ILE #YouDecide Evaluation Report - Full Version
Renfrewshire Council · 22 January 2025
Back to Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board — 22 January 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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___________________________________________________________________ To: Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board On: 22 January 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Environment, Housing and Infrastructure ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: #YouDecide Evaluation Report ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 This report provides an evaluation of the development and delivery of the Council’s £1.2M Infrastructure and Assets Community Investment Fund, #YouDecide, which was agreed by the Infrastructure, Land & Environment Policy Board in August 2020. The £1.2M Community Investment Fund was split between 16 localities, equating to £75K per area. 1.2 This fund was used to encourage communities to have their say on what improvements and new infrastructure that they wanted to see in their local areas through participatory budgeting and formed part of the Council’s commitment to allocate 1% of its budget to participatory budgeting. As well as giving local people a key role in the decision-making process around improving infrastructure within their local area, the Council gained a better understanding of community priorities. 1.3 In total, 2811 ideas were generated from residents across Renfrewshire. These ideas were then shortlisted to 119 projects, with nearly 5000 votes received. Fifty successful projects were announced at a community event which over 100 residents from across Renfrewshire attended. 1.4 A significant communications and marketing campaign took place to promote #YouDecide and as a result 87% of local people agreed that they had increased knowledge of participatory budgeting, with 81% of local people agreeing that it was a good way for the Council to identify projects and allocate funding.
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1.5 For those who provided feedback in relation to participating in the process, 65% of people advised that they had never taken part in a Council consultation before, demonstrating the effectiveness of the engagement process in reaching those who had not previously engaged with the Council and who may have been harder to reach in the past. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations It is recommended that the Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board: 2.1 Notes the content of the report, and that the learning from the approach used will be applied to any future participatory budgeting processes in the future. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 requires local authorities to promote and facilitate public participation in decision-making activity within the authority, including the allocation of resources. 3.2 The principals of Participatory Budgeting are about addressing the needs within communities. It is well known that better community engagement and participation leads to the delivery of more responsive services as well as better outcomes for communities. 3.3 COSLA and the Scottish Government have developed and agreed a framework on which to take forward participatory budgeting. The framework acts as an enabler for active participation of communities in local decision making and it establishes a shared expectation that Elected Members, Senior Officers and local communities will go beyond the current arrangements for engagement and consultation. 3.4 A target of 1% of a local authority budget to be set by participatory budgeting was agreed, however, this is a minimum. Renfrewshire Council aspire to go beyond this target and for participatory budgeting principles to become “business as usual”. The Council is committed to this approach as it believes it will support community involvement and lead to better decision making. 4. Main Objectives of #YouDecide 4.1 The campaign was a democratic innovation in Renfrewshire, which empowered communities to shape the allocation of £1.2M for infrastructure improvements. 4.2 This budget was dedicated to supporting projects that align with the strengths, needs and aspirations of local communities, allowing residents to decide on infrastructure improvements they value most.
