Agenda Document Pack - Leadership Board - 16/09/2026
Renfrewshire Council · 16 September 2026
Back to Leadership Board — 16 September 2026 and its agenda
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09/09/2026 Notice of Meeting and Agenda Leadership Board Date Time Venue Wednesday, 16 September 2026 13:00 Council Chambers (Renfrewshire), Council Headquarters, Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley, PA1 1AN Membership Councillor Iain Nicolson (Convener): Councillor Jacqueline Cameron (Depute Convener): Councillor Alison Ann-Dowling: Councillor Graeme Clark: Councillor Audrey Doig: Councillor Neill Graham: Councillor Anne Hannigan: Councillor Colin McCulloch: Councillor David McGonigle: Councillor Marie McGurk: Councillor Iain McMillan: Councillor Jim Paterson: Councillor Emma Rodden: Councillor John Shaw: Councillor Andy Steel: Hybrid Meeting Please note that this meeting is scheduled to be held in the Council Chambers. However, it is a hybrid meeting and arrangements have been made for members to join the meeting remotely should they wish. Members of the Press and Public Members of the press and public wishing to attend the meeting should report to the customer service centre where they will be met and directed to the meeting. Webcasting of Meeting This meeting will be filmed for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council’s internet site – at the start of the meeting the Convener will confirm if all or part of the meeting is being filmed. To find the webcast please navigate to https://renfrewshire.public-i.tv/core/portal/home MARK CONAGHAN Head of Corporate Governance Page 1 of 130
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09/09/2026 Further Information This is a meeting which is open to members of the public. A copy of the agenda and reports for this meeting will be available for inspection prior to the meeting at the Customer Service Centre, Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley and online at http://renfrewshire.cmis.uk.com/renfrewshire/CouncilandBoards.aspx For further information, please email democratic-services@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 2 of 130
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09/09/2026 Items of business Apologies Apologies from members. Declarations of Interest and Transparency Statements Members are asked to declare an interest or make a transparency statement in any item(s) on the agenda and to provide a brief explanation of the nature of the interest or the transparency statement. 1 Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring as at 19 June 2026 Joint report by Chief Executive, Director of Finance & Resources and Chief Finance Officer Renfrewshire HSCP. 5 - 16 2 Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-committee Minute of meeting of the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-committee held on 2 September 2026. 17 - 20 3 Fairer Renfrewshire Update Report by Chief Executive 21 - 42 4 Best Value – Corporate Improvement Plan Report by Chief Executive 43 - 60 5 Reshaping Renfrewshire –Transformation and Change Programme – Update Report Joint report by Chief Executive and Director of Finance & Resources 61 - 80 6 Responsible and Ethical Expansion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Renfrewshire Council Report by Director of Finance & Resources 81 - 86 7 AMIDS Enabling Works – Cost Underwrite Joint report by Chief Executive and Director of Finance & Resources 87 - 92 8 Adult Social Care: 2025/26 Annual Update Report by Chief Officer, Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership 93 - 112 9 OneRen Update Report by Chief Executive 113 - 124 Page 3 of 130
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09/09/2026 10 Renfrewshire’s Tourism Plan - Update Report by Chief Executive 125 - 130 Page 4 of 130
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PUBLIC ___________________________________________________________________ To: Leadership Board On: 16 September 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive, Director of Finance and Resources, and Chief Finance Officer Renfrewshire HSCP ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring as at 19 June 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1. At the close of reporting Period 3 on 19 June 2026, the projected revenue outturn at 31 March 2026 for those services reporting to the Leadership Board was a deficit position of £5.076m. This is mainly due to Adult Services (HSCP) projecting a year-end deficit of £5.081m against a planned deficit position of £7.849m. 1.2. The projected capital outturn at 19 June 2026 for projects reporting to the Leadership Board is a break-even position against the revised budget for the year. 1.3. This is summarised in the tables below and further analysis is provided in the Appendices. Revised Annual Budget £000 Projected Outturn £000 Budget Variance (Adv)/Fav £000 Budget Variance % Revenue Adult Services 118,809 123,890 (5,081) (4.3%) Chief Executive’s Service 25,527 25,522 5 0.0% Total 144,336 149,412 (5,076) (3.5%) Capital 32,418 32,418 0 0% Item 1 Page 5 of 130
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PUBLIC 2. Recommendations 2.1. Members are requested to: a) Note the projected Revenue outturn deficit position of £5.076m; b) Note the projected Capital outturn break-even position; c) Note the budget adjustments detailed at section 6.3. _________________________________________________________ 3. Revenue Budget Projection – deficit of £5.076m by 31 March 2027 3.1. The tables in Appendix 1 present the projected year-end position for all services reporting to this board, by both subjective analysis (what the budget is spent on) and objective analysis (which division is spending the budget). Significant variances affecting the projected position are analysed further below. 3.2. It should be noted that the projected outturn position reported here is based on the latest information available, which is subject to change during the financial year. 4. Objective Analysis – Significant Variances 4.1. Adult Services - £5.081m deficit The approved Adult Services revenue budget for 2026/27 estimated a deficit position of £7.849m, meaning that there was an expectation that services would overspend to this level during the year, and that this would be funded from reserves. The movement in the forecast deficit position (£2.768m) is mainly due to a reduction in employee costs through vacancy management and ongoing recruitment and retention challenges. The main budget pressure and driver of the deficit position remains increased costs within external Care at Home (CAH) packages for Older People and those with Physical or Sensory Disabilities. Higher patient acuity on discharge from hospital combined with more complex care needs has resulted in a requirement for more intensive CAH support to enable people to remain in their own homes. This together with further overspends within Adult Care Placements for those with Learning Disabilities reflecting increased demand levels alongside greater complexity and acuity of service user needs. Ongoing action is being taken by HSCP management to try and mitigate these cost drivers where possible, and any revisions to this position will be updated in future board reports. Page 6 of 130
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PUBLIC 5. Subjective Analysis – Significant Variances 5.1. Employee Costs - £2.506m underspend This forecast underspend predominantly arises within Adult Services (£2.500m) from ongoing recruitment and retention challenges across several service areas, as well as the impact of recent savings proposals approved by the Integration Joint Board. 5.2. Third Party Payments - £7.410m overspend This forecast pressure relates fully to Adult Services as outlined in the Objective Analysis. 6. Revenue Budget Virements 6.1. Under the Council’s financial regulations, Directors and their nominated officers, in consultation with the Director of Finance and Resources, have certain delegated authority to transfer sums between subjective budget headings within a service division to enable budget management throughout the financial year. This is known as budget virement. 6.2. Transfers between divisions of the same service / department in excess of £100,000, and transfers between services / departments must be authorised by the respective service Director and the Director of Finance and Resources for submission to the relevant policy board for approval. 6.3. Budget adjustments, for noting only, processed since the approval of the Revenue Estimates amount to £1.409m. Of this, £0.491m relates to Adult Services and £0.918m relates to the Chief Executive’s Service. 6.4. Adult Services - £0.491m relates mainly to the Council’s share of an additional Scottish Government allocation for the Real Living Wage uplift for workers providing direct adult social care £0.507m. Revenue Budget Adjustments Objective Heading Subjective Heading Amount (£m) Reason Adult Services Transfer Payments 0.507 Proportionate share of the Scottish Government additional allocation for the Real Living Wage in Adult Social Care 6.5. Chief Executive’s Service - £0.918m comprises £0.070m being the Council’s share of the Scottish Government funding allocation for Adopt and Adapt under the Fairer Futures programme, together with a net drawdown of Page 7 of 130
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PUBLIC £0.848m from ringfenced reserves to support the delivery of Council strategic programmes. Revenue Budget Adjustments Objective Heading Subjective Heading Amount (£m) Reason Chief Executive’s Service Transfer Payments 0.070 Renfrewshire Council’s share of the Scottish Government allocation for Adopt and Adapt Revenue Budget Adjustments Chief Executive’s Service – Drawdown / (Contribution to) Reserves Programme Amount (£m) Drawdown from reserves to fund the delivery of the Fairer Renfrewshire Programme 0.685 Return to reserves of multi-year funding approved in the Council Motion in February 2026 to deliver year 2 of the Visitor Destination programme (0.173) Return to reserves of multi-year funding approved in the Council Motion in February 2026 to deliver future years of the Events programme (0.225) Drawdown of funding for final payment of the Concessionary Swim Programme delivered by OneRen 0.008 Drawdown from the Council’s Service Modernisation and Reform reserve to deliver an improved digital experience for citizens and local communities 0.553 7. Capital Budget Projection - break even position by 31 March 2027 7.1. The Capital Investment Programme 2026/27 to 2030/31 was approved by the Council on 14 May 2026. The approved capital budget for 2026/27 was £27.900m. 7.2. The in-year Capital budget is forecast to break even by 31 March 2027; however, this will be monitored as the projects progress. Further details of the programme can be found in the Capital Monitoring report at Appendix 2. 7.3. Budget adjustments totalling £4.518m have taken place between years to reflect revised programming of capital projects since the budget approval. The revised capital spend for 2026/27 is £32.418m, and details of these adjustments are as follows: Page 8 of 130
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PUBLIC Capital Budget Adjustments Budget carried forward into 2026/27 to reflect cashflow update Project Amount (£m) Community Halls (Council Motion) 0.479 Steeple Hall Kilbarchan Refurbishment 0.440 Lagoon Internal Play Centre 0.496 Linwood Running Track 0.046 Artificial Pitches Fund 0.781 Glasgow Airport Investment Area 0.146 Clyde Waterfront & Renfrew Riverside 0.693 AMIDS: Public Realm Phase 1 Netherton Square 0.078 AMIDS: South 0.884 Budget decelerated in 2026/27 AMIDS: Public Realm Phase 1 Netherton Square (0.116) AMIDS: South (0.400) Budget reallocated between programmes 2026/27 Glasgow Airport Investment Area 0.020 AMIDS: Public Realm Phase 1 Netherton Square 0.038 AMIDS: South (0.057) Budget Increase 2026/27 Council Motion - Leisure Facilities Upgrade 2.000 Budget Decrease 2026/27 to reflect updated programming AMIDS: South (1.010) Total 4.518 Implications of the Report 1. Financial The projected budget outturn position for the Leadership Revenue budget is a deficit of £5.076m (3.5%) at 31 March 2027. Income and expenditure will continue to be monitored closely for the rest of the financial year and as far as possible, steps will be taken by services to mitigate any overspend. The projected outturn position for the Leadership Capital budget is break-even, after the adjustments outlined at section 7. 2. HR & Organisational Development None directly arising from this report. Page 9 of 130
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PUBLIC 3. Community/Council Planning Community Plan Our Renfrewshire is thriving The Council’s revenue and capital spend ensures that its facilities are fit for purpose and safe for the community, to maximise accessibility. Our Renfrewshire is well Our Renfrewshire is fair Our Renfrewshire is safe Council Plan Reshaping our place, our economy and our future The Council’s revenue and capital spend ensures that its facilities are fit for purpose and safe for the community, to maximise accessibility. Building strong, safe and resilient communities Tackling inequality, ensuring opportunities for all Creating a sustainable Renfrewshire for all to enjoy Ongoing revenue and capital budget monitoring is a tool to enable good financial management so that the Council has resources now and in the future for continued service delivery. Working together to improve outcomes 4. Legal There are no direct implications arising from the recommendations in this report. 5. Property/Assets The capital expenditure noted in this report will result in new assets (City Deal), regeneration (AMIDS) and refurbishment and improvement of leisure and culture assets. 6. Information Technology While ICT assets and revenue costs are included within these reported budgets, there are no direct implications arising from the recommendations in this report. 7. Equality & Human Rights While certain areas of spend may impact on particular groups, any such impact would be assessed prior to the spend being incurred, therefore there are no direct implications arising from the recommendations in this report. 8. Health & Safety The capital expenditure noted in this report will result in lifecycle maintenance improvements to existing properties and replacement of ICT assets, which may in some cases rectify health and safety issues. Page 10 of 130
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PUBLIC 9. Procurement While Procurement is a key consideration prior to the Council incurring any revenue or capital spend, there are no direct implications arising from the recommendations in this report. 10. Risk The potential financial risk that the Council will overspend its approved revenue budgets for the year is managed at a Council-wide level by the Chief Executive and Directors. 11. Privacy Impact There are no direct implications arising from the recommendations in this report 12. Cosla Policy Position There are no direct implications arising from the recommendations in this report. 13. Children’s Rights There are no direct implications arising from the recommendations in this report. 14. Climate Change The Council aims to reduce its carbon and other emissions to net zero by 2030, however there are no direct implications arising from the recommendations in this report. _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers Revenue Budget and Council Tax 2026/27, Council 26 February 2026 2026/27 Delegated Health and Social Care Budget, Renfrewshire Integration Joint Board, 27 March 2026 Non-Housing Capital Investment Programme, Prudential Framework and Treasury Management Strategy, and Capital Strategy 2026/27 – 2035/36, Council 26 February 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Authors: Revenue - Valerie Howie, Finance Business Partner and Alison Burns, Corporate Finance Manager Capital – Linsey McGregor, Senior Accountant Page 11 of 130
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Appendix 1 PUBLIC RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL REVENUE BUDGET MONITORING STATEMENT 2026/27 1 April 2026 to 19 June 2026 POLICY BOARD: LEADERSHIP BOARD Objective Summary Approved Annual Budget Budget Adjustments Revised Annual Budget at Period 3 Projected Outturn Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 % Adult Services 118,318 491 118,809 123,890 (5,081) (4.3%) Chief Executive's Service 24,609 918 25,527 25,522 5 0.0% NET EXPENDITURE 142,927 1,409 144,336 149,412 (5,076) (3.5%) Subjective Summary Approved Annual Budget Budget Adjustments Revised Annual Budget at Period 3 Projected Outturn Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employees 48,460 2,277 50,737 48,231 2,506 4.9% Premises Related 774 10 784 784 (0) (0.1%) Transport Related 596 1 597 598 (1) (0.2%) Supplies and Services 20,436 (101) 20,335 20,450 (115) (0.6%) Third Party Payments 74,061 20,728 94,789 102,199 (7,410) (7.8%) Transfer Payments 28,941 (18,750) 10,191 10,192 (1) 0.0% Support Services 151 3 154 155 (1) (0.9%) Depreciation and Impairment Losses 0 0 0 0 0 0.0% GROSS EXPENDITURE 173,419 4,168 177,587 182,610 (5,023) (2.8%) Income (30,492) (2,759) (33,251) (33,197) (54) (0.2%) NET EXPENDITURE 142,927 1,409 144,336 149,412 (5,076) (3.5%) Page 13 of 130
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Appendix 1 PUBLIC Objective Summary Approved Annual Budget Budget Adjustments Revised Annual Budget at Period 3 Projected Outturn £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 % Older People 66,959 (2,601) 64,358 64,760 (402) (0.6%) Physical or Sensory Disabilities 15,486 511 15,997 17,621 (1,624) (10.2%) Learning Disabilities 28,749 2,349 31,098 33,925 (2,827) (9.1%) Mental Health Needs 6,297 202 6,499 6,697 (198) (3.0%) Addiction Services 827 30 857 887 (30) (3.5%) NET EXPENDITURE 118,318 491 118,809 123,890 (5,081) (4.3%) Subjective Summary Approved Annual Budget Budget Adjustments Revised Annual Budget at Period 3 Projected Outturn £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employees 42,378 1,766 44,144 41,644 2,500 5.7% Premises Related 373 10 383 383 (0) (0.1%) Transport Related 595 1 596 597 (1) (0.2%) Supplies and Services 3,823 (215) 3,608 3,723 (115) (3.2%) Third Party Payments 74,061 20,728 94,789 102,199 (7,410) (7.8%) Transfer Payments 27,033 (19,398) 7,635 7,636 (1) 0.0% Support Services 61 3 64 64 (0) (0.6%) GROSS EXPENDITURE 148,324 2,895 151,219 156,247 (5,028) (3.3%) Income (30,006) (2,404) (32,410) (32,356) (54) (0.2%) NET EXPENDITURE 118,318 491 118,809 123,890 (5,081) (4.3%) RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL REVENUE BUDGET MONITORING STATEMENT 2026/27 1 April 2026 to 19 June 2026 Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable POLICY BOARD: LEADERSHIP BOARD - ADULT SERVICES Page 14 of 130
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Appendix 1 PUBLIC Objective Summary Approved Annual Budget Budget Adjustments Revised Annual Budget at Period 3 Projected Outturn £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 % Chief Executive and Management 467 0 467 463 4 0.9% Policy and Partnerships 5,220 755 5,975 5,975 0 0.0% Marketing and Communications 4,110 156 4,266 4,265 1 0.0% City Deal & Infrastructure 86 0 86 86 0 0.0% Leisure Services (incl Renfrewshire Leisure) 14,726 7 14,733 14,733 0 0.0% NET EXPENDITURE 24,609 918 25,527 25,522 5 0.0% Subjective Summary Approved Annual Budget Budget Adjustments Revised Annual Budget at Period 3 Projected Outturn £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employees 6,082 511 6,593 6,587 6 0.1% Premises Related 401 0 401 401 0 0.0% Transport Related 1 0 1 1 0 0.0% Supplies and Services 16,613 114 16,727 16,727 0 0.0% Third Party Payments 0 0 0 0 0 0.0% Transfer Payments 1,908 648 2,556 2,556 0 0.0% Support Services 90 0 90 91 (1) (1.1%) GROSS EXPENDITURE 25,095 1,273 26,368 26,363 5 0.0% Income (486) (355) (841) (841) 0 0.0% NET EXPENDITURE 24,609 918 25,527 25,522 5 0.0% Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable REVENUE BUDGET MONITORING STATEMENT 2026/27 RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL 1 April 2026 to 19 June 2026 POLICY BOARD: LEADERSHIP BOARD - CHIEF EXECUTIVE'S SERVICE Page 15 of 130
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Appendix 2 PUBLIC Prior Years Approved Budget Revised Projected Total Approved Projected Expenditure Budget Adjustments Budget Outturn Budget Outurn Project Title to 31/03/2026 2026-27 since previous 2026-27 2026-27 to 31-Mar-31 to 31-Mar-31 Board report £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 LEISURE SERVICES Community Halls(Council Motion) 0 680 479 1,159 1,159 0 0% 1,159 1,159 0 0% Steeple Hall Kilbarchan Refurbishment 299 0 440 440 440 0 0% 739 739 0 0% Lagoon Internal Play Centre 4 500 496 996 996 0 0% 1,000 1,000 0 0% Council Motion Leisure Facilities Upgrade 0 0 2,000 2,000 2,000 0 0% 2,000 2,000 0 0% Linwood Running Track at On-X 0 0 46 46 46 0 0% 46 46 0 0% Artificial Pitches Fund 19 0 781 781 781 0 0% 800 800 0 0% Total Leisure Services 322 1,180 4,242 5,422 5,422 0 0% 5,744 5,744 0 0% CHIEF EXECUTIVES City Deal Projects Glasgow Airport Investment Area 46,221 2,000 166 2,166 2,166 0 0% 48,387 48,387 0 0% Clyde Waterfront & Renfrew Riverside 116,991 140 693 833 833 0 0% 117,823 117,823 0 0% Economic Development AMIDS: Public Realm Phase 1 Netheron Square 3,817 0 0 0 0 0 0% 3,933 3,933 0 0% AMIDS: South 16,906 24,580 (583) 23,997 23,997 0 0% 59,405 59,405 0 0% Total Chief Executives 183,935 26,720 276 26,996 26,996 0 0% 229,548 229,548 0 0% TOTAL LEADERSHIP BOARD 184,257 27,900 4,518 32,418 32,418 0 0% 235,292 235,292 0 0% Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL CAPITAL INVESTMENT STRATEGY - NON-HOUSING SERVICES 1st April to 19th June 2026 POLICY BOARD: LEADERSHIP Current Year 2026-27 Full Programme - All years Page 16 of 130
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Minute of Meeting Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-committee Date Time Venue Wednesday, 02 September 2026 10:00 Via Teams, Present: Councillor Jacqueline Cameron, Councillor Graeme Clark, Councillor Neill Graham, Councillor Anne Hannigan, Councillor Iain Nicolson, Councillor Andy Steel Chair Councillor Jaqueline Cameron, Convener, presided. In Attendance L McIntyre, Head of Policy & Partnerships, N Canavan, Senior Policy Officer, J Connelly, Senior Communications Officer, D Dunn, Social Renewal Lead Officer, L Fingland, Service Planning & Policy Development Manager, A Walter, Connected Communities Officer (all Chief Executive’s); and J Barron, Senior Committee Services Officer (Finance & Resources). Also in Attendance S Hand, Chief Executive Officer, Active Communities. Webcasting of Meeting Prior to the commencement of the meeting the Convener intimated that this meeting of the Sub-committee would be filmed for live or subsequent broadcast via the Council's internet site. Item 2 Page 17 of 130
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Declarations of Interest and Transparency Statements There were no declarations of interest or transparency statements intimated prior to the commencement of the meeting. 1(a) Cost of Living Update There was submitted a report by the Chief Executive relative to an overview of the key context and evidence around current pressures on household finances, both in terms of household income and expenditure. DECIDED: That the report be noted. 1(b) Cost of Living Dashboard There was submitted a report by the Chief Executive relative to an overview of key indicators and their movement from the last reporting period, supported by additional statistical information, analysis and graphs which illustrated longer-term trends. DECIDED: (a) That the report be noted; and (b) That the Head of Policy & Partnerships submit a report to a future meeting of the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee on energy and resources. 2 Fairer Renfrewshire Programme Update There was submitted a report by the Chief Executive relative to key projects being progressed through the Fairer Renfrewshire Programme. The report provided updates on current projects, highlighted future key priorities and gave an overview of the proposals, priorities and next steps for the next two years. DECIDED: (a) That the report be noted. (b) That the Head of Policy & Partnerships submit a report to a future meeting of the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee on “Good Food Nation”. 3 Update on Gallowhill Community Development - Presentation The Chief Executive, Active Communities gave a presentation which outlined growing community health and wellbeing in the Gallowhill area. The Chief Executive responded to questions regarding the presentation. Page 18 of 130
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DECIDED: That the content of the presentation be noted. 4 Update on Trauma Informed and Responsive Renfrewshire - Presentation The Senior Policy Officer, Chief Executive's, gave a presentation which outlined trauma issues, turning principals into practice and next steps. DECIDED: That the content of the presentation be noted. Page 19 of 130
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PUBLIC ___________________________________________________________________ To: Leadership Board On: 16 September 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Fairer Renfrewshire Update ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The Council and its partners continue to work together to progress the Fairer Renfrewshire Programme, with a strong shared focus currently on the local response to the cost-of-living crisis. A Fairer Renfrewshire Action Plan was agreed by the Leadership Board in December 2025, which sets out the priority actions that the council and its partners will progress to reduce poverty and inequality in Renfrewshire over the next 18 months. 1.2 Regular reports are provided to the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee on the Fairer Renfrewshire Programme and Action Plan, with the most recent meeting on 2 September 2026 discussing some of the key developments over the last quarter in relation to the cost of living crisis, including the continuing impacts of the conflict in the Middle East on household income and expenditure in Renfrewshire. 1.3 This paper provides: • a summary of the issues as reported to the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee on 2 September 2026 including the cost of living and programme updates. • An update with regard to the Summer of Fun Programme. • An update on plans for Winter Connections 26/27 and proposed approval process. • Details of the proposed Renfrewshire Voices small grants programme, as part of the Fairer Renfrewshire Programme’s Advancing Equality of Opportunity Workstream. 1.4 Priorities for the next quarter to end June 2026, as identified in the Fairer Renfrewshire Action Plan are as follows: Item 3 Page 21 of 130
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PUBLIC • The Winter Connections programme will be finalised and launched prior to 1 October. • Subject to approval, the Renfrewshire Voices small grant programme will be launched. • A schedule to drive uptake of welfare benefits will be developed. • The evaluation of the Fairer Renfrewshire Panel will be carried out and brought to a future Sub-Committee. • Sources of Energy Advice across Renfrewshire will be identified and promoted. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that elected members: • Note the content of the report and the work being undertaken to progress the Fairer Renfrewshire programme; • Note the update provided on the Summer of Fun programme in Section 5, with detailed information on all funded applications provided in Appendix 1. • Approve the guidance for the Winter Connections 2025/26 programme and associated implementation arrangements as detailed in Section 5 and Appendix 2; and • Agree that authority is delegated to the Head of Policy and Partnerships to award Winter Connections grant funding, in consultation with the Council Leader and in line with the guidance attached at Appendix 2. • Approve the guidance and arrangements for the proposed Renfrewshire Voices small grant programme, including the allocation of £20,000 for the programme which would run as a pilot in 26/27 as detailed in section 6 and Appendix 3. ___________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 The Fairer Renfrewshire Programme was developed in order to bring together targeted programmes of work being progressed by the Council and its partners to tackle poverty and inequality in Renfrewshire. As the cost of living crisis has developed, the programme has continued to evolve in response, and at Leadership Board on 3 December 2025 a Fairer Renfrewshire Action Plan detailing the priorities and programme of work to be undertaken over the next 18-24 months was approved. This plan refreshes and sharpens focus on the priorities for the Fairer Renfrewshire Programme. 3.2 Over the next two years, we will concentrate on four strategic priorities: • Improving Financial Security Helping households maximise income, reduce costs, and access early help to prevent crisis. • Strengthening Health, Wellbeing and Community Supporting families and communities through sustainable models of care, food security, and place-based approaches. • Embedding Equality and Inclusion Page 22 of 130
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PUBLIC Ensuring services are accessible, inclusive, and shaped by the voices of those who are often unheard. • Using Insight and Evidence for Impact Harnessing data, feedback, and lived experience to drive better decisions and deliver measurable change. 3.3 Regular updates on the programme are provided to the Fairer Renfrewshire sub-committee and subsequently to the Leadership Board. 4 Update from the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee 4.1 At its meeting on 2 September 26, the sub-committee considered: • The most recent programme update including information on recent statistics and research in relation to the cost-of-living crisis, including the dashboard developed locally. • Progress updates in relation to Advice Provision, Equalities Actions, Summer of Fun and the Fairer Renfrewshire Panel. • Presentations on the Community Development Programme in Gallowhill and the Trauma Informed and Responsive Renfrewshire Programme. 4.2 Officers gather information from a variety of sources at both a local and national level to inform discussion at the sub-committee. Key statistics and information discussed at its most recent meeting are provided in table 1 below. Table 1 Key National Statistics • The rate of inflation is standing at 2.9% in June, increasing from 2.6% the previous month and has been above the target rate of 2% set by the UK Government for the Bank of England since October 2024, when it reached 2.3% • The inflation rate for food has decreased to 1.7% in June, down 0.2% from last month. It is now lower than overall inflation, however the outlook for food prices is unstable, with prices expected to rise more quickly again in the coming months. • The Bank of England interest rate was held at 3.75% in July due to the conflict in the Middle East and associated inflation fluctuations and forecasts. • The Energy Price Cap, originally introduced by Ofgem in January 2019 to set limits on the underlying rates energy suppliers, is currently set at £1,862 from 1 July, with continued conflict in the Middle East leading to an uncertain energy disinflation path according to economists. Cost of living research (national) The latest insights into the cost of living from the Office of National Statistics for the period 3rd to 28th June 2026 found: • that 88% of those surveyed reported the cost of living as the most important issue facing the UK today, and around 60% reported that their cost of living had increased compared with a month ago. Around 6 in 10 adults (63%) reported being very or somewhat worried about their costs of living. Page 23 of 130
