Agenda Document Pack - Leadership Board - 20/09/2023
Renfrewshire Council · 20 September 2023
Back to Leadership Board — 20 September 2023 and its agenda
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Notice of Meeting and Agenda Leadership Board Date Time Venue Wednesday, 20 September 2023 13:00 Council Chambers (Renfrewshire), Council Headquarters, Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley, PA1 1AN MARK CONAGHAN Head of Corporate Governance Membership Councillor Iain Nicolson (Convener): Councillor Jacqueline Cameron (Depute Convener): Councillor Alison Ann-Dowling: Councillor Michelle Campbell: Councillor Graeme Clark: Councillor Gillian Graham: Councillor Neill Graham: Councillor Anne Hannigan: Councillor Alec Leishman: 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. Page 1 of 128
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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 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 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. Page 2 of 128
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Budget Monitoring 1 Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring Report Joint report by Chief Executive, Director of Finance & Resources and Chief Finance Officer Renfrewshire HSCP 5 - 18 Fairer Renfrewshire 2 Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-committee Minute of meeting of the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-committee held on 6 September 2023 19 - 22 3 Fairer Renfrewshire Update Report by Chief Executive 23 - 44 Strategic Planning 4 Community Planning - Six-monthly Update Report by Chief Executive 45 - 58 5 Adult Social Care: Six-monthly Update Report by Chief Officer, Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership 59 - 74 6 Migration and Asylum Update Report by Chief Executive 75 - 82 Community Planning and Empowerment 7 Sustainable Communities Fund Report by Chief Executive 83 - 96 Page 3 of 128
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Tourism and Events 8 Consultation on the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill Report by Director of Finance & Resources 97 - 128 Page 4 of 128
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To: Leadership Board On: 20 September 2023 Report by: Chief Executive, Director of Finance and Resources, and Chief Finance Officer Renfrewshire HSCP Heading: Revenue and Capital Budget Monitoring as at 23 June 2023 1. Summary of Financial Position 1.1. The projected revenue outturn at 23 June 2023 for those services reporting to the Leadership Board is an underspend of £0.008m. 1.2. The projected capital outturn at 23 June 2023 for projects reporting to the Leadership Board is a breakeven position against the revised budget for the year. 1.3. This is summarised in the table below and further analysis is provided in the Appendices. Table 1: Revenue Division Revised Annual Budget £000 Projected Annual Outturn £000 Budget Variance (Adv)/Fav £000 Budget Variance % Adult Services 97,537 97,537 0 0% Chief Executives 19,541 19,533 8 0% Total 117,078 117,070 8 0% Table 2: Capital Division Revised Annual Budget £000 Projected Annual Outturn £000 Budget Variance (Adv)/Fav £000 Budget Variance % Chief Executives 66,150 66,150 0 0% Leisure Services 2,186 2,186 0 0% Total 68,336 68,336 0 0% Item 1 Page 5 of 128
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2. Recommendations 2.1. Members are requested to: (a) Note the projected Revenue outturn position detailed in Table 1 above; (b) Note the projected Capital outturn position detailed in Table 2 above; and (c) Note the budget adjustments detailed at sections 4 and 6. 3. Revenue 3.1. The Revenue Budget Monitoring report at Appendix 1 identifies a projected annual underspend of £0.008m for all services reporting to this Board. Detailed division reports can be found in Appendix 2, along with an explanation of any significant projected variance. 3.2. The projected outturn is based on information currently available and assumptions made by service budget holders. 3.3. The main reasons for the projected outturn position are indicated in the appendices showing both the subjective analysis (what the budget is spent on) and the objective analysis (which division is spending the budget). 4. Revenue Budget Adjustments 4.1. Members are requested to note, from Appendix 1, that budget adjustments totalling £2.804 million have been processed since the budget was approved in March 2023. These relate principally to: +£3.370m reallocated from Miscellaneous Services to Adult Services for Adult Social Care Living Wage funding for 2023/24; -£0.088m transferred from Adult Services to Finance and Resources for ICT software costs; and -£0.460m adjustment reflecting the transfer of the Marketing and Communications savings achieved under the Right for Renfrewshire programme to Miscellaneous Services. 5. Capital 5.1. The Capital Investment Programme 2023/24 to 2027/28 was approved by the Council on 2 March 2023. 5.2. For the Chief Executive’s Service, the revised capital spend for 2023/24 is £66.150m (£73.719m approved). For Leisure Services, the revised capital spend for 2023/24 is £2.086m (£1.725m approved). 5.3. Further details can be found in Appendix 3. Item 1 Page 6 of 128