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4.3 The main objectives of #YouDecide were to: • Promote awareness of participatory budgeting to communities • Encourage local communities to play an active role in the decision- making process, with a particular focus on those who do not normally engage with the Council. • Ensure successful outcomes for communities. 5. Community Feedback 5.1 This was not a traditional Council project; therefore, a more creative strategy was required to reach out and engage with residents who are not normally engaged with the Council. 5.2 As a result, 65.2% of those who provided feedback stated that they had never participated in a council consultation before, demonstrating how effective the consultation approaches have been in reaching those who have not engaged with consultation and who may have been harder to reach in the past. 5.3 When asked if they thought that participatory budgeting was a good way for councils to allocate monies to projects, 81.6% of responding residents agreed that it was a good way to allocate funding and projects. 5.4 This was further strengthened by focus groups members who all agreed this is a good way to allocate funds as it gives the community more autonomy in their own area. The focus group noted however, that continuity would be key to successful relationship building with communities. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – The budget for the #YouDecide campaign was met from the Roads Capital Investment programme. 2. HR & Organisational Development - none 3. Community/Council Planning – Better community engagement and participation leads to the delivery of more responsive services and better outcomes for communities. This campaign was closely aligned to the ‘sustainable and connected’ priority of the Renfrewshire Community Plan which seeks to ‘listen and respond to the needs of communities, and partners.’ It is also aligned with the priority of Supporting the wellness and resilience of our citizens and communities through Enabling communities to have their voice heard and influence the places and services that affect them. 4. Legal - none 5. Property/Assets - none 6. Information Technology - none
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7. Equality & Human Rights - none 8. Health & Safety - none 9. Procurement - N/A 10. Risk - none 11. Privacy Impact - N/A 12. Climate Risk - N/A 13. Children’s Rights - N/A 14. Cosla Policy Position - This initiative helps to deliver on Cosla commitments to develop community empowerment and participatory budgeting. _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers None ____________________________________________________________ Author: Gwyneth Heaney, Senior Manager, Climate and Public Protection. Email: Gwyneth.heaney@renfrewshire.gov.uk
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1 #YouDecide Evaluation Report Environment, Housing & Infrastructure
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2 #YouDecide Evaluation Report Contents 1. Introduction ....................................................................................... 3 2. Background ........................................................................................ 4 2.1. Main Objectives of #YouDecide ............................................................. 5 2.2. #YouDecide Planning Phase ................................................................. 6 2.3. #YouDecide Ideas Stage ........................................................................ 8 2.4. #YouDecide Community Voting .......................................................... 10 2.5. #YouDecide Successful Projects .......................................................... 11 2.6. #YouDecide Community Engagement & Feedback ............................ 12 2.7. Marketing Campaign ........................................................................... 12 2.8. Conclusion .......................................................................................... 14 2.9. Appendix 1 Awarded Projects ............................................................. 15 2.10. Appendix 2 #YouDecide Steering Group Self Evaluation .................... 19
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3 #YouDecide Evaluation Report 1. Introduction Environment, Housing & Infrastructure set aside £1.2M from its five year Roads Capital Investment Programme to create an Infrastructure & Assets Community Investment Fund. This fund was used to encourgage communities to put forward proposals and make decisions on investments in infrastructure and assets within their local areas through participatory budgeting, and formed part of the Council’s commitment to allocate 1% of its budget to participatory budgeting. Communities were invited to have their say on what improvements and new infrastructure they would like to see in their area. This gave local people a key role in the decision-making process around improving infrastructure within their area, but the Council also gained a better understanding of community priorities. The process was branded #YouDecide and the £1.2M was split between 16 localities across Renfrewshire, equating to £75K per area. Key highlights of the campaign include: • In total, 2,811 ideas were generated from residents across Renfrewshire. These ideas were then shortlisted to 119 projects, with nearly 5000 votes received. • The successful projects were announced at a community event which over 100 residents from across Renfrewshire attended. • A significant communications and marketing campaign took place to promote #YouDecide and as a result 87% of local people agreed that they had increased knowledge of participatory budgeting, with 81% of local people agreeing it was a good way for the Council to identify projects and allocate funding. • For those who provided feedback in relation to participating in the process, 65% of people advised that they had never taken part in a Council consultation before, thus demonstrating the effectiveness of the engagement process in reaching those who have not previously engage in consultation and who may have been harder to reach in the past.
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4 #YouDecide Evaluation Report 2. Background The Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 requires local authorities to promote and facilitate public participation in the decision making and activity of the authority, including the allocation of resources. The principals of Participatory Budgeting (PB) are about addressing the needs within communities. It is well known that better community engagement and participation leads to the delivery of more responsive services as well as better outcomes for communities. Participatory Budgeting allows communities to have their say on how a percentage of a budget can be spent in their local area. COSLA and Scottish Government have developed and agreed a framework on which to take forward participatory budgeting. The framework acts as an enabler for active participation of communities in local decision making and it establishes a shared expectation that elected members, senior officers and local communities will go beyond the current arrangements for consultation and engagement. A target of 1% of a local authority budget which has been set using participatory budgeting was agreed, however, this is simply a minimum. Renfrewshire Council aspire to go beyond this target and for participatory budgeting to become ‘business as usual’. The Council is committed to this approach as it believes it will support more community involvement and lead to better decision making. Mainstream Participatory Budgeting (PB) empowers citizens to engage directly in decisions about local budgets, resource distribution, and service planning. This approach goes beyond allocating individual budgets, often referred to as small grants PB, or setting aside separate funds for community engagement and consultation. Instead, it integrates PB into the broader process of allocating existing resources across all council services. For more details on the key principles of PB can be found in the PB Charter for Scotland. PB was an important recommendation of the local government-led Commission for Strengthening Local Democracy in 2014: “Democratic power should be delivered from communities up, not drip down from above. Democratic innovations such as … participatory budgeting … should … become the standard by which [participation in decision making] is delivered in Scotland.” Mainstream PB can be used alongside other models of community engagement to advance equalities, enhance democratic renewal, and progress public sector reform.