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PUBLIC • Around 1 in 3 (35%) adults who pay energy bills reported finding it very or somewhat difficult to afford these bills. • 1 in 5 (20%) adults reported that they had borrowed more money or used more credit than usual in the past month compared with a year ago. • In the period 7 January 2026 to 29 March 2026, among adults currently paying rent or mortgage payments, around 1 in 3 (35%) reported finding it very or somewhat difficult to afford these payments. • Just over 1 in 20 (6%) adults reported they had been unable to pay a direct debit, standing order, or bill in the past month. • 13% of adults disagree or strongly disagree that their household income covers their minimum living expenses. • The ONS also publishes statistics for the UK on Direct Debit failure. The most recent statistics for June 2026 shows a default rate on loans of 4.95%. • Within Scotland, according to the Scottish Government Public Insight Monitor 81% took some form of action to help manage their household finances over the last 6 months: • 55% of adults had spent less on non-essential items to help manage their household finances • 34% had used savings and 18% had cut back on essentials such as food. • 45% had also taken steps to reduce energy use in the home, eg. less heating and hot water. Employment and Income • According to the ONS, the Claimant Count in June 2026, which is taken from JobcentrePlus administration systems, for those claiming unemployment- related benefits in Renfrewshire is 3,470 people – 2095 men and 1280 women aged between 16 and 64. This is an increase from the 3,445 last reported. The Renfrewshire unemployment rate of 2.9% is less than the Scotland rate (3.1%). • Over the long term, average weekly earnings for both total and regular pay show a steady increase. Average weekly earnings were estimated at £749 for total earnings and £699 for regular earnings in May 2026. Food costs / insecurity • Food inflation was 1.7% in June, down from 2.2% in May. Prices rose the fastest for fish (9.1%), preserved fruit (8.6%) and water (8.2%) and confectionary products (6.4%). Prices fell for 16 categories, with the largest drops for pizza (-6.7%), butter (-6.6%) and flours (-5.1%). The ONS, however, found that although food inflation has reduced, the price of food has increased by 30.1% since April 2022. • Foodbank statistics for Quarter 1 show that 1,085 vouchers were issued, supporting 1,440 adults and 676 children. This is a decrease on the same time last year when 1,342 vouchers were issued supporting 1,775 adults and 854 children. • Single adult households accounted for 594 vouchers, and those for whom benefits was their only income accounted for 910. Page 24 of 130
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PUBLIC • Rising cost of essentials was the reason a voucher was issued in 412 cases, and continues to be the most cited reason for voucher issue with other unexpected expense at 245 and debt, when priority and non-priority debt is taken together, accounted for 177 vouchers. Housing • Private rent prices in Renfrewshire were an average £795 in June 2026, down from an average of £826 in March 2026, and an annual decrease of 1.4% from £807 in June 25 5 Fairer Renfrewshire Programme Update 5.1 Since the last update to Leadership Board in June 2026, a range of activities have continued to be progressed by officers and partners. A summary is provided in the sections below. Improving Financial Security Advice 5.2 During quarter 1, Renfrewshire Council’s Advice Works Service received 903 referrals, including self-referrals and assisted 718 new clients. Within the quarter, they supported 3,278 benefit claims and won 26 appeals, with Client Financial Gain for the quarter being £3,059,751, and debt under management £545,367. 5.3 For Family Advice, 95 new referrals were received this quarter, 45 of these being from the 6 Child Poverty Priority Groups and financial gain of £21,752 made. 88 benefits checks were done, and the gain included Universal Credit of £11,544 and Scottish Child Payment of £8,580. 5.4 For Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau (RCAB)’s School Support Service for quarter 1: • 94 contacts were made with clients (76 in person, 15 by telephone and 3 by email). • 55 families were assisted during the quarter, including 25 new clients. The service secured a total of £18,083.71 in Client Financial Gains for families during the quarter. This included £6804 from Child Disability Payment. 5.5 With regard to Child Poverty Priority Groups, across both the Advice Works and RCAB advice for families services, the following number of families in priority groups were supported: • 37 lone parent families. • 28 families with a child or adult with a disability • 6 families with three or more children. • 17 minority ethnic families. • 7 families with a child under one year old. • 2 mothers aged under 25 5.6 For RCAB’s general service in quarter 1, 2,882 individuals sought advice, with 1,163 being seen and financial gain of £399,003. Total debt under management at the moment, Page 25 of 130
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PUBLIC including existing debt is £2,124,519 and 134 clients reached a debt solution this quarter. There were also 103 legal clients this quarter, with most of these coming forward with issues around housing (34) and homelessness (18). Debt accounted for 22 client contacts. 5.7 The contract with RCAB to provide free general and legal advice to Renfrewshire residents was approved at Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board on 11 June, and commenced on 1 July. 5.8 A number of meetings have taken place since between Council Officers and the RCAB Chief Executive in line with both the new service specification and Fairer Renfrewshire Action Plan. 5.9 A specific meeting regarding outreach has taken place, with Advice Works and RCAB looking at how they can best work together to agree, provide and review outreach advice at locations across Renfrewshire. This includes looking at gaps, duplication and ensuring outreach is fully utilised Strengthening Health, Wellbeing and Community Community Development in Gallowhill 5.10 Progress has been made on the community development work in Gallowhill, with a number of activities supported by Active Communities now taking place regularly within the area and a detailed update on this work was delivered by Active Communities as part of the agenda for the September Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee 5.11 Recent activities in Gallowhill include: • Friday Lunch • Two community litter picks each week (community led) • A walking group which is using the new walking routes in Gallowhill • Weekly exercise class • Weekly art activities for young people 5.12 In addition, utilising Summer of Fun funding, Active Communities ran a programme of free fun activities for the children over the summer holidays which included a healthy lunch. Children had the opportunity to be involved in the preparation of lunch and learn basic cooking skills. Whilst the children were in this club parents enjoyed their normal weekly Friday lunch club which has activities suitable for them. 5.13 In July Active Communities met with Council Officers from the Transport team to discuss issues that had been raised by the community, for example with regard to road safety, parking and accessibility as well as things like bus shelters in poor condition. It has been arranged that Shopmobility will carry out an accessibility audit on main routes in Gallowhill, including from the schools to shops and to the Community Centre and the result will be share with Transport colleagues to take forward the findings. 5.14 Active Communities were also advised of upcoming initiatives such as Beat the Street which launches in September to share with the Gallowhill community. Page 26 of 130
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PUBLIC 5.15 Looking forward, Active Communities are planning a community sharing event in autumn to look at issues that have been previously raised by community members through the earlier needs assessment and what has been done, focus and promote the new activities happening in Gallowhill and also encourage community to come forward with ideas on how to improve the area. Summer of Fun 5.16 Funding was allocated to another Summer of Fun programme in 2026 from the Fairer Renfrewshire budget, with additional funding from Scottish Government’s Summer of Sport initiative providing further support to the programme. As with previous years programmes, this is a partnership programme of events across Renfrewshire including the direct provision of holiday camps and a small grants programme to allow third and community sector partners to deliver local, targeted provision to low-income families across Renfrewshire. 5.17 Grants of up to £3,000 were available for community organisations for projects to deliver activities over the summer holidays which reach communities that might be underserved by mainstream activities. As in previous years the programme was quickly over-subscribed. 5.18 Applications were reviewed by a partnership panel, including members from Engage Renfrewshire and Renfrewshire HSCP along with Council officers. Delegated authority had been provided to the Head of Policy and Partnerships to award grant funding in consultation with the Council Leader, and out of the £50,000 available, £49,999.32 was allocated. 5.19 In total 22 organisations received funding for activities which included: • Summer clubs for families/children • Outdoor activities • Art and music activities • Sports and fitness activities 5.20 As part of Summer of Fun, a small amount of funding was made available to OneRen Libraries to provide activities in areas where no organised activities were taking place, with summer storytelling and other activities being organised in these areas. 5.21 Invest in Renfrewshire and OneRen libraries were also linked with the organisations receiving funding so, where applicable, they could discuss their services. In OneRen’s case, this was to carry out conversations with as many people as possible as part of the development of a new Skoobmobile service. 5.22 Summer holiday camps were provided across Renfrewshire by both Connected Communities staff and Street Stuff. As approved at Leadership Board on 17 June, funding of £8,000 was also provided to the Tannahill Centre to extend their service over the summer, and employ 2 sessional workers and provide food, including a hot lunch, and snacks for attendees. This was in place of the CLD summer camp in Glencoats Primary School. Page 27 of 130
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PUBLIC 5.23 The full Summer of Fun programme will be evaluated and a report brought to elected members at the next Leadership Board. A full list of awards and activities is at Appendix 1. Winter Connections 5.24 Recognising the success of the Winter Connections programme since 2022/23, £75,000 of Fairer Renfrewshire funding was allocated as part of the Council’s budget to support the delivery of a Winter Connections programme for 26/27. Winter Connections provides a network of local places and spaces where people can connect to others in their community over the winter. 5.25 Originally established as a response to the cost of living crisis, the Winter Connections programme is now in its fifth year and has proven to be much valued within communities over the winter months. An evaluation of the 2025/26 programme was carried out and reported to Leadership Board in June 2026. 5.26 As with previous years, it is recommended that authority is delegated to the Head of Policy and Partnerships to award funding in consultation with the Council Leader and in line with the guidance, to enable timely awards. All awards will be reported back to Leadership Board. 5.27 Guidance has been drafted as detailed at Appendix 2, and if approved by Leadership Board, it is intended that the funding will go live for applications from 17 September, with awards being made from October 2026. Embedding Equality and Inclusion Equalities Outcomes Action Plan and equality actions 5.28 After the success of the first session on 12 May, an additional RenTalk has been delivered with the Equalities Development Officer and Engage Renfrewshire’s IN-Ren Network Facilitator on inclusive and intercultural communications for employees. The additional talk was delivered after positive feedback at the first session and was designed to reach those who weren’t able to attend the first session. The session supports staff to meet the needs of any service user who is not a native English speaker or who needs a different kind of communication style. Between both sessions, almost 200 staff members have been reached. 5.29 Diversity Equality Alliance Renfrewshire (DEAR) Group recently reviewed their Terms of Reference and membership. At the DEAR group meeting in May it was agreed which organisations would be invited to join the group to expand the membership. Over June and July several organisations have been contacted and added to the membership of the DEAR group including: My Baby and I, Jubilee House, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, RAMH, West College Scotland and Inspiring Families. 5.30 Expressions of interest from British Sign Language (BSL) users for the BSL User group hosted by the Council closed at the end of July 2026. The BSL user group will bring Page 28 of 130
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PUBLIC together BSL users to give feedback on Council services to improve these for the Deaf and Deafblind community. The group has been advertised through the British Deaf Association newsletter, Alliance Scotland, West Scotland BSL social media, several community networks, and social media. Several expressions of interest have been received with a wide range of individuals interested in joining the group. Once those who have expressed an interest have been contacted, it is intended to hold a first meeting in October or November. Advice Posters and Leaflets in other languages 5.31 Working with Advice Works and RCAB, posters and leaflets have been developed in 5 languages other than English, encouraging anyone who is struggling with money worries to come forward for advice. The 5 most common languages used by clients contacting the Council through use of Language Line are Arabic, Farsi, Polish, Sorani and Ukrainian, so the posters and leaflets were developed in those languages as likely to be most common in Renfrewshire. 5.32 These were distributed at the IN-Ren Newsy launch on 23 July to a number of organisations which support ethnically diverse clients, including Community Learning and Development colleagues and partners, to distribute at ESOL classes. They will also be distributed to libraries and health settings. 5.33 In June 2026, partners in Renfrewshire hosted a Building Stronger Communities session to discuss how we can work together to strengthen connection across our communities, particularly in relation to culturally and ethnically diverse communities. Over 40 people attended the session, with follow up sessions to be held during September to progress some of the ideas discussed. Using Insight and Evidence for Impact Child Poverty Accelerator Fund 5.34 Work continues on the Child Poverty Accelerator Fund project, which will create a locally governed 'Insight Partnership' that uses existing data to identify families showing early signs of child poverty risk. The partnership will then connect these families quickly to the right support, including income maximisation, employability help, cost of living advice and family wellbeing services. 5.35 The initial stage of this project examined the type of data that is held across Council services to decide what could be useful to the project. Work has now progressed to ensuring the technical details within a Data Protection Impact Assessment fully satisfy Information Governance requirements, creating an Equality Impact Assessment and finalising a project plan. The steering group, comprised of officers from across relevant Council areas, that has been established to oversee the project has met three times, and the first monitoring and evaluation meeting with the Scottish Government took place on 13th of August 2026. Lived Experience Panel Page 29 of 130
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PUBLIC 5.36 Elected Members have been given a number of updates relating to work of the Fairer Renfrewshire Panel. Since the last Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee meeting, the Panel have met with the HSCP Health Improvement Team around the ‘Ask and Act’ pilot they are developing and with Invest in Renfrewshire team to input on Renfrewshire’s proposals for the Scottish Government Parental Transport funding investment. Going forward, the Panel will meet with CLD to discuss services for young people in Renfrewshire. 5.37 The specification for the contract with STAR Project to facilitate and support the Panel for another year has been agreed, with a new contract starting in July 2026. 5.38 It has been agreed that the Panel will be evaluated during August and September, with an officer from the Fairer Renfrewshire team carrying this out. She will speak to Panel members, STAR Project staff and Council Services which have engaged with the Panel to examine how well the Panel is working, what changes have been made due to Panel feedback and any areas for improvement. 6 Renfrewshire Voices 6.1 Renfrewshire Council is committed to reducing inequalities and advancing equality of opportunity. However, gaps in local evidence and understanding mean that the experiences of some equality groups are not consistently reflected in policy, service design, and decision-making. Developing stronger insight into the barriers faced by diverse communities is essential if we are to ensure that our response to inequality is informed, targeted and effective. 6.2 In February 2024, Leadership Board recognised the requirement to further develop the Council’s understanding of, and response to, inequality locally and agreed the allocation of £150,000 to establish a dedicated equalities workstream within the Fairer Renfrewshire Programme. This allocation was made to support staffing capacity and expertise to progress this workstream and to commission work to ensure the Council’s response to inequality is shaped by the lived experience of equalities groups. 6.3 Furthermore, within the Fairer Renfrewshire Action Plan which has been agreed in December 2025, a specific action to “Develop a small grant programme to commission local organisations who engage with/represent equalities groups to share the experiences and perspectives of diverse groups” was included. It is proposed, therefore, that Renfrewshire Voices, a small grants programme designed to address these gaps in knowledge and gather and share community insight, is approved. 6.4 The aim of the programme is to: • Improve understanding of the experiences of local equalities groups. • Increase involvement of people with lived experience in policy and service design. • Enhance relationships between public bodies and equality-led organisations. • Improve our evidence base to support equality-related decision making. Page 30 of 130
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PUBLIC 6.5 Elected members will be aware that the following Equality Outcomes, updated after consultation, were approved at Leadership Board in April 2026: • Outcome 1: New Scots and our ethnically and culturally diverse communities feel welcomed, supported, and have equity of opportunity to thrive in our communities. • Outcome 2: Disabled and older people experience improved access to public buildings, services, and transport, ensuring greater independence and participation in community life. • Outcome 3: Improved economic prospects for women, ethnic minority people and disabled people. • Outcome 4: All residents can access information and services in an inclusive and accessible manner. • Outcome 5: Our workforce better reflects the diversity of our community, in terms of ethnicity and disability. • Outcome 6: People with lived experience of inequality and exclusion will be more involved in informing and co-designing policy and practice that affects them. 6.6 An action plan was developed utilising the consultation responses and was approved at Leadership Board in April 2026. The consultation and prior local engagement identified several gaps in our knowledge and lesser heard voices within Renfrewshire. It is proposed these gaps inform the planned small grant programme. Gaps include: • Information on barriers experienced due to faith • Information on the LGBT+ community • Information on intersectional equalities communities e.g. New Scots who are parents or disabled LGBT+ individuals • Information barriers and experiences due to using BSL as a primary language 6.7 Renfrewshire Voices will help provide the information we need with regard to these communities, and findings gathered through Renfrewshire Voices will be used to inform policy development, service design, Equality Impact Assessments, future development of the Fairer Renfrewshire Action Plan and the monitoring of Equality Outcomes. 6.8 Success will be measured through: • the number and diversity of organisations funded; • the extent to which identified evidence gaps are addressed; • participation from people with lived experience; • how findings are subsequently used to inform policy, services and equality outcomes. 6.9 Applications for the small grants programme would be invited for proposed projects which provide insight into at least one of the Equality Outcomes for 2025 – 2029 (detailed in 6.5) and/or provide insight into one of the equalities groups for which we do not have local and up to date information (detailed in 6.6). 6.10 A total funding amount of £20,000 is proposed to run the small grant programme as a pilot in 2026/27, with the potential for a further tranche of funding to be considered if the pilot was successful. Funding up to £4,000 will be available to organisations led by, working with, or representing equalities groups to support the costs associated with proposals. Page 31 of 130
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PUBLIC 6.11 The timeline proposed for the programme is • It is envisaged that the fund will open in September 2026, with recommendations for funding being brought to Leadership Board in December 2026 for decision after scrutiny by a Panel to examine the applications comprising colleagues from within the Council, as well as Renfrewshire HSCP and Engage Renfrewshire, with applicants being informed shortly thereafter. • Organisations are expected to run their projects between January and June 2027, however flexibility will be allowed dependant on the scope and design of the project with outcomes reported to Leadership Board in late 2027 or early 2028. An evaluation of the programme will also be brought to Leadership Board. 6.12 Commissioned organisations will be expected to join the Diversity and Equality Alliance Renfrewshire (DEAR) networking Group. This networking will allow funding recipients to: • Share the commissioned work being delivered through the grant funding to highlight best practice • Network with local public sector organisations, charities and community groups who they may wish to work more closely with • Engage with equalities led organisations in areas of policy and practice development across the Council and its partners 6.13 Renfrewshire Voices Draft Guidance is attached in Appendix 3. ____________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – It is proposed that £20,000 of Fairer Renfrewshire funding is allocated to support the Renfrewshire Voices programme. 2. HR & Organisational Development – none 3. Community/Council Planning – This report provides a summary of current partnership activities being progressed through the Fairer Renfrewshire programme, with a key focus on tackling the inequalities that exist in Renfrewshire. 4. Legal - none 5. Property/Assets - none 6. Information Technology - none 7. Equality and Human Rights – The report seeks approval of a small grant programme which is designed to further develop the Council’s understanding of, and response to, inequality locally and as such is expected to have a positive impact with regards to equality and on equalities groups. 8. Health and Safety - none 9. Procurement – none Page 32 of 130
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PUBLIC 10. Risk – none 11. Privacy Impact – none 12. COSLA Policy Position – none 13. Climate Risk – none ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Laura McIntyre, Head of Policy and Partnerships Page 33 of 130
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PUBLIC Appendix 1 Organisation Area Purpose Funding approved Brick Lane Music Academy CIC Paisley Musical Maestros/Rock Pop and Rap Workshops/Star Struck Summer £2,900 Erskine Arts Erskine An Erskine Arts Summer £2,927.32 KLAS Care Linwood Summertime Fun 2026 £2,652 STAR Project Paisley STAR Summer of Fun £3,000 Ralston Out of School Care Paisley Activity Club £1,100 CREATE Paisley Paisley and Johnstone Go CREATE Summer Programme £2,945 Paisley St George’s Church of Scotland Paisley Paisley St George’s Summer Holiday Club £2,715 Active Communities Paisley Gallowhill Gallowhill Children’s Club £2,900 School of African Cultures Paisley KOLA (Meaning Grow in Lingala) Summer Holiday Camp £3,000 Friends of Howwood Park Howwood Children’s Summer Holiday Activity Programme £2,900 Youth Inspired Linwood YI Summer Connections £2,957 Renfrew YMCA Renfrew Summer of Fun 2026 £2,500 Loud n Proud Paisley Every Kid Shall Rock £1,700 Sewing2gether All Nations Paisley Summer Sewing2gether £752 Johnstone Castle Learning Centre Johnstone Castle Johnstone Castle Chaos Club £2,100 Renfrewshire Women’s Aid Paisley Safe Summer Connections £2,700 Active Communities Howwood Road Summer Fun Day £1,100 Home-Start Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Paisley Summer Connections £1,331 Renfrewshire Effort to Empower Minorities Paisley Summer Project £3,000 Stronger Communities Glenburn Paisley Glenburn Fun in the Sun £1,000 Bring Unity to Communities Paisley Foxbar FUSION – a series of fun workshops for young people and families £1,420 Bishopton Sports and Social Club Bishopton Summer Clubs £1,500 Page 34 of 130
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PUBLIC OneRen Libraries Bishopton, Bridge of Weir and Lochwinnoch Summer Storytelling, Messy Play and Board games £900 £49,999.30 Page 35 of 130
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PUBLIC Appendix 2 WINTER CONNECTIONS PROGRAMME FUND Winter Connections is a network of local places and spaces where people can connect to others in their community this winter through taking part in organised activities. Winter Connections will co-ordinate and promote a programme of group events and activities across Renfrewshire that everyone can access. Winter Connections are always free, open to all, in every neighbourhood and can guarantee a warm welcome. We want to work with local groups and organisations who can host Winter Connections in their community. The Winter Connections Fund can provide small grants of up to £2,000 to organisations to help with the additional costs of making venues, activities and sessions open as part of the Winter Connections Programme. Who can apply? The fund is open to voluntary and community organisations that are constituted and have a bank account. The Fund is not open to applications to support individuals. What we will fund The Fund can cover a range of project costs, such as equipment, food, energy costs, costs to rent a space for the activity, cleaning, and staffing costs to cover increased activity. Examples of projects that can be funded include: • A new cooking project where ingredients are provided • Projects that bring people from different backgrounds together through a shared activity, such as different cultures or age groups • Tablet or device classes for older people • Choirs or singing groups • Projects supporting people living with mental illness • Lunch clubs with an activity • Crafting or ‘making’ activities • Classes with a focus on physical activity • Classes which provide and show how to install simple energy efficiency measures A guide to Winter Connections funding and how to apply Page 36 of 130
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PUBLIC We welcome applications from community venues as well as groups who run activities. We can help to connect venues with groups who can offer activities and vice-versa, if this would be helpful. Grant funding must be spent by the end of March 2027. What your application should cover Applications should describe the specific activity the organisation wants to host, how it meets the needs of the local community and how it meets the Winter Connections principles to make sure the programme is inclusive, safe, and stigma-free. Projects and activities should be: • Open, free and easy to access (although this can mean open to all within a particular age or targeted group) • Inclusive, welcoming, respectful, and safe • Able or willing to provide connections to other services and supports • Able to offer warm drinks/snacks/food along with activities, where possible We want Winter Connections activities to be available in every neighbourhood in Renfrewshire, as well as available at different times and for residents of all ages. This may affect the funding decisions that we make. While we recognise that many organisations will be closed over the Christmas period, we would welcome applications that will deliver activities during the festive period. What cannot be funded? Winter Connections will not fund: • One-off activities, like an open or fun day • Activities that are not free • Events to raise funds for other charities • Costs for activities that have already taken place • Projects where no activities are available/will take place How to apply Applications will be open from 17 September 2026 using an online application process. If you need a paper copy or any support to make an application, please get in touch. Awards will be made from mid-October, and the fund will remain open until the available funding has been used. Demand for this fund is usually high so we would advise that you apply as early as possible. The online application form can be found here Winter Connections Application 2026 We will be in touch for a copy of your constitution, a recent bank statement and a copy of your accounts (or income/expenditure statement) if we don’t have a recent copy of these already on file. Please have these ready so applications can be processed promptly. How much funding is available from the Winter Connections Fund? Grants of up to a maximum of £2,000 are available, however as funding is limited, please do not apply for more than you will need for your project. Page 37 of 130
