Agenda Document Pack - Council - 14/12/2023
Renfrewshire Council · 14 December 2023
Back to Council — 14 December 2023 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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07/12/2023 Notice of Meeting and Agenda Council Date Time Venue Thursday, 14 December 2023 09:30 Council Chambers (Renfrewshire), Council Headquarters, Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley, PA1 1AN Membership Provost Lorraine Cameron (Convener): Councillor Iain Nicolson (Leader): Councillor Cathy McEwan (Depute Convener): Councillor Jacqueline Cameron (Depute Leader): Councillor Jennifer Adam: Councillor Fiona Airlie-Nicolson: Councillor Alison Ann-Dowling: Councillor Stephen Burns: Councillor Michelle Campbell: Councillor Graeme Clark: Councillor Carolann Davidson: Councillor Eddie Devine: Councillor Andy Doig: Councillor Audrey Doig: Councillor Chris Gilmour: Councillor Edward Grady: Councillor Gillian Graham: Councillor Neill Graham: Councillor John Gray: Councillor Anne Hannigan: Councillor John Hood: Councillor Lisa-Marie Hughes: Councillor Robert Innes: Councillor Alec Leishman: Councillor Bruce MacFarlane: Councillor James MacLaren: Councillor Kenny MacLaren: Councillor Mags MacLaren: Councillor Colin McCulloch: Councillor Janis McDonald: Councillor David McGonigle: Councillor Jamie McGuire: Councillor Marie McGurk: Councillor Iain McMillan: Councillor John McNaughtan: Councillor Kevin Montgomery: Councillor Sam Mullin: Councillor Will Mylet: Councillor Jim Paterson: Councillor Emma Rodden: Councillor John Shaw: Councillor Ben Smith: Councillor Andy Steel: Hybrid Meeting Please note that this meeting is scheduled to be held in the Council Chambers. However, it is a hybrid meeting and arrangements have been made for members to join the meeting remotely should they wish. MARK CONAGHAN Head of Corporate Governance Page 1 of 108
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07/12/2023 Further Information This is a meeting which is open to members of the public. A copy of the agenda and reports for this meeting will be available for inspection prior to the meeting at the Customer Service Centre, Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley and online at http://renfrewshire.cmis.uk.com/renfrewshire/CouncilandBoards.aspx For further information, please email democratic-services@renfrewshire.gov.uk Members of the Press and Public Members of the press and public wishing to attend the meeting should report to the customer service centre where they will be met and directed to the meeting. Webcasting of Council Meeting This meeting will be filmed for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site – at the start of the meeting the Provost will confirm if all or part of the meeting is being filmed. Generally the public seating areas will not be filmed. The cameras focus on the main participants. If you have any queries regarding this please contact Committee Services on democratic-services@renfrewshire.gov.uk. To find the webcast please navigate to: https://renfrewshire.public-i.tv/core/portal/home and select the meeting from the calendar. Page 2 of 108
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07/12/2023 Items of business Apologies Apologies from members. Declarations of Interest and Transparency Statements Members are asked to declare an interest or make a transparency statement in any item(s) on the agenda and to provide a brief explanation of the nature of the interest or the transparency statement. 1 Minutes of Meetings of Council, Boards and Panels Council – 28 September 2023, pages 1003 - 1022 Communities and Housing Policy Board - 31 October 2023, pages 1023 - 1038 Regulatory Functions Board – 1 November 2023, pages 1039 - 1046 Education and Children’s Services – 2 November 2023, pages 1047 - 1056 Audit Risk and Scrutiny – 6 November 2023, pages 1057 - 1064 Economy and Regeneration Policy Board – 7 November 2023, pages 1065 - 1070 Planning and Climate Change Policy Board – 7 November 2023, pages 1071 - 1078 Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board – 8 November 2023, pages 1079 - 1090 Special Council – 16 November 2023, pages 1091 - 1094 Regulatory Functions Board – 16 November 2023, pages 1095 - 1104 Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board 23 November 2023, pages 1105 - 1124 Leadership Board – 6 December 2023, pages 1125 - 1138 2 Provost's Update Hear from Provost 3 General Fund Financial Update Report by Director of Finance & Resources 9 - 26 4 Treasury Management and Prudential Indicators Mid-year Review 2023/24 Report by Director of Finance & Resources 27 - 44 5 Governance Arrangements Report by Director of Finance & Resources 45 - 46 6 Audit, Risk & Scrutiny Board Review of Charges for Bulk Items Uplift for the Elderly 47 - 64 Page 3 of 108
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07/12/2023 Report by Lead Officer 7 Statutory Review of Polling Places and Polling Districts Report by Director of Finance & Resources 65 - 108 8 Notice of Motion 1 by Councillors Devine and Hood "Brown Bin Permit / Garden Waste Charge Council agrees that the £40 charge for a domestic garden waste permit should be scrapped and the collection of garden waste should revert to a service provided by the Council free of charge." 9 Notice of Motion 2 by Councillors Nicolson and Hughes "Humanitarian Crisis in Gaza Council condemns the attack on Israel by Hamas which targeted civilians and resulted in the killing of over 1,400 civilians and the decades long suppression of Palestinians in the operation of an apartheid regime by the Israeli Government which only serves to continue the conflict. Council also condemns the rise in Islamophobia and Antisemitism in all their forms and recognises the anxiety experienced by these global communities at this time. Renfrewshire Council expresses its horror at the conflict and the resulting ongoing humanitarian crisis in Gaza. The failure of effective diplomacy and the deployment of battlefield weaponry and tactics in a dense urban environment has resulted in thousands of deaths and millions of people, the majority of whom are children, fleeing devastating conditions, left without food, shelter or basic amenities contrary to the basic principles of International Law. This Council adds its voice to calls for a ceasefire to those of the United Nations, Scottish Government and many civic leaders in the UK who have shown leadership and humanity in trying to bring an end to the bloodshed. Council instructs the Chief Executive to write to the Prime Minister calling on him to support calls for a ceasefire." 10 Notice of Motion 3 by Provost L Cameron and Councillor McEwan “Council notes Save the Children’s Gaza Emergency Appeal responding to the needs of children impacted by the ongoing conflict, and agrees to make a donation of £10,000 to fund its UK-based activities in recognition of the considerable strain which this appeal has placed on its resources.” Page 4 of 108
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07/12/2023 11 Notice of Motion 4 by Councillors Gilmour and Ann- Dowling "Better Buses for Strathclyde This Council notes:- • The ‘Strathclyde Regional Bus Strategy and Delivery Plan: Case for Change’ report presented to Strathclyde Partnership for Transport’s Board on 29 September 2023. • That this evidence-based report has found that bus use is in ‘sustained, long-term decline’ in Strathclyde, with bus patronage, the size of bus networks, bus service frequency and network coverage all falling. • That despite decline in bus networks, bus fares continue to rise in Strathclyde at a higher rate than inflation and at a higher rate than the cost of travelling by other modes of transport. • That the current model of bus service has failed to deliver integrated ticketing or an integrated approach to public transport planning. • That in 2021/22 public sector support represented 56 per cent of bus operator revenues in Scotland. • That publicly funded revenue has been boosted by free bus travel for under 22s resulting in 84 million journeys to education, work and leisure, where services are available to use. • The announcement in the 22/23 Programme for Government that the Scottish Government will work with third sector and local authorities to provide free bus travel to asylum seekers and refugees including displaced people from Ukraine. This Council believes:- • The current deregulated model of bus provision is inadequate and that there is now a compelling case for changing the model of bus provision across Strathclyde. • A new model of bus provision will enable bus services and public transport across Strathclyde to contribute more towards a healthier environment, inclusive economic growth and an improved quality of life for the people and communities of Strathclyde. • A new model of bus provision will enable bus routes, timetables, ticketing, fares and integration with other modes to be designed by identifying and addressing communities’ needs in urban and in suburban and rural areas where there is little or no current service. This Council agrees to write to SPT and the Scottish Government to communicate its view that:- • As part of ongoing work developing the Strathclyde Regional Bus Strategy, SPT must develop a new model of bus provision for Page 5 of 108
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07/12/2023 Strathclyde (on behalf of its 12 constituent local authorities) that is fully- integrated with other transport modes, affordable, reliable, easy to use, and democratically accountable. • SPT can deliver this most effectively by taking forward the franchising and municipal ownership powers in the Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 (and not through ‘Bus Service Improvement Partnerships’, which are not suitable for delivering transformational change). • This new model of bus provision will help achieve the Regional Transport Strategy objectives and policies set out by SPT by ensuring that bus provision is designed through identifying and addressing communities’ needs. • The Scottish Government must support SPT (and Scotland’s other Regional Transport Partnerships) seeking to replace deregulated bus models with models of regulation or common ownership, with fair funding and regulation that respects the autonomy and democratic wishes of Scotland’s communities and regions. A democratically accountable Strathclyde-wide bus franchising system should be progressed to improve bus services across the region and realise the ambitions of the Regional Transport Strategy. • The Scottish Government must support SPT in reforming transport governance, over a 10 year period, as set out in the recent Centre for Cities report.” In addition: Officers should continue to collaborate with other local authorities and SPT to progress the use of the franchising and municipal ownership powers, in line with this motion." 12 Notice of Motion 5 by Councillors Burns and M MacLaren "Council instructs the Chief Executive of Renfrewshire Council to contact the Chief Executive of Scottish Water to request that they prioritise Ferguslie main road (A761) at Linwood toll to be on the highest priority list for flood prevention works as a matter of urgency." 13 Notice of Motion 6 by Councillors McGonigle and Gray "Support for the Wave Trust's 70/30 campaign That Council notes and supports the ethos of the Wave Trust's 70/30 campaign to reduce child abuse, neglect, and other adverse childhood experiences (ACEs) by at least 70% by the year 2030. The Wave Trust campaign already has wide cross-party support and plays an important part in the entrenchment of intergenerational health and income inequalities. Council asks officers to bring a report on progress to a future meeting. This report will provide an update on how Renfrewshire Council and wider partners are progressing the ambition to reduce childhood abuse and trauma in our local communities and to embed a trauma-informed approach across services. Council: • Notes and recognises the wide preventative work already being carried out by Renfrewshire Council and acknowledges that there is a wide understanding of ACE’s across services, and the positive impact this Page 6 of 108
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07/12/2023 can have on children as well as adults. • Notes the ambitions of the national campaign to make Scotland the first Adverse Child Experiences (ACE) aware Nation. • Notes that Renfrewshire Council cannot achieve these ambitions alone, and there is a wider responsibility and multi-agenda approach required in addition to the support of our wider communities. • Notes that supporting an early intervention approach to investment in promoting safe, stable, and nurturing relationships and environments can have a positive impact on a broad range of challenges, and on the development of skills that will help children and young people reach their full potential. • Continues to support and promote a trauma-informed, ACE awareness ethos to have a positive impact on both individuals and society as a whole. • Continues to support all front-line staff across the Council and partners to be encouraged to take up opportunities for continued professional learning sessions on Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs). • Acknowledges that Adverse Childhood Experiences can and do impact on learning, attainment and future prospects for children and young people. • Seeks assurance that Trauma Informed learning is taking place across our early years and school settings to support children and young people." 14 Notice of Motion 7 by Councillors N Graham and Leishman "International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance Council agreed on 28/02/19 to the following motion below. (In Bold) “As part of Renfrewshire Council's ongoing equalities work we resolve to join with the UK and Scottish Governments and the major political parties in the UK in signing up to the internationally recognised International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) guidelines on antisemitism which defines antisemitism thus: Antisemitism is a certain perception of Jews, which may be expressed as hatred toward Jews. Rhetorical and physical manifestations of antisemitism are directed toward Jewish or non- Jewish individuals and/or their property, towards Jewish Community Institutions and religious facilities. The guidelines highlight manifestations as including: 1. Calling for, aiding, or justifying the killing or harming of Jews in the name of a radical ideology or an extreme view of religion. 2. Making mendacious, dehumanising, demonizing or stereotypical allegations about Jews as such or the power of Jews as collective such as, especially but not exclusively, the myth about a world Page 7 of 108
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07/12/2023 Jewish conspiracy or of Jews controlling the media, economy, government or other social institutions. 3. Accusing Jews as a people of being responsible for real or imagined wrongdoing committed by a single Jewish person or group, or even for acts committed by non-Jews. 4. Denying the fact, scope, mechanisms (e.g. gas chambers) or intentionality of the genocide of the Jewish people at the hands of National Socialist Germany and its supporters and accomplices during World War II (the Holocaust). 5. Accusing the Jews as a people, or Israel as a state, of inventing or exaggerating the Holocaust. Accusing Jewish citizens as being more loyal to Israel, or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the interests of their own nations. 6. Denying the Jewish people their right to self determination, e.g. by claiming that the existence of the State of Israel is a racist endeavour. 7. Applying double standards by requiring of it behaviour not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation. 8. Using the symbols and images associated with classic antisemitism (e.g. claims of Jews killing Jesus or blood libel) to characterise Israel or Israelis. 9. Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis. 10. Holding Jews collectively responsible for the actions of the state of Israel. Council resolves to: Restate its condemnation of all forms of racism in all its manifestations and adopts the IHRA definition of antisemitism as the working model for challenging and confronting incidents of this form of racism." In the wake of the recent terrorist attacks in Israel and a rise in antisemitism across the world including the United Kingdom this council reaffirms its commitment to the above motion." Page 8 of 108
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____________________________________________________________________ To: Council On: 14 December 2023 ____________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Finance & Resources ____________________________________________________________________ Heading: General Fund Financial Update ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 Successive financial update reports to the Council have highlighted the ongoing and increasingly challenging financial and economic environment the Council is facing. The recent UK Government Autumn Statement provides no cause for optimism in terms of an improved outlook for investment in public services, while the economic environment remains challenged with sustained weak growth and productivity and continuing high levels of inflation. This results in a financial and economic environment characterised by increasing levels of risk; placing the Council’s financial sustainability under continued pressure. This follows more than a decade of financial challenge which has reduced the Council’s financial resilience and ability to respond to these ongoing and sustained financial challenges. 1.2 Previous financial updates to Council outlined the requirement for the Council to develop and deliver savings which would address major financial sustainability risks, and this requirement has not abated. 1.3 The report provides an update on the current and forecast target level of savings; an update with regards the current year financial position and an early indication of the potential position for 24/25 and subsequent years over the medium term. Key issues in terms of the requirement to Item 3 Page 9 of 108
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sensibly and prudently use reserve balances to support the Council’s medium term position are outlined; along with key risks to this position. 1.4 The report also provides an update to challenges to the existing capital programme as have been previously advised to Council. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 Note the economic outlook provided in the report; 2.2 Note the update provided in relation to the current financial year, the medium term and the continued requirement to deploy reserve balances in a controlled and managed fashion to maintain financial stability; 2.3 Note the update provided in section 7 in relation to the net forecast financial position, the importance of Council understanding that the use of reserve balances to support the Council’s financial position is a short- term tool only, and agree the principles outlined in relation to the planned use of reserves; and 2.4 Note the capital update in section 8 and agree the recommended adjustments to the capital plan. _________________________________________________________ 3. Economic outlook 3.1 The main event which provides context for the current and future economic outlook was the UK Government Autumn Statement which was published on 22 November, accompanied by economic and fiscal forecast updates from the Office of Budget Responsibility (OBR). 3.2 The main policy objectives set out by the Chancellor in the Autumn Statement was to attempt to raise the future economic growth rate, without impacting on the already high inflation rate. To this end the Chancellor announced a host of supply side initiatives. However, the OBR, while accepting that these would be positive, estimated the scale of the combined impact of all this as minimal: an increase of 0.3% on GDP after 5 years. Furthermore, other non-Autumn Statement related changes to forecasts meant that economic output and productivity growth forecasts to 2028 actually fell, from an annual rate of 1.2% to 1% in the case of the latter. Page 10 of 108
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3.3 In terms of public finances, higher than anticipated tax revenues allowed the Chancellor some spending leeway but this was curtailed by rising debt interest payments. In the end, he largely used the financial headroom to fund tax cuts, e.g. on Employees (and self-employed) National Insurance, rather than reduce borrowing (and debt) or increasing public spending. As a result, the prospects for public service spending continue to deteriorate significantly. This is because they were already constrained but now, in real terms (i.e. after adjusting for inflation), they are even worse, due to ‘higher for longer’ inflation than was previously forecast. Chart 1 shows the impact of this in terms of revenue/DEL (day-to-day) spending. Chart 1: change in real total RDEL spending from 2022-23 3.4 The Chancellor’s objective in terms of public spending can be summed up in his own words during his Statement: “…we will ensure that over time the growth in public spending is lower than the growth in the economy …”. With economic growth forecasts over the next five years projected to be circa 1% per annum, this would suggest very flat growth in public spending. 3.5 In terms of the economic outlook, the combined announcements from the Treasury and OBR may be summarised as follows: • The Economy (GDP): while growth has been faster than expected this year, in future years it is lower, despite a raft of measures to improve it. While these policies may have a positive impact, other changes to Page 11 of 108
