Minutes of meeting
Renfrewshire Council · 29 February 2024
Back to Council — 29 February 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Minute of Meeting Council Date Time Venue Thursday, 29 February 2024 09:30 Council Chambers (Renfrewshire), Council Headquarters, Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley, PA1 1AN Present: Councillor Jennifer Adam, Councillor Fiona Airlie-Nicolson, Councillor Alison Ann- Dowling, Councillor Stephen Burns, Councillor Jacqueline Cameron, Provost Lorraine Cameron, 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 Cathy McEwan, 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 Iain Nicolson, Councillor Jim Paterson, Councillor Emma Rodden, Councillor John Shaw, Councillor Ben Smith, Councillor Andy Steel Chair Provost Cameron, Convener, presided. In Attendance A Russell, Chief Executive; J O’Neill, Director of Children’s Services; G McNeil, Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure; A MacArthur, Director of Finance & Resources; A Morrison, Head of Economy & Development Services, L McIntyre, Head of Policy and Partnerships and B Walker, Programme Director (City Deal & Infrastructure) (all Chief Executives); J Trainer, Head of Child Care & Criminal Justice (Children's Services); C Dalrymple, Head of Facilities and Property Services and G Hannah, Head of Climate, Public Protection & Roads (both Environment, Housing & Infrastructure); C McCourt, Head of Finance & Procurement, M Conaghan, Head of Corporate Governance, P Murray, Head of Digital, Transformation & Customer Services, L Mitchell, Managing Solicitor (Contracts & Conveyancing), D Low, Democratic Services Manager and E Gray, Senior Committee Services Officer (all Finance & Resources); C Laverty, Chief Officer (Renfrewshire Health & Social Care Partnership); and V Hollows, Chief Executive and F Naylor, Finance, Governance & Business Improvement Director (both OneRen).
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Webcasting of Council Meeting Prior to the commencement of the meeting, Provost Cameron intimated that this meeting would be filmed for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site. Declarations of Interest There were no declarations of interest intimated prior to the commencement of the meeting. Transparency Statements Councillor McMillan declared a connection to item 4 by reason of his son being employed by BAE Systems. However, he indicated that he had applied the objective test and did not consider he had an interest to declare. Councillor Mullin declared a connection to item 9 by reason of being employed by the NHS. However, he indicated that he had applied the objective test and did not consider he had an interest to declare. Councillor Campbell declared a connection to item 9 by reason of being employed by the NHS outwith the Renfrewshire HSCP area. However, she indicated that she had applied the objective test and did not consider she had an interest to declare. Order of Business In terms of Standing Order 16, the Provost intimated that she proposed to alter the order of business to facilitate the conduct of the meeting by considering items 10 and 11 of the agenda together. 1 Minutes of Meetings of Council, Boards and Panels There were submitted the Minutes of the following meetings of the Council, Boards and Panels on the dates specified: Council, 14 December 2023 Communities and Housing Policy Board, 16 January 2024 Regulatory Functions Board, 17 January 2024 Education and Children's Services Policy Board, 18 January 2024 Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board, 22 January 2024, Economy and Regeneration Policy Board, 23 January 2024 Planning and Climate Change Policy Board, 23 January 2024 Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board, 24 January 2024 Local Review Body, 30 January 2024 Regulatory Functions Board, 1 February 2024 Placing Requests and Exclusions Appeals Panel, 7 February 2024
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Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board, 8 February 2024 Placing Requests and Exclusions Appeals Panel, 20 February 2024 Leadership Board, 21 February, 2024 DECIDED: That the Minutes be approved. 2 Provost's Update The Provost intimated that an update in relation to the duties she had undertaken since the last meeting of the Council, on 14 December 2023, would be circulated to members following the meeting. DECIDED: That the update be noted. 3 Revenue Budget and Council Tax 2024/25 There was submitted a report by the Director of Finance & Resources relative to the Revenue Budget and Council Tax for 2024/25, together with appendices detailing revenue estimates for 2024/25; estimates of expenditure and income for the year ended 31 March 2025; and the General Fund probable outturn for 2024/25. The report provided an overview of the Council’s anticipated financial position on the General Fund revenue budget and set out information required for the Council to set its budget and Council Tax for 2024/25. It was recognised that moving into 2024/25 and beyond, the financial environment that local government in Scotland faced would remain heavily constrained, with substantial risks in the short term in relation to both cost growth and income restraints. Longer lasting legacy impacts on service costs, service demands and income streams were anticipated, as well as a lasting impact on transformation plans. The report requested that these circumstances be taken into account when setting the 2024/25 budget, and also to recognise that the Council’s immediate and medium-term challenges remained significant. As outlined within the report, the Council’s medium- term outlook remained subject to considerable risk. Additionally, as reported throughout the year and subject to decisions taken by Council, there would be a need for the budget position in 2024/25 to rely heavily on the use of ringfenced reserves to address the forecasted budget deficit. This solution required to be viewed as temporary, and it was highlighted that the Council required to act in the near-term to contain spend within available resource on a recurring basis. The report highlighted key elements of the Council’s revenue settlement, which included confirmation of revenue grant funding for the Council in 2024/25 of £416.455 million. After adjustment for new responsibilities, areas of growing responsibility and other conditional aspects of the settlement, this provided a like for like comparison to 2023/24 where the Council’s underlying core grant had increased by £1.507 million (0.4%) which was broadly marginally higher than the flat-cash position the Council had assumed. Additional funding to support the agreement of the local government pay offer for 2023/24 and in relation to the teachers’ pay offer for 2022/23 and 2023/24 had been announced over the course of the Parliamentary approval process for the Scottish Government Budget, however the distribution of this funding had not yet been agreed. It was noted that this additional funding was not reflected in the position outlined within the report, however, neither was the corresponding
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expenditure. On that basis, the underlying financial position outlined within the report remained valid. In addition, the report intimated that the Scottish Government had opted not to announce a Public Sector Pay Policy for 2024/25 until after the UK Spring Budget was announced on 6 March. The report indicated that while there were now permanent cost and service impacts from the pandemic, pay and revenue grant would continue to be the two biggest determinants to the Council’s financial outlook. Members were advised that the Scottish Government block grant was likely to incorporate only very moderate increases over the remainder of the spending review period to 2025/26 and that this provided no confidence that the local government settlement in future years would reflect a sufficient degree of increase to address core budget pressures. The report highlighted that transformation and efficiency saving activity alone would not address the scale of financial pressures the Council would face over the medium- term. The report advised that a scenario-based approach, varying the major influencing elements of the projections under a range of scenarios for the three-year period beyond 2024/25, had been applied and derived a forecast budget deficit range of broadly £45 - £50 million over the period, before any decisions on the level of Council Tax or other mitigating action. This forecast outlook was based on relatively tight grant and pay assumptions, informed by the current financial settlement and the Government’s Medium Term Financial Strategy, as well as likely affordability constraints in relation to future pay awards. Factoring in an assumption of 5% increase each year in Council Tax levels reduced this range