The Plan for North Lanarkshire - Programme of Work to 2028
North Lanarkshire Council · 16 March 2023
Back to Policy and Strategy Committee — 16 March 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
Page 1
North Lanarkshire Council Report Does this report require to be approved? ☒ Yes ☐ No Ref DM Date 16.3.23 From Des Murray, Chief Executive E-mail murraydes@northlan.gov.uk Telephone Executive Summary Significant and far-reaching progress has been achieved against the ambition to make North Lanarkshire the place to Live, Learn, Work Invest and Visit. These successes, delivered against a backdrop of high levels of deprivation, a cost-of-living crisis and during a global pandemic, have led to more sustained positive outcomes for children, communities, and the economy across North Lanarkshire, transforming lives and prospects. Following a commitment in March 2022 to reframe the future Programme of Work, three linked reports are presented to the Policy and Strategy Committee. Two of these relate to the Programme of Work for 2022/23, and Strategic Performance Framework - the North Lanarkshire context, and demonstrate the success of the Programme of Work to date and the evidence base. However, the work has only just begun; significant challenges remain. There are clear opportunities to further strengthen an approach that concentrates efforts and delivers further unified solutions. The proposed transition of the annual Programme of Work to a five-year model means further integrated strategic planning will increase the scale and accelerate the pace of change. The aim is to expand the reach of the impact, ensuring our work has the biggest impact where it is needed most, while building evidence that the programmes, projects, and activities implemented are having the desired effect on the lives of all who live in North Lanarkshire both now and in the future. This report gives an initial overview of the creation of the Programme of Work Development Group (the Development Group) and how the original Programme of Work approach has been enhanced and reframed while remaining flexible and adaptable in the face of future challenges. This new Programme of Work further in achieving the ambitious vision and strategic direction elected members committed to and affirmed in recent years. The revised model will also better reflect and inform our Financial Strategy, pivotal in ensuring we have strong financial governance and robust, affordable, and sustainable financial plans. This is particularly important in the current financial climate where funding is unlikely to keep pace with inflationary and service demand pressures. Policy and Strategy Committee The Plan for North Lanarkshire – Programme of Work to 2028
Page 2
This report presents members of the Policy and Strategy Committee with the proposed significant enhancements planned for the new the Programme of Work. The high-level details of each proposal are summarised in sections 2.4 – 2.10. Recommendations It is recommended that the Policy and Strategy Committee approves the Programme of Work set out in this report. The Plan for North Lanarkshire Priority All priorities Ambition statement All ambition statements 1. Background 1.1 Since its approval in February 2019, The Plan for North Lanarkshire has become well established as an ambitious and strategic direction not just for the council and partners (including third sector and community planning partners), but for North Lanarkshire as a place. It provides a very clear and compelling narrative for a shared ambition for all to work towards while also taking cognisance of national and regional stakeholders, who may access our services or be principal drivers of change through legislative or policy changes. 1.2 As the vehicle through which the ambition is delivered, the Programme of Work has enabled delivery of the long-term vision to be informed by an annual strategic planning process that is influenced by national and local policy changes and new developments. 1.3 Committee will recall that a commitment was made in March 2022 to carry out an evaluation of activities undertaken, resources expended, and results achieved against the strategic direction as set out in the existing Programme of Work. 1.4 In June 2022, a new Development Group was established, comprising a cross section of third and fourth tier officers from across all services whose collective experiences, ranging from operations to the pandemic response and embedding knowledge and digital innovation, span the breadth of the organisation. The Development Group’s remit was to critically assess the current Programme of Work, its impact upon delivering on the Plan for North Lanarkshire and develop a new Programme of Work from 2023 to 2028. The new Programme will have significant cross-cutting themes and will be of a scale and form that will accelerate impacts to deliver on the council’s ambitions. 1.5 Building on the success of the last Programme of Work where a shared commitment on strategic direction and outcomes was supported by elected members, the Development Group recognised that, to evolve our approach to the Programme of Work, public services and their partners must go much further in their collective
Page 3