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the OBR’s forecast mean that both future productivity and (real terms) GDP growth have declined compared to the forecast the OBR made in March; • Inflation (CPI): peaked at 10.7% in the 4th quarter of 2022 (over 13% for RPI) and has fallen in the second half of 2023, although not as sharply as expected back in March. Furthermore the negative inflation forecast for 2025 is no longer, although CPI is still forecast to dip below the 2% target post 2024. Different inflation measures - CPI, RPI, GDP deflator - can still vary considerably, for example, between 2.3% (GDP deflator) and 5.1% (RPI) in 2024, meaning that it remains difficult to be definitive about real, rather than cash, terms changes in the OBR forecasts; • Interest rates: peaks at 5.4% and average about 1 percentage point higher than forecast in March; • Unemployment rate: rises to 4.6% in 2024 before starting to slowly fall; • Living standards: are set to decline in 2024 in real terms, but not for as long, and not as much as before. • Interestingly, the OBR forecasts also assume council tax in England will increase by around 5% per year out to 2028/29. 3.6 The Chancellor did announce welcome increases in LHA rates and benefits; and the reduction in NIC contributions for employees and the self-employed will apply in Scotland equally as elsewhere in the UK, benefiting those in Scotland earning the median wage by £415 per year. 3.7 Turning to the Scottish Budget, there will be additional funding for the Scottish Government through the Barnett formula of £545 million, approximately £233m in this financial year and £281m in the next. The main measures generating consequentials are: • the funding of the pay award for the NHS in England in 2023-24, which generates £235m; • 75% relief on business rates in England for the retail, hospitality and leisure sectors in 2024-25, up to a £110,000 cash cap, which generates £232m; • freezing the small business multiplier in England in 2024-25, which generates £32m. While the Scottish Government is free to spend this money where it likes, it is likely that the NHS related consequentials will be ring-fenced for the NHS in Scotland. Page 12 of 108
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3.8 In terms of the Scottish Government financial position, Audit Scotland recently highlighted that “the delivery of public services in their current form is not affordable, with inflationary pressures and public sector pay settlements having a significant impact”. The report went on to say that “The Scottish Government must work with partners to develop a programme of public service reform, including workforce redesign, which balances the short-term financial pressures with the need for longer-term change, recognising that this may require financial investment”. This clear indication of pressure on the Scottish Government Budget position over the medium term will likely impact on the local government settlement, and is reflected in the Council’s medium-term financial assumptions, outlined in further detail below. The difficulties for the Scottish Government were recently confirmed by the Finance Secretary, who confirmed that the public sector workforce would have to reduce due to tight budgets and inflation-driven pay deals. 3.9 The Council’s financial strategy remains fluid and is continually updated to reflect emerging new pressures or changing levels of existing pressure. This position underlines the necessity for the Council to take steps to address underlying financial sustainability through the development and implementation at pace of savings measures which meet the targets set out later in this report. 4 2023/24 Financial Position 4.1 Members are aware the recent very high levels of inflation experienced in the economy have driven cost increases which are impacting on families and household finances, as well as the Council and associated bodies, community organisations and businesses. While the outlook for inflation has eased – the CPI rate is currently 4.6%, down from a peak of 11% in 2022 – the Bank of England suggest that inflation will remain above its 2% target for some time. The welcome reduction in inflation is good news for both households and council finances, however the legacy of the very high rates recently experienced is still being felt, with many staple purchases such as food continuing to be the subject of high and increasing prices. And of course lower inflation does not mean a reduction in cost – simply that the rate of increase in costs in slowing. 4.2 As has been previously reported, the Council continues to face cost pressures in other areas – energy costs, food, transportation and diesel costs. Vehicle parts costs are increasingly an issue, while building and construction cost pressures remain an ongoing concern. Page 13 of 108
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4.3 In addition to cost increases, and as has been reported regularly throughout the year, the council is also experiencing higher demand for some services – most pressingly in children and families’ social care. Despite intensive social work support, there continues to be significant need to accommodate children and young adults in kinship care, foster care or residential accommodation. For some children, this entails highly- intensive care packages which are increasingly expensive. This position has been building over the past 2-3 years with an overspend being incurred in 2021/22 and 2022/23. In setting the budget for 2023/24, increased provision of £2m in the base budget was made, however it was acknowledged at that point that the costs expected were likely to be significantly in excess of this amount, and indeed that has transpired; with the service forecasting an overspend of £2 – 3m in residential care. In addition, the Scottish Government has agreed national maintenance allowance rates for foster and kinship carers which is backdated to 1 April 2023. The national rates are higher that the rates paid by the Council, resulting in an in-year financial pressure of £0.5m. As members are aware, increased social care funding has in recent years been passed in full to the HSCP as a specific condition of the local government settlement. This position is not sustainable moving forward, nor is the continuation of such restrictive conditions appropriate under the Verity House Agreement. 4.4 There remain other Covid-related pressures, with parking income still well below pre-pandemic levels, and very high school transport costs being incurred with no prospect of these reducing. 4.5 The Council Overview finance report to the recent Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board outlined a 2023/24 projected overspend (excluding the overspend projected in adult social care) of £7.8 million. This projection is exclusive of a number of other risks to the 2023/24 financial position: • The 2023/24 pay award has been agreed for those employees on local government and craft terms & conditions. The agreement reached for these groups is broadly a combination of a core pay increase of 5.5% with further consolidated elements to support the lowest paid in the workforce, who will receive an increase in the hourly rate of £1.04. Council agreed a provision for pay awards based on a 3% increase. While additional Scottish Government funding has been provided to support the pay settlement, the amount allocated will be insufficient to meet the expected total cost, requiring the Council to fund the differential (estimated at £0.5 – 1m) and to build this deficit in Page 14 of 108
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to future base budgets. It is likely in-year financial support will also be required by OneRen in relation the 23/24 pay award. • There are a range of other cost pressures the Council is facing in relation to reduced parking income, increased streetlighting maintenance costs, higher levels of overtime due to increased annual leave and public holidays in 2023 and significant pressure in relation to property maintenance. While these cost pressures are incorporated into the forecast outturn figure above, there is a risk that other pressures may emerge over the winter period. • The projection does not include any variance relating to the collection of Council Tax. Current forecasts suggest collection rates are holding up in line with budget, however it is recognised that the cost-of-living crisis may yet impact on households over the winter period which could have significant effect on yield. 4.6 The sum of these pressures could result in the Council delivering a £8-9 million gross revenue overspend by the end of the 2023/24 financial year. Directors and management teams are closely monitoring their costs, restricting spend to essential spend only and are aiming to mitigate increases where possible. As anticipated by Council in setting the 23/24 budget, it is certain the Council will require to utilise reserve balances to fund the projected overspend and support a break-even position at year end. In March 2023 Council agreed to the utilisation of up to £11.6 million of reserve balances to address anticipated service pressures and to fund the position on loan charges. It is anticipated the forecast outturn position reflected above will be broadly in line with this budgeted position. 4.7 Council agreed in March 2023 to consolidate a number of Covid-19 related balances into a single financial sustainability fund which would be utilised over the medium term to support the Council’s budget position while recurring spend levels is brought back in line with income. This fund will continue to be the main source of support to the Council’s financial position as is outlined below. 4.8 Members will note that the deployment of reserves to achieve a break- even financial position is not sustainable and reinforces the need for the Council to address its projected core structural funding deficit over this period as soon as possible. Given the ongoing highly constrained financial risk environment, maintaining unallocated reserves at their current level is recommended. Page 15 of 108
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5 Medium Term Revenue Outlook 5.1 Previous reports to Council have outlined a medium-term forecast which – based on the Council’s central planning assumption – results in a financial gap in the range of £45m-£50m over the three-year period 2024/25 to 2026/27. This forecast is prior to any decision on council tax. Assuming a 5% uplift in council tax in each year, the cumulative gap would reduce to a range of £30m-£35m. The table below extends this timeframe out to 2027/28 for the central scenario: Table 1 5.2 The above position is based on a range of assumptions which are outlined in further detail below; however it should also be noted at this point the figures in the table above can only be estimates based on information currently available, and will be subject to change. Summary medium term forecast 24/25 25/26 26/27 27/28 £m £m £m £m Opening base budget gap 6 5.3 6.0 9.2 New pressures: Pay (3%/3%/2.5%/2.5%) 8.4 8.0 8.0 8.5 Non-pay 5.9 7.0 7.5 8.0 Borrowing 0.5 0.5 4.5 0.5 Asset maintenance 2.0 2.0 Gross pressures 20.8 22.8 28.0 26.2 Savings: Right for Renfrewshire -1.5 Property -0.5 -0.3 Fees & Charges -0.8 -0.3 -0.3 -0.4 Council Tax base increase -2.0 -1.5 -1.5 -1.0 Corporate and service savings -4.7 -1.5 To be identified -8.0 -8.0 -8.0 11.3 11.2 18.2 16.8 Increase in SG revenue grant 0.0 0.0 -4.0 -4.0 Budget gap prior to CT decision 11.3 11.2 14.2 12.8 CT increase (6%/5%/4.5%/4%) -6.0 -5.2 -5.0 -4.8 Recurring budget gap 5.3 6.0 9.2 8.0 Use of reserves -5.3 -6 -9 -8 Page 16 of 108
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5.3 Revenue Grant The central assumption is for a flat cash allocation out to 2026/27, with a slight increase of around 1% per annum in the years following. The current spending review period is to 2024/25 and it is anticipated, based on the Autumn Statement position outlined above and the measures contained within that which will impact on 2025/26, that it would be 2026/27 before any substantive change could be made in terms of the outlook for public spending, either at a UK or Scotland level. Given the current continuing high rates of inflation this will obviously constrain the Council given it represents a real terms cut to funding. While the Scottish Government is projected to receive an additional £0.5 billion from the UK Government over the current and next financial years as outlined above, given the demands on the Scottish Government and the impact of inflation, there is little to suggest any improvement in the flat cash position for local government over the short to medium term. This position will be clarified (for 2024/25 at least) when the Scottish Government publishes its Draft Budget on 19 December 2023. 5.4 Council tax Each year an assessment is made with regards movement in the council tax base i.e. the number and banding of domestic properties for which a council tax liability may arise. Based on forecast house build completions it is estimated that a slightly higher increase in the base could be confidently built into the forecast position in the short term, with increases easing back to their historic average in the later years of the forecast. Risk remains however with regards actual yield as the cost of living crisis continues. For 2024/25, the position is highly uncertain given the First Minister’s announcement of a council tax freeze, and subsequent assurances that this freeze would be fully funded to councils by the Scottish Government. Obviously, it is for each council to make their own decision on council tax levels, and each will have been basing their financial assumptions on their local own circumstances. It will be critical for the Council to ensure that the Scottish Government compensatory funding received is clearly in addition to the core settlement; and that it is at a level which meets Council expectations of full funding. 5.5 Pay inflation As outlined above, the pay award for 2023/24 has very recently been settled. Despite additional funding from the Scottish Government, there will remain an unfunded gap in 2023/24 which will carry forward into future years and which must be addressed in base budgets moving Page 17 of 108
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forward. The pay assumptions for future years are outlined in the table above; however given levels of inflation remain relatively high (and are forecast to remain higher for longer), there may again be pressure on these assumed levels of increase. However, the provisions set out represent the ceiling of what is affordable. 5.6 Non-pay inflation The Council has a long standing principle of no general inflationary pressures being funded, with an expectation that Directors and their management teams will seek ongoing efficiencies in order to meet general inflationary pressures. However, where a pressure is “unavoidable”, and there is no scope for the Director to realistically mitigate these costs, then provision will be made within the Council’s base budget. Given continuing high levels of inflation, the unavoidable pressure is unsurprisingly higher as we move in to 2024/25. The estimate for 2024/25 included in the table above is based on detailed returns from services which have been assessed and only the most pressing issues and costs are proposed to be funded. Pressures totalling in excess of £15 million have been outlined by services, however only a proportion of these are proposed to be funded. 5.7 Long-term debt Members will recall that the 2022/23 revenue budget included use of longer term capital financing flexibilities totalling £7.5 million, which it was acknowledged would result in higher costs in the longer term but were required in order to manage through the medium term; with appropriate base budget adjustments being made in future years. In addition, provision for borrowing costs related to the new Dargavel primary school and extension to Park Mains HS has been included. 5.8 Lifecycle maintenance Members will be aware of the significant pressure on property and infrastructure budgets, which owing to financial pressures have not been increased in several years. In order to mitigate both the backlog of maintenance issues and the increase in costs of construction materials and repairs, additional funding has been built into the forecast position over the medium term. 5.9 The above assumptions and anticipated costs represent only those for existing services. There may of course be other issues which arise which have not been anticipated; or the assumed levels above may prove to be inadequate. There is also no provision within the above summary for further investment in Council priorities e.g. climate change, social Page 18 of 108
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renewal and Fairer Renfrewshire etc, over that which has already been set aside. 5.10 There are two key emerging risks for 2024/25 which members should be aware of: • The Council has been notified of an increase in employer contributions towards teacher pensions from 23% to 26% on 1 April 2024. The additional cost of this increase for the Council is estimated at £2.6 million, which should be funded through Barnett consequentials to the Scottish Government, which should then flow to local government. This assumption is not confirmed at present; and remains a further risk to the position as outlined in table 1. • As reported to the recent Leadership Board, there are increasing pressures in relation to migration and asylum provision, particularly related to UK Home Office decisions being streamlined to tackle the volume of asylum seekers nationally. The significant potential increase in homeless presentations linked to the asylum population in Renfrewshire and more widely across the West of Scotland, is anticipated to create additional financial pressures for Council services. Projections are currently being developed and will be reported as they become available. 6 Savings and Financial Sustainability Workstreams 6.1 Table 1 above outlines that, excluding the increase in the council tax base, savings of £9.3 million are anticipated in 2024/25. These savings have been achieved across a range of agreed workstreams including the Right for Renfrewshire transformation programme and other financial sustainability workstreams including a review of property costs with savings being achieved through for example exiting from leased properties such as Abbey House. 6.2 Corporate and service savings are also included, the main component of which is the recurring saving which is possible through the long-term reduction in employer pension contributions for local government employees as advised to Council in September. 6.3 As previously reported to Council, progress with the financial sustainability workstreams has highlighted the challenges involved in driving out significant savings that do not impact on service delivery. Some workstreams will also take longer to deliver savings, or in some cases, while not delivering significant savings in their own right, the work is important to undertake as it is a critical enabler in the delivery of other service changes or savings. For example, development and Page 19 of 108
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improvement of the Council’s web presence through the Digital Experience project, supported by the trialling of automated technology, will take some investment in the short to medium term. It will however be a key enabler in increasing digital ways of working and digital customer services, which are expected to generate efficiencies in the longer term as well as improvements to service provision. 6.4 In addition, improving the purchase to pay (P2P) processes employed by the Council will ultimately allow for improved visibility and consistency over what the council purchases. There has been significant effort by the procurement team, working in conjunction with managers across the council, to try and generate price savings through improved contract management and tender specification; however in an environment of high inflation, generating price and therefore cost reduction is very difficult. The main route therefore to reducing spend is by reducing the volume and scope of what the council purchases. Improved P2P processes is a key enabler in securing better data on which to base future purchasing decisions. 6.5 The medium-term outlook reflected in Table 1 above highlights the very challenging financial position the Council faces; and suggests that as a minimum a further savings target of £8m per annum be set each year from 2025/26 and that this requirement be kept under careful review as the outlook continues to develop. Savings at this level will be difficult to meet given these will be coming on the back of over a decade of savings being required on a similar if not larger scale. However, setting a target at this level is viewed as the minimum required if the Council is to return itself to a position of recurring financial balance where there is no longer a reliance on reserves and financial sustainability is secured. Proposals for delivery of savings at this scale will again require to be developed by officers in addition to delivery of savings under existing workstreams. Key for members to recognise is that, even after delivery of £8m of savings year-on-year from 2025/26, there remains a £8m forecast recurring financial gap at the end of 2027/28. Assuming the targeted level of savings is achieved, over the period from 2021/22, savings in the order of £50 million will have been delivered, simply to enable the Council in effect to stand still financially. 6.6 An area of significant spend within the Council relates to Children’s Services (the service makes up around 50% of the Council total net revenue budget); however, it is acknowledged that the current pressures being faced by elements of this service and wider obligations in terms of specific funding streams will make the delivery of recurring savings particularly challenging. Nonetheless, it is not possible to deliver savings Page 20 of 108