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5 #YouDecide Evaluation Report 2.1. Main Objectives of #YouDecide #YouDecide was a democratic innovation in Renfrewshire, utilising participatory budgeting to empower communities to shape the allocation of a £1.2M Community Investment Fund. This budget was dedicated to supporting projects that align with the strengths, needs, and aspirations of local communities, allowing residents to decide on infrastructure improvements they value most. The initiative also enabled the Council to better understand and respond to community priorities. The main objectives of #YouDecide were to: • Promote awareness of participatory budgeting • Encourage local communities to play an active role in the decision-making process, with a particular focus on those who do not normally engage with the Council. • Ensure successful outcomes for communities The goals of the project aligned closely with Renfrewshire Council’s strategic outcomes of: “Place” • Developing our relationship with, listening to, and involving our communities in the shaping of their future, particularly around the Council’s investment and budgeting decision, and ensure that a wide range of voices and view are heard. • Adopting a ‘place shaping’ approach to developing our communities – working together to maximise or collective impact and influence across economic, social, physical, cultural, and environmental policies and practices. “Economy” • Improving lives and securing wellbeing through a stronger, inclusive, and sustainable economy, being creative, imaginative, and linking opportunities to enhance the benefits of Renfrewshire. This initiative was also underpinned by Renfrewshire Council values:We are Fair; We are helpful; We are great collaborators; and We value learning to help us innovate, improve, and deliver better services.
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6 #YouDecide Evaluation Report 2.2. #YouDecide Planning Phase #YouDecide was the first mainstream PB programme to be undertaken by Renfrewshire Council. From the outset of the process there has been the intention to learn as we go, with the learning to be used to inform other PB projects from both within the E&I service and other service areas across the Council. From inception of the project a multi-disciplinary project team was established to ensure a strong partnership approach. The core group consisted of officers from: • Roads & Transportation, • Communications & Marketing, • Partnerships & Inequalities, • Data Analytics, • Community Learning & Development, and • Project Management Unit. Expert advice was also sought from a range of other services as was required. Prior to the planning of the process staff from the planning group engaged with both Stirling and Dundee councils around their large scale PB programmes which they previously delivered. This allowed the planning group to benefit from the knowledge gained from staff who undertook these processes and gave a real insight into the scale of the work, which was to be undertaken, allowing a realistic approach to the resources that would be required to deliver the #Youdecide programme. With strong links to Renfrewshire’s Community Plan 2017-2027, the project team also worked with Community Councils and Local Partnership’s at each stage to update on the process and gather feedback about the approaches which were being undertaken. This allowed local people to have their say on the design of the process. Information and training sessions were delivered to staff across the EH&I service to both inform them about Participatory Budgeting and support their understanding as to why the process was being undertaken. This allowed staff to understand how their existing roles might be affected and what their involvement would be in the process. This meant that the process was integrated within current staff roles rather than employing new staff in difficult financial times.
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7 #YouDecide Evaluation Report The convenor for the Infrastructure, Land and Environment Policy Board took on the role of PB champion, supporting the wider group of elected members to support the process and understand their own role within it. The PB champion also supported the planning group to understand and address the concerns of elected members about the process. This allowed for a smooth transition to a new way of working without too many delays to the process. Communities were at the heart of this project; therefore, it was important to ensure we had conversations with communities. The brand name #YouDecide was created along with a highly visible and successful communications and marketing strategy. The aim was to have as wide a representative profile of Renfrewshire’s communities as possible, with representation from all towns, villages, and communities, using cultural activity and creativity to make it easy to encourage residents to engage. This focussed face to face consultation exercise approach proved very successful with a higher-than-average response rate.