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PUBLIC If you are co-ordinating several events in partnership with a range of local groups (for example as a bigger community venue), we can use some discretion to make larger awards. Please get in touch to discuss this. How we will make decisions Applications will be reviewed by a panel of staff from Renfrewshire Council, Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership and Engage Renfrewshire before a decision is made. We will assess and award applications on a ‘rolling’ basis until the funding has been spent. We will get in touch with you to let you know if your application has been successful as soon as possible, and we may also get in touch for further information about your project before making a decision. While we endeavour to pay awards as quickly as possible, if due to the decision-making process, you receive your grant later than expected you can start your programme later and run it beyond the 31st March if necessary. Conditions of grant If you are successful in your application, you must accept and comply with Renfrewshire Council’s standard grant terms and conditions. You will be asked to report back on the impact the project has had once the funds are spent. Projects which receive funding from Renfrewshire Council will be promoted as part of the Renfrewshire Winter Connections programme. You will also be asked to make clear your project is part of the programme when promoting your project. In addition to complying with the Council’s grant terms and conditions, organisations should consider the Scottish Government’s Fair Work First Guidance. The current guidance stipulates that from 01/07/2023 all organisation receiving Public Sector Grants should be paying staff at least the Real Living Wage and providing effective channels for employee voice. Contact us If you would like to discuss the priorities, application process or alternative funding opportunities please contact Andrena Faulkner at andrena.faulkner@renfrewshire.gov.uk. Page 38 of 130
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PUBLIC Appendix 3 RENFREWSHIRE VOICES PROGRAMME FUND What Renfrewshire Voices is Renfrewshire Voices commissions projects which will gather and share the experiences and perspectives of equality groups. The aim of the programme is to share research and insight into diverse communities in Renfrewshire with Renfrewshire Council, our Community Planning Partners and the wider Renfrewshire community, particularly on unmet needs and provide opportunities to capture and amplify lesser heard voices. Renfrewshire Voices offers small grants of up to £4,000 to organisations to help with the cost of running projects which gather and share information on equality groups. Who can apply for this fund? The fund is open to any organisation led by, representing, or working with equalities groups. An equalities group is a group which may face discrimination, such as disabled people, ethnically diverse communities, older people or those within the LGBTQ+ community. Invitations are welcomed from informal and non-constituted groups, but any funding application would need to be hosted and managed by a constituted organisation with a bank account. We recognise that organisations supporting equalities groups may be national or regional organisations. Proposals would be accepted from national organisations but the grant must be used on activity focused on engaging Renfrewshire residents to gain local insight. What can funding be used for? The fund can cover a range of project costs such as: • Upskilling, training and development costs. For example, upskilling or training in research or engagement skills • Access costs. For example, interpreters, translators, childcare accessibility, reasonable participation costs and expenses A guide to Renfrewshire Voices funding and how to apply Page 39 of 130
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PUBLIC • Costs associated with hosting and facilitating activities and sessions. For example, costs for a survey tool, catering, or a venue. • Staff costs for carrying out the proposals within the application Examples of projects that could be funded include Exploring the experiences of LGBTQ+ residents in Renfrewshire – an organisation could facilitate peer discussion groups, workshops or a community survey to gather insight on issues such as inclusion, mental wellbeing, safety, access to services or community connections, sharing findings with partners to inform future service development. Understanding intersectional experiences of inequality - An organisation working with groups such as disabled New Scots, LGBTQ+ carers or ethnically diverse women could undertake targeted engagement to explore how multiple aspects of identity shape people's experiences and identify opportunities to improve local support. Improving accessibility to employment for disabled residents - A project could disabled residents to identify barriers to accessing information, support and opportunities around employability and make recommendations for improving accessibility and communication. Understanding the experiences of local faith communities - A faith organisation could run focus groups, interviews or community conversations with members to better understand barriers to accessing local services, community facilities, employment opportunities or support networks, and produce a short report with key findings and recommendations. Funding up to £4,000 will be available which is expected to be spent by June 2027, however this can be extended if necessary if a specific project is expected to take longer. What cannot be funded? Renfrewshire Voices is not recurring funding and will not support recurring revenue costs for existing services. The funding will only facilitate the running of short-term projects which will gather further insight into gaps and areas for development. What your application should cover Proposals should describe the specific project the organisation wishes to run, how it provides insight into at least one of the Equality Outcomes for 2025 – 2029 (listed below) and/or provide insight into one of the equalities groups which we do not have local and up to date information (listed below). Proposals should also: • Develop capacity to carry out and share research and insight on diverse communities in Renfrewshire, particularly on unmet needs or; • Provide opportunities for local equalities communities to boost their voice and influence Equality Outcomes for 2025- 2029: • Outcome 1: New Scots and our ethnically and culturally diverse communities feel welcomed, supported, and have equity of opportunity to thrive in our communities. • Outcome 2: Disabled and older people experience improved access to public buildings, services, and transport, ensuring greater independence and participation in community life. • Outcome 3: Improved economic prospects for women, ethnic minority people and disabled people. Page 40 of 130
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PUBLIC • Outcome 4: All residents can access information and services in an inclusive and accessible manner. • Outcome 5: Our workforce better reflects the diversity of our community, in terms of ethnicity and disability. • Outcome 6: People with lived experience of inequality and exclusion will be more involved in informing and co-designing policy and practice that affects them. Equalities groups which we do not have local and up to date information on: • Information on barriers experienced due to faith • Information on the LGBT+ community • Information on intersectional equalities communities e.g. New Scots who are parents or disabled LGBT+ individuals • Information barriers and experiences due to using BSL as a primary language How to apply Applications will open from 16 September 2026 using an online application process. If you need a paper copy or any support to make an application, please get in touch (details below). The fund will remain open until 28 October. Awards will be made from December 2026. The online application form can be found here Renfrewshire Voices Application 2026. We will be in touch for a copy of your constitution, a recent bank statement and a copy of your accounts (or income/expenditure statement) if we don’t have a recent copy of these already on file. Please have these ready so applications can be processed promptly. How we will make decisions A panel of staff from Renfrewshire Council, Engage Renfrewshire, and Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership will review your application. Recommendations for funding will be approved by Renfrewshire Council’s Leadership Board. Our decision making on funding will take into account how well your application meets the outcomes and the gaps in our knowledge, and also relevance to and alignment with Council services and priorities. We will also look at how your project: • Will engage with the particular equalities group you intend to work with • Will improve understanding of the experiences of local equalities groups. • Will increase involvement of people with lived experience in policy and service design Your application should describe your expected outputs, for example reports, videos or events. This will also inform our decision making. We'll get in touch with you by email to let you know if your application has been successful or unsuccessful in late December 2026 and we may also get in touch for further information about your project before making a decision. What support can Renfrewshire Council offer successful applicants? In-kind support will be offered to successful organisations to support their project including: • Networking through the DEAR group (more information below) • Advice and guidance on survey tools, consultation, and engagement Page 41 of 130
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PUBLIC • Where possible, the use of venues for research activity (e.g hosting focus groups), however this cannot be guaranteed. Conditions of grant If you are successful in your application, you must accept and comply with Renfrewshire Council’s standard grant terms and conditions. You will be asked to report back on the impact your project has had once it has come to an end. We will send you a feedback form to complete and may visit your project. Commissioned organisations will be expected to join the Diversity and Equality Alliance Renfrewshire (DEAR) networking Group. This networking will allow funding recipients to: • Share the commissioned work being delivered through the grant funding to highlight best practice • Network with local public sector organisations, charities and community groups who they may wish to work more closely with • Engage with equalities led organisations in areas of policy and practice development across the Council and its partners In addition to complying with the Council’s grant terms and conditions, organisations should consider the Scottish Government’s Fair Work First Guidance. The current guidance stipulates that from 01/07/2023 all organisation receiving Public Sector Grants should be paying staff at least the Real Living Wage and providing effective channels for employee voice. Contact us If you would like to discuss the priorities, application process or alternative funding opportunities please contact Astrid Smallenbroek at astrid.smallenbroek@renfrewshire.gov.uk. Page 42 of 130
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PUBLIC ___________________________________________________________________ To: Leadership Board On: 16 September 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Best Value – Corporate Improvement Plan ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The duty of Best Value applies to all public bodies in Scotland and requires organisations to ensure that there is good governance and effective management of resources, whilst also ensuring activities focus on improvement and deliver the best possible outcomes for the public. 1.2 This paper provides an update to Elected Members on the ongoing activities within the organisation to support the delivery of Best Value through our continuous improvement focus. 1.3 A range of high-level actions are grouped together in a Corporate Improvement Plan (CIP), which was last reported to the Leadership Board in February 2026. The CIP has been updated to reflect activity and progress in over the six-month period between February 2026 and September 2026. 1.4 Significant Best Value activity has been undertaken by the Council over this period, as detailed in section 3. A report detailing the outcome of auditing by our external auditors, Azets, in relation to the effectiveness of asset management arrangements, will be presented to the Audit Risk and Scrutiny Board and any recommendations will be added as actions to the Corporate Improvement Plan. 1.5 The full Corporate Improvement Plan is attached to this report as Appendix 1 and this updated version will also be published on the Council’s website. The next progress report will be presented to Leadership Board in February 2027. Item 4 Page 43 of 130
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PUBLIC ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 Members are requested to: • note the progress of the Corporate Improvement Plan as outlined in the appendix. ___________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 A core value of Renfrewshire Council is ‘We Value Learning’ and the Council has established an ongoing programme of self-assessment to learn and improve. This helps to ensure that all elements of Best Value are being delivered and to drive forward corporate improvement activities in line with our commitment to continuous improvement as an organisation. 3.2 Within the new Best Value approach, our first phase of self-evaluation focused on a Corporate Self-Assessment which was rolled out in 2022/23 and 2023/24 and resulted in the development of Corporate Improvement Plan (CIP). This CIP has been enhanced with additional areas for improvement identified via the ongoing external audit processes, including our Annual Audit Report, the Best Value thematic reviews and our self-assessment which focused on organisational culture (Renfrewshire’s Cultural Assurance Model). 3.3 The CIP was first reported to Leadership Board in February 2025, noting that the vast majority of existing actions were completed or nearing completion and represented a significant programme of work across the range of Best Value themes. Further updates have been reported to Board every 6 months. 3.4 Since the previous update to Leadership Board, one further Best Value review has been undertaken - on Asset Management - and there has been a particular focus on Fairness and Equalities this year within the ongoing best value audit activity undertaken by the external audit team from Azets. 3.5 Asset Management was selected as the subject of the national thematic review, following previous years’ themes of Leadership, Workforce Innovation and Transformation. This work was completed by officers in February and March this year and aligned to the two Board reports reported to February’s Leadership Board – the Corporate Asset Management Strategy 2026 to 20230 and the Corporate Assets Overview of Progress 2021 to 2026. 3.6 The Council also received a request from our auditors to undertake work on a Fairness and Equalities theme which was completed by officers in April and May this year. This theme is audited by each Council’s external auditing teams once over the 5-year rolling programme of audit and is reported via the Annual Audit Report. The Annual Audit Report and thematic audit report in relation to asset management will be considered by the Audit Risk and Scrutiny Board on 21st September. Page 44 of 130
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PUBLIC 3.7 More broadly, demonstrating our commitment to Best Value is an ongoing process, particularly through the Annual Audit reporting, the annual Best Value thematic reviews and our own self-evaluation activity. The focus for the organisation remains firmly on continuous improvement – reflected both in the Corporate Improvement Plan approach, but also wider activity, such as the officer Performance Board and the Consultation and Engagement Advisory Group. Any relevant improvement actions flowing from these groups are also captured in the CIP as appropriate. 3.8 The Council also participates in the national work around Best Value and self- assessment, including being part of the new National Self-Evaluation Framework (NSEF) Learning Network which seeks to support Councils to assess their readiness for implementing the new NSEF approach. Officers are also part of the national review group for Public Sector Improvement Framework (PSIF) for the 3rd cycle, streamlining and developing PSIF, particularly to align with the new NSEF model. 3.9 Finally, as previously noted, the CIP is a dynamic document, and completed actions are reported once to Board and then retired and new actions are also added on an ongoing basis. Progress on the recommendations from our external auditors will also continue to be reported to the Audit, Risk and Scrutiny Board as part of the ongoing reporting arrangements in relation to Best Value. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – none 2. HR & Organisational Development – none 3. Community/Council Planning – our commitment to Best Value and the delivery of many of the activities (including self-assessment) is clearly established within our Council Plan, particularly through the Living Our Values strategic priority. 4. Legal - none 5. Property/Assets – none 6. Information Technology - none 7. Equality and Human Rights – there are no negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights arising from the recommendations contained in the report, as this report is for noting only. There is an action in relation to equalities and our refreshed approach to impact assessments in the appended Corporate Improvement Plan. In addition, reference is made to the Fairness and Equalities audit, although new Page 45 of 130
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PUBLIC actions have not been developed yet, pending the publication of the auditors’ report and any recommendations. 8. Health and Safety - none 9. Procurement – none 10. Risk – none 11. Privacy Impact – none 12. COSLA Policy Position – none 13. Climate Risk – none 14. Children’s Rights – none, but there is an action in relation to engagement with children and young people in the appended Corporate Improvement Plan. Author: Pauline Moss, Strategy, Policy and Insight Manager Page 46 of 130
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PUBLIC Appendix 1 Renfrewshire Council - Corporate Improvement Plan - update September 2026 References: RR prefix – Resident Research, December 2025 BV prefix - Best Value Audit Report, June 2025 IF prefix - Interim Follow Up Report, April 2025 CAM prefix - Cultural Assurance Model, 2024/25 SA prefix - Corporate Self-Assessment, 2023 Ref Action/recommendation Update Timescales Status RR.1 Cascade and share key findings and resources relating to the Resident Research to colleagues across the organisation and community partners. Key findings were published on the council website in December 2025 and reported to Leadership Board (3rd December). This was also supported by communications and marketing activity which included internal communications cascade, press release, poster in libraries, distribution to Council’s e-news, social media and a toolkit to elected members and community groups and partners. The following engagement was carried out • Development and delivery of Ren Talk • Our Leaders Forum – 22 January • Data Advisory Group – 28 January • Consultation and Engagement Advisory Group – 2 February • Renfrewshire Communications and Marketing partnership Group – February A summary document of the Resident Research findings can be found in Appendix 2. The full report and focus group findings are published at www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/consultations/resident-research All actions have been completed. 31 March 2026 Complete Page 47 of 130
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PUBLIC RR.2 Scope and develop ways of further improving transparency and communication around the council’s performance and evidence of listening. Work has been undertaken to improve the visibility of performance reporting through a series of communications and marketing activities in 2026. This will enhance the existing performance reporting including through our Public Performance Report interactive storymap and our wide range of regular performance reporting to Policy Boards, Leadership Board and Audit Risk and Scrutiny Boards. For listening, the Council recently launched Your Voice Matters (YVM), an engagement programme to gather views from people across Renfrewshire on what’s important to them and what they think the priorities should be for the Council, HSCP and community planning partners for the next 5 to 10 years. YVM aims to ensure residents and communities can play an active role in decisions about the future of Renfrewshire and can shape future decisions on services and investment. It also aims to explain how the Council and IJB have to make decisions, the public-service challenges we face and demonstrate that we are committed to listening to the people of Renfrewshire and what matters to them most. 31 March 2026 Complete RR.3 Gather further insight on lesser heard voices including commissioning additional focus groups and linking with established groups such as lived experience, children and young people and people with disabilities. Five additional focus groups were carried out in March 2026. Focus group participants were recruited from resident representative groups in Renfrewshire. These were the Disability Resource Centre (x2 focus groups), the Lived Experience Panel and Renfrewshire Youth Voice (x2 focus groups). Participants were from a range of equalities groups and voices from across Renfrewshire including young people, young carers, minority ethnic groups, those from more deprived communities, LGBTQI and disabled. Results from the focus groups are published online at www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/consultations/resident-research. 31 March 2026 Complete RR.4 Scope options for Elected Member engagement to further consider resident Your Voice Matters programme (also outlined in RR.2) includes a Local Partnership Conference, to which all Elected Members have 31 March 2027 In progress Page 48 of 130
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PUBLIC needs and perceptions, linked to Strategic Needs Assessment for new Council and Community Plans, future resident surveys etc been invited and will also include Members Briefings on findings to date and the development of the programme. Updates on the programme and also key themes from the Strategic Needs Assessment will continue to be reported to Leadership Board, through the Cross-Party Sounding Board and any other Members briefings as required. The due date for this action has been extended to align with the YVM programme. RR.5 Explore options for future engagement opportunities including repeating the resident research, a potential citizen’s panel, linked to being a listening Council and the agreed consultation and engagement policy An opportunity to build on the pilot and ensure listening and improved dialogue with residents and communities is embedded into future strategies and plans. This includes the Resident Research exercise being repeated in 2027 and the learning from the Your Voice Matters programme. As part of YVM officers have been asking participants if they wish to be involved in future conversations and workshops. This action is closely linked to BV4. 31 March 2027 In progress BV.1 Embed Cultural Assurance Model approach into cycle of continuous improvement 5 priority actions identified from the Cultural Assurance Model (CAM) have been included in this Corporate Improvement Plan and where relevant have been included in Service Improvement Plans. Cultural Assurance Model action progress is noted below with the remaining outstanding action prefixed CAM. Further work is being undertaken to reflect further on the CAM, the findings from the Employee Engagement Survey, aligning and building on these insights particularly in relation to cross-cutting programmes, for example Connected Communities. In addition, the approach used for the CAM has now been used to develop a new self-assessment model for trauma-informed practice, we believe this is a first nationally and it is being piloted with the Chief Officer’s Team in the first instance. 31 March 2027 Complete Page 49 of 130
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PUBLIC A timeline for future phases of the CAM is currently being developed, to best align with the next stage of self-assessment, PSIF and the new National Self-Evaluation Framework. BV.4 Evidence community engagement within decision making, policy development and service planning The Consultation and Engagement policy was approved at Leadership Board in February 2025, setting out standards and guidance for planning, conducting and learning from public engagement. A further update was reported to Leadership Board in December 2025, as part of the Resident Research update, noting the governance arrangements and outlining key activities. A Consultation and Engagement Co-ordination Group has been established to provide strategic oversight and guidance. A Consultation and Engagement Advisory Group (CEAG) has also been established to act as a community of practice, providing training, support, and driving improvements across the organisation. Key activities over the previous months include: • The development of a consultation and engagement toolkit to support officers across the organisation and to ensure consistency of quality. • A rapid review and triage of activities and plans that involve consultation and engagement, to ensure support is offered throughout the process. • Linked to the above, development of a consultation calendar and mapping exercise (working with the CEAG) to help avoid significant overlap of consultation and engagement activities and any duplication. • Developing potential options for a citizen’s panel approach to further explore the issues and suggestions raised in the resident research survey and focus groups. 31 March 2027 Complete Page 50 of 130
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PUBLIC The findings from the Residents Survey continue to support decision making and service planning, acting as a baseline for engagement and priority setting. This has been significantly enhanced by the launch of Your Voice Matters engagement programme outlined above under actions RR.2 and RR.5, which commenced with a summer of community engagement, with officers attending gala days and other community events to discuss priorities and future aspirations with Renfrewshire citizens. To date more than 160 conversations have taken place. This engagement is a foundational element of the Council and Community Plan development process with local voices directly influencing and shaping these key strategic documents. Updates will continue to be provided to the Leadership Board on a six-monthly basis as part of Council Plan updates. BV.7 Continue to monitor performance and the impact of decisions on service performance and wider community outcomes A programme of work strengthening the Council’s approach to performance scrutiny is now well-established. The officer performance group has been meeting on a four-weekly basis for over a year, to drive improved performance across Council Plan strategic outcomes, explore the LGBF and other benchmarking in more depth and undertake ‘deep dives’ on Council-wide performance, with a particular focus on outcomes and the golden thread between performance and priorities. Deep dives have been undertaken on the following areas – planning and building control, absence, complaints and enquiries, justice social work, waste and recycling, school meals and school meal debt. Deep dives on economy indicators, procurement and school exclusions are planned for the coming months. Reporting on LGBF indicators to the Audit Risk and Scrutiny Board has been increased to six-monthly. 31 December 2026 Complete Page 51 of 130
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PUBLIC Work is also underway to review the approach to Service Improvement and Council Plan reporting, with a view to strengthening the ‘golden thread’. IF.1 Consider how options are presented to Elected Members to improve decision making effectiveness and openness The Council has further strengthened its approach to the development of business cases and the project management processes associated with these, including reporting arrangements. An officer Transformation Board has been established which regularly reviews the development and progress of a range of significant corporate and service projects across the council, with regular reporting to both the Corporate Management Team and Leadership Board on the issues discussed. The Transformation Board approach is informed by an agreed ‘gateway’ approach which includes clear stages projects must adhere to in terms of identifying requirements, clarifying scope, considering options for how objectives can be met and clearly defining how delivery will be achieved. The regular reporting of business cases to allow elected member decision making can clearly be demonstrated in examples such as the business case framework approach for the learning estate (see report to the Education and Children’s Service Policy Board in May 2025); and the progression of an AI business case which will enable broad AI- enabled transformation across the Council as reported to the Leadership Board in April 2026. 31 March 2026 Complete CAM.5 Develop transformation page on website, with clear definition of what this means for Renfrewshire, links to Reshaping Renfrewshire report and summary comms and introducing the new Transformation Board approach. This action has been extended to cover wider information on the Council website outlining key information about the Council including its decision-making groups, which includes the Transformation Board as well as groups such as CMT. A short-life working group has been established to progress this alongside wider transparency and performance key actions, mostly relating to performance reporting and enhanced content both for the website and intranet. 31 December 2026 Ongoing Page 52 of 130