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on the scale targeted without some of this saving coming from Children’s Services and officers will be required to explore and identify saving opportunities from all areas of service. 6.7 This work will continue over the coming months with update reports to be provided to Council and Policy Boards as appropriate; including consideration at Council budget setting. Development of further proposals and delivery of those which have been developed must remain a key Council priority and will be one which will place increasingly significant demands on already stretched management capacity. 7 Medium Term Financial Position and Reserves 7.1 It is apparent from Table 1 that there remains a considerable gap over the medium term, which will require to be addressed as Council considers most immediately the 2024/25 budget. As has been outlined in previous reports, there is a timing disconnect between the speed at which the financial gap is expected to emerge and the ability of the Council to generate and secure recurring savings to sustainably close it. The need for the Council to make spending and service prioritisation decisions at a greater scale and pace than over recent years in order to fully commit to the delivery of sustainable savings over the medium term has been consistently highlighted in each recently published financial outlook report. This will require the current lower level of real terms resources and spending capacity at the Council’s disposal to be focused on those areas of greatest need and priority. These decisions will inevitably be challenging for the Council; and must be balanced with the requirement to continue to deliver core services. In this context, what is clear is that with the Council’s financial spend predominantly driven by the cost of its workforce, to secure savings at the scale envisaged the organisation’s workforce will consequently be smaller in scale by 2027/28 than it is at present. 7.2 The planned use of reserves as a support to the Council’s medium-term financial position has been outlined in previous reports as likely to be required; and the analysis in Table 1 clearly demonstrates this requirement. The application of reserves is a legitimate tool in managing shorter term financial challenges and securing immediate financial stability while sustainable savings are generated to match financial pressures, but it cannot ever be more than a short-term measure. In summary, the financial sustainability reserve will be the prime source of support to the Council’s financial position over the medium term, and as is outlined in the forecast position above, the Council will require to Page 21 of 108
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deploy around £30 million of this reserve balance over 2023/24 to 2027/28. 7.3 While there remain uncertainties in much of the analyses above, it may be helpful to reiterate previously agreed principles in terms of the planned use of specific reserves which could be deployed to support the Council’s medium-term financial position: • There should be no planned use of unallocated reserves, which are held as a risk contingency. Unallocated reserves should be maintained at a minimum of £10 million (2.3% of net running costs) over the medium term; • The Council commits to the planned use of the financial sustainability reserve (including the non-recurring benefit anticipated in 2024/25 and 2025/26 from the reduced level of employer pension contributions as advised to Council in September) to support the medium-term financial position, and in the interim, develops and implements plans to address the underlying structural financial gap in a sustainable manner. 7.4 An updated revenue outlook will be provided to future Council meetings including the annual budget setting meeting, incorporating the confirmed level of Scottish Government revenue support in 2024/25, any revised financial assumptions and any variation in the requirement to utilise ring- fenced reserve balances from that outlined in Table 1. 8 General Fund Capital Programme 8.1 The Council has an ambitious capital programme, incorporating the delivery of significant investment in cultural venues and wider infrastructure linked to City Deal projects and Levelling Up Funding; as well as major improvement and expansion projects in the school estate. 8.2 Recognising the significant financial risks to the capital programme over the period of the pandemic, Council previously agreed to set aside £10m of funding to address both increased costs and the risks of contractor claims for delays incurred over the pandemic. Council subsequently agreed to utilise £4m of this funding in order to enable a capital funding switch related to the 22/23 pay award; with the remaining balance being subsumed into the financial sustainability reserve. 8.3 As projects proceed and conclude, a number of contractual claims are now emerging as was predicted, while additional costs are also emerging in relation to unanticipated works required. There are particular risks inherent in the refurbishment and redevelopment of historic buildings Page 22 of 108
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such as Paisley Town Hall, Arts Centre and the Museum. Some of these were anticipated and financially planned for as part of contingency budgets to an extent, however in many instances the scale of such risks have been greater than anticipated and indeed some have only emerged as intrusive works were undertaken. 8.4 It is likely that costs will be incurred in excess of agreed budgets within the existing capital plan. Where budgets are expected to be exceeded, appropriate approval will be sought to adjust the capital plan to reflect these costs and will result in an additional draw from the Investment Capital Fund. There is an immediate issue in terms of the contractual closedown on the Paisley Town Hall refurbishment, where extensive claims for additional works and prolongation are being worked through with the contractor. Based on current expert assessment and advice, it is estimated that the project may require additional resources of £2.1 million. It is recommended therefore that provision is made from the Investment Capital fund to meet this expected cost. 8.5 Members should be aware further costs are likely to emerge in relation to other capital investment projects, and further updates will be provided as these costs are clarified, however there are known pressures on planned projects which it is proposed would be addressed through the reallocation of existing resource within the agreed capital plan as outlined below. 8.6 Council has agreed investment projects at the OnX Linwood in outdoor facilities, including refurbishing the running track and hockey pitch; as well as a further investment in outdoor play facilities. Indicative costs for these projects suggest the current provisions will be insufficient; requiring the reallocation of funding to meet the additional costs. This is also the case with the proposed investment at St James playing fields, where despite the project being redesigned; a retender exercise has confirmed costs are still in excess of the available budget. It is therefore proposed to reallocate the funding set aside for outdoor play at the OnX to meet these additional costs as follows - £0.754 million reallocated from External Sports OnX Linwood (with the remaining £0.600 million balance being fully committed to the refurbishment of the existing hockey pitch at the OnX Linwood); £0.600 million to St James Playing Fields redevelopment (total budget therefore being £3.500 million); and £0.154 million to OnX running track (total budget therefore being £0.354 million, excluding a contribution from Kilbarchan Amateur Athletics Club). ____________________________________________________________________ Page 23 of 108
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Implications of the Report 1. Financial - the report highlights the scale of the short and medium term financial challenge facing the Council. The development and implementation of financial sustainability workstreams as outlined in the report are critical to ultimately supporting the Council secure a financially sustainable position. 2. HR & Organisational Development - the medium term financial position and associated plans require to align with workforce and service plans to ensure the size and composition of the Council workforce remains appropriate and affordable. 3. Community/Council Planning – the Council requires to remain financially sustainable in order to deliver on its priorities as outlined in the Council and Community Plans; and these revised Plans will in turn require to inform the financial strategy. 4. Legal – none arising directly from this report. 5. Property/Assets - the report outlines the ongoing strategic review of property which will aim to ensure the Council’s asset base remain effective and efficient. 6. Information Technology - the report outlines the need to ensure the Council Digital strategy supports ongoing financial sustainability; with any digital developments being underpinned by a robust business case. 7. Equality & Human Rights - the recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety - none arising directly from this report. 9. Procurement – the report outlines the need for improved procurement processes in order to support the Council’s ongoing financial sustainability. Page 24 of 108
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10. Risk - as outlined in the report, the Council’s financial risk exposure over the medium term remains high. The report outlines increasing financial risks as well as a range of key measures to be implemented as part of the medium-term financial planning arrangements to protect the Council’s immediate financial stability and resilience but also continue to progress toward medium term financial sustainability. 11. Privacy Impact – none arising directly from this report. 12. Cosla Policy Position – none arising directly from this report. 13. Climate Risk – none arising directly from this report. ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Alastair MacArthur, Director of Finance & Resources Page 25 of 108
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1 ___________________________________________________________________ To: Council On: 14 December 2023 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Finance and Resources ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Treasury Management and Prudential Indicators Mid-Year Review 2023/24 ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 This mid-year report has been prepared in compliance with the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy’s (CIPFA) Treasury Management in the Public Services Code of Practice on Treasury Management 2021. The report covers the following for 2023/24 to date: • a review of the Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2023/24, incorporating the annual investment strategy; • a review of the Council’s borrowing and investments; • a review of compliance with treasury management and prudential indicators; • an economic update and interest rate forecast. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that Members: a) Note the treasury management activity for the period 1iApril 2023 to 13 October 2023 (reporting period 7); b) Approve the ‘Probable’ prudential indicators for capital expenditure as detailed in Section 7 of the report. Item 4 Page 27 of 108
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2 3. Treasury Management Strategy Statement and Annual Investment Strategy Update 3.1 The Treasury Management Strategy Statement for 2023/24 was approved by Council on 2 March 2023. It incorporates the Annual Investment Strategy, which sets out the Council’s investment priorities as follows: • the security of capital; and • the liquidity of its investments. 3.2 The Council also aims to achieve the best return on its investments, along with the proper levels of security and liquidity. 3.3 Investments and borrowing between 1 April to 13 October 2023 have been in line with the approved strategy, and there have been no changes to the policies set out in the Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2023/24. 3.4 In the current economic climate, it is considered appropriate to keep investments short-term to cover cashflow needs, but also to seek improved returns in periods up to 12 months with high credit-rated financial institutions. The following sections in this report provide an update in light of the current economic position and any budgetary changes already approved. 4. Review of borrowing and investments over the period 1 April 2023 to 13 October 2023 4.1 The Council’s net borrowing position is calculated as total borrowing minus total investments. At 13 October 2023, this figure was a net borrowing position of £67.2m (see Appendix 1). 4.2 During the period 1 April to 13 October 2023, the Council’s total external borrowing increased from £277.3m to £281.2m, due to additional temporary borrowing on the local authority market of £10m, although this was partially offset by a £6.15m repayment of one of the Council’s market loans. The additional borrowing was taken to support the Council’s cashflow on a short- term basis. 4.3 In the same period, short-term investments have increased from £172.7m to £214.0m primarily due to the front-loading of revenue support grant and other sources of income, such as City Deal (this means that more cash is received in the earlier part of the year). 4.4 The Director of Finance and Resources confirms that, during the period 1 April to 13 October 2023, the approved limits set out within the annual investment strategy sections of the Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2023/24 were complied with, and the Council only invested with institutions listed in its approved lending list. Page 28 of 108
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3 Similarly, only permitted investment vehicles were used, mainly fixed-term deposits with banks, other local authorities, the UK governments deposit facility (DMADF), call accounts and money market funds. 4.5 In accordance with CIPFA’s Treasury Management in the Public Services Code of Practice, it is the Council’s priority to ensure security of capital and liquidity, and to obtain an appropriate level of return that is consistent with the Council’s risk appetite. 4.6 As shown by the interest rate forecasts in Appendix 3, rates are expected to have peaked at the current rate of 5.25% before starting to ease back in 2024/25. However, the Council’s average return rate still lags, as there are still a number of fixed-term deposits agreed at lower rates that are still to mature. As the older deals mature, the Council’s average rate of return will increase. 4.7 The table below shows the average interest rate achieved by the Council on its investments during the period 1 April 2023 to 13 October 2023. The table also shows for comparison the benchmark comparator SONIA (the Sterling Overnight Index Average), which is administered by the Bank of England and reflects bank and building societies’ actual overnight funding rates in Sterling. The actual rate of return is lower because a number of investments have been locked into a fixed rate, and rates of return have since increased. 4.8 Opportunities for debt rescheduling (where high rate loans are repaid and lower rate loans taken out instead) are limited in the current economic climate and this is not expected to change over the short term. However, officers continue to liaise with the Council’s treasury advisors to monitor whether this situation may change. 5. Review of compliance with Treasury Management indicators for 2023/24 5.1. During the period 1 April 2023 to 13 October 2023, the Council complied with the approved treasury management indicators as set out in the Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2023/24. These indicators relate to: • interest rate exposure: the upper limit on the proportion of investments held with fixed interest rates and the upper limit on the proportion of investments held with variable interest rates; Interest rates achieved Average value of investments Average rate of return Benchmark return (SONIA) Internally managed investments £206.4m 3.75% 4.78% Page 29 of 108
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4 • the maturity structure of borrowing: the lower and upper limits on the proportion of investments that fall into each maturity band. 6. Foreign Exchange Cash Holding As part of the contractual agreement for the Clyde Waterfront and Renfrew Riverside City Deal project, the Council is required to make a proportion of supplier payments in Euros over the duration of the project. The Council continues to mitigate exchange rate risk through approved tools, such as advance purchase; always providing that these tools are used for risk mitigation and not speculative purposes. 7. Review of Prudential Indicators for Capital Expenditure 7.1. The Local Government in Scotland Act 2003 and supporting regulations require local authorities to have regard to the Prudential Code for Capital Finance in Local Authorities (“the Prudential Code”). 7.2. The Prudential Code 2021 introduced a change to reporting and monitoring and recommends that from 2023/24 a regular (at least quarterly) update is provided to members noting the current forecasts for prudential indicators compared to those approved at the start of the financial year. 7.3. The result of this change is that Prudential Indicator reporting now forms part of the Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring – Council Overview, reported each cycle to the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board, with this mid-year update reporting to full Council. 7.4. The Council set its prudential indicators for 2023/24 on 2 March 2023. The purpose of this section is to consider the indicators as they stand at 13 October 2023, approximately halfway through the financial year, and revise them where appropriate. All indicators for the current year and the following two years are summarised in Appendix 2 Capital Expenditure Indicators 7.5. The Council is required to make estimates of the capital expenditure it plans to incur for the forthcoming financial year and at least the following two years. Separate estimates should be made for Housing and Non-Housing services. The Capital Investment Programmes for Housing and Non-Housing Capital Investment Programme were approved by Council on 2 March 2023, and the resulting indicators were updated to reflect the approved programme, incorporating the decisions taken by the Council at the budget meeting. Page 30 of 108
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5 7.6. Council approved the following as an indicator for Capital Expenditure. The limit is based on the resources available to fund the capital programmes, split between Housing and Non-Housing Services, excluding the Public Sector Housing Grant, as this is not considered to be capital spend for the Council. Capital Expenditure 2023/24 2023/24 2023/24 2025/26 Approved Actual spend 13 October 2023 Probable Movement £m £m £m £m Non-Housing 145.926 45.888 117.828 -27.498 Housing 29.678 7.848 20.378 -9.300 Total 175.604 53.736 138.206 -36.798 The decrease of £27.498m in the planned Non-Housing capital expenditure during 2023/24 is mainly attributable to: • changes in the cashflow profile of a number of capital investment programmes, particularly City Deal projects and Paisley Museum, resulting in a net adjustment of £34.268m from 2023/24 into 2024/25 and future years, as reported to relevant policy boards; • carry forward of programmed expenditure from 2022/23 to 2023/24 totalling £3.425m; and • the addition of £3.345m from grant funding and projects approved during 2023/24. The decrease of £9.300m in the planned Housing capital expenditure during 2023/24 arises from changes in cashflow profile of a number of programmes, including external improvements and regeneration, resulting in a net adjustment of £9.300m from 2023/24 into 2024/25, as reported to the Communities and Housing Policy Board. Capital Financing Requirement Indicator 7.7. The Council has available to it a number of ways of financing traditionally procured capital investment. The term ‘financing’ does not refer to the payment of cash, but the resources that are applied to ensure that any underlying amount arising from capital payments is dealt with absolutely, whether at the point of spend or over the longer term. A number of financing options involve resourcing the investment at the time that it is incurred. These are: Page 31 of 108
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6 • the application of useable capital receipts • a direct charge to revenue for capital expenditure • the application of capital grants • upfront contributions from project partners Any capital expenditure not financed at the outset by one of these methods will increase the Capital Financing Requirement (CFR) of the Council. The revised projected Capital Financing Requirement for 2023/24, based on the position at 13 October 2023 is noted in the table below. Capital Financing Requirement 2023/24 Approved* Probable Movement £m £m £m Non-Housing 431 407 -24 Housing 121 120 -1 Total 552 527 -25 * As reported to the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board on 14 September 2023, a formula error within the report approved by Council in March 2023 resulted in the Non-Housing figure being incorrectly stated. The approved figure was £337m. The decrease of £24m in probable Capital Financing Requirement at 31 March 2024 for Non-Housing services arises from the reduced capital expenditure forecast to the end of 2023/24 described in 7.6. The decrease of £1m in the probable Capital Financing Requirement at 31 March 2024 for Housing services arises from the reduced capital expenditure forecast to the end of 2023/24 described in 7.6 offset by capital expenditure accelerated into 2022/23, and the re-profiling of expected grant payments from the Scottish Government for Council House New Build into 2024/25. External Debt Indicators 7.8. External debt indicators are set at two levels: an Operational Boundary and an Authorised Limit. Both of these need to be consistent with the Council’s plans for capital expenditure and financing and with its Treasury Management policy statement and practices. Operational Boundary: This is the focus of day-to-day treasury management activity within the Council and is an estimate of the most likely, but not worst case, scenario in terms of cashflow. Page 32 of 108