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6. Capital Budget Adjustments 6.1. Since the 2023/24 budget was approved in March, budget adjustments totalling (£7.208m) have arisen, being £0.361m for Leisure Services and (£7.569m) for Chief Executive Services, as follows: Leisure Services Budget brought forward from 2022/23 into 2023/24 (£0.161m): o Community Halls Refurbishment: (£0.161m) Budget increase for 2023/24 (£0.200m) o Linwood Running Track: arising from £0.200m approved in the Budget Motion by the Council in March 2023. Chief Executives Budget brought forward from 2022/23 into 2023/24 (£0.495m) based on updated cashflows for the following projects: o Glasgow Airport Investment Area: (£0.294m); o Clyde Waterfront and Renfrew Riverside: (-£4.599m); due to reprofiling in line with the submitted contractor cashflow. o GAIA Regeneration: (£1.891m) o AMIDS Public Realm Phase 1: (£0.337m) o AMIDS District Heating Network: (£0.830m) o AIMIDS South: (£0.752m). Budget carried back into 2022/23 from 2023/24 (£7.074m) o Clyde Waterfront and Renfrew Riverside: (£7.074m): ___________________________________________________________________ Item 1 Page 7 of 128
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Implications of this report 1. Financial The projected budget outturn position for the revenue budget reported to the Leadership Board is an underspend of £0.008m. Income and expenditure will continue to be monitored closely for the rest of the financial year and, where necessary, steps will be taken to mitigate any overspend. The projected outturn position for capital budgets reported to the Leadership Board is breakeven. The Capital programme will continue to be monitored closely for the rest of the financial year. 2. HR and Organisational Development None directly arising from this report. 3. Community/Council Planning None directly arising from this report. 4. Legal None directly arising from this report. 5. Property/Assets Capital projects will result in new assets (City Deal) and refurbishment, and improvement to Cultural Infrastructure and Public Realm assets. 6. Information Technology None directly arising from this report. 7. Equality and 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. 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 and Safety None directly arising from this report. 9. Procurement None directly arising from this report. Item 1 Page 8 of 128
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10. Risk The risk that the Council will overspend its approved budgets for the year will be managed at a Council-wide level by the Chief Executive and Directors. 11. Privacy Impact None directly arising from this report. 12. Cosla Policy Position N/a. 13. Climate Risk None directly arising from this report. __________________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers Revenue Budget and Council Tax 2023/24, Council 2 March 2023 Non Housing Capital Investment Programme, Prudential Framework and Treasury Management Strategy, and Capital Strategy 2023/24 – 2027/28, Council 2 March 2023 __________________________________________________________________ Authors: Revenue - Valerie Howie, Finance Business Partner / Alison Burns, Corporate Finance Manager Capital – Linsey McGregor, Capital Accountant Item 1 Page 9 of 128
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Appendix 1 Objective Summary Approved Annual Budget Budget Adjustments Revised Annual Budget at Period 3 Projected Outturn £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 % Adult Services 94,264 3,273 97,537 97,537 0 0.0% Chief Executive's Service 20,010 (469) 19,541 19,533 8 0.0% NET EXPENDITURE 114,274 2,804 117,078 117,070 8 0.0% Subjective Summary Approved Annual Budget Budget Adjustments Revised Annual Budget at Period 3 Projected Outturn £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employees 41,462 1,696 43,158 43,155 3 0.0% Premises Related 807 (30) 777 777 0 0.0% Transport Related 836 (17) 819 819 0 0.0% Supplies and Services 16,168 1,407 17,575 17,572 3 0.0% Third Party Payments 75,589 4,376 79,965 79,965 0 0.0% Transfer Payments 7,322 (2,520) 4,802 4,801 1 0.0% Support Services 74 0 74 74 0 0.0% Depreciation and Impairment Losses 0 0 0 0 0 0.0% GROSS EXPENDITURE 142,258 4,912 147,170 147,163 7 0.0% Income (27,984) (2,108) (30,092) (30,093) 1 0.0% NET EXPENDITURE 114,274 2,804 117,078 117,070 8 0.0% RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL REVENUE BUDGET MONITORING STATEMENT 2023/24 1 April 2023 to 23 June 2023 Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable POLICY BOARD : LEADERSHIP BOARD Item 1 Page 11 of 128