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8 #YouDecide Evaluation Report 2.3. #YouDecide Ideas Stage The £1.2M Community Investment Fund was allocated across 16 localities in Renfrewshire, providing £75,000 for each area. Residents were given the opportunity to determine which infrastructure projects were most important to their communities. The public engagement process occurred in two phases: Phase 1 – Residents and workers in Renfrewshire were invited to contribute their ideas and suggestions for infrastructure improvements in their area, creating a list of potential projects. Phase 2 – These suggestions were shortlisted using a matrix system that considered several factors, including: • Innovation and creativity. • Environmental and physical infrastructure improvements that would have wide community benefits. • The proposals would ideally cost between £5000 - £50,000 with limited ongoing maintenance costs • Has the work or similar work already in the pipeline or other works which could impact • Will additional work be required? Ideas were looked at to see what design work was required and if it was feasible. • It needed to be on Council land due to potential restrictions and delays around permission processes. When submitting ideas individuals needed to use their postcodes to decipher which locality the idea was being suggested for. Residents could only submit ideas for the area in which they lived or worked. They were asked to provide as much information as possible about the locality for the idea and they had an opportunity to provide pictures. Details of how we engaged residents across Renfrewshire can be found in the community engagement section of this report. A total of 1,982 postcodes were submitted with ideas, the number of ideas received was 2,811. The total number of postcodes directly relates to the number of individuals who entered an idea. (Due to multiple ideas from individuals the total number of ideas submitted was higher than postcodes submitted)
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9 #YouDecide Evaluation Report There were 159 Invalid postcodes in Stage 1. This equated to 8%. This meant that the person lived outside Renfrewshire but in almost all cases were submitting an idea for Renfrewshire. This was permitted in stage1 but was restricted to Renfrewshire residents for the voting Stage. The variety of ideas submitted are outlined in the table below. Category Percentage Traffic and Transportation 21.77% Roads 13.56% Sport and Leisure facilities 13.28% Park play equipment 10.01% Lighting 7.98% Litter/ Waste and dog bins/Overgrown Vegetation 7.75% Misc 8.49% Environment and Planting 5.67% Public Seating 2.68% Local Clubs and Hubs 3.23% Public Toilets 1.66% Other – out with Renfrewshire etc 1.52% CCTV 1.34% Flooding 1.06% Totals 100.00%
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10 #YouDecide Evaluation Report All ideas were subject to a screening and feasibility process as described earlier. The final short list of 119 projects, which residents from across 16 localities were able to vote on can be found at the end of this report in Appendix 1. From the list of ideas, there were 168 ideas which did not meet the criteria of the fund. Rather than disregarding these ideas they were passed on to other relevant departments. These other ideas have been incorporated within planned service improvements. These include some upgrades within parks, a new footpath, dropped kerbs and vegetation removal. 2.4. #YouDecide Community Voting Engagement with residents across Renfrewshire mirrored the process carried out in Phase 1. Engagement with residents across Renfrewshire took place via: • Outdoor Promotion Tour Across Renfrewshire • Online platforms • Community groups • Local Partnerships • Leaflet drop via hubs/supermarkets/doctors • Schools • Libraries both in communities and school libraries • Youth Groups Officers were based in outdoor locations throughout Towns and Villages on specific dates to promote the programme and encourage members of the public to cast their vote. Postcards with a QR code containing details of how residents could vote for projects in their area, were distributed through community hubs and local supermarket deliveries. Voting took place using Survey 123 and residents had to provide a postcode ensuring they only voted for the projects within their local area. Arrangements for additional support to those residents who did not have access were put in place to ensure they were also able to cast their vote.