to £30 - £35 million, essentially meaning the Council would need to target cost reductions and savings averaging at a minimum of £10 million each year to remain in financial balance. For 2024/25, budget assumptions had been updated as appropriate, including most notably the confirmed grant available to the Council and associated conditions, the impact of new statutory obligations, the impact of new obligations, the likely impact of increasing demographic and demand pressures and expected Council Tax yield levels for 2024/25. Taking account of the cumulative impact of each of these issues, there was a recurring budget deficit for 2024/25 of £9.284 million, subject to any further decisions taken by Members. Given the scale and unprecedented nature of the financial sustainability challenge that lay ahead for the Council, in setting the 2024/25 budget, it was recommended that any proposed commitments from Members that would result in additional recurring expenditure increasing the projected medium-term deficit in future years should be supported by offsetting sustainable savings or increased resources arising from an increase in Council Tax. In addition, Members were encouraged to take a holistic view of the Council’s total resources, covering both capital and revenue and were reminded of unallocated capital resources available to the Council of £2 million, as detailed at item 4 of the agenda for the meeting. An addendum to the report had been circulated to members in advance of the meeting setting out the Scottish Government's position in relation to the local government settlement following receipt of a letter from the Deputy First Minister and Cabinet Secretary for Finance on 21 February 2024. The letter indicated additional funding for the 2024/25 Local Government finance settlement of £62.7million, contingent upon expected announcements in the UK Spring budget on 6 March 2024, and on agreement to freeze Council Tax at current levels. Renfrewshire’s share of this funding, assuming the Council agreed to freeze Council Tax would be £4.897 million; broadly equivalent to a 4.4% Council Tax increase.
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Councillor Shaw, seconded by Councillor Airlie-Nicolson, moved: "1. That this Administration’s second budget will continue to deliver on its commitments set out in the Council Plan to create a fairer Renfrewshire built on innovation, wellbeing and opportunity; where improving outcomes for children and families underpins all that we do. 2. That as recommended by the Director, these budget proposals take a holistic view of resources available and include the use of the £2.000 million of available resources outlined in Agenda item 4 and direct them as follows:- • Commit £1.000 million of capital resource to supplement the £4.000 million of general capital grant to fund a total £5.000 million roads maintenance and improvement programme; • Recognising the importance of outdoor play and sports, commit £0.800 million to the provision of artificial playing surfaces through investment in sports facilities and through match funding bids for financial support from external grant providers; with a report on the allocation of funding to specific projects being the subject of a future report to the Leadership Board; • Building on the previous substantial investment in our community halls, commit a further £0.130 million to allow for further refurbishment and repair work to be undertaken as required, with spend being prioritised to support the aims of the Council’s ongoing property review; and • Commit £0.070 million to supplement the existing Retail Improvement Fund, which continues to deliver significant improvements in our town centres. 3. Households and families across Renfrewshire continue to be impacted by the cost of living crisis and we are concerned that for some poverty is deepening and inequalities are widening. Through our Fairer Renfrewshire programme, tackling inequality and poverty will continue to be key priorities for this Administration as we support communities to recover and thrive following the pandemic. Building on the success of this programme, this Administration commits further support through the following targeted interventions: • £0.045 million to support Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau to continue the delivery of its welfare rights service, building on the funding agreed in 2023/24 to commission the delivery of advice services by the bureau over a 2 year period. • £0.100 million to provide a targeted programme of summer activities for children and young people from low income families, working across Council services with community groups and third sector organisations across Renfrewshire to ensure that our most vulnerable families are able to access a range of activities and healthy food over the summer period. • £0.040 million to support ROAR to work with the Council and partners to explore the inequalities experienced by older people in Renfrewshire and pilot interventions which tackle issues such as social isolation and connection and potential barriers to accessing support. • £0.100 million to strengthen engagement with young people across Renfrewshire communities, including the targeting of activities to support our most vulnerable children and young people in Renfrewshire through the development of a youth-led programme which will provide opportunities for young people to improve their safety, health and wellbeing and get involved in activities which will enhance and promote their community
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• £0.100 million to support delivery of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library programme in Renfrewshire, which sees every child aged between 2 and 5 receive a book every month, and supports our work in Renfrewshire to improve levels of literacy and reduce the poverty related attainment gap. • £0.070 million to fund for a further year the Who Cares Scotland Communities that Care programme within Renfrewshire’s educational establishments, continuing the Council’s support for the care experienced community and reinforcing our commitment to deliver on The Promise. 4. In support of the Fairer Renfrewshire aims above, Council agrees to allocate top-up funding of £0.400 million to the Scottish Welfare Fund, to be funded from the anticipated underspend in Council Tax Reduction resource in 2023/24, which will be allocated to the Welfare Reform ringfenced reserve for this purpose. In addition, and funded from the same 2023/24 underspend, Council commits to allocate £0.300 million to support a £50 winter school clothing payment to each child eligible for school clothing grant, building on the support provided in 2022 and 2023. 5. Council recognises the success of the Team Up to Clean Up campaigns of recent years, and the importance of clean neighbourhoods. Council will therefore allocate £0.250 million of ringfenced funding to continue the Environment and Place programme, including Team Up to Clean Up; and commits a further £0.200 million to continue the work of the environmental task force, including a focus on fly-tipping. In addition, Council commits £0.025 million to the ongoing programme of public litter bin replacements. 6. Council recognises the previous £10 million commitment to fund a replacement Thorn Primary School, and also notes that the Council was unsuccessful in its bid for additional funding from the Learning Estate Investment Programme managed by the Scottish Futures Trust. Council reaffirms its commitment to this project and commits a further £4.000 million of capital resource, funded by prudential borrowing, with the revenue costs of this borrowing (estimated at £0.280 million per annum) be built in to financial plans from the 2025/26 financial year. 7. Council has made significant investment in Paisley town centre, including in the cultural and heritage buildings which are so important to the economic revival of the town centre. Further recognising the unique cultural heritage of the Oakshaw area of the town, Council commits £0.050 million to the development of the Oakshaw Heritage Trail. 8. Commit £0.120 million over 2 years to fund a dedicated planning enforcement officer post which will ensure improved compliance and monitoring of planning approvals. 9. Build on the success of cultural investment in prior years with a further £0.200 million to support development of partnership arrangements with cultural bodies in Renfrewshire. This funding will supplement existing budgets to create a total £1.000 million package of support for local artists and cultural organisations over the next three years, fulfilling a decade of support for culture in Renfrewshire. 10. Recognising the importance of our school music service, Council allocates £0.025 million to further support the service in 2024/25, celebrating the success of our young musicians.