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Appendix 2 Objective Summary Approved Annual Budget Budget Adjustments Revised Annual Budget at Period 3 Projected Outturn £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 % Older People 61,356 870 62,226 62,226 0 0.0% Physical or Sensory Difficulties 7,492 374 7,866 7,866 0 0.0% Learning Difficulties 20,966 1,971 22,937 22,937 0 0.0% Mental Health Needs 3,794 48 3,842 3,842 0 0.0% Addiction Services 656 10 666 666 0 0.0% NET EXPENDITURE 94,264 3,273 97,537 97,537 0 0.0% Objective Heading Older People Physical or Sensory Difficulties Learning Difficulties Mental Health Needs Addiction Services No significant projected year end variances to report. Key Reasons for Projected Variance No significant projected year end variances to report. No significant projected year end variances to report. RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL REVENUE BUDGET MONITORING STATEMENT 2023/24 1 April 2023 to 23 June 2023 Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable POLICY BOARD : LEADERSHIP BOARD ‐ ADULT SERVICES No significant projected year end variances to report. No significant projected year end variances to report. Item 1 Page 13 of 128
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Appendix 2 Subjective Summary Approved Annual Budget Budget Adjustments Revised Annual Budget at Period 3 Projected Outturn £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employees 37,537 1,567 39,104 39,104 0 0.0% Premises Related 434 (30) 404 404 0 0.0% Transport Related 835 (17) 818 818 0 0.0% Supplies and Services 1,962 1,637 3,599 3,599 0 0.0% Third Party Payments 75,589 4,376 79,965 79,965 0 0.0% Transfer Payments 5,246 (2,269) 2,977 2,977 0 0.0% Support Services 70 0 70 70 0 0.0% Depreciation and Impairment Losses 0 0 0 0 0 0.0% GROSS EXPENDITURE 121,673 5,264 126,937 126,937 0 0.0% Income (27,409) (1,991) (29,400) (29,400) 0 0.0% NET EXPENDITURE 94,264 3,273 97,537 97,537 0 0.0% 1 April 2023 to 23 June 2023 RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL REVENUE BUDGET MONITORING STATEMENT 2023/24 POLICY BOARD : LEADERSHIP BOARD ‐ ADULT SERVICES Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable Item 1 Page 14 of 128
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Appendix 2 Objective Summary Approved Annual Budget Budget Adjustments Revised Annual Budget at Period 3 Projected Outturn £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 % Chief Executive and Management 283 (1) 282 279 3 1.1% Policy and Commissioning 3,467 (5) 3,462 3,459 3 0.1% Marketing and Communications 3,641 (463) 3,178 3,176 2 0.1% City Deal & Infrastructure 0 0 0 0 0 0.0% Leisure Services (incl Renfrewshire Leisure) 12,619 0 12,619 12,619 0 0.0% NET EXPENDITURE 20,010 (469) 19,541 19,533 8 0.0% Objective Heading Chief Executive and Management Policy and Commissioning Marketing and Communications City Deal & Infrastructure Leisure Services (incl Renfrewshire Leisure) 1 April 2023 to 23 June 2023 POLICY BOARD : LEADERSHIP BOARD ‐ CHIEF EXECUTIVE'S SERVICE REVENUE BUDGET MONITORING STATEMENT 2023/24 No significant projected year end variances to report. No significant projected year end variances to report. RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL No significant projected year end variances to report. Key Reasons for Projected Variance No significant projected year end variances to report. No significant projected year end variances to report. Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable Item 1 Page 15 of 128
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Appendix 2 Subjective Summary Approved Annual Budget Budget Adjustments Revised Annual Budget at Period 3 Projected Outturn £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employees 3,925 129 4,054 4,051 3 0.1% Premises Related 373 0 373 373 0 0.0% Transport Related 1 0 1 1 0 0.0% Supplies and Services 14,206 (230) 13,976 13,973 3 0.0% Third Party Payments 0 0 0 0 0 0.0% Transfer Payments 2,076 (251) 1,825 1,824 1 0.1% Support Services 4 0 4 4 0 0.0% Depreciation and Impairment Losses 0 0 0 0 0 0.0% GROSS EXPENDITURE 20,585 (352) 20,233 20,226 7 0.0% Income (575) (117) (692) (693) 1 0.1% NET EXPENDITURE 20,010 (469) 19,541 19,533 8 0.0% Budget Variance (Adverse) or Favourable POLICY BOARD : LEADERSHIP BOARD ‐ CHIEF EXECUTIVE'S SERVICE 1 April 2023 to 23 June 2023 RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL REVENUE BUDGET MONITORING STATEMENT 2023/24 Item 1 Page 16 of 128
