such as web-based Chat assistants - has ‘high feasibility’, and is therefore worth progressing because: (a) The technology needed to deliver the change is ready (technically feasible) (b) The Technology needed is relatively inexpensive and will blend nicely into existing processes and workflow (internal readiness), and (c) Once deployed, the changed service is unlikely to present significant issues or concerns for external parties and stakeholders. 2.10 Given the largely statutory and regulatory nature of the Council’s operations, our framework focusses initially on ‘inner ring’ use cases which primarily fall within the front office and back-office zones. As outlined in paragraph 2.4 above, this level of ambition will enable us to target productivity and operational efficiencies, to achieve “better, faster, cheaper” processes and service delivery. This level of ambition also allows the council to gain maximum value from previous investments in its readily available Microsoft products and AI tools. 2.11 The framework fully recognises that all and any GenAI products deployed need to be used in a manner that balances risk and security with productivity and efficiency. To be more succinct, the use of GenAI cannot compromise Council systems or the information they contain. The framework provides examples of the Security Threats and Risks (STR) that can flow from adopting GenAI (e.g. hallucinations, data privacy, cyber risk to name a few), and then goes on to describe the controls, actions and measures required for the Council to ensure its GenAI deployments are “secure by design”. 2.12 As always, appropriate governance and controls are essential. Paragraph 1.6 and Diagram One above describe the governance model developed to allow business ideas and innovation to flourish, without comprising essential governance and control. Furthermore, as a key deliverable and sub-set of the approved Digital & IT Strategy 2024 to 2027, this framework also fully aligns with the requirements of the Council’s Strategic Policy Framework, most recently considered by Policy & Strategy Committee in March 2024, as illustrated in Diagram Three below. Diagram 3 – Detailed Governance Framework Page 32 of 236
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2.13 Diagram Three clearly summarises the key elements of the AI framework and toolkit discussed within this report, and more fully described within Appendix One. The diagram also looks to assist members to understand how and where the framework aligns to the Digital & IT Strategy and those other organisational and operational strategies that envisage automation and AI being used to aid the Council in delivering inclusive growth and prosperity for all. 3. Measures of success 3.1 Success will be evidenced through generative technology being efficiently and effectively deployed, in an agile manner, to support the implementation of the Council’s AI vision through new digital service delivery models and solutions designed to meet the needs of modern businesses and communities. 4. Supporting documents 4.1 Appendix 1: Automation and Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) Framework Katrina Hassell Chief Officer (Business and Digital) Page 33 of 236
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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 Equality / Fairer Scotland Duty Impact Assessment was undertaken when developing the Digital and IT Strategy 2024 to 2027. This assessment highlighted key impacts may exist for older people, low-income groups, those with a disability, and people who are homeless, asylum seekers or whose first language is something other than English. Deploying automation and GenAI solutions doesn’t materially change the impacts previously identified for the Digital & IT Strategy, therefore these will remain as an area of focus and consideration as we look to maximise the capabilities available through these technologies. In deploying our AI vision of ‘better, faster, cheaper’, the Council will look to ensure for example that we explore language translation / multi language functionality to make it easier for those whose first language is something other than English to access critical services. As previously noted in the Digital & IT Strategy to 2027, the Council will continue to use its Driving Digital Locally subgroup to consult local communities regarding the design and deployment of digitised council services to enable us to ensure that no one is left behind or digitally excluded because of our AI ambition. 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 ☒ Section 6.5 of the framework focusses specifically on people impacts and proposals for managing the ‘citizen developers’ which are anticipated within the Digital and IT Strategy. The framework does not however contain any detail regarding the wider impact which deployment of AI could have on the council’s future workforce plans. Chief Officers looking to deploy GenAI solutions are therefore expected to engage with the One Service and Digital North Lanarkshire Programme of Work Boards to appropriately future proof their workforce and digital transformation plans. 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 ☒ Page 34 of 236
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The Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) produced a White Paper proposing rules for general purpose AI in 2023, but to date there is no legislation or single regulator in respect of AI use within the United Kingdom. Within this White Paper, the UK Government has outlined the following five core principles for AI regulation. With a view to ensuring any future compliance with these key principles, they are addressed within the first version of the Council’s Automation and AI framework. 1. Safe, secure and robust 2. Transparent 3. Fairness 4. Accountability and Governance 5. Scope for redress 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? The Digital North Lanarkshire priority in the Programme of Work to 2028 envisages significant changes to applications, software, hardware, and connectivity, with all duly considered from a Digital First and Enterprise Architecture perspective through the key governance groups of the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG) and Data Governance Board (DGB). Section 4.3 of the attached Framework illustrates ‘narrow AI’ has been in use within the Council for several years with some of our key vendors providing products and solutions (e.g. Microsoft Defender, XDR Service) capable of being categorised as ‘reactive machines’, ‘limited memory AI’ and ‘expert systems’. Many vendors are now rebranding their solutions as having ‘Embedded AI’ functionality. The explosion of interest in generative technologies will see AI functionality increasing further, giving rise to a high likelihood of NLC having many AI instances spread across its portfolio of critical ICT applications. With this in mind, AI is a key focus and deliverable of the Digital First Operations steering group , with this first version framework essential for facilitating the Council’s ability to track and manage its AI solutions, usage and governance. 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 Page 35 of 236
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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? Providing digital services that offer online, anytime access to services will have a positive environmental impact across several important areas such as minimising waste and recycling, thanks to the limited need for paper forms. Automating workflows through GenAI will reduce the council’s carbon footprint by saving energy and reducing 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? Communication with all stakeholders will remain a key priority in implementing the Digital and IT Strategy 2024 to 2027 and deploying the roadmap and delivery plan in pursuit of a Digital North Lanarkshire. To assist in shaping our AI journey, Services had opportunity to attend Centre of Excellence roadshows held during July and August to understand where AI may help to achieve business objectives. In recognising that digital can often be seen as ‘a technical thing’, an AI expert from Gartner (a leading research and advisory company that provides insights, advice and tools for leaders in IT) attended the Digital North Lanarkshire Strategic Board meeting of 19 August 2024 to highlight a Chief Officer perspective of GenAI and provide non-technical examples of how GenAI, and ChatGPT in particular can be used to embed digital capabilities within services, care and support being delivered to our communities as they move through the ‘ages and stages’ of their lives. These sessions have assisted in shaping the content of the attached framework, but as outlined within the separate report on today’s agenda in respect of progress in achieving the Digital and IT Strategy to 2027, further work and further communication is essential for the Council to ensure that it deploys useful and ‘trustworthy’ AI solutions which comply with the ‘lighthouse principles’ described within the framework. Different iterations of the framework will therefore follow but will be tailored to suit the needs of each individual audience, including the Driving Digital Locally subgroup referenced at para. 5.1 above. 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? Paragraph 1.6 illustrates that automation can result in an increased likelihood of Security Threats and Risks (STR). Our framework for adopting GenAI reflects on Gartner’s top 5 categories of security threats and risks (STR) – highlighted overleaf – with appropriate controls also identified to minimise any further impacts on the existing corporate risks of: Information Security and Information Governance (current score of 20), ICT Operational Capability (current score of 20), Digital and IT Strategy (current score of 12), and Digital Adoption (current score of 20). Page 36 of 236
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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). Implementation of the Digital and IT Strategy 2024 to 2027, and therefore its key deliverables around automation and generative AI, is considered to have an indirect impact on children. In particular, article 2 (non-discrimination) and article 23 (children with a disability). It is recognised that the rights of the child, and the needs of certain groups, require to be considered throughout the journey to a Digital North Lanarkshire. This framework and its overarching strategy aim to make services more accessible, with opportunity to improve people’s lives though digital technology, solutions, and skills. If Yes, has a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) been carried out? Yes ☒ No ☐ Page 37 of 236
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Appendix 1 Artificial Intelligence Framework Author Grant Reid Contact Details Owner K Hassell Version Control Insert additional details of the document below Date 09/09/24 Version No. 1.0 Document Status Final Strategic Alignment Use the council business plan to identify the priorities and/or actions the project supports. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority All priorities Ambition statement (18) Ensure our digital transformation is responsive to all people's needs and enable access to the services they need Programme of Work Digital North Lanarkshire, One Service Page 38 of 236
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Table of Contents 1.Introduction .............................................................................................................................. 1 2.Purpose .................................................................................................................................... 2 2.1 Key Takeaways .............................................................................................................................. 3 3.Background: Definition and Types of AI ..................................................................................... 4 3.1 AI Definitions ................................................................................................................................. 4 3.2 Types of AI Deployments .............................................................................................................. 6 4.Generative AI Business Capabilities ........................................................................................... 8 4.1 How Can AI Help............................................................................................................................ 8 4.2 Use Cases and Benefits ................................................................................................................. 9 4.3 Early Piloting ............................................................................................................................... 12 4.4 Centre of Excellence .................................................................................................................... 12 5.Determining and Deploying an AI Vision .................................................................................. 13 6.Principles for Successful AI Usage ............................................................................................ 15 6.1 Stakeholders ................................................................................................................................ 16 6.2 Innovation ................................................................................................................................... 16 6.3 AI Ready Data .............................................................................................................................. 16 6.4 Technology .................................................................................................................................. 17 6.5 People ......................................................................................................................................... 17 6.6 Risk & Cyber ................................................................................................................................ 18 6.7 Governance ................................................................................................................................. 20 7.Summary ................................................................................................................................ 23 Appendix .................................................................................................................................. 26 1.Gartner Curve of Expectation ........................................................................................................ 26 2.Microsoft CoPilot Ecosystem ......................................................................................................... 26 3.AI Ready Data ................................................................................................................................. 28 4.Further Reading ............................................................................................................................. 31 5.CoPilot’s opinion for an AI Strategy ............................................................................................... 32 Page 39 of 236
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Page | 1 1. Introduction It is not a question of whether to use AI, but where, when and how, whilst controlling and quantifying the benefits realisation from it. AI is already available and in use across our personal lives, interaction with businesses and increasingly within the workplace as service providers incorporate AI into their offerings. It is therefore important that we take a strategic view on its impact into our organisational workings and put in place the appropriate structure that supports its development. Why do organisations want to adopt AI? A need to improve productivity and efficiency whilst reducing total cost are the main factors, however keeping up to date is a significant factor and can bring benefits in terms of the staff hiring and retention, whilst customer insights across those combined data sets can shape the structure and profile of organisational delivery. The hype around AI would lead you to believe that the promised benefits are easy to achieve. Research identifies that where technology is concerned AI is foremost in the thinking of business leaders and senior executives but is the hype being realised? In reality, the majority of organisations have difficulty in clearly articulating, never mind realising the financial benefits that are proclaimed. Many currently find it difficult to progress beyond discrete pilots across their organisation all the while hearing the clamour from software providers to adopt more, and pressured internal services concerned about being left behind and missing opportunity. See Appendix 1: Gartner Curve of Expectation Implementing the technology alone is not enough. It must be backed by a clear strategy and business processes that create the environment for the scaling of AI to succeed and importantly is able to demonstrate the return on investment. An AI strategy must not stand alone; hence it is a theme within the wider Digital and IT strategy 2024 to 2027. It must reflect the business goals and needs of the organisation and be informed by and aligned to business strategy; it must therefore constantly be reviewed to ensure it maintains alignment. That alignment must be bidirectional, as with the Digital strategy, opportunities in AI must be reflected in Business strategy areas. Enabling strategies such as Customer Engagement also have a relationship with the AI vision and similarly, they should inform each other. The ambition and vision for AI use in an organisation must be understood, in doing so determining the importance of AI in achieving business goals, manage organisational pressures, developing or maintaining service delivery must be defined. Identifying areas of relevance within the organisation and who the stakeholders are will aid the organisation in understanding its drivers, benefits, managing risk and adoption planning ultimately resulting in achieving value. To achieve demonstrable value with AI that offsets the associated costs requires an organisation to understand not only the technology but also data management, risks associated with use and their mitigations, the portfolio of AI in use and agreed governance. In doing so, it will then produce an appropriate level of AI understanding and awareness within the organisation that can help drive that value realisation. Page 40 of 236
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Page | 2 The Council utilises technology solutions from many vendors so it must be recognised that all vendors will seek to incorporate some level of Embedded (Native) AI into their solutions as such enables them to maintain market relevance and under the guise of additional functionality, many will use the opportunity to leverage additional charges. It is therefore foreseeable that the use of AI will extend beyond an AI Solutions repository. This presents opportunity for silos, incurs duplication with additional cost and increases risk across cyber security, data management and strategic planning. It is clearly important that our ambition for the use of these technologies can be realised to achieve associated benefits, but that ambition must not be caught up in the hype and commercial marketing. To recognise the true potential we must apply appropriate governance and control that provides agility and access across the organisation, enabling service areas to benefit from enhanced tooling whilst managing the risks and costs of deploying them. 2. Purpose The purpose of an AI Framework is to provide the guiderails to aid the Council in successfully managing both its adoption of AI and transitioning to being an organisation that knowingly and by default has AI in its toolkit to aid in delivering services. Ultimately the framework looks to promote the same basic principles applied through the Digital and IT Strategy and reflected within our Enterprise Architecture Principles, which can be summarised at the following high-level: To this, we can add the requirement of developing an AI aware, knowledgeable and Skilled Workforce. This framework is intended to support the need for innovation whilst providing an adequate set of controls. In producing this first version framework, guidance has been taken from the National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC), Scottish Government AI playbook, UK Government Digital Service and Gartner (a leading research and advisory company that provides insights, advice and tools for leaders in IT). Business Driven, Standardised, Efficient, Reusable, Owned, Responsible Sustainable Page 41 of 236
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Page | 3 2.1 Key Takeaways for an AI Strategy Maintain alignment with business strategies Fully align with business goals Establish responsibility for AI in general and each AI instance. Establish best practice for AI implementation Identify benefits realisation process and reporting Identify key value opportunities understand the data requirements used to train and operate an AI Define how AI requirements are captured and evaluated Establish templated designs for AI delivery Create a portfolio of AI initiatives Set priorities in key business areas to deliver Identify and manage associated risks Create and manage an AI solution repository Develop and maintain an AI operating model Develop and manage AI capabilities Manage software application suppliers use of AI Ensure robust testing of algorithms Ensure they are unbiased, ethical and explainable Define the roles and responsibilities in supporting the AI ecosystem Be an Intelligent Consumer of AI not a builder Page 42 of 236
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Page | 4 3.Background: Definitions and Types of Artificial Intelligence (AI) 3.1 AI Definitions In determining a vision for AI within the organisation it is worthwhile outlining AI types and their usage. There are many opinions and models with differing terminology but in general they settle on an initial 3-tier model based on capability: Narrow AI Machine Learning Specialises in one area Developing General AI Machine Intelligence As smart as a human Conceptual Super AI Machine Consciousness Smarter than a human Conceptual The latter 2 remain theoretical at this time, with Narrow AI generally defined across the following functional areas: Diagram 1: Narrow AI functional areas Some of these functional areas have been in use for a good number of years. Reactive Machines, and Expert systems (NLP, RPA, for example) like all technology areas they have seen significant improvements in the last few years, with Computer Page 43 of 236
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Page | 5 vision and NLP being two areas that have become common in use across several industries. Limited Memory AI has vastly developed over this time and frequently is delivered via a blending of these AI functions, i.e. Chatbots, Self-Driving vehicles, Healthcare applications like digital diagnostic aids, MRI scan reviews, weather forecasting, etc. Whilst these examples are in common use and have been about for a while, the explosion in interest in AI really is over the last 18 months and is centred around Generative AI; this references AI functions that can produce content such as text, images, video, sound and coding. Most Generative AI tools work within specific domains carrying out specific tasks. These AI tools are built upon machine learning (ML) where a system uses “learning from” patterns of data to solve a problem, produce a thing without being explicitly programmed to do so, and this is the key to understanding benefits, performance and risk of the use of this type of AI. The source of the learning data determines the quality of the content produced, even systems pre-trained and educated for example Natural Language Processing when plugged into a specific solution can only reference the specific subject data it has access to, i.e. it may be very eloquent but still can’t answer your question. NLP uses Large Language Models (LLM) to generate its content. LLM are generally trained on large amounts of text-based data typically scrapped from the internet; this can be web pages, open-source reference materials and even social media posts. The process of checking the veracity or appropriateness of that data just isn’t possible so it is inevitable that incorrect and inappropriate content is included; the term AI Hallucinations has been coined where AI appears to be “confidently wrong”. The predominant area where AI has been established is in data analytics, where AI processing is capable of sifting through large volumes of data/stimuli, looking for or identifying patterns and linkages. To be effective the data must be available, relevant and AI ready, importantly the data must be understood from the context of governance and responsibility. AI personal assistants are an area that has seen significant growth. Many will be familiar with Alexa, Siri and Google Assistant used predominantly by individuals to perform specific tasks and answer questions. In the last 12 months or so this area has experienced a lot of development through the introduction of initially ChatGPT and subsequently many others. From a corporate business perspective Bing Chat and multitude of Microsoft Co-Pilot offerings are now available and offer functionality across the common business workplace experience, stating capability for online meeting summarisation, notes, smarter use across the M365 experience and the ability to aid composition creation. Another successful area is within Customer Services where the use of Chat Bots, text and voice are frequently used to support self-service and increase initial point of service resolution, allowing the human operators to focus on the more complex demands. Page 44 of 236
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Page | 6 Related to customer services is marketing and sales, AI usage has been taken up in these areas with creation of responsive branding, and customer analysis bringing insight and adaptability to this area for many businesses; use by council services can follow a similar line. Gartner - a leading research and advisory company that provides insights, advice and tools for leaders in IT, to which the Council currently has subscriptions to - refers to their Expectation vs Time graph1 as Generative AI currently being in the “Peak of Inflated Expectations”. hyperlink to appendix 3.2 Types of AI Deployments When developing a set of policies on the use of AI, its useful to further categorise them within four types of deployments: Diagram 2 – Types of AI Deployments Of these Embedded and AI in the Wild are likely areas where the council will utilise AI. In-house tends to be purpose built and limited to organisations with unique needs and very deep pockets Identifying how and when to use the others must all form part of the overarching AI vision and ambition. There is nothing wrong with the use of “AI in the wild” if a user understands the appropriateness of what they share and checks the veracity of what is produced. A key facet of using any AI is understanding the data source(s); publicly available AI uses publicly available data, thus when you share data with it, (even in the form of a question) that becomes a part of its data repository and learning, therefore we must be careful in sharing council or 3rd party data in this manner as such will then become open source data. Page 45 of 236
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Page | 7 Operationally it will be more likely that a council will interact with Embedded AI. As previously noted many software suppliers are jumping on the bandwagon of branding products with embedded AI. In many instancesc this is functionality that already existed and was in use, but a marketing opportunity has presented itself or in other instance suppliers are concerned about being left behind in their marketplace. Ultimately, we will see more suppliers incorporating AI functionality into their products which will present opportunity for the Council as a user to benefit from its AI capabilities. They will however be likely to come with an additional cost. A key concern here is the wide range of software solutions used across such a diverse organisation; without appropriate controls there is the distinct possibility of duplication, data silos, leaked data and unnecessary cost. Hybrid AI may become available to organisations such as a council but in general will come with expensive price-tags so is more likely to be marketed towards specialist sectors. An example of Embedded AI that is currently being piloted within the organisation is that of the Microsoft Copilot offerings, detail of which can be found within Appendix 2, and discussed within section 4.4. As is typical with Microsoft, there is a lot to understand in the continually developing ecosystem. What seems simple from the perspective of use as native tools embedded in our standard digital workplace quickly becomes convoluted as dependencies are uncovered; a useful diagram of the Microsoft CoPilot ecosystem and brief descriptions are contained within appendix 2. These CoPilot functions are currently available at cost as add-ons that can be applied to our standard corporate digital workplace experience. The traditional Microsoft marketing model will see the functionality of these add-ons being incorporated into standard product over time, with the standard cost increasing. In short if these tools and functions fit with the Microsoft business plan, they will end up being available in our environments no matter what. The Council will inevitably become a consumer of AI, it should however ensure it is an Intelligent Consumer of AI. It is extremely unlikely that the Council will ever strive to be a builder of AI. Page 46 of 236
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Page | 8 4. Generative Artificial Intelligence (GenAI) Business Capabilities 4.1 How can AI help AI in the public sector can offer many benefits, for example • Smarter Policymaking: By analysing vast amounts of data, AI can provide insights that inform better policy decisions. This includes predicting trends, identifying areas of need, and optimizing resource allocation. • Simulate complex systems that allow policy makers to experiment with different policy options and spot unintended consequences before committing to a measure • Reimagined Service Delivery: AI can enhance citizen services by automating routine tasks, improving response times, and personalizing interactions. For instance, chatbots can handle citizen queries, freeing up human resources for more complex tasks. • Efficient Operations: AI streamlines processes, reduces administrative overhead, and enhances decision-making. It can help detect fraud, optimize infrastructure projects, automate repetitive and time-consuming tasks, and even triage cases. • Workplace Augmentation: AI in the general back-office workers toolkit, augmenting their ability to produce and edit content, and speeding up day to day tasks. With the potential to aid project and process delivery that conceivable can be considered as additional resource increasing productivity. • Semi-skilled task capabilities: AI assistant technologies can support the ability to carry out some basic tasks with limited skill and knowledge that have previously be considered niche or highly skilled, for example: • creation of automated process with the M365 workplace • complex spreadsheet functionality • producing graphics and images *Note ability to create does not replace knowledge and experience. • Monitoring and Aggregation: AI may be the tool that enables the benefits behind IoT type technologies; the value in monitoring and trending of 1000’s of sensors is well established but the capacity to make effective use of rather than being another operational burden has been the challenge for many organisations. The power of AI to inform and alert will enhance operational functions by supporting real-time decision making and resource optimisation However, these do not come without overheads, responsibilities and risk, for example • Bias: AI systems can be biased, leading to discriminatory outcomes in areas like hiring, lending, law enforcement, and criteria-based decision making. Biases often stem from training data, so using diverse and representative data, implementing bias-detection processes, and prioritizing fairness are essential, as is ensuring a human makes the final decision. Page 47 of 236
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Page | 9 • Data Privacy and Protection: Handling large datasets increases the risk of data breaches. Ensuring robust security measures and respecting user privacy are crucial. • Decision Accountability: When AI makes mistakes, it’s unclear who should be held accountable. Establishing clear guidelines and monitoring systems for bias and errors is essential, as is the ethics of use and being clear when used • Compliant: Ensuring use of AI is compliant with relevant laws, ie GDPR, DPA • Environmental Impact: AI’s energy consumption and carbon footprint can be significant. Designing energy-efficient models and infrastructure is important. • Workforce Effects: Concerns include job displacement due to automation and the need for reskilling. Balancing AI adoption with workforce well-being is critical. • Over Reliance: Like all technology it can fail, so we must ensure that appropriate Business Continuity Practices (BCP) are in place. • Cost: The marketplace is awash with AI add-ons, organisations should undertake cost vs benefits analysis before committing to further cost. 4.2 Use Cases and benefits to the Council Understanding and categorising our various “use cases” will aid the organisation in determining its approach to AI adoption. Consider diagram 3, it has 3 main areas, the outer representing generic organisational functions, the middle AI technologies and tools, and the core AI service delivery opportunities. Diagram 3: Domains Page 48 of 236
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Page | 10 The outer ring is further divided into four segments that at a high level represent the organisation functional structure: Front Office Customer Interaction Customer Service Hub Receptions Back Office Service Supporting Administration, Legal, HR, Finance, IT, Democratic, Audit Core Capabilities Service Operating Delivery of all service functions Product and Services Tools and Resources Physical & software tooling Buildings & open spaces Sensors Table 1: Organisational Functional Structure The middle ring aligns high level AI technologies to those areas: Front Office Ease Interface Bottlenecks Aid the customer to self- serve, gather information to be served more efficiently, directed towards information and processes. Self-Service Chat Bots Virtual Assistants FAQ Back Office Increased Productivity Support productivity and efficiency M365 CoPilot Domain specific software AI Core Capabilities Compliance & Insight Understanding the usage, performance and inter- relationship in operational services Data management Power BI Strategic and Policy informing Product and Services Remove Tedious Tasks Tools enhanced by AI, Processes automated Interaction between tools Computer vision technology Building Management Automated vehicles Table 2: Functional Areas vs AI technologies Page 49 of 236
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Page | 11 The centre further groups AI capabilities into domains, whilst recognising that all incorporate embedded AI: Domain Specific AI Technology embedded into domain specific software solutions (i.e. Health and social care CRM), or tools and equipment used to deliver / enhance services (IoT sensors, automated equipment, Intelligent Personal assistants/Alexa, etc) Automated Task Delivery Use of functions such as Robotic Process Automation to handle repetitive back-office software enabled tasks and augment delivery on tasks such as video surveillance, Data Insight Manipulation of data to provide insight into performance, strategic planning, etc Workplace Efficiency AI workplace assistant technology such as CoPilot used predominately by back-office staff to be more efficient in their delivery of tasks. Customer Interaction Chat Bots, virtual assistants, etc Table 3: AI Capability Domains Page 50 of 236
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Page | 12 4.3 Early Piloting within the Council AI has been in use across the authority for several years, just not recognised as AI, and is now frequently subject to rebranding as added AI functionality. Some examples of existing usage are listed below: Microsoft Defender Limited Memory Anti-virus and malware tooling XDR Service Limited Memory Cyber Security Alert and event pattern recognition Community Care Grant RPA automated process flow Free School Meals RPA automated process flow BACS updates RPA automated process flow UC Data share RPA automated process flow DWP to Council Tax Microsoft Purview Expert System Set of solutions to protect and manage data Microsoft CRM Power Platform In use for a number of years supporting the councils CRM on MS Dynamics, operating as “Reactive Machines” these are automated processes carrying out repeatable tasks. 4.4 Centre of Excellence To further develop the use and understanding of newer AI functionality and establish the basic principles of AI management to apply to those tools, the Council established a Centre of Excellence methodology to explore and promote the practice of Citizen Developers. In doing so the Council engaged consultants from PwC and in collaboration developed a suite of complementary controls and playbooks that align with those set out in this document; links to those documents are contained within the appendix. The CoE provided the opportunity to develop an understanding of the operational support requirements of the tools and the processes, particularly around ideation creation, recording and evaluation. The CoE has raised awareness of AI and its possibilities in the workplace. This was supported by a number of roadshows that received wide ranging attendance and has hopefully created an appetite for use. Part of the delivery of the CoE was to create some proof-of-concept solutions that could add value and migrate into live services. To date 4 solutions have been developed and are progressing towards live deployment: Chatbot for FAQ’s Chatbot for general complaints Chatbot for household waste queries Data Asset management and reporting tool The Chatbots are intended to be deployed to the Council website for public use, whilst the Data Asset tool is an internal solution integrating with our BIHub data management facility. Page 51 of 236
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Page | 13 5.Determining and Deploying AI Vision The Domains model (Diag.3) is just that, a simple to view model. In reality, requirements and solutions will blend across the themes as the authority identifies opportunities that may benefit from utilising AI to augment service delivery. Some examples of these opportunities are shown below: Public Interaction The use of Chat Bots and virtual voice assistants are commonplace; the Council’s new contract for Telephony services incorporates that functionality and will see its introduction over the coming year. It also includes similar functionality for social media streams and email handling blending these into a central Customer Services Hub delivery platform. The use of self-service functionality for the public accessing information from the council, requesting services via webforms, initial triage of requests, licensing and bill payments and producing personalised correspondence. Marketing and Customer Engagement The ability to be agile and responsive in creating content for customer interaction will be extremely valuable to the Council. Utilising our own stock of content and utilising subscription-based content those in Corporate Comms and others involved in wider community engagement will be able to create video, graphics, branding, social media posts, email, etc that respond and reference news and social events very quickly. It will also do so in multi languages and be used to support those with additional needs. The data analysis tools will then be able to inform on the impact of those marketing strategies. Intra Council Service Delivery Function Areas such as the councils IT, Finance and HR services provide internal delivery functions and have a wide range of processes and documentation that support them. AI technologies will support self-service, access to process and documentation, order and invoice reconciling, etc Human Resources Delivery Beyond the service delivery function of HR there is also the aspect on onboarding staff, training (delivery and materials), compliance and hiring. These areas can all benefit from automated processes to aid in delivery and in content creation and adaption Legal and Compliance Using content repositories to draft documents and create training material, summarise legal documents and automate process flow. Page 52 of 236
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Page | 14 General Back Office Function Carrying out routine software driven tasks, creation of content and documentation, summarisation of digital documents, note taking and meeting summarisation are just some areas where AI can offer support. Additionally, data driven analytics will provide operational insight and inform data-driven decision making. AI will be beneficial to those with additional support needs in navigating the generic organisational functions used in the modern workplace, through functions such as speech to text and text to speech and visual aids (eye tracking technologies). Video Surveillance Monitoring, image and pattern recognition, building access, tracking and alerting are all functions that will aid this area, providing enhanced video search, threat detection supporting real-time monitoring and business intelligence. Assisted Living Tools such as Intelligent personal assistants and associated smart home devices will assist controlling their environment. Mobility, visual and other sensory enhancement aids can further support individuals both within their own home and across their local communities. Environmental Services AI supporting video capture and interpretation technologies can provide real- time data on waste collection functions, identify fly tipping, road surface quality, and space utilisation; sensors can inform on local environmental conditions, that can inform operational practices and strategic planning. Building and Space Management Analysis of IoT type sensor data can improve Building and Space Management Systems, inform space design and optimisation, support energy management, inform operational service patterns (space cleaning, bin emptying, etc). Further they can inform maintenance requirements that may extend lifespan, efficiency, etc. IT Development and Delivery Operational tools will support device management and deployment, supporting quicker deployment, fault resolution and device compliance, with increased availability and reliability. Access to generative coding practices will support software developers in producing and testing code, enabling more efficient delivery. Page 53 of 236
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Page | 15 Data Security AI pattern recognition has been used by Anti-Virus and cyber protection products for several years. The increased dependency upon technology for service delivery, more software applications and digital devices in use than ever before creates increased attack surface and vectors, coupled with the everyday nature of our consumption staff can become blind to the risk and responsibility in handling that data. The power of AI tools in this space to correlate across these areas will continue to be heavily relied upon to support data integrity and availability. Citizen Developers Using tools embedded within our Digital Workplace suite and domain specific solutions, operational staff will be able to use Graphical User Interfaces (GUI) to create simple workflows within the domain area that improve efficiency. 6. Principles for successful AI usage To be successful in implementing and managing AI within the organisation it requires a culture that understands AI is part of the toolkit in service delivery. An enabler to this is defining our lighthouse principles for AI. Diagram 4 highlights the core principles that have been discussed throughout this document and which therefore form the basis of the framework. Diagram 4 – AI Lighthouse Principles Page 54 of 236
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Page | 16 6.1 Stakeholders Ensuring we understand the stakeholders, their drivers and requirements is key to any service or solution, the use of AI is no different. Standard methodology for identifying, recording and informing stakeholders must be carried out. We must also be transparent in our use of AI and understand the consequences of its use; this can relate to source content used in creation and any subsequent liability and responsibility of use; alternatively, it can relate to automated decision making and pre-categorisation, further we have a duty to inform our customers when they are conversing with AI products. 6.2 Innovation To be successful any framework supporting AI must strike an effective balance between supporting and stifling innovation. Appropriate governance and risk management is required to protect the collective assets of the organisations and ensure alignment with compliance responsibilities; however, innovation is critical for the organisation to respond to the challenges it faces and the technological evolution of the marketplace. We must also recognise that not all AI innovation will be astoundingly game changing, (and hence require more intensive oversight), most will be everyday usage that relies upon background controls and appropriate knowledge and training. Starting with “low hanging fruit” that will be quicker to deliver benefits realisation, evaluating and learning from their success before considering more complex initiatives is a perfectly valid strategy. 6.3 AI ready Data As mentioned throughout, the data used by AI is directly related to the quality of response returned. For RPA type processes data is frequently being referenced or moved between applications, outcomes are generally an action or a report, decision can be based on this data but generally not made by the process. For RPA to run smoothly the data within the systems needs meet an agreed format, must be stored in the correct location, available, etc, aberrations in the data formatting will result in process failure. Generative AI solutions remember are trained by data sources, and use data sources to provide a response; they can be confidently wrong after all they are not conscious, they have no perspective, they rely solely on the data they have. Hence those data sources must be relevant, accurate, complete, consistent and representative to minimise risk of bias. We must ensure our use of AI is compliant with data protection and privacy laws, and where any automated decision-making is carried out by the AI ensure that does not conflict with other laws and regulations. Therefore, the process being automated must be considered from this perspective, clearly captured and owned by the organisation, with recognised processes for human intervention. Page 55 of 236
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Page | 17 For data to be AI ready it must align with the intended use case, it must be owned within the organisation and it must be managed. The use of AI also brings an unusual consideration with regards data. “We” the users of the AI are responsible for the data the AI produces, we can’t assign responsibility and blame to the AI; understanding we have that legal responsibility is critical. 2. Hyperlink to Appendix Gartner AI ready data. 6.4 Technology As previously stated, AI will not be a single stand-alone thing, instead we will have many AI instances spread across our portfolio of applications. Many will be specific to the domain they reside in (embedded AI), others will sit more centrally, with some being generic in use and widely accessible, whilst others will reach across the estate but reside very much in the background and unknown to most. To keep track of these varying solutions and their uses it is critical that a central AI solutions repository is created and maintained, recording each application, its function, purpose, ownership and relationship with organisational business processes. Categorising AI technologies will help in determining the appropriate usage and governance for them. For instance access to Co-pilot within web-browser or the use of Teams Premium (inc. AI intelligent recap of meetings) are completely different use cases than using AI for a web-bot on the website, or virtual voice assistants for initial triage of calls to the Customer Services Hub. Providing appropriate access to these tools will allow staff and thus the organisation to benefit from their use. 6.5 People The complexity of technology and the risks associated with misconfiguration are well recognised, and as has been mentioned the costs associated with AI functionality has to be managed, yet many aspects of new AI technologies are specifically directed towards any computer user and everyday use, empowering workers and enhancing productivity. The question is then how to facilitate that growth in use without incurring uncontrolled risk and cost. Traditionally the creation and adoption of software functionality that introduces autonomous processes has been the of remit of dedicated software developers or system specific specialists. The introduction of AI introduces the concept of Citizen Developers - employees who create application capabilities for consumption by themselves or others, using tools that are not actively forbidden by IT or business units. It’s important to note that being a citizen developer is a persona, not a specific job title or targeted role. These individuals typically report to a business unit or function other than IT, and they don’t necessarily require a specific proficiency designation or time allocation. In essence, citizen developers are non-technical users who build applications using low-code or no-code platforms, without extensive programming knowledge How those individuals are managed in relation to AI use and development must be understood, general guidelines include: Page 56 of 236
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Page | 18 • A managed pathway of education and development • Guideline and templates on the development process • Access to workplace sandpits to develop skills in a safe manner • Common repository of solutions • Gateway process for idea development • Peer Review • Ownership If developing AI Intelligent Consumers is beneficial then ensuring we have skilled AI technical support staff is similarly important.These technologies and any associated integrations, “as always with technology” bring new tasks and roles for technology teams that have to be recognised and accommodated. 6.6 Risk and Cyber Security Considerations Fundamentally, generative artificial intelligence (GenAI) offers opportunities for the Council to do more, and better, with less. It can support services being developed and delivered more quickly, streamline back-office processes and enable improved stakeholder communication with the Council. It should, however, be remembered that GenAI is software, and its adoption and use must, like all software, be used in a manner that always balances risk and security with productivity and efficiency. To be more succinct, the use of GenAI should not compromise Council systems or the information they contain. Any GenAI system used by the Council must be “secure by design” and deployed in full awareness of risk and how risk controls are aligned to mitigate or at least record. GenAI use must also be controlled: for example, the risk of users uploading sensitive Council information to unauthorised GenAI tools needs to be managed. Whilst some of the security issues and risks associated with GenAI are similar to those faced when using other software – such as malicious activity, patching defects and accidental disclosure – GenAI can be susceptible to other risks including: • the data used to “train the system” being inaccurate or “poisoned” – a deliberate act of changing the data with aim of the GenAI system providing inaccurate results. • malicious actors querying the system with the aim of reconstructing the data that the system used in its development. • the challenge of maintaining the security and confidentiality of the large and often sensitive databases that GenAI tools typically require continued access to versus the need to restrict access to sensitive systems and components. • sensitive information being inappropriately accessed and released. To counter this, Council staff and others with access to Council information will need to be trained in the correct labelling of information and its appropriate handling. In more detail, Gartner (the Council’s professional IT advisory partner), has identified 5 categories of security threats and risks (STR) and impacts that organisations need Page 57 of 236
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Page | 19 to consider as part of their adoption of GenAI technologies. Gartner summarise these in the diagram below: Diagram 5 – Gartner Security Threats & Risks Any strategy for adopting GenAI needs to take heed of STR and impact types to ensure they have the appropriate suite of controls in place based on risk appetite. Whilst Gartner have identified more detailed controls for addressing each STR and risk type, these can be boiled down to: Common web and SaaS security measures: • A GenAI acceptable use policy (AUP) that defines approved business use cases where GenAI can be used. • A SaaS security checklist that defines the security requirements used to validate, approve and onboard SaaS applications. • A data security standard that defines how sensitive data needs to be protected in the public cloud. • A security service edge (SSE) product to secure web and SaaS usage. • Bot detection controls to ensure only human users interact with the GenAI application(s). Page 58 of 236
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Page | 20 Common cloud security measures: • A cloud security standard to outline how public cloud usage should be secured. • Cloud security products, such as cloud-native application protection platforms (CNAPPs), to secure public cloud usage. • Application security capabilities to secure custom-built apps. • Bot detection controls to ensure only human users interact with the GenAI application(s), especially for externally facing GenAI applications. • API security capabilities to protect internal- or external-facing API endpoints. In terms of generic advice on AI system development, NCSC reference a four-stage process as shown below: • Secure design: Apply appropriate design principles throughout the development life cycle, including risk capture, threat modelling • Secure development: Managing the development lifecycle stage, including supply chain security, documentation, asset and technical debt management. • Secure deployment: Ensuring the solution incorporates protecting the infrastructure and models from compromise, threat or loss, developing incident management processes, and responsible release. • Secure operation and maintenance: Managing the ongoing operation of the solution including logging and monitoring, update management and information sharing, etc 6.7 Governance All guides to AI adoption are clear that a strong governance model is recommended to successfully implement and manage AI. This is particularly true for large organisations supporting a wide range of service responsibilities and demands. Many aspects have already been mentioned within the AI Ready Data segment at section 6.3 above, but in addition it is important to define who is responsible for each instance and the composite parts involved (i.e. AI technology vs referenceable data). Understanding where AI is used within the organisation and why it is critical to avoid duplication, ensure responsibility, alignment to vision and values both from a Digital strategy and Organisational perspective. It is therefore important that there is a consistent model for managing the various stages of the AI lifecycle from methodology for assessment, design and implementation to Operational practices, performance and reporting. A further area of risk to be considered is that of cost. GenAI offers the Council opportunities to do more, and better, with less. The tools are often marketed as an efficiency for everyone and hence should be deployed across an estate. However, AI does not come free, take for example M365 CoPilot at approx. £30 p/m/p/u; a hefty £360 p/a for each individual. Applying that to our whole corporate user account estate (ie excluding teaching) would generate a recurring revenue charge of nearly £2M p/a. Similar charges are likely from other application suppliers keen to offer their own AI variants. Page 59 of 236