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PUBLIC The timescale for this action has been extended to 31 December 2026. SA6.1 Develop an Integrated Impact Assessment process, roll out appropriate training and agree roles and responsibilities at a service level. This should also include climate impact assessment process (linked to climate budget work) The approach has been adjusted to keep Equality Impact Assessments and Climate Impact Assessments separate at this time, particularly given the datasets used to consider impact and the processes are quite different. The Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessment form and guidance have been updated to better integrate human rights and care experienced community considerations. Additional resources have also been developed to support colleagues to fill out impact assessments to a good standard including several factsheets on different equality groups and the general Renfrewshire population (for comparison). The Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessment iLearn course has also been reviewed and updated to better support colleagues in completing impact assessments. These updated forms and resources were launched at the recent RenTalk on Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessments which allowed colleagues to gain a better understanding of what impact assessments are, when they are needed, and what support is available in filling out the impact assessment. This RenTalk was recorded and uploaded onto iLearn to allow anyone unable to attend to catch up at a later date. Further inputs have also been made at team and service meetings such as the Project Management Unit knowledge share and Education Managers meetings to further highlight the importance of completing impact assessments and offering further support. The webpage to publish summaries of completed Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessments has also been updated to 31 December 2026 Ongoing Page 53 of 130
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PUBLIC clarify why these are published and where individuals can find additional information. A standardised format has also been developed to publish summaries of completed Equality and Human Rights Impact Assessment with communication colleagues. Future work includes the embedding of children’s rights within the equality and human rights impact assessment. The due date for this has been extended to allow for the work the include children’s rights. Please note, there were no formal recommendations made as part of Renfrewshire Council’s Controller of Audit Best Value Report or the Accounts Commissions findings. Within the Accounts Commissions findings, a number of areas of ‘watching briefs’ were identified and these are captured in the action plan above, in the section with the prefix BV. Please also note, in order to ensure this is a ‘live’ plan, completed actions which have been reported to Board as complete are thereafter ‘retired’ from the plan and new actions are added. Page 54 of 130
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Summary of findings Renfrewshire Resident Research 2025–26 Page 55 of 130
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Renfrewshire Resident Research 2025–26 The purpose of the research was to: How they feel about where they live The services the council provides Changes that could be made to services in the future Measure perceptions of and satisfaction with council services Inform planning and decision-making in Council budget decisions Benchmark against the Scottish Household Survey in 2023 Access new information, ideas and suggestions Support the introduction of the new Consultation and Engagement Policy It has helped us identify which services residents want to prioritise—and it will inform future spending decisions. The research findings were reported to Leadership Board in December 2025. The full report and findings are available to read at: www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/consultations/resident-research We carried out research with Renfrewshire residents to find out: This document summarises the Resident Research undertaken during 2025–26. The research undertaken included an interview-led (telephone or face-to-face) survey conducted across all areas of Renfrewshire with a representative sample of the Renfrewshire population. To explore the key themes from the survey in more detail, a small number of Renfrewshire residents were recruited from the larger survey sample and invited to participate in focus groups. In early 2026, further focus groups were conducted with representatives from equalities groups. As part of the Council’s ongoing programme of self-assessment to learn and improve, it was agreed a Resident Research survey should be undertaken to highlight our ongoing commitment to improving our dialogue with residents. 2 Page 56 of 130
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www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/consultations/resident-research Key findings People rate Renfrewshire highly as a place to live and are proud of their own their neighbourhood. More than half (61%) of respondents agree the council provides high-quality services and does the best with the money available. Parks, gardens and open spaces are the most used services each month, followed by household waste recycling centres and sport and leisure facilities. Satisfaction is highest with schools and nurseries, children’s play areas, parks, gardens and open spaces and libraries. To help balance its budget, the council should prioritise making better use of its buildings and target resource to places and people with the greatest need. Supporting older and vulnerable people, children and families and maintaining roads, open and public spaces are among the most essential priorities. 3 Page 57 of 130
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Survey in summer 2025 • 1,016 responses in-person with interviewer (face-to-face or telephone) • 1,029 responses online (local residents completing the survey online) • Face-to-face and telephone sample was representative of the Renfrewshire population What you told us—key findings from face-to-face and telephone interviews Your overall satisfaction with place is very high, but you have mixed views on how the Council is doing. 93% of respondents rate Renfrewshire as a good place to live, with strong positive perceptions of neighbourhood safety, pride and community. Perceptions of Council performance are more moderate (around 53–62%), especially on listening to residents (44%). Your general satisfaction with Council services is strong—although there are areas where you would like to see improvement. High satisfaction with schools, parks, libraries and leisure services (84–94%). Higher rates of dissatisfaction with roads maintenance (39%), street cleaning (64%), and refuse services (73%). You prioritise essential and preventative services. Support for older/vulnerable people, roads and infrastructure, and support for child and family wellbeing (95–97%) are your strongest priorities. Measures to achieve Net Zero are the least important priority (49%). Budget approach: more support for efficiency, less for cuts or charges. You showed strongest backing for better use of buildings and assets (82%) and targeting resources to those most in need (81%). You showed less support for discontinuing some services (46%) or introducing charges (33%). A note on benchmarking Benchmarking is when we measure and evaluate council services in comparison with the other 31 councils in Scotland. The survey used questions based on the national Scottish Household Survey 2023 so that we could benchmark against the national average—but asking a larger and locally more representative group. Overall, the survey showed that Renfrewshire residents feel more positive about their neighbourhoods and Council services than the national average. 4 Page 58 of 130
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What you told us You are broadly positive about Renfrewshire and the quality of your local environment is critical. Residents enjoy living in Renfrewshire due to community, transport links, and local amenities. Quality of life is strongly affected by cleanliness, roads, and neighbourhood appearance. You strongly support prioritising core services and vulnerable groups. Top priorities are roads, pavements, and public spaces; support for vulnerable people and older residents; and support for child and family wellbeing. Residents also emphasised early intervention and joined-up services, especially for supporting mental health and supporting vulnerable households. Targeting resources by need is widely supported— but must be fair and balanced. You strongly support prioritising older people, disabled residents, low-income households, carers, and vulnerable children. But you did stress that need can be hidden in more affluent areas, and targeting should not lead to exclusion of other communities. You are willing to pay for non-essential services— if the charge is fair and local benefit is clear. Residents opposed charges for essential or statutory services (for example, education, care, or general refuse collection) but were in support of some services being means-tested and targeting resources to those in greatest need. Residents want greater clarity on what services are statutory (council is legally obliged to provide) or discretionary (council is not legally obliged to provide). You would like us to improve communication, transparency and listening. Some residents find the Council website difficult to use, think there is too much reliance on automated systems, and feel that there is limited evidence that feedback influences decisions. There is strong demand for multiple communication channels to be used to keep residents informed. You would also like clearer updates on decisions, spending, and outcomes. Focus groups in autumn 2025 To provide a further level of detail, six focus groups were held with a cross-section of Renfrewshire population chosen at random— from survey respondents who expressed an interest in taking part and sharing their views. 5 Page 59 of 130
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Go to www.renfrewshire.gov.uk/consultations/resident-research to read the full Resident Research reports and focus group results. Focus groups in spring 2026 Five focus groups were conducted with representatives from equalities groups— Renfrewshire Youth Voice, service users of the Disability Resource Centre, and the Lived Experience Panel. What you told us You have strong pride in place, but there are significant inequalities in lived experience. Participants across equalities groups feel a strong connection to Renfrewshire, valuing community, culture, and green spaces. However, experiences vary widely, with disabled people, young people and deprived communities facing greater barriers in daily life. Safety is a fundamental need. Feeling unsafe was a consistent issue across all groups, affecting mobility and independence, mental wellbeing, and willingness to leave home. There are some concerns about poor infrastructure in places (lighting or pavements), antisocial behaviour and a lack of safe public and social spaces. The loss of accessible community spaces can drive isolation. People do experience increased isolation, boredom, and mental health challenges. This can be alleviated with free or low-cost, accessible community hubs and spaces, open on evenings and weekends and suitable for all ages and abilities Supporting vulnerable people is the top priority. Vulnerability is seen as widespread and increasing, not limited to a single group. Key issues include long waiting times, complex systems with gaps between services, and rising poverty and mental health needs. There should be a strong emphasis on early intervention and stable, long-term support, especially for children and families. Residents feel unheard and want meaningful involvement. Participants felt consultation often happens too late and feedback does not lead to visible change. There is strong demand for co-design of services and evidence that engagement leads to real outcomes. What’s next? The feedback received from the research will help inform future decisions and planning. We will also show how consultation results influence decisions and provide “you said, we did” updates to residents. 6 Page 60 of 130
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PUBLIC ___________________________________________________________________ To: Leadership Board On: 16 September 2026 _________________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive and Director of Finance & Resources _________________________________________________________________________ Heading: Reshaping Renfrewshire –Transformation and Change Programme – Update Report _________________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 In February 2026, a report was presented to the Leadership Board providing an update on progress of Renfrewshire Council’s transformation programme, named Reshaping Renfrewshire. Given the scale of the programme, updates centre primarily on areas with relevant and substantive progress. 1.2 Similar to previous phases of transformation, Reshaping Renfrewshire continues to have a focus on the development and modernisation of the organisation, but is also strongly aligned to the Council’s strategic priorities. 1.3 Reshaping Renfrewshire continues to support the financial planning objective to deliver recurring financial savings and or generation of additional income to secure longer-term financial sustainability; harnessing the rapidly changing advancements in digital technology to transform how we deliver 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 our service provision to prevention to help reduce future need and cost. 1.4 As outlined in the 2026/27 Revenue Estimates report presented to the Council in February, the transformation programme along with more traditional service- based savings workstreams (many of which will be supported by transformational activity) continue to provide the key routes to support the Council’s drive toward longer-term financial sustainability. 1.5 This report provides updates for members as to the wide range of projects which are in progress and which will support delivery of key Council priorities. ___________________________________________________________________ Item 5 Page 61 of 130
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PUBLIC 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that the Board: • Note the update provided in the report on the progress of key areas within Reshaping Renfrewshire. • Note that regular reports will continue to be brought to the Board at appropriate key junctures as the overall programme is progressed. ___________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 Reshaping Renfrewshire is the fifth phase of the Council’s ongoing strategic commitment to transformation, which has been focused on ensuring a financially sustainable long-term future, whilst improving outcomes for communities. 3.2 As summarised above, Reshaping Renfrewshire is strongly aligned to the Council’s wider strategic plan and objectives with a strengthened outward focus supporting the development and delivery of key strategies that will: - • reshape how we use council assets, reimagining the role they serve within our communities. • drive long term economic growth and address the climate transition journey. • develop our strategic partnerships (including with our communities) to support delivery of shared goals; and • secure a digital agenda that drives the delivery of large-scale savings whilst also transforming how we work, how we use data to inform our decisions, and improve our service delivery to, and choice for our citizens. 3.3 As previously reported, in addition to providing regular updates to Leadership Board, and alongside existing governance arrangements across strategic programmes, a Transformation Board (officer group) has been established to provide strategic oversight of the Reshaping Renfrewshire programme. Chaired by the Director of Finance and Resources, this group has a membership of senior officers across the Council and reviews the progress of all major projects and programmes across the organisation, explores and manage interdependencies, shares learning and supports the management and prioritisation of resources across the programme. 3.4 The Transformation Board is utilising well-established six stage Gateway Review Process for monitoring and managing delivery of all key transformation projects. The Gateway review process summarised in the table below provides a structured approach to manage projects from inception through to completion and ultimately delivery of benefits – both financial and non-financial benefits. Page 62 of 130
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PUBLIC 3.5 In addition to projects presenting at Transformation Board at these key stage gates, some projects are utilising the opportunity to present Interim Updates (attending the Transformation Board part way through a stage), to get the benefit of regular review, collaboration, and support and advice from the board members. This is especially useful for major projects where the Delivery stage may take many months, as it allows regular visibility at board level of the projects as they deliver, and allows the projects to seek advice, support and guidance mid-stage when addressing particularly challenging elements of project delivery. In addition to major corporate level projects attending Transformation Board, we are seeing a growing interest in Service-Lead projects seeking the opportunity of review at Transformation Board, utilising the collaborative support that the board brings. Furthermore, projects are engaging earlier and more regularly with key specialists across the council, ahead of attending the Transformation Board, providing earlier and greater opportunities for identifying opportunities, resolving challenges and bringing the right skills at the right time to projects. 4. Digital Programme Update 4.1 Technology has evolved significantly in recent years and continues to advance at pace. To ensure we capitalise on emerging opportunities and remain aligned with best practice, we are delivering a broad programme of digitally enabled transformation initiatives in line with the Digital Strategy approved in April 2025. These initiatives are designed to support the continued delivery of efficient and effective services, drive value for money and financial efficiencies, enhance the customer experience, and future-proof our services. The following section provides an update on a number of key programmes, including the AI Programme, Smart Social Housing, and the Digital Experience Programme. Page 63 of 130
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PUBLIC 4.2 Artificial Intelligence (AI) Overview 4.2.1 As part of the Council’s Digital Strategy, approved in April 2025, there is an action to leverage advanced analytics, artificial intelligence and cutting-edge technologies to deliver value across all facets of Council operations and ensure sustainable growth for the future. 4.2.2 The Council carried out an AI Transformation Assessment in consultation with a wide range of employees from across all Council services to understand and identify how a range of AI solutions can improve services, enhance efficiency and reduce costs. In April 2026, the Leadership Board approved a 3-year AI Transformation Programme across all Council areas. 4.2.3 Therefore, the Council has a new requirement to appoint a supplier who will work with the Council to provide the following- • AI software licensing and maintenance; • Business change consultancy services to encourage AI adoption across the Council; and • Implementation consultancy to implement AI software across Council services. 4.2.4 At the time of writing this report, the Council is concluding the appointment of a supplier to support the Council’s AI Transformation Programme. 4.2.5 Regular updates on the AI Transformation Programme will be brought to this Board at key points throughout the programme. A six-monthly ‘AI Transparency Report’ will also be presented to this Board starting in September 2026 outlining the AI tools used by the Council, the purpose, and function of each system, any data-protection or equality assessments undertaken, changes since the previous report, and any identified risks, mitigations or recommendations for future deployment. 4.3 Digital Experience Programme 4.3.1 Updated and enhanced council and HSCP website and intranet content for the public and employees are pre-requisites for the AI Transformation Programme. To address this urgent requirement, arrangements between the content team and Digital First have been put in place to complete the migration and update of all remaining content to the new council website in the next 3 months. The intranet will also see significant improvements, with priority content being rewritten and moved to enhance internal communications and resources. Page 64 of 130
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PUBLIC 4.3.2 Lists of existing website and intranet pages have been distributed to directorates to identify key content owners. MS Copilot is being used to assist in redrafting existing web pages in line with required standards, with the content team undertaking final edits, content design and publication. Appropriate operational officers are validating content before and after the AI re-write. Where appropriate, old and out of date pages will not be migrated to the new platform. 4.4 Smart Social Housing Update 4.4.1 Renfrewshire Council own and maintain circa 12,000 social housing properties, managing planned and reactive maintenance budgets, as well as investment programmes that seek to improve our housing stock and meet Scottish Government standards, such as the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS), the upcoming Social Housing Net Zero Standard in Scotland (SHNZS) and compliance with all regulatory standards, including the introduction of Awaab’s Law from October 2026. 4.4.2 Since 2020, the Council have been monitoring the internal conditions of their housing stock through the installation of Indoor Environmental Sensors, specifically those which collect indoor temperatures, relative humidity and CO2. To date, around 1,200 homes have been installed with environmental sensors which are being actively monitored. 4.4.3 The Council own a private Long-Range Wide Area Network (LoRaWAN) which provides connectivity across Renfrewshire via a series of gateways installed in multi-story blocks and other Council owned buildings. This network is operated and maintained by the current contractor who provides an end-to-end service to the Council. The majority of the properties where Environmental Sensors have been installed are connected via this LoRaWAN network. The remainder of the Environmental Sensors are connected via Low Power Narrow Band IoT (NB-IoT) solution. 4.4.4 As previously reported to the Leadership Board, the Smart Social Housing (SSH) project set out an ambition to develop a business case opportunity to secure the deployment of market leading fibre broadband connectivity and smart sensor assets into the Council’s social housing units at no cost to the tenant. The underlying financial premise on which the business case has been developed is delivering investment that secures broadband connectivity and environment sensors at-scale into 10,000 social homes. However, after detailed scrutiny, the business case has failed to demonstrate value for money, with significant up front and ongoing costs outweighing the potential benefits. 4.4.5 Whilst the ambition of fibre broadband connectivity set out in the report to the Leadership Board will no longer be pursued, the installation of environmental sensors in our housing stock remains a key investment priority for Housing Services, with financial resources already built into the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Business Plan for sensor deployment. Page 65 of 130
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PUBLIC 4.4.6 Housing Services will undertake a programme of sensor deployment across all housing stock, to monitor the internal environmental conditions within each property and gather the associated data from the environmental sensors. The data collected will primarily be used to ensure the internal environmental conditions within the housing stock do not promote and accelerate damp and mould growth and other related conditions, as well as informing future maintenance and investment programmes. 4.4.7 The data insights will be embedded into business processes, supporting proactive maintenance, tenancy sustainment, energy efficiency and improved customer outcomes. 4.4.8 The Head of Housing Services will provide regular updates to the Communities and Housing Policy Board as this initiative is developed, with updates also provided to the Leadership Board as part of the Council’s transformation programme. 4.5 Housing Innovations Project 4.5.1 The Housing Innovations Project (HIP) is a two-phase implementation with Phase 1 being transition from OHMS, a twenty-year-old housing management on-premise system, to NEC Housing as a cloud-based service. Phase 1 focuses on housing management and creating a streamlined, integrated and scalable management system harnessing modern technology to provide a better user experience and ultimately benefiting our tenants by providing a more streamlined, aligned service. 4.5.2 Since contract signing with NEC and kick off in January 2025, the project team has conducted over 70 solution design and configuration sessions across rents, allocations, estates, anti-social behaviour, customer services, servicing and interfaces and integrations with finance, GIS and document management. The team have also embedded a benefits realisation approach, completed test cycle 1 and developed a training programme for end users. Phase 1 of the project continues to progress and has just entered its second test cycle. A nine week training programme begins in August. The anticipated go live for Phase 1 remains Q3 2026. 4.5.3 January 2026 saw the commencement of Phase 2 activities, including solution design and configuration sessions for the areas not in scopes for phase 1 which include repairs, assets and cycling maintenance, servicing, homelessness, CRM and housing online services and dashboards. Phase 2 is gathering momentum with design workshops underway across both repairs and asset workstreams. Page 66 of 130
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PUBLIC 4.6 P2P 4.6.1 The Procure to Pay (P2P) service, comprising the new operating model and Business World Procurement Module, has now been successfully embedded for eight months. The phased withdrawal of PECOS continues, with the system being decommissioned for standard users in June 2026. 4.6.2 Key achievements: • The No Purchase Order, No Pay policy is successfully implemented ensuring that all expenditure is reviewed and approved by budget holders prior to commitment. • A significant reduction in manual intervention within invoice processing has been achieved, with automation continuing to drive efficiencies. • Enhanced controls and improved data quality are supporting efficiencies and decision-making within services • Compliance with mandatory training has been strong, supported by ongoing engagement with the CPU drop-in sessions and support arrangements. 4.6.3 While the detailed scope of Phase 2 of the programme is still being developed, it will focus on maximising the use and accessibility of management information and reporting, reviewing and enhancing Purchasing Card processes, and supporting the alignment of other purchasing systems to the new P2P operating model. 5. Connected Communities 5.1 Officers are continuing to progress the Connected Communities Programme – a 3–5-year programme of change which will seek to strengthen relationships between the Council and communities, ensuring that we work as closely together as possible to make the most of the resources we have in Renfrewshire. 5.2 There are several key areas of focus that have been identified for initial progression, as these are seen as being key enablers to unlock potentially much more significant improvements in outcomes. 5 initial workstreams have been established and these are exploring how we can build on what we are already doing to enhance community capacity and investment, how we use voice and influence, how we work with communities in relation to their “place”, and how we work with citizens individually or as families when they contact the Council, particularly for advice and support. 5.3 Progress since the last update is provided as follows: Page 67 of 130
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PUBLIC Community investment 5.3.1 This workstream is looking at how the Council supports the development of community capacity across Renfrewshire. It will look at the funding we provide to local groups and organisations and what support is needed going forward for local groups and organisations that are contributing to a range of local outcomes across the area – including many early intervention type supports which may prevent citizens and families from requiring formal support from statutory services. 5.3.2 A key initial activity has been to review the processes by which grants are managed within the Council, with a specific focus on grants management and co-ordination lead by the Policy and Partnerships team, with hundreds of grants being co-ordinated every year to local groups and organisations. We are working to develop new processes, including a grants management system to support co-ordination and monitoring. Work is also underway to review the conditions of grants which require to be met in relation to all grant funding awards, in order to ensure these reflect the current grants landscape. Guidance and policy developments in this area will also be progressed by the Policy and Partnerships, with a temporary postholder being recruited to support the implementation. Place based approaches 5.3.3 This workstream is exploring how we work with communities in relation to their place. This might relate to how we engage with communities about developments in their communities, or how we think across services about the activities we are all undertaking across Renfrewshire or within specific communities. We are currently exploring potential opportunities to test new approaches linked to some of the wider review programmes being progressed by the Council, such as the review of services commissioned by OneRen, and considering whether there are opportunities to work even more closely together in local spaces. For example, Community Learning and Development with library provision. Voice and Influence 5.3.4 Services across the Council have been working to strengthen the way in which engagement and consultation is undertaken. The Consultation and Engagement Policy approved in 2024 provides a strong foundation for this, with a range of different examples recognised nationally through awards or at a local level by our external auditors. It is important to note that strengthening voice and influence is an important enabler of Connected Communities. 5.3.5 A key recent development is the Your Voice Matters programme – a new programme of engagement we have launched with partners to shape Renfrewshire’s future priorities for the next 5 to 10 years, with the feedback we get being used to inform the development of a new Council Plan, a Community Plan and Strategic Plan for Renfrewshire Integration Joint Board. Page 68 of 130