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___________________________________________________________________ To: Leadership Board On: 20 September 2023 ___________________________________________________________________ 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. 1.2 This paper provides a summary of the key headline issues relating to the cost-of-living crisis locally, as reported to the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee on 6 September 2023. 1.3 Specific updates are provided in relation to: • The launch of enhanced schools advice and family advice models • The summer holiday activity and food programme • The launch of the next phase of the Winter Connections Programme • Applications received in relation to the relaunched Community Food Fund in August 2023 and development of the Fair Food Partnership • The Alcohol and Drugs Change programme element of Fairer Renfrewshire. 1.4 Officers continue to work with partners to progress the Fairer Renfrewshire programme. Priority actions over the next quarter include: • Progressing a ‘deep dive’ data exercise around child poverty as a Community Planning Partnership, focussing on the six priority family groups. • Developing the Fair Food Renfrewshire partnership, using the Sustainable Food Places toolkit and hosting a meeting of the recently established steering group. • Continuing the evaluation of projects within Tackling Poverty Programme and exploring future options with services around required priorities going forward. • Launch of this year’s Winter Connections programme. Item 3 Page 23 of 128
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• Development of the poverty and participation test of change, working alongside the newly established lived experience panel to develop recommendations and the shape of future work. ___________________________________________________________________ 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; • Approve the award of £25,000 of funding from the Community Food Fund in line with the officer panel recommendations and information detailed in Appendix 1 • Note the update provided on the summer holiday activity and food programme, and to homologate the allocation of additional grant funding as detailed in Appendix 2; and • Approve the guidance for the Winter Connections 2023/24 programme and associated implementation arrangements as detailed in section 7 and Appendix 3. • Agree the allocation of £164,745 from the Alcohol and Drugs Change Programme budget to extend the delivery of projects within the Programme, as detailed in Section 8. • Agree £10,000 of funding from the Recovery Change Fund budget to be redirected to supplement the Winter Connections Programme, as detailed in Section 8. ___________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 As elected members will be aware through previous updates to the Leadership Board, the Council is in the process of developing and delivering the Fairer Renfrewshire Programme. This brings together all previous programmes that have been developed to tackle the inequalities that exist across Renfrewshire’s communities, including those relating to poverty, alcohol and drugs and COVID recovery, with an immediate focus on the local response to the deepening cost-of-living crisis. 3.2 The Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee continues to meet to provide oversight of all related activities being undertaken, with the latest meeting being held on 6 September 2023. A Fairer Renfrewshire Officer Group has also been established which currently meets monthly and is chaired by the Head of Policy and Partnerships. 3.3 At its meeting on 6 September 2023, the sub-committee considered: • The most recent programme update including information on recent statistics and research in relation to the cost of living crisis. • Updates in relation to launch of new dedicated schools advice provision which is being piloted in Renfrewshire, the Community Food Fund and Fair Food Renfrewshire Partnership and the Fairer Renfrewshire lived experience panel. • Initial information on the summer holiday activity and food programme. Item 3 Page 24 of 128
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3.4 In terms of key statistics highlighted at the meeting of the sub-committee it is worth noting: • The rate of inflation is falling, but remains high at 6.8% (July 23), from 7.9% in June 23. • The inflation rate for food has reduced, however remains high at 14.9% for the year to July 23, down from 17.3% in the year to June 23. • To help slow price rises, on 3 August 2023 the Bank of England increased interest rates to 5.25%, the highest in 15 years and the 14th rise in a row. This has adversely affected mortgage holders and private renters as well as businesses. • The Bank of England estimates that around half of mortgages held by owners who live in their properties (4 million) will be exposed to higher rates in 2023 (this includes those on variable rate mortgages as well as those whose fixed rates expire) • Ofgem announced on 25 August 2023 that the Energy Price Cap, originally introduced by Ofgem in January 2019 to set limits on the underlying rates energy suppliers, will be reduced to £1923 from 1 October 2023. This announcement brings down the typical dual fuel bill to less than £2,000 for the first time since April 2022, however in the winter of 2021, households typically paid £1,277 a year so prices are still much higher. 