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7 Risk analysis and risk management strategies have been taken into account, as have plans for capital expenditure, estimates of the Capital Financing Requirement and estimates of cashflow requirements for all purposes. It is possible that this boundary could be breached occasionally and this would not be regarded as significant. However, a sustained or regular trend of such would be significant, and require investigation and action. It is split between external borrowing and other long-term liabilities. Operational Boundary for external debt 2023/24 Approved* Probable Movement £m £m £m Borrowing 459 434 -25 Other long-term liabilities 94 94 0 Total 553 528 -25 * As noted above – the approved figure was £365m. The decrease in the Operational Boundary of £25m is directly related to the decrease in the Capital Financing Requirement Indicator described in 7.7. Authorised Limit: This is based on the same assumptions as the Operational Boundary, with additional headroom to allow for both planned and exceptional cashflow requirements, without breaching the limit. It is split between external borrowing and other long-term liabilities. Authorised Limit for external debt 2023/24 Approved* Probable Movement £m £m £m Borrowing 477 455 -22 Other long-term liabilities 94 94 0 Total 571 549 -22 * As noted above – the approved figure was £383m. The decrease of £22m is related to the Operational Boundary reduction as outlined in 7.6. 7.9. In December 2018, the CIPFA/LASAAC Local Authority Accounting Board confirmed that from 1 April 2020 the CIPFA Code of Practice on Local Authority Accounting would be adopting the accounting standard IFRS 16: Leases. After consultation, in April 2022 the deadline for implementation of IFRS 16 was deferred until 1 April 2024 due to significant delays resulting from the pandemic. Page 33 of 108
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8 The practical effect of adopting IFRS 16 will be to require any contract the Council has signed that provides the right to rent or lease exclusive use of an asset, such as property or vehicles, could potentially require to be recognised as an asset on the Council’s balance sheet, with a corresponding debt liability recognised at the present value of the future lease payments. This liability will be treated as additional borrowing, therefore increasing the Capital Financing Requirement and other associated Prudential Indicators such as Operational Boundary, Authorised Limit and Revenue to Financing Cost ratios. A full review of all contracts that could be impacted by this is currently underway, and will be factored into future years’ Prudential Indicators following the Council’s adoption of IFRS 16 in 2024/25. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – As described in the report; the Treasury Management Strategy Statement, treasury management and prudential indicators assist in providing assurance that the Council’s treasury management activities and longer term spending plans are affordable, prudent and sustainable. 2. HR & Organisational Development – None arising directly from this report 3. Community Planning – None arising directly from this report 4. Legal – None arising directly from this report 5. Property/Assets – None arising directly from this report 6. Information Technology – None arising directly from this report 7. Equality & Human Rights – Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report because it is for noting only. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety – None arising directly from this report 9. Procurement – None arising directly from this report Page 34 of 108
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9 10. Risk – The Treasury Management Strategy Statement, treasury management and prudential indicators provide a framework to take forward the Council’s treasury activities in the context of the effective control of the risks associated with those activities and the pursuit of optimum performance consistent with those risks. This mid-year review report demonstrates that the treasury management activities carried out during the period 1 April 2023 to 13 October 2023 have been consistent with the Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2023/24 and have complied with the treasury management indicators set out in the Strategy Statement. 11. Privacy Impact – None arising directly from this report 12. COSLA Policy position – None arising directly from this report 13. Climate risk - None arising directly from this report _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers: Prudential Framework and Treasury Management Strategy, Council, 2 March 2023. Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring – Council Overview , Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board, 14 September 2023. Author: Alastair MacArthur, Director of Finance and Resources Page 35 of 108
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10 Appendix 1: Borrowing Position as at 13 October 2023 Balance at 1 April 2023 New Borrowing in 2023/24 Cash Movements Balance at 13 October 2023 Long-term borrowing PWLB – fixed rate 224,427,336.22 0 (3,553.22) 224,423,783.00 Market loans 52,916,000.00 0 (6,150,000.00) 46,766,000.00 Short-term borrowing Temporary loans 0 10,000,000.00 0 10,000,000.00 Total borrowing 277,343,336.22 10,000,000.00 (6,153,553.22) 281,189,783.00 Investments Fixed term deposits 165,000,000.00 0 (22,000,000.00) 143,000,000.00 Call accounts 1,704,000.00 0 13,568,000.00 15,272,000.00 UK Government DMADF 0 0 23,070,000.00 23,070,000.00 Money market funds 6,037,000.00 0 26,620,000.00 32,657,000.00 Total investments 172,741,000.00 0 41,258,000.00 213,999,000.00 Net borrowing 104,602,336.22 10,000,000.00 (47,411,553.22) 67,190,783.00 Page 37 of 108
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11 Appendix 2: Prudential and Treasury Indicators as at 13 October 2023 2023/24 Estimate 2023/24 Probable 2024/25 Estimate 2025/26 Estimate Operational boundary for external debt £553m £527m £553m £641m Authorised limit for external debt £571m £549m £576m £668m External debt* £429m £346m £494m £575m Upper limit for fixed interest rate exposure (borrowing) expressed as percentage of total net outstanding principal 100% 83% 100% 100% Upper limit for variable interest rate exposure (borrowing) expressed as percentage of total net outstanding principal 25% 17% 25% 25% New Borrowing in 2023/24 Total of all Borrowing Maturity structure of fixed rate borrowing Value Maturity structure Upper limit As at 13 October 2023 Under 12 months £10m 3.56% 15% 3.85% More than 12 months and within 24 months 0 0% 15% 1.78% More than 24 months and within 5 years 0 0% 45% 1.78% More than 5 years and within 10 years 0 0% 50% 0.01% 10 years and above 0 0% 100% 92.58% * The Probable figure here represents the actual level of debt at 13 October 2023 and includes finance lease and service concession liabilities, in line with the Authorised Limit and Operational Boundary values. Page 39 of 108
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12 Appendix 3: Economic Update and Interest Rate Forecast 1. Economic update (Link Group) 1.1. The first half of 2023/24 saw: • Interest rates rise further, taking Bank Rate from 4.25% to 5.25%. • Short, medium, and long-dated gilts remain elevated as inflation remained high. • A 0.5% month-on-month (m/m) decline in real GDP in July, mainly attributable to strike action. • CPI inflation fell from 8.7% in April to 6.7% in August, its lowest rate since February 2022, but still the highest in the G7. • Core CPI inflation declining to 6.2% in August from 7.1% in April and May, a then 31-year high. • A cooling in labour market conditions, but no evidence yet that it has led to an easing in wage growth, as the 3month year-on-year (y/y) growth of average earnings rose to 7.8% in August, excluding bonuses. 2. Interest Rate Forecast (Link Group) 2.1. The Council has appointed Link Group as its treasury advisors and part of their service is to assist the Council to formulate a view on interest rates. The PWLB rate forecasts below are based on the Certainty Rate (the standard rate minus 20 bps) which has been accessible to most authorities since 1st November 2012. 2.2. The latest forecast on 25 September sets out a view that short, medium and long-dated interest rates will be elevated for some little while, as the Bank of England seeks to squeeze inflation out of the economy. 2.3. Our PWLB rate forecasts below are based on the Certainty Rate (the standard rate minus 20 bps, calculated as gilts plus 80bps) which has been accessible to most authorities since 1 November 2012. Page 41 of 108
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13 0.0% 1.0% 2.0% 3.0% 4.0% 5.0% Interest rate forecast bank rate 5 yr PWLB 10 yr PWLB 25 yr PWLB 50 yr PWLB Page 43 of 108
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To: Council On: 14 December 2023 Report by: Director of Finance and Resources Heading: Governance Arrangements 1. Summary 1.1 The SNP group has intimated that it wishes to replace Councillor Paterson on the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-committee with Councillor Steel. 1.2 The Labour group has intimated that it wishes to replace Councillor McCulloch on the Economy & Regeneration Policy Board with Councillor McDonald. 2. Recommendations 2.1 That Councillor Steel replaces Councillor Paterson on the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-committee. 2.2 That Councillor McDonald replaces Councillor McCulloch on the Economy & Regeneration Policy Board. Implications of the Report 1. Financial - none 2. HR & Organisational Development - none 3. Community/Council Planning – none 4. Legal – none 5. Property/Assets – none 6. Information Technology – none Item 5 Page 45 of 108
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7. Equality & Human Rights - The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report as it deals with Member appointments to Boards. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. (Report author to arrange this). 8. Health & Safety – none 9. Procurement – none 10. Risk – none 11. Privacy Impact – none 12. CoSLA Policy Position – none 13. Climate change - none List of Background Papers None Author: Mark Conaghan Head of Corporate Governance 0300 300 0287 mark.conaghan@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 46 of 108
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To: Council On: 14 December 2023 Report by: Lead Officer on behalf of the Audit, Risk & Scrutiny Board Heading: Charges for Bulk Items Uplift for the elderly 1. Summary 1.1. At its meeting on 22 August 2022, members of the Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board agreed its annual programme of activity for 2022/23. This included a review of charges for bulk item uplifts for the elderly as part of the programme. 1.2. Over a period of months and as part of the annual programme, reports have been presented to the Board by the Lead Officer on the subject of charges for bulk items uplifts for the elderly. 1.3. This report describes the purpose and scope of the review, it includes summaries of the information reported to each Board meeting, and concludes with the key findings and the recommendation. 1.4. The review has provided assurance to the Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board, and they agreed the final report at the 6 November 2023 meeting. 2. Recommendations 2.1. Members are asked to note the findings of the review, and approve the recommendations within this report. 3. Background 3.1. Residents of Renfrewshire can request special uplifts if they need any bulky general waste collected from their home. This can be for between 1 and 20 items but cannot include hazardous, clinical, or toxic waste. Loose waste must be bagged or tied in manageable bundles where necessary. In Item 6 Page 47 of 108
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addition, appliances such as washing machines, freezers, cookers etc are all charged individually and cannot form part of the 1 to 20 items. 3.2. Ground clearances are when residents have more than 20 items and the charge quoted is for a maximum of one hour’s work. However, if officers visit and assess that it will take longer than this, they will contact the resident about the additional costs before commencing any work. Again, domestic appliances are charged individually and do not form part of a ground clearance. 3.3. Renfrewshire Council aims to collect item(s) as soon as possible within 14 days. Residents must ensure any white goods have their doors removed or place in a position where no one can access them. Special uplift requests for white goods and general goods can be made at the same time, however white goods are charged separately. 3.4. The charges for 2023/24 are £37.15 for a domestic uplift (1-20 items) and £37.15 for each domestic white good. The ground clearance charge is £88.00 covering a driver, a waste collector and a vehicle, for a maximum of one hour’s work. 3.5. Residents who are council tenants are entitled to two special uplifts per year as part of their rent charge; this is paid for from within the overall Housing Revenue Account (HRA). This is achieved by providing their rent reference number when making their booking. 3.6. The current scheme provides no free, discounted or exemptions for this service for any other residents. 4. Purpose of the Review 4.1. The key purpose of this review will be to: 1. Set out the current position in relation to bulk uplifts within Renfrewshire Council; 2. Consider the impact of offering a free bulk uplift service for the elderly; and 3. Identify any other mitigations that could be recommended for the elderly that the Council could pursue within available resources. 5. Scope of the Review 5.1. In relation to 4.1(1) above, the focus of the review was on research into demographics within Renfrewshire; in particular, the elderly population and current trends for existing service demand. 5.2. In relation to 4.1(2) above, the focus of the review was on assessing the financial and non-financial implications in relation to the provision of free bulk uplifts for the elderly. Page 48 of 108
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5.3. In relation to 4.1(3) above, the focus on the review was exploring existing or potential options available to the elderly within Renfrewshire through partner organisations such as the third sector. 5.4. In relation to 4.1(3) above, consideration was given to the existing services provided within neighbouring local authorities in relation to free bulk uplifts for the elderly to consider any benefits for Renfrewshire. 5.5. For clarity, the level of charges applied to bulk uplifts within Renfrewshire was outwith the scope of this review. 6. Demographics within Renfrewshire 6.1. At the outset of the review a definition was required on the age to be used in relation to the term ‘elderly’ solely within the context of this review. It was proposed in relation to this review that the age of 65 for both men and women has been the most common age historically used for defining services for ‘elderly’ people. Therefore, the age of 65 was assumed in relation to the term elderly for the duration of this review where practical. If an exception to this age was used, it is clearly noted within the review. 6.2. Here we explore the demographics in relation to Renfrewshire, in particular the elderly population and likely service trends based on this data; this is in relation to scope objective 5.1. 6.3. Appendix 1 includes population projections developed by National Records of Scotland (NRS), utilising the most up to date published records at the time of preparation. This data forecasts the expected population across Renfrewshire for all ages from birth to 90+ between 2018 and 2043. This information has been used to provide analysis on the likely trends for the elderly based on the demographics for Renfrewshire. 6.4. Appendix 1 includes an analysis of the number and percentage of 65+ residents across Renfrewshire and forecast for each year. This starts at 18.7% and 33,288 of our residents in 2018 and rises to a high of 24.9% and 45,976 residents by 2040. 6.5. The table below shows an extract from Appendix 1, analysing the proportion of tenants 65+ across the period 2023-2028. This clearly shows an upward trend in the volume and percentage of the Renfrewshire population within the 65+ range across this period. Renfrewshire Population Extract 2023-2028 Category 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 Overall Population 180,266 180,689 181,091 181,502 181,870 182,256 65 Plus 36,144 36,877 37,586 38,496 39,350 40,125 % 65 Plus 20.05% 20.41% 20.76% 21.21% 21.64% 22.02% Page 49 of 108
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6.6. In order to consider this in the context of Scotland, information, again from the NRS population estimates, has been used to compare Renfrewshire nationally in relation to our elderly residents. Detailed analysis is contained in Appendix 2. 6.7. This shows that Renfrewshire had the eighth lowest as a percentage of population classified as elderly, at 19.2%. While this is close to the Scottish average of 19.6%, there is a wide variation from a low of 13.6% in Glasgow to a high of 26.6% in Dumfries and Galloway. The table below is a summary comparison with Scotland and our bordering authorities. Scottish Context Mid-2021 Organisation Population 65 Plus % 65 Plus Scotland 5,479,900 1,073,861 19.60% North Ayrshire 134,220 31,294 23.32% Inverclyde 76,700 16,721 21.80% East Renfrewshire 96,580 19,846 20.55% West Dunbartonshire 87,790 17,142 19.53% Renfrewshire 179,940 34,585 19.22% Glasgow City 635,130 86,604 13.64% 7. Provision of free bulk uplifts for the elderly 7.1. This section looks at the trends in income for special uplifts from 2020/21 to 2022/23. The information has been analysed between recharges to the HRA for tenants and direct charges to other Renfrewshire residents. Income Trends Bulk Uplift Financial Year HRA Tenants Residents Total 2020/2021 £159,440.30 £55,866.00 £215,306.30 2021/2022 £111,655.35 £62,308.80 £173,964.15 2022/2023 £109,928.10 £71,079.98 £181,008.08 Average £127,007.92 £63,084.93 £190,092.84 7.2. The service is managed through the deployment of a driver, waste collector and a specialised vehicle. The demand fluctuates within the table, and a major influence on this was COVID-19 and the post-pandemic recovery. 7.3. In order to assess the current demand for the service, a sample analysis of 12 weeks of requests from the period 9 January 2023 to 2 April 2023 has been reviewed. The analysis below shows that based on total orders the average is 15.3 orders and 74.5 items per day. Page 50 of 108
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Sample Service Demand Week Special Uplifts Ground Clears Total Uplifts Daily Average Uplifts Total Items Daily Average Items 1 98 13 111 15.9 544 77.7 2 85 11 96 13.7 407 58.1 3 88 9 97 13.9 472 67.4 4 85 8 93 13.3 425 60.7 5 84 5 89 12.7 479 68.4 6 107 13 120 17.1 520 74.3 7 114 7 121 17.3 692 98.9 8 123 18 141 20.1 637 91.0 9 113 14 127 18.1 656 93.7 10 77 6 83 11.9 418 59.7 11 102 17 119 17.0 551 78.7 12 81 3 84 12.0 455 65.0 Total 1,157 124 1,281 15.3 6,256 74.5 7.4. Operational managers have confirmed that any significant recurring increase in demand due to a free or discounted service could not be managed without either an additional team, or by using an external partner to manage the increased demand. 7.5. The impact of creating a free bulk uplift service for the elderly is likely to increase demand. This increase could be managed in two ways: by increasing capacity either internally or externally, both of which bring additional costs. 7.6. If we assume that demand increases beyond the current levels and an additional team consisting of a driver, waste collector, and specialised vehicle is required, then an additional cost of around £116,500 per year is estimated. This equates to around £320 per day in extra costs for Renfrewshire Council. In the past, external contractors have been used to aid in reducing the post-pandemic backlog, and this was at a cost of around £40 per uplift; however, costs are likely to have increased since then due to inflation. 7.7. Currently, bulk uplift orders do not require the age of the requestor; therefore the Council does not hold the information to enable age analysis on existing requests. Therefore, to gauge current demand, the age profile data identified in 6.7 above has been used, starting with 19.22% of the overall population are classed as elderly, and then adjusted to remove under 18s, resulting in an estimate of 23.64% of potential existing customers being elderly. If this is taken to be an accurate reflection of existing service demand, then we can estimate a drop in income of £42,790 before any demand increases or further assumptions are made, as detailed in the table below. Page 51 of 108