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PUBLIC Over the summer, we have been having conversations with residents from across Renfrewshire as part of our Your Voice Matters engagement programme and will continue this engagement to the end of this year. Every Conversation Matters 5.3.6 As mentioned above the foundation of the Connected Communities programme is stronger relationships between the Council, communities and citizens. A key enabler of this approach is our Every Conversation Matters programme which is focused on making sure that every human to human interaction with the Council provides as an opportunity to deliver meaningful, joined-up support - going beyond individual tasks to best meet the needs of our residents. 5.3.7 Work is progressing on a campaign across our workforce which will reinforce the Council’s commitment to our values and a ‘One Council’ approach - this means working together across the organisation, so our residents have a seamless experience regardless of how they contact the Council. To deliver this, we will roll-out training and development opportunities which will support our people to continue to deliver people-centred services and work closely across services. This will include aspects such as developing knowledge and practice in relation to trauma and reducing stigma in our response to any interaction we have. A timeline for this programme is being developed and elected members will receive future updates as this is implemented. Early engagement with trade unions has also been undertaken, with much more extensive engagement across the workforce planned. Early Help and Support 5.3.8 With a focus on early intervention and prevention we will work with partners to ensure local people can access advice and support that meets their needs. Initial work within the workstream has focused on understanding how citizens contact the Council and what support is available, and to map out the customer journeys that they may have to access this support. 5.3.9 This is a very exciting and important workstream within the programme, with opportunities to build on this work to consider how more person centred and holistic forms of support might be offered in the future. 6. Consultation and Engagement 6.1 The introduction of a Resident Survey in 2025 supported a pilot approach as part of the Council’s commitment to self-assessment and improving our dialogue with our residents and communities and was carried out to inform the council’s approach to financial sustainability and budget decisions. The purpose of the resident research exercise was to: • measure perceptions of and satisfaction with Council services • inform planning and decision-making in relation to budget decisions • benchmark against results from the Scottish Household Survey (2023) • access new information, ideas and suggestions Page 69 of 130
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PUBLIC • support the introduction of the new Consultation and Engagement Policy • build on the knowledge and insight gathered from existing consultation and engagement exercises 6.2 The survey findings and evaluation were presented to Leadership Board in December 2025 and are also available on the Council website. It is the intended the results of the survey will be used by the Council and community planning partners alongside other community and citizen engagement feedback and insight to inform future strategies and plans, including the development of budget proposals. 6.3 As a further piece of work, focus group research was conducted with equalities groups to augment the findings of the 2025 survey exercise and focus group research with sample populations of the Renfrewshire public. Specifically, focus groups were professionally facilitated with the council’s Lived Experience Panel, young people from Renfrewshire Youth Voice and clients of the Disability Resource Centre. 6.4 The equalities focus groups highlighted that while Renfrewshire is valued as a place, inequality, safety concerns, and a perceived lack of accessible spaces can significantly impact quality of life. Participants were clear that improving outcomes requires: • Safe and inclusive environments • Enhanced access to support • Genuine involvement in decision-making • A stronger focus on equity, co-design, and preventative support 6.5 The findings from the equalities focus groups are now integrated with the previously reported findings from the 2025 exercise to help inform the Corporate Improvement Plan and future strategies and plans. 6.6 Moving into a further phase of engagement, the Council recently launched Your Voice Matters engagement programme in partnership with Renfrewshire HSCP, which seeks to have valued conversations with our citizens about the things that matter to them most and their vision for a future Renfrewshire. While this has only recently launched at the end of June 2026, to date over 100 face to face conversations have already taken place with our citizens over the summer at local gala days and events, and these have been constructive, rich and insightful. There will be further themed conversations with a wide range of stakeholders and partners, including the Council’s workforce up to the end of this year. This engagement and the earlier Resident Research will shape our Council and Community Plans and will also be used by the Integrated Joint Board to inform their Strategic Plan. 6.7 These programmes sit alongside our established consultation and engagement through programmes such as You Decide, Tenants Decide and Celebrating Renfrewshire, and service-specific consultation, for example our Learning Estate programme. Page 70 of 130
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PUBLIC The Council’s consultation and engagement activity is coordinated via the Consultation and Engagement Advisory Group who have been developing a consultation calendar and a best practice toolkit to support officers undertaking consultation. 7. Place Based Programmes 7.1 Learning Estate Strategy 7.1.1 The Learning Estate Strategy report, submitted to the Education and Children’s Services Policy Board in August, detailed the progress of the ongoing Learning Estate Programme and highlighted key developments. 7.1.2 Delivery of the new Paisley Grammar School Community Campus has been successfully completed on time and on budget through to formal closure of the project. 7.1.3 Park Mains High School is undergoing a major programme of construction works, including the development of two new teaching blocks within the school grounds to enhance learning and teaching facilities. In addition, a new car park has been created, along with significant alterations and an expansion of the bus drop-off and pick-up area, improving capacity, traffic flow, and access to the school site. 7.1.4 The construction works at Thistle Primary School are progressing well, with the building moving towards becoming fully wind and watertight. Installation of windows is ongoing, while brickwork and external cladding continue to advance across the site. In addition, work is now commencing on the construction of the full-size artificial sports pitch, marking another significant milestone in the development of the new school facilities. 7.1.5 A significant and comprehensive engagement process has been underway since May for the Johnstone learning estate, which has seen officers facilitate events for all school staff, parents/carers, pupils, and the local community. This has been supplemented with a survey offering the ability for anyone to provide their views. Officers have also been engaging internally with all Council services to understand operational views on any of the shortlisted options for Johnstone projects, which will be vital to understand any implications of shortlisted sites at this early stage. 7.1.6 The public engagement process for Trinity High School replacement will commence following agreement by the Education and Children’s Services Policy Board on site options. 7.1.7 Following the most recent detailed update in March 2026 on the progress of the Learning Estate Strategy, approval was subsequently granted by the Education & Children’s Services Policy Board to progress the Trinity High School, Johnstone High School and Johnstone Primary Schools projects to Full Business Case stage. Page 71 of 130
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PUBLIC Since then, work has continued to further develop and refine the emerging options for each project, supported by the procurement of key technical consultants to provide specialist input and appraisal. This work will inform the detailed assessment of options and ensure that robust evidence underpins the development of the Full Business Cases. The aim remains to identify and present a single preferred option for each project for approval in 2027. 7.1.8 To support the Scottish Government’s priorities for expanding funded Gaelic Medium Early Learning and Childcare (ELC), a recommended option for providing an Early Years Gaelic provision was presented to the August meeting of the Education & Children’s Services Policy Board. 7.2 Housing-led Regeneration and Renewal Programme 7.2.1 The Housing-led Regeneration and Renewal programme has advanced into its fifth year of a ten-year plan where significant progress has been realised in several key areas that supports the enhancement of council stock, acquisition of key premises and demolition of empty properties to support wider transformation opportunities throughout Renfrewshire. 7.2.2 The scope, complexity and timescales for delivery of regeneration activity differ in each of the regeneration areas across the programme. Works continue in line with the phasing strategy developed to take account of delivery timescales, rehousing requirements, contractor availability, maximising grant support for owner participation and consideration of wider development constraints. 7.2.3 External improvement works is underway within several regeneration areas including the replacement of windows and doors, External Wall Insulation (EWI), rendering upgrades, roofing replacement and improvements and solar PV. The window and door replacement programme across regen areas continues to maintain consistent momentum with nearly 400 properties having received triple glazed windows. 7.2.3 Officers are working across Council services and with tenants, residents and local community groups to ensure the voice of each community is represented for each regeneration and renewal area. The approach continues to be tailored to the needs and circumstances of each area, going beyond housing and the immediate external environment, and taking account of broader issues such as links to health and wellbeing, access to outdoor space and sustainable travel and employment or training opportunities that maximise the benefits achievable for local residents. 7.3 Council New Build Housing Programme 7.3.1 The Council’s new build housing programme is progressing well, with developments on site at Gallowhill, Paisley and Howwood Road, Johnstone. The Howwood Road Area development is making steady progress with timber kits and roofing works almost complete. Page 72 of 130
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PUBLIC Construction of the newbuild homes at the Gallowhill development remain on programme with the majority of timber kits and facing brick finish now completed, giving an indication of how the site will look on completion. The first set of newbuild homes are programmed for handover towards the end of this year / early 2027. 7.4 Housing Asset and Investment Programme 7.4.1 Over the next five years the Council will invest £147M on improvements to council housing stock, including kitchen and bathroom refurbishments, rewiring, heating systems, windows, roofs, external insulation, and solar panels. 7.4.2 Investment in external work to buildings across Renfrewshire continues to focus on enhancing building performance through measures such as external wall insulation (EWI), roofing and rendering improvements, window and door replacements, and the installation of air source heating and solar PV. These works have supported compliance with the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing (EESSH) and the Scottish Housing Quality Standard (SHQS). 7.4.3 Investment in internal work to Renfrewshire’s housing stock includes the replacement of kitchens, bathrooms, heating systems and electrical rewiring where required. Kitchen, bathroom, heating replacements and rewires have been carried out by both Building Services and the Council’s appointed contractors. Key internal investment works undertaken during 2025/26 has included the completion of 293 properties across kitchen, bathroom and rewiring workstreams. New heating systems/boiler installs have been realised in 795 properties exceeded the target of 750 within the 2025/26 period. 7.4.4 Drilling of the borehole network and significant groundworks milestones were successfully achieved at the Gallowhill Ground Source site in May 2026. The next phase of works includes the riser installation which will carry the ground sourced heat into all 180 homes. Following this, each flat will have new heat pumps and radiators installed and the existing gas heating system removed, with the new system expected to be fully operational by early 2027. 8. Climate and Net Zero 8.1 Delivery of the Council’s approved 3-year programme of climate activity continues to progress, with a focus on transforming our approach to the provision of clean, renewable energy and sustainable travel in Renfrewshire. The Climate Action Plan set out key areas to be taken forward, centred around the 5 main themes within the Plan for Net Zero; Clean Energy, Sustainable Transport, Resilient Place, Circular Economy and Connected Communities. Since the previous update report to the board significant progress has been made across several projects. Page 73 of 130
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PUBLIC 8.2 Local Heat & Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES) Renfrewshire Council has worked alongside technical consultants to develop Outline Business Cases (OBCs) for potential heat networks in central Paisley and an extension of the existing AMIDS network to Glasgow Airport. Both proposals directly support Renfrewshire’s Plan for Net Zero, Local Heat & Energy Efficiency Strategy and wider Scottish Government climate commitments, responding to the need for significant reductions in greenhouse gas emissions from domestic and non-domestic buildings. Following completion of the OBC, the next stage would typically involve progression to detailed project development, including customer engagement, technical design refinement, commercial and funding development, and preparation of a Full Business Case. 8.3 Building Management Efficiency Improving efficiency across our buildings and utilities is key to reducing emissions and energy related costs. The Council continue to identify the most impactful measures in which to do so and has successfully upgraded Building Management Systems (BMS) across 26 buildings, with a further 17 planned this year. BMS allows temperature, air conditioning and ventilation to be monitored and controlled remotely. Additionally, the Council has been selected to take part in the Scottish Government-funded Energy Invest to Save programme. The 12-month programme commenced in July 2026 and aims to improve energy efficiency across local authority estates by installing low-cost Internet of Things (IOT) technology. This will produce actionable data to help optimise energy use across the selected properties, supporting national carbon reduction ambitions and contributing to best practice in public sector sustainability. The properties selected were Renfrewshire House, Underwood Road Depot, Lagoon Leisure Centre, Johnstone Community Sports Hub and Erskine Swimming Pool. 8.4 Sustainable Infrastructure Sustainability continues to be a key consideration within major infrastructure programmes of work. This includes Housing Regeneration, the development of our Learning Estate and the decarbonisation of our public buildings. The new Paisley Grammar School Community Campus has been built in line with Passivhaus standard accreditation and has been designed to minimise energy use throughout with low carbon heating systems and to meet net zero standards. The decarbonisation of Council buildings is essential to achieving both local and national net zero objectives by 2045. Page 74 of 130
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PUBLIC However, this remains one of the most significant challenges facing the Council due to the scale of the estate, the age and complexity of many assets, reliance on fossil fuel heating systems and the substantial investment required to retrofit buildings with low-carbon technologies. Addressing these challenges will be critical in reducing operational emissions, improving energy efficiency and demonstrating leadership in the transition to a low-carbon future. As part of the Hub West Scotland Collaborative Group, the building decarbonisation route- map has been developed, which will outline the breadth and scale of work required and provide an indicative plan of how this could be achieved. 8.5 Renewable Energy The Council continues to explore renewable energy opportunities both in terms of its own building infrastructure and larger scale energy generation opportunities across Renfrewshire. Over the next 12 months extended Solar PV Array will be installed across 13 Council buildings, supporting significant reductions in energy related emissions. More broadly, it is recognised that locally generated energy opportunities can offer significant benefits to the area thus the Council are continuing to carry out investigatory work into various solutions including large-scale wind and solar. The development and delivery of such ventures come with significant potential challenges including land suitability, capital investment requirements and national grid capacity. 8.6 Carbon Budgets A carbon budget approach is being developed to understand how our emissions relate to the services we provide, and reductions needed to deliver the same high-quality local services in a way that is fit for a resilient, net zero future. It enables monitoring of progress and ensures cross-service accountability, with departments identifying actions and projects that contribute to targets. A model has been developed and is being trialled for three council buildings: Renfrewshire House, Gryffe High School, and Lagoon Leisure Centre. The carbon budget for each building is based on electricity, gas and water consumption with the aim to reduce consumption by 5% each year. The pilot of these buildings will begin in Autumn 2026 with the Sustainability Team providing support to help understand what measures could be taken to help meet the carbon budget target. If successful, the approach will be rolled out more widely across Council buildings. 8.7 Sustainable Travel Project 8.7.1 Since the launch of the Sustainable Travel Project, several initiatives have been completed to encourage a more sustainable travel culture within the Council and help to reduce carbon emissions: Page 75 of 130
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PUBLIC • An updated staff travel hierarchy for staff to follow when travelling on Council business, to ensure the most Sustainable and practical travel choice. • A relaunch of the Electric Vehicle pool car scheme. • A review of the existing EV pool fleet and procurement of new vehicles through capital funding to replace petrol/diesel vehicles that had reached the end of their lease. • A relaunch of the Council’s pool bikes based at Renfrewshire House • The introduction of ‘Calcommuter’ which gives staff potential lower carbon and lower cost options for travelling to and from work. • The identification of new locations across Renfrewshire for the expansion of EV charging infrastructure to support fleet with the transition from petrol and diesel vehicles to electric vehicles. 8.7.2 Work is ongoing in several areas on this project including: • Clear emission reduction targets set within our CMP including reduced business mileage and increased use of Hydro-vegetable oil (HVO) in our large fleet. • An Outline Business Case for the introduction of an Electric Vehicle Salary Sacrifice scheme for staff, to encourage the transition to low carbon fuel while also making a financial saving for the Council, has been developed. 8.8 Glasgow City Region Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Work is continuing to develop a public EV charging networking on local authority owned assets within each local authority area in the Glasgow City Region. For Renfrewshire this includes 75 existing chargers, and the installation of over 200 new chargers across the area in the coming years. The project is currently at procurement invitation to tender stage, with a new operator expected to be appointed in early 2027. 8.9 Active Travel Infrastructure Projects 8.9.1 The council has undertaken a significant programme of active travel investment in recent years, with the aim of making walking, wheeling and cycling safer, more accessible and more attractive for everyday journeys. The Council's Travel Renfrewshire 2035 Local Transport Strategy places active travel at the heart of its transport vision and commits to expanding a safe, accessible active travel network across the area. The Council has progressed a number of major infrastructure projects designed to connect communities, employment areas and transport hubs. Page 76 of 130
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PUBLIC 8.9.2 We’ve added new and improved walking and cycling routes right across Renfrewshire, including the first ever dedicated route between Paisley and Renfrew. We’re working with local communities in Elderslie to improve walking and cycling options and developing an active travel route between Paisley and neighbouring East Renfrewshire. 8.9.3 The council has successfully attracted substantial external funding from the Scottish Government for active travel projects. Over the last financial year, the Council secured £1.6 million from the Active Travel Infrastructure Fund to extend walking and cycling routes between Inchinnan and Erskine. The council also secured funding for the Gallowhill Link through the same programme, both projects have been completed recently for local communities to use and enjoy. 8.9.4 The Council's active travel programme is focused not only on increasing route availability but also on improving safety and accessibility. Current and planned works include: • New shared-use paths and widened pavements. • Improved pedestrian crossing facilities. • Better access to schools, town centres, railway stations and employment sites. • Enhanced connections to existing path networks and National Cycle Routes. We will continue work with a clear commitment to active travel through strategic planning, successful funding bids and delivery of new infrastructure. The programme aims to provide healthier, safer and more sustainable travel options, improve connectivity between communities and employment centres, and contribute to wider environmental and public health objectives 8.9.5 Work will continue through 2026 and beyond to fully deliver the outlined projects, and to explore other opportunities to ensure our public buildings and transport are as sustainable as they can be. 9. Waste Services Programme 9.1 Packaging & Recycling Handling Facility - Linwood The service is progressing a detailed Business Case for the construction of a packaging and recycling handling facility at Middleton Road, Linwood. This facility would be able to handle materials from the blue, brown and green bins, street sweepings and gulley cleanings, bulky items from special uplifts, waste upholstered domestic seating and white goods etc. In addition, the construction would include a new secure bin store with a wash and repair facility. Page 77 of 130
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PUBLIC 10. Alignment to Medium Term Financial Plan 10.1 As outlined in the 2026/27 Revenue Estimates report presented to the Council in February, the transformation programme along with more traditional service- based savings workstreams (many of which will be supported by transformational activity) continue to provide the key routes to support the Council’s drive toward longer term financial sustainability. It was also reported at that time that the Council’s ability to generate further recurring transformation and efficiency savings at this scale without impacting on service delivery or quality will be increasingly challenging, given the £190m savings already achieved since 2010. A full Medium-term Financial Outlook will be reported to the Council in September giving further detail. 11. National developments 11.1 On 1 September, the First Minister presented the Scottish Government’s Programme for Government 2026-2031. The Programme for Government notes the significant challenges facing Scotland public services including increased costs, complexity and demand for services across the population. It sets out a range of proposals to “rewire” public services in Scotland by reducing the number of public bodies that are operating across the country and specifically reducing the number of health boards to 2. Linked to these proposals, the First Minister also set out proposals to reform local government arrangements more broadly, and to consider the implications for the provision of social care. At present, detailed information has not yet been provided on the specific nature of the reform proposals. A rapid period of engagement is proposed by the Scottish Government over the next 3 months with relevant stakeholders, and there will be a requirement to report back on the implications of any proposed reforms to elected members as this information becomes available, and on a regular basis as the reform agenda progresses. We are also committed to keeping our employees informed as details emerge. Officers also continue to engage with the national transformation programme for local government which is being co-ordinated by the Improvement Service. There will clearly be a requirement to consider the implications of any proposed local government reforms on the ongoing implementation of this programme. 12. Next steps 12.1 Alongside the regular updates for each individual workstream to the relevant Policy Boards, overview progress updates on the Reshaping Renfrewshire programme will continue to be reported to Leadership Board alongside the financial reporting to Council and the Finance, Resources and Customer Services Policy Board. Page 78 of 130
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PUBLIC ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – the transformation programme will continue to play a key role in improving service delivery and supporting the Council’s medium term financial sustainability. 2. HR & Organisational Development – none. 3. Community/Council Planning – the transformation programme focuses resources on the delivery of priority outcomes as outlined in the Council Plan. 4. Legal - none 5. Property/Assets – section 7, 8 and 9 of the report provides an update on investment in council properties and infrastructure. 6. Information Technology – section 4 notes a number of progress updates related to the Digital and ICT agenda. 7. Equality and Human Rights – there are no negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights arising from the recommendations contained in the report. 8. Health and Safety - none 9. Procurement – section 4 includes an update on the P2P project as part of the overall transformation programme. Several of the individual workstreams and projects will have associated procurement elements to their delivery and which will be managed through the Council’s well established procurement arrangements to secure best value. 10. Risk – the transformation programme is a key element of mitigating the medium-term financial challenge for the Council. 11. Privacy Impact – none 12. COSLA Policy Position – none 13. Climate Risk – section 8 of the report provides an update in relation to Net Zero. 14. Children’s Rights – section 7 provides an update on the Learning Estate Strategy which will directly impact children and young people. When considering any future school provision, the impact this will have on children is a key consideration, and any work will be based around the direct needs of children to allow their education experience to thrive. Author: Karen Mann – Strategic Change Manager Alastair MacArthur - Director of Finance & Resources Page 79 of 130
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PUBLIC ___________________________________________________________________ To: Leadership Board On: 16 September 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Director of Finance and Resources ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Responsible and Ethical Expansion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Renfrewshire Council ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1. A council motion entitled “Responsible and Ethical Expansion of Artificial Intelligence (AI) in Renfrewshire Council” was approved by elected members in December 2025. 1.2. Members agreed that a bi-annual report on AI would be provided to the Leadership Board. This is the first report and will provide the background and set the scene for future updates. 1.3. The ICT service supported by other key stakeholders will create and maintain an on-going log outlining all AI tools utilised by the Council, their purpose and function, safeguards and any identified risks. 1.4. This log will inform the bi-annual report to elected members to ensure safe, transparent and responsible use of AI. 1.5. The Council is the first authority in Scotland to implement an AI-powered customer support solution and based on this experience the Council has agreed to further use of AI tools in public service delivery. 1.6. A corporate wide AI Transformation Assessment has been undertaken with the help of an external partner. Output from the activity is the catalyst for the establishment of the Council approved AI Transformation Programme 2026 – 2030. Item 6 Page 81 of 130