4. Programme Updates 4.1 Since the last update to Leadership Board in June 2023, a range of activities have continued to be progressed by officers and partners. A summary is provided in the sections below. Advice services 4.2 Further to previous updates, the new Schools Advice Service, called the ‘School Support Service’ is now in place across all Renfrewshire secondary schools. This service, provided by Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau (RCAB), embeds advice workers across all secondary schools in Renfrewshire including Additional Support Needs settings. Referrals can be received by pupils over 16, the parent/carer of any pupils, school staff on behalf of families or schools staff themselves. 4.3 To promote the service, leaflets were provided to all our ‘Summer of Fun’ locations, including all libraries. RCAB have also produced social media posts and the service is detailed on their website. The Council’s Ren10 service has been updated to show information about the School Support Service too. Further Council promotion of the service will commence now the new academic year has begun. 4.4 The first appointments were booked prior to schools returning from their summer break, and the initial rota for bookings will be monitored closely to ensure best use of resource, and changes made if necessary. 4.5 Complementary to this, work is underway to launch the family advice service within Advice Works. As a starting point for this work, as part of the process for applying for Free School meals or School Clothing Grants, applicants were given some information about the Advice Works service and asked three questions: • Would you like an advice worker to check you are getting all the benefits that you are entitled to? • Do you find it difficult to pay your debts? Item 3 Page 25 of 128
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• Do you think you would find some advice on money management helpful? Where an applicant ticked ‘yes’ to any of these questions, an advice worker would get in touch. 4.6 As a result of this exercise, 1,099 clients have been referred to Advice Works by mid- August, of which 435 have had no previous contact with Advice Works and are brand new to the service. Advice Works are progressing the referrals and have contacted 393 of these, with 140 now engaged with the service. 4.7 The family advice service will work alongside early years and primary school settings, complementary to the advice service for secondary schools, and will focus on families of younger children to maximise household income through income advice, but also seeks to increase take-up of wider supports provided by the Council for families, for example, free school meals, school clothing grants or employability supports for parents. A key initial focus for the team will be Free School Meal uptake, as well as reaching out to support families with School Meal Debt. Fair Food Renfrewshire 4.8 Following on from the Fair Food Renfrewshire meeting held in May 2023, a Vision and Charter were developed for the initiative and an initial draft of these documents circulated to attendees and those who had shown an interest in being part of Fair Food Renfrewshire for comment. A draft Terms of Reference was discussed and agreed by the Steering Group at its first meeting on 1st September 2023. 4.9 The Steering Group, chaired by Renfrewshire’s Food Champion, Laura McIntyre (Head of Policy and Partnerships) is made up of members from Renfrewshire Council, Renfrewshire HSCP, Engage Renfrewshire, NHSGGC and Renfrewshire Foodbank, as well as local business Barnhill Farm, with engagement ongoing to obtain further input from food businesses. 4.10 Nourish Scotland continues to support this work in Renfrewshire, which is based on the Sustainable Food Places Toolkit. Lived Experience Panel 4.11 The Fairer Renfrewshire panel, continues to meet with officers across Council services to ensure the voice of those with lived experience of poverty informs Council’s policy and practice. 4.12 Over the summer period, drafting of a Working Agreement, setting down how the Panel, the Council, and STAR Project which supports the Panel should work together, commenced and is in the final stages of agreement. A work plan is also being developed to ensure priority topics for the Panel and for the Council are discussed. 4.13 The Panel also met with officers from Housing to discuss issues such as allocations and repairs, housing being one of the Panel’s initial priorities. A further meeting also took place with officers from the Council’s employability service, Invest in Renfrewshire at the request of Invest, who want to understand better how they can reach and support those who are not Item 3 Page 26 of 128