thinking, and action, to better support people and communities, their needs, aspirations, capacities, and skills. Major change is required, which will expand on the excellent work already undertaken, but also to ensure that our work is not simply more of the same. By doing things differently and identifying where improvements are required as well as where gaps in support exist, the new Programme of Work will aim to ensure that all our work improves the lives and overall wellbeing of residents and other key stakeholders. 2. Programme of Work to 2028 – Development Group 2.1 The Development Group adopted the following objectives: • Develop new Programme of Work themes which are supported by data and evidence to ensure that targeted support is provided where required, activities and outputs are of a significant scale and impact, that they will enhance outcomes and improve communities and that they are deliverable using existing or forecast resources. • Review the existing Programme of Work and identify which workstreams are now embedded so that they can become business as usual and which items remain as a Programme of Work activity and are delivered through the new Programme of Work framework. For example, it is evident from the existing Programme of Work that the work on town and community hubs is having an impact, yet we can still do more. Hubs can become central to all stakeholders within the community, as a ‘one stop shop’ to access for example, leisure, culture, education, employment advice, financial support, IT, bookable meetings rooms and social spaces. Through the analysis of performance data it can be seen that there is a reduction in school exclusions, coupled with improvements in attainment and positive destinations. The ambition is for town and community hubs to build on these successes and further impact on the proportion of the population who are economically inactive, have negative health outcomes or who experience poverty. • Critically assess all updated and new Programme of Work items to ensure they align with the outcomes of the Plan for North Lanarkshire and are aimed at delivery of the council’s ambitions. 2.2 The structure of the Development Group, which has benefited from significant cross- service working calling on a range of knowledge and expertise, has led to enhanced outcomes beyond developing a new Programme of Work. The participants have developed a deeper understanding of structures, roles and priorities across the council and its services, leading to new and enhanced professional relationships, the identification of increased joint-working opportunities and projects and workstreams which will enhance business as usual activities. Programme of Work to 2028 – A New Approach 2.3 The new Programme of Work, although significantly more streamlined in terms of the number of programmes (recognising the now intended business as usual aspect of many previous Programme of Work elements), will enhance the scale, impact, and coherence of all work areas. The newly developed Programme of Work items are listed below with further summaries for each providing the scope, vision and intent. All new programmes of work are interdependent and cross cutting. The outcomes delivered within each will support and enhance all others as the programme is established and
Page 4
becomes embedded. 1. Transforming Places – an enhanced programme to accelerate transformation of town centres and communities. 2. Invest in North Lanarkshire - accelerated outcome delivery and investment via a more streamlined advisory service and aligned operating model and infrastructure plan. 3. Sustainable Futures - focus commitments to Net Zero Carbon and the associated energy solutions and investments required to make it a reality. 4. Resilient People - deliver whole family support locally, when families need it, in a way that addresses the impacts of poverty and reduces inequality. 5. Brighter Futures - support and improve educational attainment, employment opportunities, entrepreneurship, and volunteering. 6. Digital NL - develop a skilled digital workforce, promote an innovative, sustainable culture and be the Digital Leader for a transformed North Lanarkshire. 7. 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. 2.4 Transforming Places Elected members previously approved far-reaching ambitions for places with The Place, The Vision strategy describing the high-level themes of Town Visions, Town and Community Hubs, Country Parks, Connecting North Lanarkshire, and Community Decides. These themes, along with other strategies and developments such as the Towers Strategy, City Deal and the Economic Regeneration Delivery Plan, collectively target better, more connected places for those who live in, visit and work in them. The aim of this enhanced programme is to move faster and go further in transforming town centres and communities, creating places with high-quality homes, vibrant town centres, integrated services, unrivalled connectivity, innovative health-driven open space and country parks, dynamic investment opportunities, strong local economies and visitor destinations. Central to transforming places is delivering an expanded and integrated programme at pace, at scale and with efficiencies under a cohesive delivery model underpinned by collective investment decisions and delivery. It is this integration that will deliver in a better way for people and communities. This needs-driven, place-based approach offers flexibility in responding to local requirements to change economic circumstances. It brings together new housing, the tower strategy, asset development and rationalisation, hub development, town centre visions, connectivity, City Deal and enabling business and industry together. We will reassess and redefine current programmes. An increased delivery focus will align priorities, realise potential and maximise outcomes, making lasting impacts. Fundamental to this will be strengthening existing and building new partnerships with community partners, the voluntary and private sectors and creating a platform for innovative partnership to thrive, adding value, stimulating innovation, and generating efficiencies.