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Page | 21 Gartner advice similarly focuses heavily on governance for AI; the model shown in diagram 6 Six-Pillar Common Framework for Governance captures common areas to consider: Diagram 6-Six-Pillar Common Framework for Governance Each area captures at a high level a recommended structure, defined below: Mandate and scope: assume the authority and support from key senior leadership to develop governance over AI, focus on AI principles, governance charter, executive sponsorship Structure and Roles: The necessary roles, responsibilities, skills and organization structure for governance to operate, focus on governance functions, deployment style, participating roles Processes: The operations, assessments and procedures that allow governance to operate effectively, focus on Standards, Policies, Guidelines Decision Rights: The framework establishes authority and accountability for decisions, focus on Business, Technology, and Ethical decisions Culture: The norms, values, systems of belief and practices that enable or inhibit achievement of a governance outcome, focus on Organizational and societal values, Governance culture, Bias mitigation. Page 60 of 236
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Page | 22 Communication: Guidance, policies, channels and content used to convey information and guide decisions, focus on Trust, AI adoption, AI literacy It is further recommended that determining decision rights and accountability for people and groups that are entitled to make business decisions for dimensions of AI governance is critical for success: • An organizational dimension to balance business value and corporate risk. • A customer/citizen dimension to balance privacy and convenience of individuals. • An employee dimension to balance trust and control. • A societal dimension to balance public safety and freedoms, often expressed in regulatory compliance. Diagram7: Dimensions of AI Governance As with all technology, AI comes with a cost and introduces risk and responsibilities; the challenge then is to determine the correct balance between appropriate governance and sustainable adoption Page 61 of 236
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Page | 23 7. Summary AI use must be managed, its development and adoption by the Council defined, monitored and reviewed to ensure its potential benefits do not compromise the organisation, customers, community or partners. As such, the Council requires clear strategic direction in the adoption of GenAI advancements to ensure that resources are focussed appropriately; that risk and reward are assessed and understood as part of the adoption of GenAI products. It is proposed then that a high-level framework for AI is constructed as portrayed in Diagram 8 AI Framework. This framework is constructed from referencing guidance from among others, Gartner, PWC, National Cyber Security Centre, UK and Scottish Governments. Diagram 8: AI Framework The framework is driven from the top down with the top tier relating directly to the Councils Strategic Policy Framework, referencing the Plan for North Lanarkshire and the related organisational strategies, which directly inform our operational strategies, policies and plans. The Framework is intended to have direct relationships with organisational key strategies and policies, enabling demonstrable compliance and supporting service areas to deliver on organisational goals. It is not a framework to sit on the periphery on its own, it only exists to support those wider organisational goals. Two areas in particular are highlighted that have the potential to be heavily influenced by AI, “Workforce for the Future” and “Digital and IT Strategy”. It is important that the impact of AI adoption is referenced and considered within service-led areas operational strategies, future planning and reflected within their Workforce Planning. The next tier focuses upon the theme of AI within the Digital & IT Strategy. It specifically calls out 7 areas to be considered to successfully deliver in this area: The Plan Organisational Strategies D&IW4F Operational Strategies, policies & plans AI Theme Vision Drivers Value EnablersAdoption Manage Risk AI Solutions Repository AI Operating Model Portfolio of tools & solutions Templates Relationships Use Cases Governance Data Ability Operate Risk Categorisation Prioritisation Review Cost Management AI Ready Legal Reliable Formatted Available Business Continuity Skills Literacy Resource Technology Reporting Resilience Strategic Policy Framework Digital & IT Strategy Operational Service Area AI Toolkit Page 62 of 236
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Page | 24 • Developing and maintaining the vision for AI use • Understanding and referencing the drivers for AI use within each case • Developing and maintaining a plan for adoption of AI use • Understanding and developing the enablers for AI adoption • Understanding the value to be delivered and how measured • Defining how AI solutions will be managed across the estate • Ensuring that appropriate risk management and consideration is in place The next tier demonstrates the high-level support functions and considerations that make up an “AI Toolkit”. The left side area is defined as the Solutions Repository and recognises that a large organisation will have no single AI tool and hence must capture, identify and record them to ensure they are owned by the organisation to provide maximise opportunity to achieve efficiency. • portfolio of AI tools and solutions • where these exist, their use cases, benefit measures • how they are consumed and operated • The processes used to adapt and change their use The right-side area defines the “AI Operating Model” and consists of four key themes discussed throughout this document: • Managing the Data used by AI solutions • Governing the use and risk of AI solutions • Structure understand and develop the skills, talent and ability to use AI solutions • Operating tasks, technology and contract management and reporting on usage The base tier recognises that Operational Service Areas cannot solely rely upon technology to always be there and the potential reliance upon AI can creep up on Service Delivery. It is important that resilience of solutions backed up with robust Business Continuity must be considered. This framework in conjunction with our Lighthouse Principles and the wider Digital and IT Strategy will ensure that our development and adoptions of AI will meet the purposes of the organisation securing its data and operational practices as we continue to evolve. Diagram 9 shows a summary of key takeaways for the successful use of AI. Page 63 of 236
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Page | 25 Diagram 9 : Key Takeaways • Maintain alignment with business strategies • Fully align with business goals • Establish responsibility for AI in general and each AI instance. • Establish best practice for AI implementation • Identify benefits realisation process and reporting • Identify key value opportunities • understand the data requirements used to train and operate an AI • Define how AI requirements are captured and evaluated • Establish templated designs for AI delivery • Create a portfolio of AI initiatives • Set priorities in key business areas to deliver • Identify and manage associated risks • Create and manage an AI solution repository • Develop and maintain an AI operating model • Develop and manage AI capabilities • Manage software application suppliers use of AI • Ensure robust testing of algorithms • Ensure they are unbiased, ethical and explainable • Define the roles and responsibilities in supporting the AI ecosystem Page 64 of 236
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Page | 26 Appendix 1. Gartner Curve of Expectation Generative AI is at the peak of the Hype Cycle Diagram 10 Hype Cycle 2. Microsoft CoPilot Ecosystem Diagram 11: The Microsoft CoPilot Ecosystem Page 65 of 236
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Page | 27 A very high-level summary of these areas is provided below, however areas such as Operating systems and Developer may at this time be consider more niche and used by traditional IT support staff, however the intention of these tools is to push that more towards end users of the technology. Operating systems: CoPilot as part of the Windows11 experience is available and looks to extend the AI functionality across the whole windows experience but may require specific windows 11 hardware. Although in the background for most users CoPilot within security tools looks to simplify security management practices. Developer: Intended to aid software developers in being more productive primarily linking into GitHub CoPilot (source code writing, troubleshooting, document and test) and the Power Platform CoPilot (inbuilt wizards, natural language prompts to help developers, makers create new functions and tasks). Business Applications: Mainly aligned to the Dynamics365 solution, the tooling here is intended to enhance business operations across a range of typical Customer Relationship Management processes, for the council this is predominately Customer Service Management, to aid resolving and responding to requests and customer cases more efficiently. Digital Workplace / Modern Work: CoPilot for M365 working across the standard digital workplace ecosystem, intended to be pushed to end users as a digital assistant to enhance productivity and empower workers. Data: Working across the evolving Microsoft Fabric (Power BI, Azure Synapse Analytics, Azure Data Factory, OneLake and Purview) CoPilot here will look to aid an organisation manage its end-to-end analytics and data platform supporting data movement, processing, ingestion, transformation, real-time event routing, and report building. Browser and Search: Beyond smart searching via an internet browser, CoPilot here answers questions, facilitates creation of text content used for documentation and reporting, etc. Page 66 of 236
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Page | 28 3. AI Ready Data Align Data with Use-Case Requirements Every AI use case should describe what data it needs, which will also depend on the AI technique that is used. This may not be fully defined upfront but will emerge as the data is being used and the AI requirements are being met. Aligning the data to the use case allows us to answer these questions: Is my data meeting the AI use-case requirements? Is it representative of the use case? Ensure your data meets AI use-case expectations in terms of the following parameters: • AI techniques, which set some specific requirements on the data. For example, GenAI training data will set very different data requirements as compared with a simulation model. As a result, the data must meet the expectations of the AI technique applied to support the use case. • Quantification, which involves ensuring there is enough data (for instance, ensuring there is enough training data across multiple years if there is a seasonality pattern). Here, considerations such as synthetic data for augmenting the existing data can be added as a remediation plan to meet the quantification requirements. • Semantics, annotation and labelling to enrich the data. This includes annotation or labelling in case of images or videos along with taxonomies and ontologies that are often represented in the form of a knowledge graph. Meeting the requirements for this criteria is crucial to increase the accuracy of the model. This is central to supporting fine-tuning and retrieval-augmented generation (RAG) models in GenAI. • Quality defines the extent to which the data meets the data quality requirements of the AI use case. For example, though there might be enough volume of data, the data itself could be very sparse and, as a result, may not be complete enough. • Trust includes AI use-case requirements relating to where the data is coming from, the level of trust in the contributing sources and pipelines or output from other participating AI models. • Diversity requirements for AI guarantee the inclusion of sufficiently diverse sources to avoid any bias stemming from the sources. • Lineage provides end-to-end transparency about where the data is coming from and how it is used across all data usage scenarios in the context of a specific AI use case. This will cover lineage from the sources, pipelines, transformations and various AI models that may have been applied. Qualify Use to Meet AI-Expected Confidence Requirements As the second gate that AI-ready data must meet, qualifying the use ensures that the data continuously meets the requirements, whether it is for training, developing or running a model in operations. Use the following parameters to ensure that the data meets expected confidence requirements for AI use cases: • Validation and verification, which ensures that all data requirements are regularly met at development and during operations. Page 67 of 236
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Page | 29 • Performance, cost and nonfunctional requirements, which guarantee the data fulfills the minimal operational SLAs such as response time, timeliness, high availability, disaster recovery or cost as inference is expensive. • Versioning, which makes sure every use of the data is versioned, with the possibility of reverting back to an older version of the AI-ready data and auditing all data versions. Versioning of data pipelines, features and other important bits of the AI system, like the models and the code is important because of how often models drift, or pipelines break, or how often you need to retrain a model or deploy a slightly different model to a different scenario. • Continuous regression testing. AI models are complex and can fail in many different ways. Teams need to work to come up with a variety of test cases to test these systems to detect when things go wrong. For example, identifying possible drift of the data as compared to the training data can be an indication that the model needs to be retrained. • Observability metrics and monitoring provide transparency and support in tracking the system’s health. For example, data observability metrics can track timely delivery of data, accuracy of the data or cost of operations. Data observability metrics allow teams to track the health of the multiple components used to build the AI use case. Govern AI-Ready Data in the Context of the Use Case Define the ongoing data governance requirements the data must meet in support of the AI use case using the below parameters: • Data stewardship, which guarantees that the use case has proper policies applied across its full life cycle. This is supported by defining and monitoring the required observability metrics. Such policy enforcement covers data management as well as model access and development. • Data and AI standards and regulations. AI standards, such as the AI EU Act, are currently being developed. These new regulations will add to existing regulatory and compliance requirements (such as the General Data Protection Regulation [GDPR]) on data. The overall impact of the various regulations will vary along with the use cases. • AI ethics requirements, which forms part of the governance requirements of the use case. For example, is it acceptable, even if legally possible, to train models on real customer data? • Controlled inference and derivation, which is crucial to AI as the output of one model can be used as the input to another. Enforcing governance requirements to track inference and derivation are important considerations in the context of AI, which is often overlooked but constitutes a real risk as it amplifies the black box effect of a model. In many AI systems, the solution used is composite AI. Many small models are combined to create a large and complex system. These dependencies require tracking how all these models are combined and whether the combination is acceptable from a data and AI governance perspective. • Data bias and fairness, which is an AI-specific challenge as the bias in the data will be reflected in the model. For example, training data including only a single gender, may lead to biased results when the model processes data with a different gender. Data should be governed to proactively anticipate and mitigate data bias, including adversarial datasets to test models for bias. • Data sharing, which supports the delivery of AI-ready data across a variety of AI use cases. Guaranteeing data and metadata is shareable and expands the scope of data Page 68 of 236
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Page | 30 that can be used. Data shareability also supports data reuse and learning from other uses of the data. This will greatly contribute to accelerating the AI-ready data practice. Data sharing will be a strong prerequisite for supporting AI-ready data as all enterprise data, and not just data directly managed by the data management team, could be used in support of AI use cases. This includes sharing of data and metadata from applications, content or model cards. Page 69 of 236
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Page | 31 4. Further Reading The Strategy — Scotland's AI Strategy (scotlandaistrategy.com) Home - Scottish AI Playbook A guide to using AI in the public sector 1.7 (publishing.service.gov.uk) Guidelines for secure AI system development - NCSC.GOV.UK AI and cyber security: what you need to know - NCSC.GOV.UK Thinking about the security of AI systems - NCSC.GOV.UK Principles for security of Machine learning ML - NCSC.GOV.UK CEO Stance on AI: How Your CEO Is Thinking About AI (gartner.com) Page 70 of 236
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Page | 32 5. Producing an AI Strategy (CoPilot’s opinion) Asking CoPilot to produce an AI strategy gave the following response. write a strategy for the introduction and governance of AI technologies in a large public sector organisation Certainly! Developing a robust strategy for introducing and governing AI technologies in a large public sector organization is crucial. Here are some key steps to consider: 1. Assessment and Readiness: o Evaluate the organization’s readiness for AI adoption. Assess existing infrastructure, data quality, and technical capabilities. o Identify areas where AI can add value, such as improving service delivery, enhancing decision-making, or optimizing operations. 2. Stakeholder Engagement: o Involve key stakeholders, including senior leadership, IT teams, legal experts, and end- users. o Create a cross-functional AI governance committee to oversee strategy development and implementation. 3. Ethical and Responsible AI: o Establish ethical guidelines for AI use. Consider fairness, transparency, privacy, and bias mitigation. o Ensure compliance with relevant regulations and standards. 4. Data Management: o Develop a data strategy. Address data quality, security, and accessibility. o Explore partnerships with other government agencies or private entities to share data. 5. Capacity Building and Talent: o Invest in AI education and training for staff. Build internal expertise. o Collaborate with universities and research institutions to foster AI talent. 6. Pilot Projects and Proof of Concepts: o Start with small-scale AI projects to test feasibility and impact. o Learn from successes and failures to refine the strategy. 7. Procurement and Vendor Management: o Define criteria for selecting AI vendors. Consider factors like reliability, scalability, and cost. o Monitor vendor performance and ensure compliance with contractual terms. 8. Risk Management and Monitoring: o Identify risks associated with AI implementation (e.g., bias, security breaches). o Implement monitoring mechanisms to track AI performance and address issues promptly. 9. Change Management and Communication: o Communicate the AI strategy to all stakeholders. Address concerns and build support. o Prepare for organizational changes resulting from AI adoption. 10. Continuous Learning and Adaptation: o AI evolves rapidly. Stay informed about advancements and adjust the strategy accordingly. o Remember that AI governance should be an ongoing process, adapting to technological advancements and organizational needs. Page 71 of 236
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Policy and Strategy Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref KH/LJ Date 26/09/24 Digital and IT Strategy 2024-2027 update as at September 2024 From Katrina Hassell, Chief Officer (Business and Digital) E-mail HassellK@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 07903 096 121 Executive Summary Since 2019, the council has been actively delivering the vision for a Digital North Lanarkshire to support the ambition set out in The Plan for North Lanarkshire with plans to achieve Digital Communities, a Digital Economy, and a Digital Council providing the focus for activities. To guide and support the drive for a Digital North Lanarkshire, a five-year Digital and IT Strategy was established and approved in June 2019. This was subsequently kept under review and regularly updated to ensure it remained current and relevant in the modern digital world. With the new Programme of Work to 2028 and seven priorities for delivery approved in March 2023, the opportunity was taken to realign the Digital and IT Strategy accordingly and firmly establish what it means to be digital and move from doing digital to being digital - and reaffirm the underlying imperative to delivering on the vision which is that digital is everyone’s business. A three-year Digital and IT Strategy (‘the Strategy’) was therefore developed for 2024 to 2027 to provide a clear direction and ensure a common shared understanding of the journey that needs to be taken to achieve a Digital North Lanarkshire. This also makes it clear how digital will support delivery of the other six Programme of Work priorities and where resources need to be targeted through a one council approach. Following approval of the Digital and IT Strategy for 2024 to 2027 at the Policy and Strategy Committee in March 2024, it was also approved that “the Committee receive updates on implementation of the Strategy on a six-monthly basis”. This report herewith therefore provides the first six-monthly update since implementation of the new Strategy. Recommendations It is recommended the Policy and Strategy Committee: 1) Note the contents of this report. 2) Endorse the next steps outlined herein. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority All priorities Ambition statement (18) Ensure our digital transformation is responsive to all people's needs and enable access to the services they need Programme of Work Digital North Lanarkshire Item 6 Page 73 of 236
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1. Background 1.1 As Members are aware the vision for a Digital North Lanarkshire, with investment targeted in digital and technological solutions that will be most benefit to the people and communities of North Lanarkshire, aims to help realise inclusive growth and prosperity for all in line with the council’s long-term ambition in The Plan for North Lanarkshire. 1.2 Digital North Lanarkshire is one of seven priorities within the Programme of Work for 2023 to 2028 (as approved at the Policy and Strategy Committee in March 2023). Through the delivery of the Digital North Lanarkshire priority, Programme of Work activities will focus on developing a skilled digital workforce, promoting an innovative sustainable culture, and providing digital leadership for an evolving North Lanarkshire. 1.3 In March 2024, Policy and Strategy Committee approved the Digital and IT Strategy (‘the Strategy’) for 2024 to 2027. The Strategy is key to providing the direction to deliver a Digital North Lanarkshire which looks to build on successes achieved to date whilst embedding digital thinking into everyday behaviours and actions to ultimately embrace a digital first approach to service delivery. 1.4 At the Policy and Strategy Committee in March 2024 a commitment was made to ensure that the Digital and IT Strategy for 2024 to 2027 would be kept under review during its lifecycle and an annual update progress with implementation reported to the Policy and Strategy Committee. However, Elected Members requested that the strategy be the subject of six-monthly reporting, with this report therefore representing the first of a series of updates on the Council’s progress in achieving the digital aspirations set out in the Strategy. 2. Digital and IT Strategy for 2024 to 2027 (‘the Strategy’) 2.1 The council’s Programme of Work to 2028 sets out plans for a Digital North Lanarkshire to increase the scale and pace of change and achieve coherence across all areas of work. It represents the ‘delivery arm’ of the Strategy, ensuring that focus is retained on our Digital Communities, Digital Economy, and Digital Council aspirations. 2.2 For the Strategy this means embedding digital thinking into everyday delivery, embracing digital technology to do business significantly differently, and always considering a digital- first approach. This requires a focus on skills, culture, design, and empowerment of the workforce, all of which are being progressed through the Digital North Lanarkshire Programme of Work themes. 2.3 The Strategy 2024 to 2027 recognises that technology can offer so many benefits for the people and communities in North Lanarkshire - it can support people to live independently in their own homes, it can enable seamless end to end processes to fulfil requests for service, it can mean vulnerable people get more joined up help when it really matters, it can provide a way to better use data to monitor and manage demand and improve the delivery of services to the public. It is key to connecting people and communities with place and improving their quality of life by providing access to new opportunities, new ways of working, learning, and doing business, and new ways to ensure quicker and easier access to essential care, supports, and services. 2.4 As such, the key points that shaped the development of the new Strategy are summarised below: • Ensuring a shared context and common shared understanding in terms of what it means to be digital, what the Digital and IT Strategy aims to achieve and how, and Page 74 of 236
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within what context is this to be delivered (i.e. the context within the council and across North Lanarkshire and the wider local government environment). • Having strategic principles in place to guide behaviours and actions and ensure that being digital is everyone’s business. This includes establishing the business and digital capabilities critical to the success of the Strategy. • Making it real - firmly establishing what digital transformation actually means and how it can make a difference to people’s lives and support the transformation of North Lanarkshire’s communities. To do this, digital transformation must be seen as the means to a clearly defined end; not the end in itself. • Delivering digital solutions safely and securely, within an environment where rapid technological advancements bring increased vulnerability to cybersecurity threats and the need to prioritise digital security measures. • Reiterating that communication, enabling transformation within existing resources, and enhancing skills are critical to the successful deployment of the new Strategy. As such, these are reflected in the Strategy itself in terms of the next steps and key areas for delivery during 2024/25 through the supporting Digital North Lanarkshire Programme of Work. 2.5 The extent of digital transformation that has been required to build the solid technological foundations now being experienced should not be underestimated. Establishing the foundations for North Lanarkshire’s digital vision represented a significant shift in mindset and culture in terms of how the council conducts its business and a greater emphasis on the public interacting and using council services through digital methods. While this shift towards digital methods of working benefits people who interact with the council most, it also enables council employees to work in a more efficient and effective manner. 2.6 A wide range of different stakeholders and groups are therefore continuing to be impacted by digital transformational activity in striving to realise the vision for a Digital North Lanarkshire. As such, enabling the people and communities of North Lanarkshire to thrive in a digital world, while ensuring that no one is left behind, requires digital to be embedded at the centre of the way the council operates. In practice this means that implementation of the Digital and IT Strategy is underpinned by six principles designed to guide behaviours and actions and ensure that being digital is everyone’s business (as noted in paragraph 2.4 above). This means that people always come first regardless of the activity being delivered. These six principles are summarised below, further details are set out in the Digital and IT Strategy for 2024 to 2027. 1. Employees first The council is committed to developing its staff and creating opportunities to attract and retain talent identified through workforce plans. In practice this means: Employees will be equipped with the appropriate tools to do their job and to adapt to changes in an increasingly fast changing digitally enabled environment. Achieved so far: Appendix 3 highlights the wide range of tools and enabling technologies available to assist employees with workloads. These include - • The Microsoft O365 suite is “evergreen”, with software continually updating to ensure ongoing relevance in a fast-changing world • On-line chatbot to signpost enquiries making it easier for staff to track • On-line forms and SharePoint development to aid retrieval and storage of document and the development of one-stop shop portals • Enhanced on-line training facilities available 24/7. • Utilising Power Automate and Co-pilot to streamline internal business processes. 2. Digital first Digital First approaches become mainstream across the organisation with digital default, Page 75 of 236
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and hub-based access and services, replacing traditional channels. In practice this means: Embedding modern and innovative digital and technological solutions that improve council and public interactions and provide a connected digital experience. Council services are more efficient and face to face contact is reduced in favour of digitised services. Digital platforms are used to reduce demand and provide personalised end to end services to the public. Achieved so far: • 50 processes/services now available for public interaction on the Council website • On-line only system developed and available for businesses wishing to apply for permits • Business enquiry system developed and available 24/7 to enhance efficiency and convenience for managing business-related requests • The transfer into a paperless office continues with the focus on utilisation of different technologies including document imaging, workflow automation and cloud storage. 3. Inclusive Digital exclusion is less of a concern. In practice this means: People, businesses, and communities need to have the means to thrive online and be able to work, learn, access information and services, and connect with other people and organisations every day. They need to be consulted with when it comes to significant transformations that are being made to the services they rely on, and they need efficient ways to access council services and get what they need at the first point of contact. The focus will remain steadfast on the outcomes that require to be achieved from the user’s perspective, recognising that the pandemic had exacerbated digital exclusion and increased the need for the council to identify and address barriers and inequalities to make sure that no one is left behind. This means the council will continue to ensure that activities undertaken understand the needs of those experiencing digital exclusion and there is a strategy put in place to ensure equity and access for all residents and communities and groups with limited digital proficiency and access to in- person navigation support and internet access. Achieved so far: • Expansion of the inter-generational project to additional retirement complexes and senior citizen groups to encourage residents to see first-hand where technology adoption can be beneficial and enriching • Engagement through the Driving Digital Locally sub-group on the online mapping service (Digital Community Services) and Public Wi-Fi proposals. • Initial delivery of our Public Wi-Fi service into community buildings, with Motherwell Library, Time Capsule, Community Hubs and all Secondary schools fully operational. 4. Innovative The council innovates with high functioning analytics for problem solving. In practice this means: Employees will make best use of digital tools and solutions available to manage demand, enhance ways of working and productivity, and optimise service delivery. Insights and evidence are essential to support informed decision making and service planning. Data analytics and predictive algorithms should be easy to access and to use every day to help identify, analyse, and anticipate problems. Achieved so far: • Standing up of Business Intelligence (Data Hub) centre of excellence to create a front-facing portal for corporate and service data to support decision-making • Creation of Innovation Fund to support services to embrace digital to do business significantly differently • Refit of Motherwell Library to include a digital hub with high-tech resources to encourage innovation and effective learning experiences and support digital skills Page 76 of 236
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development. • Development of six proofs of concept to utilise co-pilot studio and chatbot development in areas of high volume to reduce waiting times for customers and minute taking to increase efficiency in administrative support areas. 5. Adaptable The council’s technology, workforce, and public spaces are flexible and adaptable to change. In practice this means: It is recognised that digitisation is underpinned by technology that is evolving at an exponential rate of change and therefore the council needs to actively seek opportunities to explore new and emergent technologies that can help deliver improved care, supports, and services and improve outcomes for the people and communities of North Lanarkshire. Achieved so far: • Opening of a new tech flat facility to see the “art of the possible” when applying technology to support the most vulnerable in our communities. • Using 5G to deploy IoT (Internet of Things) sensors to circa. 100 properties as part of a ‘smart and connected social places’ initiative looking to harness connectivity to capture data to keep people safe, well and socially connected in their own homes • Development of Scotland’s only public library immersive pod as referenced above. 6. Connected The council is highly connected with other organisations. In practice this means: The council recognises that digitisation delivers better benefits through collaborative approaches. This means the council is highly networked with other organisations and collaborates at a community, local, regional, and national level, and across the public, private, voluntary, and academic sectors. Achieved so far: • Participating in the Scotland-wide data agreement project. • Collaborating with the Digital Office for Scotland on the development of the Target Operating Model for the Digital ‘To Be’ State using the framework of Workforce, Process, Information and Technology. • Participating in the DSIT (Department for Science Innovation & Technology) 5G GCR (Glasgow City Region) programme regarding scope to use IoT to deliver Zero Carbon Homes and inform activities within the Smart and Connected Social Places initiative referenced above. Digital North Lanarkshire Programme of Work 2.7 Delivery of the Strategy will be achieved through the Digital North Lanarkshire Programme of Work to 2028. As members are aware, the Strategy and related Programme of Work (PoW) contain 12 key deliverables and 48 projects/activities, with all categorised as: (a) Digital Culture, Leadership and Knowledge; (b) Improved Customer Experience; (c) Digital First Operations or (d) Performance Optimisation, as illustrated within Appendix 1. 2.8 Throughout 2024/25 to date these deliverables and projects / activities have been monitored through the Digital North Lanarkshire Programme of Work Strategic Board via a corporate quarterly monitoring process; applied consistently across all seven Programme of Work priorities. Such monitoring requires designated officers to consider delivery against six dimensions (scope, cost / budget, quality, resources, risk, and within time / on schedule), and to also advise of % completed status of each project / activity. 2.9 An overview of progress against the 12 high-level deliverables – and therefore Page 77 of 236
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deployment of the Digital and IT Strategy to date – alongside a key defining the RAG status applied - is set out in Appendix 2. This shows that: • In terms of delivery within the six dimensions - 8% of the deliverables have been assigned a Blue RAG status, 6% a grey status (not yet due to start), 79% Green, and 7% Amber. Additional commentary regarding these assessments is also included in the update provided in Appendix 2. • In terms of the overall completed status of the Digital North Lanarkshire Programme of Work: - 94% of delivery plan actions have commenced to the initiation stage (6% are not yet due to start). - 63% of delivery plan actions have reached the planning and set up stage. - 48% of delivery plan actions have reached the delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. - 8% of delivery plan actions are complete or at the final closure stage. 2.10 The Strategy also recognises that achieving the vision for a Digital North Lanarkshire is heavily dependent upon its key components and critical activities being understood and accepted, and thereafter systematically deployed and implemented, across all relevant areas of the council. As such, and as noted in paragraph 2.4, communication, enabling transformation within existing resources, and enhancing skills are critical to the successful deployment of the new Strategy and work to date in this respect includes the following: • Communication In recognising that digital albeit a key enabler for the entire Programme of Work, is often perceived to be ‘technical’, Business and Digital are working to develop a visual ‘Strategy on a page’ to highlight how digital capabilities can be used to deliver services, care and supports to our communities as they move through the ‘ages and ‘stages’ of their lives. Although this is still work in progress, an early draft is included at Appendix 3 for committee consideration. • Enabling transformation within existing resources The Performance Optimisation activity group fully recognises the financial challenges facing the Council and acknowledges that such reduces the likelihood of new funding becoming available to meet the recurring costs of any new digitisation initiatives or products identified by Programme of Work strategic boards. This group is currently focussed on capturing existing ICT-related spend across the Council, with a view to determining whether such spend represents good longer-term value. The group will ultimately assist the Council in aligning its scarce financial resources with critical enabling technologies, with any savings identified from terminating or merging existing technologies being held aside to fund any recurring costs of essential digitisation products or initiatives. One-off costs of new products have scope to be funded from the Innovation Fund referenced earlier, provided such satisfies approved eligibility criteria. • Enhancing skills Through an ‘Early Adopters’ officer group, services now have access to guides, communications and ‘top tips’ on how to make the best use of the Microsoft products the Council has invested in. This group are also testing Co-Pilot to assist in identifying how such could be used to support effective deployment of our digital vision. Next steps 2.11 In line with the motion approved by the Policy and Strategy Committee in March 2024, the Committee will continue to receive updates on the implementation of the Strategy on a six-monthly basis. 3. Measures of success Page 78 of 236
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3.1 Success with be measured through the delivery of the activities associated with the four sub-groups of the Digital North Lanarkshire Programme of Work Strategic Board. 4. Supporting documentation 4.1 Appendices • Appendix 1 - Roadmap to a Digital North Lanarkshire. • Appendix 2 - Summary of progress in delivering the Digital North Lanarkshire Programme of Work • Appendix 3 - One page strategy (draft) Katrina M Hassell Chief Officer (Business and Digital) Page 79 of 236
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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 Equality / Fairer Scotland Duty Impact Assessment was undertaken when developing the Digital and IT Strategy 2024 to 2027. This assessment highlighted key impacts may exist for older people, low-income groups, those with a disability, and people who are homeless, asylum seekers or whose first language is something other than English This strategy aims to place digital at the heart of what people do on a day-to-day basis. There is a recognition that the needs of certain vulnerable groups require to be considered throughout the journey to a digital environment. The strategy ensures that no one is digitally excluded and there is an opportunity to improve people’s lives by using digital solutions, technology, and skills. Given that deliverables aim to improve the connectivity and accessibility of North Lanarkshire as a place, and the ability of local people and communities to gain the skills and confidence required to help them benefit from the opportunities of being digitally connected, the activities detailed throughout this report positively address the impacts which were identified during the assessment. By placing people at the centre of the strategy and the Driving Digital Locally digital subgroup continuing to play its key role in enabling enable local communities to participate in designing and deploying modern council services and ensuring that no one is left behind or digitally excluded, this will ultimately have an impact to advance the general equality duty to eliminate discrimination, improve equality of opportunity and foster good relations to tackle a diverse range of issues and challenges. For example, the work being carried out through the IPAD/intergenerational project has improved elderly residents’ access to and understanding of technology within their community. This alongside deployment of improved connectivity, Public Wi-Fi, and Digital Community Services (the online mapping tool) all positively address the impacts of digital exclusion within North Lanarkshire’s communities. 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/chief-executives-eqia/digital-and-it- strategy-equality-impact-assessment 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 Digital and IT Strategy recognises that change must be enabled within existing financial resources. Paragraph 2.10 provides details of the approach being adopted to achieve this. 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Page 80 of 236
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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? The Digital North Lanarkshire Programme of Work has collaboration and self- service at the heart of its design principles, with all appropriately reflected within both internal and external communications. The Digital North Lanarkshire Programme of Work also envisages significant changes to applications, software, hardware, and connectivity, with all duly considered for security, compliance, Digital First, and Enterprise Architecture perspectives through the key governance groups of the Enterprise Architecture Governance Group (EAGG) and Data Governance Board (DGB). Appendix 2 provides further details of technical changes being progressed in furtherance of the Strategy, primarily through the Digital First Operations Steering Group. 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? Providing digital services that offer online, anytime access to services will have a positive environmental impact across several important areas such as minimising waste and recycling, thanks to the limited need for paper forms. Page 81 of 236
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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? Communications activities are detailed within the report. 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? Effective identification and management of risk is considered critical to the success of this programme, with all required processes strictly followed, and all high-level risks and issues regularly reported to the Digital North Lanarkshire Programme of Work Strategic Board. 5.10 Armed Forces Covenant Duty Does the report require to take due regard of the Armed Forces Covenant Duty (i.e. does it relate to healthcare, housing, or education services for in-Service or ex- Service personnel, or their families, or widow(er)s)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the provision which has been made to ensure there has been appropriate consideration of the particular needs of the Armed Forces community to make sure that they do not face disadvantage compared to other citizens in the provision of public services. 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). As noted in the report to Policy and Strategy Committee in March 2024, a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment was undertaken and the key findings in this respect include that implementation of the Digital and IT Strategy 2024 to 2027 is considered to have an indirect impact as the strategy is not directly aimed at children but will have an impact on them. In particular, article 2 (non- discrimination) and article 23 (children with a disability). It is recognised that the rights of the child, and the needs of certain groups, require to be considered throughout the journey to a Digital North Lanarkshire. The Strategy aims to ensure that no one is digitally excluded and there is opportunity to improve people’s lives though digital technology, solutions, and skills. If Yes, has a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) been carried out? Yes ☒ No ☐ Page 82 of 236
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Appendix 1 Roadmap to a Digital North Lanarkshire Page 83 of 236
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Appendix 2 Theme / Programme Deliverables (approved at Policy and Strategy in September 2023) start date end date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) Digital culture, leadership, and knowledge Develop and deploy a self- adapting redesign framework to accelerate digital business transformation of critical council functions. Sep-23 Mar-24 blue Completed or at closure stage • Following approval of the Programme of Work to 2028 in March 2023, a portfolio approach was developed for the supporting governance arrangements and work was undertaken to integrate change management into the Project Management Framework. Input from a group of service representatives and self-evaluation with the Operational Management Team informed the concept for a Change Management Toolkit to serve as a self-service mechanism and dynamic online resource (not a static document) able to evolve along with new practices, new learning, and learning from experience as progress is made in delivering the Programme of Work. • The operating principles of the Toolkit are to provide, ideas, insights, lines of thought, and a range of tools to help those leading, managing, implementing change to do so within the context of their own situation, service, function, project, or team undergoing the change and within the context of the outcome / end result that the change ultimately aims to achieve. The Toolkit also sets out a range of Tools and Techniques which can be picked up and used as and when needed depending on what the requirements of the change initiative (and the people managing the change) are, to be able to provide people managing / implementing a change with the reassurance that they are following tried and tested methods and guidance. Digital culture, leadership, and knowledge Create a mature and sustainable culture across the organisation to ensure that digitisation of council services provided to the public successfully transition them to achieve the outcomes specified within The Plan for North Lanarkshire. Sep-23 Dec-25 green At delivery and ongoing management and management stage. • Research continues using Gartner to understand the as is and the future state requirements for the organisation. This includes a 5 steps to culture model to help inform developments. Data and findings from the health and social care digital maturity assessment have also been shared to help inform the council's approach. Following a review of all research the maturity assessment questions are being prepared for discussion with the subgroup and Early Adopters to ensure consistency of messaging and ideas. • Using the previous digital skills survey from 2021, a new Digital Survey has been published for staff. Page 84 of 236
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Theme / Programme Deliverables (approved at Policy and Strategy in September 2023) start date end date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) Digital culture, leadership, and knowledge Develop digital leaders to facilitate behavioural change required to enable service transformation within existing resources. Nov-23 Jun-24 green At initiation stage. • Initial discussions have taken place on the specific educational programme currently in existence and aligning this to the needs of a council wide leadership programme to incorporate digital capabilities, including cognitive transformation (thinking differently), behavioural transformation (acting differently), and emotional transformation (reacting differently). • Research work continues to understand the future state requirements for the organisation with digital leadership core competencies and approaches. Digital culture, leadership, and knowledge Support development of a skilled workforce to foster consistent knowledge, improve digital adoption, and accelerate digital- first business capabilities. Mar-24 Apr-26 green At initiation stage. • Work has commenced on identifying the appropriate format for a self-assessment tool to allow staff to understand their current level of digital skills and undertake further learning, as appropriate, to upskill the council's workforce to be more digitally capable. • Modules on LearnNL are available to all staff and investment continues in the flexible workforce development fund in digital skills. • The existing education programme has been shared and an assessment of a test of change is now under consideration. Improved customer experience Ensure a connected / integrated digital experience to facilitate users to transition to efficient digital and hub-based services and become empowered to be self-managing and digitally active. Apr-23 Jun-25 green At delivery and ongoing management and management stage. • MOT and taxi compliance, and road permit online processes, now live and contract signed for new corporate booking system to support the development of systems and portals to enable residents to engage, report, request, and pay for services. Business support case management and legal case management systems are also live. • Robotic process automation and artificial intelligence centre of excellence established and four bootcamps run for staff covering uipath, co-pilot, power automate, and power apps. Following this six proof of concepts are in development which include a chatbot for council tax and household waste, knowledge management hub to enable chatbot functionality within the customer services hub, and a telephone chatbot to deal with missed bin enquiries, customer complaints and customer enquiries. In preparation for launch of the chatbot - and to enhance its use - a refresh exercise is underway regarding content held on the council’s website. Two Page 85 of 236
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Theme / Programme Deliverables (approved at Policy and Strategy in September 2023) start date end date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) roadshows have been delivered to promote and encourage the role of the citizen developer. • Redesign of the council’s purchase to pay system is nearing completion to introduce a standardised approach to enable electronic invoicing. The final phase prior to launch includes the development of training materials (including an e-video) and roll out of training for all pecos users. Improved customer experience Implement smart community hubs to improve access to omni- channel, digitally enabled services, and experiences. Sep-23 Mar-26 green At planning and set up stage. • Business case approved linked to establishing digital zones in two hubs, with development of the supporting delivery plan underway. Work also underway to ensure ease of use by community groups and wider partner organisations - an initial workshop was held with colleagues from culture, education, health and social care, and enterprise and communities to explore the potential use of these spaces and agree the support group for developing use, considering how content can be created, and how the rooms booked, used and further developed. • To further develop community use of immersive experience pods beyond school case and enhance digital experiences, the upgrade of the immersive room at Muirfield has been completed, as has the installation at Motherwell Library. Project is in the initial stages in respect of the build of the physical space in Summerlee. The Digital School has met with members of the Digital Community Board, the Community Youth Forum, and members of the construction industry and healthcare. Improved customer experience Ensure accessible data to improve public reporting and transparency, streamline effort involved in request for information processes, and leverage business development opportunities. Oct-23 Mar-26 green At delivery and ongoing management and management stage. • Developments in respect of an approach to open data are being undertaken with due consideration of the various other data strategies/approaches across the council as well as the Data Governance Board review and role and the need to ensure a one council approach to data that is streamlined and makes best use of resources (i.e. people and information resources). Digital first operations Ensure useful, secure, compliant, and digital first applications are available to Jan-23 Mar-28 Green At planning and set up stage. • Implementation of a new housing and asset management system is underway to improve data management, monitoring, and service delivery across housing and procurement is in the final stages. Page 86 of 236