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11 #YouDecide Evaluation Report 2.5. #YouDecide Successful Projects Fifty successful projects, all providing significant community benefits, were announced at a dedicated community event. Over 100 attendees from across Renfrewshire joined the celebration, which showcased these impactful initiatives. The event also featured various stallholders promoting additional community projects and initiatives. At the event one resident commented: ‘I turned to my wife when our idea was successful and she had a tear in her eye, it’s perfect’. He went on to say ‘You look at how many people attended the event, and they all represent a community project that #YouDecide has helped which is amazing. There are people walking out this building tonight with massive smiles on their faces’. This demonstrated that residents felt listened to and part of the decision-making process. This was further strengthened during a focus group held with residents about the process when it was agreed by all that they were cynical about the process at first due to previous experiences. However, personalised feedback from the #YouDecide team helped to alleviate their view that there were predetermined winners. This made it feel more genuine and as though the council were genuinely willing to consider the proposals.
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12 #YouDecide Evaluation Report 2.6. #YouDecide Community Engagement & Feedback #YouDecide was the first participatory budgeting project of its kind within Renfrewshire Council therefore it needed an alternative approach to community engagement. This was not traditional Council project therefore, a more creative strategy was required to reach out and engage with residents who are not normally engaged with the Council. As a result, 65.2% of those who provided feedback stated that they had never participated in a council consultation before, demonstrating how effective the consultation approaches have been in reaching those who have not engaged with consultation and who may have been harder to reach in the past. When asked if they thought that participatory budgeting was a good way for councils to allocate monies to projects, 81.6% of responding residents agreed that it was a good way to allocate funding and projects. This was further strengthened by focus groups members who all agreed this is a good way to allocate funds as it gives the community more autonomy in their own area. The focus group noted however, that continuity would be key to successful relationship building with communities. 2.7. Marketing Campaign The programme’s highly visible marketing campaign directed people to all the information online. There was a dedicated email address, to ensure people could direct any questions or requests for information straight to the #YouDecide planning group. A video was published across all social media sites, as well as being shared directly with a wide range of local groups’ own social media pages. Radio advertising was also used as part of the engagement activity. Of those who provided feedback 59.9% stated that they heard about the project through social media, indicating that there is still a place for face-to-face consultations.
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13 #YouDecide Evaluation Report Alongside the highly digital presence, the project team delivered a wide range of face- to-face roadshows in every town and village across Renfrewshire to ensure that as many residents as possible had the opportunity to participate in the programme. The roadshows involved council staff and volunteers basing themselves both inside community buildings, such as libraries and sports hubs as well as being present outside in parks and community spaces with information and resources such as ideas postcards to support residents to submit ideas offline. Staff also attended council and community events across Renfrewshire, such as the Halloween festival, local gala days, and Christmas light events as well as having a presence in a range of supermarkets. In addition to this staff attended umbrella equalities groups such as the DEAR group who then cascaded information out to their members, they also attended meetings of community organisations supporting people with specific protected characteristics such as older people’s groups, youth groups, women’s groups, and carers groups. Schools and sheltered housing complexes also hosted information sessions. Of those who provided feedback, 34.7% cited events such the Halloween Festival, local roadshows, and community groups as places they accessed information, confirming getting out into towns and villages to speak to people was worthwhile. A survey was created to collect feedback from residents who participated in the process. The survey was initially circulated at the announcement event, and then was sent out by email to all individuals whose details were held on the system because they either submitted and idea or voted in the process. The response to the survey questionnaire was received from 141 residents, which equates to 7.1% of those who participated in the process. A self-evaluation process was carried out by the planning group to identify want went well and areas for improvement, which can be used to support future PB activity within the council. The planning team used the National Standards for Community Engagement to measure the activity against. A rating system was designed which ranged from 1 – 6. 1 being excellent and 6 being unsatisfactory. All 7 standards were rated individually, and the team agreed a rating of 3 or above. A copy of this evaluation can be found in Appendix 2 at the end of this report.