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Loss of Income Estimate Impact on income 2022/23 levels HRA Tenants Residents Total 2022/23 Actual £109,928.10 £71,079.98 £181,008.08 23.64% Reduction £25,987.00 £16,803.31 £42,790.31 2022/23 Revised £83,941.10 £54,276.67 £138,217.77 7.8. It is, however, possible that the actual percentage of current service recipients could be higher than the demographic average due to the type of service provided, meaning that this loss could actually be higher. 7.9. In summary, the impact of introducing a policy for free bulk uplifts for the elderly could result in a reduction in income (minimum £0.043m) and an increased demand for the service, resulting in a requirement to increase capacity at an additional cost (which could rise initially to £0.117m), bringing the total additional annual cost to potentially £0.160m. 8. Options available to the elderly within Renfrewshire 8.1. In this section we explore existing or potential options available to the elderly through partner organisations such as the third sector within Renfrewshire; this is in relation to scope objective 5.3. 8.2. Under the Waste Scotland Regulations, councils are allowed to charge for collection of charities’ waste, but not the processing of their waste. A charge levied at 55% of the commercial waste charge, is applicable for charity collections, on the basis that the charge is for collection only; this charge was effective from 1 April 2023. The Council’s waste advisors are working with charities this year to support these revised arrangements. 8.3. The Council currently provides information regarding the potential to recycle items of bulk uplift. As residents navigate through the special uplift request form on the internet, information is provided on the RE-USE scheme: 8.3.1 Items in good condition can be donated free of charge to a re-use scheme. Before arranging an, residents are asked to consider donating any items in good condition to a re-use scheme, and the national helpline for more information is listed as 0800 0665 820. Examples of items that re-use organisations will accept: • Sofas and armchairs (fire regulation tags must be attached) • Beds and mattresses (fire regulation tags must be attached) • Wardrobes and chest of drawers • Dining furniture • Fridges, freezers, electric cookers, washing machines, tumble dryers • Bicycles Page 52 of 108
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8.3.2 The Zero Waste Scotland website allows residents to enter a postcode to find a list of charitable organisations in the area that can be contacted to discuss re-use options. This can be found at: https://www.zerowastescotland.org.uk/resources/pass-items- through-reuse-tool 8.4. Care & Repair Renfrewshire delivers free services to Renfrewshire residents who are older, or who have disabilities. This includes a minor repairs service; however, it has been confirmed that removal of bulk uplift items is not one of the services currently provided. 8.5. This is not an exhaustive list of all organisations that may work in local areas who could potentially be of assistance to elderly or vulnerable residents; one further example is the Darkwood Crew in the Ferguslie Park area. 8.6. There are five recycling centres across Renfrewshire where residents can recycle, re-use and dispose of a wide range of household materials directly. Residents must bring proof of residency in Renfrewshire, such as a Council Tax bill or driving licence, to all sites to gain access. 8.7. All council tenants including the elderly are entitled to two special uplifts per year as part of their rent charge; this is achieved by providing their rent reference number when making their booking. 9. Other Local Authority service provision 9.1. Here we explore our neighbouring local authorities in relation to bulk uplift services provided. We also look nationally to see whether any free or reduced services are available, for either the elderly specifically, or for any other service users; this is in relation to scope objective 5.4. 9.2. A comparison of the charges and policies of our neighbouring authorities has been provided for context. It can be noted that none of our neighbouring authorities are currently providing any exemptions for these charges to the elderly or for any other demographic. The table below provides a summary of the common charges for comparison. Organisation Standard Charge Additional Context Renfrewshire £35.35 1 to 20 items with a cost of £35.35 for white goods (per item) North Ayrshire £25.20 Up to five items with an additional £5.04 for each additional item. Inverclyde £26.10 1-5 Items £26.10 (Minimum Charge), 6-10 Items £52.25. East Renfrewshire £51.85 Items should be manageable for a 2-person crew to collect within a 15-minute time slot. West Dunbartonshire £24.36 1 to 9 items with over ten items will result in a time charge rate. Glasgow City £5.00 1 item per £5, this covers standard items and large electrical items. Page 53 of 108
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9.3. A review of the services provided by all 32 local authorities has highlighted that only Stirling Council currently offers an exemption for the elderly (in this case 60+ residents). If all members of a household are over 60 years old, the council will collect up to two special uplifts free of charge each year. The standard charge is £45.60 for up to five items. 9.4. Two authorities currently operate a discount scheme for residents who are on Housing benefit or Council Tax Reduction (CTR). At the time of request the resident inputs their benefit reference number to obtain the discount. At present no other examples of discounted bulk uplift services have been identified across Scotland. Benefit Discount Schemes Organisation Standard Charge Additional Context Aberdeen City £30.00 50% reduction if a resident is entitled to Housing or Council Tax Reduction. Aberdeenshire Council £29.72 60% reduction if a resident is entitled to Housing or Council Tax Reduction. 9.5. In order to assess the potential impact of a similar policy in Renfrewshire, the latest Council Tax Reduction (CTR) information has been analysed between HRA tenants and other residents who are in receipt of any amount of CTR. The table below shows that the percentage of HRA tenants claiming CTR is 51.55% and 12.31% of other tenancies. 2022/23 Year End Council Tax Reduction Data CTR Analysis HRA Tenants Residents Total Number of Claims 6,297 9,671 15,968 Stock Number 12,216 78,566 90,782 % CTR 51.55% 12.31% 17.59% 9.6. The table below outlines a high-level assumption on the potential cost of implementing this type of policy. This is based purely on the CTR data from above and assumes only a potential loss of income of 51.55% for HRA tenants and 12.31% for other residents of Renfrewshire. This has been modelled on both 50% and 60% reductions, in line with the two schemes identified nationally. Income Impact Discount Scheme Renfrewshire Impact on income 2022/23 levels HRA Tenants Residents Total No discount 100% charge £109,928.10 £71,079.98 £181,008.08 50% discount on CTR% £28,332.40 £4,374.76 £32,707.16 60% discount on CTR% £33,998.88 £5,249.71 £39,248.59 Page 54 of 108
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9.7. The table shows a potential loss of income of £32,707 to £39,249, assuming existing income levels and no change to demand for uplifts. If this policy was implemented and demand exceeded the current operational capacity, then additional costs as highlighted in 7.6 could similarly be expected. 9.8. In summary, the impact of introducing a policy for discounted bulk uplifts for CTR eligible could result in a reduction in income (minimum £0.033m) and an increased demand for the service resulting in a requirement to increase capacity at an additional cost (rising to £0.117m), bringing the total additional annual cost to potentially £0.150m. 10. Key Findings 10.1. The demographic information has identified that the over 65 population in Renfrewshire is forecast to increase in both numbers and as a percentage of the overall population in the coming years. 10.2. A review of the services provided by all 32 local authorities, has highlighted that only Stirling Council currently offers an exemption for the elderly, in this case 60+ residents. 10.3. Two other authorities currently operate a discount scheme for residents who are on Housing benefit or Council Tax Reduction (CTR). 10.4. No other examples of any discounted bulk uplift services have been identified across Scotland. 10.5. The cost of implementing a free bulk uplift service for the Elderly within Renfrewshire is estimated at an additional recurring cost of a minimum £0.160m per year. 10.6. Items in good condition can be donated free of charge to a re-use scheme. 10.7. There are five recycling centres across Renfrewshire where you can recycle, re-use and dispose of a wide range of household materials directly. 10.8. The third sector offers potential alternatives to the disposal of waste. 11. Recommendations 11.1. It is recommended that the service increases awareness of the options available to all service users, including HRA tenants, through a review of the existing bulk uplift request internet page. 11.2. It is recommended that this includes a visible and direct link to the Zero Waste Scotland website to improve access to third sector organisations. 11.3. It is recommended that the Council increases promotion of the facilities available where residents can recycle, re-use and dispose of bulk directly. 11.4. It is recommended that the tenancy termination process includes highlighting the services available to HRA tenants to assist in the clearance of properties prior to the end of the tenancy. Page 55 of 108
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11.5. As this report does not propose any policy or service change, no equality and human rights impact assessments are required at this time. However, if any change to policy or service position were to be proposed, then full equality and human rights impact assessments would be required and assessment made in line with the Council’s Fairer Scotland duty by the service responsible for bulk uplifts. In addition, such a change to the service would increase the Council’s medium term financial deficit and would require to be funded within existing budgets, for example by potentially increasing charges to remaining users. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of this report 1. Financial - The review highlights the additional costs and loss of income to Renfrewshire Council that could occur in the event of changes to the current arrangements relating to charges for bulk uplift services, amounting to an estimated £0.160m per year. This could rise depending on the level of demand experienced in future. 2. HR and Organisational Development - None directly arising from this report. 3. Community/Council Planning - None directly arising from this report. 4. Legal - None directly arising from this report. 5. Property/Assets - None directly arising from this report. 6. Information Technology - None directly arising from this report. 7. Equality and Human Rights - The recommendations contained within this report have not been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights as the paper sets out the scope for a review process rather than proposing any changes to services. If any change to policy or service position were to be considered in future, then full equality and human rights impact assessments will be undertaken. 8. Health and Safety - None directly arising from this report. 9. Procurement - None directly arising from this report. 10. Risk - None directly arising from this report. Page 56 of 108
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11. Privacy Impact - None directly arising from this report. 12. 13. Cosla Policy Position - Not applicable. Climate Risk - None directly arising from this report. __________________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board Annual Programme approved 22 August 2022. Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board Charges for Bulk Items Uplift for the Elderly 23 January 2023. Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board Charges for Bulk Items Uplift for the Elderly 13 March 2023. Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board Charges for Bulk Items Uplift for the Elderly 22 May 2023. Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board Charges for Bulk Items Uplift for the Elderly 26 September 2023. Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board Charges for Bulk Items Uplift for the Elderly 6 November 2023. The foregoing background papers will be retained within Finance and Resources for inspection by the public for the prescribed period of four years from the date of the meeting. The contact officer within the service is Finance Business Partner John Kilpatrick who can be contacted at john.kilpatrick@renfrewshire.gov.uk __________________________________________________________________ Author: John Kilpatrick, Finance Business Partner Page 57 of 108
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Appendix 1a 2018-based principal population projections by sex, single year of age and year (2018-2030) 2018 2019 2020 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 2029 2030 All ages 177,790 178,294 178,766 179,276 179,761 180,266 180,689 181,091 181,502 181,870 182,256 182,597 182,930 0 1,754 1,640 1,667 1,670 1,671 1,675 1,679 1,681 1,685 1,676 1,675 1,671 1,660 1 1,773 1,751 1,648 1,675 1,678 1,676 1,682 1,685 1,687 1,691 1,682 1,681 1,677 2 1,815 1,797 1,775 1,673 1,701 1,704 1,702 1,709 1,712 1,714 1,718 1,709 1,708 3 1,786 1,826 1,811 1,785 1,682 1,709 1,714 1,711 1,718 1,721 1,723 1,727 1,718 4 1,894 1,790 1,832 1,816 1,791 1,690 1,714 1,720 1,718 1,725 1,728 1,730 1,734 5 1,976 1,900 1,797 1,836 1,820 1,794 1,695 1,718 1,723 1,721 1,728 1,731 1,733 6 1,983 1,991 1,915 1,812 1,851 1,831 1,805 1,707 1,731 1,736 1,734 1,741 1,744 7 2,001 1,996 2,001 1,923 1,825 1,860 1,840 1,813 1,715 1,739 1,744 1,742 1,749 8 1,898 2,016 2,013 2,016 1,935 1,841 1,875 1,854 1,825 1,727 1,751 1,756 1,754 9 1,909 1,894 2,017 2,011 2,013 1,932 1,838 1,873 1,851 1,822 1,723 1,748 1,752 10 2,009 1,923 1,908 2,030 2,024 2,027 1,945 1,852 1,887 1,864 1,836 1,736 1,761 11 1,879 2,020 1,931 1,917 2,039 2,037 2,038 1,955 1,863 1,898 1,874 1,845 1,746 12 1,937 1,883 2,025 1,936 1,923 2,047 2,042 2,043 1,960 1,868 1,903 1,879 1,849 13 1,906 1,949 1,896 2,033 1,946 1,933 2,058 2,052 2,053 1,970 1,878 1,913 1,888 14 1,854 1,924 1,969 1,919 2,057 1,969 1,953 2,080 2,074 2,075 1,992 1,901 1,935 15 1,797 1,865 1,933 1,977 1,929 2,068 1,981 1,963 2,092 2,085 2,085 2,003 1,912 16 1,815 1,802 1,870 1,938 1,978 1,935 2,072 1,985 1,967 2,096 2,089 2,088 2,006 17 1,918 1,805 1,794 1,860 1,928 1,969 1,926 2,063 1,976 1,958 2,089 2,082 2,078 18 1,902 1,869 1,759 1,753 1,817 1,885 1,922 1,880 2,015 1,931 1,913 2,041 2,034 19 1,893 1,835 1,797 1,687 1,685 1,747 1,815 1,846 1,809 1,937 1,859 1,838 1,964 20 2,017 1,933 1,867 1,833 1,717 1,726 1,779 1,846 1,879 1,843 1,973 1,894 1,874 21 2,156 2,084 2,002 1,931 1,896 1,778 1,790 1,844 1,910 1,943 1,909 2,038 1,961 22 2,112 2,207 2,131 2,053 1,981 1,942 1,827 1,836 1,891 1,957 1,989 1,957 2,088 23 2,147 2,132 2,218 2,144 2,070 1,998 1,955 1,839 1,849 1,904 1,970 2,002 1,972 24 2,256 2,167 2,150 2,240 2,168 2,091 2,018 1,975 1,858 1,868 1,921 1,986 2,020 25 2,303 2,267 2,177 2,161 2,250 2,178 2,099 2,027 1,983 1,867 1,877 1,929 1,994 26 2,471 2,334 2,296 2,211 2,200 2,283 2,210 2,132 2,060 2,014 1,898 1,912 1,963 27 2,361 2,482 2,340 2,307 2,221 2,212 2,292 2,217 2,141 2,069 2,022 1,907 1,922 28 2,349 2,396 2,514 2,369 2,335 2,245 2,235 2,316 2,240 2,164 2,090 2,042 1,926 29 2,241 2,359 2,403 2,527 2,370 2,335 2,250 2,239 2,317 2,243 2,166 2,092 2,044 30 2,408 2,292 2,405 2,463 2,586 2,427 2,381 2,298 2,290 2,364 2,291 2,214 2,137 31 2,442 2,443 2,343 2,450 2,518 2,638 2,474 2,426 2,346 2,338 2,411 2,337 2,260 32 2,194 2,461 2,481 2,386 2,490 2,561 2,677 2,513 2,462 2,381 2,376 2,448 2,374 33 2,258 2,249 2,514 2,543 2,452 2,550 2,629 2,744 2,576 2,520 2,440 2,435 2,504 34 2,213 2,288 2,285 2,544 2,577 2,491 2,586 2,668 2,781 2,609 2,554 2,475 2,469 35 2,412 2,231 2,310 2,308 2,563 2,597 2,513 2,609 2,695 2,806 2,632 2,575 2,496 36 2,239 2,429 2,248 2,333 2,332 2,577 2,616 2,535 2,630 2,719 2,830 2,652 2,593 37 2,414 2,265 2,456 2,285 2,372 2,373 2,609 2,655 2,575 2,671 2,762 2,871 2,689 38 2,181 2,420 2,274 2,454 2,292 2,382 2,381 2,611 2,658 2,581 2,677 2,770 2,877 39 2,102 2,190 2,414 2,276 2,452 2,294 2,386 2,384 2,609 2,659 2,583 2,678 2,773 40 1,947 2,117 2,208 2,422 2,287 2,466 2,308 2,401 2,399 2,620 2,673 2,597 2,692 41 1,872 1,963 2,136 2,228 2,433 2,304 2,481 2,322 2,418 2,414 2,635 2,690 2,614 42 1,961 1,890 1,978 2,148 2,238 2,441 2,316 2,491 2,333 2,431 2,428 2,645 2,703 43 2,101 1,967 1,895 1,984 2,154 2,244 2,441 2,320 2,494 2,337 2,436 2,432 2,648 44 2,126 2,099 1,969 1,900 1,987 2,156 2,244 2,439 2,321 2,493 2,337 2,437 2,433 45 2,231 2,123 2,098 1,970 1,900 1,988 2,158 2,247 2,436 2,322 2,491 2,338 2,439 46 2,397 2,233 2,124 2,101 1,975 1,904 1,992 2,164 2,254 2,437 2,330 2,494 2,342 47 2,563 2,399 2,239 2,130 2,108 1,983 1,912 2,000 2,174 2,264 2,444 2,339 2,502 48 2,705 2,569 2,404 2,243 2,134 2,113 1,988 1,916 2,007 2,180 2,272 2,448 2,346 49 2,668 2,701 2,566 2,400 2,239 2,131 2,112 1,987 1,915 2,006 2,179 2,273 2,446 50 2,812 2,666 2,699 2,565 2,398 2,236 2,130 2,113 1,988 1,915 2,007 2,181 2,276 51 2,810 2,808 2,664 2,700 2,566 2,402 2,237 2,132 2,114 1,991 1,919 2,009 2,184 52 2,819 2,798 2,796 2,653 2,688 2,555 2,394 2,230 2,123 2,106 1,985 1,911 2,003 53 2,917 2,810 2,791 2,789 2,648 2,684 2,552 2,391 2,229 2,121 2,104 1,984 1,910 54 2,811 2,899 2,797 2,778 2,773 2,635 2,671 2,540 2,379 2,220 2,113 2,095 1,974 55 2,733 2,807 2,896 2,795 2,774 2,770 2,633 2,667 2,537 2,377 2,218 2,110 2,094 56 2,800 2,720 2,794 2,883 2,782 2,761 2,759 2,622 2,655 2,529 2,370 2,211 2,103 57 2,815 2,782 2,699 2,774 2,860 2,762 2,742 2,738 2,603 2,636 2,512 2,354 2,194 58 2,576 2,796 2,767 2,686 2,758 2,845 2,746 2,729 2,724 2,590 2,623 2,501 2,345 59 2,575 2,559 2,776 2,747 2,669 2,743 2,826 2,726 2,711 2,707 2,573 2,606 2,486 60 2,528 2,549 2,535 2,749 2,719 2,646 2,719 2,800 2,701 2,688 2,682 2,550 2,584 61 2,338 2,508 2,530 2,518 2,732 2,702 2,630 2,703 2,783 2,684 2,673 2,667 2,536 62 2,222 2,322 2,486 2,511 2,499 2,711 2,682 2,611 2,683 2,761 2,664 2,653 2,648 63 2,130 2,200 2,297 2,458 2,482 2,476 2,683 2,654 2,584 2,657 2,734 2,638 2,628 64 2,070 2,108 2,179 2,275 2,433 2,457 2,453 2,658 2,630 2,560 2,634 2,710 2,615 65 1,980 2,051 2,090 2,161 2,255 2,410 2,434 2,430 2,633 2,607 2,538 2,612 2,686 66 1,862 1,957 2,027 2,064 2,135 2,228 2,383 2,407 2,403 2,606 2,580 2,513 2,585 67 1,999 1,835 1,928 2,001 2,036 2,106 2,199 2,353 2,378 2,374 2,575 2,551 2,484 68 1,871 1,967 1,805 1,897 1,969 2,004 2,074 2,165 2,318 2,343 2,339 2,538 2,515 69 1,951 1,837 1,932 1,772 1,864 1,935 1,970 2,039 2,129 2,281 2,305 2,301 2,499 70 1,913 1,917 1,809 1,903 1,745 1,837 1,907 1,940 2,011 2,098 2,250 2,272 2,271 71 2,173 1,875 1,878 1,772 1,864 1,711 1,800 1,870 1,903 1,973 2,059 2,209 2,232 72 1,565 2,125 1,834 1,839 1,735 1,826 1,676 1,764 1,833 1,865 1,936 2,019 2,167 73 1,560 1,522 2,068 1,783 1,788 1,687 1,779 1,633 1,719 1,787 1,819 1,889 1,970 74 1,572 1,524 1,486 2,015 1,739 1,745 1,648 1,738 1,596 1,681 1,748 1,780 1,850 75 1,375 1,521 1,476 1,440 1,951 1,684 1,691 1,597 1,686 1,548 1,631 1,697 1,730 76 1,283 1,325 1,468 1,423 1,389 1,884 1,625 1,633 1,544 1,630 1,497 1,578 1,643 77 1,238 1,236 1,276 1,413 1,370 1,337 1,819 1,568 1,578 1,490 1,575 1,447 1,525 78 1,136 1,192 1,190 1,228 1,360 1,319 1,288 1,753 1,512 1,523 1,439 1,522 1,398 79 1,158 1,083 1,135 1,134 1,170 1,298 1,258 1,230 1,675 1,445 1,456 1,376 1,456 80 1,090 1,104 1,031 1,079 1,079 1,113 1,235 1,197 1,172 1,597 1,377 1,388 1,313 81 1,025 1,027 1,037 971 1,015 1,017 1,049 1,164 1,129 1,105 1,510 1,301 1,313 82 947 966 965 976 914 956 959 989 1,097 1,065 1,043 1,426 1,229 83 887 878 894 893 903 848 885 890 917 1,018 989 969 1,329 84 780 820 809 827 824 835 786 818 825 850 943 916 900 85 631 715 748 739 755 754 765 720 748 756 779 865 839 86 598 572 646 675 668 683 682 692 653 678 685 707 785 87 536 534 507 574 599 593 608 607 615 582 603 611 632 88 468 470 466 443 501 522 517 532 533 539 511 529 538 89 370 406 405 401 385 434 452 449 462 463 469 445 461 90 and over 1,320 1,337 1,347 1,361 1,377 1,378 1,388 1,408 1,427 1,446 1,469 1,487 1,497 65+ 33,288 33,796 34,257 34,784 35,390 36,144 36,877 37,586 38,496 39,350 40,125 40,948 41,847 % 65+ 18.7% 19.0% 19.2% 19.4% 19.7% 20.1% 20.4% 20.8% 21.2% 21.6% 22.0% 22.4% 22.9% Page 59 of 108
