Paisley and Renfrew Common Good Fund Budgets 2025-26
Renfrewshire Council · 13 February 2025
Back to Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board — 13 February 2025 and its agenda
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__________________________________________________________________ To: Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board On: 13 February 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Finance and Resources ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Paisley and Renfrew Common Good Fund Budgets 2025/26 ___________________________________________________________________ 1 Summary 1.1 The level of funding available to disburse annually from the Paisley and Renfrew Common Good Funds is dependent upon the income received by the Funds during the year. For each Fund, income is derived from its respective investment portfolio and is received in the form of property rental payments, interest payments or dividends, with the latter two being particularly sensitive to financial market fluctuations. 1.2 The level of income available for 2025/26 has been estimated, along with existing annual commitments and assessments made of the affordability of existing funds delegated to Local Partnerships on an annual basis. ___________________________________________________________________ 2 Recommendations 2.1 The Board is asked to: i) Approve the 2025/26 budget allocations to Local Partnerships as follows: Common Good Fund Local Partnership Budget 2025/26 Renfrew Renfrew £94,600 Paisley Paisley East £12,400 Paisley Paisley North, West and Central £10,900 Paisley Foxbar / Brediland and Glenburn £10,200
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ii) Approve the continued funding of project awards, as outlined in Appendix 1, and noting the changes detailed in section 5; iii) Approve a non-recurring award of £50,000 from Renfrew Common Good for the Robertson Park play area, as detailed in Appendix 2; and iv) Note the future year allocations (previously agreed in 2024/25) to the Cherrie Centre as outlined in paragraph 5.5. ___________________________________________________________________ 3 Background 3.1 The Common Good Funds of both Paisley and Renfrew are used each financial year to fund ongoing projects and commitments made by the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board. In addition, an annual allocation is made to relevant Local Partnerships, which have delegated authority to disburse grants to local organisations from which they receive bids for funding and/or to use the funding themselves to support appropriate projects. The proposed allocations are based on the current Local Partnership arrangements. 3.2 Income received by the Common Good Funds is derived from rental income from Common Good property and, principally, from dividend income and interest payments. Subject to maintaining tenancies, rental income remains stable and predictable on a yearly basis. However, in terms of investment income from dividends and interest, it is necessary to make an informed estimate each year of the income that will be available to the Common Good Funds in the following year. 4 Income 4.1 The Paisley Common Good rental income budget remains the same in 2025/26 although the Renfrew Common Good rental income budget has been reduced by £15,000 to realign based on actual income received in recent years. 4.2 The investment income for 2025/26 is based on the estimated figures provided for both the Paisley and Renfrew Common Good funds as at 30 September 2024. The markets and anticipated sustainability of investments will continue to be monitored by both officers and the Investment Review Board. 5 Expenditure 5.1 Based on the most recent data, inflation has fallen below 3%, although there is some uncertainty in the outlook due to the current economic environment.
