Minutes of meeting
Renfrewshire Council · 18 June 2025
Back to Leadership Board — 18 June 2025 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 Leadership Board Date Time Venue Wednesday, 18 June 2025 13:00 Council Chambers (Renfrewshire), Council Headquarters, Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley, PA1 1AN Present: Councillor Alison Ann-Dowling, Councillor Jacqueline Cameron, Councillor Michelle Campbell, Councillor Graeme Clark, Councillor Audrey Doig, Councillor Neill Graham, Councillor Anne Hannigan, Councillor David McGonigle, Councillor Marie McGurk, Councillor Kevin Montgomery, Councillor Iain Nicolson, Councillor Emma Rodden, Councillor John Shaw, Councillor Andy Steel Chair Councillor Nicolson, Convener, presided. In Attendance A Russell, Chief Executive; G McNeill, Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure; L McIntyre, Head of Policy & Partnerships, L Adamson, Acting Head of Marketing & Communications, A Walter, Connected Communities Manager and P Moss, Strategy, Policy & Insight Manager (all Chief Executive's); C Dalrymple, Head of Facilities & Property Services (Environment, Housing & Infrastructure); M Conaghan, Head of Corporate Governance, C McCourt, Head of Finance & Procurement, R Cree, Head of People & Organisational Development, D Low, Democratic Services Manager and E Gray, Senior Committee Services Officer (all Finance & Resources); C O'Byrne, Interim Chief Officer (Renfrewshire Health & Social Care Partnership); and V Hollows, Chief Executive and F Naylor, Finance, Governance & Business Improvement Director (both OneRen). Webcasting of Meeting Prior to the commencement of the meeting the Convener intimated that this meeting of the Policy Board would be filmed for live or subsequent broadcast on the Council's internet site.
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Apology Councillor McMillan. Transparency Statements Councillor Campbell indicated that she had a connection to items 2 and 3 by reason that she was an employee with NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde but not within the Council area. However, she indicated that she had applied the objective test and did not consider she had an interest to declare. Councillor Clark indicated that he had a connection to items 2 and 3 by reason that a family member was an employee of Active Communities. However, he indicated that he had applied the objective test and did not consider he had an interest to declare. Declaration of Interest Councillor Nicolson declared an interest in item 6 by reason of being a member of Inchinnan Development Trust. Councillor Nicolson indicated that as he had declared an interest he would vacate the Chair and leave the meeting during any discussion or voting thereon. Exempt Item The Head of Corporate Governance advised that, in relation to item 6 of the agenda, Artificial Pitches - £800,000 Budget Allocation, the meeting of the Scottish Football Association Panel referred to in the report had now taken place and that there was no longer any requirement for the press and public to be excluded from the meeting while the item was being considered. 1 Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-committee There was submitted the Minute of meeting of the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-committee held on 28 May 2025 which forms the appendix to this Minute. DECIDED: That the Minute be approved. 2 Fairer Renfrewshire Update There was submitted a report by the Chief Executive relative to progress on the Fairer Renfrewshire Programme, including the local response to the cost-of-living crisis and on tackling poverty and inequality across local communities. The proposed Fairer Renfrewshire programme for 2025/26, including funding proposals, was set out in section 6 of the report.