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11. Council also recognises the need to maintain a prudent level of unallocated reserves given the very high level of risk over the medium term as outlined in the Director’s report; and as previously agreed by Council, commits to maintain the Council’s level of unallocated reserve at a minimum of £10.000 million moving into 2024/25. Council also agrees a draw of £0.700 million from the welfare reform reserve as outlined at paragraph 4 above, and a further £5.712 million from the ringfenced financial sustainability reserve in order to achieve the statutory breakeven budget position (noting that this draw may be reduced should further funding be allocated by the Scottish Government as outlined in the addendum report to Item 3 on the agenda); and commits that action will be taken over the near term to bring the Council’s expenditure in line with available resource on a recurring basis; thereby ensuring the Council’s ongoing financial sustainability. 12. In line with the conditions set out in the 2024/25 financial settlement, agree to the recommendation outlined in Table 2 of the Director’s report to make available £10.926 million of recurring resources to Renfrewshire HSCP; and in addition provide on a recurring basis a further £1.426 million, being the proportionate share of funding received in relation to pay awards in 2023/24. 13. To agree the base budget assessment for all services for 2024/25 as recommended by the Director of Finance and Resources and agree a 2024/25 base budget of £519.560 million. 14. To agree to make provision in 2024/25 for pay inflation as detailed in section 5.5 of the Director’s report and make no provision for general non-pay inflation, as recommended by the Director. 15. To agree to a general 5% inflationary increase in charges for services as recommended in the Director’s report, subject to the note at paragraph 20 below. 16. To agree the resource allocations for 2024/25 for all services, as amended by these proposals. 17. To agree the detailed Revenue Estimates for all services be amended to reflect these proposals and the necessary allocation of central support costs, central repairs costs, capital charges, specific grants and loan charges provision with Directors authorised to take any action necessary to implement these decisions. 18. Subject to agreement of the above, to agree that the council tax for 2024/25 be set at £1,436.17 for Band D subjects, representing a 0.0% increase on the 2023/24 level, and for all bandings to be set at: Band 2023/24 2024/25 A 957.45 957.45 B 1,117.02 1,117.02 C 1,276.60 1,276.60 D 1,436.17 1,436.17 E 1,886.97 1,886.97 F 2,333.78 2,333.78 G 2,812.50 2,812.50 H 3,518.62 3,518.62
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Note that the freeze in the rate of council tax will release £4.897 million of funding from the Scottish Government, and that this decision to freeze council tax provides some respite from increasing costs at a difficult time for many households. Further note however, that the compensatory funding provided by the Scottish Government is equivalent to a 4.4% increase in council tax, when the assumption within the Council’s medium term financial outlook was for an increase of 6%; and therefore the Council will require to make up this shortfall in future years in order to achieve the targeted 20% total increase over the four year period from 2024/25; clearly demonstrating the sound financial management this Administration is committed to. Council also agrees with the Director’s recommendations in the supplementary report to Item 3, in relation to any additional funding which may flow to the Council as outlined in the letter received from the Depute First Minister on 21 February, that this funding will be used to reduce the Council’s recurring financial deficit. 19. Subject to agreement of the points above, agree that the Council’s budget is supported by appropriate decisions and makes appropriate provision to meet the specified commitments in the package of conditions linked to the Council’s grant settlement. 20. To agree to increase other charges for services by 5% (as detailed in paragraph 15 above) or where appropriate by the rate set in national legislation or guidance, or where charges are based on full cost recovery by the appropriate increase to maintain this position, subject to Directors being authorised (a) to round the charge up or down to a figure deemed by them appropriate, and (b) not to impose any increase, if having reviewed the implications of the increase, he or she determines it would be inappropriate to do so, having regard to any material factor applicable to the goods or services to which the charge relates. To note the requirement of financial code 13 that Directors review the amounts their departments charge for goods or services and if they think any charge needs to be increased, they will recommend this to the appropriate Board. The Council therefore agrees that when a Director carries out such a review and believes a charge for goods or services should be levied which reflects an increase greater than the increase of 5% or the rate set in national legislation or guidance, he or she will be entitled to recommend the same to the appropriate Board for approval." Declaration of Interest Having read the terms of the motion, Councillor Montgomery declared an interest in item 3 for the reason that he was an employee of the Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau. Councillor Montgomery indicated that as he had declared an interest, he would leave the meeting during any discussion and voting on the item. Sederunt Having declared an interest Councillor Montgomery left the meeting. Councillor Ann-Dowling, seconded by Councillor McMillan, moved as an amendment:
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"1. That Renfrewshire Labour recommits to addressing the impact, mitigation and prevention of poverty and inequality for the benefit of all Renfrewshire citizens, with particular concern for the unique vulnerabilities and needs of children and young people. Labour is committed to making life better by supporting dependable, quality public transport, tackling poor housing and road standards, and improving mental health care and ASN education. The scope of this budget reflects that it has been set within unprecedented financial constraints and challenges and therefore prioritises available resources on local priorities. 2. That as recommended by the Director, these budget proposals take a holistic view of resources available and include the use of the £2.000 million of available capital resources held in the Strategic Asset Management Fund outlined in Agenda item 4. 3. Council agrees the following capital commitments: a. £3.000 million of capital resources be directed to the roads and footways capital programme in addition to the £4.000 million of allocated capital grant funding, bringing total resources for roads investment in 24/25 to £7.000 million. This additional £3.000 million of resource will be funded by £2.000 million of unallocated resource held in the Strategic Asset Management Fund, supplemented with a further £1.000 million of capital resource funded through prudential borrowing, incurring an ongoing revenue cost of £0.070 million. 4. Council agrees the following recurring revenue commitments, to be funded in 2024/25 from the ringfenced financial sustainability reserve and thereafter to be incorporated into the Council’s base budget plans: a. £0.070 million to support prudential borrowing of £1m which will be utilised for additional investment in Renfrewshire’s roads, as outlined above. 5. Council agrees the following non-recurring investments, to be funded from the financial sustainability reserve: a. In recognition of the failure of the SNP Government to deliver on its manifesto commitment of universal free school dinners for all primary school children, council commits £2.200 million available for schools to consider how best to implement, to provide non-means tested, free healthy snack options in all Renfrewshire Primary schools and Secondary schools to mitigate the impact of in-work poverty and to ensure no Renfrewshire child goes through the school day hungry. b. Labour ensures that children are supported in the summer holidays as well as during term time. Council commits to investing £0.100 million to ensure the provision of a Summer Activity & Food Programme for Renfrewshire children and young people from low-income families during the school holidays, encouraging them to access activities and healthy food. c. Bus services across Renfrewshire are in crisis. Labour condemns the cycle of decline since our buses were deregulated in 1986. Bus fares go up while vital bus services continue to be cut. Council commits £0.040 million to provide support to Council Officers in facilitating a public transport feasibility study to explore how to make bus services work better for Renfrewshire’s communities and economy.