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14 #YouDecide Evaluation Report 2.8. Conclusion #YouDecide ensured that communities were at the heart of the process by having conversations with them about improvements they would like to see in their local area. The successful projects have delivered real benefits for communities. In response to one of the projects delivered in Queens Road Park, Elderlsie, one resident told us “Our village really benefitted from the #YouDecide Project. One of the successful suggestions was to resurface the area next to the newly installed Queens Road play park. We are currently working with Renfrewshire Council to arrange the installation of an outdoor gym on the newly resurfaced area, which will be used by teenagers and adults alike to improve their fitness, health, and wellbeing. We are also exploring what else we can do with this new flat surface, maybe painted line games or dedicated cycling areas for kids. Thank you to all the Elderslie people who voted on the project, it really is making a very positive difference to Elderslie!” #YouDecide has demonstrated the power of participatory budgeting in fostering meaningful community engagement, enhancing democratic processes, and delivering tangible benefits across Renfrewshire. By empowering residents to have a direct say in the allocation of resources, the Council has not only strengthened its relationship with local communities but also ensured that public funds were directed toward projects that truly reflect community priorities. The success of this initiative provides a solid foundation for future community engagement approaches, reinforcing the Council’s commitment to collaboration, transparency, and innovation in shaping a brighter, more inclusive future for all.
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15 #YouDecide Evaluation Report 2.9. Appendix 1 Awarded Projects BISHOPTON Engage with the local community to carryout improvements to the appearance of roundabouts in the Village BISHOPTON Install a tarmac path and seating along one side of the grass area on Ferry Road in front of West Porton Farm BISHOPTON Install outdoor exercise equipment at Churchill Drive Park BROOKFIELD & BRIDGE OF WEIR Install a wheeled sports area in Moss Road Park for sports including skateboarding, scooters and skates for children and young people to enjoy BROOKFIELD & BRIDGE OF WEIR Install speed activated signs at the entrance to Brookfield ELDERSLIE Light up the Wallace Monument to make it more of a feature ELDERSLIE Install outdoor exercise equipment at Old Road Park ELDERSLIE Install speed activated sign on Main Road ELDERSLIE Install seating at Main Road near the NCR75 cycle path entry/exit ELDERSLIE Upgrade the path that runs alongside the river from Abbey Road to Wallace Avenue to tarmac ELDERSLIE Upgrade the tarmac surface at Queens Road Park ERSKINE Create ramps either side of existing steps at Holms Crescent to aid pedestrians with mobility issues, prams and bikes ERSKINE Upgrade the Clyde Walkway path from Newshot Drive around to the river and create additional seating at the waterfront
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16 #YouDecide Evaluation Report ERSKINE Install lighting on link path between Millfield View and Linburn Road HOUSTON Install a pedestrian crossing near the bus stop on Magnus Road/Piper Road HOUSTON Repair steps and ensure accessible access to Helicopter Park (South Mound) for people with mobility issues, prams and bicycles HOWWOOD Install lighting in Howwood Park connecting Beith Road and Midtown Road HOWWOOD Improve the playing surface at the Howwood Park playing field HOWWOOD Tarmac the perimeter path around Howwood Park INCHINNAN Add two additional lighting columns to existing lighting in Inchinnan Park to provide lighting around the play area INCHINNAN Install lighting column on the path between Braemar Road and Old Greenock Road bus stop INCHINNAN Install a gate from Inchinnan playing fields car park to allow direct access to the park and upgrade the path as required INCHINNAN Resurface the footpath Broompark Drive that leads to Inchinnan Primary INCHINNAN Design and install information boards at points of interest around Inchinnan following engagement with the local community INCHINNAN Install seating on the pedestrian cycle route at the A8 Greenock Road JOHNSTONE Additional lighting in the park on the Ellerslie Street area next to the play park JOHNSTONE Install additional lighting in Spateston Park link path from Sheldrake Place to Spateston Road
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17 #YouDecide Evaluation Report JOHNSTONE Install kickabout football goals in Spateston Park JOHNSTONE Install outdoor exercise equipment at Thomas Shanks Park JOHNSTONE Install new lighting columns from Miller Street to Ritchie Park KILBARCHAN Install additional lighting in Kilbarchan Park from Well Road to Park View KILBARCHAN Create an activity trail around the village with information boards KILBARCHAN Engage with the local community to improve the appearance of the roundabout at the entrance to the village (Easwald Bank) LANGBANK Install items of play equipment in Station Park LANGBANK Upgrade the path through Langbank playing fields from Station Road to the train station LINWOOD Install a wheeled sports area in Kintyre Park for sports including Skateboarding, scooters and skates for children and young people to enjoy LINWOOD Install Lighting in Kintyre Park LOCHWINNOCH Install lighting in Lochwinnoch Park around surrounding path network LOCHWINNOCH Lighting improvements from the car park at Lochwinnoch Park (Lochlip Road) towards the train station PAISLEY EAST Create an enclosed dog exercise area in East End Park PAISLEY EAST Install lighting in Barshaw Park from Arkleston Road entrance to car park PAISLEY EAST Replace all play equipment in Jennyswell play park