Page 5
The expansion and acceleration in Transforming Places will have lasting and meaningful impact on: • attracting new and sustaining populations to create sustainable communities • enhancing place, greenspace, housing and integrating services to impact on health and wellbeing • delivering significant growth through direct and indirect benefits of investment and job creation • stimulating inward investment in key sectors, positively impacting on pay levels, sustainability of business and supporting supply chains, reducing benefit dependency • providing access physically and digitally to local and regional opportunities that support business but importantly urban and rural families, addressing travel poverty and exclusion, impacting positively on child poverty. Inclusive growth, community empowerment and community wealth building will be key pillars of Transforming Places. 2.5 Invest in North Lanarkshire Supporting investment is a priority. Investment in North Lanarkshire leads to better outcomes for people in terms of employment, wellbeing, inclusive growth and in improved infrastructure and economic confidence. To further enhance the existing action plan in the Economic Regeneration Delivery Plan, a full-service vehicle will be established to accelerate investment and outcome delivery via a collaborative, streamlined advisory service, aligned operating model and infrastructure plan. The new multi-disciplinary team will accelerate inward investment opportunities for North Lanarkshire and provide a single point of contact through which all programmes will be filtered that will increase overall awareness across all services, identifying where overlaps and synergies may exist and further enhance the one council approach to service delivery. It will provide a single place for business to explore opportunities to invest in North Lanarkshire, from initial enquiry to delivery, coordinating all activity required for successful outcomes. The new team will provide a conduit through which investment can be targeted and processes streamlined thereby maximising opportunities, improving certainty of outcome, and reducing cost. Much if not all the necessary experience and expertise for the new team already exists across several council services. Consequently, it is anticipated that the new service could be mobilised quickly. Invest in North Lanarkshire will play a key role in facilitating the employment opportunities and associated infrastructure required to support continued population growth and net inward migration. The North Lanarkshire economy continues to grow faster than the national average, and with the acceleration in investment that Invest in North Lanarkshire will bring, it is anticipated that GVA per head of population, already much improved, will continue to grow. This will in turn help to drive a positive increase in the percentage of all people economically active. The acceleration in investment will play an important role in improving neighbourhood ratings and ensure that residents share equally in the opportunities generated.
Page 6
2.6 Sustainable Futures In 2019, North Lanarkshire Council declared a Climate Emergency and set a target of net zero for North Lanarkshire for 2030. This outlines a clear commitment that tackling and preventing further climate change is important to us all. The council's Climate Plan for North Lanarkshire – ACT 2030, outlines the council’s important role in the reduction of greenhouse gases in addition to making sure we are climate-ready and acting as sustainably as we can. In this programme, we will procure an energy partner to bring forward renewable energy and hydrogen generation projects to realise the commercial opportunity that alternative energies could provide to North Lanarkshire. This will investigate both industrial and micro scale generation of renewable energy, including hydrogen, to support our requirement to decarbonise transport, heat, and industrial applications, but also to identify commercial opportunities that benefit tenants, residents and communities. This will be coupled with a programme to ensure our communities confidently adapt to the effects of climate change including nature-based solutions, community-based green infrastructure, and youth climate place changers. The impact of achieving the outcomes of this programme will be that North Lanarkshire could have the ability to generate its own energy to fuel its fleet, power homes and sell excess energy to industry. Importantly, North Lanarkshire will also improve its resilience to the projected future impacts of climate change by lowering energy costs for the council and energy bills for tenants, reducing flood risk, improving biodiversity and town centre desirability, and generating improved health and wellbeing. Taken together, this programme will lead to a better quality of life and better outcomes for all. 2.7 Resilient People The principal aim of Resilient People is to deliver whole family support locally, when families need it, in a way that is consistent with The Promise Principles and The Tackling Poverty Strategy. The aim is to provide an integrated approach, working with partners, to provide an earlier and more effective response to need. This includes promoting the strengths and skills of individuals and families, increasing economic activity and providing practical and emotional support. The programme will integrate family support with the roll out of town and community hubs to maximise opportunities for community-led and strengths-based approaches. The Promise Plan 21-24 published on 31 March 2021 set out five key priorities including a focus on ‘Whole Family Support’. The Human and Economic Cost Modelling approach as outlined in The Promise Plan will be utilised throughout Resilient People to understand costs from the perspective of families, providing a robust strategic and financial plan for moving spend to preventative whole-family support, exceeding national targets. We will ensure there is a focus on building on the strengths of individuals and families to improve outcomes for children and their parents and reduce spend on expensive services that are accessed too late. It will deliver an effective increase in the number of babies breastfed at 6-8 weeks were, despite significant work, North Lanarkshire lags behind the national average. Families will receive the right support when they ask for it and receive it in their own local community. The approach will break down referral pathways built around the needs of systems rather than people which are at best confusing and at worst stigmatising.