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Appendix 1b 2018-based principal population projections by sex, single year of age and year (2031-2043) 2031 2032 2033 2034 2035 2036 2037 2038 2039 2040 2041 2042 2043 All ages 183,199 183,460 183,720 183,922 184,111 184,306 184,472 184,662 184,817 184,976 185,098 185,239 185,360 0 1,652 1,646 1,648 1,637 1,635 1,633 1,632 1,641 1,645 1,649 1,651 1,654 1,657 1 1,666 1,658 1,652 1,654 1,643 1,641 1,639 1,638 1,647 1,651 1,655 1,657 1,660 2 1,704 1,693 1,685 1,679 1,681 1,670 1,668 1,666 1,665 1,674 1,678 1,682 1,684 3 1,717 1,713 1,702 1,694 1,688 1,690 1,679 1,677 1,675 1,674 1,683 1,687 1,691 4 1,725 1,724 1,720 1,709 1,701 1,695 1,697 1,686 1,684 1,682 1,681 1,690 1,694 5 1,737 1,728 1,727 1,723 1,712 1,704 1,698 1,700 1,689 1,687 1,685 1,684 1,693 6 1,746 1,750 1,741 1,740 1,736 1,725 1,717 1,711 1,713 1,702 1,700 1,698 1,697 7 1,752 1,754 1,758 1,749 1,748 1,744 1,733 1,725 1,719 1,721 1,710 1,708 1,706 8 1,762 1,764 1,766 1,771 1,762 1,761 1,757 1,746 1,738 1,732 1,734 1,723 1,721 9 1,750 1,759 1,760 1,762 1,767 1,759 1,758 1,753 1,742 1,734 1,728 1,730 1,719 10 1,765 1,763 1,772 1,773 1,775 1,780 1,772 1,771 1,766 1,755 1,747 1,741 1,743 11 1,771 1,775 1,773 1,782 1,783 1,785 1,790 1,782 1,781 1,776 1,765 1,757 1,751 12 1,750 1,775 1,779 1,777 1,786 1,787 1,789 1,794 1,786 1,785 1,780 1,769 1,761 13 1,858 1,759 1,784 1,788 1,786 1,795 1,796 1,798 1,803 1,795 1,794 1,789 1,778 14 1,911 1,879 1,781 1,806 1,810 1,808 1,817 1,818 1,820 1,825 1,817 1,816 1,811 15 1,946 1,922 1,889 1,791 1,816 1,820 1,818 1,827 1,828 1,830 1,835 1,827 1,826 16 1,916 1,949 1,926 1,892 1,795 1,820 1,824 1,822 1,831 1,832 1,834 1,839 1,831 17 1,997 1,907 1,940 1,917 1,882 1,785 1,810 1,814 1,812 1,821 1,822 1,824 1,829 18 2,029 1,952 1,862 1,895 1,871 1,834 1,741 1,765 1,769 1,767 1,776 1,777 1,779 19 1,955 1,949 1,876 1,792 1,823 1,796 1,762 1,673 1,697 1,702 1,700 1,708 1,709 20 2,000 1,991 1,984 1,910 1,828 1,859 1,830 1,796 1,706 1,732 1,737 1,734 1,742 21 1,940 2,066 2,058 2,050 1,975 1,896 1,926 1,895 1,861 1,771 1,797 1,802 1,799 22 2,013 1,993 2,119 2,112 2,102 2,027 1,948 1,979 1,946 1,912 1,821 1,848 1,853 23 2,102 2,030 2,010 2,134 2,126 2,115 2,042 1,964 1,994 1,962 1,925 1,836 1,864 24 1,991 2,117 2,052 2,030 2,154 2,145 2,133 2,065 1,986 2,012 1,983 1,944 1,860 25 2,026 2,002 2,125 2,064 2,041 2,162 2,154 2,142 2,073 1,997 2,022 1,993 1,953 26 2,026 2,057 2,036 2,157 2,097 2,074 2,197 2,185 2,174 2,107 2,034 2,057 2,027 27 1,972 2,035 2,064 2,047 2,166 2,109 2,087 2,207 2,196 2,183 2,118 2,046 2,068 28 1,943 1,994 2,054 2,084 2,070 2,190 2,135 2,113 2,232 2,220 2,206 2,142 2,072 29 1,927 1,944 1,995 2,055 2,085 2,074 2,193 2,139 2,115 2,237 2,223 2,208 2,147 30 2,086 1,969 1,986 2,040 2,100 2,128 2,119 2,240 2,189 2,163 2,287 2,270 2,254 31 2,179 2,127 2,012 2,028 2,083 2,140 2,171 2,162 2,285 2,236 2,210 2,335 2,316 32 2,297 2,213 2,159 2,044 2,061 2,116 2,174 2,205 2,198 2,321 2,273 2,246 2,374 33 2,432 2,353 2,267 2,211 2,095 2,113 2,168 2,227 2,258 2,252 2,376 2,331 2,303 34 2,537 2,464 2,386 2,295 2,240 2,125 2,144 2,198 2,256 2,288 2,283 2,408 2,364 35 2,490 2,557 2,485 2,406 2,312 2,257 2,141 2,161 2,214 2,273 2,306 2,303 2,427 36 2,515 2,508 2,573 2,501 2,423 2,327 2,270 2,156 2,175 2,228 2,288 2,321 2,321 37 2,629 2,554 2,547 2,610 2,539 2,461 2,363 2,306 2,191 2,210 2,264 2,326 2,359 38 2,693 2,632 2,558 2,551 2,614 2,543 2,466 2,367 2,312 2,196 2,216 2,270 2,332 39 2,878 2,692 2,630 2,557 2,550 2,612 2,542 2,465 2,365 2,311 2,196 2,217 2,270 40 2,789 2,892 2,704 2,644 2,570 2,564 2,625 2,554 2,477 2,375 2,322 2,207 2,229 41 2,709 2,807 2,909 2,720 2,659 2,585 2,578 2,639 2,568 2,491 2,388 2,337 2,220 42 2,628 2,722 2,822 2,922 2,734 2,671 2,597 2,589 2,650 2,579 2,503 2,398 2,346 43 2,705 2,633 2,726 2,826 2,925 2,737 2,674 2,601 2,593 2,654 2,583 2,508 2,401 44 2,646 2,704 2,632 2,726 2,825 2,923 2,736 2,671 2,599 2,592 2,651 2,581 2,506 45 2,434 2,645 2,704 2,633 2,726 2,827 2,921 2,735 2,671 2,598 2,592 2,651 2,580 46 2,446 2,439 2,646 2,709 2,639 2,733 2,835 2,926 2,739 2,676 2,603 2,596 2,655 47 2,350 2,454 2,449 2,654 2,719 2,648 2,742 2,845 2,936 2,748 2,685 2,611 2,605 48 2,507 2,356 2,460 2,456 2,659 2,726 2,655 2,749 2,853 2,943 2,754 2,690 2,617 49 2,347 2,505 2,355 2,459 2,456 2,658 2,725 2,655 2,749 2,853 2,942 2,752 2,689 50 2,445 2,347 2,504 2,355 2,459 2,456 2,656 2,725 2,655 2,749 2,854 2,943 2,752 51 2,281 2,447 2,349 2,505 2,357 2,461 2,459 2,658 2,728 2,660 2,754 2,859 2,945 52 2,178 2,276 2,441 2,344 2,499 2,352 2,455 2,454 2,652 2,722 2,657 2,750 2,855 53 2,002 2,177 2,274 2,437 2,342 2,496 2,349 2,452 2,453 2,647 2,718 2,653 2,746 54 1,900 1,994 2,168 2,265 2,425 2,332 2,485 2,339 2,442 2,442 2,634 2,707 2,642 55 1,973 1,898 1,993 2,168 2,266 2,425 2,333 2,483 2,340 2,443 2,443 2,633 2,708 56 2,088 1,969 1,894 1,988 2,164 2,261 2,418 2,329 2,476 2,336 2,439 2,438 2,627 57 2,090 2,076 1,959 1,884 1,978 2,154 2,250 2,405 2,316 2,463 2,323 2,426 2,425 58 2,183 2,080 2,067 1,948 1,874 1,969 2,145 2,242 2,395 2,309 2,454 2,316 2,418 59 2,330 2,167 2,065 2,053 1,935 1,861 1,956 2,132 2,230 2,380 2,296 2,438 2,303 60 2,464 2,311 2,150 2,048 2,036 1,919 1,846 1,941 2,118 2,215 2,363 2,280 2,420 61 2,569 2,451 2,298 2,138 2,039 2,027 1,912 1,839 1,933 2,111 2,206 2,353 2,273 62 2,517 2,552 2,435 2,282 2,124 2,026 2,016 1,901 1,828 1,923 2,101 2,196 2,341 63 2,623 2,494 2,529 2,412 2,261 2,106 2,010 2,000 1,887 1,814 1,909 2,087 2,180 64 2,605 2,602 2,474 2,508 2,392 2,244 2,089 1,995 1,984 1,872 1,800 1,895 2,070 65 2,593 2,583 2,582 2,455 2,489 2,374 2,228 2,074 1,982 1,972 1,861 1,789 1,885 66 2,660 2,568 2,558 2,557 2,431 2,467 2,353 2,208 2,055 1,964 1,955 1,844 1,774 67 2,556 2,631 2,540 2,531 2,530 2,405 2,441 2,329 2,186 2,034 1,944 1,935 1,824 68 2,450 2,522 2,595 2,506 2,497 2,497 2,374 2,411 2,300 2,159 2,009 1,920 1,912 69 2,476 2,412 2,484 2,557 2,470 2,462 2,462 2,340 2,377 2,269 2,129 1,981 1,893 70 2,465 2,442 2,381 2,454 2,525 2,439 2,433 2,432 2,314 2,350 2,244 2,107 1,960 71 2,232 2,423 2,402 2,342 2,414 2,486 2,401 2,396 2,395 2,278 2,314 2,210 2,076 72 2,192 2,193 2,380 2,361 2,302 2,374 2,446 2,363 2,359 2,359 2,243 2,280 2,177 73 2,116 2,140 2,143 2,326 2,309 2,251 2,323 2,393 2,314 2,309 2,310 2,197 2,235 74 1,930 2,074 2,097 2,102 2,281 2,265 2,209 2,281 2,350 2,273 2,270 2,270 2,162 75 1,798 1,877 2,017 2,040 2,048 2,222 2,206 2,152 2,224 2,291 2,216 2,215 2,217 76 1,676 1,743 1,819 1,957 1,980 1,988 2,157 2,144 2,091 2,163 2,228 2,156 2,156 77 1,589 1,623 1,688 1,762 1,897 1,920 1,928 2,093 2,081 2,030 2,102 2,165 2,096 78 1,474 1,537 1,571 1,634 1,706 1,840 1,861 1,871 2,030 2,020 1,972 2,043 2,105 79 1,338 1,411 1,473 1,507 1,568 1,636 1,767 1,788 1,799 1,954 1,944 1,899 1,969 80 1,390 1,279 1,348 1,409 1,443 1,503 1,568 1,695 1,716 1,728 1,878 1,869 1,827 81 1,242 1,316 1,211 1,278 1,338 1,370 1,428 1,491 1,613 1,634 1,645 1,791 1,783 82 1,241 1,175 1,246 1,147 1,211 1,269 1,300 1,356 1,416 1,533 1,554 1,566 1,705 83 1,144 1,156 1,096 1,162 1,071 1,133 1,187 1,217 1,272 1,328 1,440 1,460 1,472 84 1,236 1,061 1,074 1,019 1,082 998 1,056 1,109 1,137 1,190 1,245 1,350 1,369 85 827 1,137 975 987 939 998 920 975 1,026 1,052 1,102 1,153 1,253 86 763 751 1,035 888 899 856 911 841 892 941 966 1,013 1,058 87 701 682 673 928 796 807 770 820 757 806 850 873 917 88 556 618 601 594 821 704 715 683 729 672 718 758 779 89 470 486 541 526 522 722 619 629 601 643 596 635 673 90 and over 1,490 1,505 1,542 1,592 1,618 1,654 1,842 1,933 1,993 2,024 2,049 2,058 2,085 65+ 42,605 43,345 44,072 44,621 45,187 45,640 45,905 46,024 46,009 45,976 45,784 45,537 45,362 % 65+ 23.3% 23.6% 24.0% 24.3% 24.5% 24.8% 24.9% 24.9% 24.9% 24.9% 24.7% 24.6% 24.5% Page 61 of 108
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Scotland Wide Analysis, mid-2021 sample Appendix 2 Area name All ages Aged 65+ % 65+ Dumfries and Galloway 148,790 39,562 26.6% Na h-Eileanan Siar 26,640 7,072 26.5% Argyll and Bute 86,220 22,777 26.4% South Ayrshire 112,450 29,362 26.1% Scottish Borders 116,020 29,655 25.6% Orkney Islands 22,540 5,540 24.6% Angus 116,120 28,464 24.5% Perth and Kinross 153,810 36,998 24.1% North Ayrshire 134,220 31,294 23.3% Highland 238,060 55,224 23.2% East Dunbartonshire 108,900 25,065 23.0% Moray 96,410 21,534 22.3% Inverclyde 76,700 16,721 21.8% Shetland Islands 22,940 4,924 21.5% Fife 374,730 79,415 21.2% East Ayrshire 122,020 25,574 21.0% East Lothian 109,580 22,865 20.9% Clackmannanshire 51,540 10,718 20.8% East Renfrewshire 96,580 19,846 20.5% Aberdeenshire 262,690 53,617 20.4% Stirling 93,470 18,791 20.1% South Lanarkshire 322,630 64,500 20.0% Scotland 5,479,900 1,073,861 19.6% West Dunbartonshire 87,790 17,142 19.5% Falkirk 160,700 31,115 19.4% Renfrewshire 179,940 34,585 19.2% Midlothian 94,680 17,867 18.9% Dundee City 147,720 26,243 17.8% North Lanarkshire 341,400 60,616 17.8% West Lothian 185,580 31,553 17.0% Aberdeen City 227,430 37,341 16.4% City of Edinburgh 526,470 81,277 15.4% Glasgow City 635,130 86,604 13.6% Page 63 of 108
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___________________________________________________________________ To: Council On: 14 December 2023 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Finance and Resources ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Statutory Review of Polling Places and Polling Districts ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 In terms of the Representation of the People Act, 1983, as amended, local authorities are required to divide their area into polling districts for the purposes of parliamentary and other elections and to designate polling places for these polling districts and keep them under review. 1.2 The Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013, further amended the Representation of the People Act 1983 by introducing a statutory duty for all polling districts and polling places to be reviewed by the end of January 2015 and at least every 5 years thereafter. 1.3 The current polling arrangements following the previous statutory review were approved by Council on 5 December 2019, for use in all elections thereafter in the period to the next review. 1.4 In conducting the review, authorities must: (a) seek to ensure that all electors in the constituency have such reasonable facilities for voting as are practicable in the circumstances; and (b) seek to ensure that so far as is reasonable and practical, the polling places they are responsible for are accessible to all electors, including those who are disabled, and when considering the designation of a polling place, must have regard to the accessibility needs of persons with disabilities. Item 7 Page 65 of 108
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1.5 In that regard, an initial notice was published on 11 June 2023 giving details of the timetable for and scope of the review, and the consultation process and inviting comments on the current arrangements. In addition, notice was given to key groups, including councillors, Council departments, community councils, Renfrewshire Valuation Board, the local Disability Liaison Group and Capability Scotland for their interest. 1.6 A second notice was published in October 2023 and the comments received from both phases of the consultation are set out in Appendix 4 to this report. This Appendix also sets out alternative arrangements for two polling places that have become unavailable since the last review in 2019: it is suggested that the Tannahill Centre replaces St Ninian’s Church Centre and Our Lady of Peace Primary School replaces Linwood Parish Church Hall. Appendix 5 identifies local housing developments that might impact on polling arrangements. 1.7 The 2023 Review of UK Parliament Constituencies Boundary Commission for Scotland Final Recommendations were laid before Parliament on 28 June 2023. An Order was submitted to the Privy Council giving to the recommendations of the four UK Commissions. At the Privy Council meeting on 15 November, His Majesty The King made the Order in Council - the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023 (SI 2023/1230) - to implement the recommendations in the reports across the UK. The Order came into force on 29 November and the new parliamentary constituencies will take effect at the next UK Parliamentary General Election called after this date. The changes made to the Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries require a number changes to polling districts and these are detailed in the report. 1.8 A polling scheme showing the polling places is also attached as Appendix 3 for approval. 1.9 It is a requirement that the Returning Officer shall comment on the proposals. The draft polling scheme presented here has been the subject of consultation with the Returning Officer who has endorsed the proposals. 1.10 At the meeting of Council held on 22 June 2023 a timetable for the review process was agreed and this is set out in paragraph 3.5 of this report. ________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations Council is asked to: 2.1 Consider approval of the polling places as set out in the appendices to this report for use in all elections and referenda until the next review. 2.2 Homologate the changes made to the polling districts required by the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023. _________________________________________________________________ Page 66 of 108
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3. Background 3.1 The Representation of the People Act 1983 as amended by the Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013, introduced a duty for all polling districts and polling places to be reviewed by the end of January 2015 and at least five-yearly thereafter. 3.2 Here in Renfrewshire, the polling districts and polling places were last reviewed and approved by Council in December 2019. 3.3 Although the review is conducted on the basis of UK parliamentary constituencies the proposed polling district boundaries and polling places shown in the appendices to this report also align with the Scottish Parliamentary constituency boundaries and accommodate council ward boundaries, thus avoiding the necessity for differing polling schemes for different types of election. 3.4 It should be noted that the Scottish Parliamentary constituency boundaries for Paisley, Renfrewshire North and West, and Renfrewshire South include parts of East Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Councils’ areas. These Councils will review the polling districts and polling places for these areas as part of their own authorities’ statutory reviews. 3.5 The timetable for the conduct of the review in Renfrewshire is as follows: 1 Notice Published 1 June 2023 2 Representations by interested parties were sought by 1 August 2023 3 Council will consider a report on the initial proposals on 28 September 2023 4 The Council will consider all representations received and will produce draft proposals for public consultation by 9 October 2023 5 Further comments/suggestions on these proposals must be received by 1 December 2023 6 Final proposals, having regard to any comments/suggestions received will be considered by Council on 14 December 2023 3.6 In accordance with the timetable, public notice was given in the week commencing 1 June 2023 of the Council’s intention to undertake the review and inviting preliminary comments on the existing polling arrangements. 3.7 Public notice was given by advertisement in local libraries, the Council’s website, and Council offices, and maps and documents showing the current polling arrangements were made available for public inspection. 3.8 In addition, individual notice was given to councillors, community councils, the local Disability Liaison Group and Capability Scotland, for their interest. 3.9 An inspection of polling places has been carried out by officers prior to this meeting of Council with regard to location, suitability of access and availability. Page 67 of 108
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3.10 To date all polling places have been found to be fully accessible by persons with disabilities either through existing permanent arrangements in place or enhanced by temporary ramping or additional signage where possible. 3.11 Arising from the preliminary consultation exercise, only one comment was received, from Johnstone Community Council, advising that it had no objections to the proposals. One further comment was received following the second consultation exercise suggesting that the ON-X sports centre be considered as an alternative to Our Lady of Peace Primary School which, in turn, had been used as an alternative polling place when Linwood Parish Church Hall became unavailable. Appendix 4 addresses these comments and also sets out alternative arrangements for two polling places that have become unavailable since the last review in 2019: it is suggested that the Tannahill Centre replaces St Ninian’s Church Centre and Our Lady of Peace Primary School replaces Linwood Parish Church Hall. 3.12 Since the last statutory review there has been significant housing development in the Renfrewshire Council area. Appendix 5 identifies local housing developments that might impact on polling arrangements. While it is anticipated that most of these potential increases in the number of voters can be accommodated within existing polling arrangements, population trends will be monitored throughout the lifetime of the approved polling plan and adjustments may be made to the number of polling stations at each polling place as required. 3.13 The 2023 Review of UK Parliament Constituencies Boundary Commission for Scotland Final Recommendations were laid before Parliament on 28 June 2023. An Order was submitted to the Privy Council giving to the recommendations of the four UK Commissions. At the Privy Council meeting on 15 November, His Majesty The King made the Order in Council - the Parliamentary Constituencies Order 2023 (SI 2023/1230) - to implement the recommendations in the reports across the UK. The Order came into force on 29 November and the new parliamentary constituencies will take effect at the next UK Parliamentary General Election called after this date. The changes made to the Parliamentary Constituency Boundaries require a number changes to polling districts as detailed below. Given the dates the Order came into force, the Electoral Registration Officer at Renfrewshire Valuation Joint Board was required to publish a new electoral register on 1 December on the revised boundaries. This meant that Council officers were required to supply revised and renumbered polling districts on the revised boundaries to the ERO in advance of this Council Meeting. 3.14 The changes to UK Parliamentary Boundaries result in various changes to the existing polling districts as a number are included in the new Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West UK Parliamentary constituency. There are also a number of changes to the Paisley and Renfrewshire North and Paisley and Renfrewshire South constituencies. Appendix 1 sets out the changes required on a ward-by- ward basis. Appendix 2 contains maps showing each of the changes. Where any polling district becomes part of the new Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West Page 68 of 108
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UK Parliamentary constituency the electoral arrangements for a UK General Election will fall to the Returning Officer for the Inverclyde Council Area. For all other elections they will remain with the Renfrewshire Returning Officer. 3.15 In Ward 3 former polling district SP01 moves entirely to the Paisley and Renfrewshire North Constituency. The polling district is therefore renumbered as NP08. 3.16 In Ward 4 the former polling district SP05 requires to be split. The majority of district moves to the Paisley and Renfrewshire North Constituency and that portion of the polling district is renamed NP07. The remainder of former polling district, between Greenhill Road and Well Street, remains within the Paisley and Renfrewshire South Constituency and has now been amalgamated with SP06. Any electors withing that small area will now vote at the West End Community Centre. 3.17 In Ward 5 the former polling district SP12 requires to be split. The majority of district remains unchanged. However, the change in boundaries has required the creation of a new small polling district. This has been numbered as NP09. There are no electors within that district and it is unlikely that there will ever be electors within that district. However, all districts must have polling places allocated to them. Electors, if any in the future, will vote at the Disability Resource Centre for UK Parliamentary Elections and at Paisley Marriage Suite for Scottish Parliamentary and Local Government Elections. It is hoped that the anomalies created by this boundary change may be addressed in future reviews of the Scottish Parliamentary and Council Ward boundaries. 3.18 In Ward 8 the former polling district NP07 is now in the Paisley and Renfrewshire South Constituency and renamed SP01. The former polling district NP08 also moves to that constituency and is renumbered SP05. 3.19 In Ward 10 there are a number of changes required. Former polling district NN14 requires to be split. The majority of district is now in the Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West constituency and that part is numbered IN03. The remaining part of previous district remains in the Paisley and Renfrewshire North Constituency. There are currently 31 electors within that district. Given that for UK General Elections Houston and Killellan Church Halls will be administered by Inverclyde’s RO, it is not appropriate for the voters within NN14 to vote at that location. Therefore it is proposed that will vote at Inchinnan Primary School for UK, but revert to Houston and Killellan Church Halls for Scottish Parliamentary and Local Government Elections. Former polling district NS01 requires to be split. The majority of district is now in the Paisley and Renfrewshire South constituency and that part is renumbered as SS17. The remaining part of the former district will be renumbered as NS05. Currently there are no electors within this new district. It is proposed that future electors, if any, will vote at Inchinnan Primary School for UK Parliamentary Elections and at Tweedie Hall for Scottish Parliamentary and Local Government Elections. Former polling district NS02 is now in the Paisley and Renfrewshire South Constituency and is renamed SS18. Former polling district NS03 requires to be split. The majority of district is now in the now in the Paisley and Renfrewshire Page 69 of 108