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PUBLIC 1.7. A key part of this programme is the establishment of an AI Governance Board to monitor and control the use of AI across the Council. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 Members are asked to note the contents of this Report. The next update will be in February 2027 which will be prior to the start of the first phase of the AI Transformation Programme 2026 – 2030. This update will include the initial log outlining AI tools utilised by the Council, their purpose and function, safeguards and any identified risks. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 The following Council Motion was approved in December 2025. “Council acknowledges the successful introduction of the award-winning Millie, Renfrewshire Council’s AI-powered customer support system and that it has improved access to services, reduced waiting times, and supported staff by handling routine enquiries. It demonstrates our commitment to digital innovation and notes that Renfrewshire is ahead of many Scottish local authorities in adopting practical, resident-focused AI tools. Council recognises that as AI becomes a larger part of public service delivery, ethical governance and transparent safeguards are essential to protect residents’ rights, prevent bias, and ensure AI continues to support key services and our valued workforce. As AI technologies learn over time, ongoing oversight and regular updates to elected members are necessary to ensure safe, transparent and responsible use as these systems evolve. Council agrees that a 6-monthly ‘AI Transparency Report’ be made to the relevant board, outlining all AI tools utilised by the council the purpose and function of each system, any data-protection or equality assessments undertaken, changes since the previous report, and any identified risks, mitigations or recommendations for future deployment. Renfrewshire can be a national leader in ethical, transparent, resident-focused AI, and that Millie as an example represents a foundation on which to build the confidence and transparency in our use of AI technology and one that the public can have trust in. Council believes that people should have a choice to use AI or speak to a person when calling Renfrewshire council. Council asks the IT department to investigate changing the initial start of a call with this option as soon as possible. This will give people a choice to use AI or speak to a real person at the beginning of a call.” Page 82 of 130
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PUBLIC 3.2 Following the successful launch of Millie for our citizens and the internal roll- out of Microsoft Co-pilot Chat as a tool for employees, last year Council officers completed an AI transformation assessment in consultation with more than 100 senior leaders, managers and employees from services from across the Council. This assessment was carried out with support from an external partner, ICS.AI. 3.3 An AI transformation assessment is designed to support a Council to evaluate current AI readiness, identify opportunities for AI-driven improvements, and develop a structured roadmap for adopting AI technologies where appropriate. This assessment included significant employee engagement, workshops and analysis to identify and understand if and how potential AI solutions could improve service delivery for citizens, reduce operating costs and enhance our efficiency, as well as support our workforce by freeing them up from repetitive tasks for more high value work. 3.4 We are also learning from the experiences of other UK local authorities in implementing a range of AI solutions. Derby City Council have welcomed establishing a working relationship with Renfrewshire Council and have been open and highly collaborative in sharing their journey to develop their AI capability. This working partnership will provide future opportunities to share best practice. 3.5 A business case has now been developed and tested by senior officers from across all services. It provides a clear understanding of the scale of opportunity and the key priorities for building on successful implementation of other technological developments to further improve local service delivery. It is also expected to make a significant contribution to the Council achieving longer term financial sustainability. 3.6 The AI Transformation Programme 2026 – 2030 was approved by the Leadership Board in April 2026 and will be delivered in three phases beginning with solutions already in place and which will have the maximum impact, benefitting all teams and employees across the Council. 3.7 A key part of the business case is the requirement for strong governance arrangements. The Council recognises that as AI becomes a larger part of public service delivery, ethical governance and transparent safeguards are essential to protect residents’ rights, prevent bias, and ensure AI continues to support key services and our valued workforce. The business case also establishes the requirement for human oversight even in the deployment of technologies to support administrative tasks. 3.8 A clear and transparent governance framework will support informed decision making, maintain employee and public trust and ensure that AI adoption complies with the Council’s policies, legal obligations and information governance standards. Page 83 of 130
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PUBLIC 3.9 As AI technologies continue to develop over time, ongoing oversight and regular updates to elected members will be necessary to provide transparency in safe, and responsible deployment and use as these systems evolve. 3.10 The following chart sets out the proposed governance arrangements: AI Strategic Programme Officer Board – strategic direction, financial oversight and risk management. AI Programme Delivery Team – day‑to‑day operational control, compliance and usage monitoring Ethics and Assurance Board – GDPR compliance, DPIAs, fairness, transparency, accountability and human oversight. 3.11 The terms of reference for the above groups will be developed in the coming months, with those developed for the ethics and assurance board being provided to the Board for information in the next update. 3.12 Clear communication and engagement with services and colleagues is essential for successful adoption. Activity will focus on preparing employees and building confidence to support the required change. This will include a combination of engagement, briefings, training and change support across all audience groups. Page 84 of 130
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PUBLIC ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial - The AI Transformation Programme 2026 – 2030 will support the Council’s ongoing financial sustainability which is dependent on the ability of the Council to transform and modernise services. 2. HR & Organisational Development - Requirement for awareness and training of staff as new AI solutions are implemented. This will help build confidence and support change across Renfrewshire Council. 3. Community/Council Planning – The AI Transformation Programme 2026 - 2030 focuses the delivery of priority outcomes as outlined in the Council Plan. 4. Legal - Requirement for support for the Ethics and Assurance Board. 5. Property/Assets – None. 6. Information Technology - Requirement for support for the implementation of the AI Transformation Programme 2026 - 2030. 7. Equality & Human Rights - An EQIA will be undertaken in developing this next stage of the AI Transformation Programme 2026 – 2030. 8. Health & Safety - None. 9. Procurement – The AI Transformation Programme 2026 – 2030 is subject to an appropriate procurement exercise. This is being managed through the Council’s well established procurement arrangements to secure best value. 10. Risk - The AI Transformation Programme 2026 – 2030 is a key element of mitigating the medium-term financial challenge for the Council. 11. Privacy Impact – None. 12. Climate Risk – None. 13. Children’s Rights – None. 14. Cosla Policy Position – None. _______________________________________________________ List of Background Papers None. ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Patrick Murray, Head of Digital, Transformation and Customer Services Page 85 of 130
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PUBLIC To: Leadership Board On: 16 September 2026 Report by: The Chief Executive and Director of Finance and Resources Heading: AMIDS Enabling Works – Cost Underwrite 1. Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to seek approval from the Board for the Council to underwrite enabling costs associated with the expansion of the AMIDS District Heating Network (DHN), together with the associated costs required to develop the full business case for Tech Terrace Phase 2. 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that the Board authorise the Director of Finance & Resources to enter into underwrite agreements with AMIDS (Renfrewshire) LLP in relation to (i) enabling works costs associated with the expansion of the AMIDS DHN and (ii) development of the Full Business Case (FBC) for Tech Terrace Phase 2. 3. Background 3.1 The Council appointed a Development Partner (Tarras Park Properties Ltd) to jointly form the AMIDS (Renfrewshire) LLP in May 2023. The Development Partner is required to deliver the first phase of commercial space development on a speculative basis, targeted at start-up companies and SMEs, which will be known as Tech Terrace. Item 7 Page 87 of 130
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PUBLIC 3.2 Tech Terrace will create approximately 5,388 sqm of modern, flexible, speculative new build space, specifically designed for small and medium- sized enterprises (SMEs) in the advanced manufacturing sector. The space will be designed to accommodate: • Companies seeking proximity to neighbouring innovation centres: National Manufacturing Institute Scotland (NMIS) or the Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre (MMIC) • Companies expanding research projects initiated at NMIS/MMIC • University spin-outs • SMEs, micro-SMEs, and scale-ups in the advanced manufacturing sector 3.3 The delivery of Tech Terrace will be undertaken in two phases. Phase 1 will be part funded by the Development Partner, with support from a grant provided by Scottish Enterprise (SE). Phase 2 will also be part funded by the Development Partner together with grant support from the City Deal Enabling Commercial Space Programme. It is intended that this funding will also be used to extend the existing DHN to serve both phases, and support any other infrastructure works which would secure further development of the site. The Enabling Commercial Space (ECS) grant allocated to the Council totals £8.5m. While this funding has been agreed in principle by Cabinet, the release of funds is contingent on agreement of Full Business Cases. Up to £0.5m of the grant allocation may be drawn down to support development of FBCs. An indicative allocation of the total grant is outlined in the table below, subject to Board and GCR approval: 3.4 The design and operating proposals for Tech Terrace Phase 1 and 2 are based on the assumption that occupiers will connect to the AMIDS DHN. Phase 1 is approaching a critical decision point as the development moves from design into procurement and delivery. Planning permission for Phase 1 of the scheme has recently been secured. The Phase 1 programme estimates construction will start in October 2026 with practical completion July 2027. Indicative Allocations ECS grant - advance drawdown ECS grant - project spend Total £m £m £m DHN Extension FBC 0.1 0.2 0.3 DHN enabling works 1.5 1.5 DHN construction 1.5 1.5 Tech Terr Ph 2 FBC 0.4 0.4 Tech Terr Ph 2 construction 4.5 4.5 Other AMIDS Infrastructure 0.3 0.3 0.5 8 8.5 Page 88 of 130
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PUBLIC 4. Underwrite agreements Full Business Case Development 4.1 There are two FBCs which require to be developed: • The extension to the existing DHN to service both Phases of Tech Terrace (commissioned by the Council and planned for completion in Spring 2027) • The development of Tech Terrace Phase 2 design to RIBA stage 3 (including site investigation, design and engineering support which will be commissioned by the JV and planned for completion in Summer 2027) As outlined above, the ECS grant will not be released to the Council until these FBCs have been prepared and subsequently approved by the City Region Chief Executive’s Group. These FBCs would also need to be considered by the Council's Leadership Board. 4.2 There is a cap (£0.5m as mentioned above) on the amount of grant funding available for FBC development. It is estimated the costs which may be incurred in the development of both FBCs could exceed the development funding amount by up to £0.3m ie it is expected the FBCs may cost up to £0.8m to develop in total. This total cost will be funded from the grant assuming both FBCs are approved, however there is some risk that the FBCs may not be approved. Officers consider this risk to be low given the strategic importance of the project, the funding allocation already identified for Renfrewshire, and the robust appraisal process that will be undertaken prior to approval. DHN Enabling Works 4.3 The construction programme for Tech Terrace Phase 1 is aligned to the Scottish Enterprise timescales for grant drawdown. This is progressing ahead of the FBC timescales for expansion of the DHN. It is therefore proposed that the Development Partner undertakes the DHN enabling infrastructure works (ie installing the below-ground pipework) for both phases of Tech Terrace as part of the Phase 1 construction programme. This approach will avoid construction programme conflicts and reduce the risk of additional cost when Phase 2 is under construction. The estimated cost of these works is the subject of a formal tender process, however an indicative estimate of £1.5m has been suggested by professional advisers. Should this enabling infrastructure be installed at a later date, this would result in additional costs and disruption as newly constructed roads, landscaping and utility infrastructure would require excavation, diversion and reinstatement. Page 89 of 130
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PUBLIC 4.4 The proposed approach would also mitigate the scenario whereby, should the DHN network not be extended in line with the Phase 1 construction schedule, then an alternative interim heating solution would require to be developed – potentially air source heat pumps. In that scenario, the buildings may then be unlikely to connect to the DHN in the foreseeable future, if at all. 4.5 It is proposed that the Council enter into underwrite agreements in relation to the FBC development costs and the DHN enabling infrastructure works. The potential total underwrite value is £1.8 million, consisting of up to £1.5 million estimated cost for the DHN enabling infrastructure and up to £0.3 million for the costs for developing the Phase 2 design to enable the FBC production. Implications of the Report 1. Financial - The report outlines the proposal for the Council to underwrite up to £1.8m to enable the Development Partner to progress with Tech Terrace Phase 2 and the DHN extension. There is a financial risk for the Council in the event the FBCs are not approved, however Officers consider this risk to be low given the strategic importance of the project, the funding allocation already identified for Renfrewshire, and the robust appraisal process that will be undertaken prior to approval. There is a further risk should the DHN extension not proceed as planned, as the spend on the enabling infrastructure may ultimately not result in an operational asset. In this case, the spend incurred would unlikely be eligible for grant support, resulting in the Council requiring to fund the spend via revenue resource. In this scenario a funding source would require to be identified and agreed by elected members. 2. HR & Organisational Development - None arising directly from this report. 3. Community/Council Planning – • Reshaping our place, our economy and our future - The Tech Terrace development represents a key component of the AMIDS vision, providing high-quality commercial accommodation for advanced manufacturing businesses, supporting business growth, innovation and job creation within Renfrewshire and the wider Glasgow City Region. Page 90 of 130
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PUBLIC 4. Legal – Council officers will secure appropriate legal advice in relation to the proposed underwrite agreements 5. Property/Assets – Improvement to Council AMIDS DHN and potential enhancement in value of developability of land owned by the Council. 6. Information Technology - None arising directly from this report. 7. Equality & Human Rights - The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report. 8. Health & Safety - None arising directly from this report. 9. Procurement – Any procurement activity required to be undertaken by the Council will be conducted in accordance with the Council’s Standing Orders relating to Contracts, the GCR Sustainable Procurement Strategy and Public Procurement Regulations. 10. Risk - as set out in report. Project specific risks will be kept under regular review and reported to the Council’s internal Major Infrastructure Board. 11. Privacy Impact - None arising directly from this report. 12. Climate Risk – Improving the AMIDS DHN contributes to the sustainability and net-zero strategy, aiming to: • Reduce carbon emissions compared with traditional building heating systems. • Provide a secure and efficient shared energy solution for occupiers. • Support the long-term development of AMIDS by creating a scalable energy network that can connect future phases and buildings. • Improve the attractiveness of the site to advanced manufacturing, innovation and technology businesses seeking low-carbon premises. 13. Children’s Rights – None arising directly from this report. 14. Cosla Policy Position – None arising directly from this report. Author: Alastair MacArthur, Director Page 91 of 130
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PUBLIC ___________________________________________________________________ To: Leadership Board On: 16 September 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Officer, Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Adult Social Care: 2025/26 Annual Update ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 Adult Social Work Services were delegated to Renfrewshire Integration Joint Board (IJB) on 1 April 2016. These services are managed through the Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP). 1.2 This annual update report to Leadership Board, together with Renfrewshire’s Integration Joint Board Annual Performance Report 2025/26 provides an overview of adult social care activity and performance. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that members: • Note the contents of this report updating activity and performance of adult social work services delegated to the IJB; and • Note that the next six-monthly update report will be presented to the Leadership Board in February 2027. _________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 The list of functions that must be delegated by the Local Authority to the IJB is set out in the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Prescribed Local Authority Functions, etc) (Scotland) Regulations 2014, and is noted in Annex 2, part 1 of Renfrewshire’s Integration Scheme. These include: • Social work services for adults and older people. • Services and support for adults with physical disabilities and learning disabilities. • Mental health services. Item 8 Page 93 of 130
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PUBLIC • Drug and alcohol services. • Adult protection and domestic abuse. • Carers’ support services. • Community care assessment teams. • Support services. • Care home services. • Adult placement services. • Health improvement services. • Aspects of housing support. • Day services. • Respite provision. • Occupational therapy services. • Reablement services, equipment, and telecare. 3.2 Whilst regular reporting in relation to these services is provided to the Integration Joint Board (IJB), 6 monthly updates are also provided to the Leadership Board. This ensures oversight of the key activities and wider context relating to the delivery of these services. 4. Renfrewshire IJB’s Annual Performance Report 4.1 Renfrewshire IJB’s Annual Performance Report 2025-26 provides a comprehensive reflection on the HSCP’s performance against local and national performance indicators. A summary of the 2025/26 year-end status of the IJB’s full 53 performance indicators is provided in the table below and is compared with 2024/25 performance. Status 2023/24 2024/25 2025/26 % Change from 2024/25 Red 9 (32%) 4 (14%) 5 (16%) +2% Amber 6 (21%) 8 (28%) 5 (16%) -8% Green 13 (46%) 17 (59%) 21 (68%) +9% Info only 20 21 22 - Total 48 50 53 - 4.2 This year’s Annual Performance Report reflects the HSCP’s strong overall performance and continued growth against a number of key performance indicators, despite the challenging operating context. Overall, there has been an improvement in performance in 2025/26 compared with 2024/25 with a 9% increase in green status indicators. In addition to two indicators improving status from amber to green, 16 of the 21 green indicators maintained their status at year-end 2025/26 from 2024/25, 12 of these also reporting improvement in performance compared to 2024/25. 4.3 Despite the challenging operating environment, the HSCP has sustained positive performance. A summary of some key achievements includes: • Renfrewshire maintained its position as the highest performing HSCP in Scotland for Standard Delayed Discharge for the fourth year running, and second position for code 9 delayed discharges, up from 9th position. Page 94 of 130
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PUBLIC • The HSCP held its first Staff Health and Wellbeing Event in October 2025. Over 140 staff attended a full programme of wellbeing support including in- person and online sessions on ADHD, menopause, and peer support. • The Home First Response Team assessed 1,019 patients living with frailty who presented at the Royal Alexandra Hospital compared with 988 in 2024/25. 59.8% were discharged home or to a homely setting compared with 54% in 2024/25, while 42.7% were followed up by community colleagues. • The HSCP Independent Living Team (HILT) collaborated with Renfrewshire Carers Centre and Engage Renfrewshire to help support people accessing Self-Directed Support (SDS). A successful networking event was held in October 2025, helping build positive relationships with supported people, unpaid carers, HILT, and local providers. • Of 131 care home residents at risk during Apr 2025-March 2026, the Care Home Call Before You Convey Pathway avoided 96.3% of hospital admissions with only 3.7% admitted, which equates to 5 residents. • The Hospital at Home Team enabled 149 patients to receive acute hospital level care at home since the service began in May 2025, with excellent patient feedback. This has saved a total of 975 bed days in hospital settings. • There was 14% increase in new adult carers supported by Renfrewshire Carers Centre, 1,089 compared with 958 in 2024/25. In addition, 630 adult support plans were completed for carers by the HSCP and Renfrewshire Carers Centre, above the target of 497. • A Community Officer within Engage was funded to deliver prevention activity on tobacco, youth vaping, and second-hand smoke prevention. Activity included 10 vaping awareness sessions to 13 organisations, 101 staff and volunteers trained, and outreach Quit Your Way and recovery services. 5. Adult Social Work Performance Overview 5.1 Adult Social Work Services are managed and monitored via regular internal HSCP professional governance and operational management arrangements, including meetings, case management, and regular service and case reviews. These meetings involve Heads of Service and Service Managers and cover a variety of local and national strategic and operational indicators. They allow managers to scrutinise and discuss performance data, agree remedial action, timescales for improvement, and consider future challenges which may affect services, to allow planned actions and mitigation where appropriate. 5.2 In addition to internal scrutiny, performance is reported at all IJB meetings, with the Performance Scorecard presented twice-yearly providing a detailed picture of what is working well, current challenges and intended remedial action where necessary. The Scorecard includes adult social care indicators alongside a variety of local and national health service indicators. Page 95 of 130
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PUBLIC 5.3 There are 17 adult social care indicators, details of the performance are provided in Appendix 1, however a summary is included in the tables below. Performance Indicator Status No. Green - Target achieved 1 Amber - Warning (less than 10% variance of target) 0 Red - Alert (more than 10% variance of target) 2 Data only (no target) 14 5.3.1 Adult Social Care Indicators with targets This section will provide an overview of improvement work taken forward on the 3 adult social care indicators with targets, highlighting our focus on continued improvement. Status Direction of Travel Performance Indicator 23/24 Value 24/25 Value 25/26 Value Target Number of adult support plans completed for carers (age 18+) by HSCP and Renfrewshire Carers Centre 568 694 630 497 This is a new indicator for 2025-26 and combines indicators for both the HSCP and Renfrewshire Carers centre to allow for more reliability in data collection and a better understanding of the outcome. The positive result of having 630 adult support plans completed (26.7% above the target), shows continued efforts to provide support for our carers in Renfrewshire. There is however a continuing emphasis from the Renfrewshire Carers Centre and HSCP Social Work teams to ensure that support plans can be put in place for all carers that require them to achieve the supported person’s outcomes. There is update on the refresh of the Adult Carers Strategy later in this paper. Sickness absence rate for HSCP Renfrewshire Council staff (workdays lost per FTE) 19.51 22.05 20.33 15.3 Despite being in red status and above the target for 2025/26 there was improvement in the absence rate in comparison to 2024/25, reducing from 22.05 workdays lost to 20.33 workdays lost. Action Taken: Work continues across the Partnership to address sickness absence, with performance monitored and discussed regularly at the Senior Management Team Workforce Business Meeting. Heads of Service maintain ongoing discussions with their direct reports regarding sickness absence, enabling underlying causes to be understood and ensuring appropriate support, guidance, and action planning are put in place, including agreed improvement targets where required. In addition, work commenced towards the end of 2025/26 to refresh and extend the Workforce Plan for a further year with a set of focused objectives and actions included. This will also enable the extended Plan to align with the final year of the IJB’s refreshed Strategic Plan 2025-27. A longer-term plan will be developed for implementation onwards to align with the IJB’s next Strategic Plan which will be a 10-year plan implemented from September 2027. A Short Life Working Group has been established, chaired by the HSCP Chief Officer, to strengthen oversight and drive improvement. The remit of the group is to: o Undertake a data-informed deep dive into the factors impacting absence o Identify priority areas for improvement o Set clear goals and closely monitor progress; and o Oversee and coordinate improvement activity aimed at reducing absence across the HSCP. Page 96 of 130
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PUBLIC Status Direction of Travel Performance Indicator 23/24 Value 24/25 Value 25/26 Value Target % of HSCP Renfrewshire Council staff completed mandatory training courses - 74.3 % 89.83 % 100% This is a new indicator added to the suite of performance indicators for 2025/26 and aligns with the training indicators for NHS staff. However, the 100% target set by the Council is exceptionally challenging, in comparison to an 80% target for training set by NHSGGC. Performance in terms of compliance has increased from 74.30% in 2024/25 to 89.83% in 2025/26, and work continues to monitor this going forward. Action Taken: Regular compliance reporting has increased to monthly reports to ensure all areas are working towards a higher compliance rate. 5.3.2 Adult Social Care Data Only Indicators There are 14 Adult Social Care performance indicators which do not have targets assigned. For some of these indicators it is not appropriate to prescribe a target due to the nature of the measure, such as the Percentage of Children who have previously been on the Child Protection Register in the last two years. For others the development of robust targets can only be achieved through trend analysis over a minimum period of three years, and they have only been included for the past two years. It is however possible to note some notable key changes in performance in 2025/26: - Balance of Care: Total number of hours provided for clients receiving personal care & Number of open community placements for 65+: Both of these indicators saw an increase in total hours and number of open community placements in 2025/26 from 2024/25. This is expected and consistent with our policy of caring for people at home. People are living longer with significantly higher levels of disability, and this trend is likely to continue with people seeking to exercise choice and control over the care they receive. - Total Mental Health Officer service activity: This indicator highlights the activity, by count of statutory tasks, for the specialised registered social worker who safeguards the rights and well-being of individuals experiencing mental disorders. The increase from 1,458 to 1,608 is an indication of increased demand on the mental health officer services in Renfrewshire. - Number of Adult Support and Protection referrals: There was an increase in the number of referrals from 1,522 in 2024/25 to 2,040 in 2025/26. This is mainly due to an increase in referrals from Care Homes, the Third Sector, Scottish Fire and Rescue Service, Scottish Ambulance Service, and NHS Primary Care Service. The significant increase from care homes is a result of cautious reporting in specific care homes; there are now supports in place to address these cases which are not being viewed as appropriate referrals, which included providing additional training. The reasons for the increases from other services are still being explored and the Renfrewshire Adult Protection Committee has restored a Data Subgroup to support multi-agency analyses of ASP data and to provide increase understanding of key findings, trends, and risks. Referrals will continue to be monitored throughout this year. Page 97 of 130