Page 7
2.8 Brighter Futures Brighter Futures will prepare young people and the wider community for the future through an interconnected programme covering specialised education, voluntary work and enterprise. This will give them the skills, knowledge, and confidence to successfully transition to further education, training or employment. The programme will shape innovative employment pathways and maximise key industry growth sectors to boost North Lanarkshire's economy. It will provide opportunities to develop real-world job skills that add value from day one. Vocational, work-based qualifications, contextualised learning, employability, and entrepreneurial skills, as well as pathways to specific industries will help to offer choice and inclusive access to jobs and training. This item is interconnected with many of the other programmes (Transforming Places, Resilient People, Digital NL and One Service). This programme will help to reduce poverty, crime levels, unemployment, the number of residents on employment related benefits and the number of children not in education. It is needed to continue to improve our economic output and sustain new businesses, to increase qualification levels, improve our already high levels of positive destinations for young people, as well as the improved perception of neighbourhoods within our communities. It must enhance community empowerment, maximise outcomes from public, private and third sector partnerships and support volunteering at an early stage so that it becomes the norm in North Lanarkshire. This programme will create impact. It will create neighbourhoods where people want to live, it will contribute to removing disadvantages due to poverty for diverse groups and communities within North Lanarkshire. Every child leaving school will be equipped to enter the workplace (via qualifications or vocational experiences) and will be able to share equally in improving the economic picture and achieve the pathway they wish, which is often not through traditional education or Workforce for the Future academies. It will create a brighter future for young people but will also create a lasting brighter future for people across North Lanarkshire. 2.9 Digital NL Through the delivery of this programme, we will look to develop a skilled digital workforce, promote an innovative, sustainable culture, and provide digital leadership for an evolving North Lanarkshire. We will utilise council requirements, contracts, and knowledge to positively impact measurable indicators in the same way the Connectivity Framework is impacting fibre availability and affordability. This is critical in our drive to deliver growth as well as transforming the education of our learners. Enhancing Digital NL and building on existing achievements means embedding digital thinking into our everyday delivery, embracing digital technology to do business significantly differently and always considering a digital-first approach. This will require a focus on skills, culture design and empowerment of the workforce. Digital NL has strong links to the One Service programme; both are enablers to facilitate the delivery of all other linked items.
Page 8
The successful implementation of the programme will enable services to innovate, react quicker, increase efficiency, and promote a self-adapting service redesign culture. Increasing digital maturity and data-led decision making, which will ultimately support people at home, work or at school through adoption of innovative solutions is critical to success. Better digital practice can positively impact a range of outcomes, for example in increasing recycling, reducing crime, improving neighbourhood ratings, supporting independent living, improving attainment, and improving quality of life. Through our collaborative culture and partnership working it can bring benefits that positively impact other indicators such as improved GVA and better economic conditions for people and businesses. 2.10 One Service The One Service programme acts as an enabler for all other Programmes of Work to enhance the place-based approach throughout North Lanarkshire as it responds to the needs of communities and drives improvements in our aim of inclusive growth and prosperity for all. One Service will consider how services will operate in the future to respond to the interconnected and intergenerational social, economic and health challenges faced locally. The programme will scope and accelerate the need to ensure a fully joined up approach to service delivery focused on strengthening combined solutions, resources, skills, relationships, and opportunities to improve outcomes for those that need it most. This programme will consider strategic integration of specialisms and disciplines under single management structures, ensuring that multi-disciplinary teams can be at their most effective. Services will be aligned to community need and will be driven by strategic oversight, consistency and accountability while being allowed the space to innovate to achieve better outcomes. The programme will also examine the opportunity for closer collaboration with partners in specific service and system areas. The 28 health check indicators noted elsewhere on this agenda, while showing some improvement, continue to present significant and complex challenges that require a holistic approach, combining the considerable specialisms and skills of teams and partners to increase benefits to all communities. Improvements in