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Theme / Programme Deliverables (approved at Policy and Strategy in September 2023) start date end date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) support critical but streamlined service delivery. • Implementation is also underway in respect a new case management and scheduling systems to meet statutory obligations and improve service delivery and performance management across social care. Education and families, and justice services, have completed user acceptance testing and staff briefings are scheduled for the autumn. Data migration and ongoing business redesign is impacting on implementation of new case management and scheduling system across social care. • Project brief and plan in development to review tools and products currently deployed to support the council’s financial management arrangements, and to identify the options in scope for an options appraisal to ensure longer-term suitability. • Leisure and facilities booking systems implemented to meet needs; integration with hub place bookings requires further testing. • Report in respect of the review of asset management practices across the organisation, including categorising and consolidating system usage, submitted to Finance & Resources committee. • Developments in telephony systems include the completion of assessment and design work for the service desk, customer hub, and housing repairs, with build progressing and being tested. Handset replacement in schools underway. • Framework in respect of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) reported to Policy and Strategy Committee in cycle 3 of 2024. • Creation of a catalogue of standardised online technology catalogues to enable council service areas to determine digital solutions matching their requirements and enable self-service, where appropriate, delayed due to competing priorities and resource implications. • Contract for the management of the corporate GIS system renewed for a further year. Scoping of the potential for further integrations of ARC GIS with other key council systems underway. Digital first operations Facilitate fibre-enabled innovation to maximise the full potential of Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence Apr-23 Mar-28 Green At delivery and ongoing management • Implementation of a Wide Area Network solution now completed. • Delivery of a council-wide public Wi-Fi service being implemented on an iterative basis from mid-July. Now fully operational within Motherwell Library, Time Capsule, NLC Hub sites and all Page 87 of 236
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Theme / Programme Deliverables (approved at Policy and Strategy in September 2023) start date end date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) (AI) technologies in service delivery. and monitoring stage. secondary schools. Deployment to remaining sites – leisure centres, community centres etc - planned from September 2024. Smart Park pilot is progressing but some delays being experienced with 3rd party suppliers.. • Upgrade of the Immersive room in Muirfield completed. The installation of the Immersive room in Motherwell library completed. Since January 2024, over 800 customers have accessed the room at Motherwell Library during 51 events/activities. Summerlee immersive room now complete and operational. Building control process for the build in Airdrie Library completed Digital first operations Ensure single source of data to provide insights and evidence that support decision making and service planning. Sep-23 Sep-25 Green At initiation stage. • Centre of excellence work underway with PwC and on track to establish a single entry into a council wide Data Hub and single source of demographic data about North Lanarkshire and corporate performance. • Data quality audit in development and on track to create a master data catalogue of all data assets across the council, defining the prime record for each data set/field and supporting data owners to assess quality and data mapping. • Development of a method for services to transition from using paper-based storage to a digital solution at the procurement stage and slightly behind schedule. Performance optimisation Develop an efficient digital and IT cost model to ensure scarce financial resources are aligned to vital enabling technologies. Oct-23 Sep-26 amber At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Data capture on digital and IT spend across the council nearing completion, with work commencing to develop a model to establish whether this is essential and priority spend. Has proven challenging to complete given competing priorities and resource implications. • Digital North Lanarkshire Programme of Work Strategic Board agreed that finalisation of baseline financial information would pause to enable Finance to complete the year end accounts for 2023/24. Performance optimisation Enhance security monitoring to maintain effective access and control over council data as the Feb-24 Dec-27 Green At initiation stage. • Review of benchmarking indicators and other organisations’ approaches completed to identify any areas in relation to security that can be monitored. Discussion with Leadership Practitioners Forum commenced. Page 88 of 236
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Theme / Programme Deliverables (approved at Policy and Strategy in September 2023) start date end date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) council delivers the anticipated increase in its digital footprint. • Development of a roadmap underway in terms of data assets, standards, and solutions delivered by or in conjunction with third party providers to ensure that suppliers are consistently assessed, and performance is effectively managed throughout any engagement. • Tasks identified to take forward as part of determinations for a security strategy to create an assessment model to provide meaningful, insightful, and simple representation of the cyber rating of data control. Key to RAG status Blue Delivery is complete. Green Delivery is on track and in line with the six dimensions within which the project / activity is being delivered (i.e. scope, cost / budget, quality, resources, risk, within time / on schedule) and the % completed status is as expected as at the time of the delivery assessment. Amber Delivery is not on track and the latest assessment suggests there may be emerging issues with one or more of the six dimensions within which the project / activity is being delivered (i.e. scope, cost / budget, quality, resources, risk, within time / on schedule) and/or the % completed status is not as expected as at the time of the delivery assessment. Red Delivery is not on track and the latest assessment has reported issues with one or more of the six dimensions within which the project / activity is being delivered (i.e. scope, cost / budget, quality, resources, risk, within time / on schedule) and/or the % completed status is behind that which is expected as at the time of the delivery assessment. Page 89 of 236
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Key to completed status Key stages for the project / activity in the Programme of Work Indicative % completed assessment At initiation stage Project / activity still at proposal stage, and not yet approved by the relevant SRO / Chief Officer or approved to Project Brief (or equivalent) stage or approved to Project Brief (or equivalent) stage, but still in development / at feasibility stage. >0% and <15% At planning and set up stage Project / activity approved to Project Business Case (or equivalent) stage / Project or Delivery Plan developed. >=15% and <25% At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage Project / activity underway and delivery is categorised as < =25% completed, or > 25% but < =50% completed, or > 50% but < =75% completed, or > 75% but < 100% completed. >=25% and <95% Completed or at closure stage Project / activity completed and closed off, or final evaluations, handovers, etc still to be undertaken. >=95% and =100% Page 90 of 236
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Realising a Digital North Lanarkshire with digital communities, digital economy, and a digital council and helps council employees to .. DELIVER ... SUPPORT ... TEACH ... PROVIDE ... CO-ORDINATE ... COMMUNICATE ... ENGAGE ... WORK TOGETHER … and be able to • Investment in digital devices to support equal access to digital learning experiences for all school age children. • Blended digital and classroom teaching through devices and experiences such as interactive panels, immersive classrooms, pod casts, virtual classrooms, digital classrooms. • Technology that enhances learning for children with disabilities or additional support needs, advancing their involvement. that provides digital touchpoints throughout a person’s lifetime and supports people through …PREGNANCY & PARENTHOOD ….. NURSERY & SCHOOL ....... TRAINING & ADULTHOOD ............. WORK LIFE & EMPLOYMENT ……….. RETIREMENT & CARE ..... with • A blended approach of traditional information packs and podcasts that provide accessible information and support for carers. • Care provided at home that helps older and disabled people contact medical and emergency services • A technology enabled care flat which demonstrates potential solutions to people (and their families) requiring support from assistive technology and used to train staff working in North Lanarkshire, the Health and Social Care Partnership, and third sector partners. • Awareness raising with carer support organisations of the benefits of assistive technology, to manage and reduce risks, provide support remotely, do medication prompts, or act as a personal locator. • Intergenerational digital skills courses benefitting old and young alike through the use of iPads in sheltered housing, that help older people keep in touch. • Technology – helping children build social skills, collaborate, become culturally aware, and develop their fine motor skills. Develop their coordination and reaction time, speech and language, problem solving, digital literacy, and how to process information. • Free public access to Wi-Fi that make more people want to live, work, and visit the area and spend more time there while doing so. • Enhanced fibre connectivity that expands opportunities for further education and learning studies, or apprenticeships learning on the job. • Digital learning for adults delivered in local communities to support people on their journey to learn new skills to enter, return or progress in work and promote the economic benefits, reduce loneliness, and make people happier, healthier, more confident, capable and resilient. ❖ Microsoft 365 ❖ Microsoft Teams ❖ Outlook ❖ SharePoint ❖ OneDrive ❖ Viva Engage ❖ MS Forms ❖ MS Lists ❖ InsideNL ❖ Learn NL ❖ My NL / Service Now ❖ Online forms to request a service / report an issue ❖ Online forms to make a complaint ❖ Online methods of making payments ❖ Online chat bot to signpost enquiries ❖ Online information to support self-help / self- service ❖ Co Pilot ❖ Tech flat ❖ My Account ❖ Proof of concepts / demos ❖ Social media - Facebook, X, Instagram, Linked in, YouTube Enabling technologies • Enhanced fibre connectivity across North Lanarkshire that supports inward investment, business development, and local economic growth. • Support for local businesses in the use of digital technology and the skills needed to fill local jobs. • Quick and easy online options for self-service at any time on any day. • Transact in an effective and inclusive way by managing tasks and actions online, updating case records once and in real time. • Spend time with people who are vulnerable and need more help and support when manual repetitive tasks are digitised. • Have an enhanced assistive technology team that works alongside in person contact methods to offer virtual support • Embed technology into the health and social care assessment and planning processes. • Provide the support of an assistive technology team to staff across all localities to maximise the uptake and impact of North Lanarkshire provided or self-purchased technology enabled care - offering a self-referral service that supports people to achieve their outcomes. • Co-ordinate housing activities digitally through the replacement of the housing management system. • Provide more direct access to the services people need, with employees closer to the communities they work in, through the digital infrastructure in community hubs and town centres and transforming connectivity across school buildings. • Operate a fully digitised community alarm receiving centre that enhances the experience for the end user • Collaborate across the council and with external agencies to work more effectively to deliver a joined-up service. • Collaborate more efficiently with colleagues online, using tools such as Team meetings, chat, polls, and SharePoint. • Ensure everyone that needs to has access to the same information at the same time. • Take part in quicker ways of sharing information to deliver services better and more effectively. • Connect people and communities with place and improve their quality of life by providing access to new opportunities, new ways of working, learning, and doing business. • Raise awareness and training using online and digital platforms regarding key social interventions, e.g. suicide prevention. • Capitalise on digital tools and approaches that improve employees' digital abilities. • Use digital platforms to support net zero by enabling transactional activities • Efficiently handle files and find, manage, and store digital information easily. • Ensure a secure approach with controlled access to a logical digital filing system. • Provide Elected Members with up to date and comprehensive information on enquiries and requests for service to allow for effective engagement with constituents. • Provide 24 hours a day 356 days a year direct access (e.g. through the making life easier website) to information, signposting, self-assessments, and services to help people with long-term conditions and disabilities. • Support democracy by making maximum use of digital technology to support public, service user, and Elected Member engagement. • Manage digital information securely and reduce risk by way of having access to the latest security technology and measures. • Improve the organisation’s ability to monitor and manage demand and make decisions based on insights into the data. • Solve problems using digital tools, functionality, and automation, e.g. using PowerBI or artificial intelligence tools such as Copilot. Assist direct service delivery to the public Aid training, collaboration and communication Improve data access, handling and usage Appendix 3One Page Strategy Page 91 of 236
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Policy and Strategy Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref SP Date 26/09/23 Media Policy From Stephen Penman, Chief Officer (Strategic Communications and Engagement) E-mail penmanste@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 07947 997750 1. Background 1.1 The council requires to have in place a media policy, and such a policy has been in place with various updates for a number of years. The last update was approved by the council in 2018. 2. Report 2.1 The news media has a legitimate role in holding the council to account. Having this policy in place ensures consistent and professional handling of media enquiries and releases across the council. It also assists in managing risk around a failure by the council to communicate effectively. Managing news media enquiries is often complex, with implications for the council’s reputation, and requires particular professional skills. Executive Summary The council requires to have in place a media policy to ensure its dealings with external and social media are consistent and to ensure that matters of reputation and accountability are dealt with professionally and appropriately. The media policy has been in place for a number of years and the latest draft version appended reflects changes in structure of the council, methods of media handling and changes to the social media landscape. Recommendations It is recommended the Policy and Strategy Committee: (1) Approve the updated media policy. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority All priorities Ambition statement All ambition statements Programme of Work Statutory / corporate / service requirement Item 7 Page 93 of 236
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2.2 The council has a duty under various legislative acts to communicate effectively, particularly in an emergency or civil contingencies setting. It is important that the council has a firm organisational and policy basis on which to communicate effectively. 2.3 The use of social media as a tool to communicate effectively has increased significantly, while the social media landscape has grown more complex. Increasingly, the news media utilises social media, and comments on social media channels, as a source for articles. It is therefore essential that the council’s use of social media and how it responds to inbound comments and reactions is structured and organised. 2.4 The updated media policy at the appendix reflects the experience of operating the previous policy, structure changes within the council and the increased use of social media. 3. Measures of success 3.1 Organised, professional responses to media enquiries and releases and continued high engagement levels on social media. 4. Supporting documentation Appendix 1: Media policy Stephen Penman Chief Officer (Strategic Communication and Engagement) Page 94 of 236
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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 95 of 236
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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? The policy governs how the council communicates effectively with external media. 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 has a duty to communicate effectively and failure to do so would represent a risk to both reputation and service delivery. Risks recorded in service registers as appropriate. 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 96 of 236
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Media Policy Strategic Communications and Engagement Version 5.0 Page 97 of 236
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Document control Title Media Policy Owner Stephen Penman Contact penmanste@northlan.gov.uk Governance Group Policy and Strategy Author Carolynne Coole Contact coolemillerc@northlan.gov.uk Revision History Number Originator Date Review Commenced Revision description/record of change V.5 Stephen Penman 14.5.2024 Updated and revised media policy V.4 Stephen Penman 7.6.2018 Updated and revised media policy V.3 Stephen Penman 3.6.2010 Updated and revised media policy V.2 Gavin Whitefield 20.9.2005 Changed to framework and media policy V.1 Gavin Whitefield 24.4.2001 Framework Document Approvals Number Governance Group Date approval granted Date approval to be requested (if document still draft) 1 CMT 20/08/24 2 Policy and Strategy 26/09/24 Consultation Record (for most recent update) Status of document consulted upon DRAFT Stakeholders consulted/date Strategic Alignment All priorities, The Plan for North Lanarkshire and Programme of Work Next review date Review Date September 2028 Page 98 of 236
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Media Policy North Lanarkshire Council media policy (revised 2024) The council is committed to operating its communications with the media and public in an open and transparent way. This policy outlines the council’s practice and procedures for communicating with the media through a range of channels including traditional communications, social media and other online platforms. Employees and elected members must comply with its contents. There is specific legislation governing the publicity activities of local authorities that must be adhered to. In particular, legislation prohibits councils from publishing (or assisting others to publish) material which, in whole or in part, may appear to be designed to affect public support for a political party. Councils are required to adhere to the statutory Code of Recommended Practice on Local Authority Publicity. A copy is appended to this policy. If you require advice on the rules concerning publicity, please contact Corporate Communications in the first instance. In addition, as a Category 1 responder, under The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 which forms the legal basis for emergency preparedness in Scotland and across the UK, the council is obliged to “maintain arrangements to warn the public, and to provide information and advice to the public, if an emergency is likely to occur or has occurred”. The council’s Corporate Communications service is a member of the West of Scotland Public Communications Group and plays a role in the communications response in the event of an emergency situation when appropriate. This policy works in conjunction with the Communications and Engagement Strategy, Events Strategy, Acceptable Use of IT Guidance and the Guidance on the Use of Social Media for Work Purposes. Corporate Communications is responsible for the effective day to day operations of media and public communications including proactive and reactive media handling, relationship management, digital and content creation and insight and evaluation. It also provides strategic guidance in relation to matters where there may be heightened media interest or public scrutiny. 1. Managing information - areas of responsibility 1.1 Information issued only by Corporate Communications All information – releases and responses – to international, national, Scottish or broadcast media should only be issued by Corporate Communications. In addition, information to local media should only be issued by Corporate Communications where it relates to: Page 99 of 236
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• any police investigation, pending court action including prosecutions, disciplinary proceedings or any issues with legal implications, for example, Data Protection • where an incident/accident or complex issue has occurred • new or changing policy at service and corporate level (including responses to government policy announcements) • corporate or key service announcements • key initiative launches or service developments • controversial or sensitive information • ministerial or royal visits, and • committee releases which cover any of the above. 1.2 Information issued by services Individual services, schools or early years establishments may occasionally issue information directly to local media only and where it: • is information relating to routine operation of services, or • relates to ‘what’s on’ information or local events. 4 2. Media releases and responses – content 2.1 Quotes should usually be attributed to named individuals and not a ‘spokesperson’. There are some exceptions to this, particularly where matters of policy relating to the council, controversial issues or reputational damage are at stake. Matters of this nature should be approved by the Chief Officer (Strategic Communications and Engagement) or an appointed nominee and, where appropriate, Chief Officers of the relevant service. 2.2 As an open and accountable public service, the council will not, as a rule, give “no comment” as a response. It is important to explain why we cannot respond, for example, if information is confidential, commercially sensitive, the subject of police, legal or disciplinary proceedings. While we may not be able to give specific information, we can still give information about our policies and procedures. 2.3 All media enquiries should be responded to as soon as possible and within the journalist’s advised deadline. Relevant services affected must make every effort to support Corporate Communications with relevant information for effective responses. 2.4 An appropriate manager should approve all releases, statements and responses in relation to their service. Where approval is not forthcoming within the journalist’s stated deadline, the Chief Officer (Strategic Communication and Engagement) will authorise any statement. 2.5 Employees who are in contact with the media within the capacity of their job should only represent the council’s position or views in relation to any issue. Personal views must not be given. Page 100 of 236
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2.6 Employees who engage with the media in a personal capacity should make clear that they are speaking as a private individual and not as a representative of the council. This is also the case when publishing opinions on personal social media accounts in the public domain, as the media can use publicly-available information in subsequent news stories and may attribute a personal comment by a member of staff to the council. 2.7 Statements on major policy issues will be cleared by Corporate Communications through relevant conveners and chief officers. 2.8 ‘Off the record’ briefings will not be given by employees under any circumstances, except by, and at the discretion of, the Chief Officer (Strategic Communications and Engagement). 2.9 The Chief Officer (Legal and Democratic), or a senior officer nominated by him/her, should approve all media information that has potential legal issues. 2.10 All quotes should be approved directly by the individual quoted with the exception of timing outlined in 2.4 above, where the Chief Officer (Strategic Communication and Engagement) will have discretion to approve quotes. 2.11 In joint news releases, any partner organisation or group quoted should approve the release prior to issue. 2.12 Any employee or member of the public identified in a news release should give prior approval. 2.13 Any employee or facility approached directly by the media is advised not provide a comment and should immediately refer the journalist to Corporate Communications. 2.14 Any request for interviews of council officers must be referred to Corporate Communications. 2.15 It is entirely acceptable for members of the media to approach elected members directly for a comment. However, it is advised that elected members refer journalists to Corporate Communications for official council statements. Members should be aware that the media may use published comments from the personal social media accounts in the public domain of elected members for use in stories. 2.16 The council may at time use digital and other channels for rapid rebuttal to media or social media stories in order to address misinformation from circulating. 3 Publicity and prosecutions 3.1 All statements relating to court proceedings must be cleared by the Chief Officer (Legal and Democratic) and issued through Corporate Communications. In addition, there is a specific policy relating to publicising prosecutions which are successfully pursued by the council. While each case will be considered on its merits, the following practice will generally apply: 3.1.1 In the interests of protecting the public, details (including names) of convictions involving traders – individuals and businesses – will be provided to the media as a general rule, unless circumstances identified by the prosecuting service in conjunction with legal services and Corporate Communications dictate otherwise. 3.1.2 For all other convictions, details relating to individuals will not be provided, unless in exceptional circumstances, particularly where there is a risk to public safety which Page 101 of 236
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is clearly identified and agreed with the prosecuting service, legal services and Corporate Communications. 3.1.3 In respect of ASBOs and other civil interdicts the council will not provide details of individuals. While the identity of the individual will be in the public domain, we should refer enquiries to the relevant clerk of the court. 3.1.4 In respect of court proceedings involving current employees, personal details will not be provided to the media although guidance may be provided in specific circumstances to ensure accurate reporting. 4. Media releases and responses – issuing, timing and format 4.1 Guarantees that releases or statements will be used in any publication or within a specific timeframe cannot be given.6 4.2 While timing of releases will be discussed with services, Corporate Communications manages the issuing of releases or statements across all services to ensure optimum coverage for the council and avoid internal competition for space. 4.3 Information may be given to local media on an embargoed basis if the news is particularly relevant to their area to ensure that they do not lose out on a story. 5. Media support for councillors 5.1 The leader, depute leader and committee conveners (or, in their absence, vice- conveners) speak for the council, while the provost and depute provost represent civic matters. Media support for individual councillors in terms of releases and photography cannot be provided. However, general advice about dealing with the media is available to all councillors through the Chief Officer (Strategic Communications and Engagement) or the Strategic Communications Manager. 5.2 No media support can be given to activities that are of a party political nature. 5.3 Media support cannot be given to activities not concerned with the policy and services of North Lanarkshire Council or its public sector partners. 5.4 Committee releases and information will be agreed with the relevant committee convener and service manager. 5.5 It is the responsibility of the relevant service to keep their convener and, where appropriate, local members informed - at the earliest possible point - of any media situation or any developments or changes in service or incidents that may lead to media interest. 5.6 With the exception of the election period (see below), the leader of the council, depute leader, conveners and vice conveners, should be quoted in releases and conduct interviews in relation to policy issues and committee items. The leader of the council should be kept advised of all releases and responses in relation to all policy issues by Corporate Communications staff. There may be occasions where the Chief Executive or other senior officer is quoted and this will be determined by the Chief Officer (Strategic Communication and Engagement). Page 102 of 236
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5.7 The provost, depute provost or designated councillor in their absence, should be quoted in all releases relating to civic matters. 6 Election restrictions 6.1 There are specific legal restrictions on the coverage of councillors’ activities in the lead up to an election and guidance is issued at the appropriate time. The Strategic Communications Manager must approve all requests for media activity in the weeks prior to an election. Pre-election guidance specific to the election will be issued to all senior staff and elected members ahead of the pre-election period commencing to assist with the handling of media and social media enquiries in that period. This will include advice for schools and use of council premises and resources. 7. Media launches and events 7.1 Other than media arrangements, unless the Events Manager is directly involved, Corporate Communications is not responsible for organising visits, launches or events - only the publicity of them. Such events must be organised by the host service directly, including councillor attendance. 7.2 Advice on the invitation of councillors to events can be sought from the Chief Officer (Strategic Communication and Engagement) or the Strategic Communications Manager. In general terms, it is appropriate for the relevant convener, vice-convener and local members to be invited. If the event is specific to a council ward, all local members should be invited. 7.2 As a general rule, openings of buildings, facilities or initiatives should be carried out by the appropriate convener or vice convener where the provost, depute provost, leader or depute leader are not present. 8. Photographs and video 8.1 All photography and video for publicity and event purposes must be requested through Corporate Communications without exception. Where the council’s multimedia photographer is not available, Corporate Communications will commission another photographer if the event cannot be rearranged, with the cost being recharged to the relevant service. 8.2 All subjects in a photograph or video must have given their approval to be photographed or appear in a video and for that photograph or video to be issued to the media or to be published on social media platforms. Particular care must be taken regarding people under the age of 16 – parent/guardian consent will be required for those under the age of 16 to appear in any photograph or video. The council’s multimedia photographer or videographer will be responsible for obtaining consent unless schools and early years establishments have sought prior permission from parents/carers. 8.3 Television/photographer access to any council building, including schools and care facilities, can only be granted by Corporate Communications staff in conjunction with the appropriate manager. All participating service users must agree to be photographed and filmed and parental/guardian permission must be sought where appropriate. Page 103 of 236
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8.4 The taking of photographs at council or committee meetings and/or the visual or audio recording of proceedings must be agreed in advance with the Chief Officer (Strategic Communication and Engagement) and the committee convener. 8.6 Photographs may be provided to external organisations on a complimentary basis if the intended use benefits the council or the communities of North Lanarkshire. Otherwise charges will be made at an appropriate rate. Photographs should only ever be released to external organisations by Corporate Communications staff. 8.7 The council is committed to encouraging film making and television productions in the area and will support location requests. Requests from television/film/video companies to film on council premises for commercial purposes will be referred to the Enterprise Team and the North Lanarkshire Film Charter and Code of Practice, with Corporate Communications kept informed. 9. Social media 9.1 The council operates a number of official social media channels over a variety of platforms. In most cases these are directly operated and managed by Corporate Communications staff, although some officers from other council services are authorised to post on these channels. It is recognised that there are some service channels existing that are not managed by Corporate Communications which may require ongoing support. 9.2 Services wishing to create any social media channel or group for the purpose of promotion of an area of activity must first request for this using the social media channel request form which will be considered by the council’s Digital Team Leader, who must approve the creation of the channel. The only exception to this is the creation of social media channels by schools. However, schools must also notify the Digital Media Team Leader of the creation of any social media channel. 9.3 With the exception of school channels, all corporate social media channels should be managed through software which is deployed by Corporate Communications for the purpose of managing the council’s social media. The commissioning service will be liable for the cost of individual licences to use this software and all requests should be made to the Strategic Communication Manager. 9.4 The Chief Officer (Strategic Communication and Engagement) may require the removal of content from individual social media channels if, in his/her view, the content may damage the council’s reputation or contribute to misinformation circulating or contravenes the council’s Use of Social Media for Work Purposes guidance or individual channel ‘house rules’. 9.5 The Chief Officer (Strategic Communication and Engagement) may require the closure of a channel if, in his/her view, it is not maintained appropriately. In the main, this will be a decision based on frequency of posting and rates of engagement. 9.6 Corporate Communications maintains a reactive customer service on social media channels, in the main through direct messages. This is led by the digital team and works in conjunction with the Customer Service Hub to provide information to the public or to signpost them to the relevant service information. Services must support the digital team by providing information for their response. These enquiries can sometimes relate to media stories or information circulating on social media and responses in relation to complex, controversial Page 104 of 236
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issues or which may have reputational damage and these should be approved by the Strategic Communications Manager. 10. Communications in a crisis 10.1 The communication of alerts and public information is a critical element of a first responder’s response to a major emergency or incident. Corporate Communications is responsible for developing the council’s communications strategy in relation to a crisis event, major event or incident within North Lanarkshire. 10.2 As a member of the West of Scotland Public Communications Group, the Chief Officer (Strategic Communication and Engagement) or Strategic Communications Manager will work collaboratively with the group to deliver public communications (although it is normal practice for Police Scotland to take the lead role). 10.2 Corporate Communications will work with CMT and services to provide strategic guidance and communications materials that provide guidance, reassurance, information or advice to the public. This includes but is not limited to holding statements and lines, content creation, physical materials and social marketing campaigns delivered through channels including traditional media, social media and online platforms. All communications will be approved by the Chief Officer (Strategic Communications and Engagement). 10.3 In addition, Corporate Communications will work closely with the Community Partnership Team and the Customer Service Hub to ensure that key messages are consistently delivered to the public through a range of channels. 10.4 Communications plays a key role in the recovery of an incident and Corporate Communications will work closely with services and operational leads to provide advice, practical support and engagement with the public. As above, much of this work will be delivered through media channels, as well as face-to-face communication. 11. Service incidents 11.1 In the normal course of operations, incidents within or relating to services sometimes occur. It is the responsibility of the relevant chief officer to make aware and seek advice from a member of the Corporate Communications team if that chief officer considers that there may be communications issues arising from any such incident. Page 105 of 236
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Policy and Strategy Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref DM/SL Date 26/09/24 Delivering the Programme of Work for 2023 to 2028 From Des Murray, Chief Executive E-mail murraydes@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 01698 302350 Executive Summary Following approval of the new Programme of Work to 2028 in March 2023, Policy and Strategy Committee approved (in September 2023) the corresponding high level deliverables to provide a collective focus for delivery of the programmes, projects, and activities considered crucial to meet the objectives of the Programme of Work to 2028 and ensure a greater focus on scale and purpose that escalates positive changes and improves the lives of the people and communities of North Lanarkshire. Throughout 2024/25 these deliverables and projects / activities have been monitored by the supporting Programme of Work Strategic Boards through a corporate monitoring process which has been applied consistently across all seven Programme of Work priorities. This process has required the respective project managers / activity leads to provide an update quarterly to assess if delivery is within the dimensions of scope, cost / budget, quality, resources, risk, and within time / on schedule, and to identify the % completed status. A summary of the latest progress update provided by project managers / activity leads is set out in Appendix 1 attached. Key achievements in 2024/25 to date include: • Completion of the transformation of the historic Orrs Department Store site in Airdrie following £3.2m housing redevelopment that marks a significant milestone in the town centre regeneration plans. • Approval of applications for an extension to Chryston High School and the development of a new St Stephen's Community Hub in Sikeside in Coatbridge to address capacity issues in the existing schools and enhance community facilities in the area. • Completion of the largest council housing development at Dykehead Road in Airdrie, which has seen towers demolished and replaced with new, modern, affordable homes. 150 new homes have been delivered on the site where 138 flats stood, 19 of these are the council’s first net zero homes. • 128 students from local high schools, priority groups, and New College Lanarkshire completing the summer placement programme in areas including the built environment, health and social care, digital technology, NHS Lanarkshire, external construction companies, and various council services to prepare them for the world of work. • The official opening of the £22m state-of-the-art Chryston Community Hub which is home to Chryston Primary School and the new Community Health Clinic for NHS Lanarkshire, which replaced the Muirhead Clinic. Item 8 Page 107 of 236
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1. Background 1.1 Members of the Policy and Strategy Committee are well versed in The Plan for North Lanarkshire and its vision for North Lanarkshire to be a place of inclusive growth and prosperity for all which brings equal benefits and a fairer distribution of wealth to all North Lanarkshire’s people and communities. 1.2 As the delivery vehicle for The Plan for North Lanarkshire, the Programme of Work has (since 2019) enabled a dynamic strategic planning process that has stabilised the strategic direction of the council, while allowing for appropriate flexibility in the • Initial delivery of public Wi-Fi service into community buildings, with Motherwell Library, the Time Capsule, community hubs, and all secondary schools fully operational. • 3.1% growth in housing over the duration of The Plan for North Lanarkshire which has added 4,853 properties to the council tax income base, and 3.4% growth which has added 346 properties to the non-domestic rates income base over the same period. • Economic growth in North Lanarkshire continues to show a positive picture with the latest results showing an increase of 8.9% in gross value added per head compared to the previous year which showed 6.1% growth. Overall, a 28% increase in gross value added per head in North Lanarkshire can be seen over the period of The Plan for North Lanarkshire (compared to 23% nationally). Inward investment continues to contribute to this with the overall number of businesses in North Lanarkshire increasing by 1,280 over the last decade and recent relocations including Welsh engineering company (Envico) who have expanded their UK operations to Cumbernauld and created 20 new jobs, as well as global companies HSBC Bank who have set up at Eurocentral and Doble Engineering (part of ESCO Technologies Inc) at Maxim Park. As per the commitment set out in the report to Policy and Strategy Committee in March 2024, this report provides the Policy and Strategy Committee with a six monthly update on the delivery of the Programme of Work to 2028 to support their role in relation to “development, co-ordination, and monitoring of The Plan for North Lanarkshire” and to keep under review such “programmes as the Committee considers necessary to achieve the council’s long-term aims and objectives”. Recommendations It is recommended that the Policy and Strategy Committee: (1) Take cognisance that this report provides a six monthly update on the progress in delivering the Programme of Work to 2028 in line with the strategic oversight role of the Policy and Strategy Committee and as per the commitment set out in the report in March 2024, and (2) Continue to endorse their key role in ensuring the continuing commitment to delivering The Plan for North Lanarkshire through the Programme of Work and ensuring strategic oversight in terms of its ongoing development, co-ordination, and monitoring. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority All priorities Ambition statement All ambition statements Programme of Work All Programmes of Work Page 108 of 236
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operational delivery of many complex inter-connected programmes, projects, and plans. The consistency of the Policy and Strategy Committee’s long-term commitment to the one plan direction through the Programme of Work has led to significant achievements which have been pivotal in maximising the potential of North Lanarkshire as a place. 1.3 Following approval of the new Programme of Work to 2028 in March 2023, Policy and Strategy Committee approved (in September 2023) the corresponding high level deliverables which would provide a collective focus for delivery of the programmes, projects, and activities considered crucial to meet the objectives of the Programme of Work to 2028 and ensure a greater focus on scale and purpose that escalates positive changes and improves the lives of the people and communities of North Lanarkshire. 1.4 A subsequent report to the Policy and Strategy Committee in March 2024 set out the more detailed Single Integrated One Council Delivery Plan for the Programme of Work to 2028 which would thereafter formally be in place from 2024/25 onwards. Across all seven Programme of Work priorities, the Delivery Plan comprises 96 high level deliverables. 1.5 As noted in the report to Policy and Strategy Committee in March 2024, delivery of the Programme of Work to 2028 would continue to be monitored throughout its lifespan through the supporting Single Integrated One Council Delivery Plan and the established governance arrangements. A key part of this is the ongoing role of the Policy and Strategy Committee to maintain their strategic oversight role of the overall Programme of Work to 2028 in relation to “development, co-ordination, and monitoring of The Plan for North Lanarkshire” and to keep under review such “programmes as the Committee considers necessary to achieve the council’s long-term aims and objectives”. 1.6 This report, and the information set out in Appendix 1 attached, therefore provides a six monthly update on the delivery of the Programme of Work to 2028 for the strategic oversight of the Policy and Strategy Committee. 2. Monitoring delivery of the Programme of Work to 2028 2.1 Throughout 2024/25 to date these deliverables and projects / activities have been monitored by Programme of Work Strategic Boards through a corporate monitoring process which has been applied consistently across all seven Programme of Work priorities. This process requires the respective Project Manager / Activity Lead to provide an update quarterly to assess if delivery is within six dimensions (scope, cost / budget, quality, resources, risk, and within time / on schedule). An assessment also requires to be made in terms of the % completed status of each project / activity. 2.2 An overview of progress in delivering the seven Programme of Work is set out in Appendix 1. This assessment summarises delivery against the high level deliverables approved by the Policy and Strategy Committee in September 2023 and the RAG status reflects the extent to which delivery is being achieved across the six dimensions noted in paragraph 2.1 above. The quarter two position is summarised below. • 90% have commenced to the initiation stage (10% are not yet due to start). Of those commenced: - 9% are complete or at the final closure stage. - 68% have reached the delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. - 14% have reached the planning and set up stage. Page 109 of 236
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- 9% have reached the initiation stage. • Out of the 96 high level deliverables: - 9% have been assigned a Blue RAG status. - 64% have been assigned a Green RAG status. - 27% have been assigned an Amber RAG status; additional commentary regarding these assessments is also included in the update provided in Appendix 1. 2.3 The management and monitoring of the Programme of Work through the Strategic Boards is supported by a formal change process which includes ensuring Policy and Strategy Committee are aware of any changes to the deliverables approved in September 2023. These are noted in Appendix 1 against the respective Programme of Work deliverable. 28 Health Check Indicators 2.4 As per the annual report on the 28 Health Check Indicators reported to the Policy and Strategy Committee in March 2024, 50% of indicators show an improving picture over the period of delivering The Plan for North Lanarkshire (see Appendix 2). While these trends are particularly significant, challenges remain thus further supporting the reframed Programme of Work to 2028 to ensure a heightened and more strategic focus on not only sustaining the economic and community aspects that are enabling local people and communities (and the place that is North Lanarkshire) to thrive, but also on ensuring a more targeted approach to improving social conditions and outcomes. As such, the results for the 28 Health Check Indicators continue to be regularly monitored in order to assess the latest context for North Lanarkshire as a place and ensure this continues to inform delivery of the Programme of Work moving forward. 2.5 Key changes in the latest results for the 28 Health Check Indicators since the annual report to the Policy and Strategy Committee in March 2024 are noted below (and also reflected in Appendix 2). The current position remains that 50% of indicators show an improving picture over the period of delivering The Plan for North Lanarkshire. • Economic growth in North Lanarkshire continues to show a positive picture with the latest results showing an increase of 8.9% in gross value added per head compared to the previous year which showed 6.1% growth. Overall, a 28% increase in gross value added per head in North Lanarkshire can be seen over the period of The Plan for North Lanarkshire (compared to 23% nationally). • Overall school exclusion rates continue to improve with the latest results showing this to be 11.6 per 1,000 pupils - a decrease from 15.3 in the previous results and 67% improvement over the period of The Plan for North Lanarkshire. • In March 2024 it was reported that the proportion of the working age population economically active had shown signs of improvement for the last four consecutive quarters in a row, reaching 75%, the highest position for the last three years after much fluctuation. Quarterly figures since then have dipped with the latest position now 70.5%, this decline follows the national trend. In the main the proportion economically active has been impacted by an increase in the trend for the proportion economically inactive who are long-term sick. • The annual report had previously noted a reduction (to 23.2%) in the proportion of children in poverty over the period of The Plan for North Lanarkshire, however this has since increased to 26.6% in 2021/22 and 26.9% in 2022/23. This increase follows the national trend which reports on the impact of the cost of living crisis on children in poverty and housing costs which have increased sharply. The national context also reports that while at the same time some wages have been increased Page 110 of 236
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to try and mitigate the cost of living crisis, this has not been the same for everyone especially those already on low income. This has resulted in the median income increasing but more families falling under the 60% range. Next steps 2.6 As per the council’s Corporate Risk Register for 2024/25 approved at the Audit and Scrutiny Panel in August 2024, the managing strategic change risk has been reframed into a new risk relating to the inability to deliver approved programmes of work. This will consider governance arrangements, operating framework, organisational capability and capacity, and consistency of approach within and across the differing Programmes of Work. 2.7 As noted in the Corporate Risk Register 2024/25 report in August 2024, the rationale for reframing this corporate risk is that there has been substantial focus on developing strategic oversight in this area with the governance arrangements for the Programme of Work to 2028 now established and moved to operational phase. In addition, these new arrangements are still at an early stage of implementation, so a reshaping of the corporate risk will ensure that implementation is best fit for purpose and flexible enough to meet ever changing challenges which affect the organisation. 2.8 Within the context set out in the reframed corporate risk (set out in paragraphs 2.6 and 2.7 above), six monthly progress updates will continue to be provided to the Policy and Strategy Committee moving forward. This will support the Policy and Strategy Committee to maintain their strategic oversight role of the overall Programme of Work to 2028 in relation to “development, co-ordination, and monitoring of The Plan for North Lanarkshire” and to keep under review such “programmes as the Committee considers necessary to achieve the council’s long-term aims and objectives”. 2.9 In addition, quarterly progress monitoring will continue to be undertaken by each of the Programme of Work Strategic Boards. As these arrangements have been applied consistently across all Strategic Boards, this will enable a corporate approach to (a) ongoing oversight and management of the dependencies and interdependencies across the Programme of Work to reduce the risk of delayed projects and duplication of effort, (b) identifying the hot spots impacting on effective delivery of the Programme of Work, and (c) ongoing monitoring of the six dimensions (scope, cost / budget, quality, resources, risk, and within time / on schedule) within which the Programme of Work is being delivered along with the % completed status assessment. 3. Measures of success 3.1 Measures of success will be evidenced through progress being made to deliver the Programme of Work and ensure the council’s portfolio of programmes, projects, plans, and activities impact positively on the North Lanarkshire context (evidenced through the 28 Health Check Indicators) and thereby achieve the long-term vision of inclusive growth and prosperity for all (as set out in The Plan for North Lanarkshire). 4. Supporting documentation 4.1 Appendix 1 - Summary of progress in delivering the Programme of Work to 2028. Appendix 2 - 28 health check indicators latest results. Page 111 of 236
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Des Murray Chief Executive 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 Page 112 of 236
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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? Work to ensure ongoing monitoring of the delivery of the Programme of Work to 2028 and assess if delivery is within the dimensions of scope, cost / budget, quality, resources, risk, within time / on schedule, and % completed status - and ensure that all stakeholders are informed of progress in line with their respective roles - contributes towards mitigating the risks on the Corporate Risk Register for the governance, leadership, and decision making risk and the managing strategic change risk which has been reframed to reflect the risk in relation to the council’s inability to deliver approved programmes of work. 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 113 of 236