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d. Council commits £0.010 million to support community bus service engagement & feedback for local community interest groups. e. Council will invest £0.300 million in the provision of an Interrupted Learning Service pilot and ASN additional support services. A significant number of pupils are struggling with mental health issues and related additional support needs, often resulting in long-term absence from school. Labour supports the parents of children who have emotionally based school avoidance or for neurodivergent reasons struggle with a school environment. Early intervention is essential; we will deliver a unique Interrupted Learners pilot focused on Primary age pupils to assist children back into formal learning through personal one-on-one and group support. f. Council approves additional top-up funding for Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) of £0.150 million 6. Council further agrees the following: a. Council instructs the Chief Executive to write to the Scottish Government Cabinet Secretary for Finance to request that all 2024/25 pay awards are fully funded by Scottish Government where council has a financial liability to fund any pay award shortfalls. b. Council will maintain the current base budget provision of school-based art, music lessons and sports to ensure mental health and well-being benefits are maintained for pupils. c. Council instructs officers to investigate funding options to enable a new Johnstone High School to be progressed and bring back a report to the Education and Children’s Services Policy Board by September 2024. 7. As recommended in the Director’s report; commits to maintain the Council’s level of unallocated reserve at a minimum of £10.000 million moving into 2024/25. Council agrees the investments above be funded in 2024/25 by £7.257 million from the financial sustainability reserve, and £2.000 million from the Strategic Asset Management Fund. This draw from the financial sustainability reserve will be reduced to an estimated £5.169 million should the Council receive a proportionate share of the £62.7m outlined in the supplementary report to Item 3. Council also agrees the Director’s recommendation in the supplementary paper to Item 3, whereby any additional funding received from the Scottish Government as a result of the Depute First Minister announcement on 21 February, be directed to reduce the recurring deficit position. 8. In line with the conditions set out in the 2024/25 financial settlement, agree to the recommendation outlined in Table 2 of the Director’s report to make available £10.926 million of recurring resources to Renfrewshire HSCP; and in addition, provide on a recurring basis a further £1.426 million, being the proportionate share of funding received in relation to pay awards in 2023/24. 9. To agree the base budget assessment for all services for 2024/25 as recommended by the Director of Finance and Resources and agree a 2024/25 base budget of £519.560 million.
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10. To agree to make provision for pay inflation as detailed in section 5.5 of the Director’s report and make no general provision for general non-pay inflation as recommended by the Director. 11. To agree to a general 5% inflationary increase in charges for services as recommended by the Director and subject to the note at paragraph 17 below. 12. To agree the resource allocations for 2024/25 for all services, as amended by these proposals. 13. To agree the detailed Revenue Estimates for all services be amended to reflect these proposals and the necessary allocation of central support costs, central repairs costs, capital charges, specific grants and loan charges provision with Directors authorised to take any action necessary to implement these decisions. 14. In relation to the decisions above, Council instructs officers to conduct equalities and human rights impact assessments as required for each recommendation. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendation and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored. 15. Subject to agreement of the above, to agree that the council tax for 2024/25 be increased by 0.0% and therefore set Band D subjects at £1,436.17 and for all bandings to be set at: Band 2023/24 2024/25 A 957.45 957.45 B 1117.02 1117.02 C 1276.60 1276.60 D 1436.17 1436.17 E 1886.97 1886.97 F 2333.78 2333.78 G 2812.50 2812.50 H 3518.62 3518.62 Note that this decision to freeze council tax at 2023/24 levels will generate compensatory funding from the Scottish Government of £4.897 million, with a potential further estimated £2.088 million dependent on the UK Spring Budget impact on the overall Scottish Government financial position. 16. Subject to agreement of the points above, agree that the Council’s budget is underpinned by appropriate decisions and makes appropriate provision to meet the specified commitments in the package of conditions linked to the Council’s grant settlement. 17. To agree to increase other charges for services by 5% (as detailed in paragraph 11 above) or where appropriate by the rate set in national legislation or guidance, or where charges are based on full cost recovery by the appropriate increase to maintain this position, subject to Directors being authorised. (a) to round the charge up or down to a figure deemed by them appropriate, and
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(b) not to impose any increase, if having reviewed the implications of the increase, he or she determines it would be inappropriate to do so, having regard to any material factor applicable to the goods or services to which the charge relates. To note the requirement of financial code 13 that Directors review the amounts their departments charge for goods or services and if they think any charge needs to be increased, they will recommend this to the appropriate Board. The Council therefore agrees that when a Director carries out such a review and believes a charge for goods or services should be levied which reflects an increase greater than the increase of 5% or the rate set in national legislation or guidance, he or she will be entitled to recommend the same to the appropriate Board for approval. Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 10.12 am to allow members to consider the motion and amendment. The meeting reconvened at 10.35 am. On the roll being called, the following members voted for the amendment: Councillors Ann-Dowling, Clark, Davidson, Gilmour, Grady, G Graham, N Graham, Gray, Leishman, J MacLaren, McCulloch, McDonald, McGonigle, McGuire, McMillan, Mullin and Smith. The following members voted for the motion: Councillors Adam, Airlie-Nicolson, Burns, J Cameron, Provost L Cameron, Councillors Campbell, Andy Doig, Audrey Doig, Hannigan, Hughes, Innes, MacFarlane, K MacLaren, M MacLaren, McEwan, McGurk, McNaughtan, Mylet, Nicolson, Paterson, Rodden, Shaw and Steel. The following members abstained: Councillors Devine and Hood. 17 members having voted for the amendment, 23 members having voted for the motion and 2 members having abstained, the motion was accordingly declared carried. DECIDED: 1. That this Administration’s second budget will continue to deliver on its commitments set out in the Council Plan to create a fairer Renfrewshire built on innovation, wellbeing and opportunity; where improving outcomes for children and families underpins all that we do. 2. That as recommended by the Director, these budget proposals take a holistic view of resources available and include the use of the £2.000 million of available resources outlined in Agenda item 4 and direct them as follows:- • Commit £1.000 million of capital resource to supplement the £4.000 million of general capital grant to fund a total £5.000 million roads maintenance and improvement programme; • Recognising the importance of outdoor play and sports, commit £0.800 million to the provision of artificial playing surfaces through investment in sports facilities and through match funding bids for financial support from external grant providers; with a report on the allocation of funding to specific projects being the subject of a future report to the Leadership Board;