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DECIDED: (a) That the content of the report be noted: (b) That the implementation arrangements for the Winter Connections 2025/26 programme, as detailed in section 5 of the report, be approved; and (c) That it be agreed that authority be delegated to the Head of Policy & Partnerships, in consultation with the Council Leader, to award Winter Connections grants as set out in section 5 of the report. 3 Local Child Poverty Action Report There was submitted a report by the Chief Executive relative to the activities undertaken in Renfrewshire to reduce child poverty between April 2024 and March 2025 and also the planned and proposed actions for the future. A copy of the Local Child Poverty Action Report Renfrewshire 2024/25, developed jointly by the Council, NHS Greater Glasgow & Clyde and Renfrewshire Health & Social Care Partnership, was appended to the report. DECIDED: (a) That the content of the Local Child Poverty Action Report Renfrewshire 2024/25 be noted: and (b) That the Local Child Poverty Action Report Renfrewshire 2024/25 be approved for publication. 4 Reshaping Renfrewshire –Transformation and Change Programme – update There was submitted a report by the Chief Executive relative to an update on the Reshaping Renfrewshire – Transformation and Change Programme. The report highlighted the programme’s key objectives of delivering significant recurring financial savings and/or the generation of additional income to secure longer-term financial sustainability; harnessing the rapidly changing advancements in digital technology to transform how the Council delivered services in the future; building upon key strategic partnerships and relationships, collaborating to deliver better outcomes for communities; and continuing to shift the focus of Council service provision to prevention to help reduce future need and cost. Councillor Nicolson, seconded by Councillor J Cameron, moved an amendment as an addition to the report’s recommendations that the Board “Notes the requirement for the relocation of Erskine Community Library on a temporary basis due to the expiry of the lease and agrees that a further report be provided which examines the current usage of the units located at Renfrew Sports Centre and options on the provision of modular units at Bridgewater Sports Centre.” This was agreed unanimously.
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DECIDED: (a) That the update provided in the report on the progress of key areas within Reshaping Renfrewshire be noted; (b) That the officer governance arrangements detailed at section 3.2 of the report be noted; (c) That the temporary arrangements proposed for Erskine Library, as detailed in Section 12.5 of the report, be agreed; (d) That the work undertaken as part of the Best Value thematic review on transformation be noted; (e) That it be noted that regular reports would continue to be submitted to this Board at appropriate key junctures as the overall programme was progressed and that there was an expectation to establish greater definition of target saving levels across the transformation programme to support the Council’s medium term financial strategy that was expected to be updated at the meeting of Council to be held on 25 September 2025; and (f) That the requirement for the relocation of Erskine Community Library on a temporary basis due to the expiry of the lease be noted and that it be agreed that a further report be provided which examined the current usage of the units located at Renfrew Sports Centre and options on the provision of modular units at Bridgewater Sports Centre. 5 Council Plan 2022/27 - Six-monthly Progress Update There was submitted a report by the Chief Executive relative to progress on the Council Plan 2022/27. The Council Plan six-monthly progress update to June 2025 was appended to the report. DECIDED: (a) That the progress achieved since December 2024 in terms of Council Plan delivery be noted; and (b) That it be noted that progress reports would continue to be submitted to this Board every six months with the next update scheduled in December 2025. Declaration of Interest Councillor Nicolson, having previously declared an interest in item 6 vacated the Chair, left the meeting and took no part in the discussion or voting thereon. Chair Councillor J Cameron, Depute Convener, assumed the Chair.
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6 Artificial Pitches - £800,000 Budget Allocation There was submitted a report by the Director of Environment, Housing and Infrastructure relative to applications that had been submitted to the Renfrewshire Artificial Pitches grant fund. The report set out recommendations for this Board in relation to the allocation of funding and intimated that a Scottish Football Association (SFA) panel was scheduled to meet in June 2025 to agree match funding of Renfrewshire Council’s commitment of £780, 000. The Head of Facilities & Property Services advised that the meeting of the SFA panel had now taken place and the match funding agreed. DECIDED: (a) That the work undertaken to date in relation to the Artificial Pitches grant fund be noted; (b) That the allocation of funding of £0.780 million to Thorn Athletic Community Trust and Inchinnan Development Trust as detailed in Sections 5.5 and 5.6 of the report be approved; (c) That the additional funding proposed to be awarded to Renfrewshire from the Scottish Football Association as outlined in Section 5.7 of this report be noted; and (d) That it be delegated to the Director of Environment, Housing & Infrastructure to allocate the funding subject to confirmation from the SFA that match funding had been provided to the organisations.