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Appendix 1 Summary of progress in delivering the Programme of Work to 2028 Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) Transforming Places Town and community hubs Complete 6 new build Town and Community Hubs, a £35m extension to Chryston High, and up to 18 schools / buildings extended or upgraded to Hubs by 2028 (and progress design development of a further 3 for delivery post 2028) to support the council’s asset rationalisation and maximise the efficiency of the asset portfolio in transitioning to a new operating model that will lead to more positive outcomes for children, communities, and the economy across North Lanarkshire. Mar-23 Mar-27 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • St Kevin’s Community Hub in Coatbridge expected to start on site end September 2024. • Orbiston Community Hub in Bellshill commenced on site early December 2023 and target phase 1 completion date is Q3 in 2025. • St Stephen’s Community Hub in Coatbridge anticipated to start on site early 2025. • Chryston High School extension anticipated to start on site in early 2025. • Gartcosh Community Hub anticipated to start on site in Q4 2024. New supply programme Deliver 2,000 new council homes between 2023 and 2028 and a further 1,354 by 2035 to help meet housing need and support town centre and community regeneration. Apr-23 Mar-35 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • 335 new build homes and 126 properties purchased through the open market purchase scheme in 2023/24. • Delivery of new build homes continues with 129 properties handed over in 2024/25 to date and 13 purchases settled through the open market purchase scheme. • Largest council housing development at Dykehead Road in Airdrie completed. This has seen towers demolished and replaced with new, modern, affordable homes. 150 new homes have been delivered on the site where 138 flats stood, 19 of these are the council’s net zero homes and feature a range of energy efficiency measures including triple glazed windows, air source heat pumps which control heating and store hot water and additional PV panels that feed into a battery to allow tenants to store energy for later use and save on their bills. New supply programme Review and update the New Supply Programme delivery plan to identify potential opportunities to accelerate / enhance the programme and explore alternative tenure options to support economic Mar-24 Oct-24 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Sub-group established and working on key activities to review and identify potential opportunities to accelerate / enhance programme and explore alternative tenure options to support economic and population growth. Page 114 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) and population growth. Local Development Plan Develop a new Local Development Plan to support and facilitate future development in the right locations to help attract investment in new homes and businesses and support sustainable communities and employment. Jan-24 Mar-28 Green At initiation stage. • 50% through the initial process of issuing topic papers for comment which is the first step in creating the evidence report and obtaining formal approval from Scottish Ministers for the new Local Development Plan. Open Space Strategy Complete an Open Space Audit and develop an Open Space Strategy, including sports pitch strategy, to help ensure local communities have access to good quality, well maintained open space to meet their needs. Jan-22 Mar-25 Amber At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Open space audit completed on target due to sampling sites, avoiding the need to visit each individual site (1,564 sites). Data cleansing, defining score descriptions, and establishing scores for sampled sites completed. • Open Space Strategy currently being prepared for consultation during the autumn. Local Transport Strategy Develop a Local Transport Strategy to help prioritise available investment to ensure communities can access employment, education and leisure opportunities, support inclusive economic growth and contribute to reducing carbon emissions. Jun-24 Dec-25 Amber At planning and set up stage. • Contract strategy approved and contract awarded. Active travel Create 50 kms of active travel routes by 2028 to help establish a network of safe, accessible walking / wheeling / cycling routes to help people access employment, education, and leisure opportunities, improve health and well-being, and reduce carbon emissions. Jun-23 Mar-28 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Motherwell Station Active Travel phase 1 (West Hamiton Street) has been awarded and commenced on site in July 2024. • Phase 2 and 3 works complete in respect of the construction project for Carnbroe Community Hub active travel improvements (approx. 1.7 kms). Delivery timescale for phase 4 under review in order to take account of available roads space. • Works complete in respect of the construction project for Glasgow Road in Craigneuk active travel improvements (approx. 1.9 kms). • Feasibility and concept design complete in respect of the design project for Airbles Road active travel improvements. Recommendations from feasibility study being taken forward. • Inception meeting and survey commissioned in respect of the design project for Orbiston Community Hub active travel improvements (approx. 1.3 kms). • Concept designs for four projects completed in respect of North and South Lanarkshire cross boundary active travel improvements, including Uddingston to Bellshill, Hamilton, Bothwell to Strathclyde Park, and Page 115 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) Waterloo to Law (approx 4.8 kms). • Feasibility study and concept design completed, with prelim design initiated to deliver design project in respect of Strategic Network route 7, Uddingston to Caldercruix via Coatbridge and Airdrie (approx. 15 kms). • Feasibility study and concept design completed, with prelim design initiated to deliver design project in respect of Strategic Network route 9, Airbles Road to South Lanarkshire at Strathclyde Country Park and to boundary with Bothwell (approx. 6.8 kms). • Prelim design complete to deliver Croy Station active travel improvements phase 1 (approx. 0.5 kms). • Funding awarded from SPT and SPUK funds to establish bespoke active travel hubs at identified community hubs or other service delivery areas. Feasibility work is being carried out at the identified sites. City Deal Deliver the City Deal programme to improve connectivity and help support inclusive economic growth. Change: Approval granted in respect of 2 City Deal projects not proceeding (i.e. RAI Full Business Case 3 Dualling of A723 submission to Glasgow City Region Cabinet / RAI North - Dualling of A723 works). For these items approval was granted at the Enterprise and Fair Work Committee on 10th May 2024 to remove them from the overarching City Deal programme. A subsequent change control request was approved by the GCR Cabinet on 6th August 2024. Apr-23 Apr-31 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • The Full Business Case (FBC) submission date for road construction works moved to October 2025 to allow for further design work and development of delivery plan to allow the works to be delivered over series of work packages to maximise opportunities, manage risk (particularly cost), and manage disruption to the local road network. • Demolition works contract awarded and work commenced (August 2024). • Ravenscraig Access Infrastructure (RAI) North to be removed from City Deal programme following Enterprise and Fair Work Committee and Glasgow City Region Cabinet approval. • The commencement of the Airbles Road improvement works to be reprofiled to February 2028 following approval at Enterprise and Fair Work Committee in May 2024. • Submission and approval of East Airdrie Link Road (EALR) Outline Business Case (OBC) to Glasgow City Region Cabinet. - Following submission of a report to the Enterprise and Fair Work Committee on 10 May 2024, the Committee agreed that the OBC should be submitted to the GCR Cabinet in August 2024. • A change control is planned to be submitted to the GCR Cabinet to submit the Orchard Farm Roundabout FBC from October 2024 to October 2026 to allow for further design work and value engineering to manage works costs. This project is being delivered by a third party (the developer) with a funding contribution from City Deal. • Eurocentral strategic active travel links - procurement commenced in respect of the preparation of design and tender package for works. The design work is due to commence in September 2024. The FBC for phase 1 and 2 works is planned to be submitted in August 2025. Page 116 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) Business and industry Develop Business and Industry Strategy including review of available sites, and progress a minimum of 5 projects to remediate, develop, or improve sites to help create new employment opportunities. Mar-23 Mar-28 Amber At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Work in respect of a strategic review of industrial space and sites allocated for business and industry within the Local Development Plan being undertaken through Glasgow City Region. Draft report to be circulated summer of 2024. • Development work and consultation being delivered in respect of a Business and Industry Strategy and action plan. Working group is in place. Project brief agreed and signed off. • Ground works have been completed at Braidhurst, steel frame for the 10 new industrial units has been erected. Delay to programme and increased costs due to having to relocate two high-voltage electricity cables and the uncovering of an unknown utility pipe. • Fusion Assets - phase 1 sale completed successfully at Gartcosh and phase 2 commenced. • Fusion Assets - planning application (required to allow enabling works to proceed) has been submitted in respect of Ravenscraig employment land. Town centres Develop Town Action Plans for each town centre in line with the agreed Town Visions (completing 3 town action plans in 2023/24 and 4 in 2024/25) and progress delivery to help create sustainable mixed- use centres that will attract investment in new employment and housing opportunities. Oct-23 May-25 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Town Action Plans for Airdrie, Motherwell, Wishaw, Bellshill, Kilsyth, and Shotts were developed following public consultation and have been approved by the Enterprise and Fair Work Committee. • £19.5m awarded by UK Government over ten years for Coatbridge. Town Board established and long-term plan being developed following stakeholder engagement over the summer period. Town centres Develop Delivery Plan for Cumbernauld Town Centre regeneration and progress redevelopment plans and demolition of the Centre Cumbernauld. Change: Deliverable wording amended to reflect delivery plan. Jun-23 Mar-33 Green At initiation stage. • Delivery plan progressing. First phase of one to one meetings with businesses completed. Work underway to collate and analyse business responses to assist in understanding demand for commercial space post 2027. • Public engagement / drop in exhibition arranged in the library late August / September. Towers strategy Complete phase 1 Tower re- provisioning programme of 1,750 flats by 2025/26, and progress phase 2 comprising 964 flats. Jul-22 Nov-30 Amber At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Phase one rehousing existing tenants 90% complete, one owner still in Gowthrapple flats and discussions continue regarding compulsory purchase order. Birkshaw Tower and High Coats delayed due to Ukrainian resettlement programme. • Holehills tower blocks along with Burnside Court in Coatbridge demolished and sites cleared. 148 new builds now let to new tenants at Page 117 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) the Holehills site. • Shawhead flats now nearing demolition, Gowthrapple low rise flats also in process of being demolished. • Phase 2 now under way and good progress being made re-housing tenants. Re-discover Airdrie Invest in cultural and heritage assets, including Summerlee and Rediscovering Airdrie heritage initiative, to increase community pride and awareness of local heritage and make North Lanarkshire an attractive visitor destination. Jan-24 Jan-25 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Engagement with local community and groups well underway, with links made to wider opportunities in Airdrie area. Continued engagement with residents, community board, and local groups. • A series of events are planned and will continue in advance of submission of final bid in August / September. • Consultant appointed, site visits underway, and initial plans for development are being prepared to develop a plan of physical interventions aimed at restoring and repurposing heritage assets and improving the townscape. Celebrate Summerlee Invest in cultural and heritage assets, including Summerlee and Rediscovering Airdrie heritage initiative, to increase community pride and awareness of local heritage and make North Lanarkshire an attractive visitor destination. Jan-24 Jun-25 Amber At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Series of engagement exercises undertaken with local schools, community groups, Community Boards, and North Lanarkshire based arts network. • Work undertaken with a range of groups to gather stories and objects by working with new communities and other marginalised groups such as those living in poverty, LBGTQ+, women, and children. • Project staff now appointed and beginning to develop engagement plans. Engagement events will commence towards the end of the summer. • Initial plans for development are in place in respect of capital interventions, largely focusing on the extension of the current miners’ row to establish a new miners’ village and welfare hall. Increase community pride through cultural heritage development Invest in cultural and heritage assets, including Summerlee and Rediscovering Airdrie heritage initiative, to increase community pride and awareness of local heritage and make North Lanarkshire an attractive visitor destination. Jan-24 Dec-27 Amber At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Ad-hoc work continues in advance of dedicated post to support heritage outreach. Recruitment of Heritage Outreach Officer post underway. Invest in North Lanarkshire Establish a small multi-disciplinary team, comprising planning, roads, estates, enterprise, protective services, building standards, and legal, to deliver a Pilot project to provide an enhanced and co-ordinated Sep-23 Dec-23 Blue Completed or at closure stage. • Pilot project completed and evaluation undertaken, and feedback used to inform the next steps. Page 118 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) advisory service to developers and prospective investors to help improve / streamline the statutory consent process and maximise potential economic benefits. Based on learning from the Pilot and wider market engagement, review and develop proposals for an effective future operating model to make best use of available resources, including charging for the enhanced Pre App service, and streamlining the process for obtaining statutory consents. Feb-24 Dec-24 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Stakeholder engagement and review of good practice from elsewhere completed. Development underway in respect of the future operating model, including proposed fees and performance measures, and to progress any necessary approvals for changes to staffing. Approval to recruit Manager to lead team secured and recruitment process is underway. Develop a Gate Check process for all major council investment projects, where statutory consents required, to ensure projects get the necessary input from relevant services at an early stage and avoid potential increased costs and/or delays at a later stage. Feb-24 Sep-24 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Gate check process in final development following consultation with relevant internal stakeholders and incorporated within project management guidance and relevant project approval processes. Support delivery of allocated sites within the Local Development Plan through development of effective delivery plans. Mar-24 Mar-28 Green At planning and set up stage. • This activity has been incorporated within the future operating model considerations for the Invest in North Lanarkshire team. As an ongoing business as usual area of work, the development for masterplans, development briefs, and the appraisal process for major council owned sites will be undertaken as and when sites become available. Co-ordinate development of masterplans / development briefs and appraisal process for major council owned development sites. Blue Completed or at closure stage. Review and develop process for the co-ordination of inward investment / business growth enquiries, including development of Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system. Mar-23 Mar-24 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • The CRM system - to record and better co-ordinate business engagement and growth enquiries and measure outcomes - went live during June 2024 and enquiries are now being directed to the new system which links to Bis Account. Ongoing feedback is being collected from the team to allow an evaluation to be made in relation to how the system is working in practice. Sustainable Futures Energy efficiency and generation Develop a route map to net zero to provide an outline strategy as to how the council will move to net zero (including outline costs, timeframe, and review periods). Jan-24 Dec-25 Amber At initiation stage. • Work to develop a pathway that will outline how the council could achieve net zero greenhouse gas emissions - including development of a climate action team, consideration of the appointment of a net zero partner, establishing baseline data, and reviewing and developing intelligence and information in relation to this area - is at a very early phase of development with the current focus being on defining the scope of the project. The Amber RAG reflects the uncertainty of the project until the scope is more defined. Energy efficiency Undertake research with a potential Nov-22 May-25 Amber At initiation • This aims to establish and implement solar meadows at Auchinlea and Page 119 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) and generation energy partner to explore renewable energy and hydrogen generation projects as commercial opportunities in North Lanarkshire. This will include examining the business case for the delivery of larger scale energy generation / hydrogen production and the delivery of smaller energy projects, including the introduction of solar farms on closed landfill sites and energy storage options adjacent to electrical sub-stations. stage. Dalmacoulter closed landfill sites and work with the energy providers to agree the next steps. The current position is that Local Planning Authorities and Nature Scotland have introduced additional requirements in respect of planning permission at these sites and have requested a full Landscaping Visual Impact Assessment and detailed breeding bird surveys to be undertaken. Notwithstanding this, additional reports and monitoring to meet the new aforementioned constraints imposed will be completed with application submitted September 2024. • To undertake an energy feasibility study considering options for the council to generate / produce its own energy, this will be incorporated within the scope for the Net Zero Pathway project. Energy efficiency and generation Improve asset sustainability through the development of the Live Labs 2 project to deliver more sustainable road surfacing, deliver a social enterprise pilot for environmental services, and increase recycling facilities across the area. Apr-22 Mar-27 Amber At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Work to upgrade and improve communal recycling points / nodes to improve customer service, decrease contamination, and increase waste recycling delivery and installation of bins at all identified sites is complete and monitoring of quality of waste ongoing. • Alternative solutions to upgrade the council's recycling centres to enable the acceptance of tipper vehicles and meet statutory obligations in terms of the persistent organic pollutants’ legislation are being investigated due to lack of funding. 40 new skips procured to assist in delivering the outcomes of this project and work commenced to scope out the works for each Household Waste Recycling Centre. • To identify new material innovations used within road construction that use less carbon (i.e. Live Labs 2 decarbonisation of roads) and develop a review process that is supported and used by the industry: - Live trials were completed for Reclamite, a rejuvenator with the potential to extend the lifespan of pavement, representing a first in Scotland and on hot rolled asphalt (HRA) roads. Findings from lab testing with the University of Nottingham will be compared with stone mastic asphalt (SMA) roads from an A8 trial site to determine the carbon and technical performance of the material. - In partnership with Transport Scotland and Aggregate Industries, an innovative push-off asphalt trailer technology from Germany (Fliegl) was trialled on the A806 resurfacing scheme. The improved thermo- insulation and push-off method enables reduced cold spots and fewer subsequent defects in the road, therefore offering whole lifecycle carbon savings when resurfacing. Thermal mapping sensors on the paver and roller will enable the Live Labs 2 team to measure the benefits of the trailer. - IT options appraisal now complete for the knowledge bank with Page 120 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) vendor management, data security checks, and supplier onboarding in progress. - International market scanning for innovative materials completed by Connected Places Catapult and report being finalised, 200 leading low carbon materials identified. Energy efficiency and generation Explore green energy funding options which will assist in the move towards net zero, for both council assets and businesses within North Lanarkshire. Feb-24 Mar-25 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • The net zero Business Challenge Fund was launched to enabled small to medium sized enterprises to bid for up to £15,000 funding in order to reduce emissions and make their operations more sustainable. Round 1 received 19 applications. • Following the assessment panel involving Scottish Enterprise, Business Gateway Lanarkshire, and council staff, 11 grants were awarded totalling £158,838 of the £250,000 budget. • Of those businesses awarded a grant, their total project costs were £315,975 meaning for every £1 the council has invested the business has invested £1. On project completion, 9 new jobs will be created with a further 16 created one year after. • Businesses also anticipate revenue to increase by £15.8m on project completion with carbon emissions reducing by 315 tonnes of CO2 per annum. • Round 2 of the Challenge Fund will shortly commence to commit the remaining funds. Energy efficiency and generation Deliver low carbon North Lanarkshire assets through the delivery of Local Heat and Energy Efficient Strategy (LHEES), Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH), decarbonisation of the council transport fleet, introduction of electrical vehicle charging infrastructure across North Lanarkshire, and introduction of a waste transfer station and material recovery facility. Apr-21 Dec-45 Amber At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • The council was one of only 11 local authorities to meet the statutory deadline and publish the North Lanarkshire Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES) and Delivery Plan in order to fulfil the council's statutory duties. The next phase of this project will be the appointment of the LHEES / Network Officer to progress and develop the Delivery Plan. • Net zero led transformation of the visitor gateway at Strathclyde Park is being redesigned to meet the available budget. Hub South West Scotland are working with the project team on detailed design and cost estimates. • Work to develop and deliver energy efficiency projects within the council's non-domestic buildings via the non-domestic Energy Efficiency Framework is on schedule and within budget. • Costs to transition the council’s fleet to low / zero carbon emissions are significantly higher than those allocated in the five year capital plan. There is also additional work required for associated charging infrastructure; alternative funding options are being considered. • Funding allocated in respect of the Glasgow City Region electric vehicle charging infrastructure proposal to establish the best approach for the Page 121 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) council (including delivery of the Eco Hub at the Bellshill depot) is being reconsidered, along with alternative funding models, to ensure delivery can be met. • Work is underway to appoint a contractor to extend, operate, and maintain the council's electric vehicle charging infrastructure, in partnership with the Glasgow City Region authorities following committee approval received to enter into the collaboration agreement. • Funding allocated to investigate suitable sites to implement waste streams for the council (before onward processing) along with a Material Recovery Facility (MRF) in order to improve efficiency of the service, reduce contamination, increase waste recycling, and reduce costs is being reconsidered, along with alternative funding models, to ensure delivery can be met. • Funding allocated to ensure adequate charging infrastructure in place at depots, offices, and hubs to accommodate the transition to zero emissions is being reconsidered, along with alternative funding models, to ensure delivery can be met. • Work is underway to ensure that all council owned houses achieve a minimum Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) rating of D by December 2025. EPC band D properties have been identified and an investment programme has been prepared in order to increase the overall EPC rating where reasonably practical to do so, within the parameters of costs and technical solutions available. Currently identified E, F, G rated properties being updated as desktop exercise where works undertaken to increase Standard Assessment Procedure (SAP) rating and associated EESSH compliance. Visits to addresses remaining E, F, G after updating exercise planned to confirm rating and identify any works if required. • Work is underway to develop and implement a plan to ensure that all council owned houses achieve EPC rating of B, or to be as energy efficient as possible, by December 2032. Route map to achieve EESSH2 has been prepared and costed at £430m. The programme towards achieving EESSH2 commenced in Jan 2021, however changes to the criteria are awaited from the Scottish Government to converge activities around EESSH and Net Zero Carbon (NZC). Increased EPC rating through works including 120 properties with photovoltaic solar panels, 110 properties with increased insulation works started. Increased EPC rating through planned works including 180 properties with photovoltaic solar panels, 170 properties with increased insulation works started. • Work to develop and implement a plan to ensure that all council owned Page 122 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) houses have works carried out to support the council's plan to achieve net zero status by 2045 including the decarbonisation of all heating (e.g. replacement of gas heating with a net zero system) has been prepared and costed and consideration is currently underway to prioritise areas. • Following implementation of the Energy Audit Voucher scheme (maximum grant value of £2,500) to enable small and medium-sized enterprises to reduce their energy bills or improve how they use their energy, this has been awarded to six companies with a further seven being processed and others in a pipeline with companies who have noted an interest during the last quarter. Climate adaptation Prepare a Climate Adaptation Plan (and budget) to mitigate climate change which will include nature- based restoration, biodiversity enhancements, flood reduction, community empowerment, better asset design, and effective water management measures to ensure North Lanarkshire's residents and the council's investments are properly protected for future generations. Feb-24 Dec-24 Green At initiation stage. • Work to prepare and deliver a resourced Climate Adaptation Plan, including biodiversity enhancements - in order to enhance the council's resilience to the current and future changes in the climate and respond to the ecological crisis - has commenced with resourcing of the development of the Adaptation Plan agreed along with the use of the Adaptation Scotland Capability Framework. Climate adaptation Develop nature-based adaptations which will centre around the Country Parks for the Future programme and the Clyde Climate Forest. Apr-21 Jul-35 Amber At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Currently seeking funding to deliver the remaining projects in the country parks for the future programme. • Implementation of an annual nature recovery programme - to deliver habitat restoration, freshwater restoration, and eradication of invasive non-native species negatively impacting on nature - has been impacted by funding and seasonal variation on availability of contractors for some areas of work (e.g. bog restoration). • As part of the Clyde Climate Forest City Region tree planting project - which aims to increase tree cover in areas most likely to be negatively impacted by climate change and see around 18 million trees being planted in the city region over the next decade, increasing woodland cover in the city region from 17% to 20% - 1,450 whips have been planted, with 32 half standard trees planted in projects in Bellshill and north Motherwell. Reporting has been completed to funder (Trees for Cities), and income received from the Woodland Trust Emergency Tree Fund to allow a further 47 standards to be planted in autumn. Climate adaptation Improve North Lanarkshire's assets to be climate resilient with a focus Jan-22 Mar-34 Amber At delivery and ongoing • Work is ongoing to implement a tree risk asset management strategy, including establishing the full extent and condition of assets and enable Page 123 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) on flood prevention measures. management and monitoring stage. a regime of proactive management. Temporary arborists have been onboarded and an assistant arbor supervisor role advertised, two further wards have been surveyed under the strategy, an analysis of ash dieback disease survey data for roadside trees is underway, and plans are in development for tree remediation works (six wards) and ash dieback remediation (two sites) for delivery in the autumn. • Development of a burial space strategy to deliver replacement cemeteries and extended cemeteries - in order to meet the council's statutory requirement to provide sufficient burial space and to do so within a reasonable distance of each community in order to tackle funeral poverty and enable bereaved families to visit graves regularly and without undue cost - is behind schedule. • Construction of a new cemetery at Pather Farm in Wishaw has commenced. • To deliver flood risk management and develop plans across the local authority area - in accordance with the Clyde and Loch Lomond Local Flood Risk Management Plan, to enable the council to reduce the risk of flooding and meet its statutory obligations in terms of the Flood Risk Management (Scotland) Act 2009 - a number of activities have been completed. This includes phase 2 of the Motherwell surface water management plan which allows for a better understanding of where water management interventions would have the greatest impact in reducing the effects / impact of surface water flooding, phase 2 surface water management plans for Airdrie and Cumbernauld, completion of flood studies options for managing flood risk from fluvial / river sources in Airdrie, Motherwell, and Bellshill, completion of preliminary design for Kilsyth Flood Risk Reduction Scheme, and completion of the Strategic Flood Risk Assessment and related flood risk management committee report. Climate adaptation Reduce climate impact inequalities including delivery of the actions within the council's Air Quality Action Plan. Jan-24 Mar-28 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Work to deliver the five year Air Quality Action Plan has included a review of air quality monitoring sites, reducing the number of Diffusion Tube sites from 80 to 50, commissioning a new automatic air monitoring site at Gartcosh, commencement of developments on revocation of two Air Quality Management Areas at Chapelhall and Coatbridge. Progress on delivery of the Action Plan Measures is reported in a statutory Annual Progress Report. Climate adaptation Engage all stakeholders in climate adaptation decision making and delivery, with a focus on young people. This will be driven through Feb-20 Mar-28 Green At delivery and ongoing management and • Engagement with schools in climate change campaigns (specifically Earth Hour) to increase awareness and involvement is undertaken annually, with a competition set for the schools to provide pictures or poems to a brief. Work is underway to develop next year's thematic Page 124 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) the council's Climate Action Plan which will be reviewed to reflect the works being undertaken across this Programme of Work and others. monitoring stage. brief based on the sustainable future priority. • Following a bid to the Fairtrade Foundation to retain its status as a fairtrade zone, the council was successful and will continue to be a fairtrade zone until 31st May 2027. The Fairtrade Steering Group will continue to deliver awareness and adoption of fairtrade products and environmental awareness support for companies, community groups and residents. • During the last quarter, the council awarded one grant applicant £41,417 towards an £80,000 project. Of this total £12,557 was attributed to a net zero element. This support to new and existing businesses aims to help them trade in a more environmental and sustainable way to aid their business growth and improve the sustainability of their operations. Resilient People Accessible and inclusive family support Develop and deliver integrated offer of early practical, emotional, and financial support aligned to the community hubs to ensure the right support at the right time to individuals and families. Aug-23 Mar-28 Green At planning and set up stage. • Service has been commissioned and mobilisation is complete through Whole Family Wellbeing Funding (WFWF) to procure universal early help service aligned to new operating model. Work has started in Newmains and extended to Wishaw area. Referrals have been received from various services and work is underway. • Commissioned service has started developing working relationships with multi-agency staff to communicate the service, develop pathways, and establish working relationships. Key themes of need are being identified directly from families and local communities. • Project group established to take forward review of current offer of family support across all council services and develop proposals for sustainable, flexible, and responsive whole family support within new operating model. Services for review agreed by board. Logic model and objectives of review developed and Improvement Service providing consultation and advice. • To build on success of direct payment initiatives - to enable the workforce to use a cash first approach as part of the family support offer to prevent crisis and meet need - a cash first payment has been implemented for food and fuel crisis. Accessible and inclusive family support Establish a no wrong door approach to deliver early family support using continuous evaluation and co-production to develop a sustainable and effective model for the future built on the principles of the Promise, GIRFEC (Getting it Right for Every Child), Jan-24 Mar-28 Amber At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • To create local access to whole family support within new operating model as a core component of community and town hub roll out programme, the early help service has been using the partnership base within the hub and strong relationships with stakeholders are developing. Support is targeted using hub delivery board as a steering group to ensure partnership and wider community alignment. • Formal processes to implement the new hub based roles are still to be completed hence the amber status. Once approvals and funding are Page 125 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) and GIRFE (Getting it Right for Everyone). formalised this will move to green. • Model for Newmains and St Brigid's being operationalised with Barnardo's and four weekly hub delivery group meets on progress. One Service leads group also being re-established post Policy and Strategy Committee report in June 2024 to accelerate the delivery of wider integrated services through the hubs. • Pathways developed and all partners involved in design and implementation to ensure a no wrong door approach by embedding developments in whole family support within the GIRFEC (Getting it Right for Every Child) and GIRFE (Getting it Right for Everyone) approaches in order that families receive the right support wherever they ask for it. Operational group established to develop and test referral and escalation pathways. • Draft logic model and schematic has been developed to outline purpose and aims of project to develop a communication plan in order that the values, principles, and purpose of whole family support is understood across workforce and communities. Stakeholders identified and communication initiated. Sway developed for all staff. Individual briefing sessions have been taking place between Barnardos and health, education, and other providers. • The creation of an all-age carer working group - to explore and resolve issues and challenges currently facing carers - is progressing as set out in the strategy. • The identification of gaps in the current carer support offered by the council is ongoing and will be informed by the work of the all-age carer group. • A refreshed carer strategy is now approved and available in the public domain. This follows consultation with parent, carers, and families to ensure a specific section relating to parent / carers in the refreshed Local Carers Strategy. Accessible and inclusive family support Implement GIRFE (Getting it Right for Everyone) approach in adult services to improve pathways to support. Jan-24 Mar-26 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Pathfinder work is progressing, and links have been established with back to basics approach which aim to ensure a clear pathway for people that supports empowerment and aligns with whole family support. • Implementation session and launch completed in respect of a sticky person approach, which is to identify a lead person to assess and engage others to ensure the right response where needed, thus reducing multiple referrals. Implementation plans drafted for each locality and enabling approach operating across services. • Engagement and Participation Strategy has been developed to support strong voices, and promote independence and connections, simpler version created following feedback from key stakeholders Page 126 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) Accessible and inclusive family support Introduce the Signs of Safety in children's services as a transformative approach to strengthening families and addressing risks of harm. Dec-23 Oct-25 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • The Signs of Safety cohort / working group established to take forward the implementation plan including oversight of a comprehensive training programme for the council and partners. Training programme has been implemented and will be continued August-October 2024. Lead professionals and named persons (aligned with GIRFEC) have been prioritised. A bespoke leadership session was delivered, and further bespoke development sessions are planned and will be delivered across the Children's Services Partnership to raise awareness of the model, values, approach, and improvement of how the council will work with children and families to manage risks and support healing. • The baseline audit - to use the Signs of Safety evaluation framework throughout the implementation period in order to measure impact - has been completed and the analysis is being progressed. Children and families’ views about engagement in the assessment and planning processes contributed to the audit. • A review of the lead professional (social work) paperwork is underway and sub-group of the oversight group has been established to update existing procedures and operating models across the council and partners, where appropriate, to incorporate the values, principles, and practice of Signs of Safety and embed the approach. Accessible and inclusive family support Embed the Close to Home initiative in both adult and children's services to ensure that people benefit from effective support, connections, and opportunities with their own communities. Apr-20 Mar-28 Amber At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Kinship and virtual school family support workers in place and offering family support within identified teams to enhance supports at additional and intensive levels to support and sustain children in kinship care and additional support needs at home. • Recruitment completed for additional support needs (ASN) family support workers who will be managed alongside Family Engagement Support Assistants (FESAs) within community learning and development. Evaluation measures agreed with respective services to allow for data collection. • To invest in family group decision making and lifelong links to facilitate sustainable and creative solutions that enable children and young people to be cared for in North Lanarkshire, the team has completed and submitted materials to achieve Family Rights Group (FRG) accreditation and await the outcome of this. In the quarter 54 children were referred for Family Group Decision Making (FGDM) intervention. 18 children (12 families) and 2 pre births have had a family meeting to develop a family plan. There have been 18 planning meetings, with the young person and support network attending, 16 mobility maps completed, 10 placement timelines and life story works completed and 8 planned and progressing. 4 young people have made lifelong connections plans, and 5 young people have made connections with Page 127 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) their family or workers and working towards sustainable plans. • Recent out of authority placements have been made as part of plans to continue to embed and evaluate improvements in integrated approaches to planning for children and adults with complex needs to further reduce the need for placement outwith North Lanarkshire. Tackling poverty and preventing homelessness Implement a comprehensive new Tackling Poverty Strategy (2023- 26) as the vehicle to continue to reduce child poverty, address inequalities, and support active citizenship and growth. Apr-23 Mar-26 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Focus of holistic support and income from employment drivers has been carried out by the Tackling Poverty Officer Action Group with the Action Plan updated to reflect the outcome of the focus. • Reports on the update Action Plan and outcome of each driver have been submitted to the Wellbeing and Tackling Poverty Committee • Tackling poverty measurements agreed, as well as baselines and data sources. Tackling poverty and preventing homelessness Evaluate the impact of the 2023-26 Strategy and Action Plan and develop a revised Tackling Poverty Strategy for 2026-29. Apr-23 Mar-26 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. Tackling poverty and preventing homelessness Embed anti-poverty approaches within all service delivery with a particular focus on universal services, strengthening pathways to support from health and education and using Multiply and MACA (money advice and consumer advice) to empower young people and individuals. Apr-23 Mar-28 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Rolling programme of poverty sessions delivered to 400 staff across all council services to raise awareness. • Rolling programme of anti-poverty approaches developed and embedded within all service delivery with a focus on universal services, advice, information and representation, maximising residents’ income, provision of money advice, and maintaining / introducing new referral pathways to all services. This includes referral pathways with external partners. • In relation to financial education in primary, secondary, and additional support the service has identified a free programme via the Scottish Government which is available at universal level for schools. • The multiply project continues to provide financial education to working age adults. Tackling poverty and preventing homelessness Review and redesign housing support services for people experiencing (or at risk of) homelessness to ensure housing support services align with the new Prevention duties and provide flexible, strength-based support to help people successfully sustain their accommodation and achieve positive wider life outcomes. Nov-23 Feb-25 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • In reviewing the Temporary Accommodation Strategy, evaluation of current service provision complete and options appraisal nearing completion. Page 128 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) Tackling poverty and preventing homelessness Implement a new crisis response and assertive outreach service in partnership with North Lanarkshire's Alcohol and Drug Partnership to provide immediate assistance to people experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness in need of an urgent response (outwith current service provision) to prevent and reduce recurring homelessness and improve access to support and services. Feb-23 Jun-26 Blue Completed or at closure stage. • Crisis response and assertive outreach service fully operational (following developments in partnership with North Lanarkshire's Alcohol and Drug Partnership and appointed service provider) to provide support and assistance to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Project complete - referrals and outcomes achieved will be closely monitored over the duration of the contract. Tackling poverty and preventing homelessness Review the Temporary Accommodation Strategy to identify current and future temporary accommodation requirements, giving key consideration to the implementation of the Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan. Nov-23 May-24 Blue Completed or at closure stage. • Revised Temporary Accommodation Strategy developed to identify current and future temporary accommodation requirements and provide appropriate recommendations for future strategy. This sets out a range of actions over the next 5 year period. Tackling poverty and preventing homelessness To explore innovative ways to extend the reach of the Scottish Welfare Fund to assist people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness, recognising the importance of furniture provisions in aiding positive tenancy sustainment outcomes. Feb-23 Apr-24 Blue Completed or at closure stage. • Fast track system implemented for community care grants for homeless households in temporary accommodation to enable a swifter move into permanent accommodation and free up temporary accommodation. • Work underway to explore criteria and options for furniture fund expansion to key target groups. • Rapid Rehousing Plan funds confirmed and short life working group established to review procedures and processes to improve access to furniture to support tenancy sustainment. Options currently being explored include supplementing the Scottish Welfare Fund through the furniture fund. Strengthening community capacity and wellbeing Develop the council's approach to Community Wealth Building and associated implementation plan to strengthen community capacity and wellbeing. May-23 Jun-25 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Engagement undertaken with the council’s Operational Management Team (June 2024) and input to North Lanarkshire Partnership Strategic Leadership Board (NLP SLB) (April 2024) to increase understanding of approach at leadership and management level. Writing group has drafted a community wealth building statement which is being refined for further discussion with partners and to pull out delivery actions. • Wider engagement also completed with businesses, and Elected Members, to inform the approach and ensure understanding and buy in. Strengthening community Embed equalities approaches and actions across all work with Mar-23 Mar-25 Amber At delivery and ongoing • Work with the North Lanarkshire Community Planning Partnership to publish a Partnership Communication Strategy has been delayed and it Page 129 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) capacity and wellbeing communities to maximise the influence, participation, and voice of all North Lanarkshire's citizens in the development of communities and services. management and monitoring stage. is likely that a report will be taken to committee cycle 4. • The council has signed up to the North Lanarkshire Partnership Community Agreement developed by VANL to strengthen partnerships and approaches to working with the community and voluntary sectors. • Work to review engagement resource / guides available to enable and build capacity across key staff expected to support meaningful and honest dialogue with communities includes aligning health and social care communications and engagement strategy and toolkit to the Community Boards / Local Outcome Improvement Plan (LOIP) approach (8 weekly meetings). Work includes scoping out a review of the Framework for Working with Communities, work with Community Board chairs to develop individual improvement plans and toolkits for Community Boards, work with Local Partnership Teams (LPTs) to develop improvement plans and tools, and work with the Member / Officer Working Group to look at improvement actions for how the council supports the community and voluntary sector. • To ensure action at a local level strengthens representation of equalities groups in local engagement and delivery of Local Outcome Improvement Plan (LOIP) priorities, linked to the council's equalities duties, the survey analysis has now been collated into key findings and high level findings reported to NLP SLB. Strengthening community capacity and wellbeing Strengthen engagement, participation, and empowerment across communities to develop an integrated service offer that meets the needs of communities. Oct-22 Mar-28 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • To progress key actions - to strengthen the role of the community and voluntary sector in the delivery of services and activities associated with LOIP priorities - engagement has taken place with community and voluntary sector organisation most impacted by the change and their role with delivery of LOIPs. • Agreement to create two new posts and align capital resource to Community Ownership and Management of assets process. Session delivered with LPG reps to identify links and potential duplication with the role of LPT's, agreement to better align through Health and Social Care Partnership leadership, work ongoing to look at options. • Report approved at committee including widened policy reflecting improvement to processes, increased delivery capacity through creating two additional posts, work to align £3m capital to supporting community ownership and management • Work ongoing work with VANL to review the Community Solutions themes and funding models in order to build capacity in communities to support advanced planning for future health and care needs. • Community connectors now all in post and establishing links with locality teams and community groups. Page 130 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) Trauma informed organisation and service delivery Develop a comprehensive local Trauma Plan to ensure that trauma informed practice and systems are embedded within the council's operating model. Nov-23 Jun-24 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Project plan developed and approved by committee to create the framework for North Lanarkshire becoming a trauma-informed organisation. Steering group established with representation from across council to oversee the project and develop and implement the trauma plan across the council. Communications plan agreed and trauma principles introduced to the council’s Operational Management Team. Three service areas in housing identified to test trauma informed approaches. Trauma informed organisation and service delivery Implement the Trauma Plan with a focus on creating the culture and conditions across the council to enable staff to respond in ways which recognise the impacts of trauma, promote recovery, prevent re-traumatisation, and ensure services and effective supports are accessible to / effective for those who need them most. Apr-23 Mar-28 Green At planning and set up stage. • Service level mental health groups are ongoing to develop wellbeing plans that are informed by staff using trauma principles • Level 1 training available to all staff on Learn NL with increased take up. Level 2 trainers have delivered Trauma training in housing pilot. • Family support service have used a procurement approach that involved parents / carers. Structures are in place to ensure coproduction is an ongoing requirement of contract. • Discovery / initiation phase of project is underway to positively influence the design and environment of schools, town centres, community hubs, and service delivery locations by embedding the principles of trauma design, i.e. key meetings across services regards embedding principles of trauma design in the built environment. Trauma design framework is in development aligned to place principles. Identification of current trauma design activity underway, and further opportunities being identified that will be incorporated into service plans/service equalities action plans. • Contribution made to Coatbridge perception survey for longer term plans on the town regards questions support assessment linked to trauma design. Bid made from the Coatbridge Fund to improve design of Buchanan Children’s House in Coatbridge through trauma design approach. • Opportunities for knowledge transfer / shared expertise around trauma design with partners / external organisations being identified and meetings set up. Disability access panel engaged on current new build / asset rationalisation projects for input. Technical design layouts for asset rationalisation / operating model projects start to incorporate and illustrate trauma design approach. Equality Impact Assessments for asset rationalisation / operating model projects completed with trauma design actions incorporated. Investing in prevention Identify capacity to increase proportionate spend of prevention to support improved outcomes for Nov-23 Mar-28 Amber At planning and set up stage. • Engagement undertaken with national Promise team to develop method to analyse Human and Economic Cost (HECM) of family support. Asset map of family support created in partnership with Promise. Page 131 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) children and their families and development of a sustainable service model for the future. • Case studies of families experienced of accessing support analysed from across housing, social work, education, early years, and community learning and development. • Work with the national Promise team has agreed how HECM approach is applied to family support and scope and method now agreed. HECM model has now been agreed. Funding within different areas has been identified. • Plan underway with Promise support team to apply HECM approach to an analysis of family support. Finance has started to identify indicative spend on direct family support across council services. Investing in prevention Map and enhance existing cash first and direct payments initiatives through establishment of a supporting framework aligned with family support principles to reduce stigma and empower families and frontline workforce to tailor solutions to need. Dec-23 Nov-25 Green At planning and set up stage. • Interim payments for food and fuel crisis continue to be made following the Food Poverty Referral Gateway. From December 2023, 430 residents have been assisted. • Mapping is underway in relation to all existing cash emergency payments provided by all council services to create a directory for services and to support the direct payment initiatives. • Work is underway to establish a framework via piloting the (food crisis) cash first payment to support the direct payment initiatives to reduce stigma and empower families and frontline workforce to tailor solutions to need. Brighter Futures NL academies Ensure increased skilled workforce employed in roles which fit industry needs and contribute to greater economic outputs. Apr-23 Mar-28 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • The NL Academies UK Shared Prosperity Fund has seen further projects have mobilised (SPEN 1, futures in construction, summer placements) with others completed (digital youth academy 1, low carbon learning). • The summer placements scheme for S4-6 pupils has been integrated into the NL Academy model. The summer placements scheme for 2024 commenced on 24 June with almost 130 pupils starting a 7 week paid placement. Around 25 of these are being placed with a local built environment business for industry related work experience. • To develop university strategic partnerships (linking these to industry need providing pathways towards employment) current activity within colleges is being collated. Contacts made relate to the built environment board, digital academy planning has commenced, and university partners attend the care academy steering group to ensure ongoing links. NL academies Develop employer engagement within each model to ensure full participation and increased work opportunities. Apr-23 Mar-28 Amber At delivery and ongoing management and • There is uncertainty at the moment over funding, resources and associated risk with developing a funding model to sustain the NL Academy model working with industry and relevant partners. It is expected the RAG status will move towards green when there is more Page 132 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) monitoring stage. certainty over the model being proposed. A delivery model is being scoped at a high level as of June 2024. An offer from a potential partner is currently being explored. NL academies Enhance attraction and advance equalities across key industry sectors. Apr-23 Mar-28 Amber At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Planning underway with NHS Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire Council regarding collaborative apprenticeship opportunities to assess and develop a collaborative apprenticeship approach across each NL Academy area (Built Environment, Health and Social Care, and Digital). Work is currently looking at funding and resources to deliver upon this. Apprenticeship rates of pay require to be assessed to determine feasibility within the Care Academy. • Attraction, recruitment, and retention workstreams have been established under the industry led sector board implemented in built environment and care. Brighter futures curriculum and pathways Expand pathways and progression routes within key industry sectors to connect to employment. Jan-23 Jun-24 Amber At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Plan established (via the vocational education multi agency steering group) to refresh and relaunch the enterprise curriculum, pathways, and certification in order to progress and facilitate growth and expansion of Foundation Apprenticeships, Higher National Certificates, and vocational education in growth job sectors. 