the most deprived areas so residents share equally in the improving picture, tackling healthy life expectancy which remains below the Scottish average and understanding the impact on communities of the increasing number of adults aged 65+ by 2043 to 39.6% are some of the reasons why an outcome-based model to service delivery must be our aim. One Service provides the increased impetus for the council and its partners to increase collaboration and place-based service delivery, supporting a much wider integrated service offering and providing equal benefits to all communities. One Service will enable all Programme of Work activities. This will ensure equality of opportunity and allow individuals to be supported, encouraged, and cared for at each stage of their lives, enabling them and their communities to thrive. Next Steps 2.11 Subject to approval of the newly developed Programme of Work, the appropriate governance arrangements will be established in line with the established Project Management Framework. 2.12 An update report on the development of the seven Programme of Work themes will be presented to Policy and Strategy Committee in cycle three. Details on each of the Programmes of Work will then be reported to lead service committees in line with
Page 9
agreed timelines. This will ensure an ongoing review of progress in terms of achieving the intentions outlined in The Plan, and facilitate a regular check-in of progress against, and alignment with, the shared ambition. 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. 3.2 Measures of success also include evidence that progress is having a positive impact on inclusive growth and prosperity for the people and communities of North Lanarkshire, and that the shared ambition is being realised where North Lanarkshire is the place to Live, Learn, Work, Invest, and Visit. 4 Supporting documentation Policy & Strategy Committee March 2022 - The Plan for North Lanarkshire - Programme of Work for 2022/23 Policy & Strategy Committee March 2023 - Programme of Work for 2022/23 Policy & Strategy Committee March 2023 - Strategic Performance Framework - the North Lanarkshire context Des Murray Chief Executive
Page 10
5. Impacts 5.1 Public Sector Equality Duty and Fairer Scotland Duty Does the report contain information that has an impact as a result of the Public Sector Equality Duty and/or Fairer Scotland Duty? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? If Yes, has an assessment been carried out and published on the council’s website? https://www.northlanarkshire.gov.uk/your-community/equalities/equality- and-fairer-scotland-duty-impact-assessments Yes ☐ No ☐ 5.2 Financial impact Does the report contain any financial impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant financial impacts have been discussed and agreed with Finance? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? There are no direct financial impact arising from this report. Financial impacts will be identified by the development of individual business cases and highlighted in each of the subsequent reports to committee that will outline details on each Programme of Work. 5.3 HR policy impact Does the report contain any HR policy or procedure impacts? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant HR impacts have been discussed and agreed with People Resources? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? 5.4 Legal impact Does the report contain any legal impacts (such as general legal matters, statutory considerations (including employment law considerations), or new legislation)? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, have all relevant legal impacts have been discussed and agreed with Legal and Democratic? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, please provide a brief summary of the impact? There are no direct legal impacts arising from this report. Legal impacts will be identified by the development of individual business cases and highlighted in each of the subsequent reports to committee that will outline details on each Programme of Work. 5.5 Data protection impact Does the report / project / practice contain or involve the processing of personal data? Yes ☐ No ☒ If Yes, is the processing of this personal data likely to result in a high risk to the data subject? Yes ☐ No ☐ If Yes, has a Data Protection Impact Assessment (DPIA) been carried out and e- mailed to dataprotection@northlan.gov.uk Yes ☐ No ☐
Page 11
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? There are no direct technology/ digital impacts arising from this report. Technology/ digital impacts will be identified by the development of individual business cases and highlighted in each of the subsequent reports to committee that will outline details on each Programme of Work. 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? There are no direct Environmental / Carbon impacts arising from this report. Environmental / Carbon impacts will be identified by the development of individual business cases and highlighted in each of the subsequent reports to committee that will outline details on each Programme of Work. 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? There are no direct risk impacts arising from this report. Risk impacts will be identified by the development of individual business cases and highlighted in each of the subsequent reports to committee that will outline details on each Programme 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.