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• Building on the previous substantial investment in our community halls, commit a further £0.130 million to allow for further refurbishment and repair work to be undertaken as required, with spend being prioritised to support the aims of the Council’s ongoing property review; and • Commit £0.070 million to supplement the existing Retail Improvement Fund, which continues to deliver significant improvements in our town centres. 3. Households and families across Renfrewshire continue to be impacted by the cost of living crisis and we are concerned that for some poverty is deepening and inequalities are widening. Through our Fairer Renfrewshire programme, tackling inequality and poverty will continue to be key priorities for this Administration as we support communities to recover and thrive following the pandemic. Building on the success of this programme, this Administration commits further support through the following targeted interventions: • £0.045 million to support Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau to continue the delivery of its welfare rights service, building on the funding agreed in 2023/24 to commission the delivery of advice services by the bureau over a 2 year period. • £0.100 million to provide a targeted programme of summer activities for children and young people from low income families, working across Council services with community groups and third sector organisations across Renfrewshire to ensure that our most vulnerable families are able to access a range of activities and healthy food over the summer period. • £0.040 million to support ROAR to work with the Council and partners to explore the inequalities experienced by older people in Renfrewshire and pilot interventions which tackle issues such as social isolation and connection and potential barriers to accessing support. • £0.100 million to strengthen engagement with young people across Renfrewshire communities, including the targeting of activities to support our most vulnerable children and young people in Renfrewshire through the development of a youth-led programme which will provide opportunities for young people to improve their safety, health and wellbeing and get involved in activities which will enhance and promote their community • £0.100 million to support delivery of the Dolly Parton Imagination Library programme in Renfrewshire, which sees every child aged between 2 and 5 receive a book every month, and supports our work in Renfrewshire to improve levels of literacy and reduce the poverty related attainment gap. • £0.070 million to fund for a further year the Who Cares Scotland Communities that Care programme within Renfrewshire’s educational establishments, continuing the Council’s support for the care experienced community and reinforcing our commitment to deliver on The Promise. 4. In support of the Fairer Renfrewshire aims above, Council agrees to allocate top-up funding of £0.400 million to the Scottish Welfare Fund, to be funded from the anticipated underspend in Council Tax Reduction resource in 2023/24, which will be allocated to the Welfare Reform ringfenced reserve for this purpose. In addition, and funded from the same 2023/24 underspend, Council commits to allocate £0.300 million to support a £50 winter school clothing payment to each child eligible for school clothing grant, building on the support provided in 2022 and 2023.
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5. Council recognises the success of the Team Up to Clean Up campaigns of recent years, and the importance of clean neighbourhoods. Council will therefore allocate £0.250 million of ringfenced funding to continue the Environment and Place programme, including Team Up to Clean Up; and commits a further £0.200 million to continue the work of the environmental task force, including a focus on fly-tipping. In addition, Council commits £0.025 million to the ongoing programme of public litter bin replacements. 6. Council recognises the previous £10 million commitment to fund a replacement Thorn Primary School, and also notes that the Council was unsuccessful in its bid for additional funding from the Learning Estate Investment Programme managed by the Scottish Futures Trust. Council reaffirms its commitment to this project and commits a further £4.000 million of capital resource, funded by prudential borrowing, with the revenue costs of this borrowing (estimated at £0.280 million per annum) be built in to financial plans from the 2025/26 financial year. 7. Council has made significant investment in Paisley town centre, including in the cultural and heritage buildings which are so important to the economic revival of the town centre. Further recognising the unique cultural heritage of the Oakshaw area of the town, Council commits £0.050 million to the development of the Oakshaw Heritage Trail. 8. Commit £0.120 million over 2 years to fund a dedicated planning enforcement officer post which will ensure improved compliance and monitoring of planning approvals. 9. Build on the success of cultural investment in prior years with a further £0.200 million to support development of partnership arrangements with cultural bodies in Renfrewshire. This funding will supplement existing budgets to create a total £1.000 million package of support for local artists and cultural organisations over the next three years, fulfilling a decade of support for culture in Renfrewshire. 10. Recognising the importance of our school music service, Council allocates £0.025 million to further support the service in 2024/25, celebrating the success of our young musicians. 11. Council also recognises the need to maintain a prudent level of unallocated reserves given the very high level of risk over the medium term as outlined in the Director’s report; and as previously agreed by Council, commits to maintain the Council’s level of unallocated reserve at a minimum of £10.000 million moving into 2024/25. Council also agrees a draw of £0.700 million from the welfare reform reserve as outlined at paragraph 4 above, and a further £5.712 million from the ringfenced financial sustainability reserve in order to achieve the statutory breakeven budget position (noting that this draw may be reduced should further funding be allocated by the Scottish Government as outlined in the addendum report to Item 3 on the agenda); and commits that action will be taken over the near term to bring the Council’s expenditure in line with available resource on a recurring basis; thereby ensuring the Council’s ongoing financial sustainability. 12. In line with the conditions set out in the 2024/25 financial settlement, agree to the recommendation outlined in Table 2 of the Director’s report to make available £10.926 million of recurring resources to Renfrewshire HSCP; and in addition provide on a recurring basis a further £1.426 million, being the proportionate share of funding received in relation to pay awards in 2023/24.