69 young people completed an HNC in S6. 171 young people completed a Foundation Apprenticeship in key industry sectors. Greater reference to labour market intelligence when secondary schools are designing curriculum rationale. As delivery relies on external partners, a quality assurance cycle has been introduced to monitor this. Brighter futures curriculum and pathways Grow full range of school vocational pathways for core sectors, including STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics), digital skills, construction, and health and social care. Jan-23 Jun-24 Amber At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • For academic session 2023-24, all courses are completed in terms of other vocational pathways to increase wider achievement opportunities which target young people, increase additional opportunities available through Future Fridays and build upon the existing progression pathways available for literacy, numeracy, digital literacy, and computing. As delivery relies on external partners, a quality assurance cycle has been introduced to monitor this. Brighter futures curriculum and pathways Advance equalities within curriculum pathways 3-18 years. Jan-23 Jun-24 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • To advance equalities within curriculum pathways, including the recruitment of job coaches for young people with additional support needs to prepare them for life beyond school and the world of work, and developing the National Certificate curriculum rationale to include equalities and provide training for all heads of establishment, an advancing equalities forum has been established led by education manager and supported employment manager. Group membership agreed and terms of reference created. Attendance at follow up meetings low. Curriculum rationale session offered on ensuring equality within the curriculum to all heads of establishment. Page 133 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) Brighter futures curriculum and pathways Map, develop, and implement play- based approaches in early years to develop a full play-based learning offer. Jan-23 Jun-24 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Play based approaches have been mapped across primary and are intrinsic to early years delivery. • In collaboration with early learning and childcare, through 1140 hours funding, two education support officers have been appointed to take forward developments in play and enquiry. They will develop approaches to play across early level in first and second level during a 23 month secondment. An initial test of change will be conducted with a small, targeted, focus group of schools. Employability and community learning and development Drive the recovery of North Lanarkshire’s labour market to pre- covid levels and report on local labour market. Apr-23 Mar-28 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • The recovery status of the local labour market is recorded within various Health Check indicators with all the various workstreams across the programme of work contributing directly to these. Employability and community learning and development Ensure continued expansion of supported employment programmes, increase opportunities for North Lanarkshire Industries to diversify and integrate these with wider employability support. Oct-23 Mar-26 Green At planning and set up stage. • Continued funding of three supported employment projects delivered to 16-24 year old ASN and/or care experienced young people confirmed. • Development of an Action Plan for North Lanarkshire Industries for 2024-26 underway with a view to assessing progress at six months. Employability and community learning and development Develop and embed the Employer Charter within a broader range of businesses. Apr-23 Mar-28 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Delivery of the charter continues with assessments of companies applying for charter status or increased status. Developments will continue through accreditation of companies and planning for a networking event for these companies in late 2024. Employability and community learning and development Ensure integration of external employability funding with council led programmes via Local Employability Partnership. Jan-23 Mar-25 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • UK Shared Prosperity Fund for 2024/25 allocated to continue two employability support projects and No One Left Behind funding from the Scottish Government confirmed and allocated to a range of interlinked council and third sector projects by the Local Employability Partnership. Employability and community learning and development Create and implement a development plan focused on delivering numeracy programmes to adults aged 16+ to meet objectives of Multiply/UK Prosperity fund. Jan-23 Mar-25 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • The Sum It Up team are now well integrated into the wider community learning and development team and have strong working relationships with a number of internal and external partners. This has helped the team to engage with a broad range of individuals who are benefiting from Sum It Up interventions which range from Savvy Savers groups to achieving National 5 qualifications. Page 134 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) Change: New deliverable added - approved by Brighter Futures Strategic Board on 29/05/24. • Of the 430 individuals who have achieved a numeracy qualification across the Glasgow City Region Multiply partnership (8 local authorities), 166 individuals achieved this through the community learning and development Sum It Up (Multiply) Team in North Lanarkshire. 115 SQA certificates were achieved in 2023/24, with a further 27 in Apr-Jun 2024 so far this financial year. Employability and community learning and development Create a community based employment opportunity within the council for up to 18 young people aged 19-24 years who experience multiple barriers to learning and employment. Change: New deliverable added - approved by Brighter Futures Strategic Board on 29/05/24. Apr-24 Mar-25 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • To support an increased skilled workforce, the Young Adults programme has successfully recruited 13 staff who are aged between 19 and 24 and have experienced multiple barriers to accessing training, education and employment. A further 5 young adults are due to start the programme once pre-employment checks have been completed. • During the most recent quarter, the programme has finished its recruitment phase and has moved on to providing training and practical placements for the young adults involved. 13 of the staff who started the programme have already completed their First Steps to Family Learning course (SCQF Level 4) and are taking part in a 6 week programme to build their confidence to facilitate groupwork within communities. Employability and community learning and development Develop and deliver employability pathway for Resettled Scots including Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) building in accreditation through Scottish Qualification Authority (SQA) qualifications. Change: New deliverable added - approved by Brighter Futures Strategic Board on 29/05/24. Feb-24 Mar-26 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • As part of the overall project to develop an English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) pathway for employability programmes and implement a ESOL employability course in partnership with Routes to Work and New College Lanarkshire, employability courses engaged with 55 individuals resettled, including unaccompanied asylum seeker children, 38 have achieved their qualification so far. • Through a successful partnership with the early years workforce development manager, the resettlement team organised a targeted recruitment event, which resulted in 20 individuals securing employment as early years practitioners within the council, which have previously been difficult to fill vacancies. Employability and community learning and development Develop and implement a comprehensive learning programme where 50% of learners who achieve a core skills qualification will reside in the top Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation (SIMD) 1 and 2 data zones. Change: New deliverable added - approved by Brighter Futures Strategic Board on 29/05/24. Mar-24 Mar-25 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Increase the number of qualifications and awards achieved by young people and adult learners focusing on core skills and personal development (including SQA and Adult/Youth achievement awards). • Community learning and development has continued to have a strong focus on accreditation and the targeting of learners from SIMD 1 and 2 datazones. Overall figures for the year ending March 2024 show that 2,111 youth accredited learning awards (such as Duke of Edinburgh Awards and Dynamic Youth Awards) were achieved and 651 adult national qualifications (such as SQAs and Adult Achievement Awards) were gained by learners. • The focus on learners from SIMD 1 and 2 is still in place, with 45% of adults, 40% of young people, and 48% of children in community Page 135 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) learning and development programmes living in SIMD 1 and 2 areas. Volunteering Establish volunteer baseline, covering current activity, training received, and availability for broader opportunities. May-23 Mar-25 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Work undertaken to engage with local community groups, meetings held with all Community Boards, ongoing meetings with VANL to engage and understand the use of volunteers and existing demand and potential for growth. • Work continues with the council and local employers to develop opportunities for employer supported volunteering projects, linking in with community stakeholders to offer support as appropriate. • A number of events have been used as an opportunity for employer supported volunteering to benefit North Lanarkshire projects. Volunteering Map community partnerships who offer volunteering opportunities and the current offer (baseline). May-23 Mar-24 Blue Completed or at closure stage. • Some volunteer roles profiles have now been published and work is ongoing. Engagement underway with Volunteer Scotland to ensure widest possible reach to all potential volunteers. Volunteering Implement and maintain a system capable of capturing volunteers, skills, training, and opportunities available. Oct-23 Mar-25 Amber At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Volunteer management system secured (Rosterfy) and development almost complete. • Work has been undertaken with stakeholders, including Education and Families, New College Lanarkshire and VanL to develop accreditation options for young people which support efforts to improve access to employment or education, while offering a recognition for all volunteers and their contribution. Discussions have taken place with VANL and education colleagues to discuss further roll-out of the Saltire Award. • The new volunteer management system also provides an opportunity to record hours spent towards achievement of the accreditation. • Work with New College Lanarkshire and training providers is in progress to develop qualification routes for volunteers which support efforts to improve access to employment or education. • Initial discussions have taken place with New College Lanarkshire around coaching qualifications which can be made available to volunteers working sports related areas. Volunteering Implement and maintain a front- end website (one stop shop) for volunteering in North Lanarkshire. Oct-23 Mar-24 Blue Completed or at closure stage. • QR codes for the Roserfy volunteer management system developed to improve accessibility from a range of council venues and service delivery points. Entrepreneurship Map current entrepreneurship and self-employment provision across North Lanarkshire. Apr-23 Mar-28 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Mapping of all existing entrepreneurship support and activity taking place across North Lanarkshire - provision, geography, and target groups.and review work underway; this has involved meeting with partners to discuss offerings including engagement with DWP. Entrepreneurship Develop entrepreneurship activities May-23 Mar-25 Green At delivery • Options appraisal on future delivery of Business Gateway services Page 136 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) to drive activity where gaps and provision from the mapping exercise have been identified. and ongoing management and monitoring stage. completed. Service was insourced on 1 March 2024. New national service delivery model is also being embedded along with local delivery plans and targets. Work has been undertaken to implement the new national service specification and performance framework. Staff have been engaging with customers and also meeting stakeholders. Workshop delivery has commenced. • Team are now working to deliver against targets for 2024/25 and continuing to engage with internal and external stakeholders to develop working relationships. Entrepreneurship Advance equalities and deliver targeted entrepreneurial support to under-represented groups through bespoke interventions. Change: Following review at the Brighter Futures Strategic Board on 30th May 2024, the Board agreed that one of the sub projects in this deliverable (i.e. Deliver Lanarkshire Women in Business Events Leadership and Mentoring programme (through UKSPF funding)) be removed from the Delivery Plan as will be progressed via another existing action (i.e. Undertake delivery of pilot to establish dedicated co-working space for women in Airdrie (through UKSPF funding) and explore a sustainable business model). Oct-23 Mar-28 Amber At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Work underway to deliver tailored business start-up and support programme to Black, Asian, and other Minority Ethnic people and groups. Contractor has been actively engaged in a variety of initiatives to support and empower the local business community. This has included engagement with local mosques, working with the African community and working with the resettlement team to deliver events and outreach. Delivery of increased engagement, workshops (e.g. accountancy workshops designed to support refugee and migrant communities), and increased focus on support for first-time entrepreneurs. • Dedicated co-working space established for women in Airdrie and as at June 2024, 171 registrations have been made for the Hive of which 59 Individuals have made bookings for the space. Events programme underway included a Master Your Marketing Event (23rd May), Beauty Event (17th June), Funding Fridays drop-ins, Business Gateway Meet the Adviser events and a Unlock Your Inner Speaker event (19th June). The facility continues to be marketed and work is underway to explore opportunities to make the space financially sustainable, including establishing closer working relationship with New College Lanarkshire and the provision of qualification for participants. • Development of social enterprise support completed with the third programme resulting in 37 social enterprises participating. A celebration day was held on 11th June for Accelerator participants. A crowdfunding Event is planned for October 2024. A series of multi week peak performance programmes is planned for 34 participants around action plan follow-up, leadership and growth mindset / partnerships /generating sales, and six half start-up roadshows planned to generate 30 new start enterprises. • Opportunities for alternative inclusive ownership models in North Lanarkshire (linked to community wealth building) are still in discussions with Co-Operative Development Scotland to finalise models to be used. • On 23rd May - delivered a session with Co-Operative Development Page 137 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) Scotland for Enterprise Development and Business Gateway staff to raise awareness of alternative ownership models - employee owned business and co-operatives. • Work to embed models into business start-up sessions, explore opportunities for succession planning in businesses and further develop wider programme in progress. Entrepreneurship Expand experiential entrepreneurial activities and pathway programmes within education curriculum. Aug-23 Aug-24 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Enterprise pathway and enterprising schools award model within education (including Commsworld/YES support, Dragons' Lair, Social Enterprise Academy, and Business Gateway community benefits) delivered through the academic year. Outcomes include 138 school engagements, 9,297 pupil engagements, 407 staff engagements, 22 of 23 (96%) secondary schools have participated in at least one enterprise project, 54 of 124 (44%) primary schools have participated in at least one enterprise project, 2 of 13 (15%) ASN schools have participated in at least one enterprise project. • There are additional enterprise projects taking place across the schools, particularly ASN, that are not recorded as they are not linked to any projects delivered by partners within the enterprise group. • The programme for the 2024/25 academic year is being finalised. Funding and social value Identify all relevant funding streams and how they fit together. Sep-23 Oct-23 Blue Completed or at closure stage. • Desktop exercise complete of all funding streams to identify how they align and integrate. Funding and social value Identify different timescales for funding and any potential gaps and future opportunities. Jan-24 Mar-25 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • No gaps have been identified with theme leads that need to be explored further. Environmental scanning of funding landscape for future opportunities to take place. Funding and social value Identify community benefits opportunities linked to each theme. Jan-24 Mar-25 Green At planning and set up stage. • Review of current resources / processes around the management and monitoring of social value currently taking place within the council. • Recruitment underway for a Social Value Manager post to engage with Programme of Work leads to discuss / determine community benefits opportunities and how these will link to Brighter Futures. Digital North Lanarkshire Digital culture, leadership, and knowledge Create a mature and sustainable culture across the organisation to ensure that digitisation of council services provided to the public successfully transition them to Sep-23 Dec-25 Green At delivery and ongoing management and management • Research continues using Gartner to understand the as is and the future state requirements for the organisation. This includes a 5 steps to culture model to help inform developments. Data and findings from the health and social care digital maturity assessment have also been shared to help inform the council's approach. Following a review of all Page 138 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) achieve the outcomes specified within The Plan for North Lanarkshire. stage. research the maturity assessment questions are being prepared for discussion with the subgroup and Early Adopters to ensure consistency of messaging and ideas. • Using the previous digital skills survey from 2021, a new Digital Survey has been published for staff. Digital culture, leadership, and knowledge Develop digital leaders to facilitate behavioural change required to enable service transformation within existing resources. Nov-23 Jun-24 Green At initiation stage. • Initial discussions have taken place on the specific educational programme currently in existence and aligning this to the needs of a council wide leadership programme to incorporate digital capabilities, including cognitive transformation (thinking differently), behavioural transformation (acting differently), and emotional transformation (reacting differently). • Research work continues to understand the future state requirements for the organisation with digital leadership core competencies and approaches. Digital culture, leadership, and knowledge Develop and deploy a self-adapting redesign framework to accelerate digital business transformation of critical council functions. Sep-23 Mar-24 Blue Completed or at closure stage • Following approval of the Programme of Work to 2028 in March 2023, a portfolio approach was developed for the supporting governance arrangements and work was undertaken to integrate change management into the Project Management Framework. Input from a group of service representatives and self-evaluation with the Operational Management Team informed the concept for a Change Management Toolkit to serve as a self-service mechanism and dynamic online resource (not a static document) able to evolve along with new practices, new learning, and learning from experience as progress is made in delivering the Programme of Work. • The operating principles of the Toolkit are to provide ideas, insights, lines of thought, and a range of tools to help those leading, managing, implementing change to do so within the context of their own situation, service, function, project, or team undergoing the change and within the context of the outcome / end result that the change ultimately aims to achieve. The Toolkit also sets out a range of Tools and Techniques which can be picked up and used as and when needed depending on what the requirements of the change initiative (and the people managing the change) are, to be able to provide people managing / implementing a change with the reassurance that they are following tried and tested methods and guidance. Digital culture, leadership, and knowledge Support development of a skilled workforce to foster consistent knowledge, improve digital adoption, and accelerate digital- first business capabilities. Mar-24 Apr-26 Green At initiation stage. • Work has commenced on identifying the appropriate format for a self- assessment tool to allow staff to understand their current level of digital skills and undertake further learning, as appropriate, to upskill the council's workforce to be more digitally capable. • Modules on LearnNL are available to all staff and investment continues Page 139 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) in the flexible workforce development fund in digital skills. • The existing education programme has been shared and an assessment of a test of change is now under consideration. Improved customer experience Ensure a connected / integrated digital experience to facilitate users to transition to efficient digital and hub-based services and become empowered to be self-managing and digitally active. Apr-23 Jun-25 Green At delivery and ongoing management and management stage. • MOT and taxi compliance, and road permit online processes, now live and contract signed for new corporate booking system to support the development of systems and portals to enable residents to engage, report, request, and pay for services. Business support case management and legal case management systems are also live. • Robotic process automation and artificial intelligence centre of excellence established and four bootcamps run for staff covering uipath, co-pilot, power automate, and power apps. Following this six proof of concepts are in development which include a chatbot for council tax and household waste, knowledge management hub to enable chatbot functionality within the customer services hub, and a telephone chatbot to deal with missed bin enquiries, customer complaints and customer enquiries. In preparation for launch of the chatbot - and to enhance its use - a refresh exercise is underway regarding content held on the council’s website. Two roadshows have been delivered to promote and encourage the role of the citizen developer. • Redesign of the council’s purchase to pay system is nearing completion to introduce a standardised approach to enable electronic invoicing. The final phase prior to launch includes the development of training materials (including an e-video) and roll out of training for all pecos users. Improved customer experience Implement smart community hubs to improve access to omni-channel, digitally enabled services, and experiences. Sep-23 Mar-26 Green At planning and set up stage. • Business case approved linked to establishing digital zones in two hubs, with development of the supporting delivery plan underway. Work also underway to ensure ease of use by community groups and wider partner organisations - an initial workshop was held with colleagues from culture, education, health and social care, and enterprise and communities to explore the potential use of these spaces and agree the support group for developing use, considering how content can be created, and how the rooms booked, used and further developed. • To further develop community use of immersive experience pods beyond school case and enhance digital experiences, the upgrade of the immersive room at Muirfield has been completed, as has the installation at Motherwell Library. Project is in the initial stages in respect of the build of the physical space in Summerlee. The Digital School has met with members of the Digital Community Board, the Community Youth Forum, and members of the construction industry and healthcare. Page 140 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) Improved customer experience Ensure accessible data to improve public reporting and transparency, streamline effort involved in request for information processes, and leverage business development opportunities. Oct-23 Mar-26 Green At delivery and ongoing management and management stage. • Developments in respect of an approach to open data are being undertaken with due consideration of the various other data strategies/approaches across the council as well as the Data Governance Board review and role and the need to ensure a one council approach to data that is streamlined and makes best use of resources (i.e. people and information resources). Digital first operations Ensure useful, secure, compliant, and digital first applications are available to support critical but streamlined service delivery. Jan-23 Mar-28 Green At planning and set up stage. • Implementation of a new housing and asset management system is underway to improve data management, monitoring, and service delivery across housing and procurement is in the final stages. • Implementation is also underway in respect a new case management and scheduling systems to meet statutory obligations and improve service delivery and performance management across social care. Education and families, and justice services, have completed user acceptance testing and staff briefings are scheduled for the autumn. Data migration and ongoing business redesign is impacting on implementation of new case management and scheduling system across social care. • Project brief and plan in development to review tools and products currently deployed to support the council’s financial management arrangements, and to identify the options in scope for an options appraisal to ensure longer-term suitability. • Leisure and facilities booking systems implemented to meet needs; integration with hub place bookings requires further testing. • Report in respect of the review of asset management practices across the organisation, including categorising and consolidating system usage, submitted to Finance and Resources Committee. • Developments in telephony systems include the completion of assessment and design work for the service desk, customer hub, and housing repairs, with build progressing and being tested. Handset replacement in schools underway. • Framework in respect of automation and artificial intelligence (AI) reported to Policy and Strategy Committee in cycle 3 of 2024. • Creation of a catalogue of standardised online technology catalogues to enable council service areas to determine digital solutions matching their requirements and enable self-service, where appropriate, delayed due to competing priorities and resource implications. • Contract for the management of the corporate GIS system renewed for a further year. Scoping of the potential for further integrations of ARC GIS with other key council systems underway. Digital first Facilitate fibre-enabled innovation Apr-23 Mar-28 Green At delivery • Implementation of a Wide Area Network solution now completed. Page 141 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) operations to maximise the full potential of Internet of Things (IoT) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) technologies in service delivery. and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Delivery of a council-wide public Wi-Fi service being implemented on an iterative basis from mid-July. Now fully operational within Motherwell Library, Time Capsule, Hub sites and all secondary schools. Deployment to remaining sites - leisure centres, community centres etc - planned from September 2024. Smart Park pilot is progressing but some delays being experienced with 3rd party suppliers. • Upgrade of the Immersive room in Muirfield completed. The installation of the Immersive room in Motherwell library completed. Since January 2024, over 800 customers have accessed the room at Motherwell Library during 51 events/activities. Summerlee immersive room now complete and operational. Building control process for the build in Airdrie Library completed. Digital first operations Ensure single source of data to provide insights and evidence that support decision making and service planning. Sep-23 Sep-25 Green At initiation stage. • Centre of excellence work underway with PwC and on track to establish a single entry into a council wide Data Hub and single source of demographic data about North Lanarkshire and corporate performance. • Data quality audit in development and on track to create a master data catalogue of all data assets across the council, defining the prime record for each data set/field and supporting data owners to assess quality and data mapping. • Development of a method for services to transition from using paper- based storage to a digital solution at the procurement stage and slightly behind schedule. Performance optimisation Develop an efficient digital and IT cost model to ensure scarce financial resources are aligned to vital enabling technologies. Oct-23 Sep-26 Amber At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Data capture on digital and IT spend across the council nearing completion, with work commencing to develop a model to establish whether this is essential and priority spend. Has proven challenging to complete given competing priorities and resource implications. • Digital North Lanarkshire Programme of Work Strategic Board agreed that finalisation of baseline financial information would pause to enable Finance to complete the year end accounts for 2023/24. Performance optimisation Enhance security monitoring to maintain effective access and control over council data as the council delivers the anticipated increase in its digital footprint. Feb-24 Dec-27 Green At initiation stage. • Review of benchmarking indicators and other organisations’ approaches completed to identify any areas in relation to security that can be monitored. Discussion with Leadership Practitioners Forum commenced. • Development of a roadmap underway in terms of data assets, standards, and solutions delivered by or in conjunction with third party providers to ensure that suppliers are consistently assessed, and performance is effectively managed throughout any engagement. • Tasks identified to take forward as part of determinations for a security strategy to create an assessment model to provide meaningful, insightful, and simple representation of the cyber rating of data control. Page 142 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) One Service Leadership and operating model and asset rationalisation Deliver the continued roll out of the Leadership and Operating Model to ensure an effective community leadership approach, working with partners, as the hub approach develops. Jun-22 Mar-28 Amber At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Completion certificate received for phase 1 works at Broadwood Hub in Cumbernauld to allow phase 2 to proceed. Will move forward when operating model project officer hired. • Kildonan Street redevelopment delivered successfully from end to end in 10 weeks. • Phase 2 Hub space at Calderhead operational. Options for out of hours access identified to be taken forward. Project stays on track with technical design under review. • Continuing to expand the number of integrated Hubs across the existing estate, with initial sites identified and site visits completed with initial pros and cons, as part of transition to the operating model and to support asset rationalisation, as per report to Policy and Strategy Committee in June 2024. • As part of the development of the Cumbernauld Hub, Fleming House was vacated in 12 weeks (to allow for demolition). Registration services vacated Bron Way workspaces and housing teams and functions relocated to Bron Way. Redesign of ground floor spaces agreed, asbestos survey organised, trauma design approach taken. • Programme confirmed to redesign ground floor space and main reception in Bron Way to support more integrated and affective service delivery from first point of contact for customers. • Work is underway to gather a baseline understanding of future service delivery arrangements / requirements as part of phase 2 for the 3-5 year transition to future operating model and to inform the intelligence needed for investment in the current estate as part of capital programme, with all service requirements received and initial analysis completed. • Work underway regarding establishing an agreed process to govern and prioritise an organisation review, service redesign, and workforce transition for the future operating model, including completion of service reviews and consolidation into asset portfolio. • Timetable in place for Chief Officer presentations in place for One Service Board overview between April and November 2024. This incorporates working with services to identify and formally timetable which supports and services will be delivered from a hub setting - inreach and outreach. Update scheduled for Policy and Strategy Committee in December 2024. • Work ongoing with Health and Social Care Partnership around GIRFE (Getting it Right for Everyone) to strengthen early access to supports Page 143 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) and services through new ways of working within a community hub model. National timelines adhered to and submission deadlines met. • To develop and implement a proof-of-concept model for early and inclusive family support enabled through the community hub model with a no wrong door approach, a commissioned service has been awarded and mobilisation of project is underway with needs being identified and delivery group meeting every four weeks. • To operationalise a model for new community hubs to support the transition to future operating model, delivery groups have been established for each new development community hub which have a focus on operationalising a model for early and inclusive family support. Leadership and operating model and asset rationalisation Align the asset rationalisation strategy with the Leadership and Operating Model to ensure coherent phasing and maximise efficiency. Apr-23 Jul-28 Amber At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • To support the redesign of home support services to enable locality integrated teams and a phased approach, engagement with the service has identified needs in Bellshill in first instance. This was followed by preparation and costing of the design layout for Bellshill Transport Hub. In the interim, space has been allocated for pool cars in the area. • To create a One Service operating model within the remaining estate a number of areas of activity are underway, i.e. implementation of hybrid model focused on Civic Campus approved, reconfiguration of Buchanan Centre contract award made, reconfiguration of Bron Way design layouts approved and asbestos survey carried out, reconfiguration of Dalziel Building ground floor design consultations completed, hybrid model focus on Civic Campus in place by end of summer, reconfiguration of Buchanan Centre programme underway into phase 1, reconfiguration of Bron Way design costed and contract awarded, and reconfiguration of Dalziel Building costed and into tender process. • Project brief for digital zones created to identify technology priorities using the digital framework developed by the operating model team and in line with phased approach for the operating model. • Work has commenced to build call flows / dialogues within a corporate telephony solution to support the introduction of a single contact number and secure payment portal for the council. Following customer services hub pilot, recruitment process has started to provide resource to support the management and administration of the system, delivery and training plan is under development. • To widen the scope of the current Community Asset Transfer Policy to include all requests from communities to use, manage, lease, or take ownership of council owned assets, a Community Ownership and Management of Assets Policy was approved at Policy and Strategy Committee in June 2024 - this includes a decision making framework around discounted leasing for community organisations. Developments Page 144 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) underway to establish a corporate group to drive implementation and develop criteria and the delivery approach for investment. • Recruitment of two new posts is underway to progress internal processes to identify improvements geared towards shifting the culture of community ownership and management of assets to one of codesign and with communities. • Committee approval received in respect of a corporate booking system to support the council's approach to customer facing communications around the marketing of assets more coherently and contract due to be awarded shortly. Project mobilisation due to start in Q3. Workforce Further develop workforce plans to ensure appropriate succession planning and alignment to the overall Programme of Work. Apr-23 Apr-28 Amber At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • To support the delivery of all ongoing workforce and structure changes arising from agreed operating model revisions and future savings, along with ongoing service realignments linked to the future operating model, the HR team have provided ongoing support to Chief Officers and service leads in delivery of budget savings in year one. Service reviews are underway for community learning and development and waste. • To continue with organisation and workforce mapping to identify transition plans for future workforce models and structures, the HR team have provided ongoing support to Chief Officers and service leads on initial scoping. • Actions from 2023-25 current service workforce plans are in delivery. Plans updated for Best Value thematic audit in relation to workforce innovation. These are currently being reviewed with the senior HR business partners and full refresh of plans for 2025/26 is underway with the team working on the new process; this is on target for delivery in cycle 4 of 2024. To date, the One Service Strategic Board has reviews planned for Finance, Legal, Housing, Assets and Procurement, Children Families and Justice, Social Work, Community Operations, and Place. Working with other Boards Work with other Boards to support delivery of priorities across the Programme of Work. Jun-24 Mar-28 Green At planning and set up stage. • Development work is underway to pilot an approach to maintain strategic oversight of the dependencies and interdependencies across the Programme of Work to reduce the risk of delayed projects, friction projects, and duplication of effort. Outputs from the pilot will inform the next steps in this respect. • Hot spots impacting on the effective delivery of the Programme of Work are being identified through the quarterly monitoring reports which are being submitted to each Board and the Corporate Management Team. No significant hot spots were identified as at Q1 (@ 31/03/24) or Q2 (@ 30/06/24) which required to be escalated for discussion at the Corporate Management Team. • To ensure that resources are in the correct place to deliver and make Page 145 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) recommendations regarding cross cutting changes and enabling more efficient services, an assessment of the impact on resources is also being identified through the quarterly monitoring reports which are being submitted to each Board and the Corporate Management Team. As at Q1 (@ 31/03/24) the resources dimension showed the greatest variation across all 7 Programmes of Work in terms of whether it was (or was not) an issue - this showed that 12% of the overall Programme of Work highlighted an issue with resources; this decreased to 10% as at Q2 (as at 30/06/24) but will continue to be monitored. Working with other Boards Ensure practical implementation of Change Management Framework. Jun-24 Mar-28 Green At planning and set up stage. • As noted against the Digital North Lanarkshire deliverable, a Change Management Toolkit has been developed to serve as a self-service mechanism and dynamic online resource able to evolve along with new practices, new learning, and learning from experience as progress is made in delivering the Programme of Work. As project management (with its focus on the organisational aspect of change) and change management (with its focus on the people aspect of change) naturally have complementary processes with the same basic underlying aim - to ensure the long-term success of a programme / project (and its impact) - this development supports the council’s overall approach to the changes required to deliver the Programme of Work. • Once the closure stage is completed for the corporate toolkit under the Digital North Lanarkshire Programme of Work, this moves to the One Service Board for deployment across the organisation. Working with other Boards Lead engagement with staff, trade unions, and partners about the Programme of Work to ensure understanding and alignment. Apr-24 Mar-28 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • During summer 2024, a programme of staff roadshows took place to inform staff of the council’s strategic vision. The roadshows comprised 72 events held across 21 venues in North Lanarkshire. Over 2,200 staff attended the roadshows. The sessions were used to engage on ambitions from The Plan for North Lanarkshire. Engagement from the sessions highlighted positive staff buy-in, e.g. 81.9% of respondents agreed that the Programme of Work was getting it right to achieve the right outcomes. Shared services and public service reform Explore opportunities for shared services both within the council and with partners, where appropriate, to maximise efficiency. Feb-24 Green At planning and set up stage. • Representatives from the council are participating in all of the shared services workstreams which are being led by the Improvement Service, i.e. procurement, local government statutory and discretionary services, development of a digital to-be state for local government, new digital shared services that could be delivered nationally or regionally, and developing examples of active communities / participatory design. • Through participation in the subgroups supporting the workstreams, representatives from the council respond to requests for information and feedback as required and continue to provide support and critical review Page 146 of 236
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Theme / programme Deliverables Start date End date Overall delivery RAG assessment Completed status Position as at June 2024 (including narrative where RAG status is Red or Amber) and input to the project activities. All actions and timescales are determined by the Improvement Service. Shared services and public service reform Maintain oversight of public service reform developments and ensure co-ordinated response to external decision making which has a bearing on council service delivery. Sept-23 Green At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. • Representatives from the council are participating in all of the public sector reform workstreams which are being led by the Improvement Service, i.e. full implementation of Crerar for local government and the development of Democracy Matters 2 as part of the Local Governance Review. • Through participation in the subgroups supporting the workstreams, representatives from the council respond to requests for information and feedback as required and continue to provide support and critical review and input to the project activities. All actions and timescales are determined by the Improvement Service. . Key to RAG status Blue Delivery is complete. Green Delivery is on track and in line with the six dimensions within which the project / activity is being delivered (i.e. scope, cost / budget, quality, resources, risk, within time / on schedule) and the % completed status is as expected as at the time of the delivery assessment. Amber Delivery is not on track and the latest assessment suggests there may be emerging issues with one or more of the six dimensions within which the project / activity is being delivered (i.e. scope, cost / budget, quality, resources, risk, within time / on schedule) and/or the % completed status is not as expected as at the time of the delivery assessment. Red Delivery is not on track and the latest assessment has reported issues with one or more of the six dimensions within which the project / activity is being delivered (i.e. scope, cost / budget, quality, resources, risk, within time / on schedule) and/or the % completed status is behind that which is expected as at the time of the delivery assessment. Page 147 of 236
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Key to completed status Key stages for the project / activity in the Programme of Work Indicative % completed assessment At initiation stage. Project / activity still at proposal stage, and not yet approved by the relevant Senior Responsible Officer (SRO) / Chief Officer or approved to Project Brief (or equivalent) stage or approved to Project Brief (or equivalent) stage but still in development / at feasibility stage. >0% and <15% At planning and set up stage. Project / activity approved to Project Business Case (or equivalent) stage / Project or Delivery Plan developed. >=15% and <25% At delivery and ongoing management and monitoring stage. Project / activity underway and delivery is categorised as < =25% completed, or > 25% but < =50% completed, or > 50% but < =75% completed, or > 75% but < 100% completed. >=25% and <95% Completed or at closure stage. Project / activity completed and closed off, or complete but final evaluations, handovers, etc still to be undertaken. >=95% and =100% Page 148 of 236
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Audit and Scrutiny Panel Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref KH/LJ/SL Date 29/08/24 Best Value thematic audit: Workforce innovation From Katrina Hassell, Chief Officer (Business and Digital) E-mail HassellK@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 07903 096 121 Executive Summary This report presents to the Audit and Scrutiny Panel the outcome following the Best Value thematic audit on workforce innovation, specifically how the council is responding to current workforce challenges through building capacity, increasing productivity, and innovation. This audit has been undertaken as part of a national approach to auditing thematic aspects of the statutory Best Value requirements. This national approach was initially implemented during 2022/23 with the thematic audit in terms of the leadership of the development of the council’s strategic priorities; the thematic audit on workforce innovation is year two of the programme which is set by the Accounts Commission. Overall, the key messages in the outcome report following North Lanarkshire Council’s Best Value thematic audit on workforce innovation are extremely positive and note that: • The council’s workforce planning approach is integrated with The Plan for North Lanarkshire, with a focus on developing the workforce of the wider North Lanarkshire area. The One Workforce report (in December 2023) is aligned to the Programme of Work 2023-28 and is supported by robust service workforce plans. • A refreshed Digital and IT Strategy was developed for 2024-27, which supports the digital priority within the Programme of Work and the council has made advancements in its digital agenda since the pandemic. • The council is proactive in developing its workforce as well as that of the wider North Lanarkshire area. It has a range of initiatives to address recruitment challenges across key sectors such as social care and construction, including grow-your-own approaches. There are strong linkages with education providers to support the council’s workforce ambitions and there are programmes in place to support succession planning. • The council works across a range of partnerships to deliver services for communities. There is a partnership approach to workforce planning through the Health and Social Care Partnership, and the council works with other bodies through platforms such as the Glasgow City Region Deal. • The council regularly monitors and reports against its workforce planning activity, to relevant committees and through updates against the Programme of Work. The Best Value outcome report also contains three audit recommendations for improvement for which include management responses have been provided in respect of the planned actions. Item 9 Page 151 of 236
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1. Background 1.1 Members of the Audit and Scrutiny Panel will recall the report to the Panel in February 2023 which provided an outline of the new national approach to auditing Best Value which came into effect as part of the external auditor’s appointment for the five-year term from 2022/23. 1.2 The approach is twofold: • The integration of Best Value audit work within the wider scope of the external auditor’s annual audit work which is reported in the Annual Audit Report (AAR). This includes risk-based and follow up audit work on Best Value related recommendations from previous audit reports. • Thematic Best Value audit work determined by the Accounts Commission to provide assurance on areas of risk / interest across Scotland as at a defined point in time. 1.3 The national thematic Best Value audit work for year one (2022/23) focused on the leadership of the development of new strategic priorities within all 32 councils in Scotland. The outcome from the North Lanarkshire Council audit in the respect was reported to the Audit and Scrutiny Panel in October 2023 and the Policy and Strategy Committee in December 2023. Nationally the outcome report (Delivering for the future, why leadership matters), following the audit of all 32 councils, was published by Audit Scotland in July 2024: https://audit.scot/uploads/2024-07/nr_240711_best_value_thematic_leadership.pdf 1.4 The context for the national thematic Best Value audit work for year two (2023/24) is set out in the Account’s Commission’s 2023 Local Government in Scotland overview report which noted that councils have never faced such a challenging situation. Service demands have increased after the pandemic and funding is forecast to reduce in real terms. Workforce pressures including recruitment in a competitive labour market, employee retention, and high sickness absence levels are putting councils under continued pressure. 1.5 The Best Value thematic audit on workforce innovation therefore aims to set out how Recommendations It is recommended the Audit and Scrutiny Panel: 1) Review the outcome report following the Best Value thematic audit in line with their role to ensure oversight of the adequacy and effectiveness of the council’s governance, risk management, and internal control frameworks and external audit arrangements, and 2) Agree that, as the Audit and Scrutiny Panel is accountable to the Policy and Strategy Committee as the parent committee, this report (and appendix) are remitted to the next Policy and Strategy Committee meeting for Elected Member’s oversight. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority All priorities Ambition statement All ambition statements Programme of Work Statutory / corporate / service requirement Page 152 of 236
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each council in Scotland is responding to current workforce challenges through building capacity, increasing productivity, and innovation. 1.6 This report herewith (and attached in Appendix A) presents to the Audit and Scrutiny Panel the outcome following North Lanarkshire Council’s Best Value thematic audit on workforce innovation. 2. Best value thematic audit on workforce innovation Scope of the audit 2.1 In considering the theme of workforce innovation, external auditors focussed on the following questions: 1. How effectively are the council’s workforce plans integrated with its strategic plans and priorities? 2. How effectively has digital technology been used to support workforce productivity and improve service quality and outcomes? 3. How effectively is the council using hybrid and remote working and other innovative working practice such as a four-day week to achieve service and staff benefits? 4. What innovative practice is the council using to develop its future workforce capacity and skills needs, and manage staff reductions in line with its priorities? 5. What progress has the council made with sharing roles or functions across its services and/or with other councils and partners. 6. How effectively is the council measuring the impact of its workforce planning approach? Approach to the audit 2.2 In carrying out the audit, auditors from the council’s external audit team (Audit Scotland) conducted a review of relevant information already available in the public domain, requested and reviewed additional information from the council, and met with relevant officers from across the council. Key audit findings 2.3 Overall, the report’s key messages are extremely positive - these are noted below: 1. The council’s workforce planning approach is integrated with The Plan for North Lanarkshire, with a focus on developing the workforce of the wider North Lanarkshire area. In December 2023 the council published its One Workforce report, a further iteration of the Workforce for the Future Strategy. It aligns with the Programme of Work 2023-28 and is supported by robust service workforce plans. The council engages with staff and trade unions in developing its plans. Senior Officers carried out an extensive programme of staff roadshows in Summer 2024 to inform staff of the council’s strategic vision. There is opportunity for the council to reflect on how it incorporates the views of staff and trade unions to support transparent decision making. 2. A refreshed Digital and IT Strategy was developed for 2024-2027, which supports the digital priority within the Programme of Work. The council has made advancements in its digital agenda since the Covid-19 pandemic, such as through the rollout of Microsoft 365, and through innovative developments in education. The council is yet to realise wider benefits. A core aim of the strategy is for North Lanarkshire to develop a skilled digital workforce. Work is underway to support this Page 153 of 236