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The current Bank of England estimated inflation figure is low, at 2.6% (13 January 2025), therefore no general inflationary uplifts have been proposed for 2025/26. 5.2 One exception to this is a proposed increase to the allocation for Barshaw Gala Day from Paisley Common Good and for Renfrew Gala Day from Renfrew Common Good. Based on the cost of running these events, the proposed allocation has increased from £10,000 to £15,000 in each case. 5.3 At its meeting on 29 February 2024, the Council agreed to continue the Sma’ Shot Parade in 2024 and to fund any shortfall from Paisley Common Good Fund. £15,000 has been transferred to support this event in 2024/25, and this allocation has been requested for one further year into 2025/26. 5.4 The Council has a programme of upgrade and maintenance of play facilities across Renfrewshire. It is proposed that a non-recurring award of £50,000 from Renfrew Common Good is approved to supplement this work within Robertson Park. Further detail is set out in Appendix 2. 5.5 In accordance with the approved plan in 2024/25, the Cherrie Centre’s funding allocation will drop to £60,000 in 2025/26. It will decrease to £50,000 in 2026/27 and then £40,000 in 2027/28 where it will remain at this level in subsequent years. 5.6 The reduction in funding to the Cherrie Centre in 2025/26 has been added to the Local Partnership allocation for Renfrew Common Good to enable wider distribution of funds into the community, as will the future year reductions outlined above. 6 Net Position 6.1 Taking all of these factors into account, a forecast Income and Expenditure Statement for each Common Good Fund has been prepared on a cash basis (i.e. excluding non-cash movements, such as depreciation) and is appended for Members’ consideration. These forecasts presume that in-year expenditure will not exceed income. There is a requirement to ensure that the ongoing commitments of each Common Good Fund remain affordable and sustainable. 6.2 Should all proposals be approved, the Paisley Common Good Fund is planned to return a net surplus in 2025/26 of £40,500, and the Renfrew Common Good Fund is planned to return a net surplus in 2025/26 of £506,880. __________________________________________________________________
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Implications of the Report 1. Financial – The proposed budget is based on a general principle of only spending the available income in each year, where possible. 2. HR & Organisational Development – None arising directly from this report. 3. Community Planning: Our Renfrewshire is well – Many of the projects funded by Local Partnerships contribute to the promotion of more active pursuits for all age groups. Our Renfrewshire is thriving - The funding allocated from the Common Good Funds supports local community groups and projects. Our Renfrewshire is safe – The community projects funded by Local Partnerships, as well as recurring funding for events and community services supports communities to be safer and stronger. 4. Legal – None arising directly from this report. 5. Property/Assets – Some of the expenditure noted in the budget report will result in improvements and / or maintenance to Common Good and community-owned properties. 6. Information Technology – None arising directly from this report. 7. Equality & Human Rights – None arising directly from this 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 – Some of the expenditure noted in the budget report will result in improvements and / or maintenance to Common Good and community-owned properties, which may in some cases rectify health and safety issues. 9. Procurement – None arising directly from this report. 10. Risk – There is a risk investment income will not be realised as forecast; however, this risk will be monitored through regular discussion with the Council’s investment managers and advisers. 11. Privacy Impact – None arising directly from this report. 12. COSLA Policy Position – n/a. 13. Children’s Rights – None arising directly from this report. 14. Climate Risk – None arising directly from this report. ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Stuart Nibloe, Principal Accountant (Treasury) stuart.nibloe@renfrewshire.gov.uk
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Appendix 1 *Council approved the allocation of budget from Paisley Common Good to fund Sma’ Shot Day 2024 at its meeting of 29 February 2024 and £15,000 was allocated to the 2024 event. Paisley Common Good - Income & Expenditure Forecast Approved Proposed 2024/25 2025/26 £ £ Estimated Net Annual Income available: Income receivable from Loans Fund (10,000.00) (11,000.00) Investment Income (155,000.00) (155,000.00) Property Rental Income (49,000.00) (49,000.00) (214,000.00) (215,000.00) Less costs: Investment Management Fees 19,000.00 21,000.00 Council Administration Fee 14,000.00 14,000.00 Property Costs 1,000.00 1,000.00 Total Available for Disbursement (180,000.00) (179,000.00) Proposed Recurring Projects: Christmas lights 55,000.00 55,000.00 Repair to War Memorial 500.00 500.00 Barshaw Gala 10,000.00 15,000.00 CCTV Operations 19,500.00 19,500.00 Total Cost of Recurring Projects 85,000.00 90,000.00 Proposed Non-recurring Projects: Sma' Shot Day* 0.00 15,000.00 0.00 15,000.00 Proposed Local Partnership Allocations: Paisley East, Ralston, Hawkhead/Lochfield, Hunterhill and Charleston 12,400.00 12,400.00 Paisley North, Gallowhill, Ferguslie, Paisley West and Central 10,900.00 10,900.00 Foxbar / Brediland and Glenburn 10,200.00 10,200.00 33,500.00 33,500.00 (Surplus)/Deficit on cash basis (61,500.00) (40,500.00)