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13. To agree the base budget assessment for all services for 2024/25 as recommended by the Director of Finance and Resources and agree a 2024/25 base budget of £519.560 million. 14. To agree to make provision in 2024/25 for pay inflation as detailed in section 5.5 of the Director’s report and make no provision for general non-pay inflation, as recommended by the Director. 15. To agree to a general 5% inflationary increase in charges for services as recommended in the Director’s report, subject to the note at paragraph 20 below. 16. To agree the resource allocations for 2024/25 for all services, as amended by these proposals. 17. To agree the detailed Revenue Estimates for all services be amended to reflect these proposals and the necessary allocation of central support costs, central repairs costs, capital charges, specific grants and loan charges provision with Directors authorised to take any action necessary to implement these decisions. 18. Subject to agreement of the above, to agree that the council tax for 2024/25 be set at £1,436.17 for Band D subjects, representing a 0.0% increase on the 2023/24 level, and for all bandings to be set at: Band 2023/24 2024/25 A 957.45 957.45 B 1,117.02 1,117.02 C 1,276.60 1,276.60 D 1,436.17 1,436.17 E 1,886.97 1,886.97 F 2,333.78 2,333.78 G 2,812.50 2,812.50 H 3,518.62 3,518.62 Note that the freeze in the rate of council tax will release £4.897 million of funding from the Scottish Government, and that this decision to freeze council tax provides some respite from increasing costs at a difficult time for many households. Further note however, that the compensatory funding provided by the Scottish Government is equivalent to a 4.4% increase in council tax, when the assumption within the Council’s medium term financial outlook was for an increase of 6%; and therefore the Council will require to make up this shortfall in future years in order to achieve the targeted 20% total increase over the four year period from 2024/25; clearly demonstrating the sound financial management this Administration is committed to. Council also agrees with the Director’s recommendations in the supplementary report to Item 3, in relation to any additional funding which may flow to the Council as outlined in the letter received from the Depute First Minister on 21 February, that this funding will be used to reduce the Council’s recurring financial deficit. 19. Subject to agreement of the points above, agree that the Council’s budget is supported by appropriate decisions and makes appropriate provision to meet the specified commitments in the package of conditions linked to the Council’s grant settlement.
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20. To agree to increase other charges for services by 5% (as detailed in paragraph 15 above) or where appropriate by the rate set in national legislation or guidance, or where charges are based on full cost recovery by the appropriate increase to maintain this position, subject to Directors being authorised (a) to round the charge up or down to a figure deemed by them appropriate, and (b) not to impose any increase, if having reviewed the implications of the increase, he or she determines it would be inappropriate to do so, having regard to any material factor applicable to the goods or services to which the charge relates. To note the requirement of financial code 13 that Directors review the amounts their departments charge for goods or services and if they think any charge needs to be increased, they will recommend this to the appropriate Board. The Council therefore agrees that when a Director carries out such a review and believes a charge for goods or services should be levied which reflects an increase greater than the increase of 5% or the rate set in national legislation or guidance, he or she will be entitled to recommend the same to the appropriate Board for approval. Sederunt Councillor Montgomery rejoined the meeting prior to consideration of the following item of business. 4 Non-Housing Capital Investment Programme, Prudential Framework and Treasury Management Strategy, and Capital Strategy 2024/25 – 2028/29 There was submitted a report by the Director of Finance & Resources relative to the 2024/25-2028/29 planned capital investment for non-housing services which covered a range of corporate projects across all service areas within the Council with the exception of council housing. The report advised that the resources available to support investment included prudential borrowing and capital grant as well as contributions from revenue, partners, and external funding bodies. The report intimated that on 19 December 2023 the Scottish Government had published the draft Scottish Government budget for 2024/25 and the provisional local government finance settlement. The proposed 2024/25 capital grant for Renfrewshire Council was £11.639 million. It was noted that this represented a 3.4% reduction from the level of general capital grant allocated to the Council in 2023/24. It was highlighted that in the context of the current funding environment, there was little scope for any investment in assets other than rolling lifecycle maintenance, unless the Council was able to access and secure other sources of funding. There were likely to be limited opportunities for capital receipts as a source of income to the capital plan, potentially placing a greater reliance on increased borrowing as the main source of capital funding. It was highlighted that increased borrowing would result in revenue pressures at a time when the revenue fund was also severely constrained. It was also noted that the capital plan outlined in the report and detailed in the Appendices to the report extended beyond 2024/25 but that no capital grant from 2025/26 had been incorporated. Approved programmes already in place which were funded by other arrangements had however been included. It was further noted that this approach did not preclude the Council taking further investment decisions as part of the budget process where separate funding arrangements were established.
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The report stated that that the Prudential and Treasury Management Codes played a key role in capital finance in local authorities and required the Council to set prudential and treasury management indicators for the following three year period to ensure that the Council’s capital investment plans were affordable, prudent and sustainable. The Treasury Management Code further required that the Council approved, annually in advance, a strategy for its treasury management activities, whilst the Prudential Code also required full Council approval of the Capital Strategy which set out the long-term context within which capital investment decisions were made to improve capital, revenue and balance sheet planning. Details of the proposed prudential indicators and treasury management strategy and proposed capital strategy were attached as Appendices 3 and 4 of the report respectively. DECIDED: (a) That the Capital Investment Programme covering the period up to 2028/29, as summarised in Table 2 of the report and detailed in Appendices 1 and 2 attached to the report be approved; (b) That the level of capital grant available in 2024/25 be noted and that it be further noted that estimates of general and specific grant had been included within the planned programme beyond this financial year, in the absence of formal confirmation; (c) That the level of uncommitted capital receipts included in the plan, incorporated as a Strategic Asset Management Fund of £2m, be noted; (d) That the relevant Heads of Service, in consultation with the Director of Finance & Resources, be authorised to adjust, where appropriate, resources across individual components of the lifecycle maintenance, cultural infrastructure, roads and structures, and schools investment programmes respectively; (e) That the proposals outlined in section 4 of the report be approved in order to support delivery of the Cultural and Heritage Infrastructure Programme; (f) That the Prudential Indicators, set out in Appendix 3 to the report, be approved subject to any required adjustments arising from decisions taken by the Council in relation to the capital and revenue budget reports being submitted to this Council meeting; (g) That the Treasury Management Strategy Statement 2024/25, including the treasury management indicators, set out in Appendix 3 to the report, be approved; and (f) That the Capital Strategy, set out in Appendix 4 to the report, be approved.