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South Constituency and is renamed SS19. The remainder of the former district is now in the Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West constituency and that part is numbered IS01. There are currently 12 electors in this district. It is proposed that those electors will vote at Cargill Hall for UK Parliamentary Elections and at Brookfield Village Hall for Scottish Parliamentary and Local Government Elections. Former polling district NS04 is now in the Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West constituency and the district is numbered IS02. 3.20 There are a number of changes in Ward 11. Former polling district NN15 requires to be split. The majority of district is now in the Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West constituency and that part is numbered IN04. The remaining part of previous district remains in the Paisley and Renfrewshire North Constituency. There are currently 7 electors in this district and it is proposed that they will now vote at Langbank Village Hall. Former polling district NN16 requires to be split. The majority of district remains within the Paisley and Renfrewshire North Constituency. The remaining part of previous district is now in the Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West constituency and that part is numbered IN06. There are currently 2 electors in this district and it is proposed that they will now vote at Cargill Hall. Former polling district SN01 is now in the Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West constituency and is renumbered IN05. 3.21 In terms of the statutory review, the Returning Officer is required to comment on the proposals. Although the location of the proposed polling districts and polling places are the responsibility of the local authority, the number and location of the polling stations within the polling places is the responsibility of the Returning Officer, and it is recommended by the Electoral Commission that the review process be undertaken in a joint manner in recognition of the fact that, although the Returning Officer is an officer of the local authority, it is a distinct role and the responsibility for conducting the review rests with the local authority. Accordingly, the proposals presented here represent the joint view of the officers and the Returning Officer. 3.22 Following approval of the proposals, further public notice will be given of the conclusion of the review and the final proposals adopted. 3.23 In conclusion therefore it is recommended that the polling places and polling stations instanced in Appendix 3 to this report be approved. 3.24 It should also be noted that, in seeking final approval of the polling arrangements in December 2023 it will be proposed that the approval extends to the adoption of these arrangements for any election called thereafter until the next review and, in accordance with normal practice, delegated authority will be sought for the Chief Executive to alter or amend any polling place if an approved place becomes unavailable or unviable, e.g. through fire, flood, pandemic or otherwise. Page 70 of 108
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___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1 Financial - none. 2 HR & Organisational Development – none 3 Community/Council Planning – none 4 Legal – none 5 Property/Assets - the current Polling Plan involves the use of various council properties and consultation will take place with the appropriate officers as part of review. 6 Information Technology – none 7. Equality & Human Rights – (a) The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety - the premises currently used as polling places have been inspected and appropriate arrangements and/or adaptations have been made as necessary to obviate risk to staff and voters. 9. Procurement – none 10. Risk – n/a 11. Privacy Impact – none 12. Cosla Policy Position – none _____________________________________________________________________ Author: Dave Low Democratic Services Manager 0141 487 1118 David.low@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 71 of 108
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Existing Polling District Reference Existing Polling Place Proposed Polling District Reference Proposed Polling Place Comments NN01 Renfrew Town Hall & Museum, Renfrew Cross, Renfrew, PA4 8PF NN01 Renfrew Town Hall & Museum, Renfrew Cross, Renfrew, PA4 8PF No change NN02 Kirklandneuk Community Centre, Ness Road, Renfrew, PA4 9DE NN02 Kirklandneuk Community Centre, Ness Road, Renfrew, PA4 9DE No change NN03 Renfrew Town Hall & Museum, Renfrew Cross, Renfrew, PA4 8PF NN03 Renfrew Town Hall & Museum, Renfrew Cross, Renfrew, PA4 8PF No change NN04 McMaster Centre, Robertson Park, Donaldson Drive, Renfrew, PA4 8LX NN04 McMaster Centre, Robertson Park, Donaldson Drive, Renfrew, PA4 8LX No change NN05 King George V Sports Pavilion, Dean Park Road, Renfrew, PA4 0AN NN05 King George V Sports Pavilion, Dean Park Road, Renfrew, PA4 0AN No change NN06 St James' Primary School, 10 Brown Street, Renfrew, PA4 8HL NN06 St James' Primary School, 10 Brown Street, Renfrew, PA4 8HL No change NN07 Gallowhill Community Centre, 210 Netherhill Road, Paisley, PA3 4SF NN07 Gallowhill Community Centre, 210 Netherhill Road, Paisley, PA3 4SF No change NN08 Glynhill Hotel, 169 Paisley Road, Renfrew, PA4 8XB NN08 Glynhill Hotel, 169 Paisley Road, Renfrew, PA4 8XB No change NN09 Arkleston Primary School, 125 Cockels Loan, Renfrew, PA4 0EL NN09 Arkleston Primary School, 125 Cockels Loan, Renfrew, PA4 0EL No change NN10 Newmains Primary School, 8a Lang Avenue, Renfrew, PA4 0DA NN10 Newmains Primary School, 8a Lang Avenue, Renfrew, PA4 0DA No change NN11 St James' Primary School, 10 Brown Street, Renfrew, PA4 8HL NN11 St James' Primary School, 10 Brown Street, Renfrew, PA4 8HL No change NN12 St Catherine's Primary School, 28a Brabloch Crescent, Paisley, PA3 4RG NN12 St Catherine's Primary School, 28a Brabloch Crescent, Paisley, PA3 4RG No change NP01 Williamsburgh Primary School, Lacy Street, Paisley, PA1 1QF NP01 Williamsburgh Primary School, Lacy Street, Paisley, PA1 1QF No change NP02 Ralston Community Sports Centre, Penilee Road, Paisley PA1 1AX NP02 Ralston Community Sports Centre, Penilee Road, Paisley PA1 1AX No change NP03 Ralston Community Centre, 6 Allanton Avenue, Paisley PA1 3BL NP03 Ralston Community Centre, 6 Allanton Avenue, Paisley PA1 3BL No change SP01 Williamsburgh Primary School, Lacy Street, Paisley, PA1 1QF NP08 Williamsburgh Primary School, Lacy Street, Paisley, PA1 1QF District now in Paisley & Renfrewshire North Constituency and renamed NP08. Electors will continue to vote at Williamsburgh Primary School. (Map 11) Ward 1 ‐ Renfrew North and Braehead Ward 2 - Renfrew South and Gallowhill Ward 3 - Paisley Northeast and Ralston Changes to Polling Districts & Places by Ward - Appendix 1 Page 73 of 108
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Existing Polling District Reference Existing Polling Place Proposed Polling District Reference Proposed Polling Place Comments NN13 Beechwood Community Centre, 26 Shortroods Road, Paisley, PA3 2NT NN13 Beechwood Community Centre, 26 Shortroods Road, Paisley, PA3 2NT No change NP04 Beechwood Community Centre, 26 Shortroods Road, Paisley, PA3 2NT NP04 Beechwood Community Centre, 26 Shortroods Road, Paisley, PA3 2NT No change NP05 Disability Resource Centre, Love Street, Paisley, PA3 2EA NP05 Disability Resource Centre, Love Street, Paisley, PA3 2EA No change NP06 St Ninian's Church (St Ninian's Centre), 85 Blackstoun Road, Paisley, PA3 1NR NP06 Tannahill Centre, 76 Blackstoun Road, Paisley PA3 1NT The previous polling plan assigned this district to St Ninian's Church but electors have voted at the Tannahill Centre for the previous two elections due to the church becoming unavailable. District now assigned to the Tannahill Centre. SP02 Martyrs Church Hall, King Street, Paisley, PA1 2LS SP02 Martyrs Church Hall, King Street, Paisley, PA1 2LS No change SP03 St Mary's Primary School, 4 Maxwellton Road, Paisley, PA1 2RJ SP03 St Mary's Primary School, 4 Maxwellton Road, Paisley, PA1 2RJ No change SP04 St Charles Church Hall, 5 Union Street, Paisley, PA2 6DU SP04 St Charles Church Hall, 5 Union Street, Paisley, PA2 6DU No change NP07 Tannahill Centre, 76 Blackstoun Road, Paisley PA3 1NT Majority of district now in Paisley & Renfrewshire North Constituency and renamed NP07. See comment for district NP06 above regarding St Ninian's Church. (Map 12) SP06 West End Community Centre, 5A Underwood Lane, Paisley, PA1 2SL Remainder of district, between Greenhill Road and Well Street, still in Paisley & Renfrewshire South Constituency and is amalgamated with SP06. Electors will now vote at the West End Community Centre. (Map 12). SP06 West End Community Centre, 5A Underwood Lane, Paisley, PA1 2SL SP06 West End Community Centre, 5A Underwood Lane, Paisley, PA1 2SL District does not change boundary or name. Takes part of previous SP05 district as detailed above. (Map 13) SP07 St Andrew's Academy, 125 Barrhead Road, Paisley, PA2 7LG SP07 St Andrew's Academy, 125 Barrhead Road, Paisley, PA2 7LG No change SP08 Hunterhill Community Centre, Blackford Road, Paisley,PA2 7EN SP08 Hunterhill Community Centre, Blackford Road, Paisley,PA2 7EN No change SP09 Paisley Marriage Suite, Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley, PA1 1BU SP09 Paisley Marriage Suite, Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley, PA1 1BU No change SP10 Todholm Primary School, 260 Lochfield Road, Paisley, PA2 7JE SP10 Todholm Primary School, 260 Lochfield Road, Paisley, PA2 7JE No change SP11 South End Action Centre, Stock Street, Paisley PA2 6NL SP11 South End Action Centre, Stock Street, Paisley PA2 6NL No change SP12 Williamsburgh Primary School, Lacy Street, Paisley, PA1 1QF Majority of district remains unchanged. Electors continue to vote at Williamsburgh Primary School. NP09 Disability Resource Centre/ Paisley Marriage Suite New polling district created (0 current electors) named NP09. Electors, if any in the future, will vote at the Disability Resource Centre for UK Parliamentary Elections and at Paisley Marriage Suite for Scottish Parliamentary and Local Government Elections. (Maps 14/14(a)) Ward 4 - Paisley Northwest Ward 5 ‐ Paisley East and Central SP05 St Ninian's Church (St Ninian's Centre), 85 Blackstoun Road, Paisley, PA3 1NR SP12 Williamsburgh Primary School, Lacy Street, Paisley, PA1 1QF Page 74 of 108
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Existing Polling District Reference Existing Polling Place Proposed Polling District Reference Proposed Polling Place Comments SP13 Glenburn Community Centre, 30 Fairway Avenue, Paisley, PA2 8DX SP13 Glenburn Community Centre, 30 Fairway Avenue, Paisley, PA2 8DX No change SP14 Glenburn Resource Centre, 19 Donaldswood Road, Paisley, PA2 8EA SP14 Glenburn Resource Centre, 19 Donaldswood Road, Paisley, PA2 8EA No change SP15 Bushes Primary School, , Grampian Avenue, Paisley PA2 8DW SP15 Bushes Primary School, , Grampian Avenue, Paisley PA2 8DW No change SP16 South Parish Church, 123 Rowan Street, Paisley, PA2 6RZ SP16 South Parish Church, 123 Rowan Street, Paisley, PA2 6RZ No change SP17 St Charles Church Hall, 5 Union Street, Paisley, PA2 6DU SP17 St Charles Church Hall, 5 Union Street, Paisley, PA2 6DU No change SP18 Brediland Community Centre, 30 Cardell Road, Paisley, PA2 9AF SP18 Brediland Community Centre, 30 Cardell Road, Paisley, PA2 9AF No change SP19 Brediland Primary School, Achray Drive, Paisley PA2 9DJ SP19 Brediland Primary School, Achray Drive, Paisley PA2 9DJ No change SP20 Foxbar Rivers Community Building, Spey Avenue, Paisley, PA2 0PA SP20 Foxbar Rivers Community Building, Spey Avenue, Paisley, PA2 0PA No change SP21 Heriot Primary School, 10 Heriot Avenue, Paisley PA2 0DS SP21 Heriot Primary School, 10 Heriot Avenue, Paisley PA2 0DS No change SP22 Foxbar Community Centre, 30 Amochrie Road, Paisley PA2 0LB SP22 Foxbar Community Centre, 30 Amochrie Road, Paisley PA2 0LB No change SP23 Langcraigs Primary School, 245 Glenfield Road, Paisley PA2 8QE SP23 Langcraigs Primary School, 245 Glenfield Road, Paisley PA2 8QE No change NP07 Elderslie Village Hall, Stoddard Square, Elderslie, PA5 9AS SP01 Elderslie Village Hall, Stoddard Square, Elderslie, PA5 9AS District now in Paisley & Renfrewshire South Constituency and renamed SP01. The previous polling plan assigned this district to Elderslie Village Hall but electors have voted at Wallace Primary School for the previous two elections due to the Covid-19 restrictions. Electors will revert to Elderslie Village Hall. (Map 4) NP08 St Ninian's Church (St Ninian's Centre), 85 Blackstoun Road, Paisley, PA3 1NR SP05 Tannahill Centre, 76 Blackstoun Road, Paisley PA3 1NT District now in Paisley & Renfrewshire South Constituency and renamed SP05. See comment for district NP06 above regarding St Ninian's Church. (Map 5) SS01 Elderslie Village Hall, Stoddard Square, Elderslie, PA5 9AS SS01 Elderslie Village Hall, Stoddard Square, Elderslie, PA5 9AS No change to district name or boundary. See comment for new SP01 district above regarding Elderslie Village Hall. SS02 Johnstone Castle Community Centre, Pine Crescent, Johnstone PA5 0BX SS02 Johnstone Castle Community Centre, Pine Crescent, Johnstone PA5 0BX No change SS03 St David's Primary School, West Johnstone Shared Campus, Beith Road, Johnstone, PA5 0BB SS03 St David's Primary School, West Johnstone Shared Campus, Beith Road, Johnstone, PA5 0BB No change SS04 Cochrane Castle Community Centre, 1 Burns Drive, Johnstone PA5 0HJ SS04 Cochrane Castle Community Centre, 1 Burns Drive, Johnstone PA5 0HJ No change SS05 Fordbank Primary School, 23B Teviot Terrace, Johnstone PA5 0NP SS05 Fordbank Primary School, 23B Teviot Terrace, Johnstone PA5 0NP No change SS06 Spateston Bowling Club, Spateston Road, Johnstone PA5 0SX SS06 Spateston Bowling Club, Spateston Road, Johnstone PA5 0SX No change SS07 Thorn Primary School, 4A Thorn Brae, Johnstone PA5 8HE SS07 Thorn Primary School, 4A Thorn Brae, Johnstone PA5 8HE No change Ward 6 - Paisley Southeast Ward 7 - Paisley Southwest Ward 8 - Johnstone South and Elderslie Page 75 of 108
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Existing Polling District Reference Existing Polling Place Proposed Polling District Reference Proposed Polling Place Comments SS08 Howwood Village Hall, 10 Station Road, Howwood PA9 1BB SS08 Howwood Village Hall, 10 Station Road, Howwood PA9 1BB No change SS09 St Margaret's Church Hall, 49 Graham Street, Johnstone PA5 8RA SS09 St Margaret's Church Hall, 49 Graham Street, Johnstone PA5 8RA No change SS10 Johnstone Town Hall, 25 Church St, Johnstone PA5 8EG SS10 Johnstone Town Hall, 25 Church St, Johnstone PA5 8EG No change SS11 Thorn Primary School, 4A Thorn Brae, Johnstone PA5 8HE SS11 Thorn Primary School, 4A Thorn Brae, Johnstone PA5 8HE No change SS12 McKillop Institute, 2 Main Street, Lochwinnoch PA12 4AJ SS12 McKillop Institute, 2 Main Street, Lochwinnoch PA12 4AJ No change SS13 Kilbarchan Scout Hall, Barn Green, Kilbarchan PA10 2HG SS13 Kilbarchan Scout Hall, Barn Green, Kilbarchan PA10 2HG No change IN03 Houston and Killellan Church Halls, Main Street, Houston Majority of district now in Inverclyde & Renfrewshire West constituency. District renamed IN03 and will be administered by Inverclyde for UK Parliamentary Elections. Electors will continue to vote at Houston and Killellan Church Hall (Map 1) NN14 Inchinnan Primary School, 96 Old Greenock Road, Inchinnan/ Houston and Killellan Church Halls, Main Street, Houston Remaining part of previous district is still in Paisley & Renfrewshire North Constituency. Electors (currently 31) will vote at Inchinnan Primary School for UK Parliamentary Elections and at Houston and Killellan Church Halls for Scottish Parliamentary and Local Government Elections. (Map 1) SS17 Tweedie Hall, Ardlamont Square, Linwood PA3 3DE Majority of district now in Paisley & Renfrewshire South constituency. District renamed SS17. Electors will continue to vote at Tweedie Hall (Map 6) NS05 Inchinnan Primary School, 96 Old Greenock Road, Inchinnan/ Tweedie Hall, Ardlamont Square, Linwood PA3 3DE New district created in the Paisley & Renfrewshire North Constituency named NS05 (currently 0 electors). Future electors, if any, will vote at Inchinnan Primary School for UK Parliamentary Elections and at Tweedie Hall for Scottish Parliamentary and Local Government Elections. (Map 6) NS02 Linwood Parish Church, Blackwood Ave, Linwood, Paisley PA3 3JX SS18 Our Lady of Peace Primary School, Erskinefauld Road, Linwood PA3 3PR District now in Paisley & Renfrewshire South Constituency and renamed SS18. The previous polling plan assigned this district to Linwood Parish Church but electors voted at Our Lady of Peace Primary School for the previous election due to the church becoming unavailable. District now assigned to Our Lady of Peace. (Map 7) NN14 Houston and Killellan Church Halls, Main Street, Houston NS01 Tweedie Hall, Ardlamont Square, Linwood PA3 3DE Ward 9 - Johnstone North, Kilbarchan, Howwood and Lochwinnoch Ward 10 - Houston, Crosslee and Linwood Page 76 of 108
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Existing Polling District Reference Existing Polling Place Proposed Polling District Reference Proposed Polling Place Comments SS19 Brookfield Village Hall, 45 Woodside Road, Brookfield PA5 8UB Majority of district moves to Paisley & Renfrewshire South Constituency and will be renamed SS19. Electors will continue to vote at Brookfield Village Hall. (Map 8) IS01 Cargill Hall, Lintwhite Crescent, Bridge of Weir PA11 3LJ/ Brookfield Village Hall, 45 Woodside Road, Brookfield PA5 8UB New district created in the Inverclyde & Renfrewshire West Constituency named ISO1. The district will be administered by Inverclyde for UK Parliamentary Elections. Electors (currently 12) to vote at Cargill Hall for UK Parliamentary Elections and at Brookfield Village Hall for Scottish Parliamentary and Local Government Elections. (Map 8) NS04 Houston and Killellan Church Halls, Main Street, Houston IS02 Houston and Killellan Church Halls, Main Street, Houston District now in the Inverclyde & Renfrewshire West constituency and renamed IS02 and will be administered by Inverclyde for UK Parliamentary Elections. Electors will continue to vote at Houston and Killellan Church Halls. (Map 9) SS14 Linwood Parish Church, Blackwood Ave, Linwood, Paisley PA3 3JX SS14 Our Lady of Peace Primary School, Erskinefauld Road, Linwood PA3 3PR Change of polling place - no current electors. See comment for district SS18 above regarding Linwood Parish Church. SS15 Brookfield Village Hall, 43 Woodside Rd, Brookfield, Johnstone PA5 8UB SS15 Brookfield Village Hall, 43 Woodside Rd, Brookfield, Johnstone PA5 8UB No change SS16 Brookfield Village Hall, 43 Woodside Rd, Brookfield, Johnstone PA5 8UB SS16 Brookfield Village Hall, 43 Woodside Rd, Brookfield, Johnstone PA5 8UB No change NS03 Brookfield Village Hall, 45 Woodside Road, Brookfield PA5 8UB Page 77 of 108
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Existing Polling District Reference Existing Polling Place Proposed Polling District Reference Proposed Polling Place Comments IN04 Cargill Hall, Lintwhite Crescent, Bridge of Weir PA11 3LJ Majority of district now in Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West constituency. District renamed IN04 and will be administered by Inverclyde for UK Parliamentary Elections. Electors will continue to vote at Cargill Hall. (Map 2) NN15 Langbank Village Centre, Middlepenny Road, Langbank, PA14 6XB Remaining part of previous district (currently 7 electors) is still in Paisley & Renfrewshire North Constituency. Electors will now vote at Langbank Village Centre. (Map 2) NN16 Langbank Village Centre, Middlepenny Road, Langbank, PA14 6XB Majority of district will remain unchanged and continue to vote at Langbank Village Centre. (Map 3) IN06 Cargill Hall, Lintwhite Crescent, Bridge of Weir PA11 3LJ Part of district now in Inverclyde and Renfrewshire West constituency (2 current electors). New district called IN06 created which will be administered by Inverclyde for UK Parliamentary Elections. Electors will vote at Cargill Hall (Map 3) NN17 Dargavel Primary School, Arrochar Drive, Bishopton, PA7 5HP NN17 Dargavel Primary School, Arrochar Drive, Bishopton, PA7 5HP No change NN18 Bishopton Community Centre, Gledstane Rd, Bishopton PA7 5AU NN18 Bishopton Community Centre, Gledstane Rd, Bishopton PA7 5AU No change NN19 Bishopton Community Centre, Gledstane Rd, Bishopton PA7 5AU NN19 Bishopton Community Centre, Gledstane Rd, Bishopton PA7 5AU No change SN01 Cargill Hall, Lintwhite Crescent, Bridge of Weir PA11 3LJ IN05 Cargill Hall, Lintwhite Crescent, Bridge of Weir PA11 3LJ District now in Inverclyde & Renfrewshire West constituency and renamed IN05 and will be administered by Inverclyde for UK Parliamentary Elections. Electors will continue to vote at Cargill Hall. (Map 10) NN20 Inchinnan Primary School, 96 Old Greenock Road, Inchinnan PA4 9PH NN20 Inchinnan Primary School, 96 Old Greenock Road, Inchinnan PA4 9PH No change NN21 Erskine Baptist Church, Park Hill, Erskine PA8 7HE NN21 Erskine Baptist Church, Park Hill, Erskine PA8 7HE No change NN22 St Anne's Primary School, 97 Park Drive, Erskine PA8 7AL NN22 St Anne's Primary School, 97 Park Drive, Erskine PA8 7AL No change NN23 Bargarran Primary School, 4 Barrhill Road, Erskine PA8 6BX NN23 Bargarran Primary School, 4 Barrhill Road, Erskine PA8 6BX No change Ward 12 ‐ Erskine and Inchinnan NN15 Cargill Hall, Lintwhite Crescent, Bridge of Weir PA11 3LJ NN16 Langbank Village Centre, Middlepenny Road, Langbank, PA14 6XB Ward 11 ‐ Bishopton, Bridge of Weir and Langbank Page 78 of 108
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Westminster Constituencies 2023 – Changes to Polling Districts District on Previous Polling Plan Changes for New Plan Maps NN14 • Part of the district becomes the new IN03 • The remainder of the district stays in NN14 Map 1 NN15 • Part of the district becomes the new IN04 • The remainder of the district stays in NN15 Map 2 NN16 • Part of the district becomes the new IN06 • The remainder of the district stays in NN16 Map 3 NP07 • All of district now forms new SP01 Map 4 NP08 • All of district now forms new SP05 Map 5 NS01 • Part of district now forms new SS17 • Remainder of district now forms new NS05 Map 6 NS02 • All of district now forms new SS18 Map 7 NS03 • Part of the district becomes the new SS19 • Part of the district becomes the new IS01 Map 8 NS04 • All of district now forms new IS02 Map 9 SN01 • All of district now forms new IN05 Map 10 SP01 • All of district now forms new NP08 Map 11 SP05 • Part of district now forms new NP07 • Remaining part of district amalgamated into SP06 Map 12 SP06 • Takes part of previous SP05, as above Map 13 SP12 • Part of the district now forms NP09 • Remaining part of the district stays in SP12 Map 14/14(a) Appendix 2 Page 79 of 108