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18 #YouDecide Evaluation Report PAISLEY GLENIFFER Improve the paths within Gleniffer Braes Country Park PAISLEY GLENIFFER Improvements to Gleniffer Braes Car Park (off Glenfield Road) and improve the signage PAISLEY NORTH, WEST & CENTRAL Access improvements to Glencoats Park to aid users with mobility issues, prams and bikes PAISLEY NORTH, WEST & CENTRAL Install additional play equipment in South Candren Village Green play area PAISLEY NORTH, WEST & CENTRAL Install additional street lighting at the entrance to Ferguslie Gardens opposite West Lane RENFREW Improve the appearance of roundabouts and add additional signage at the two main entrances to the town - Glasgow Road and Paisley Road RENFREW Install additional seating in Renfrew Town Centre RENFREW Make improvements to the play area in Glebe Street
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19 2.10. Appendix 2 #YouDecide Steering Group Self Evaluation Engagement Standard Definition Steering Group strengths / Comments Rating Evidence Areas for Improvement/Suggestions for future? Inclusion We will identify and involve the people and organisations that are affected by the focus of the engagement All ideas were considered and counted. The number of individuals who entered an idea was 1,982 (Due to multiple ideas from individuals the total number of ideas submitted was 2, 811) Roadshows & Group sessions reached a wide range of groups and individuals with protected characteristics. 65.2% of those who provided feedback stated that they had never participated in a council consultation before. Planning engagement work to coincide with community events was particularly helpful in ensuring a wide reach of residents. 2 - Very Good • Roadshow Calendar • List of local & community events • List of Groups and orgs who hosted sessions. • Visits to schools and sheltered housing plan. • Targeted social media posts • Consider how to include community representation on the steering group • More consideration needs to be given to ethnic minority groups as this was a gap in engagement. • More consideration needs to be given to the geographical areas in the plan. • Consider capturing equalities info in any future exercises Support We will identify and overcome any barriers to participation. The team used digital and non-digital communication methods. A dedicated email address was supplied for people to contact the team directly. Tablets were taken out into communities, schools, and sheltered housing complexes as well as a range of supermarkets, and access was made available in local libraries to both the 3 - Good • Plans for sessions with groups, schools, and vulnerable groups • Video with subtitles • BSL interpreter attended event, on request • Consider Non digital voting (possible tokens system) • Consider BSL for videos and other engagement activities • Consider use of other formats such as Brail, large print & other languages and offer on request
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20 #YouDecide Evaluation Report • Digital and non- digital tools Planning There is a clear purpose for the engagement, which is based on a shared understanding of community needs and ambitions. There was a clear purpose for the activity to be undertaken, the Director and Convenor of the service were both on board with from the outset. The team has done well to plan and deliver the project considering the challenges of COVID restrictions at the time of planning. There was a clear aspiration of the percentage of each vote required for each area to make a project idea selection valid. Being able to keep an eye on this figure allowed the staff to know where engagement work was effective or needed more activity targeted at it. 1 - Excellent • Project Mandate • Board Reports • DPIA • Elected Member info Sessions • Information sessions to affected staff • Presentations to Local Partnerships • Consider how to include community representation on the steering group • Consider how to capitalise on the use of supermarkets for future engagement • Consider a new approach to the collection of ideas, which requires less intense staff time to collate • Where possible consider time of year and weather Working Together We will work effectively together to achieve the aims of the engagement. As well as staff from E&I, a steering group was made up of a range of key members of staff from across the council. ‘I Thought the project was a great display of internal partnership working, ……’ Steering group Member The steering group also worked closely with a range of umbrella community groups and organisations to plan events and information sessions. ‘There were quite a few unintended outcomes achieved, for example, being able to feedback engagement findings to other council departments re; the needs of communities they were working with’. 