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5 Housing Revenue Account Budget & Rent Levels 2024/25 and Housing Capital Investment Plan 2024/25 to 2028/29 There was submitted a joint report by the Directors of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure and Finance & Resources relative to the proposed Housing Revenue Account (HRA) budget 2024/25 and the Housing Capital Investment Plan 2024/25 to 2028/29. Information was also provided which enabled consideration of rent levels for 2024/25. The proposed budget adjustments for 2024/25 were shown across the high level HRA categories in summary form on Appendix 1 to the report and were analysed in more detail in Appendix 2. The report highlighted the impact of the economic pressures on the HRA and set out the range of operational pressures that had emerged and the adjustments to budgets and resources required to deal with these pressures. It was also highlighted that in setting the 2024/25 HRA budget, members required to consider the medium and longer-term financial context for the HRA considering the ongoing risks and challenges facing the HRA as outlined within the report. An update was provided on the consultation undertaken with tenants on the annual rent setting process which had asked five key questions regarding the priorities tenants had identified previously and as to whether they felt they were still very important, important, or not important. The consultation results identified that only 2.9% of responses deemed the priorities previously identified as not important. The report also detailed the Housing Capital Investment Plan 2024/25 to 2028/29 which would deliver a total investment of £281 million in the Council’s housing stock. It was anticipated that this level of investment would attract £35 million of government grant for projects including new-build housing and that this resulted in a net capital programme of £246 million. DECIDED: (a) That an average weekly rent increase of £5.45, which equated to 6.0% for all house rents and lock-ups be approved; (b) That the findings of the recent Tenant Consultation exercise be noted; (c) That the Housing Revenue Account Budget for financial year 2024/25, as detailed in Appendix 2 of the report, be approved; (d) That the Housing Capital Investment Plan 2024/25 to 2028/29, as detailed in Appendix 3 of the report, be approved; and (e) That the continuing requirement to achieve best value in the commissioning of works by having an optimum workflow over the five years of the investment plan be noted and that the Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure be authorised to liaise with the Director of Finance & Resources to re-profile the capital programme and available resources, as necessary, in line with the appropriate limits established under the Council’s capital prudential framework arrangements.
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Adjournment The meeting adjourned at 11.54 am and resumed at 12.05 pm. Order of Business In terms of Standing Order 16, the Provost intimated that she proposed to alter the order of business to facilitate the conduct of the meeting by considering item 9 of the agenda before item 6 of the agenda. Transparency Statement Councillor Steel declared a connection to item 9 by reason of having a family member who used the service. However, he indicated that he had applied the objective test and did not consider he had an interest to declare. 6 Notice of Motion 1 by Councillors Nicolson and Hughes There was submitted a Notice of Motion by Councillors Nicolson and Hughes in the following terms: "Renfrewshire HSCP Review Renfrewshire Council calls on Renfrewshire HSCP to stop its current review and proposals for Adult Day and Flexi-care Services and to prioritise work on other areas of its budget options. The Fraser of Allander Report into disability services makes it clear that individuals with vulnerabilities were impacted significantly by Covid. This requires time and consideration to be taken, on how these services are shaped for the future and to place the service users at the heart of these discussions." Councillor Nicolson, seconded by Councillor Hughes, then moved the motion which was agreed unanimously. DECIDED: Renfrewshire HSCP Review Renfrewshire Council calls on Renfrewshire HSCP to stop its current review and proposals for Adult Day and Flexi-care Services and to prioritise work on other areas of its budget options. The Fraser of Allander Report into disability services makes it clear that individuals with vulnerabilities were impacted significantly by Covid. This requires time and consideration to be taken, on how these services are shaped for the future and to place the service users at the heart of these discussions. 7 Accounts Commission Section 102 Report (S.102) – School Accommodation for Dargavel Village There was submitted a report by the Chief Executive relative to a Section 102 (S.102) report submitted to the Accounts Commission in respect of school accommodation in Dargavel. The S.102 report was attached at Appendix 1 to the report.
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The report advised that at the meeting of the Accounts Commission held on 11 January 2024 a statutory S.102 report was presented by the Controller of Audit on school accommodation for Dargavel. This report was also circulated to Councillors on 5 January 2024 and, as per the statutory requirement, was submitted to this meeting of Council to allow consideration of the findings and recommendations from the Accounts Commission and to agree any subsequent action by the Council. The Accounts Commission had agreed to make findings and associated recommendations in response to the S.102 report and sought additional information and assurance in relation to several areas, as set out in section 3.8 of the report, and in this context had requested a further report from the Controller of Audit no later than June 2024. It was noted that the Accounts Commission also reserved open the right to hold a hearing if they deemed it was required. The proposed response and associated actions to the findings and recommendations set out by the Commission were detailed at Appendix 2 to the report. It was recommended that, if approved by Council, the actions be incorporated into the existing action plan being progressed by officers in response to the Bowles report for monitoring purposes and, in line with the existing approach, reported to each cycle of the Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board. DECIDED: (a) That the Accounts Commissions findings and recommendations be noted and accepted; (b) That the response and actions, outlined in Appendix 2 of the report, be agreed and that the monitoring of those actions be incorporated into the overall Bowles report response monitoring arrangements that were reported to each cycle of the Audit Risk and Scrutiny Board; and (c) That it be noted that that a follow-up report from the Controller of Audit would be submitted to the Accounts Commission by June 2024 which would be subject to appropriate reporting through the Council’s governance process at that time. 8 Cross Party Working Group: Review of Governance Arrangements Under reference to item 3(a) of the Minute of the meeting of Council held on 22 June 2023, there was submitted a report by the Director of Finance & Resources relative to the findings of the cross-party working group set up to review the governance arrangements of Renfrewshire Council. The report advised that at the meeting of Council held on 22 June 2023 it was agreed that a cross-party body to discuss and review existing governance arrangements of Renfrewshire Council be convened, and that authority be delegated to the Head of Corporate Governance to make the arrangements for the cross-party body. A Cross Party Working Group (“the Group”) was subsequently convened, set its own agenda and reviewed and examined all areas of interest to it.