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ambition. 3. The council updated its smarter working and hybrid working policies in April 2024. The updated policy prescribe staff to work from an office for a greater proportion of time, compared with the previous requirements. As community hubs are rolled out, staff will increasingly work from hubs as an alternative to working from home where this supports service delivery. The council monitors its hybrid working approach through ongoing feedback from managers. 4. The council is proactive in developing its workforce as well as that of the wider North Lanarkshire area. It has a range of initiatives to address recruitment challenges across key sectors such as social care and construction, including grow-your-own approaches. The council’s Brighter Futures programme supports development of the wider North Lanarkshire workforce, through employability and skills initiatives. Work is underway in key sectors such as digital and construction to address skills gaps across the wider labour market. There are strong linkages with education providers to support the council’s workforce ambitions. There are programmes in place to support succession planning. 5. The council works across a range of partnerships to deliver services for communities. There is a partnership approach to workforce planning through the Health and Social Care Partnership, and the council works with other bodies through platforms such as the Glasgow City Region Deal. Like most councils, the council does not have any shared services with workforce implications at scale. The development of the community hubs will present further opportunities for collaborative working. The council does not report on temporary and agency staffing numbers. There is room to include this in its published data. 6. The council regularly monitors and reports against its workforce planning activity, to relevant committees and through updates against the Programme of Work. The council reports against 28 health check indicators to monitor progress against its place-based vision. There is a strong emphasis on ongoing evaluation. This could be strengthened further through monitoring activity to distinguish between workforce planning for the council, and that of the wider area. 2.4 The report also contains three audit recommendations for improvement in respect of (a) acting on staff engagement and feedback, (b) hybrid working policy, and (c) temporary workforce. Management responses, including planned actions, responsible officers and timescales, are noted below and detailed in Appendix 1 of the external audit report (attached at Appendix A). Progress in implementing the agreed actions will be monitored by Internal Audit and reported to future meetings of the Audit and Scrutiny Panel. 3. Measures of success 3.1 Key measures of success are: • That the council is able to demonstrate Best Value in line with the requirements of the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 and the supporting statutory guidance. • That the Audit and Scrutiny Panel are able to fulfil their role in relation to commenting on the scope and depth of external auditor work and ensuring it gives value for money. Page 154 of 236
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4. Supporting documentation 4.1 Appendix A - Audit Scotland Best Value thematic audit report on workforce innovation in North Lanarkshire Council. Katrina M Hassell Chief Officer (Business and Digital) Page 155 of 236
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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? Ongoing audit work supports the council in demonstrating Best Value in line with the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003. 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 Page 156 of 236
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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? Demonstrating Best Value in line with statutory requirements supports the mitigation of the risk in the Corporate Risk Register for governance, leadership, and decision making. 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 157 of 236
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Prepared by Audit Scotland August 2024 Workforce Innovation - how councils are responding to workforce challenges Best Value thematic work in councils 2023-24 Page 158 of 236
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| 2 Contents Key facts 3 Key messages 4 Scope of the audit 6 Workforce strategy and priorities 8 Digital technology and the workforce 12 Flexible working and other innovative staff deployment 16 Developing future skills and capacity 19 Joint workforce arrangements across services and partners 24 Measuring the impact of workforce planning 27 Appendix 1 29 Page 159 of 236
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| 3 Key facts Workforce 20241 15,532 Number of people working for the council – headcount 13,086 Number of people working for the council – full time equivalent 1,917 Number of people working for the council on a temporary or fixed term contract – headcount 11,441 Number of employees who live in North Lanarkshire 11.5% Turnover of staff in last year 11.2 Days lost due to absence in last year per employee2 Age profile 3 0.6% Below 20 29.9% 20 to 39 55.3% 40 to 59 10.9% 60 to 64 3.4% 65+ 1 Headcount and FTE are based on North Lanarkshire Council employee snapshot data at April 2024. Turnover is based on 2023/24. The number of people who live in North Lanarkshire is based on the ‘One Workforce’ report, December 2023. Temporary staff numbers is internal council reporting data. 2 Based on 2022/23 Local Government Benchmarking Framework data for non-teachers 3 Based on 2022 North Lanarkshire Council Employment gathering information Page 160 of 236
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Key messages | 4 Key messages 1 The council’s workforce planning approach is integrated with The Plan for North Lanarkshire, with a focus on developing the workforce of the wider North Lanarkshire area. In December 2023 the council published its ‘One Workforce’ report, a further iteration of the Workforce for the Future Strategy. It aligns with the Programme of Work 2023-28 and is supported by robust service workforce plans. The council engages with staff and trade unions in developing its plans. Senior Officers carried out an extensive programme of staff roadshows in Summer 2024 to inform staff of the council’s strategic vision. There is opportunity for the council to reflect on how it incorporates the views of staff and trade unions to support transparent decision making. 2 A refreshed Digital and IT Strategy was developed for 2024-2027, which supports the digital priority within the Programme of Work. The council has made advancements in its digital agenda since the Covid-19 pandemic, such as through the rollout of Microsoft365, and through innovative developments in education. The council is yet to realise wider benefits. A core aim of the strategy is for North Lanarkshire to develop a skilled digital workforce. Work is underway to support this ambition. 3 The council updated its smarter working and hybrid working policies in April 2024. The updated policy prescribe staff to work from an office for a greater proportion of time, compared with the previous requirements. As community hubs are rolled out, staff will increasingly work from hubs as an alternative to working from home where this supports service delivery. The council monitors its hybrid working approach through ongoing feedback from managers. 4 The council is proactive in developing its workforce as well as that of the wider North Lanarkshire area. It has a range of initiatives to address recruitment challenges across key sectors such as social care and construction, including grow-your-own approaches. The council’s Brighter Futures programme supports development of the wider North Lanarkshire workforce, through employability and skills initiatives. Work is underway in key sectors such as digital and construction to address skills gaps across the wider labour market. There are strong linkages with education providers to support the council’s workforce ambitions. There are programmes in place to support succession planning. 5 The council works across a range of partnerships to deliver services for communities. There is a partnership approach to workforce planning through Page 161 of 236
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Key messages | 5 the Health and Social Care Partnership, and the council works with other bodies through platforms such as the Glasgow City Region. Like most councils, the council does not have any shared services with workforce implications at scale. The development of the community hubs will present further opportunities for collaborative working. The council does not report on temporary and agency staffing numbers. There is room to include this in its published data. 6 The council regularly monitors and reports against its workforce planning activity, to relevant committees and through updates against the Programme of Work. The council reports against 28 health check indicators to monitor progress against its place-based vision. There is a strong emphasis on ongoing evaluation. This could be strengthened further through monitoring activity to distinguish between workforce planning for the council, and that of the wider area. Page 162 of 236
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Scope of the audit | 6 Scope of the audit 1. The 2023 Local Government Overview (LGO) notes that councils have never faced such a challenging situation. Service demands have increased after the Covid-19 pandemic and funding is forecast to reduce in real terms. Workforce pressures including recruitment in a competitive labour market, employee retention and high sickness absence levels are putting councils under continued pressure. 2. This report sets out how the council is responding to current workforce challenges through building capacity, increasing productivity and innovation. 3. The Accounts Commission’s Strategy (2021-26) sets out its priorities to focus on inequalities, funding, communities and recovery. The Code of Audit practice sets out the Best Value work required to report on these priorities. Code of Audit Practice 2020 Best Value reporting requirements Best Value reporting – extract from the Code The Accounts Commission’s approach to Best Value involves reporting on individual local government bodies and thematically across the local government sector through performance reports: • As part of their integrated wider-scope annual audit work appointed auditors use a risk- based approach to assess and report whether the audited body has made proper arrangements for securing Best Value and is complying with its community planning duties, including reporting progress against previous Best Value findings and recommendations. • The Accounts Commission reports nationally on thematic aspects of local government bodies’ approaches to, and performance in, meeting their Best Value and community planning duties. Local government appointed auditors report locally on any such Best Value thematic work prescribed by the Accounts Commission. 4. This report covers the thematic aspect of the Best Value audit requirements. The Commission has directed auditors to report on workforce innovation and how councils are responding to workforce challenges. In carrying out the work auditors have considered the following questions: • How effectively are the council’s workforce plans integrated with its strategic plans and priorities? • How effectively has digital technology been used to support workforce productivity and improve service quality and outcomes? Page 163 of 236
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Scope of the audit | 7 • How effectively is the council using hybrid and remote working and other innovative working practice such as a four-day week to achieve service and staff benefits? • What innovative practice is the council using to develop its future workforce capacity and skills needs and manage staff reductions in line with its priorities? • What progress has the council made with sharing roles or functions across its services and/or with other councils and partners? • How effectively is the council measuring the impact of its workforce planning approach? 5. An improvement action plan is included at Appendix 1 of this report. This sets out audit recommendations in key areas, and the council’s planned response including responsible officers and dates for implementation. 6. The coverage of the work is in line with the expectations for council’s arrangements for the seven Best Value themes in the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003, Best Value Statutory Guidance 2020. Page 164 of 236
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Workforce strategy and priorities | 8 Workforce strategy and priorities 7. Workforce planning involves identifying and addressing future capacity and skills gaps, at operational and leadership levels. It requires strategic thinking, comprehensive workforce data and ongoing consultation and engagement with staff and trades unions. A council focused on achieving Best Value will have a workforce strategy that sets out expectations on how staff will deliver its vision, priorities and values. 8. To be effective, workforce planning must be integrated across the organisation. Workforce strategies must support other key plans including financial, asset, digital and transformation planning, and be under-pinned with detailed service workforce plans. Workforce planning is embedded in developing the workforce of the wider North Lanarkshire area, in line with the council’s place-based approach 9. The council uses a placed based approach, working with partners to deliver its strategic vision ‘The Plan for North Lanarkshire’. This sets out a shared ambition to make ‘North Lanarkshire the place to Live, Learn, Work, Invest, and Visit.’ It is supported by a Programme of Work which was refreshed in March 2023, covering the period until 2028, and contains seven strategic priorities: • Transforming Places – an enhanced programme to accelerate transformation of town centres and communities. • Invest in North Lanarkshire – accelerated outcome delivery and investment via a more streamlined advisory service and aligned operating model and infrastructure plan. • Sustainable Futures – focus commitments to Net Zero Carbon and the associated energy solutions and investments required to make it a reality. • Resilient People – deliver whole family support locally, when families need it, in a way that addresses the impacts of poverty and reduces inequality. • Brighter Futures – support and improve educational attainment, employment opportunities, entrepreneurship, and volunteering. • Digital North Lanarkshire – develop a skilled digital workforce, promote an innovative, sustainable culture and be the digital leader for a transformed North Lanarkshire. Page 165 of 236
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Workforce strategy and priorities | 9 • One Service – ensure services are delivered, regardless of owner, in a streamlined, efficient, and supportive model, with the overall vision of inclusive growth and prosperity for all. 10. The Brighter Futures programme is integral to workforce planning across the council and the wider North Lanarkshire area. Raising economic growth is also core to this. It identifies six themes that target a range of employment pathways, including the council as a key employer. Workforce planning also spans across the Digital North Lanarkshire (page 12, paragraph 22-25) and One Service programmes. 11. In December 2023 the councils ‘One Workforce’ report was presented to the Policy and Strategy committee. This aligns to the Programme of Work and supersedes the ‘Workforce for the future’ Strategy’ 2021-23. It sets out six priority areas (Exhibit 1), and includes an action plan until 2024/25. Exhibit 1: North Lanarkshire Council ‘One Workforce’ priorities Medium and long term challenges ‘One Workforce’ Priorities Delivering our future operating model Challenging labour market conditions Shifting workplace dynamics Pay inflation Skills shortages and aging workforce Ongoing funding constraints 1. Managing workforce transitions 2. Pathways for progression 3. Next generation council workforce 4. Vibrant and flexible workforce 5. Employee engagement and wellbeing 6. Equality and inclusion Source: Audit Scotland and North Lanarkshire Council 12. Through the One Service programme of work, the council is aligning future workforce resources with its financial capacity, as part of the transition to a new leadership and operating model. Over 2024, Chief Officers are presenting workforce transition plans to the One Service Board. These set out how services will support the council’s future operating model over the next three to five years, accounting for current and future workforce challenges, and emerging service priorities. The plans include an assessment of how services will utilise community hubs in the future, as a shift from traditional council assets. Page 166 of 236
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Workforce strategy and priorities | 10 13. In June 2024 the council’s Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) 2025/26 to 2029/30 and Revenue Budget Strategy went to the Policy and Strategy Committee which sets out the financial challenges faced by the council. The document references the One Workforce report in the context of employee cost pressures linked to the pay award for future years. Whilst the council’s One Workforce report highlights the challenging financial landscape, it would benefit from clear alignment to the council’s MTFP. Detailed service workforce plans have been developed 14. The 2019 Best Value Assurance report recommended that workforce plans should be developed across all services, to set out the current and future workforce requirements of the council and how these support other strategies. Service workforce plans were developed in 2023 and include action plans. Service workforce plans are robust, covering key service challenges, gaps, and how the service needs to adapt, and most contain references to the council’s strategic priorities and how the service will support delivery of the Programme of work. A summary of service workforce plans was incorporated within the councils One Workforce plan. 15. The council report a range of workforce data, including Whole Time Equivalent, age, gender, length of service, grade, average salary, and proportion of the workforce who live in North Lanarkshire. There are challenges in monitoring vacancies due to how information is recorded on council systems. Vacancy data is held within services, but not recorded centrally. Services also hold vacancies to meet five per cent turnover savings, meaning there is not an accurate reflection of vacancies. 16. The council also reports on wider labour market data to assess broader social and economic trends and understand the skills profile of the wider workforce. For example, it considers data from the Skills Development Scotland Regional skills assessment. The council recently invested in a series of staff roadshows to engage with staff on its programme of work. There is opportunity for the council to reflect on how it incorporates the views of staff and trade unions to support transparent decision making 17. During summer 2024, a programme of staff roadshows has taken place to inform staff of the council’s strategic vision. The roadshows have received considerable investment, with 72 events held across 21 venues in North Lanarkshire. Over 2,200 staff attended the roadshows. The sessions were used to engage with staff on ambitions from The Plan for North Lanarkshire. Engagement from the sessions highlighted positive staff buy-in. For example, 81.9 per cent of respondents agreed that the Programme of Work was getting it right to achieve the right outcomes. The council plan to explore the findings from the roadshows at committee in December 2024. The council should use this opportunity to identify what action it is taking in relation to feedback from the sessions. Page 167 of 236
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Workforce strategy and priorities | 11 18. The last staff survey was an interim Investors in People (IIP) survey in 2023, but it received a low response rate (17 per cent). A staff survey on hybrid working was also carried out (page 17, paragraph 41). The council is considering a revised staff engagement approach for the future which will be taken forward through the One Service programme of work, with a new staff survey expected to launch later in 2024. The new survey will be based on the Scottish Government standards around Fair Work, and will also be adapted to support the context for staff in North Lanarkshire. 19. The council engages with trade union representatives through the Joint Consultative Group (JCC) and the Joint Negotiating Committee for Teachers (JNCT). Trade unions are consulted on specific issues, as well as budget proposals and service reviews. However, there are gaps in consultation on strategic issues. For example, only some services provide trade unions with early drafts of workforce plans, and consistency is needed to ensure all services engage with trade unions in the development of strategic plans. Recommendation 1 As the council develops its staff engagement approach, it should ensure that as well as providing information to staff on council decisions, it also incorporates the views of staff and trade unions to support transparent decision making, and evidence how it is acting on findings from the Summer 2024 Roadshow sessions. Page 168 of 236
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Digital technology and the workforce | 12 Digital technology and the workforce 20. The LGO notes that digital technology will make councils’ future workforces look and work quite differently. In order to achieve the change required, councils need to make good use of digital technology and use the workforce in flexible ways. Digital technology has a strong bearing on a council’s workforce needs. It can be used to re-shape jobs to increase productivity and reduce back-office functions while improving service quality. Technology solutions include online services, customer relationship management systems, mobile digital devices and more recently, artificial intelligence (AI) applications. 21. Councils need to be innovative in their use of technology and build on new working practices that emerged during the pandemic. In doing so, they must also consider service quality and the needs of people experiencing digital exclusion. A new Digital and IT Strategy was developed for 2024-2027 and aligns with the council’s Programme of Work 22. The previous five-year Digital and IT Strategy approved in June 2019 was significantly impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic. The council undertook an annual review of the original DigitalNL programme, to assess the benefits achieved against those planned. This has informed the refreshed strategy. 23. A new Digital and IT Strategy for 2024-2027 was presented to the Policy and Strategy committee in March 2024. It provides a clear direction in terms of what it means to be digital, priorities, roles and where resources need to be targeted through a one council approach. This aligns to the Programme of Work to 2028, with the vision for a Digital North Lanarkshire being one of the seven priorities within the programme. 24. The refreshed Digital and IT Strategy contains a Delivery plan for the period 2024-27 which sets out key deliverables across the next three years. This is accompanied by a set of principles which adopt a people-first approach: Employees first; Inclusive; Digital first; Innovative; Flexible; and Connected. 25. The aim for Digital North Lanarkshire is to develop a skilled digital workforce, promote an innovative sustainable culture and be the digital leader for a transformed North Lanarkshire. Key programmes commenced through the previous DigitalNL programme have had particular impacts on workforce: • Digital workplace and Microsoft 365 – the rollout of Microsoft365 and investment in modern digital toolkits has progressed in line with the council’s ambitions to enable staff to ‘work from anywhere, with anyone at Page 169 of 236
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Digital technology and the workforce | 13 anytime’ as part of the future operating model and hub-based delivery. This was further accelerated following the onset of Covid-19. The council see this as resulting in a higher performing, agile and more secure experience. • Digital Platform - this included a new Customer Relationship Management and a Customer Services Hub launched in November 2020, providing modern self-serve, and rolling out on-line services. One of the non-financial benefits of this was the intended upskilling of the workforce, but the pandemic hindered this ambition. • Connectivity framework – the council has enhanced infrastructure through its community hub model. This also aims to ensure the rollout of digital council services are accessible to communities across North Lanarkshire, through improvements such as enhanced bandwidth for schools, and building capacity to support a free public Wi-Fi network across town centres, libraries, schools, leisure, and community centres. The council's digital workforce benefits are still to be fully realised, but there are examples of where digital is enhancing service delivery 26. The council's previous DigitalNL programme and business case set out benefits to be achieved from the digital transformation programme. In February 2022, the council established a Benefits Realisation Management approach, which aimed at realising financial and non-financial benefits from digital transformation. These are categorised as financial, process, customer, employee and environmental. However, it was noted that the initial Digital NL programme did not make savings at the pace originally intended. This was largely due to the impact of the pandemic as identified savings from adult health and social care were deemed to not be realistic in the post-pandemic environment. There has also been some difficulty in quantifying savings such as time saved and carbon reductions. 27. The previous digital strategy set out financial benefits, with the council expecting to make significant savings and associated FTE staff reductions, through the adoption of digital technology, but these have not been fully realised. The current digital strategy is more focussed on outcomes and the impact on communities. 28. There are some innovative examples of where digital technology has been used to support and improve service and quality outcomes, such as in schools (Case study 1). Case study 1: North Lanarkshire Virtual classroom The council is expanding its virtual classroom to support outcomes for students Background In January 2021 a Virtual Classroom was launched to provide an online and interactive learning platform for young people during the Covid-19 pandemic. It was produced in consultation with Page 170 of 236
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Digital technology and the workforce | 14 teachers and includes learning across key subjects such as literacy, numeracy and STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics). The virtual classroom has been expanded over time and aligns with progression pathways in education. It now contains a ‘Tech Tuesdays’ resource where six new pre-recorded lessons are released every week. The virtual classroom also provides access to a range of videos and materials which support young people’s pathways into employment. Impact The council state that to date, the virtual classroom contains almost 4,000 accessible resources and has achieved over one million visits. The council hope that it can help to reduce the attainment gap, providing a bridge between school and home learning, with bespoke learning solutions available through the platform. It has also benefited some students who can take specific classes online, where they would previously need to travel to another school. The skill set and knowledge of staff has been increased by digital training and the council note that it has supported efficiencies in teachers’ workload. Source: Audit Scotland and North Lanarkshire Council Developing the digital skills of staff is an area of focus, with a refreshed digital skills survey underway 29. A key principle of the Digital and IT Strategy is 'Being digital is everyone's business'. The Delivery Plan 2024-2027 outlines actions to support the development of a skilled workforce to improve digital adoption and accelerate digital first business capabilities. These include investment in the upskilling of the council's workforce by developing a self-assessment tool to allow staff to understand their current level of digital skills and undertake further learning as appropriate. The plan is not specific on what digital skills require investment, and as yet the self-assessment tool has not been developed. 30. A digital skills survey was carried out in 2022, with results used to address issues and training needs. Based on a total of 1,334 responses the 2022 survey showed that 68 per cent rated their digital skills as excellent or good and only three per cent rated their skills as poor. 31. Results were fed into the Digital Skills Action plan to support objectives set up in the Digital Council theme. The council also carried out deeper dive focus groups to better understand the level of digital skills of staff within their target groups. A number of recommendations emerged from this work, including the development of a training plan and resources such as bite sized videos for staff. 32. These recommendations were never fully implemented, with remaining actions being transferred to relevant deliverables under the Programme of Work to 2028. The council now plans to carry out a refreshed digital skills survey and develop a skills self-assessment tool. As digital skills are key to the successful adoption of digital technology, it is important that the council completes this survey and puts an effective digital skills plan in place. Page 171 of 236
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Digital technology and the workforce | 15 33. In response to the digital skills survey from 2022, the council has put in place a range of initiatives to develop digital skills and the adoption of digital technology. For example: • Early adopters programme – a new digital adoption survey is underway with results due to be reported in late summer 2024. It aims to inform a digital maturity assessment and will support the aim that digital is fully adopted. The survey will inform an Early Adopters programme where nominated council staff will help to bridge gaps in digital skills, to help with the adoption of technology. • Technology enabled care – there is a new technical team to support the health and social care workforce in using enhanced technology solutions, supporting locality teams to maximise use of technology enabled care. 34. The council's recognises that the development of digital skills is critical to the success of the council's Digital North Lanarkshire programme. The council considers not just the council's workforce but the wider labour market in North Lanarkshire. Skills Development Scotland data shows a higher digital skills gap in Lanarkshire than Scotland as a whole. 35. The council has set up a working group to address current and future digital skills requirements. A Digital Academy model is also in development. Three projects are underway as part of the UK shared prosperity funding, which aims to enhance the digital skills of communities in North Lanarkshire and prepare people to gain employment across the wider digital sector. As part of the council’s own workforce development, it has implemented a career pathway within the Business and Digital service. This aims to enable entry level roles to build knowledge, skills, and experience across a range of business and digital roles and support onward career progression. Page 172 of 236
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Flexible working and other innovative staff deployment | 16 Flexible working and other innovative staff deployment The council offer various schemes for employees including smarter and hybrid working, but with a greater emphasis on staff working in the community 36. During the pandemic, councils needed to make the best use of their existing workforce while continuing to monitor employee wellbeing. Home-working and hybrid working have now become commonplace. However, whatever the working practice, employers need to ensure that service quality and productivity are maintained. 37. The council highlights a commitment to the Fair Work First policy. The council and its Arm’s Length External Organisations (ALEOs) offer a variety of policies to support employees in both work and personal life settings, such as job sharing, buying annual leave, and flexible retirement. Some policies have not been reviewed in several years and would benefit from more regular review to ensure they remain fit-for-purpose. 38. In 2024, 45.6 per cent of the workforce were employed on a part-time basis, an increase from 43.7 per cent in 2020/21. The council’s Smarter Working policy was updated in April 2024 and outlines eligibility requirements and processes. Job roles offer varying shift patterns depending on the role requirements. Staff can request a change to their working patterns, hours and location through the smarter working policy. The number of people on smarter working arrangements is monitored by managers within each service. The council has recently started to record this information centrally. The council should utilise this data to assess how widely flexible working is being endorsed. Hybrid working makes up a small percentage of the workforce 39. The council has a hybrid working policy, which is linked to the job role rather than the individual. The council employ over 15,000 staff, but the nature of the local government workforce means that the majority of roles are front-line service delivery, with around ten per cent of staff employed in roles which allow for hybrid working. The number of permanent home workers within North Lanarkshire council is done on a person-by-person basis. 40. In April 2024 a permanent hybrid working scheme was issued. Prior to this the council had a temporary hybrid working arrangement where staff attended a council premises six days in a four-week period. The refreshed hybrid working scheme was accompanied by staff surveys across staff and managers to gauge the opinions of employees around working preferences. Page 173 of 236
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Flexible working and other innovative staff deployment | 17 41. The staff survey in February 2023 had a 73 per cent response rate. Of the respondent's 89.4 percent were spending one to two days in a week in the office. 45.5 percent of the respondents felt that six days in the office was too many. However, the majority of the more senior grades preferred to either keep or increase the number of days in the office. Of those employees who wanted less they felt one day a week would be adequate to maintain staff relationships whilst allowing them to be more productive at home. 42. In developing the changes, the council has drawn on external research findings which show that a balance of both home and office working can support staff wellbeing and engagement. In addition, it considered performance information and data from the managers hybrid working survey, which outlined that some Chief Officers perceived hybrid working to have adversely impacted team collaboration and engagement. The council believe these changes will help foster stronger collaboration within teams and the wider workforce over the longer term. 43. In implementing the permanent hybrid scheme the council made several changes including: • increasing the minimum required days in the office from six in twenty to ten in twenty • having a two-week rotational pattern of Wednesday to Tuesday in the office followed by a week at home • removal of allowance to buy equipment – instead any equipment requests will be discussed and agreed with their line manager. 44. The council acknowledges that changes to the hybrid working policy would not fully reflect staff preference, and would balance desires for hybrid working, with the wider business needs. The manager’s survey also indicated that most Chief Officers thought that hybrid working either had no impact or a positive impact on performance and wellbeing. 45. The council has a focus on utilising the community hubs which are being rolled out (paragraph’s 72-75) where staff will increasingly work from the hubs as an alternative to working from home, where this supports service delivery. Whilst it is positive that the council engaged with staff in developing its refreshed hybrid working policy, it could be clearer on how it balanced the survey findings with wider business needs, in developing the final policy. 46. The council has not carried out a formal assessment of the impact of its hybrid working approach on service performance, staff productivity, or wider service benefits. It utilises ongoing feedback from managers to assess this. It also looks at sickness absence data. Data for the first two quarters of 2022/23 shows lower rates of sickness absence among hybrid workers, relative to overall council staff. 47. The separate survey for senior grades indicates that most Chief Officers think that hybrid working has increased recruitment and attraction opportunities, but the council’s new hybrid working scheme is more structured than many Page 174 of 236
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Flexible working and other innovative staff deployment | 18 councils. The council should continue to assess the impact of hybrid working on recruitment and retention. Recommendation 2 The council should continue to monitor the impact of its hybrid working approach. It should continually assess the impact of increasing the number of office days, in terms of performance, staff wellbeing, and recruitment and retention. Page 175 of 236
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Developing future skills and capacity | 19 Developing future skills and capacity The council is proactive in developing the workforce across the North Lanarkshire area, and has developed innovative sector focussed solutions to address recruitment challenges 48. Councils need to find innovative ways to ensure the workforce capacity and skills they need to deliver services in the future. Training and development opportunities can help to attract and retain employees. Many councils work with their partners to offer apprenticeship schemes or vocational qualifications. Succession planning is also important to develop future leaders and ensure that essential skills are in place. 49. Jobs can be re-designed to optimise the workforce and improve services. For example generic roles across health and social care disciplines. Leaders need to engage with staff and trade unions over fundamental workforce reform. This is particularly challenging in an environment of potential job losses. 50. Turnover has increased in recent years from 9.6 per cent in 2020/21 to 11.5 per cent in 2023/24. The council engages with staff through the exit process to understand this trend, but feedback can be varied as exit interviews are a voluntary process. The council endorse a focus on ‘grow your own’ approaches to address recruitment challenges, with structured career pathways having been developed across a range of services, such as facility support, built environment, protective services, business and digital, and housing. 51. The council have developed an NL Academy model across key sectors to support workforce development – this includes health and social care; digital; and the built environment. These are at different stages, with the care academy furthest progressed (Case study 2). Case study 2: North Lanarkshire Care Academy The Care Academy aims to build a health and social care workforce for the future, whilst providing pathways to employment and responding to inequalities The Care Academy was developed in 2018 by the North Lanarkshire Council Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP). It supports workforce planning across health and social care, the largest growing sector in North Lanarkshire, by building a skilled workforce to meet future demand and reduce skills shortages. The Academy has identified three key areas: Developing the Young Workforce; Employability and Inclusion; and Recruitment, Attraction and Retention. The Care Academy Steering Group Page 176 of 236
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Developing future skills and capacity | 20 provides oversight with a range of stakeholders representing the group across adult services and people services. Progress and impact Across 2023/24 and 2024/25, the Care Academy was allocated funding of £88,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to make investments in council staff supporting workforce development. The funding was targeted at three projects: • Trainee Social Worker Scheme – pathway to support a qualification in social work. There are eight trainee students: four are on an 18-month fast track route through the Open University and will qualify as Social Workers in August 2025; four are on track to qualify in 2026/27. • Upskilling of Home Support Workers – partnership with New College Lanarkshire to support staff to gain a qualification in Health and Social Care at SVQ level 2 and 3. 60 employees are undertaking qualification from late Summer 2023 – Spring 2024 cohorts. • Development of home support staff – through the redesign of home support a career pathway is being developed for schedulers and senior schedulers. Future plans for the Care Academy In March 2023, it evolved to a pan Lanarkshire approach, in collaboration with South Lanarkshire Council. The intention is to create a single Lanarkshire Care Academy. Source: Audit Scotland and North Lanarkshire Council 52. Integral to the Brighter Futures programme, the council’s employability service and community learning and development service, support fair work and employment for residents across North Lanarkshire. This includes the council’s employability programme, delivered on behalf of the ALEO ‘Routes to Work’ which supports local residents into employment opportunities. 53. Over 2023, around 46 staff were employed through this route in roles across the council, such as administration and childcare. This included young people who faced barriers in entering the labour market, as well as adults and parents on low-incomes, as a mechanism to tackle child poverty. People are provided with fair work opportunities, as well as access to internal council vacancies upon entry. The council record that 86 per cent of staff employed through Routes to Work were still in employment six months after job entry. There are programmes in place to support succession planning 54. Succession planning is important to develop future leaders and ensure that essential skills remain in place. The council is utilising flexible retirement approaches, including phased retirement and part-time hour contracts for key posts, across key services, including health and social care. 55. The council has developed two leadership programmes. In 2017 it launched an internal leadership academy which involves working with The Chartered Management Institute (CMI) and the Scottish Vocational Qualifications (SVQ) to deliver two separate accredited programmes aimed at a mix of aspiring and existing managers: Page 177 of 236
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Developing future skills and capacity | 21 • Foundational/fundamental leadership course - 80 staff have participated in the programme; 22 have achieved an SVQ Level 3 in Management; and 24 have gained CMI Level 3 in Management • Influential leadership programme - 85 staff have participated in the programme; 67 have achieved an SVQ Level 4 in Management; and 10 have gained CMI Level 5 in Management. 56. In 2024 the council developed proposals to introduce an agile leadership programme which is directed at supporting potential future Chief Officers, in line with the council’s future Operating Model and Programme of Work. The council note it differs from traditional leadership programmes, through learning which allow for adjustments based on learner experience, feedback, and evolving requirements. The proposal will be presented to Corporate Management Team later this year for approval. Developing the young workforce is a priority area 57. The council is proactive in engaging with young people across education and employability settings, to promote jobs and pathways to in-demand sectors and address the challenge of an ageing workforce. The council is aligning curricular activity with labour market demand, through a focus on areas such as digital and STEM subjects. A ‘Developing the young workforce delivery plan, 2022-25’ sets out the council’s approach to working with partners to support employability and enhanced positive and sustained post-school destinations. As a key employer, the council supports initiatives such as: • S6 Qualification in social work – through the Care Academy, the council is developing a Higher National Certificate in Social Care for young people in S6, in partnership with New College Lanarkshire. This will lead to entry to year 2 of the HND certificate and the team are exploring a route for this to lead to third year of a degree at the University of the West of Scotland. • Modern apprenticeships (MA) - offers 16-24 year olds the opportunity to undertake a one year placement within the council and achieve a qualification at SCQF Levels 5, 6, or 7. In March 2024 the council hosted seven MA roadshows attended by 226 young people, promoting upcoming council MA vacancies. The council’s summer 2023 intake employed 44 MAs across roles such as Additional Support Needs roles within schools, early learning and childcare roles, horticultural roles, and digital technology technicians. For 2024/25, similar demand for MAs has been identified across services. 58. There are a range of initiatives which target digital skills in young people, such as through the digital schools initiative and virtual classroom (Case study 1). The council’s recent 2023 summer placement programme has also provided benefits for the council as well as outcomes for young people (Case study 3). Case study 3 – Summer Placement programme A six-week summer placement programme has supported young people into positive destinations Page 178 of 236
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Developing future skills and capacity | 22 In summer 2023 the council launched a six-week summer placement scheme to support the One Workforce priority ‘next generation council workforce’. The programme facilitates pupils from across North Lanarkshire schools and local colleges to gain paid work experience in council services, namely: Chief Executives; Adult Health and Social Care; and Enterprise and Communities. Young people participating in the programme received weekly check-ins from the council’s Talent and Organisational Development (TOD) team. For the summer 2023 intake, 23 young people were enrolled, and all secured a positive destination at the end: 21 young people secured a sessional contract with the council; one gained employment in a home care role; and one accepted a place on the Housing MA programme. The programme is being rolled out for summer 2024, with 112 young people having secured placements both within the council and across other sectors: • 92 council based roles across clerical and corporate based roles; assistant sports coach; and care based roles • 20 built environment based roles The council has applied learning from the 2023 pilot intake. It is making further improvements to the programme, including increasing the lead-in time for recruitment and an extended induction process. Source: Audit Scotland and North Lanarkshire Council The council collaborates with partners to support workforce development in hard-to-fill roles 59. The council works with education providers across school and college settings (paragraph’s 57-58), and through Graduate Apprenticeships (GA) for existing staff to work and undertake a degree qualification. Since 2018, the council has delivered six cohorts of GAs in partnership with universities, with a further cohort underway for 2024. The programme is spread across 14 frameworks, such as accounting, construction, and digital. For example: • Construction and the built environment – delivered by Edinburgh Napier University, there have been over 13 GAs taken on, with programmes in roles such as Building Standards and Quantity Surveying. • Planning and design degree – through the Glasgow City Region (GCR) partnership, the council is leading the development of a GA for qualified Planners in 2025. This will be delivered by the University of the West of Scotland. It will have Royal Town Planning Institute (RTPI) accreditation and include an accelerated route for experienced staff. • Business and digital – since 2018 there have been eight GA places across Business and Digital degrees including cyber security and IT software development. The council has also revised entry criteria for entry level internships and Graduate developer roles that are harder to recruit. Page 179 of 236
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Developing future skills and capacity | 23 60. Our Social Care briefing underlined the substantial workforce challenges facing the sector, with an ageing workforce and poor terms and conditions. The development of a social work student hub illustrates one example of how the council is addressing these challenges (Case study 4). Case study 4 - Social work student hubs The student hub model is supporting recruitment challenges in social work In 2023 the council developed a student hub model in social work to provide students with practical experience to become a qualified social worker. Students gain support from a Practice Learning Officer and receive peer support, teaching, and presentations from external speakers. From August 2023 until March 2024 a Community Care Hub and a Justice Hub have been in operation. The council plan to rollout a further three hubs in 2024. Impact • Students have gained direct experience of managing complex caseloads with direct support from colleagues in the setting. • 60 Social Work students were placed within North Lanarkshire; 52 being external students from four universities - 14 of these students have secured social work posts within North Lanarkshire and are now progressing to the councils Newly Qualified Social Worker supported year. • The council has received positive feedback from students on the programme, and university tutors have praised the learning experience and support offered to students. Source: Audit Scotland and North Lanarkshire Council 61. Services outline the need for skills development in key areas, such as digital. The council is working to address skills shortages in specific sectors through the establishment of industry level sector boards. A sector board has been established for the built environment, where partners across the council and construction businesses collectively assess challenges. The council is commissioning research on overall skills gaps for the sector. The council has not published the detail of options for reducing its workforce to meet future savings targets 62. Leaders need to engage with staff and trade unions over fundamental workforce reform. This is particularly challenging in an environment of potential job losses. 63. The council’s Medium Term Financial Plan (MTFP) 2025/26 – 2029/30 outlines a budget gap of £100.084 million over the five year planning period. Work is ongoing to support the council’s future operating model, through a series of service reviews and consideration of savings options (page 9, paragraph 12), but the council has not published the detail of future savings on workforce numbers. Page 180 of 236
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Joint workforce arrangements across services and partners | 24 Joint workforce arrangements across services and partners The council collaborates with partners to utilise collective resources. It does not have any shared services with other public bodies that have workforce implications at scale 64. Councils should look to work collaboratively with their partners to make the best use of their existing workforces and plan for the particular workforce needs in their areas. Examples of this include generic working across health and social care, professional posts or functions shared between councils, and services delivered through empowered communities. 65. The Local government in Scotland: Overview 2023 highlighted that shared services and shared professionals can help to address recruitment pressures and skill shortages, whilst offering efficiencies, but only a few councils are sharing services. 66. There are instances of shared working between the council and other public bodies, but these do not have significant workforce implications. For example, it has insourced its Business Gateway Services which it delivers on behalf of North Lanarkshire Council and South Lanarkshire Council. 67. The council collaborates with partners across the region to deliver shared goals and support communities, through forums such as: • Community Planning Partnership (CPP) – the council works with local partners, communities and the third sector, to facilitate community planning and collectively deliver The Plan for North Lanarkshire, focussing on a shared ambition of inclusive growth and prosperity for all. • The Glasgow City Region Deal – the council has received investment from the City Deals programme. This has focussed predominately on infrastructure allowing for better connected communities through improved transport links to the Glasgow City Region and Central Scotland. • Clyde Valley residual waste contract – the council have entered a long- term contract as with a consortium of five local authorities (East Dunbartonshire, East Renfrewshire, North Ayrshire, North Lanarkshire and Renfrewshire). The contract will help the council meet the conditions of the Scottish Government Zero Waste Plan and Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012. 68. The council also works with ALEOs where services are delivered by partners on behalf of the council. This includes a long-standing partnership with Page 181 of 236