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Appendix 1 Renfrew Common Good - Income & Expenditure Forecast Approved Proposed 2024/25 2025/26 £ £ Estimated Net Annual Income available: Income receivable from Loans Fund (5,000.00) (70,000.00) Investment Income (560,000.00) (589,000.00) Property Rental Income (280,000.00) (265,000.00) (845,000.00) (924,000.00) Less costs: Investment Management Fees 70,000.00 80,000.00 Council Administration Fee 45,000.00 45,000.00 Renfrew Town Hall - lifecycle maintenance 8,000.00 8,000.00 Property Costs 15,000.00 15,000.00 Total Available for Disbursement (707,000.00) (776,000.00) Proposed Recurring Projects: Christmas lights: operating costs 16,700.00 16,700.00 Christmas lights: switch-on event 10,000.00 10,000.00 Renfrew Pipe Band Competition 10,000.00 10,000.00 Repair to War Memorial 300.00 300.00 Repair to Public Clocks 220.00 220.00 Bench Maintenance - Robertson Park 700.00 700.00 Cherrie Centre Support 70,000.00 60,000.00 Renfrew Gala Week 10,000.00 15,000.00 CCTV Operations 11,600.00 11,600.00 Total Cost of Recurring Projects 129,520.00 124,520.00 Proposed Non-recurring Projects: Robertson Park Play Area 0.00 50,000.00 0.00 50,000.00 Proposed Local Partnership Allocations: Renfrew 84,600.00 94,600.00 (Surplus)/Deficit on cash basis (492,880.00) (506,880.00)
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Appendix 2 Robertson Park Play Area 1. Background 1.1 Neighbourhood Services has been working on a programme of children’s play park renewal and refurbishment from early in 2021. The budget for this work has come from a variety of funding streams including Renfrewshire Council Capital, Scottish Government Grant, Greenspaces, Parks and Play Areas & Villages Investment Fund, #YouDecide Project Funding and Community Fundraising. 1.2 Since the programme began in 2021, 42 play parks, from a total of 98 sites in scope have been either completely renewed, refurbished or a combination of both. A further 11 sites will receive investment by the end of March 2026. 1.3 The overarching ethos of the programme has been to provide new and exciting play spaces which are both accessible and inclusive, catering for a broad range of needs and abilities. Through our consultation process, the renewals have been tailored at each location to the needs and desires expressed by the local community, whilst still attempting to offer a broad range of play opportunities. 1.4 Many existing Council operated play parks across Renfrewshire will receive investment to bring them to modern acceptable standards of play value, accessibility and inclusivity. However, a small number of existing play park sites have been identified for complete removal. These sites tend to be poorly located and have site environmental issues that prevent renewal. This is the case for the small play park located near to Craigielea Road as it sits directly under a row of mature trees. Initially it was believed that removing this small play park would not impact park users due to the large play park located in the centre of the park, however, the need for a space which allows quieter play access has since been identified. 1.5 The funding currently available for the play park renewal programme has been fully committed on projects through to the end of financial year 2025/26. This funding includes an allocation of £150,000 which will be used to refurbish / renew the main play park in Robertson Park, concentrating on the section built in 1996 as part Renfrew’s celebration of 600 years as a royal burgh. 2. Proposal 2.1 Subject to an allocation of sufficient funding, the proposal would be to create a small new play space and seating area in consultation with the Friends of Robertson Park & Renfrew Development Trust. Whilst it would still be the intention to completely remove the old play park at the time of building the new one, none of the funding from this bid would be used in the removal works. 2.2 It is anticipated that this new area would be located near to the existing small play park to be removed, but out in the open grass area. This is recognised as the quieter area of the park and would be conducive to our overall proposal. 2.3 The intention would be to offer a small play park with carefully chosen inclusive play equipment and coupled with a quiet seating area for parents /
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Appendix 2 guardians to enjoy while remaining close on hand for the children and young people in their care. It is estimated, based on our ongoing programme of renewal works, that the proposal would cost approximately £50,000 and this is requested from Renfrew Common Good Fund.