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IN03 NN14 IN04 NN17 NN18 NN23 SP05 SS17SS18 IS01 SS19 IS02 IN05 SS16 IN06 NS05 NN15 NN16 NN14 NN15 NN16 NN17 NN18 NN20 NN23 NP06 NP08 NS01NS02 NS03 NS04 SN01 SS13SS16 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts November 2023 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts 2019 2019 Electoral Arrangements 2023 Revised Electoral Arrangements Part of the district becomes the new IN03 The remainder of the district remains in NN14 Description of Amendments: Polling District : NN14 0 1 20.5 Kilometres © Crown Copyright and database rights 2023. Licence Number 100023417. Map 1 Page 81 of 108
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IN03 IN04 NN17 NN18 SS18IS01 SS19 IS02 IN05 SS12 SS13 SS15 SS16 IN06 NN15 NN16 NN14 NN15 NN16 NN17 NN18 NS02 NS03 NS04 SN01 SS09 SS10SS12 SS13 SS15 SS16 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts November 2023 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts 2019 2019 Electoral Arrangements 2023 Revised Electoral Arrangements Part of the district becomes the new IN04 The remainder of the district remains in NN15 Description of Amendments: Polling District : NN15 0 1.5 30.75 Kilometres © Crown Copyright and database rights 2023. Licence Number 100023417. Map 2 Page 82 of 108
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IN04 NN17 NN18 IN06 NN15 NN16 NN15 NN16 NN17 NN18 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts November 2023 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts 2019 2019 Electoral Arrangements 2023 Revised Electoral Arrangements Part of the district becomes the new IN06 The remainder of the district remains in NN16 Description of Amendments: Polling District : NN16 0 1 20.5 Kilometres © Crown Copyright and database rights 2023. Licence Number 100023417. Map 3 Page 83 of 108
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SP01 SP05 SS17 SS01 SS11 SS14 NP07 NP08 NS01 SP18 SS01 SS11 SS14 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts November 2023 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts 2019 2019 Electoral Arrangements 2023 Revised Electoral Arrangements All of district now forms new SP01 Description of Amendments: Polling District : NP07 0 0.3 0.60.15 Kilometres © Crown Copyright and database rights 2023. Licence Number 100023417. Map 4 Page 84 of 108
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NP06 SP01 SP05 SS17 SP02 SP03SS01 NP06 NP07 NP08 NS01 SP02 SP03SS01 SS14 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts November 2023 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts 2019 2019 Electoral Arrangements 2023 Revised Electoral Arrangements All of district now forms new SP05 Description of Amendments: Polling District : NP08 0 0.35 0.70.17 Kilometres © Crown Copyright and database rights 2023. Licence Number 100023417. Map 5 Page 85 of 108
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NN13 IN03 NN14 NN17 NN20 NP04 NP06 SP01 SP05 SS17 SS18 SP02 SP03SS01SS10 SS11 SS14 NS05 NN13 NN14 NN17 NN20 NP04 NP06 NP07 NP08 NS01 NS02 NS04 SP02 SP03 SP05 SS01SS10 SS11 SS14 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts November 2023 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts 2019 2019 Electoral Arrangements 2023 Revised Electoral Arrangements Part of district now forms new SS17 Remainder of district now forms new NS05 Description of Amendments: Polling District : NS01 0 0.8 1.60.4 Kilometres © Crown Copyright and database rights 2023. Licence Number 100023417. Map 6 Page 86 of 108
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IN03 NN14 SP01 SP05 SS17SS18 SS19 IS02 SS10 SS11SS13 SS14SS15 NN14 NP07 NP08 NS01NS02 NS03 NS04 SS10 SS11SS13 SS14SS15 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts November 2023 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts 2019 2019 Electoral Arrangements 2023 Revised Electoral Arrangements All of district now forms new SS18 Description of Amendments: Polling District : NS02 0 0.7 1.40.35 Kilometres © Crown Copyright and database rights 2023. Licence Number 100023417. Map 7 Page 87 of 108
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IN03 IN04 SS18 IS01 SS19 IS02 IN05 SS10 SS13 SS15 SS16 NN14 NN15 NS02NS03 NS04 SN01 SS09 SS10 SS13 SS14 SS15 SS16 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts November 2023 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts 2019 2019 Electoral Arrangements 2023 Revised Electoral Arrangements Part of the district becomes the new SS19 Part of the district becomes the new IS01 Description of Amendments: Polling District : NS03 0 0.6 1.20.3 Kilometres © Crown Copyright and database rights 2023. Licence Number 100023417. Map 8 Page 88 of 108
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IN03 IN04 SS18IS01 SS19 IS02 SS16 NN14 NN15 NS02 NS03 NS04 SN01 SS13 SS16 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts November 2023 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts 2019 2019 Electoral Arrangements 2023 Revised Electoral Arrangements All of district now forms new IS02 Description of Amendments: Polling District : NS04 0 0.5 10.25 Kilometres © Crown Copyright and database rights 2023. Licence Number 100023417. Map 9 Page 89 of 108
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IN04 IS01 IN05 SS13 SS16 NN15 NS03 SN01 SS13 SS16 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts November 2023 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts 2019 2019 Electoral Arrangements 2023 Revised Electoral Arrangements All of district now forms new IN05 Description of Amendments: Polling District : SN01 0 0.4 0.80.2 Kilometres © Crown Copyright and database rights 2023. Licence Number 100023417. Map 10 Page 90 of 108
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NN12 NP01 NP02 NP03NP08 SP07 SP08 SP09 SP10 SP11 SP12 NP09 NN12 NP01 NP02 NP03SP01 SP07 SP08 SP09 SP10 SP11 SP12 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts November 2023 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts 2019 2019 Electoral Arrangements 2023 Revised Electoral Arrangements All of district now forms new NP08 Description of Amendments: Polling District : SP01 0 0.35 0.70.17 Kilometres © Crown Copyright and database rights 2023. Licence Number 100023417. Map 11 Page 91 of 108
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NP04 NP06 SP02 NP07 SP06 NP04 NP06 SP02 SP05 SP06 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts November 2023 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts 2019 2019 Electoral Arrangements 2023 Revised Electoral Arrangements Description of Amendments: Polling District : SP05 Part of district now forms new NP07 Remaining part of district amalgamated into SP06 0 0.15 0.30.07 Kilometres © Crown Copyright and database rights 2023. Licence Number 100023417. Map 12 Page 92 of 108
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NN12 NP04 NP05 NP06 SP02 SP03 SP04 NP07 SP06 SP09 SP12 NN12 NP04 NP05 NP06 SP02 SP03 SP04 SP05 SP06 SP09 SP12 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts November 2023 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts 2019 2019 Electoral Arrangements 2023 Revised Electoral Arrangements Description of Amendments: Polling District : SP06 Takes part of previous SP05, as above 0 0.25 0.50.13 Kilometres © Crown Copyright and database rights 2023. Licence Number 100023417. Map 13 Page 93 of 108
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NN12 NP01 NP02 NP03 NP05 NP08 SP06 SP07 SP08 SP09 SP10 SP11 SP12 SP16 NP09 NN12 NP01 NP02 NP03 NP05 SP01 SP02 SP06 SP07 SP08 SP09 SP10 SP11 SP12 SP15 SP16 SP17 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts November 2023 Westminster Constituencies 2023 Review Polling Districts 2019 2019 Electoral Arrangements 2023 Revised Electoral Arrangements Part of the district becomes the new NP09 Description of Amendments: Polling District : SP12 0 0.4 0.80.2 Kilometres © Crown Copyright and database rights 2023. Licence Number 100023417. Map 14 Page 94 of 108
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Map 14(a) Page 95 of 108
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District Code Place code Place name Estimated Stations for this district Council Ward Number Scottish Parliamentary Constituency NN01 RENTH Renfrew Town Hall & Museum, Renfrew Cross, Renfrew, PA4 8PF 2 1 Renfrewshire North & West NN02 KIRKCC Kirklandneuk Community Centre, Ness Road, Renfrew, PA4 9DE 2 1 Renfrewshire North & West NN03 RENTH Renfrew Town Hall & Museum, Renfrew Cross, Renfrew, PA4 8PF 4 1 Renfrewshire North & West NN04 MCMAST McMaster Centre, Robertson Park, Donaldson Drive, Renfrew, PA4 8LX 3 1 Renfrewshire North & West NN05 KINGGSP King George V Sports Pavilion, Dean Park Road, Renfrew, PA4 0AN 4 1 Renfrewshire North & West NN06 STJAMES St James' Primary School, 10 Brown Street, Renfrew, PA4 8HL 2 1 Renfrewshire North & West NN07 GALLWCC Gallowhill Community Centre, 210 Netherhill Road, Paisley, PA3 4SF 2 2 Renfrewshire North & West NN08 GLYNHIL Glynhill Hotel, 169 Paisley Road, Renfrew, PA4 8XB 2 2 Renfrewshire North & West NN09 ARKSPS Arkleston Primary School, 125 Cockels Loan, Renfrew, PA4 0EL 2 2 Renfrewshire North & West NN10 NEWMAIN Newmains Primary School, 8a Lang Avenue, Renfrew, PA4 0DA 2 2 Renfrewshire North & West NN11 STJAMES St James' Primary School, 10 Brown Street, Renfrew, PA4 8HL 1 2 Renfrewshire North & West NN12 STCATH St Catherine's Primary School, 28a Brabloch Crescent, Paisley, PA3 4RG 2 2 Renfrewshire North & West NN13 BEECH Beechwood Community Centre, 26 Shortroods Road, Paisley, PA3 2NT 1 4 Renfrewshire North & West NN14 INCHPS Inchinnan Primary School, 96 Old Greenock Road, Inchinnan PA4 9PH (Houston & Killellan Kirk Hall for Scottish Parliamentary and Local Government Elections) 1 10 Renfrewshire North & West NN15 LANGVC Langbank Village Centre, Middlepenny Road, Langbank, PA14 6XB 1 11 Renfrewshire North & West NN16 LANGVC 1 11 Renfrewshire North & West NN17 DARPS Dargavel Primary School, Arrochar Drive, Bishopton, PA7 5HP 4 11 Renfrewshire North & West NN18 BISHCC Bishopton Community Centre, Gledstane Rd, Bishopton PA7 5AU 6 11 Renfrewshire North & West NN19 BISHCC Bishopton Community Centre, Gledstane Rd, Bishopton PA7 5AU 1 11 Renfrewshire North & West Langbank Village Centre, Middlepenny Road, Langbank, PA14 6XB FINAL POLLING PLAN PAISLEY AND RENFREWSHIRE NORTH Appendix 3 Page 97 of 108
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NN20 INCHPS Inchinnan Primary School, 96 Old Greenock Road, Inchinnan PA4 9PH 2 12 Renfrewshire North & West NN21 ERSKINEBC Erskine Baptist Church, Park Hill, Erskine PA8 7HE 3 12 Renfrewshire North & West NN22 STANNE St Anne's Primary School, 97 Park Drive, Erskine PA8 7AL 5 12 Renfrewshire North & West NN23 BARGAR Bargarran Primary School, 4 Barrhill Road, Erskine PA8 6BX 5 12 Renfrewshire North & West NP01 WILLIAM Williamsburgh Primary School, Lacy Street, Paisley, PA1 1QF 3 3 Paisley NP02 RSPORT Ralston Community Sports Centre, Penilee Road, Paisley PA1 1AX 2 3 Paisley NP03 RCC Ralston Community Centre, 6 Allanton Avenue, Paisley PA1 3BL 2 3 Paisley NP04 BEECH Beechwood Community Centre, 26 Shortroods Road, Paisley, PA3 2NT 3 4 Paisley NP05 DRC Disability Resource Centre, Love Street, Paisley, PA3 2EA 1 4 Paisley NP06 TANNAHILL Tannahill Centre, 76 Blackstoun Road, Paisley PA3 1NT 3 4 Paisley NP07 TANNAHILL Tannahill Centre, 76 Blackstoun Road, Paisley PA3 1NT 1 4 Paisley NP08 WILLIAM Williamsburgh Primary School, Lacy Street, Paisley, PA1 1QF 3 3 Paisley NP09 DRC Disability Resource Centre, Love Street, Paisley, PA3 2EA (Paisley Marriage Suite for Scottish Parliamentary and Local Government Elections) 0 5 Paisley NS05 INCHPS Inchinnan Primary School, 96 Old Greenock Road, Inchinnan PA4 9PH (Tweedie Hall for Scottish Parliamentary and Local Government Elections) 0 10 Renfrewshire South Page 98 of 108
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District Code Place code Place name Estimated Stations for this district Council Ward Number Scottish Parliamentary Constituency SP01 ELDERS Elderslie Village Hall, Stoddard Square, Elderslie, PA5 9AS 1 8 Paisley SP02 MARTYRS Martyrs Church Hall, King Street, Paisley, PA1 2LS 3 4 Paisley SP03 STMARYS St Mary's Primary School, 4 Maxwellton Road, Paisley, PA1 2RJ 2 4 Paisley SP04 CHARLES St Charles Church Hall, 5 Union Street, Paisley, PA2 6DU 2 4 Paisley SP05 TANNAHILL Tannahill Centre, 76 Blackstoun Road, Paisley PA3 1NT 1 8 Paisley SP06 WECC West End Community Centre, 5A Underwood Lane, Paisley, PA1 2SL 1 4 Paisley SP07 ANDREW St Andrew's Academy, 125 Barrhead Road, Paisley, PA2 7LG 2 5 Paisley SP08 HUNTER Hunterhill Community Centre, Blackford Road, Paisley,PA2 7EN 1 5 Paisley SP09 PAISMAR Paisley Marriage Suite, Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley, PA1 1BU 2 5 Paisley SP10 TODPS Todholm Primary School, 260 Lochfield Road, Paisley, PA2 7JE 3 5 Paisley SP11 SEAC South End Action Centre, Stock Street, Paisley PA2 6NL 1 5 Paisley SP12 WILLIAM Williamsburgh Primary School, Lacy Street, Paisley, PA1 1QF 3 5 Paisley SP13 GLENCC Glenburn Community Centre, 30 Fairway Avenue, Paisley, PA2 8DX 2 6 Paisley SP14 GRC Glenburn Resource Centre, 19 Donaldswood Road, Paisley, PA2 8EA 2 6 Paisley SP15 BUSHES Bushes Primary School, , Grampian Avenue, Paisley PA2 8DW 3 6 Paisley SP16 SOUTHCH South Parish Church, 123 Rowan Street, Paisley, PA2 6RZ 4 6 Paisley SP17 CHARLES St Charles Church Hall, 5 Union Street, Paisley, PA2 6DU 2 6 Paisley SP18 BREDICC Brediland Community Centre, 30 Cardell Road, Paisley, PA2 9AF 2 7 Paisley SP19 BREDIPS Brediland Primary School, Achray Drive, Paisley PA2 9DJ 2 7 Paisley SP20 RIVERSCC Foxbar Rivers Community Building, Spey Avenue, Paisley, PA2 0PA 2 7 Paisley PAISLEY AND RENFREWSHIRE SOUTH Page 99 of 108
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SP21 HERIOT Heriot Primary School, 10 Heriot Avenue, Paisley PA2 0DS 2 7 Paisley SP22 FOXCC Foxbar Community Centre, 30 Amochrie Road, Paisley PA2 0LB 2 7 Paisley SP23 LANCRGSPS Langcraigs Primary School, 245 Glenfield Road, Paisley PA2 8QE 2 7 Paisley SS01 ELDERS Elderslie Village Hall, Stoddard Square, Elderslie, PA5 9AS 5 8 Renfrewshire South SS02 JOHNSTONCCJohnstone Castle Community Centre, Pine Crescent, Johnstone PA5 0BX 3 8 Renfrewshire South SS03 STDAVIDS St David's Primary School, West Johnstone Shared Campus, Beith Road, Johnstone, PA5 0BB 2 8 Renfrewshire South SS04 COCHRAN Cochrane Castle Community Centre, 1 Burns Drive, Johnstone PA5 0HJ 1 8 Renfrewshire South SS05 FORD Fordbank Primary School, 23B Teviot Terrace, Johnstone PA5 0NP 1 8 Renfrewshire South SS06 SPATES Spateston Bowling Club, Spateston Road, Johnstone PA5 0SX 3 8 Renfrewshire South SS07 THORNPS Thorn Primary School, 4A Thorn Brae, Johnstone PA5 8HE 1 8 Renfrewshire South SS08 HOWVH Howwood Village Hall, 10 Station Road, Howwood PA9 1BB 3 9 Renfrewshire South SS09 STMAGSPS St Margaret's Church Hall, 49 Graham Street, Johnstone PA5 8RA 2 9 Renfrewshire South SS10 JOHNSTH Johnstone Town Hall, 25 Church St, Johnstone PA5 8EG 2 9 Renfrewshire South SS11 THORN Thorn Primary School, 4A Thorn Brae, Johnstone PA5 8HE 2 9 Renfrewshire South SS12 MCKILLINS McKillop Institute, 2 Main Street, Lochwinnoch PA12 4AJ 3 9 Renfrewshire South SS13 KILBARCHSH Kilbarchan Scout Hall, Barn Green, Kilbarchan PA10 2HG 3 9 Renfrewshire South SS14 OLOP Our Lady of Peace Primary School, Linwood PA3 3PY 0 10 Renfrewshire South SS15 BROOKVH Brookfield Village Hall, 43 Woodside Rd, Brookfield, Johnstone PA5 8UB 1 10 Renfrewshire South SS16 BROOKVH Brookfield Village Hall, 43 Woodside Rd, Brookfield, Johnstone PA5 8UB 1 10 Renfrewshire South SS17 TWEED Tweedie Hall, Ardlamont Square, Linwood PA3 3DE 4 10 Renfrewshire South SS18 OLOP Our Lady of Peace Primary School, Linwood PA3 3PY 4 10 Renfrewshire South SS19 BROOKVH Brookfield Village Hall, 45 Woodside Road, Brookfield PA5 8UB 1 10 Renfrewshire South Page 100 of 108
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District Code Place code Place name Estimated Stations for this district Council Ward Number Scottish Parliamentary Constituency IN03 HOUSTKK Houston and Killellan Church Halls, Main Street, Houston 4 10 Renfrewshire North & West IN04 CARGILL Cargill Hall, Lintwhite Crescent, Bridge of Weir PA11 3LJ 4 11 Renfrewshire North & West IN05 CARGILL Cargill Hall, Lintwhite Crescent, Bridge of Weir, PA11 3LJ 1 11 Renfrewshire North & West IN06 CARGILL Cargill Hall, Lintwhite Crescent, Bridge of Weir, PA11 3LJ 1 11 Renfrewshire North & West IS01 CARGILL Cargill Hall, Lintwhite Crescent, Bridge of Weir, PA11 3LJ (Brookfield Village Hall for Socttish Parliamentary and Local Government Election) 1 10 Renfrewshire South IS02 HOUSTKK Houston and Killellan Church Halls, Main Street, Houston 3 10 Renfrewshire South INVERCLYDE AND RENFREWSHIRE WEST Page 101 of 108
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APPENDIX 4 Respondent Polling Place Suggestion/Comment Johnstone Community Council All polling places within the Johnstone CC area No objections Evaluation N/A Recommendation N/A Respondent Polling Place Suggestion/Comment N/A St Ninian’s Hall That the Tannahill Centre replace St Ninian’s as the polling place for the relevant polling district(s) Evaluation St Ninian’s Hall became unavailable following approval of the last polling plan in 2019. Utilising delegated powers, it was possible to change the polling place to the Tannahill Centre which is located nearby. The Tannahill Centre is well located withing the polling districts it serves and has good public transport links. The Tannahill Centre has been used as a polling place for the last two elections without incident or comment. Recommendation That the Tannahill Centre become the polling place for the relevant polling district(s). Page 103 of 108
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Respondent Polling Place Suggestion/Comment Councillor Audrey Doig Our Lady of Peace Primary School ON-X Leisure Centre, Linwood Evaluation The original polling place for this polling district, Linwood Parish Church Hall, became unavailable as a result of serious vandalism following approval of the last polling plan in 2019. Utilising delegated powers, it was possible to change the polling place in the first instance to Linwood High School for the Scottish Parliamentary Election in 2021. When the High School became unavailable as a result of an exam diet, Our Lady of Peace Primary School was used for the Scottish Local Government Elections in 2022. The School was used without incident or comment While the date of the next UK Parliamentary Election cannot be determined, the dates for the next Scottish Parliamentary and Scottish Local Government elections are known. The current practice of aligning school in-service days would help minimise the impact of elections upon school life. The ON-X Leisure Centre is located outwith the relevant polling district but this in itself is not a reason to discount its use as polling place instead of the Our Lady of Peace Primary School. Internally, the ON-X has adequate space to accommodate the four polling stations required. There is plenty of parking to the front of the building, floor surfaces are level and lifts are available to allow those voters with mobility issues to access the area identified as most suitable to accommodate the polling stations. The main issue taken into account when assessing the suitability of the ON-X relates to its geographic location and the difficulties that may be experienced by voters from polling district NS02 who may have no or limited access to private transport. The ON-X Leisure Centre is accessed via a long driveway from Brediland Road, Linwood and would not be easily accessed on foot by voters originating from beyond Clippens Road on the western side of Linwood. There is no reasonable public transport link. Our Lady of Peace Primary School is located almost immediately opposite Linwood Parish Church Hall and was used at the last set of elections in 2022 without any reported issues. Every effort will be made to align school in-service days with the dates of known elections in 2026 and 2027. This will help minimise the disruption to school life. A number of alternatives to schools for use as polling places were considered as part of the last statutory review and changes were made where the alternative premises were suitable. Page 104 of 108
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Recommendation That Our Lady of Peace Primary School, Linwood become the polling place for the relevant polling district(s). Page 105 of 108
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Appendix 5 Relevant Council services were consulted to identify planned developments which might impact on polling arrangements. New dwellings may not necessarily result in a significant increase in electors as the majority of new dwelling sales go to people already resident in Renfrewshire. These changes should also be viewed in the context of the National Records of Scotland population projections which suggest an overall population growth for Renfrewshire from 177,790 to 182,256 (2.5%) between 2018-2028. Against this backdrop, 9 wards have been identified which may experience high levels of new house building over the five year period of this review. These wards, the number of new dwellings, and the estimated increases in electors are as follows: Ward New dwellings New population* Additional Electorate** 1. Renfrew North & Braehead 306 630 473 2. Renfrew South & Gallowhill 29 60 45 3. Paisley Northeast & Ralston 5 10 8 4. Paisley Northwest 527 1086 815 5. Paisley East & Central 462 952 714 6. Paisley Southeast 140 288 216 7. Paisley Southwest 36 74 56 8. Johnstone South & Elderslie 374 770 578 9. Johnstone North, Kilbarchan, Howwood & Lochwinnoch 104 214 161 10. Houston, Crosslee & Linwood 410 845 634 11. Bishopton, Bridge of Weir & Langbank 1293 2664 1998 12. Erskine & Inchinnan 116 239 179 Total 3,802 7,832 5,877 Note * Based on average number of persons per household of 2.06. Note ** Based on 75% of estimated population. These increases should be able to be accommodated within the existing arrangements. Page 107 of 108
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