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PUBLIC 6. Key Activities 6.1 A summary of the key activities undertaken during the last six months relating to the delegated services is detailed in the section below. Strategic Plan Refresh 6.2 During 2025/26, the IJB agreed the need for service reform in line with the direction set out by the Scottish Government, namely through three 10-year interconnected frameworks: Public Service Reform Strategy, Population Health Framework and Health and Social Care Service Renewal Framework. The scale of ambition set out nationally requires a significant shift beyond safe, incremental steps, to embrace a bolder culture of reform. Locally, this has been reflected through the establishment of a Foundations of Transformation Programme, which will inform the development of a new Strategic Plan and set out how Renfrewshire will scale up collaboration with staff, communities, and partners to deliver whole system change at the pace required over the next decade and beyond. 6.3 In this context, the development of a 10-year Strategic Plan has been approved. This longer-term approach will enable the IJB to incorporate national ambitions while creating a clear set of transformational priorities which are relevant to the local needs of Renfrewshire. However, achieving these ambitions will require an ongoing focus on monitoring, measurement, and review. The strategic priorities must remain relevant to changing local demographic needs, emerging demand, and the wider operating context. This includes ensuring that delivery remains aligned to both long-term ambitions and the immediate realities of service provision, including financial constraints and fluctuations in demand. 6.4 To support this, it is proposed that three key supporting documents are developed and maintained to support delivery of the 10-year Strategic Plan. Together, these elements will create a framework that supports the delivery of the IJB’s ambitions while ensuring it remains in touch with the evolving needs of Renfrewshire’s population. • Joint Strategic Needs Assessment (JSNA): To be refreshed every three- years (or more frequently in response to exceptional circumstances). This will provide a comprehensive assessment of the current and future needs of Renfrewshire’s population. It will bring together data and information from the local authority, NHS, public health teams and our social care services. • Strategic Delivery Plan: A three-year delivery plan will outline the short- term priorities required to progress the longer-term ambitions of the Strategic Plan. It will take account of current operational challenges, including financial pressures, workforce capacity, and any unscheduled shifts in demand. This will enable Officers to prioritise resources and make adjustments in line with demand. • Performance Scorecard: The annual performance scorecard will measure progress against agreed targets and outcomes. This will be refreshed in- line with the three-year cycle of the JSNA and will be representative of the new Strategic Plan. Page 98 of 130
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PUBLIC 6.5 The HSCP is seeking to align the development of the Strategic Plan with Renfrewshire’s new Community Plan and the next Council Plan. As these Plans are not due to be in place until September 2027, the IJB has agreed that the development of the new Strategic Plan will align with these timescales. 6.6 In aligning the HSCP’s approach with the wider plans and timescales, officers have begun to work in partnership with the Council and other community planning partners to undertake early community engagement together and collaboratively develop the Joint Strategic Needs Assessment. Further details regarding the ‘Your Voice Matters’, engagement campaign is provided in sections 6.27 and 6.28 below. Foundations of Transformation Programme 6.7 As stated previously, the Foundations of Transformation Programme will inform the development of a new Strategic Plan. Initial planning is based around the following six work strands which are largely based on the national principles of reform: • Strategic Building Blocks. • Evidence-base and Intelligence. • Community: Proactive community-based interventions. ▪ Prevention across the continuum of care Community: Proactive community- based interventions. • People and Population: Care designed around people and places. • Digital: Better access and accessibility. 6.8 Alongside these work strands, the Programme will also develop a number of key supporting strategies and plans to enable the delivery of the Strategic Plan, namely: • Participation, Communication and Engagement Strategy. • Strategic Workforce Plan. • Developing our leaders and building the right organisational culture. 6.9 A Transformation Officers Group, chaired by the Head of Strategic Planning and Health Improvement, has been implemented to oversee the delivery of this Programme. 6.10 There remains a strong commitment across the HSCP to delivering high-quality services, fostering innovation and building on the positive culture, relationships and outcomes already evident across local services. Sustainable Futures Programme 6.11 During the reporting period, the HSCP developed a series of service redesign proposals for consideration by the IJB, with the aim of delivering savings whilst minimising risk to people’s outcomes and service performance. Nine proposals with supporting detailed Integrated Impact Assessments (IIAs) were submitted to the IJB for decision-making in September 2025, of which one was approved for the redesign of the District Nursing and Care at Home Out of Hours model. No decision was reached on eight further proposals: Page 99 of 130
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PUBLIC • The redesign of Older Adults Day Services. • Redesign of Learning Disability and Physical Disability Services with the development of integrated community hubs • Review of the Learning Disability Respite model. • Closure of Flexicare. • Redesign of Childsmile. • Health Visiting – reduction of vacant posts. • Removal of the Assertive Outreach model. • Closure of Autism Connections. 6.12 During Spring 2026, these proposals were reviewed, with supporting Integrated Impact Assessments updated to reflect recent service data, additional policies and strategies, and any relevant developments since September 2025. Changes were made to the proposal for Older Adults Day Services to allow for greater flexibility in session timings and further embed digital provision within the service model. Significant changes were made to the redesign of Childsmile to enable a more targeted model of support to be implemented. 6.13 These proposals and IIAs were subsequently submitted to the IJB in June 2026. Added to each of the proposals was a position statement which was provided by the HSCP Senior Management Team. These were supplemented by a cumulative Integrated Impact Assessment. 6.14 Due to emerging discussions in relation to Childsmile with the Scottish Government, this was removed from consideration however the remaining seven proposals were agreed. Work to support implementation of these agreed changes is now underway. 6.15 More widely, a proportion of savings previously agreed by the IJB to be delivered in 2025/26 were re-phased into 2026/27, resulting in a final savings target of £7.37m for 2025/26. At the end of the financial year, £8.10m of savings were delivered by the HSCP. This is 110% of the revised savings target and includes over-delivery against several savings initiatives, representing continued strong progress. 6.16 Regular reporting to the IJB continues to reflect that the financial position remains extremely challenging. Should the IJB be unable to set a balanced budget in future, and/or there are insufficient reserves available to bridge the forecast funding gap, it will need to enter a period of Financial Recovery. This will entail a series of restrictive cost saving and cost containment measures, in order to ensure that the IJB incurs no new commitments or expenditure without an agreed and available budget, whilst continuing to meet and manage existing contractual and statutory liabilities. 6.17 A detailed Integrated Impact Assessment setting out the potential impact of Financial Recovery has been developed and was considered by the IJB at its meeting in June 2026. Page 100 of 130
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PUBLIC Winter Pressures 6.18 As previously reported to Leadership Board, each year, Renfrewshire HSCP develops plans to ensure the resilience of critical services over the winter period. The planning process for winter 2025/26 was undertaken across all HSCP internal and hosted services. 6.19 The HSCP will submit its winter plan for 2026/27 to the IJB in November 2026. The key priorities for this year’s plan are currently being reviewed alongside consideration of the winter planning conducted by Renfrewshire Council and NHSGGC. However, it is anticipated that the HSCP’s winter plan will broadly continue to focus on understanding and preparing our response to the risks associated with the following scenarios: • Disruptive weather and the ability for staff to get to work. • Staffing cover, resilience and maintaining health and wellbeing. • The impact of disruptive weather or other events on the HSCP’s supply chain. • The impact of weather or other events on the ability to provide services and/or carry out community visits. • The loss of use of a building or space. • Disruption to infrastructure e.g. a loss of power, systems and/or data. 6.20 The Winter Plan will ensure that staffing levels are maintained over the winter period to support timely access to services, whilst maintaining an ongoing focus on the wellbeing of staff and unpaid carers. Proactive plans and monitoring will be in place to identify emerging issues and support services to respond to sever weather scenarios. 6.21 The HSCP continues to engage with partners through existing resilience arrangements regionally and locally. As part of these arrangements, HSCP officers contribute to the development and review of the IJB’s partner organisations’ respective Winter Plans. These plans also inform local planning activity undertaken by the partnership. 6.22 For Winter 2025/26, NHSGGC adopted a streamlined approach to developing its Winter Plan reflecting on the good practice, successes and learning from the whole system approach adopted in previous two years. This Winter Plan has been created in a more accessible format which clearly outlines the actions to be taken over coming months and was shared with HSCPs to ensure relevant actions were captured. 6.23 The HSCP also continues to work closely with colleagues within Renfrewshire Council, with a focus on communications as part of the ‘Ready for Winter’ programme and in support of the fourth year of the Winter Connections programme. Following the process undertaken in previous years, the HSCP presented an update on winter planning preparations, alongside Civil Contingencies Service colleagues, to the Council’s Corporate Management Team (CMT). IJB Adult Carers Strategy 2026-27 6.24 Supporting unpaid carers is a priority for the HSCP and we recognise that the Page 101 of 130
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PUBLIC care they provide is vital to the people they care for and the sustainability of HSCP services. In June 2025, IJB approved recommendations to review and refresh its existing Adult Carers Strategy 2022 -2025. During 2025/26, the HSCP, working with carers, the Carers Centre and partners, developed a draft strategy which acknowledges the growing demands and personal impact of caring. It aims to uphold carers’ rights, respond to their needs, and support them to continue in their caring role - if they choose to do so. Developed in partnership with carers and the organisations that support them, the draft strategy reflects lived experiences and prioritises meaningful, actionable change. 6.25 In preparing a local carers strategy, the Carers Act requires the IJB to “consult such persons and bodies representative of carers as they consider appropriate, and…to involve relevant carers.” The following activities have been undertaken to achieve a streamlined but meaningful consultation process: • Published the consultation draft on the HSCP website / consultation site. • Developed alternative versions including paper copies, summary, easy read and consider a child-friendly approach. • Promoted the consultation via a range of existing communication channels, including HSCP staff channels, media release (local / national), and social media (supported by Council and NHS sites). • Encouraged partner organisations (through the Strategic Planning Group) to promote the consultation through their own communication channels. • Utilised existing forums and governance structures, where they exist, to engage with all other prescribed consultees. Where related forums don’t have meetings scheduled during the period of the consultation, the HSCP will strive to engage in the most effective way for stakeholders. • Issued targeted communications to other consultees inviting them to share their feedback on the consultation. 6.26 The consultation period has now concluded, and the refreshed strategy will be presented to the IJB in September 2026 for approval. Your Voice Matters 6.27 In partnership with Renfrewshire Council and wider community planning partners, the HSCP devised a public engagement programme is open to people across Renfrewshire. “Your Voice Matters” aims to inform a range of emerging strategies, including the IJB’s Strategic Plan, the Council Plan, Community Plan and Children’s Partnership Plan, ensuring alignment with community needs and priorities. 6.28 This collaborative approach provides an opportunity to engage early with communities on a range of topics and is designed to help identify what matters most to people across Renfrewshire, encourage civic participation in decision- making, improve service efficiency, and build stronger, more cohesive communities. The programme features three phases of engagement: 1. The first phase is designed to raise awareness of the programme and to invite participants to share their opinion, based upon three key questions. This phase is now well underway. Page 102 of 130
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PUBLIC 2. Phase two will involve a range of more targeted engagement activities, including community workshops, partner-led listening sessions and conversations with other representative groups. 3. Phase three will involve deeper listening, to gain additional insight from targeted groups and existing service networks. The overarching aim of this approach is to ensure that the future direction of the wider council family is informed by listening to what matters most to people in our communities, and that this insight is clearly reflected in strategic priorities and service delivery. This will also support the best use of available resources, promote alignment around shared priorities, and create opportunities for a more coordinated whole-system approach across partners. Inspection Findings 6.29 The HSCP provides services subject to a rolling programme of independent inspection from the Care Inspectorate. Inspection assures us that services are working well and highlights areas for improvement Inspectors examine the overall quality of care and support, the staffing, the management and leadership, and the environment in which the care is provided 6.30 The HSCP is subject to both unannounced and anticipated inspections carried out at HSCP operated services, using the ‘Six Point Quality Scale’ where 1 is unsatisfactory and 6 is excellent. Inspectors look at a selection of the quality indicators depending on the type of inspection, the quality of the service, the intelligence they hold about the service, and any risk factors they may identify 6.31 An unannounced inspection of the Care at Home Service took place between 8- 12 December 2025. The table below details the grades received from the Care Inspectorate. How well do we support people's wellbeing? 5 – Very good People's health and wellbeing benefits from their care and support 5 – Very good How good is our staff team? 4 - Good Staffing arrangements are right and staff work well together 4 - Good 6.32 The key messages from this inspection include: • People were treated with dignity and respect. • Staff felt well-supported and trained. • Teamwork strengths and collaboration had led to improvements in the service. • Digital systems improved care delivery • People were kept safe by improvements to risk management. • Personal support plans were clear and person-centred. • Staff shortages affected continuity of support for some people living in extra care housing and those who received overnight support. Page 103 of 130
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PUBLIC • Improvement is needed to ensure people receiving care at home know who will be providing their planned support. 6.33 The Weavers Linn Respite Unit, is a residential short-break service for adults with learning disabilities and autism, received an unannounced visit on 24-26 June 2025. The table below details the grades received from the Care Inspectorate. How well do we support people's wellbeing? 5 – Very good People's health and wellbeing benefits from their care and support 5 – Very good How good is our staff team? 4 - Good Staffing arrangements are right and staff work well together 4 - Good How good is our setting? 4 - Good People experience high quality facilities 4 - Good 6.34 The key messages from this inspection include: • We followed up on four previous areas for improvement which were met. • People looked forward to their stay and regarded it as 'a wee holiday'. • Care and support observed was person-centred and people told us staff were wonderful. • Staff were supported well with training and supervision aiding staff development. • Relatives advised that communication was very good with staff which gave them assurance. • Visiting professionals praised staff for their commitment and professionalism. • Managers had worked hard to improve communication to ensure people experienced a stay which met their outcomes. • Some environmental improvements were needed to continue to offer people high quality, safe facilities. 6.35 Hunterhill Care Home is registered to provide support to 60 older people, some of whom have cognitive impairments and/or dementia, and received an unannounced visit on 14, 15 and 19 May 2025 and a follow-up visit on 14 August 2025. The table below details the grades received from the Care Inspectorate. How well do we support people's wellbeing? 4 – Good People's health and wellbeing benefits from their care and support 4 – Good How good is our leadership? 3 - Adequate Quality assurance and improvement is led well 3 - Adequate How good is our staff team? 4 - Good Staffing arrangements are right and staff work well together 4 - Good Page 104 of 130
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PUBLIC How good is our setting? 4 - Good People experience high quality facilities 4 - Good 6.36 The key messages from this inspection include: • We followed up on a requirement made at the last inspection; this has not been met. We have agreed to extend the timescale for this. (This is in relation to quality assurance) • We followed up on three areas for improvement made at the last inspection, one has been met and two were not met. (Two unmet areas for improvement were: fluid/hydration charts; and senior staff confidence in using the dependency tool to evidence decisions about staff deployment). • The introduction of hydration and snack stations promoted independence and choice. • The expansion of meal options has enhanced people's dietary variety. • Quality assurance audits were taking place and well-intentioned, but limited by inconsistent follow up and consistency of use 6.37 The HSCP strives to continuously improve services, and work is already underway to meet any requirements and areas for improvement identified during these inspections. 7. National Policy Context Extension of Integration Joint Board Voting Rights 7.1 Members will be aware that Integration Joint Boards (IJBs) are responsible for the strategic planning, commissioning and oversight of community health and social care services. IJB membership includes representatives from the third sector, unpaid carers and service users, collectively referred to as “lived experience representatives.” 7.2 As lived experience representatives did not previously hold voting rights, the Independent Review of Adult Social Care recommended that voting rights be extended to all public partners. Consequently, amendments to the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 provide third sector, unpaid carer and service user representative members with voting rights from 1 September 2026. 7.3 The Scottish Government established a national working group to consider the practical implementation of these changes, including arrangements for recruitment, governance, codes of conduct, and training and development. At the time of writing, the Scottish Government’s guidance has not yet been published; however, it is anticipated that this will be available by late August 2026. 7.4 In preparation for the introduction of voting rights for lived experience representatives, the HSCP has been working closely with colleagues in the Council’s Legal Services. This engagement will continue as amendments to the Standing Orders and the Integration Scheme will be required to reflect the legislative changes. Page 105 of 130
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PUBLIC Preventing Harm, Promoting Recovery: Scotland's Alcohol & Drugs Strategic Plan 2026-2035 7.5 On 10 March 2026, the Scottish Government and COSLA published Preventing Harm, Promoting Recovery: Scotland's Alcohol & Drugs Strategic Plan 2026- 2035, a 10-year strategy that sets out Scotland's long-term approach to reducing alcohol and drug-related harm. The plan builds on previous national frameworks and supports wider public health priorities, including the Population Health Framework and Service Renewal Framework. 7.6 In response, Renfrewshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) is refreshing its local alcohol and drugs strategy to align with the national plan, Partnership Delivery Framework and National Specification. This will ensure that local priorities, outcomes, and commissioning arrangements support national ambitions. 7.7 Renfrewshire has a strong partnership governance structure in place to provide oversight, accountability and performance management across prevention, treatment, recovery, and system improvement. This framework will support the implementation of national priorities and monitor progress, risks, quality, equity, and outcomes. 7.8 To deliver the strategy locally, the ADP will develop a delivery plan outlining specific actions, milestones, responsibilities, and success measures. The plan will be reviewed regularly to respond to emerging needs, insights from people with lived and living experience, and policy developments. Both the refreshed strategy and delivery plan will be presented alongside the ADP Annual Reporting Survey at a future meeting. National Care Service Charter of Rights 7.9 On 25 March 2026, the Scottish Government published the National Care Service Charter of Rights, with further updates made in April and May 2026. The Charter sets out information on people’s existing rights and what they should expect when accessing, or waiting to access, social care, social work, and community health support. It does not create new rights or alter existing rights, but brings together information to support people, carers, families, and representatives to understand what they can expect from support and what they can do if they feel their rights are not being met. 7.10 The Charter is relevant to the HSCP’s ongoing work to strengthen rights based, person-centred and accessible support, including Self-Directed Support, public- facing service standards, participation and engagement, and local policy development. Key themes include clear and accessible information, involvement in decisions, choice and control, dignity, safety, and routes for feedback and complaints. 7.11 The Charter will be considered as part of relevant local guidance, policy, and improvement work to support consistent practice and clearer information for people accessing support in Renfrewshire. Page 106 of 130
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PUBLIC Delayed Discharge 7.12 Reducing delays in discharge is a national priority. With a revised remit aligning to the Operational Improvement Plan from September 2025, the fortnightly Collaborative Response and Assurance Group continues to meet, chaired by the Cabinet Secretary and with attendance from all Chief Officers, Scottish Government, Care Inspectorate and COSLA. All HSCPs are categorised as Low, Moderate or Major based on performance improvement required. 7.13 Renfrewshire is the best performing HSCP in Scotland for standard delays for a fourth consecutive year, with a rate of 1,148.7 per 100,000 population for Standard Delays (across all HSCPs in Scotland). This equates to a 34.5% reduction in total bed days lost to delayed discharge – 3,805 bed days – and is 82.7% lower than the national average – 22,036. 8. Next Steps 8.1 The next performance report on delegated Adult Social Care functions will be reported to the Leadership Board in February 2027. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – Although there are no direct costs associated with this report, the IJB is operating in an increasingly challenging environment with increases in both the level of demand and service delivery costs. The Sustainable Futures Programme has been established and will aim to deliver best value by modernising services as well as identifying savings to reduce the financial gap in a sustainable way and where feasible with the least possible impact. 2. HR & Organisational Development – The Sustainable Futures Programme is currently underway and could potentially have an impact following its conclusion. 3. Community/Council Planning – none 4. Legal – none. 5. Property/Assets – none 6. Information Technology – none 7. Equality & Human Rights - The recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report because it is for noting only. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety – none Page 107 of 130
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PUBLIC 9. Procurement – none 10. Risk – none 11. Privacy Impact – none 12. Cosla Policy Position – none. 13. Children’s Rights – Although this report has a key focus on the delegated functions of adult social care, the HSCP is committed to complying with UNCRC and this is reflected in our activity. 14. Climate Risk – The HSCP is committed to tackling the climate emergency and actively participates in Renfrewshire’s Plan for Net Zero. _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers Adult Social Care: 6 Monthly Update, Leadership Board, February 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Yvonne Farquhar, Policy Manager, Chief Executive’s Service Yvonne.farquhar@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 108 of 130
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PUBLIC Appendix 1 Performance Indicators The 17 adult social care services’ indicators in the updated scorecard are as follows: Performance Indicator Status No. Direction of Travel Green - Target achieved 1 Improvement Amber - Warning (less than 10% variance of target) 0 Deterioration Red - Alert (more than 10% variance of target) 2 Same as previous reporting period Data only 14 Status Direction of Travel Performance Indicator 23/24 Value 24/25 Value 25/26 Value Target Sickness absence rate for HSCP Renfrewshire Council staff (workdays lost per FTE) 19.51 22.05 20.33 15.3 % of HSCP Renfrewshire Council staff completed mandatory training courses - 74.3% 89.83% 100% Number of adult support plans completed for carers (age 18+) by HSCP and Renfrewshire Carers Centre 568 694 630 497 Data Only Indicators Performance Indicator 23/24 Value 2024/25 Value 2025/26 Value Direction of Travel Total Mental Health Officer service activity (count of activity) 1,499 1,458 1,608 Number of Chief Social Worker Guardianships (as at position) 124 157 140 Number of Private Guardianship Applications 126 143 158 Page 109 of 130
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PUBLIC Performance Indicator 23/24 Value 2024/25 Value 2025/26 Value Direction of Travel Balance of Care: Total number of hours provided for clients receiving personal care * 18,521 19,229 21,158 Balance of Care: Total number of hours provided for clients receiving non-personal care * 375.5 351.25 504.00 Balance of Care: Number of open community placements for 65+ (Care at Home vs residential) * 1,786 (64%) 2,217 (60%) 2,937 (65%) Balance of Care: Number of open residential placements for 65+ (Care at Home vs residential) * 1,006 (36%) 1,469 (40%) 1,554 (35%) Population of clients receiving Telecare (75+) - Rate per 1,000 ** 32.8 Population of clients receiving Telecare (all ages) Rate per 1,000 ** 4.1 Number of people accessing Community Alarms (all ages) ** 3,807 Number of people accessing Community Alarms (75+) ** 2,757 Percentage of Adult Support and Protection referrals where investigatory powers are used 43% 53% 53% Percentage of Children registered in this period who have previously been on the Child Protection Register in the last two years 8.0% 16.0% 10.9% Number of Adult Support and Protection referrals (please see table below for source) 1,527 1,522 2,040 *Balance of care previously reported as two indicators and now separated into four **No direct comparison with previous years as the method of collation has been revised Page 110 of 130
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PUBLIC Number of Adult Support and Protection (ASP) referrals ASP Referrals Source 23/24 2024/25 2025/26 Care Inspectorate 32 16 5 Office of the Public Guardian 6 4 6 Police Scotland 294 315 485 NHS 24 24 20 20 NHS Primary Care 44 46 66 NHS Acute Services 72 76 74 NHS Specialist Drug and Alcohol Services 2 1 0 Community Health Services 11 29 38 Mental Health Services – Hospital and Community 49 53 20 Other Health (Public, Private and Prison) 5 2 0 Social Work Adults (inc Mental Health Officers) 143 142 181 Social Work Children and Families 12 8 4 Out of region social work / other (external) local authority Reported by source from 2024/25 3 6 Other local authority service (internal) excluding social work Reported by source from 2024/25 1 22 Scottish Ambulance Service 8 65 137 Page 111 of 130
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PUBLIC ASP Referrals Source 23/24 2024/25 2025/26 Scottish Fire and Rescue 72 31 42 Care Home 370 280 445 Care at Home Provider 183 194 209 Housing 120 128 132 Education 1 4 3 Self (Adult at Risk) 6 4 6 Unpaid Carer 1 0 0 Friend, Relative, Neighbour (not an unpaid carer) 21 33 46 Other Member of the Public 1 0 0 Third Sector Organisation 17 18 50 Financial Institution 0 1 0 Department of Work and Pensions 0 0 4 Anonymous 2 9 12 Other 31 39 26 Page 112 of 130
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PUBLIC ___________________________________________________________________ To: Leadership Board On: 16 September 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: OneRen Update ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to provide an update in relation to several matters which relate to the provision of services through OneRen. Specifically: • An update relating to the forthcoming opening of the Lagoon Adventure Zone. • A progress update on the final stages of the Paisley Museum Re-Imagined Project ahead of its completion. • The development of an operational agreement through which OneRen will manage the operation of community facilities within Paisley Grammar School Community Campus. • An update on the reprovisioning of library provision in Erskine. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that Elected Members: • Note the content of the report. • Note the progress in terms of the Lagoon Adventure Zone, which is scheduled to open during October. • Note that the Paisley Museum fitout and install is due to complete in December ahead of a formal opening to the public early in the new year Item 9 Page 113 of 130