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At the initial meeting of the Group the members agreed that the focus of the group would be on a number of key areas: a review of the Bowles Report findings; an examination of the Council’s Scheme of Delegations including the terms of reference of the Council’s boards, and the powers of officers together with the Protocol for Relationships between Political Groups, Elected Members and Officers; the culture and capacity of management within the Council; and planning and Section 75 Agreements. Each of these areas were considered by the Group and their findings and proposed outcomes and actions were set out in the report. A revised version of the Protocol for Relationships between Political Groups, Elected Members and Officers had been produced to incorporate the Group's recommended changes and this was attached at Appendix 1 to the report for approval. DECIDED: (a) That the work of the Cross Party Working Group and the findings of the review be noted; (b) That the Group's recommended actions, as set out in the report, be approved; (c) That the revised Protocol for Relationships between Political Groups, Elected Members and Officers, as set out in Appendix 1 to the report, be approved. 9 Governance Arrangements There was submitted a report by the Director of Finance & Resources relative to proposed changes to Council appointees, board memberships and the Scheme of Delegated Functions. The report set out the proposed changes to the Council’s representatives on the Board of the Park Lane Developments (Renfrewshire) LLP, namely the appointment of Gordon McNeil and Louise Feely as directors, together with changes to board memberships proposed by the Labour Group, and a consequential change to the Depute Convener of the Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board. The report also detailed a change to Children and Young People’s Champion proposed by the SNP Group and proposed amendments to the Scheme of Delegated Functions in respect of decisions on major events to be marked by the flying of flags from Council buildings, and by the lighting of Council buildings/property. Councillor Nicolson, seconded by Councillor J Cameron, moved the recommendations in the report, subject to the following additions: (a) That Councillor Audrey Doig replace Councillor Paterson as a member of the Leadership Board; (b) That Councillor Steel replace Councillor Paterson as the Council’s representative on the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority), with Councillor Paterson being appointed as the substitute Member; and (c) That Cllr Audrey Doig replace Councillor Stephen Burns as Depute Convenor of Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board.
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This was agreed unanimously. DECIDED: (a) That the appointment of Gordon McNeil and Louise Feely as directors of the Park Lane Developments (Renfrewshire) LLP be approved; (b) That Councillor Smith replace Councillor Montgomery on the Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board; (c) That Councillor Montgomery replace Councillor Smith on the Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board; (d) That Councillor McDonald be appointed Depute Convener of the Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board; (e) That Councillor MacFarlane replace Councillor Campbell as the Children and Young People’s Champion; (f) That the changes to the Scheme of Delegated Functions, as set out in section 4 of the report, be approved; (g) That Councillor Audrey Doig replace Councillor Paterson as a member of the Leadership Board; (h) That Councillor Steel replace Councillor Paterson as the Council’s representative on the Strathclyde Partnership for Transport (Strathclyde Passenger Transport Authority), with Councillor Paterson being appointed as the substitute Member; and (i) That Councillor Audrey Doig replace Councillor Stephen Burns as Depute Convener of Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board. 10 Notice of Motion 2 by Councillors Devine and Hood and Notice of Motion 3 by Councillors Davidson and McDonald There was submitted a Notice of Motion by Councillors Devine and Hood in the following terms: "Sma Shot Day Parade – 2024 This Council instructs Council Officers to return the Sma Shot Parade to its historic route of Brodie Park – Braids Road - Neilston Road – Causeyside Street – Gauze Street, finishing in Abbey Close where the cork effigy will be burnt. This should be implemented for the Parade on 6 July 2024." Councillor Devine, seconded by Councillor Hood, then moved the motion. There was also submitted a Notice of Motion by Councillors Davidson and McDonald in the following terms:
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"Sma Shot Day - 2024 Council will reverse the decision to downgrade the Sma Shot Parade and festivities. Council will honour the well-established route of the Sma Shot Parade and celebrations this year and for the foreseeable future. Council will also honour the traditions involved with this day of the workers conquest over the corks and will continue with the burning of the cork. Sma Shot Day is a day of immense pride to the people of Paisley. Council will agree to continuing to take the parade to the top of Causeyside Street onto the High Street and round onto Cotton Street and ending on Bridge Street, with all the stalls and entertainment historically provided as expected and enjoyed by the people of Renfrewshire." Councillor Davidson, seconded by Councillor McDonald, then moved the motion. Councillor K MacLaren, seconded by Councillor MacFarlane, moved as an amendment that Council agrees: • that there should be no downgrading of the traditional Sma’ Shot Day celebrations in 2024; • that the route should be broadly that of the traditional route to maximise the benefits to the public and the trade in the town; • that additional elements around Shuttle Street should be pursued also to enhance the event; and • any shortfall in funding not currently budgeted for should be met from the Paisley Common Good Fund. In terms of Standing Order 27, Councillors Devine and Hood and Councillors Davidson and McDonald, as movers and seconders of the original motions accepted the amendment which was agreed unanimously. DECIDED: (a) That there should be no downgrading of the traditional Sma’ Shot Day celebrations in 2024; (b) That the route should be broadly that of the traditional route to maximise the benefits to the public and the trade in the town; (c) That additional elements around Shuttle Street should be pursued to enhance the event; and (d) That any shortfall in funding not currently budgeted for should be met from the Paisley Common Good Fund. 11 Notice of Motion 4 by Councillors Steel and J Cameron "TALBOT BRIDGE GRAPHICS Council notes the deterioration in the condition of the ‘Talbot Bridge’ graphics at Linwood Toll.
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Council agrees that preservation of heritage plays an important role in community identity and directs the chief executive to write to Network Rail asking them to engage with stakeholders to explore options to restore the signage." Councillor Steel, seconded by Councillor J Cameron, then moved the motion which was agreed unanimously. DECIDED: (a) Council notes the deterioration in the condition of the ‘Talbot Bridge’ graphics at Linwood Toll; and (b) Council agrees that preservation of heritage plays an important role in community identity and directs the chief executive to write to Network Rail asking them to engage with stakeholders to explore options to restore the signage.