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Joint workforce arrangements across services and partners | 25 Mears to deliver the housing repairs service in North Lanarkshire. The council does not include external providers within its workforce plan, but providers such as Mears support the council’s wider workforce development by providing Modern Apprenticeships for young people in North Lanarkshire. The council could be clearer on the role of third parties on supporting local workforce development. There is a partnership approach to workforce planning across the Health and Social Care Partnership 69. Partnership working between the council and NHS Lanarkshire is long standing. North Lanarkshire accounts for just under a third (9,740) of the total HSCP workforce (32,048). The third and independent sector make up the majority of this (7,670) and the remaining is the council’s adult social care (2,070). 70. The HSCP Workforce Plan 2022-25 was approved by NHS Lanarkshire in October 2022 and contains an action plan to address workforce challenges. There is limited detail on the composition of the council’s workforce profile and requirements but in 2023 the council published a year two strategic workforce plan. This provides more detailed analysis of the composition and requirements of the adult social care workforce, and links to the council’s strategic priorities. 71. The council is also working with partners across the HSCP to expand the Care Academy (Case study 2). It has an agreement with South Lanarkshire Council and NHS Lanarkshire. This is designed to support training and workforce developments in the care sector. Through the care academy, partners are exploring a model for shared apprenticeships in areas such as home care. The partnership has received university recognition. Glasgow Caledonian University has signed Memorandums of Understanding with both councils. Community Hubs are providing an opportunity for more collaborative working with partners and other services 72. The council is working with partners to provide services within the community. In 2020 the council created nine Community Boards which divides the council area into smaller areas to better reflect the identity of the community and the challenges they face. 73. A key element of the council plan includes the introduction of community hubs. The hubs are designed to bring together education, other local services such as social care, businesses and partnership organisations. A key aim of the hubs is to allow local people to have access to services and support within their own communities. This will support the council’s longer-term vision around its future operating model (paragraph 12) with hub-based delivery and use of digital technology being a key part of this model. 74. The hubs will be available to multiple groups as well as individuals with them being used to drive solutions to issues within the community such as financial help, new mothers and social drop ins. The hubs will also be utilised by employees to allow them to carry out duties without travelling to a council Page 182 of 236
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Joint workforce arrangements across services and partners | 26 building to use facilities. This has been a welcome addition by health and social care employees, where the hubs will offer provisions such as rest facilities. 75. To date, three of the community hubs have been completed – Newmains and St Brigid’s, Riverbank and Chryston, with several more in development. The council is still working through the details of how these will work going forward, areas such as staffing, access, and security are still to be finalised. Community hubs form part of the council’s property rationalisation programme 76. As well as providing a more collaborative approach the hubs are also part of the council's property rationalisation programme. The programme aims to reduce its buildings down to six from twenty-four. Since 2017 the council has had a 15 per cent reduction in its office base and increased utilisation in remaining buildings by 40 per cent. There are also plans to reduce the depot estate by 50 percent. This process is currently ongoing, and the council is in discussion with impacted employees and the trade unions as to the implications of the changes. The council does not report on temporary and agency staff at council wide level 77. Temporary staff, including agency, are utilised in some roles, for example positions that are harder to fill, or where there is a need for roles to be carried out over the short-term. The council notes that it does not have a high reliance on agency workers, although this has increased recently due to shortages in some professional roles. Temporary and agency staff are utilised to fill positions such as social workers, land management seasonal roles, and finance roles to support demand for new government grants. 78. The council collects data on the number of temporary staff internally, but this is not reported. Similarly, the council does not have a clear system for monitoring and documenting agency staff numbers centrally. This data is held by services, and the council is working to record this centrally. Recommendation 3 The council should include data reporting on its temporary workforce as part of published workforce data, and once available it should include data on agency workers. Page 183 of 236
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Measuring the impact of workforce planning | 27 Measuring the impact of workforce planning 79. Councils should monitor the impact of their workforce planning and delivery approaches. This should include cost, service quality and productivity benefits as well as employee wellbeing. This in-turn should inform their workforce planning approach. Councils and their partners should also understand the wider impact of their employment practice on the local economy. The Programme of Work is informed by 28 Health Check Indicators 80. The council’s One Workforce plan is supported by a Delivery Plan for 2023/24 and 2024/25 which contains a RAG status and commentary on each of the actions. An update on progress with the One Workforce Plan will be reported to Policy and Strategy committee later in 2024. 81. In March 2024 the Delivery Plan for the Programme of Work to 2028 was presented to the Policy and Strategy committee. The Brighter Futures programme contains 22 deliverables - 10 of which relate specifically to the council's own workforce. Each deliverable has a set of actions, timescales, relevant reporting committee and progress reporting schedules. 82. In April 2024, the council reported its first quarterly monitoring position against the Delivery Plan for the Programme of Work to Corporate Management Team (CMT). This reports against the council’s 28 health check indicators, which the council use to assess progress against its seven strategic priorities, in line with its place-based vision. The health check indicators on workforce are focussed on wider economic activity and employability. The report also included commentary on the One Workforce report. This is largely focussed on general workforce demographic data, challenges, arrangements around hybrid working, and sickness absence. 83. There is a strong emphasis on ongoing evaluation. The 28 health check indicators focus on outcomes for the wider area. The council could strengthen its monitoring approach further. It should ensure that in addition to the 28 health check indicators, it internally monitors the impact of its broader workforce planning activity, on its own workforce capacity and development. The council monitors progress with its workforce initiatives across a range of forums 84. The council is comprehensive in monitoring the range of workforce initiatives that it offers, such as apprenticeships, employability programmes, and Page 184 of 236
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Measuring the impact of workforce planning | 28 initiatives under the Brighter Futures programme. The council report on specific elements of its workforce planning across a range of forums: • Workforce for the future - The council report on various aspects through progress reports to the Policy and Strategy Committee and CMT. • Service workforce plan action plans – service workforce plans contain an action plan until 2024/25, accompanied by a RAG status and action owner and completion dates. Services are to provide update reports to CMT twice yearly, and workforce plans will be refreshed in 2025/26. • Workforce change steering group – internal structure where matters which impact staffing change are raised. • Brighter Futures – progress against each deliverable is reported to the relevant committee. • UK Shared Prosperity Funding – reporting of workforce elements in relation to the NL academy model is reported to the Finance and Resources Committee. • Sector boards – the development of sector boards will monitor specific activity across health and social care, digital, and the built environment, which has already been established. • Sickness absence – monthly/quarterly reports are presented to Business Management Team. 85. In assessing workforce planning more broadly, the council looks at sickness absence, pay gap reporting, and exit interviews. The council evidences that it takes action based on this analysis. For example, in response to high levels of mental health sickness absence, the council has identified actions such as the development of absence action plans and mental health awareness sessions. The council would benefit from collective reporting against the various streams of workforce planning activity that takes place. Page 185 of 236
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Appendix 1 | 29 Appendix 1 Improvement Action plan Issue/risk Recommendation Agreed management action/timing 1. Acting on staff engagement feedback The council engages with staff and trade unions via staff surveys, roadshows, and trade union forums. However, it is not always clear how the council utilises feedback in to council decisions and policies. As the council develops its staff engagement approach, it should ensure that as well as providing information to staff on council decisions, it also incorporates the views of staff and trade unions to support transparent decision making, and evidence how it is acting on findings from the Summer 2024 Roadshow sessions. Response: There are several strands of work underway which will allow the council to progress this recommendation, including a refreshed staff survey and a review of trade union consultation arrangements. These will be taken forward along with the feedback from our 2024 Roadshow sessions to deliver an improved engagement approach. Responsible Officer: Fiona Whittaker, Chief Officer (People Resources). Implementation Date: December 2025. 2. Hybrid working policy Flexible and hybrid working policies are more structured in North Lanarkshire, relative to other councils and organisations. This may make the council a less attractive place to work, in the context of ongoing recruitment challenges. The council should continue to monitor the impact of its hybrid working approach. It should continually assess the impact of increasing the number of office days, in terms of performance, staff wellbeing, and recruitment and retention. Response: The council will continue to monitor the impact of its permanent Hybrid Working Scheme, through both manager and staff surveys, and in terms of performance, recruitment and retention in hybrid roles. Responsible Officer: Fiona Whittaker, Chief Officer (People Resources). Implementation Date: January 2026. 3. Temporary workforce The council does not report data on temporary, including agency staff, although it is held by services. The council should include data reporting on its temporary workforce as part of published workforce data, and once available it should include data on agency workers. Response: Work is underway to implement a more centralised approach to reporting on and managing temporary workforce resources, including agency workers. This work will be fully Page 186 of 236
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Appendix 1 | 30 progressed to improve future reporting. Responsible Officer: Fiona Whittaker, Chief Officer (People Resources). Implementation Date: December 2025. Page 187 of 236
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Appendix 1 | 31 Workforce innovation - how councils are responding to workforce challenges Audit Scotland’s published material is available for download on the website in a number of formats. For information on our accessibility principles, please visit: www.audit-scotland.gov.uk/accessibility For the latest news follow us on social media or subscribe to our email alerts. Audit Scotland, 4th Floor, 102 West Port, Edinburgh EH3 9DN Phone: 0131 625 1500 Email: info@audit-scotland.gov.uk www.audit-scotland.gov.uk AS.4.0 Page 188 of 236
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Policy and Strategy Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☐ Yes ☒ No Ref DM Date 26/09/24 One Place One Plan - governance update From Des Murray, Chief Executive E-mail murraydes@northlan.gov.uk Telephone 01698 302350 Executive Summary As the council proceeds to deliver The Plan for North Lanarkshire, and drive transformational change to improve the lives of the people and communities of North Lanarkshire, it is critical there remains effective systems in place to control, manage and deliver services to the highest standards of best value, performance, and ethics. Realising the vision of inclusive growth and prosperity for all needs to remain the focus for the council’s corporate strategy as this consistency in direction is vital to ensure the organisation’s ever diminishing resources (financial and workforce) are prioritised to escalate the pace and depth of change - through a co-ordinated and cohesive programme of work and transformation activities - in order to shift the stubborn scale of deprivation in areas that are hardest to reach and ensure policy developments are targeted at tackling economically inactive trends and improving social conditions in a way that achieves inclusive growth and prosperity for all. While the latest results for 50% of the council’s health check indicators show an improving picture over the period of delivering The Plan for North Lanarkshire, there are still areas of significant challenge. As such, in delivering The Plan for North Lanarkshire, the council continues to face significant pressures as it strives to prioritise the delivery of high-quality care, supports, and services for those that need it most and improve outcomes for the people and communities of North Lanarkshire. The consistency of the Policy and Strategy’s commitment to maintaining the Programme of Work as the delivery vehicle for The Plan for North Lanarkshire - and to the programme of linked reviews to ensure a one place one plan one council approach (which has at its core the ongoing alignment of (and synergies between) vision, plan, governance, and operations) - has been the mainstay to sustaining the organisation’s capacity to not only deliver the long-term objectives of the Programme of Work, but also to continue to support the day to day delivery of critical care, supports, and services. It is therefore against this backdrop that this report provides an update to the Policy and Strategy Committee following the conclusion of the final programme of linked reviews in respect of the Chief Officer review (in relation to the Chief Executive’s Services) and fulfilment of the financial savings agreed as part of the 2024/25 budget setting process at the Council meeting on 15th February 2024. Item 10 Page 189 of 236
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1. Background 1.1 Members of the Policy and Strategy Committee are well versed in The Plan for North Lanarkshire and its vision for North Lanarkshire to be a place of inclusive growth and prosperity for all which brings equal benefits and a fairer distribution of wealth to all North Lanarkshire’s people and communities. 1.2 Founded on the evidence presented in the report, A Shared Ambition for North Lanarkshire (approved at Committee in September 2018), the focus on delivering the vision for North Lanarkshire has remained steadfast despite the significant and unpredictable local government challenges and rapidly changing national policy context in recent years. This is due to the consistency of maintaining the Programme of Work as the delivery vehicle for The Plan for North Lanarkshire and the programme of linked reviews to ensure a one place one plan one council approach which has at its core the ongoing alignment of (and synergies between) vision, plan, governance, and operations. Programme of Work 1.3 Since 2019, the Programme of Work has enabled a dynamic strategic planning process that has stabilised the strategic direction of the council, while allowing for appropriate flexibility in the operational delivery of many complex inter-connected programmes, projects, and plans. The consistency of the Policy and Strategy Committee’s long-term commitment to the one plan direction through the Programme of Work has led to significant achievements which have been pivotal in maximising the potential of North Lanarkshire as a place. These highlights were reported to the Policy and Strategy Committee in March 2024 and a mid-year update is provided in a separate report on today’s agenda. 1.4 Following approval of the Programme of Work to 2028 in March 2023 with seven strategic priorities, Policy and Strategy Committee approved (in September 2023) the corresponding high level deliverables which would provide a collective focus for delivery of the programmes, projects, and activities considered crucial to meet the objectives of the Programme of Work to 2028 and ensure a greater focus on scale and purpose that escalates positive changes and improves the lives of the people and Recommendations It is recommended that the Policy and Strategy Committee: (1) Take cognisance that this report provides an update on the achievement of the financial savings that will be delivered for 2025/26 in respect of the Chief Officer review (in relation to the Chief Executive’s Services), as agreed as part of the 2024/25 budget setting process at the Council meeting on 15th February 2024, and (2) Note this report now concludes the two year programme of linked reviews which was initially set out in the One Place One Plan governance update report to Policy and Strategy Committee in December 2022. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority All priorities Ambition statement All ambition statements Programme of Work All Programmes of Work Page 190 of 236
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communities of North Lanarkshire. A subsequent report to the Policy and Strategy Committee in March 2024 set out the more detailed Single Integrated One Council Delivery Plan for the Programme of Work to 2028 which was formally implemented from 2024/25 onwards. 1.5 Throughout 2024/25 achievement of the aforementioned deliverables and programmes, projects, and activities have been monitored by the Programme of Work Strategic Boards through a corporate quarterly monitoring process which has been applied consistently across all seven Programme of Work priorities. This process requires the respective Project Manager / Activity Lead to provide an update quarterly to assess if delivery is within six dimensions (scope, cost / budget, quality, resources, risk, and within time / on schedule). An assessment also requires to be made in terms of the % completed status of each project / activity. The update in the accompanying report provides an overview of progress in delivering the seven Programme of Work priorities; this assessment summarises delivery against the high level deliverables approved by the Policy and Strategy Committee in September 2023. Programme of linked reviews 1.6 As reported to the Policy and Strategy Committee in December 2022 and December 2023, a programme of linked reviews have been critical to maintaining and safeguarding the sustainability of the organisation’s capacity. These reviews have specifically focused on environmental assets, council assets and properties, and associated services and functions as well as incremental structural refinements and the resultant impacts across Chief Officer portfolios. 1.7 Policy and Strategy Committee approvals of the reports in December 2022 and December 2023 have supported the approach to build the organisation’s capacity by ensuring already challenged resources are maximised through the creation of single council operations, single Chief Officer portfolios, and single service accountability which have underpinned the structural refinements to date. Changes to Chief Officer portfolios have also been instrumental in more effectively supporting delivery of the Programme of Work and driving forward the synergies and changes required to realise the successes achieved to date: • Creation of a single place based operation through the Chief Officer (Place) has ensured a focus on creating local place based conditions to support inclusive and green growth and enable people to thrive. As the catalyst in escalating the development and delivery of the foundations that are at the heart of the place base ambition for the people and communities of North Lanarkshire, achievements to date have seen the range and affordability of homes increased through the provision of high-quality housing and transformations to town centres that are reshaping North Lanarkshire to provide modern, attractive, and multi-use centres fit for local people today and in the future. Job creation has been expanded by accelerating and attracting investment to create more and new business opportunities. This is being supported by more joined up transport links and a network of more active travel routes for pedestrians and cyclists, all of which are boosting the local economy and securing improved opportunities and outcomes for employment, education, housing, and leisure. • Creation of a single community operation through the Chief Officer (Community Operations) has seen the integration of environmental services and enhancements to natural environments and green spaces to further support general wellbeing, social inclusion, physical and mental health, and connectivity with the local environment. The creation of a single front-line community operation that supports Page 191 of 236
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the day to day maintenance and management of the resources, services, and assets required to deliver a wide range of environmental services, as well as many culture, sport, and leisure pursuits, is key to bringing about environmental enhancements and the health benefits they bring. As this single service now comprises a resource base on similar working terms and conditions, this also allows for greater integration and collaboration in terms of working practices • Creation of a single service approach to housing through the Chief Officer (Housing) has strengthened the multidimensional health, economic, and social benefits for tenants and residents that good quality housing brings. Good quality housing has long been recognised as an important contributory factor in supporting improved health, economic, and social benefits for residents and communities. This enables the council, like all social landlords, to fulfil its legal duties to safeguard services for tenants, support people and families who experience homelessness, and repair and maintain tenant’s homes in order to meet obligations set out in tenancy agreements and statute. The council’s Local Housing Strategy 2021-26 recognises that these benefits are multidimensional and contends that an affordable, warm, and accessible home (that meets individual needs over the course of a person’s life) is the foundation for people to achieve their full potential in all aspects of life, including educational attainment and employment. • Creation of a single service approach to corporate property through the Chief Officer (Assets and Procurement) has further supported the development of new hubs at the heart of local communities to support a much wider offering to people and communities with more direct access to the services they need and access to earlier, more responsive, and more integrated whole family support. This integrated approach to the council’s corporate assets (through the Strategic Asset Review and Investment Strategy (SARIS)) also supports the programme to maximise the efficiency of the asset portfolio in transitioning to the hub operating model that will lead to more positive outcomes for children, communities, and the economy across North Lanarkshire. Creating greater integration of the wider community within these assets will mean communities have more direct access to the services they need, and staff are closer to the communities they work in. 1.8 Structural realignments have also cemented the Depute Chief Executive’s single oversight of related service delivery functions and further integrated, strengthened, and consolidated critical relationship for enterprise and communities with education, children, families, and justice as well as tackling poverty and employability. This has provided important opportunities to capitalise on existing synergies, the use of resources, and economies of scale in order to ensure consistencies in operational delivery as well as corporate support and management and target resources to areas most in need. 1.9 As noted in the one place one plan annual governance update report in December 2023, the review of the six strategic / statutory / corporate functions within the Chief Executive’s Services was scheduled to be concluded and reported back to Policy and Strategy Committee in December 2024. This report herewith now provides the Policy and Strategy Committee with an update of the ensuing structural realignment that will be undertaken following the conclusion of the review and in line with implementing the approved saving for 2025/26 (already agreed as part of the 2024/25 budget setting process at the Council meeting on 15th February 2024). 2. Structural realignments 2.1 The structural realignments set out within this report maintain the operating framework Page 192 of 236
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and service groupings listed below which were originally established in September 2018: • Enterprise and Communities • Education and Families • Adult Health and Social Care • Chief Executive’s Services 2.2 Members will recall that by grouping service functions around relationships with communities and the key stages of a person’s life, efforts have remained focused on addressing the social, economic, and health conditions prevalent within each life stage in each community. Combining skills and resources through the structural realignments - for one place with one plan - has enabled real and sustainable solutions to be developed with, and for, North Lanarkshire’s communities. Scope of the review 2.3 As noted in paragraph 1.9, the final programme of linked reviews focussed on the six strategic / statutory / corporate functions within the Chief Executive’s Services - Audit and Risk, Business and Digital, Finance, Legal and Democratic, People Resources, and Strategic Communications and Engagement - with the requirement to include due consideration of the potential for the future reduction of Chief Officer posts in the Chief Executive’s Service from six to five and reflect the resultant impacts across the remaining five Chief Officer portfolios. 2.4 Therefore, the review of the Chief Executive’s Services was undertaken within the context set out in the one plan one place annual governance update reports in December 2022 and December 2023: • The backdrop to the December 2022 and December 2023 governance update report was primarily focused on the National Care Service and the impact on functions and staffing. Notwithstanding recent developments and changes in direction, the impact of the proposals to create a National Care Service remains the highest risk on the council’s Corporate Risk Register for 2024/25. As such, the review of the six strategic / statutory / corporate functions within the Chief Executive’s Service remains framed with the context of the National Care Service as well as the wider impact on service delivery and delivery of The Plan for North Lanarkshire, and the implications on the future functions of the council. • Further challenges also required due consideration in terms of the increasing programme of national reform and its impact on local government, along with substantial funding implications and the increasing uncertainty in this respect. Within this context, the council needs to ensure that services remain financially sustainable in the future. As such, it is vital that these latest reforms are delivered efficiently and effectively, and resources are focussed on continuing to protect services and improve the lives of the people and communities of North Lanarkshire both in the here and now and in the longer-term. 2.5 Due consideration was also taken to ensure the ongoing maintenance of the statutory officer posts held by Chief Officers within the Chief Executive’s services: • The Monitoring Officer position currently held by the Chief Officer (Legal and Democratic). This statutory officer post was established under the Local Government and Housing Act 1989 and is responsible for ensuring that the council observes its governance arrangements and operates legally. This includes reporting on the legality of matters, mal-administration, and the conduct of Page 193 of 236
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councillors and officers. • The Chief Financial Officer (Section 95 Officer / the Senior Financial Officer) position held by the Chief Officer (Finance). This statutory officer post was established under the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 and is responsible for ensuring the proper administration of the council’s financial affairs. This position also plays an important role in ensuring the council complies with the principles of good governance in line with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) statement on the role of the Chief Financial Officer in local government. This consideration also included ensuring that the role of the Chief Officer (Audit and Risk) continues to align to the expectations of the CIPFA statement on the role of the head of internal audit to ensure organisations engage with and support the role effectively. 2.6 The One Service priority in the Programme of Work to 2028 is key to ensuring the council delivers services (regardless of structures or the alignment of functions) in a streamlined and efficient manner and in line with the overall vision of inclusive growth and prosperity for all. As such, the review was undertaken within the context of fulfilling the One Service priority and creating the conditions and capacities that are critical to strengthening the council’s operating environment and securing a more integrated one council approach to the corporate support services and functions supporting the delivery of the Programme of Work. 2.7 While the latest results for 50% of the council’s health check indicators show an improving picture over the period of delivering The Plan for North Lanarkshire, there are still areas of significant challenge. As such, in delivering The Plan for North Lanarkshire, the council continues to face significant pressures as it strives to prioritise the delivery of high-quality care, supports, and services for those that need it most while striving to improve outcomes for the people and communities of North Lanarkshire. Due consideration was therefore given to these challenges (listed below) in the review. • Reduced resources - public spending is likely to decline in real terms for the foreseeable future. • Demographic change - North Lanarkshire’s population is ageing, more people are living in poverty, and healthy life expectancy rates are declining which increases demand and puts more pressure on services and resources. • Increasing expectations - in relation to the delivery of public services and how the public is expected to be involved in their design and delivery, combined with increasing expectations in terms of the empowerment of citizens and communities in their relationship with councils. • Greater flexibility - in how local public services are delivered, with more consideration being given to different options to deliver services and a greater emphasis on collaborative working. • Public sector reform - an increasing programme of wider national public sector reform and its impact on local government, along with substantial funding implications creates increasing uncertainty in this respect. Within this context, the council needs to ensure that services remain financially sustainable in the future. As such, it is vital that these latest reforms are delivered efficiently and effectively, and council resources are focussed on continuing to protect services and improve the lives of the people and communities of North Lanarkshire both in the here and now and in the longer-term. • Educational reform - the uncertain wider reform agenda for education in Scotland and the future of Scottish education, which includes national restructuring to create three new national education bodies. Page 194 of 236
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Summary of the review 2.8 Within the backdrop outlined above, the review was clear that the services that make up the Chief Executive’s Services / corporate functions of the council have a collective purpose and role that is distinct from front line services. This collective identity is important to further build on maintaining a one council approach, but also to take advantage of the resulting synergies of the realigned corporate support services and functions in a way that continues to ensure arrangements that effectively enable all critical frontline care, supports, and services to deliver. Such an approach will ensure services remain financially sustainable in the future and transformational activities are delivered efficiently, with resources focussed on ensuring that critical services are protected and continue to focus on improving the lives of the people and communities of North Lanarkshire both in the here and now and in the longer-term. The key priorities in this respect are: • To work cohesively across the council to support the delivery of the Programme of Work and the successful achievement of the vision of inclusive growth and prosperity for all as set out in The Plan for North Lanarkshire. • To ensure delivery of the Programme of Work (and the programme of change and transformation that is required to realise it) remains facilitated by a clear and simple alignment between strategic direction and operational delivery that capitalises on synergies and integrated functions operating through a one place, one plan, one council approach. • To provide a range of efficient and technologically enabled back office strategic and corporate support services and functions that allow for added capacity in the front line to enable the pace and depth of change to be escalated while delivery of critical care, supports, and services is maintained. • To ensure the council can continue to demonstrate Best Value by challenging old ways of doing things and taking urgent action to change in line with what’s best for North Lanarkshire. In doing so, ensuring resources are managed efficiently and used effectively with a focus on improvement and change that improves the lives of local people. • To provide specialist and strategic advice, direction, management, co-ordination, and cohesion across a range of strategic and corporate support services and functions that enable the council to function seamlessly on a daily basis (i.e. financial, legal, democratic, human resources, audit, risk management, information security, disaster recovery, technology, and corporate governance). 2.9 As part of the review, consideration was given to the current functions of the Chief Officer roles aligned to the Chief Executive’s Services which included, identifying role requirements that could be ceased, streamlined, and/or realigned to better meet the delivery of the one place one plan Programme of Work going forward and which would deliver on the previously agreed 2024/25 budget saving. To this end the functions of the post of Chief Officer (Business and Digital) were identified as the most credible reduction from the establishment that could be sustained and, in line with council processes, a VRS opportunity was made available to the affected cohort of staff to accommodate this reduction in the structure. 2.10 A VRS request was subsequently received which meets the council’s Workforce Change requirements and, as such, will be progressed to conclusion allowing for the reduction of a Chief Officer post on the Chief Executive’s Service establishment and delivering the February 2024 agreed budget saving (as noted in Appendix 1). 2.11 With this reduction from six to five Chief Officers in the Chief Executive’s Services, the Page 195 of 236
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resultant impact on the remaining five Chief Officer portfolios is as noted below, with the senior management team structure from 2025/26 depicted in Appendix 2 and a more detailed functional overview set out in Appendix 3. Note this also takes into consideration wider council realignments to further secure single, aligned, and related council operations, single Chief Officer portfolios, and single service accountability. • To ensure all aspects of the council’s budgets remain aligned, integrated, and financially sustainable and the development of enabling technological transformations become an intrinsic part of the budget strategy that marries together delivery of the council’s long-term vision with technology and financial imperatives to create more efficient and effective ways of working, the Technology Solutions function of Business and Digital will transfer to Finance, with a change to the Chief Officer title to Finance and Technology. This includes corporate and schools’ technical support and services and technical field services. • To further support alignment of the council’s strategic planning, performance, governance, and support functions with the operational delivery aspects of community planning and community empowerment and engagement, as well as corporate communications messaging, the Business Strategy function of Business and Digital will transfer to Strategic Communications and Engagement, with a change to the Chief Officer title to Strategy and Engagement. This includes integration of the business change and service redesign functions currently residing across the two services in order to support the pace and scale of the change that is required to escalate delivery of the leadership and operating model for town and community hubs. Such a significant shift is critical to realising the vision to support a much wider integrated service offering in the heart of the local community, bringing schools together with other local services, businesses, and partnership organisations. • To ensure alignment of regulatory and security related services, the Information Security function from Business and Digital will transfer to Legal and Democratic. This will create a central point across the council in respect of information governance that ensures compliance across all related functions, including information risk and the increasing focus required on cybersecurity to manage and co-ordinate the council’s approach to provide information security assurances and address cyber security threats. The integration of information risk and security with data protection will include maintaining the council’s statutory roles in respect of Data Protection Officer and Senior Information Risk Officer (but not within one post) and strengthen a one council approach to information governance. • Changes will also see the integration of disaster recovery (currently residing in Business and Digital) within Legal and Democratic. This will further strengthen a one council approach to managing information risk through the development and ongoing monitoring and testing of disaster recovery plans to ensure that the information technology functions of the council can quickly resume work after an unplanned incident, resolve data loss, and recover system functionality to perform in the aftermath of an incident. This also includes steps to minimise the effects of a technological disaster so the council can continue to operate or quickly resume mission-critical functions. Next steps 2.12 The structural realignments set out in this report will require a focus on strengthening combined solutions, resources, skills, and relationships and, as such, it is expected that future realignments below Chief Officer level will be undertaken within the realigned Page 196 of 236
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services under the already approved Scheme of Delegation. 3. Measures of success 3.1 Measures of success include maintaining, and sustaining, the organisational capabilities and capacity that are fundamental to delivering the seven priorities in the Programme of Work to 2028 and achieving the shared ambition of inclusive growth and prosperity for all as set out in The Plan for North Lanarkshire. 4. Supporting documentation 4.1 Appendix 1 - Workforce changes, with effect from 1st April 2025. Appendix 2 - Senior management team structure, with effect from 1st April 2025. Appendix 3 - Functional overview, effective from 1st April 2025. Des Murray Chief Executive 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? Workforce changes (detailed in Appendix 1) will realise recurring savings of £143,454. 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? Workforce implications are being undertaken explicitly in line with the council’s Managing Workforce Change Policy. Page 197 of 236
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Formal consultation with stakeholders, including Trade Unions, has commenced. 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? 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? Without appropriate alignment of the vision, plan, governance, and operations, there is a risk in terms of the decision making and delivery of the extensive range of programmes, projects, and activities required to fulfil the seven priorities in the Programme of Work to 2028 and achieve the council’s overall vision of inclusive growth and prosperity for all as set out in The Plan for North Lanarkshire. The information presented in this report therefore aims to contribute towards the mitigation of the risks on the Corporate Risk Register for Governance, Leadership, and Decision Making. Page 198 of 236
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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 199 of 236
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Appendix 1 Table 1: Workforce changes (with effect from 1st April 2025) Post Current establishment FTE Adjustment Future establishment FTE Salary £ On-cost £ Turnover £ Total budgeted salary £ Chief Officer (Business and Digital) 1.0 Delete 1.0 FTE 0.0 116,223 35,121 (7,890) 143,454 Total 1.0 0.0 116,223 35,121 (7,890) 143,454 The workforce change in Table 1 will realise recurring savings of £143,454 Table 2: Summary of workforce changes Net change in employee costs Net change in establishment (FTE) Posts deleted: VRS / early retiral 1.0 Posts created: 0.0 Net change: 1.0 Page 200 of 236
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Appendix 2 Senior management team structure (with effect from 1st April 2025) Page 201 of 236
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Appendix 3 Functional overview (effective from 1st April 2025) Finance and Technology [formerly Finance] People Resources Legal and Democratic Services [formerly Legal and Democratic] Strategy and Engagement [formerly Strategic Communications and Engagement] Audit and Risk • Financial strategy and long- term financial planning with supporting budget strategy and budget setting as the Section 95 Officer. • Financial management, including capital and revenue budget monitoring. • Financial services delivery, including debt recovery, creditors, insurance, and claims handling. • Financial advice and accounting services for the council and to support the council’s arm’s length external organisations. • Treasury management. • Revenues management and benefits administration service delivery. • Administration of council tax, non-domestic rates, housing benefit, and the council tax reduction scheme. • Administration of national welfare grants and payments, including the Scottish welfare fund, free school meals, clothing grants, and blue badges. • Digital and IT strategy and • Providing the full range of HR support to services across the council, including business partnership, training, policy development and implementation, HR processes, strategic workforce planning, and the employee service centre. • Providing expert employee relations support, including statutory legislation under the Employment Rights Act 1996 and the Trade Union and Labour Relations Act 1992 and adhering to national frameworks for job evaluation and terms and conditions. • Delivery of the council’s duties under the Health and Safety at Work Act 1974, including assistive technology for employees. • Delivery of the council’s duties under the Equalities Act 2010 and the Public Sector Equality Duty, and the Fairer Scotland Duty. • Effective management of all workforce changes and associated workforce risks, including strategic workforce • Democratic services (including committee services, Elected Member services, civic functions, and operational responsibility for the Civic Centre complex). • Legal services (providing and commissioning). • Licensing services. • Registration services. • Appeals hearings (education). • The administration and support of the Children’s Panel. • Community councils. • Parades and processions. • Co-ordination of support to armed forces and veterans. • Freedom of information requests. • Environmental Information Regulation requests. • Data protection advice and support. • Responsible for ensuring the proper conduct and management of elections. • Technology disaster recovery planning. • Information risk, security, and governance. • Working with communities through a locality-based approach to community planning. • Building the council’s operating model around communities. • Communications, brand and marketing strategy and communications infrastructure both internal and external (including all council wide communications channels and platforms, press, and media management). • Organisation and support of strategic and corporate events, conferences, and exhibitions. • Leading and directing internal communication strategies. • Customer services hub and single council number. • Community participation and engagement, including grant programme administration. • Organisational change and transformation. • The council’s corporate strategy and its ongoing • Delivery of the Internal Audit Strategy via an annual internal audit plan aligned to support the delivery of The Plan for North Lanarkshire. • Delivery of a high-quality professional audit service to assess the adequacy and effectiveness of the council’s governance, risk management, performance, and control frameworks and the financial reporting and annual governance processes. • Strategic risk management including the council’s risk management strategy, associated processes and ensuring that strategic and operational risks across the council are identified, understood, and managed accordingly. • Establishing and maintaining an effective counter fraud policy and ensuring vigorous, prompt, and proportionate investigations are carried out where fraud occurs or is suspected. • Provision of support and Page 202 of 236
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Finance and Technology [formerly Finance] People Resources Legal and Democratic Services [formerly Legal and Democratic] Strategy and Engagement [formerly Strategic Communications and Engagement] Audit and Risk council wide provision of digital and technology infrastructure, services, and solutions. • Technical field services and IT help desk, including technician support for schools and hubs. • Technology and digital development. • Technology infrastructure. • Programme management office and contracts and finance functions supporting technology and digital delivery. • Provision of support and advice to Chief Officers, the Leader of the Council, and Elected Members. planning and savings delivery. • Provision of support and advice to Chief Officers, the Leader of the Council, and Elected Members. • Serious organised crime and counter terrorism. • Role of council’s Monitoring Officer. • Role of council’s Senior Information Risk Owner (SIRO). • Role of council’s Data Protection Officer (DPO). • Provision of support and advice to Chief Officers, the Leader of the Council, and Elected Members. development and delivery. • Business strategy, operating model delivery and supporting transformation and service redesign, and associated budgets and contracts. • Strategic Programme of Work management, monitoring, and governance. • Performance and associated corporate governance requirements. • Senior management team support. • Strategic community planning. • The council’s statutory obligations in relation to Best Value, community planning, performance reporting, complaints handling, and governance. • Corporate data and information analysis, research, and publication, GIS, and horizon scanning. • Provision of support and advice to Chief Officers, the Leader of the Council, and Elected Members. advice to Chief Officers, the Leader of the Council, and Elected Members. Page 203 of 236
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Policy and Strategy Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref JMcK/CMcC Date 26/09/24 Strategic Asset Review and Investment Strategy (SARIS): Update Report From James McKinstry, Chief Officer (Asset and Procurement) E-mail McKinstryJ@northlan.gov.uk Telephone Via Teams Executive Summary As outlined in the SARIS report presented in December 2023, the hub programme looks to create greater integration of council assets within local areas, providing opportunities and access in each local area, for all residents within that area to benefit from. This update report looks at the SARIS proposals in two parts: The Strategic Asset Review focusses on the current estate, the associated data, and the progress to date on changes made to the school estate since North Lanarkshire Council was formed in 1996. (Paragraphs 2.4 – 2.18). The Investment Strategy focusses on the previous investment, the current programme, aspirations, challenges, and future focus, based on known variables and factors which influence potential investment decisions in relation to the school estate. (Paragraphs 2.19 – 2.50). Ultimately, this paper concludes that much progress has been made and many opportunities are available in relation to the school and wider asset portfolio. It also acknowledges that the current challenges necessitate a more blended approach to the strategy linked to the school and wider estate - to maintain the momentum and to ensure we are influencing and adapting the offering within our highest priority communities, as quickly as possible. Recommendations It is recommended that the Policy and Strategy Committee: (1) Acknowledge the analysis of the existing estate and accepts that there are no obvious opportunities to further rationalise the school estate at this time, unless additional budget allocation can be provided to fund new builds, which in turn would facilitate the merger/amalgamation of existing school populations. (Sections 2.9 - 2.14). (2) Acknowledge the opportunities being realised in relation to the rationalisation of the wider estate, into the school estate, as part of the Town and Community Hub programme of work and supports this ongoing approach with a further report brought to Full Council on 19 December outlining further details. (Sections 2.15 – 2.17). Item 11 Page 205 of 236
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1. Background 1.1 This report is an update on the SARIS report discussed at Policy and Strategy Committee in December 2023. 1.2 The purpose of SARIS is to look across the entire corporate estate of the Council to ensure we have an optimum number of facilities to deliver a learning, community and leisure experience which reflects the needs of our local communities, delivered within the available budget and in a way that maximises the inclusion of our community planning partners. 1.3 As outlined in the December 2023 report, the school estate is the largest of the (non- HRA) council asset portfolios. Schools are strategic council assets located within the heart of all our local communities – each of which plays a significant role, and in most cases is the largest community asset, within each of the local communities we serve. This learning and teaching estate currently includes 23 secondary schools; 118 primary schools; along with early years and additional support needs establishments. 1.4 It should be noted that when ‘the school estate’ is discussed, it is within the context of the current council aspiration – which is that ‘a school’ should be a community asset that is accessible to the whole community, rather than just a school community. It is still ‘a school’ at the core, but the aspiration is that the asset should work to provide as many opportunities and benefits as possible, to as many residents as possible, within each local community ‘a school’ serves. 1.5 It is through this perspective that the narrative presented concentrates on the assets within the learning and teaching (schools) portfolio as it will be through these assets that the council will look to develop a sustainable offering for our communities, with schools at the core – but to be developed to deliver more community based activities, be that leisure, cultural or community focussed, within a more centralised, efficient and effective asset portfolio. 1.6 The SARIS approach is also done in full recognition of the projected demographic change which is expected across the Council area over the next 20 years. This is summarised in Table 1.6 below and in summary it is clearly apparent that there will be a significant fall in our school age population with a corresponding increase our over 65 population. Consequently, our approach within SARIS must be reflective of this and the changing need within our local communities. (3) Recognise the priority of projects being brought forward within the refreshed capital plan, with Glenboig PS (Community Hub) as a key priority project. (Section 2.28). (4) Recognise the blended approach to the strategy to facilitate the transition ‘from schools to hubs’ within the existing estate, as part of a blended model. (Section 2.34 – 2.41). (5) Approve that the ‘tests of change’ be brought forward, through targeted investment, should smaller sums of additional funding become available to facilitate this in the short term (section 2.46 – 2.47). The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority All priorities Ambition statement All ambition statements Programme of Work Transforming Places Page 206 of 236
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Total NL population Age under 16 Working age 16-64 Age 65+ Age 65 to 74 Age 75+ 2018 340,180 62,960 218,220 58,000 33,430 24,570 From 2018 to 2028 +990 0.3% -6,150 -9.8% -4,330 -2.0% +11,470 +19.8% +6,110 +18.3% +5,360 +21.8% From 2018 to 2043 -3,010 -0.9% -9,300 -14.8% -16,670 -7.6% +22,960 +39.6% +5,400 +16.2% +17,560 +71.5% 2043 337,170 53,660 202,550 80,960 38,830 42,130 Table 1.6 – Population Projection to 2043 2. Report 2.1 This report is split into two sections, each covering a specific aspect of the review. 2.2 The Strategic Asset Review focusses on the current estate, the associated data, and the progress to date on changes made to the school estate since North Lanarkshire Council was formed in 1996. 2.3 The Investment Strategy focusses on the previous investment, the current programme, aspirations, challenges, and future focus, based on known variables and factors which influence potential investment decisions in relation to the school estate. Strategic Asset Review Overview of the school estate 2.4 Wider asset information (leisure and community facilities) was previously reported to Policy and Strategy Committee in September 2023. Appendix A within this report provides an overview of the primary and secondary (learning and teaching) estate, identifying each school within each geographic area and also provides details on the fabric condition of each school. Within our school asset portfolio, we currently have 23 secondary schools, and 118 primary schools. These are split into the three areas as follows: No of Primary Schools No of Secondary Schools Total North Area 30 6 36 Central Area 52 8 60 South Area 36 9 45 Total 118 23 141 Table 2.4 – Distribution of schools by geographic area Age profile of the school estate 2.5 There is a wide distribution when it comes to the age of the school estate across the North Lanarkshire area. The oldest school within our current portfolio is Morningside PS in the South area, which recently celebrated its 150th anniversary. 115 out of the 141 schools were constructed post 1955, with three secondary schools predating this year: Bellshill Academy (1898); Dalziel High (1900); and Kilsyth Academy (1953). Page 207 of 236