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PUBLIC and that Elected Members will be kept updated regarding the opening programme. • Agree a short-term suspension of the provision of library services in Erskine as detailed in paragraph 6.5 of this report to facilitate the decant of Erskine Library from Bridgewater Shopping Centre to the temporary building at Erskine Sports Centre. ___________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 Regular updates are provided to Leadership Board on the activities and performance reported in relation to the services and activities which OneRen deliver in line with its service agreement with the Council. Additional reports are submitted to board to cover any matters arising or requiring decisions outwith planned reporting cycles. 3.2 As outlined in section 1 of the report, several specific operational matters are currently being progressed by officers and require the provision of an update to elected members. These relate to: • The forthcoming opening of the new Lagoon Adventure Zone facility. • A progress update on the final stages of Paisley Museum Re-Imagined Project ahead of its completion. • The development of an operational agreement through which OneRen will manage the operation of community facilities within Paisley Grammar School Community Campus. • The reprovisioning of library provision in Erskine. 4. Lagoon Adventure Zone – Lagoon Leisure Centre 4.1 The Lagoon Adventure Zone will offer a vibrant multi-age play experience featuring an interactive TAG active arena, the first of its kind in Scotland, a dedicated sensory area supporting people with additional support needs, a baby and toddler area, party room, spacious seating and an enhanced café offering. The facility has been developed through £1million of investment by the Council in inclusive play facilities, and will be operated by OneRen. 4.2 The Certificate of Practical Completion is pending subject to final requirements, and the project remains on schedule for launch in October, with final fit-out works and operational commissioning to be completed. 4.3 A number of centre improvements are being delivered to support the investment, including enhanced toilet and baby-changing facilities, and upgraded CCTV to strengthen safeguarding arrangements. 4.4 Operational readiness is progressing well, with specialist product, safety, and RoSPA training scheduled ahead of opening. 4.5 A flexible operating model has been developed to manage variations in demand throughout the week, and a dedicated brand and marketing Page 114 of 130
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PUBLIC campaign has been developed to initiate the launch of this new offer over the coming weeks. Catering, delivered by local supplier, Brew & Bite, will be launched to support a full menu of hot food and beverages in the play experience during opening hours. 4.6 A phased programme of testing and soft-launch activity with key stakeholders will take place prior to the official public opening in October 2026. 4.7 Investment in the new Adventure Zone play offer supports access to inclusive play facilities, and is part of our approach to making Renfrewshire fairer and more inclusive for children and families across Renfrewshire. The development of the facility, will also promote the Lagoon as a visitor destination and supports the wider economic regeneration of Paisley. 5. Paisley Museum Reimagined 5.1 Paisley Museum has been completely reimagined through rebuild, redisplay, and new practices evolved by collaborative decision-making and co-production with over 70 local groups and over 4000 conversations. This collaborative approach has shaped a new offer designed as a world-class destination telling the inspirational stories of Renfrewshire’s people and places as well as showcasing its internationally significant collections including the Paisley pattern. 5.2 The redesigned offer includes the Grade A-listed Museum building and Grade A-listed Coats Observatory & Observatory House, as well as Transit House and the Oakshaw buildings. The original Museum building is the work of the practice of Honeyman, Keppie & Mackintosh. Through the lifetime of the project, the influence of Charles Rennie Mackintosh on the design of later parts of the building has become more apparent. 5.3 Following practical completion earlier this year, the second and third phases of the project of exhibition fitout and installation of the Museum have been underway. Contractors have been working to make up time from the delayed construction phase and are due to complete by the end of this year ahead of a formal opening to the public early in the new year. A further update will be brought to the next Leadership Board to provide further detail on the opening programme. 5.4 The major redevelopment has brought the historic buildings up to modern standards to safeguard their long-term future and increased the amount of space available to showcase Renfrewshire’s internationally significant collections as a visitor destination to place Paisley Museum firmly among Europe’s leading museums. 5.5. The new design provides for 21st Century facilities with lift access to all areas, toilets on every level, a café facility with picnic area, a changing places toilet, lockers, water fountains, buggy park and the introduction of a public courtyard ensuring street level access for everyone. Page 115 of 130
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PUBLIC 5.6. A new outdoor garden has been created opening up previously hidden views of the Coats Observatory, the first publicly accessible Observatory in Scotland and spectacular views towards the High Street and the hills beyond. 5.7. The newly extended galleries will allow more of Renfrewshire’s remarkable collections to be displayed with a 100% increase in objects on display. Main Works 5.8 Practical Completion was achieved on 9 February 2026 and handover of the museum site from Construction Contractor Kier to the Exhibition Fit-out Contractor, Hub Build was confirmed. 5.9 The completion of the construction phase marked a significant milestone and the realisation of the architectural vision. The design has taken opportunities to improve the operational efficiency of the campus as well as resolve significant access issues including: • Improving the energy efficiency and lowering the carbon footprint of the building, including upgrading the insulation where possible, the use of energy LED efficient lighting, specifying for reduced energy consumption and sustainability of materials and using natural ventilation where environmental conditions allow. • All 24 historic roofs have been replaced or restored with brand new, high- performance materials that are sympathetic to the historic fabric and to maximise operational sustainability. Replacement roof tiles have been carefully salvaged from Scottish heritage sites or sourced from working Welsh slate mines. • Modern accretions removed to reveal historic details in the restored galleries, allowing and through the development of a lighting strategy daylight has been reintroduced to the galleries while simultaneously reducing solar gain. • The museum features step-free, full level access directly from the street through the main entrance into a new entrance lobby. The interior of the building is fully accessible with lifts serving all public floors, ensuring unrestricted movement between the gallery spaces, exhibition zones, and amenities. 5.10 Kier continue to maintain an onsite presence to complete snagging works. These are programmed to avoid disruption to the fit-out progress. 5.11 Renfrewshire Council’s Facilities Management team and OneRen Estates team are working together on ensuring statutory and planned maintenance inspections which are scheduled in conjunction with the fitout contractor Hub Build. Page 116 of 130
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PUBLIC Left: New red drum entrance and replaced rooflights in Grade A-listed main building Right: West extension Garden Gallery with view to Observatory and Garden Exhibition Fitout and Install 5.12 Following a period of site set-up, the fitout contractor Hub Build commenced daily deliveries of setworks and showcases from the storage facility in Linwood. 5.13 The Exhibition Fit-out contract has progressed into all areas of the museum and nearing completion in 60% of the galleries. Sectional completion has been successfully achieved in the upper galleries of the Main Building and Coats Observatory. Both images: Click Netherfield, case manufacturer, install cases in the upper galleries ahead of object install. Object Preparation and Install Schedule 5.14 Approximately 80% of objects selected for display required conservation treatment. 23 separate conservation studios or individuals across the UK were contracted to conserve 1050 objects. All work has now been completed ahead of object install. 5.15 The completion of the conservation programme has benefited from several key national and international partnerships agreements with organisations such as the American Museum of Natural History, New York, The Royal Page 117 of 130
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PUBLIC Armouries, Leeds, The Centre for Textile Conservation (CTC), Glasgow and The People’s History Museum, Manchester. 5.16 Nearly 20% of conservation costs have been sourced from external grant bodies including Museums Galleries Scotland, the Henry Moore Foundation and the National Manuscript Conservation Trust. Left: Centre for Textile Conservation student with child’s dress prepared for display Right: Buddie the Lion crated ahead of move back to Museum 5.17 By the end of August, the majority of display objects have been packed in preparation for install. Ahead of the main install programme large or complex install objects have been moved to the museum. All object displays require multi-trades and specialist input in an increasingly complex building layout as display cases and display furniture fitout continues. Left: Museum team install Steven Campbell’s 3m long painting The Golden City Right: Dr Dan Coughlan completes the installation of the Jacquard Binary Loom Page 118 of 130
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PUBLIC Feedback and Recognition 5.18 In 2024 the project design won the Architecture Review’s Cultural Regeneration category at the Future Awards. The prestigious award recognises the significant role the project is playing in the town and wider region’s cultural regeneration. The shortlist included the Prado Museum in Madrid, the Shanghai Opera House, and the Bilbao Fine Arts Museum. 5.19 In 2026 the project secured its second major industry accolade winning Scotland’s top heritage project at the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) award. The project was shortlisted alongside The Canna House, The National Trust, Preston Tower Doocot, and John O’Groats Mill. The project will now go forward to compete at the RICS UK Grand Final in October. 5.20 The National Lottery Heritage Fund has been a major funder since 2017. Caroline Clark, Director for Scotland recently noted that: “The Paisley Museum project is a serious re-imagining of the role of the museum. It would be enough to deliver an international quality museum as a heritage destination, but this project has had the ambition to deliver much more and aim to fulfil a wider role, inherent to the vibrancy and wellbeing of Paisley. The design supports this approach, welcoming in the whole community whether to explore the collections or simply to enjoy the museum environment. There has been a deeply thoughtful and innovative approach to what a museum can offer the people of Paisley, and its visitors”. 5.21 International Museum Consultant Elaine Heumann Gurian has worked in museums for over 50 years including The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, The Children’s Museum, Boston, The Powerhouse Museum, Sydney, and Te Papa The National Museum of New Zealand. In 2004 the American Association of Museums honoured her with the Distinguished Service to Museums Awards, the most prestigious recognition in the American museum profession. Visiting Paisley last year she noted: “The impact is clear. It is going to make ‘place’ an important part of our conversation. This museum is using every inclusive technique they can think of to go about doing their work. Outsiders are going to come to watch how a real place for a real community works and have that joy spread to them as well’ 5.22 During February stakeholder site visits with local businesses were organised. Feedback was extremely positive with one business owner writing: “I have got to say I’m completely blown away by what has been done to the museum. The museum is state of the art but somehow and I don’t know how, you have all managed to keep that true feeling of Paisley, it’s a people’s place, it’s calm, it’s inviting, it’s exciting, it’s exactly what Paisley needs.” Page 119 of 130
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PUBLIC Community Engagement 5.23 The Schools Learning Programme has been co-created through work with every Primary school in Renfrewshire so that it meets the needs of local teachers and pupils. Over 500 primary and secondary pupils have been involved in the testing and development of activities. 5.24 As part of the development of the Museum’s public programme, over 70 local services, organisations and groups were consulted through an ‘Active Listening’ programme to ensure that the museum could serve their needs. 27 community and partner organisations involved in creating and testing new approaches to and creation of resources for audience engagement. Over 500 participants attended test events, workshops and coproduction activities. 5.25 The development of the main displays involved 2500 participations with direct engagement with over 600 people including consultation for research and content development purposes to the delivery and build of interpretation and interactives. 50 of the 88 displays have either been co-produced, or involved consultation with experts and audiences. Operational Readiness 5.26 OneRen has adopted an inclusive, informal, and community-focused approach to recruitment. Local community partners were asked for their advice on how to recruit in a way that removes barriers and gives everyone an equal opportunity to succeed. The result is a values-based approach that encourages open communication before the advert is live and an opportunity to demonstrate the value that individuals could bring the organisation in practical ways. 5.27 230 people attended the initial recruitment day information session held at Paisley Town Hall. Formal evaluation of the process has shown that the events successfully encouraged applications from those who attended, with particularly positive perceptions of the approach among disabled applicants, applicants with long-term health conditions and care-experienced applicants. 5.28 499 applications were received for the initial recruitment phase. Recruitment has now concluded for the majority of Visitor Operations staff including Visitor Assistants, Visitor Operations Supervisors, Visitor Operations Manager, Archivist and Retail Manager. Further recruitment for the Heritage Archive Centre staff will take place in August and September and a programme of training and familiarisation has been organised. Page 120 of 130
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PUBLIC 6. Update on reprovisioning of library services in Erskine 6.1 At its meeting on 18 June 2025, the Leadership Board considered an update paper relating to the Reshaping Renfrewshire programme, which included information relating to the current review of leisure and culture services commissioned by the Council and delivered by One Ren. The paper highlighted that the current lease for Erskine Library at Bridgewater Shopping Centre was due to expire in May 2026, and that the landlord had indicated that they would not be willing to extend the current lease beyond that date. 6.2 Whilst the provision of library services is a key element of the ongoing One Ren review process, it was recognised that a short to medium term solution would require to be identified to ensure that library provision in Erskine could continue whilst the wider review progresses. The report at that time, outlined that officers from One Ren and the Council would progress arrangements to commission new temporary modular buildings at the Erskine Sports Centre site, in order that these could support the reprovisioning of Erskine library when the current lease comes to an end. 6.3 Following a tendering exercise, a contract authorisation report was approved by the Finance, Resources and Customer Service Policy Board in November 2025 to award a contract to Portakabin in relation to these works. Due to procurement and legal issues, there was an extended period required to formally appoint Portkabin to install the temporary library facility at Erskine Sports Centre. This has had an impact on the previously planned project timescales, which had been set to allow for the new facility to be on site before the end of the current lease at Bridgwater Shopping Centre in May 2026. 6.4 In order to ensure there was no disruption or gap in library provision in Erskine, a short term extension of the current lease at Bridgwater Shopping Centre was put into place to allow additional time for the new buildings to be put into place and for One Ren to ensure all necessary statutory and operational arrangements were made to support the opening of the new facility. 6.5 Following completion of all regulatory processes, groundworks commenced at the site in August 2026, with the targeted date for installation of the new temporary building being mid-September 2026. A programme is now in place to formally decant the library facility to the temporary building, which will involve a short closure period. The decant will necessitate a short-term suspension of the provision of library services in Erskine. Officers will work with OneRen to endeavour to minimise the duration of the suspension. Engagement with the local community on the planned opening date for the new facility will be undertaken. Subject to final completion, this is being targeted for October 2026. 6.6 Ongoing updates will continue to be provided to ward members ahead of the opening date, with wider updates on the OneRen review being reported on a regular basis to Leadership Board. Page 121 of 130
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PUBLIC 7. Operational agreement – Community facilities within Paisley Grammar School Community Campus (PGSCC) 7.1 As elected members will be aware, Paisley Grammar School Community Campus opened on 20 August 2026 and provides facilities for community use, the co-ordination of which will be managed operationally by One Ren. This includes community rooms, the football pitch, gym hall and games hall, including at weekends and will be operational from 29 September 2026 (after September weekend) to allow the school and staff to settle in. OneRen have updated let holders and are currently recruiting staff to work at the facility. 7.2 In April 2026, elected members were asked to note that the current Services Agreement between One Ren and the Council will require to be updated to reflect this operational change, however, OneRen have agreed in principle to undertake this. Work has been undertaken to develop an initial operational agreement between the Council and One Ren which supports the day to day running of the community facilities, with agreements to be developed for formal approval by the Council and the OneRen Board. It is anticipated that this approach will be replicated to support operational arrangements at other facilities operated by One Ren within a shared campus arrangement. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – none within this report 2. HR & Organisational Development – None 3. Community/Council Planning – the projects and facilities highlighted within the report will provide a significant positive impact for specific local communities and on a Renfrewshire wide basis. 4. Legal – A service agreement is in place between OneRen and the Council which clearly identifies the requirements that OneRen must fulfil in relation to the service payment. As noted within the paper, this will require to be updated in light of the developments being progressed. 5. Property/Assets – As outlined in the paper, there a range of property related developments ongoing at present which require to be closely managed by OneRen and the Council. 6. Information Technology – not applicable 7. Equality & Human Rights – N/A 8. Health & Safety – not applicable 9. Procurement – not applicable Page 122 of 130
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PUBLIC 10. Risk – not applicable 11. Privacy Impact - not applicable 12. Climate Risk – not applicable 13. Children’s Rights – not applicable. 14. Cosla Policy Position – not applicable _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Laura McIntyre, Head of Policy and Partnerships Page 123 of 130
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PUBLIC ___________________________________________________________________ To: Leadership Board On: 16 September 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Renfrewshire’s Tourism Plan - Update ___________________________________________________________________ 1 Summary 1.1 The purpose of this report is to inform the Leadership Board of progress in delivery of Renfrewshire’s Tourism Today: Tourism Plan 2024 - 2027. Renfrewshires_Tourism_Today_-_Tourism_Plan.pdf 2 Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that the Board: (i) Notes the strong progress in actions supporting the delivery of the Renfrewshire Tourism Plan, as set out in Section 4; (ii) Notes that further progress on delivery of the plan, including a proposed review and refresh of priorities and actions, will be reported to the Board as appropriate. _________________________________________________________ 3 Background 3.1 Renfrewshire’s Tourism Plan 2024 – 2027 was approved by the Leadership Board in December 2023. Developed in consultation with national and local partners within the tourism and hospitality sectors, and endorsed by VisitScotland, the Plan sets out a range of themes and priorities to support the growth of the visitor economy across Renfrewshire. 3.2 Key priorities identified within the Plan include support for greater collaboration between public, private and third sector organisations, growing tourism opportunities in rural Renfrewshire and building on the strengths of Paisley as a destination and the gateway to wider Renfrewshire. Item 10 Page 125 of 130
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PUBLIC _______________________________________________________ 4 Tourism Plan – Progress 4.1 Strong progress has been made in delivering actions and supporting development of the Tourism Plan over the lifetime of the document. This has led to a 24% increase of the economic impact of tourism on the local economy since 2023, representing some £307.6m (Scottish Tourism Economic Activity Monitor figures). Key outcomes from the four key objectives identified within the plan are set out below. Tourism Industry Collaboration 4.2 Key outcomes include:- • The formation of an industry-led Tourism Leadership Group, chaired independently by the University of the West of Scotland and with membership representing attractions, accommodation providers, hospitality, events, third sector, public sector and VisitScotland. This has been crucial in driving forward priorities and actions identified within the Tourism Plan; • Establishment of the Renfrewshire Tourism Network (RTN), comprising approximately 200 contacts across the visitor economy. The network has facilitated regular engagement events, workshops, business referrals, collaborative opportunities and industry representation; • Direct support for businesses across the sector, with over 300 recorded business support interventions, referrals, introductions and networking opportunities. Emphasis has also been placed on facilitating collaboration between local businesses. Paisley 4.3 Key outcomes under this theme include:- • Collaboration with the Tourism Leadership Group and RTN in respect of destination marketing, communication and promotion of Paisley’s visitor and heritage offer. • Continuing investment in the £113m cultural infrastructure programme including completion of Paisley Town Hall, Paisley Arts Centre and with Paisley Museum’s refurbishment nearing completion. • Continued investment in events including Paisley Halloween, Food and Drink Festival and Sma’ Shot Day, most recently noted by this Board on 18 February 2026; • Development of a digital heritage trail for the Oakshaw area. Page 126 of 130
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PUBLIC Rural Renfrewshire 4.4 Key outcomes for historic towns and villages include:- • A series of infrastructure improvements at Castle Semple Visitor Centre, Lochwinnoch, including a new visitor hub and path enhancements, as well as the development of dark skies stargazing experiences in Muirshiel Country Park and Castle Semple; This has included projects from VisitScotland’s Rural Tourism Infrastructure Fund as well as commissions with the Glasgow Science Centre. In addition, RSPB Lochwinnoch has developed facilities using the Sustainable Communities Fund; • Successful programme of dark sky stargazing events in collaboration with OneRen, in addition to supporting and highlighting rural and agritourism experiences including engaging with Scottish Agritourism; • Completion of major external repair works at the Steeple Hall, Kilbarchan in February 2026, with a second phase of works focussing on the refurbishment and reconfiguration of the interior anticipated to begin in early 2027, with the aim of returning the building to sustainable use; • Securing funding from Historic Environment Scotland and National Lottery Heritage Fund to develop “Cornerstones”, a project to support the regeneration of Lochwinnoch town centre through investment in its built heritage and promotion of the village’s history, reported to the Economy and Regeneration Board of 26 May 2026; • Development of a Johnstone Heritage Trail celebrating the town’s rich heritage, as part of the wider Johnstone Town Centre Vision. The trail is anticipated to be launched in autumn 2026. Business Tourism and Trade Travel 4.5 Key outcomes supporting the plan’s business tourism theme include:- • Representation at VisitScotland Connect 2026, Scotland's premier travel trade event, facilitating approximately 250 business-to-business meetings with domestic and international tour operators and travel trade buyers, all also given wider destination messaging; • Funding and expert support for six local businesses to participate in Connect 2026, with three ‘familiarisation’ trips as part of the national event visiting Paisley Abbey, Paisley Museum and Mar Hall; • Hosting two VisitScotland PR visits from media organisations (UK and international), supporting increased awareness of Renfrewshire as a destination. Visitor Marketing 4.6 Visitor Marketing is identified as a cross-cutting theme in the Tourism Plan. 4.7 Key outcomes for Visitor Marketing are outlined below: Page 127 of 130
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PUBLIC • Following Leadership Board approval in April 2026, a two-year Discover Renfrewshire marketing and communications campaign has been developed to strengthen Renfrewshire's profile as a destination and increase engagement among local residents and regional visitors. • The campaign adopts a coordinated, place-based approach, bringing together the strengths of Renfrewshire's towns, villages, attractions and experiences under a shared narrative. The approach aims to encourage residents to explore more of the area, while supporting growth in regional visitation, dwell time and visitor spend. • The campaign has been informed by engagement with the tourism, leisure and cultural sectors and has received strong support from key partners, including the Renfrewshire Tourism Leadership Group and VisitScotland. It reflects a more collaborative model of destination marketing, with industry partners playing an active role in shaping and amplifying promotional activity. • Ongoing engagement with businesses, attractions and wider stakeholders will continue throughout the implementation period to ensure the campaign remains aligned with sector priorities, supports participation, and maximises opportunities for partnership working and shared promotion. Discover Renfrewshire marketing and communications activity will begin mid- September. Elected Members will be kept up-to-date with the development of the campaign and the key milestones. _________________________________________________________ 5 Next Steps 5.1 In partnership with the Tourism Leadership Group, a review of the Tourism Plan is anticipated to commence in late 2026. This will support a refresh of priorities and actions, ensuring that the strong progress to date is sustained and continues to enable a collaborative, sustainable and growing visitor economy across Renfrewshire. Development of the refreshed Plan will be reported to the Board as appropriate at a later date. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – None. The Tourism Plan is funded through existing approved Council Directorate budgets and arrangements with external organisations. 2. HR & Organisational Development - None 3. Community/Council Planning – 4. Legal – None 5. Property/Assets - None 6. Information Technology - None Page 128 of 130
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PUBLIC 7. Equality & Human Rights The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report because for example it is for noting only. 8. Health & Safety - None. 9. Procurement – None 10. Risk - None 11. Privacy Impact - None 12. COSLA Policy Position – Not Applicable. 13. Climate Risk – Not Applicable. 14. Children’s Rights – Not Applicable ________________________________________________________________ Background Papers (a) Renfrewshire’s Tourism Today – Tourism Plan 2024 – 2027, Leadership Board, 9 December 2023 (b) Council Event Planning and Programming, Leadership Board, 18 February 2026 (c) Visitor Marketing Campaign – Next Steps, Leadership Board, 29 April 2026 (d) Cornerstones Project, Lochwinnoch, Economy and Regeneration Board, 26 May 2026 (e) Regeneration Projects 2026, Economy and Regeneration Board, 25 August 2026 ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Euan Shearer, Regeneration and Place Manager euan.shearer@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 129 of 130
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