1 - Excellent • Information session presentation • Meeting Notes • Action Plans • Meeting Attendance Records • Email Records to and from Community groups and organisations • Consider carefully when each service should be brought into in the process. • Consider involving residents from the planning stage/Consider a role for them on the steering group Communication We will communicate clearly and Direct comms with elected members to raise awareness of the project and address any issues before the project started was helpful to the process. 2 – Very Good • Board Reports • Elected Member info Sessions • Consider in more detail the format of information and its intended audience. I.e.,
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21 #YouDecide Evaluation Report regularly with the people, organisations and communities affected by the engagement Involving an elected member as project Champion helped raise the profile of the project with elected members. E&I staff awareness sessions – to highlight the project and prepare them for their involvement. Localised & branded post-cards/leaflets at the ideas stage were effective as non-digital approaches to information sharing Other corporate media activity. Including social media Of those who provided feedback 59.9% stated that they heard about the project through social media The use of PR, using a known local athlete, Jack Carlin, to feature in the launch press release raised the profile of the activity & process Attending community groups to share information ‘Committing the resource to in-person communications are what’s needed to support the digital communications and marketing’. Steering group Member Significant efforts were made to identify and reach out to community orgs via social media alongside the corporate social media scheduling. It has provided a good foundation/list of contacts for future community type projects. • PB Champion role • Information sessions to affected staff • Presentations to Local Partnerships • Roadshow staff awareness sessions. • Corporate social media schedule • Radio info • Video with subtitles • Roadshow schedule • Community group session schedule large print copies & other languages • Consider an approach that gets all schools on board/consider someone from education being part of the steering group • Consider staff capacity for feeding back to individuals or gathering more information about their ideas • Future PB exercises from E&I and wider council should consider using the existing #YD brand
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22 #YouDecide Evaluation Report Methods We will use methods of engagement that are fit for purpose Using all communication channels available helped reach a wider audience including Videos for both phases working well. Roadshows & In person sessions helped reach those who are not traditionally engaged Postcards and boxes worked well for the ideas phase to support a non-digitised approach A good comm’s & marketing plan really helped the process to be highlighted and accessible to people Having a dedicated email for the project was useful to reach people and allow them to reach us easily with questions & Ideas. Use of a local celebrity helped raise the profile 2 – Very Good • Comm’s plan • Marketing plan • Roadshow Schedule • Copies of postcards and boxes/pictures of roadshows • Social media content • Email address/content • Consider voting platform for future programmes. A range of comments on improvements can be found in the #YD Review file on TEAMS project site • Consider having a survey which restricts ‘free writing’ • Consider staff time for managing non digitised data • Consider the time and expense to execute a method against likely benefit/reward Impact We will assess the impact of the engagement and use what we have learned to improve our future community engagement. All outcomes were met as part of the process All ideas were considered, and decisions are reflected in the projects delivered (those with the most votes) ‘This truly was decided by local people’ Information shared with other services re; community aspirations Learning points from process will be shared with other services planning PB activity. 2 – Very Good • Engagement plan • Board paper • Planning documents • Number of ideas • Number of people voting • Feasibility reports Overall comments ‘I Thought the project was a great display of internal partnership working, as well as an exemplar of how consultations should take place. Committing the resource to in-person communications is what’s needed to support the digital communications and marketing’. At each stage of the project, we used all available communication channels to reach those who could be affected and tried to involve as many people as possible - especially those who do not normally engage with the council. We met with people and groups in-person, visited busy local areas, and supported people to feedback digitally via email or online.
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23 Environment, Housing & Infrastructure Renfrewshire Council Renfrewshire House Cotton Street Paisley PA1 1BR