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Table 2.5 – Age Profile of the school estate 2.6 Appendix B outlines the profile of the school estate, across the decades outlined above. It is noted that 82% of our existing estate was constructed post 1955, and further noted that 75% of the current school estate is distributed across five periods – three within decades following the second world war, and two within decades following the formation of North Lanarkshire Council. 2.7 Appendix C outlines the profile of the school estate, by geographical area, and also outlines the distribution of assets in two categories: Pre and Post 1995; and Pre and Post 1996 (when North Lanarkshire Council was formed). 2.8 It is noted that the council have over one third of the current estate (35%) constructed following the formation of North Lanarkshire Council. Whilst this clearly shows the ambition of the council to prioritise the school estate, it also shows the challenge to the council to meet the aspiration to replace all schools not built before 1996. This does not account for the projects currently being built as part of the current Town and Community Hub programme - but rather reflects the position as at September 2024. Hubs currently in production are outlined at Appendix E, and demonstrate the continued progress being made. Rationalisation of the school estate 2.9 As outlined above, the approach to SARIS must be reflective of the projected demographic changes. Whilst this is covered within the “Investment Strategy” sections below – it is recognised that this presents opportunities to both rationalise the school estate and repurpose elements of individual learning establishments to introduce more community-based services. As such, a desktop exercise was undertaken to ascertain the opportunities and challenges associated with further reducing the school estate through closure of existing establishments. 2.10 It must be recognised that North Lanarkshire Council (NLC) has been proactive in managing the estate, reducing and rationalising the school asset portfolio where able to do so. Indeed, 29 establishments have been closed since the formation of North Lanarkshire Council, 4 secondary schools and 25 primary schools. 2.11 Appendix D outlines the schools which have closed and where the pupils transferred to – following the closure of each establishment. Of the 29 closures, in 17 cases, the pupils from the closure transferred to a new build facility, the most recent of these being the closure of Carnbroe and Sikeside Primary Schools, and the move of these pupils to the newly established Riverbank Primary School. In the other 12 closures, the pupils from these establishments either merged or amalgamated with other existing establishments. 2.12 Analysis shows that opportunities to close establishments and move the pupils into adjacent school communities have been taken over the years. Whilst it is clear that there Decade 1865-1874 1875-1884 1885-1894 1895-1904 1905-1914 1925-1934 1945-1954 HS 2 1 PS 1 3 2 2 6 7 2 Grand Total 1 3 2 4 6 7 3 Decade 1955-1964 1965-1974 1975-1984 1985-1994 1995-2004 2005-2014 2015-2024 HS 2 3 4 8 3 PS 19 24 8 4 5 26 9 Grand Total 21 27 12 4 5 34 12 Page 208 of 236
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are spaces in schools within our current portfolio, there are no clear opportunities to close schools and move pupils. For example – there may be over 100 excess spaces in a primary school in Cumbernauld, but a school with a small pupil population (which would be able to fit into these spaces and facilitate a closure) may be located within the Kilsyth area. 2.13 The desktop exercise shows that there are opportunities to further reduce the school estate, but it would require significant adaptations to existing schools, or more likely – the creation of new build facilities (as was the case with Riverbank PS through merging Carnbroe PS and Sikeside PS) to provide the adequate number of spaces to merge adjacent schools into a more efficient and effective catchment area. 2.14 A bid was submitted as part of the last round of capital bids for projects outwith those listed elsewhere within this report, but there was insufficient funding to progress any such projects. Rationalisation of the wider estate 2.15 To delivery on this, a key element of the current Town and Community Hub programme strategy is to rationalise and ‘fold in’ older assets into new build facilities, to improve the efficiency and sustainability of the overall estate. It is widely recognised and accepted that concentrating our asset portfolio – with the school estate at the core – is still an effective strategy which ensures local communities retain local services within local areas. 2.16 To this end, there are already examples in the facilities recently opened which are helping to rationalise the wider portfolio with the school portfolio. The most recent example is the inclusion of a community zone within Riverbank Community Hub (opened in 2024) to partly offset the closure of Calder Community Centre some years ago. This will be further enhanced by community provision in the St Stephen’s Community Hub, which is located within the heart of the Sikeside community – a priority area for the council. 2.17 These changes to the estate provide our communities with more sustainable offerings, both from an energy efficiency perspective and an operational perspective as, being part of the hub estate, provides more efficient and concentrated offerings within the heart of local communities. This element is further explored in the Investment Strategy sections below and it is recommended that Committee support this ongoing rationalisation across the corporate estate. Strategic Asset Review – Conclusion 2.18 It is concluded that much work has been done to ensure the school estate is as efficient as possible, including school closures, with around one third of the school estate having been replaced since the formation of NLC. It is further noted that wider older assets are being replaced and ‘folded in’ to new hubs within the current hub programme. Finally, it is noted that whilst there will be further opportunities to rationalise the school estate, the most effective way to achieve this is through the creation of new build facilities which are of suitable size to facilitate mergers, and integration of wider assets in the local area. Such proposals will be considered as part of the investment strategy moving forward, demonstrating that NLC has and will continue to manage assets as efficiently and effectively as possible. Investment Strategy Page 209 of 236
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Overview of the strategy to date 2.19 The Investment Strategy linked to the school estate has taken many forms and iterations over the decades, from the “Education 2010 programme”, “Schools and Centres 21 (SC21) programme”, and the now “Town and Community Hub programme”. 2.20 The hub programme, as was the case with previous programmes, is intrinsically linked to the council’s capital programme and the type, size, and scale of projects is driven by the available capital funding allocated to this particular council theme and priority. 2.21 The funding for the hub programme is a high priority for the council, with around one third of the £660m five-year refreshed capital programme allocation ringfenced for this purpose – to support a number of ambitions within The Plan for North Lanarkshire. 2.22 To date, North Lanarkshire Council have built or remodelled around one third of the education estate. The Plan for North Lanarkshire, through the Community Investment Fund (CIF) looked to accelerate this build programme. 2.23 A key element of The Plan for North Lanarkshire is increasing capacity and resilience within our most deprived communities first. Improvements to the school estate, again, through prioritising our most deprived communities first, was evaluated, using the prioritisation matrix agreed by the Policy and Strategy Committee in March 2020, with an update on the top priority projects (category A1) being reported to Policy and Strategy Committee in March 2021. Invest in the learning estate through the creation of new town and community hubs. 2.24 As shown in Appendix B, there has been significant investment in new build schools since the formation of North Lanarkshire Council. Since 2019, the council strategy shifted to delivering facilities for the whole community, with the school community at the core. 2.25 The hub programme is delivering changes and improvement across many communities in North Lanarkshire. Community hubs have been opened in: 2.25.1 Wishaw – through the Newmains and St Brigid’s Community Hub. This was the first of the new hubs to be opened and has already won national acclaim and awards for its design – being well received by the local community. The operating model at this site is continuing to be developed. 2.25.2 Coatbridge – through the construction of the Riverbank Community Hub. This project brought together the school communities of Carnbroe and Sikeside, creating space on the Sikeside campus for the creation of a further community hub to serve the pupils at St Stephen’s PS and other local residents within the Sikeside area. 2.25.3 Northern Corridor – through the construction of the Chryston Community Hub. This project brought state of the art education and health facilities to this growing local population and facilitated enhancements at the local play park through the creation of a new pump track. 2.26 Further hubs are in construction or pre-constructions stage in: 2.26.1 Bellshill – Orbiston Community Hub which will create a joint campus for Lawmuir PS, Sacred Heart Primary School and a new Family Learning Centre for early Page 210 of 236
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years, as well as creating new community provision and facilitating rationalisation of the older Joe Mackay Community Centre asset. 2.26.2 Coatbridge - St Stephen’s Community Hub within the heart of the Sikeside community within Coatbridge. This project will include new community provision to serve this local community within the heart of the community. 2.26.3 Coatbridge - St Kevin’s Community Hub. This hub will provide school provision at each end of this growing community and was instrumental in facilitating the housing growth in this area – ensuring there is adequate education provision to serve this growing community. 2.26.4 Northern Corridor – Gartcosh Community Hub which again is being delivered to serve a significant increasing pupil and wider local population through housing growth. This community hub will also provide community spaces to facilitate the rationalisation of older community assets – bringing the community together in a shared asset. 2.26.5 Northern Corridor - Chryston High extension. This significant investment to an existing hub is required to facilitate all the housing growth within the wider local area. This project will compliment and add to the existing provision within this area which will now include library, nursery, primary, secondary, cultural, community, health, sports, and play provision within a campus type environment within the heart of the Chryston community. 2.27 The projects outlined above are summarised within Appendix E. It is noted that there were additional projects within the current and pre-refresh capital programme which had to be removed due to increased costs at project level, and the associated pressure this placed on the available funding for the programme. Refreshed capital programme priorities 2.28 The refreshed strategic capital investment programme 2024-2029, agreed at Policy and Strategy Committee in March 2024, named three hubs which would be considered as part of the current five-year capital programme: 2.28.1 Glenboig Community Hub – a capacity related project which must be delivered to respond to the increase in population, through housing growth within the area. This is the top priority within the refreshed programme, due to the need for additional pupil spaces within this local area. This project will be similar to the St Kevin’s project in that it will allow the existing joint campus (currently shared between Glenboig PS and OLSJ PS) to be fully handed over to Our Lady and St Joseph’s school community, taking the existing spaces currently used by Glenboig PS, to respond to the increase in pupil population for this cohort. The proposed Glenboig PS would move to the newly created community hub, thus providing adequate spaces for both sets of pupils for the future. 2.28.2 Ravenscraig Community Hub – to create new school provision for all planned housebuilding in this local area. This is a project that was deferred from the previous plan, due to budget constraints within the programme and is therefore being reconsidered within this refreshed programme. Further, consideration may also be given to the delivery of a cultural offering, depending on the decision taken regarding the future of the existing Motherwell Theatre and Concert Hall. Page 211 of 236
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2.28.3 Abronhill Community Hub – to create replacement school provision for Abronhill PS and St Lucy’s PS within the heart of the Abronhill area of Cumbernauld. This project was also deferred from the previous programme due to budget constraints within the programme and again the potential for delivery of this project was reconsidered within the refreshed programme. 2.29 From the current 5-year capital plan, around £67m of new money was made available for the three projects outlined above, once the required budget allocations for those projects currently in design or development are deducted from the overall hub programme budget allocation. 2.30 As outlined in the previous SARIS report to Policy and Strategy Committee in December 2023, the global shift in economic outlook has had a dramatic impact on the number, size and scale of the projects the programme can now deliver, compared to the number that could have previously been delivered with relatively comparable funding allocations. As outlined in the December 2023 report, seismic increases in costs for construction related activities; costs and availability of materials, along with significant increases to inflation, requires a recalibration of what can be delivered in the short to medium term. 2.31 As a consequence, it is now clearly apparent that it will not be possible to deliver all three hubs within the funding allocation available. In summary, only the Glenboig hub can be delivered in full. Insufficient funding will be available to take forward the Abronhill Community Hub at this time, with all remaining budget assigned to the additional site investigation and remediation costs associated with the development of the Ravenscraig Community Hub. 2.32 Further budget allocation would be required to ensure all three hubs could be delivered within the timescales associated with the current Strategic Capital Investment Programme. It is understood that a wider review of available funding and wider investment strategy is being carried out and the hub programme would look to benefit from any such review to ensure the projects outlined above could be taken forward within the current five-year programme. 2.33 The principles and strategy which the hub programme looks to deliver, linked to the aspirations of The Plan for North Lanarkshire remain constant. The hub programme looks to deliver a sustainable estate - which the whole community can access; has the learning estate at its core; facilitates rationalisation of older assets; and which prioritises our most in need communities first. These principles remain true and the strategy still remains a clear opportunity to help transition and elevate service provision to our most in need communities. This can be evidenced in the projects currently being delivered. Invest in the learning estate through the adaptation of existing facilities to make them more accessible and usable to the wider communities. 2.34 As outlined in the December 2023 report, part of this review was to look at the current conditions within the market, the available resources, and our enthusiasm to change our school estate in the short to medium term. Based on the information outlined above, it is clear that we cannot wait on the new, as there is insufficient funding to facilitate the new at a pace we require to serve our communities. 2.35 Therefore, the review concludes that an “adaptation of existing facilities” approach contributes significantly to delivering facilities which are accessible for our wider communities, and which will be more in line with the demographic changes and how we must respond as a council to service delivery demands in the coming years. Page 212 of 236
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2.36 There will be less demand for school spaces, due to a reduced 0-15 year population, and an increase in demand for services for older adults, specifically those 75+ years of age. An overview of the change in the North Lanarkshire population demographic over the next 25 years is shown at Appendix F. Chart 2.36 – Older adult and young people: Population shift since 1971 2.37 As outlined above, the review of the estate shows that there is little scope for merging schools at this time. However, the information also identifies that as schools require less space for pupils, this creates opportunities for adapting existing spaces for other uses – both as a base for staff working within the local community, and as a place for the community to access spaces and services within their local community. 2.38 The evidence is clearly indicating that, if we want to evolve our school estate into one that can respond to the needs of each local community, a portion of any future and further allocation to the hub programme, should be used to adapt the existing estate to meet the needs of the local community it serves. 2.39 There are many benefits to this blended approach. In the main, communities like their schools where they are currently located. There is history and sentiment attached to existing facilities. It is much more economical to adapt existing facilities than to start from scratch. There are also benefits in keeping the existing fabric and the already ‘embodied carbon’ in situ. 2.40 The proposal would be to target investment in both the fabric of the buildings and the wider site – improve the services on offer for both the school community and the wider community. There are many examples of where relatively small investments on school sites benefit both the school community and the wider community – such as the Multi Use Games Areas (MUGAs) which have been installed in school sites across the authority. These outdoor spaces create fantastic play facilities for the young people during the school day, and for wider community access (and possibly the same young people) outwith the school day. Page 213 of 236
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2.41 Another example of relatively small changes which are positively received within the community is the example of Allanton Primary School. Due to a potential structural issue, Allanton Primary School was closed to facilitate the replacement of the external fabric of the building. Whilst this resulted in temporary closure and relocation of the school, on return the school community appreciated the investment made at the site – as a result of the works. Whilst it is clear that this was a project formed out of need – the outcomes still illustrate the positive impact a relatively small investment (when compared to the costs of a new build community hub) on improving existing facilities can have on our local communities. A brief overview of the project and feedback from stakeholders is outlined at Appendix G. Investment Strategy – Future Focus 2.42 It is viewed that the future focus should be a more blended approach between building new hubs and adapting existing facilities to become hubs within our local communities. The prioritisation of projects should still be in line with the adopted principles – ensuring our most in need communities are prioritised. 2.43 The strategy would be reviewed each time the five-year Strategic Capital Investment Programme is updated, and adjusted to match the market conditions, availability of funding, and flexibility to convert facilities from schools to community hubs at each point – ensuring we can maximise the funding to have the maximum impact on improving as many schools and facilities serving local communities as possible. 2.44 At this point, based on the current funding allocated to the hub programme, it is clear that only Glenboig Community Hub can be delivered within the allocation. The other two projects would most likely require additional funding to bring these forward within the lifetime of the current capital plan. 2.45 Equally, based on the current funding allocated to the hub programme, it is offered that there is no allocated funding or agreement to create community hubs from existing buildings. It is recommended that committee agree that this should now be included as part of the hub strategy – both for this plan and subsequent plans, to ensure that the council can transition to a hub model in more local areas at a faster pace. This will most likely require additional funding, however, it may be possible to bring forward “Tests of change” projects, should smaller sums of funding be available. Test of change projects 2.46 Should funding become available, it would clearly take much less spend to deliver significant changes to an existing building than it would to create a new building. It is offered that a significantly less funding allocation to an existing school, could transform the facilities and offering for a community through upgrading both fabric and facilities - as could be delivered through the creation of a new community hub. Whilst it is recognised that the facilities would not be of the same specification and standard as a new energy efficient community hub, they could provide a much-improved asset for the local community. In short, a funding allocation focussed on transforming the existing, rather than new, could potentially transform up to ten school/local communities - rather than one. 2.47 Tests of change can help inform improvements to new builds, just as new builds are able to inform changes which could improve current establishments. The following are some examples of where improvements could lead to better, more widely accessible assets, for our school and wider communities: Page 214 of 236
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2.47.1 Community Integration: Through some of the hubs already in place, the council is starting to understand the opportunities and challenges associated with both people coming onto historic school sites (such as the community room at Riverbank), and with staff being based at school sites and being closer to their respective client groups (such as at St Andrew’s/St Timothy’s campus in Coatbridge). We therefore have a good understanding of how to adapt existing spaces to make them more accessible to the wider population, whilst maintaining the ‘secure bubble’ for the associated schools on site. 2.47.2 Outdoor spaces: As outlined earlier in this paper, MUGAs are a clear example of how targeted investment in outdoor spaces can provide more efficient and effective play and sports facilities for local communities within the heart of their local community. Outdoor play facilities (school playgrounds to those of a specific age) have also evolved over time to provide more interesting outdoor learning environments and play spaces. It is clear that targeted investment in improving these spaces and making them more accessible, interesting and inclusive, can help improve the health lifestyles of young people both during the day and outwith the school day. 2.47.3 Learning and teaching spaces: The designs of the new build hubs, and the experienced staff who help influence and inform these designs can equally help influence and inform changes within an existing establishment, which through relatively small investment, could help improve the learning and teaching environment. This could be as simple as key items of furniture, through to adapting classrooms and other internal spaces. 2.47.4 Fabric of the building: The look and feel of a school can have a significant impact on how a school is viewed and indeed how it operates. As outlined in the example for the works at Allanton Primary School (see Appendix G), changes to the external fabric improved the temperature of the internal facilities, even though the heating system was the same as before improvements. The look and feel of the building both externally and internally was perceived positively. Therefore, whilst there has always been limited investment in the fabric of the buildings, as with the hub programme, it cannot always keep pace with the required or desired improvements. SARIS Review – Summary 2.48 The Strategic Asset Review shows that whilst it is clear that pupil populations will continue to reduce over the coming decades, we are not yet at a point where schools can easily be merged or amalgamated with their neighbours. Assessments will continue to be carried out on an annual basis as part of the school census process – and any opportunities will be reviewed and put forward for consideration where it is appropriate to do so. In the interim, there are opportunities to adapt existing facilities to better match the needs of our changing population demographic – through reducing the spaces for schools to better match need, and adapting the available spaces these create for serving the wider community. This approach will continue to be investigated with a view to aligning opportunities with available resources and to facilitate rationalisation of the extended council asset portfolio (community centres, etc.) whilst at the same time delivering an enhanced community offering. 2.49 The Investment Strategy in relation to the principles attached to prioritising projects remains consistent with The Plan for North Lanarkshire. The opportunities to adapt the existing estate, through the reimagining of excess space within schools, alongside the Page 215 of 236
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challenges associated with construction costs, demonstrate that a blended hybrid approach should be adopted to transition ‘from schools to hubs’ across our existing estate, whilst still considering opportunities for new builds where appropriate. 2.50 In conclusion, the hub strategy, and building our future asset portfolio around the school estate retains a clear alignment with the aspirations within The Plan for North Lanarkshire. Next steps 2.51 It is clear there has been much progress to date, mainly around the school estate and replacing schools with schools. The focus has had to change, with a need to consolidate assets into a better, more efficient community offering. The data clearly shows that the ages and stages of our population has been and will continue to shift and our strategy must be flexible enough to accommodate any such shift. 2.52 In the short term, the council must look to adapt the existing school estate where existing excess capacity is available, prioritising areas of deprivation first, to deliver an enhanced community offering. This will help define and refine what solutions are required in the medium to long term: • Where it is appropriate to create new bespoke assets (such as the Ravenscraig Community Hub with cultural offering). • Where it is appropriate to transform existing spaces to provide a better balance of facilities and services within buildings which are subsequently in better condition. • Where it is appropriate to rationalise and ‘fold in’ the offerings, providing leisure, cultural, and outreach offerings around the existing school estate. 2.53 As outlined within the report above, the strategy remains strong – building the solutions around the school estate. However, the pace at which the Council can reduce, rationalise and transform the assets for our communities will be directly in proportion to the level of capital funding available – the higher the levels of funding the faster the Council can transform the estate to better meet the known and future service demands. Reliance on external capital funding is now a significant risk and the more the Council can generate its own capital growth to insulate itself against the uncertainty of external funding will significantly reduce this risk and would allow the council to better plan and accelerate the transition of our wider estate. Consideration of prioritising additional funding from any future council tax strategy would be one such option. 2.54 Another key outcome from SARIS will be the introduction of the new leadership and operating model. This model is key to determining and delivering the adaptions required to the estate, to meet the needs of our changing population – with a more local approach required to service our older adult population whilst maintaining adequate number of spaces for our reducing school age population. A further update on this work will be provided at the December 2024 Policy and Strategy meeting. 3. Measures of success 3.1 Continued investment in ‘the place’ that is North Lanarkshire through the creation of hubs that centralise the council offering within the heart of our local communities. 3.2 Improving the efficiency of the estate through reducing the number of school spaces, where it is appropriate to do so, and repurposing these spaces for use that will benefit the local community. Page 216 of 236
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4. Supporting documentation Appendix A – List of current NLC Schools, by Geographic area Appendix B – Age profile of the school estate – by decade Appendix C – Age profile of the school estate – by period Appendix D – School closures since the formation of North Lanarkshire Council Appendix E – Current Town and Community Hub Programme projects Appendix F – Population Projections Appendix G – Investing in existing estate example (Allanton PS) James McKinstry Chief Officer (Assets and Procurement) Page 217 of 236
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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 218 of 236
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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 219 of 236
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Appendix A - List of current NLC Schools, by Geographic Area and High School Cluster SED Code Area High School Cluster School Name School Condition Rating Constructed School Type 8342334 North Chryston HS Chryston High School A 2012 Secondary 8341125 North Chryston HS Chryston PS A 2023 Primary 8341222 North Chryston HS Gartcosh PS C 1875 Primary 8341427 North Chryston HS Glenmanor PS B 1965 Primary 8341729 North Chryston HS Stepps PS A 2007 Primary 8357234 North Cumbernauld Academy Cumbernauld Academy A 2019 Secondary 8357021 North Cumbernauld Academy Abronhill PS C 1965 Primary 8355622 North Cumbernauld Academy Carbrain PS B 1965 Primary 8355525 North Cumbernauld Academy Cumbernauld PS A 2003 Primary 8355924 North Cumbernauld Academy Kildrum PS B 1963 Primary 8359024 North Cumbernauld Academy Whitelees PS B 1976 Primary 8357331 North Greenfaulds HS Greenfaulds HS A 2016 Secondary 8359229 North Greenfaulds HS Baird Memorial PS A 2004 Primary 8355223 North Greenfaulds HS Condorrat PS C 1974 Primary 8359822 North Greenfaulds HS Eastfield PS B 1977 Primary 8359423 North Greenfaulds HS Westfield PS B 1978 Primary 8357226 North Greenfaulds HS Woodlands PS B 1973 Primary 8358532 North Kilsyth Academy Kilsyth Academy B 1953 Secondary 8358427 North Kilsyth Academy Balmalloch PS B 1976 Primary 8358028 North Kilsyth Academy Banton PS B 1966 Primary 8358125 North Kilsyth Academy Chapelgreen PS B 1963 Primary 8358222 North Kilsyth Academy Kilsyth PS C 1893 Primary 8340129 North Lenzie Academy Auchinloch PS B 1933 Primary 8357439 North Our Lady's HS Our Lady's HS B 1968 Secondary 8300429 North Our Lady's HS St Andrew's PS A 2003 Primary 8341621 North Our Lady's HS St Barbara's PS C 1933 Primary 8341028 North Our Lady's HS St Joseph's PS B 1985 Primary 8356726 North Our Lady's HS St Lucy's PS B 1971 Primary 8357323 North Our Lady's HS St Margaret of Scotland PS B 1969 Primary 8356823 North Our Lady's HS St Mary's PS B 1968 Primary 8359121 North Split Catchment Ravenswood PS B 1976 Primary 8358931 North St Maurice's HS St Maurice's HS B 1975 Secondary 8355428 North St Maurice's HS Holy Cross PS B 1965 Primary 8355320 North St Maurice's HS St Helen's PS C 1973 Primary 8341524 North St Maurice's HS St Michael's PS C 1969 Primary 8358826 North St Maurice's HS St Patrick's PS A 2007 Primary 8505438 Central Airdrie Academy Airdrie Academy A 2006 Secondary 8500428 Central Airdrie Academy Chapelside PS C 1970 Primary 8500622 Central Airdrie Academy Golfhill PS B 1957 Primary 8504520 Central Airdrie Academy Greengairs PS B 1976 Primary 8504725 Central Airdrie Academy New Monkland PS B 1959 Primary Page 220 of 236
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Appendix A - List of current NLC Schools, by Geographic Area and High School Cluster SED Code Area High School Cluster School Name School Condition Rating Constructed School Type 8500924 Central Airdrie Academy Rochsolloch PS A 2012 Primary 8501521 Central Airdrie Academy Tollbrae PS A 2019 Primary 8501629 Central Airdrie Academy Victoria PS B 1933 Primary 8516634 Central Bellshill Academy Bellshill Academy B 1898 Secondary 8510520 Central Bellshill Academy Lawmuir PS B 1957 Primary 8512124 Central Bellshill Academy Mossend PS B 1895 Primary 8510628 Central Bellshill Academy Noble PS B 1966 Primary 8512027 Central Brannock HS Holytown PS C 1972 Primary 8505632 Central Caldervale HS Caldervale HS* A 2012 Secondary 8501920 Central Caldervale HS Calderbank PS B 1892 Primary 8511527 Central Caldervale HS Chapelhall PS A 2006 Primary 8502226 Central Caldervale HS Clarkston PS A 2008 Primary 8504822 Central Caldervale HS Glengowan PS A 2006 Primary 1004867 Central Caldervale HS Hilltop PS A 2019 Primary 8505020 Central Caldervale HS Plains PS A 2008 Primary 8518637 Central Cardinal Newman HS Cardinal Newman HS C 1977 Secondary 8512221 Central Cardinal Newman HS Holy Family PS B 1907 Primary 8510725 Central Cardinal Newman HS Sacred Heart PS B 1957 Primary 8510822 Central Cardinal Newman HS St Gerard's PS B 1971 Primary 8340820 Central Cardinal Newman HS St John Paul II PS A 2006 Primary 8506132 Central Coatbridge HS Coatbridge HS A 2008 Secondary 8501726 Central Coatbridge HS Bargeddie PS A 2007 Primary 8504326 Central Coatbridge HS Glenboig PS A 2006 Primary 8502625 Central Coatbridge HS Greenhill PS A 2012 Primary 8502722 Central Coatbridge HS Kirkshaws PS B 1956 Primary 8502927 Central Coatbridge HS Langloan PS B 1914 Primary 8503028 Central Coatbridge HS Old Monkland PS B 1954 Primary 8507627 Central Coatbridge HS Riverbank PS A 2023 Primary 8504024 Central Coatbridge HS Shawhead PS B 1992 Primary 8504229 Central Coatbridge HS Townhead PS B 1956 Primary 8506736 Central St Ambrose HS St Ambrose HS A 2012 Secondary 8503125 Central St Ambrose HS St Augustine's PS B 1966 Primary 8503222 Central St Ambrose HS St Bartholomew's PS B 1949 Primary 8501823 Central St Ambrose HS St Kevin's PS A 2007 Primary 8500037 Central St Andrew's HS St Andrew's HS A 2006 Secondary 8502021 Central St Andrew's HS Corpus Christi PS C 1961 Primary 8504423 Central St Andrew's HS Our Lady & St Joseph's PS A 2006 Primary 8503427 Central St Andrew's HS St Bernard's PS B 1957 Primary 8505322 Central St Andrew's HS St Mary's PS C 1977 Primary 8503621 Central St Andrew's HS St Monica's PS B 1956 Primary 8503729 Central St Andrew's HS St Patrick's PS C 1973 Primary Page 221 of 236
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Appendix A - List of current NLC Schools, by Geographic Area and High School Cluster SED Code Area High School Cluster School Name School Condition Rating Constructed School Type 8503826 Central St Andrew's HS St Stephen's PS C 1971 Primary 8503923 Central St Andrew's HS St Timothy's PS A 2006 Primary 8505934 Central St Margaret's HS St Margaret's HS B 1973 Secondary 8500320 Central St Margaret's HS All Saints PS A 2012 Primary 8511624 Central St Margaret's HS St Aloysius PS A 2006 Primary 8501025 Central St Margaret's HS St Andrew's PS B 1957 Primary 8505128 Central St Margaret's HS St David's PS A 2008 Primary 8501122 Central St Margaret's HS St Dominic's PS A 2018 Primary 8501327 Central St Margaret's HS St Edward's PS A 2019 Primary 8502129 Central St Margaret's HS St Mary's PS A 2006 Primary 8501424 Central St Margaret's HS St Serf's PS B 1957 Primary 8518521 Central Taylor HS Christ the King PS C 1976 Primary 8519323 Central Uddingston Grammar Aitkenhead PS C 1988 Primary 8514828 Central Uddingston Grammar Tannochside PS A 2006 Primary 8516839 South Braidhurst HS Braidhurst HS B 1962 Secondary 8512922 South Braidhurst HS Logans PS B 1960 Primary 8513023 South Braidhurst HS Muir Street PS B 1926 Primary 8519234 South Brannock HS Brannock HS B 1982 Secondary 8513821 South Brannock HS Keir Hardie Memorial PS B 1956 Primary 8514224 South Brannock HS New Stevenston PS A 2006 Primary 8513627 South Brannock HS Newarthill PS B 1971 Primary 8517231 South Calderhead HS Calderhead High School A 2012 Secondary 8516421 South Calderhead HS Alexander Peden PS A 2000 Primary 8510326 South Calderhead HS Allanton PS C 1927 Primary 8514526 South Calderhead HS Dykehead PS B 1987 Primary 8504628 South Calderhead HS Kirk O' Shotts PS B 1912 Primary 8514720 South Calderhead HS Stane PS B 1927 Primary 8517932 South Clyde Valley HS Clyde Valley High School A 2016 Secondary 8515328 South Clyde Valley HS Berryhill PS C 1972 Primary 8512329 South Clyde Valley HS Morningside PS C 1874 Primary 8513120 South Clyde Valley HS Muirhouse PS B 1964 Primary 8513422 South Clyde Valley HS Netherton PS B 1912 Primary 8513929 South Clyde Valley HS Newmains PS C 2023 Primary 1003488 South Clyde Valley HS Orchard PS A 2016 Primary 8516324 South Clyde Valley HS Thornlie PS B 1957 Primary 8515220 South Clyde Valley HS Wishaw Academy PS A 2007 Primary 8517738 South Coltness HS Coltness High School* A 2012 Secondary 8510024 South Coltness HS Calderbridge PS A 2012 Primary 8511128 South Coltness HS Cambusnethan PS A 2007 Primary 8511721 South Coltness HS Cleland PS C 1883 Primary 8516936 South Dalziel HS Dalziel HS B 1900 Secondary Page 222 of 236
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Appendix A - List of current NLC Schools, by Geographic Area and High School Cluster SED Code Area High School Cluster School Name School Condition Rating Constructed School Type 8512620 South Dalziel HS Glencairn PS B 1900 Primary 8512728 South Dalziel HS Knowetop PS B 1910 Primary 8517134 South Our Lady's HS Our Lady's HS B 1974 Secondary 8512523 South Our Lady's HS Cathedral PS A 2011 Primary 8513228 South Our Lady's HS St Bernadette's PS B 1957 Primary 8513325 South Our Lady's HS St Brendan's PS B 1966 Primary 8512825 South Split Catchment Ladywell PS B 1995 Primary 8517436 South St Aidan's High School St Aidan's High School C 1963 Secondary 8515824 South St Aidan's HS St Aidan's PS C 1972 Primary 8514127 South St Aidan's HS St Brigid's PS B 2023 Primary 8515921 South St Aidan's HS St Ignatius PS A 2007 Primary 8514623 South St Aidan's HS St Patrick's PS B 1905 Primary 8516227 South St Aidan's HS St Thomas' PS C 1967 Primary 8519137 South Taylor HS Taylor HS A 1982 Secondary 8511322 South Taylor HS Our Lady & St Francis PS B 1930 Primary 8511829 South Taylor HS St Mary's PS C 1877 Primary 8514321 South Taylor HS St Patrick's PS B 2006 Primary 8513724 South Taylor HS St Teresa's PS B 1958 Primary * Denotes establishment was extensively remodelled rather than constructed on date shown Page 223 of 236
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Appendix B – Age Profile of the school estate – by decade Decade 1865-1874 1875-1884 1885-1894 1895-1904 1905-1914 1925-1934 1945-1954 1955-1964 1965-1974 1975-1984 1985-1994 1995-2004 2005-2014 2015-2024 Grand Total HS 2 1 2 3 4 8 3 23 PS 1 3 2 2 6 7 2 19 24 8 4 5 26 9 118 Grand Total 1 3 2 4 6 7 3 21 27 12 4 5 34 12 141 1 3 2 2 6 7 2 19 24 8 4 5 26 9 2 1 2 3 4 8 3 0 5 10 15 20 25 30 35 40 1865-1874 1875-1884 1885-1894 1895-1904 1905-1914 1925-1934 1945-1954 1955-1964 1965-1974 1975-1984 1985-1994 1995-2004 2005-2014 2015-2024 Current NLC Schools -by year of opening PS HS Page 224 of 236
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Appendix C – Age Profile of the school estate – by period Pre and Post 1955 establishments Pre and Post 1996 establishments Pre-1955 18% Post-1955 82% NORTH LANARKSHIRE Pre-1955 14% Post-1955 86% NORTH Pre-1955 13% Post-1955 87% CENTRAL Pre-1955, 29% Post- 1955, 71% SOUTH Pre-1996, 91, 65% Post-1996, 50, 35% NORTH LANARKSHIRE Pre-1996, 27, 75% Post-1996, 9, 25% NORTH Pre-1996, 33, 55% Post-1996, 27, 45% CENTRAL Pre-1996, 31, 69% Post-1996, 14, 31% SOUTH Page 225 of 236
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Appendix D – School closures since the formation of North Lanarkshire Council Area School Type Where did the pupils go? Note/Comment North Glenhead Primary School Primary Abronhill PS, Whitelees PS, Cumbernauld PS Transferred to existing schools North St Francis of Assisi Primary School Primary St Helen's PS, Holy Cross PS Transferred to existing schools North Sacred Heart Primary School - Cumbernauld Primary St Margaret of Scotland PS Merged and transferred to existing with new name North St Joseph's Primary School - Cumbernauld Primary St Margaret Of Scotland PS Merged and transferred to existing with new name North Langlands Primary School Primary Woodlands PS Merged and transferred to existing with new name North Melrose Primary School Primary Woodlands PS Merged and transferred to existing with new name North Abronhill High School Secondary Cumbernauld Academy (subsequent new build) Merged and transferred to existing with new name Central Albert Primary School Primary Chapelside PS, Clarkston PS, Tollbrae PS Transferred to existing schools Central Dunrobin PS Primary Hilltop PS Merged and transferred to New Build School Central Petersburn PS Primary Hilltop PS Merged and transferred to New Build School Central Belvidere Primary School Primary Mossend PS, Noble PS, Lawmuir PS Transferred to existing schools Central Carnbroe PS Primary Riverbank PS Merged and transferred to New Build School Central Sikeside PS Primary Riverbank PS Merged and transferred to New Build School Central St Columba Primary School Primary St John Paul II PS Merged and transferred to New Build School Central St Gabriel's PS Primary St John Paul II PS Merged and transferred to New Build School Central St James Primary School Primary St Timothy's PS Merged and transferred to New Build School Central Burnhead Primary School Primary Tannochside PS Merged and transferred to New Build School Central Gartsherrie Primary School Primary Townhead PS, Greenhill PS Transferred to existing schools Central Rosehall High School Secondary Coatbridge HS Merged and transferred to New Build School Central Columba High School Secondary St Andrew's HS Merged and transferred to New Build School Central St Patrick's High School Secondary St Andrew's HS Merged and transferred to New Build School South Benhar Primary School Primary Alexander Peden PS Merged and transferred to New Build School South Harthill Primary School Primary Alexander Peden PS Merged and transferred to New Build School South Coltness Primary School Primary Calderbridge PS Merged and transferred to New Build School South Lammermoor Primary School Primary Calderbridge PS Merged and transferred to New Build School South Calder Primary School Primary Muir Street PS, Glencairn PS Transferred to existing schools South Castlehill Primary School Primary Orchard PS Merged and transferred to New Build School South Overtown Primary School Primary Orchard PS Merged and transferred to New Build School South St Matthew's Primary School Primary St Thomas' PS Transferred to existing school Page 226 of 236
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Appendix E – Current Town and Community Hub Programme projects Page 227 of 236
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Appendix F – Population Projections School Age -15% Reducing by 14.8% By 2043 Working Age -8% Reducing by 7.6% By 2043 Over 65 +40% Increasing by 39.6% By 2043 2018 Population Projections 65-74 +16% Increasing by 16.2% By 2043 Over 75 +72% Increasing by 71.5% By 2043 Page 228 of 236
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Appendix G – Investing in the existing estate example (Allanton PS) Allanton Primary School Building Works – and informal feedback Overview of works Emergency works to the external fabric of the building required the temporary decant from Allanton Primary School to Dykehead Primary School. This allowed for the repair of external brickwork, the addition of External Wall Insulation, the painting and decorating of the school building, the creation of new drop off/pickup points (installed to be used by buses during decant but kept for the school community following the return to the school), and new toilets installed (as part of a different contract). Evidence gathered Various stakeholders were asked for feedback on the process and building. These included school staff, catering staff, facilities support staff and teaching staff. This was done in an informal manner, simply to gain an understanding of their views in relation to how the works positively impacted on the school and the community. The following provides a short summary of some of the points made: Investment in the community When the school was initially closed, it was understood that it was because of structural work being required. There was concern amongst the community that the council would simply close the school and move the pupils permanently to Dykehead Primary School, rather than invest in the required upgrades and changes to Allanton Primary School. There was a sense of relief and of pride when it was seen that the works were indeed being carried out with a view to moving the pupils and staff back to the campus. Noticeable change The external walls were replaced, and external wall insulation (EWI) applied. On return, the stakeholders have noticed that the building is noticeably warmer than was the case before the works – even though there was no change to the heating system or radiators and it is viewed that this is due to the improvements via the EWI installation. Stakeholders also felt that the fabric of the building is much better. The school building has been painted inside and out, and had a nice fresh and clean looking white wall finish. Stakeholders believe that the children have a pride in their school and want to look after it as they appreciate it more. Interestingly, stakeholders liked how the building looked the same. They commented that they didn’t expect it to look the same when they returned – they didn’t want it to look different, and appreciated that whilst it looked updated, it looked the same. Stakeholders concluded that the main benefit was that the school was kept open, when they thought it would be closed and they were worried they would lose it. They appreciated the investment made, and that now money has been spent on the building, they feel more secure as a school community. Page 229 of 236
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North Lanarkshire Council Report Policy and Strategy Committee Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref JMcK/MMcB Date 26/09/24 Transforming Places – Chryston High School Extension - Contract Award From James McKinstry, Chief Officer (Assets and Procurement) E-mail McBrideMark@northlan.gov.uk Telephone Mark McBride, Property Manager (Estate Development) 07583 094 928 1. Background 1.1 Chryston High School requires an extension to the existing learning and teaching facility due to significant levels of house building in the Chryston area. The existing high school is currently operating above capacity which has impacted on both the occupancy and Executive Summary The purpose of this report is to advise Committee of the status of the contract pricing and commercial activities for the Chryston High School Extension and to seek approval to progress to Contract Award for the project. Recommendations It is recommended that the Policy and Strategy Committee: (1) Approve that the Property Manager (Estate Development) will conclude the contract activities to finalise the commercial costs necessary for contract award as described in Section 2 of this report for the Chryston High School Extension. (2) Acknowledge the Design and Build Development Agreements with Hub South West for the design and construction of Chryston High School Extension as referred to in Section 2 of this report, on terms to be agreed by Chief Officer (Legal and Democratic) and subject to terms representing Best Value. (3) Approve the contract award in accordance with the contents of this report. (4) Acknowledge that regular Town and Community Hub programme updates are presented to the Education, Children and Families Committee. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority All priorities Ambition statement (10) Engage with children, young people, parents, carers, and families to help all children and young people reach their full potential Programme of Work Transforming Places Item 12 Page 231 of 236
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the suitability of the existing school. The school roll will continue to increase through further housebuilding. 1.2 Chryston High School Extension will deliver additional learning and teaching facilities for the young people and wider community in the Chryston area. The facilities are designed for use by the high school pupils during the day and additional community space will be provided for access out with the school day. A new Early Years facility will also be included to replace the existing facility contained within the site boundary. 1.2 In 2019, the councils Policy and Strategy Committee approved the use of the existing Hub South West Scotland partnership agreement as the ‘preferred’ procurement route for the then Schools and Centres Investment Programme (now referred to as the Town & Community Hub Delivery Programme) where those projects comply with the qualifying criteria set out in the Territory Partnering Agreement and subject to a check against the prevailing regulations to ensure compliance. 1.3 The Hubco model is seen as a strategic long-term approach to the procurement of public sector based infrastructure projects across Scotland. By delivering value for money projects through Hub South West, the development timescales would be met while value for money could be ensured through a tested procurement route by early involvement of a Tier 1 contractor. As signatories to the Territory Partnering Agreement, the council contract with Hub South West and Hub South West contract directly with the successful tenderer. 1.4 The procurement strategy approved in 2019 was an interim procurement strategy and was subsequently reviewed in 2022 following a recommendation from audit. Policy and Strategy Committee in 2022, approved a further procurement strategy which recommended a Contract Strategy was prepared for the projects which had not yet been committed to Hub South West. Chryston High School Extension had its own procurement strategy prepared and Hub South West was determined to be the most viable procurement route available. 1.5 A New Project Request was issued by the council to Hub South West in December 2022 to design and deliver the Chryston High School Extension. Following a competitive tender process, the project was awarded to a team consisting of BAM (Tier 1 Contractor) and BDP (lead designer). 1.6 In October 2023, the council received confirmation from the Scottish Government that the project would benefit from Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP) funding to support the construction of this facility. This project is one of ten projects across Scotland that has been granted funding. 2. Report 2.1 A planning application for the development was submitted and approval granted in August 2024. 2.2 The Hub Delivery Team are currently reviewing Stage 2 information from Hub South West. This includes design information, market testing analysis and construction programme. The design and technical information is currently being checked for compliance and ongoing clarifications will be concluded by the end of September 2024. There are not anticipated to be any significant derogations or departures from the Authority’s Construction Requirements. Page 232 of 236
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2.3 The tendered work packages were subject to competition. Only minor commercial queries remain as part of the overall Hub South West financial close process. A final contract price will be concluded by the end of September 2024. 2.4 The project is due to start on site in November 2024. Enabling works were undertaken in advance of the main works to re-locate the water voles (which can only be done twice a year), delineating the construction site from the operational school site and forming a temporary access for construction vehicles. 2.5 The current indicative construction contract value, subject to finalisation, is £37.3m. 2.6 Works will be carried out in multiple phases and include both the construction of an extension of the existing facility and works to the existing school to ensure a holistic approach to the delivery of education. 2.7 The Chryston High School Extension project has a bespoke suite of community benefits proportionate to the scale of the project written into the Design & Build Development Agreement (DBDA) contract, placing a duty on Hub South West and their Tier 1 contractor BAM to deliver on their community benefit commitments. Regular Town & Community Hub community benefits progress updates are provided to the Education, Children and Families Committee. LEIP Funding 2.8 Discussions are ongoing with Scottish Futures Trust regarding the LEIP funding available to the council for this project. The exact amount of funding will be confirmed following market testing and financial close. 2.9 This funding is conditional subject to meeting specific energy performance and maintenance obligations. It will be received in biannual arrears via Revenue Grant Funding. 3. Measures of success 3.1 Delivery of projects in line with the guiding principles linked to this programme of work, which in turn are designed to deliver against the strategic priorities within the Plan for North Lanarkshire. 4. Supporting documentation 4.1 No supporting documents. James McKinstry Chief Officer (Assets and Procurement) Page 233 of 236
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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? Budget available within the Town and Community Hub Programme’s capital budget. Finance have been advised of the impact of LEIP funding. 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 and Democratic have been involved in the contractual negotiations to reach Financial Close with Hub South West. 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 234 of 236
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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? Yes, existing technologies will be installed within the facility and there may be a requirement at a later date for the incorporation of any new technologies. 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? Yes, the council’s net zero ambitions have been considered when developing this project. The Authority’s Construction requirements place ambitious energy performance targets on the design team e.g. the community hub is powered by an all electric heating system and generates >10% of its anticipated energy use on site through the use of photovoltaic cells. 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? Details of residual project risks are recorded on project specific risk registers. 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 235 of 236
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If Yes, has a Children’s Rights and Wellbeing Impact Assessment (CRWIA) been carried out? Yes ☐ No ☐ Page 236 of 236