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working or in low paid jobs, especially within their priority groups which include parents, those with disabilities and health conditions and young people. 5. Community Food Fund 5.1 The Community Food Fund aims to support organisations based in Renfrewshire that are developing or running projects to provide food to our local community. As agreed at Leadership Board on 14 June 2023, additional funding of £10,000 from Fairer Renfrewshire funding was allocated to top up the remaining £15,000 available within the Community Food Fund. It was subsequently agreed that the Fund would reopen following the summer recess. 5.2 Grant guidance was updated during the summer period and applications opened in August, with funding of £4,000 available per application. The fund closed on 28 August 2023, and all applications received were considered by an officer panel comprising of representatives from the Council. Engage and the HSCP. 5.3 The panel has recommended that 11 applications are approved, totalling £25,000. Subject to the approval of the Leadership Board, officers will make arrangements to award the grant funding as soon as possible to all successful applicants. Full details of the applications received and resultant recommendations are attached at Appendix 1. 6. Summer holiday activity and food programme 6.1 Further to updates to the Leadership Board in March and June 2023, work was undertaken to deliver a summer holiday programme in Renfrewshire. Core funding of £100,000 was initially allocated to support this programme through the Fairer Renfrewshire programme, with a focus on providing support over the holiday period to low income families. £20,000 of funding was also allocated from the Future Paisley programme to enhance cultural experiences over the summer period for low income households. The Fairer Renfrewshire Lived Experience Panel played a key role in directing how this funding could be utilised. 6.2 At Leadership Board in March 2023, delegated authority was granted to the Head of Policy and Partnerships to develop and implement the summer programme in consultation with the Council Leader. Further to this, at the Leadership Board on 14 June 2023 it was agreed that £25,000 of the £100,000 funding available, would be allocated to support a small grants fund pilot to operate for Summer 2023. Members of the board also agreed that delegated authority should be provided to the to the Head of Policy and Partnerships to award grants in line with application guidance, in order to ensure that this funding could be distributed as quickly as possible to enable summer activity provision. 6.3 Further to this, in late June 2023, officers were formally advised that £4m of funding would be made available by the Scottish Government to enhance summer holiday and food provision nationally. Renfrewshire was allocated £120,655 for this purpose. Item 3 Page 27 of 128
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6.4 In order to maximise the available funding within the time period available, officers worked with partners to significantly extend planned provision across Renfrewshire. As part of this process and following engagement with the Council Leader/Depute Leader, the funding which was allocated to support the small grants fund pilot was specifically topped up from £25,000 to £55,000 to enable expansion of the programme at pace. Members of the Board are asked to note and homologate that decision. 6.5 An evaluation of the summer programme is currently being undertaken, in order to ensure any learning for potential future programmes is captured and understood. Initial data in terms of attendance has been exceptionally positive across many of the different aspects of the programme. • The Community Learning and Development (CLAD) team worked with other partner agencies including Street Stuff with a range of fun and interactive activities with arts & crafts, clay making and painting, drumming, multi-sport and fun games in Ferguslie, Foxbar, Gallowhill, Renfrew, Linwood and Johnstone. The children benefited from a fun day on the last week of the camps with a party including face painting and fun games. There were almost 4,500 recorded attendances with children and young people having a great time and benefiting from a healthy meal. • Street Stuff continued to deliver their core programme of activities in the evenings Monday - Saturday for young people aged 8 – 16 throughout the summer holidays which also included the provision of healthy food funded from Fairer Renfrewshire. Activities included multi-sports and the games buses with ps4 games, Dj decks and having the ability to mix with friends and listen to music and play fun and interactive games. • Sessions were delivered to young people from Mary Russell school 1 day per week during July by the Youth Services Team, with activities delivered such Print Screen Painting, General Arts and Crafts and Sports Activities • The Adult and Family Learning team delivered a weekly programme of fun, games and lunch in Moorpark Leaning Centre, Southend Action Centre, West Johnstone Shared Campus and the Tannahill Centre throughout July. 47 families were involved in the activities with 49 adults and 93 children participating. • Funding was allocated to One Ren to extend their existing summer provision across the library service. The additional funding was able to support the provision of giant games, Lego and marble run sessions in libraries, storytelling sessions, mini-zoo’s and the provision of drinks and snacks for selected activities 6.6 As highlighted in section 6.4, in £55,000 was allocated to the Summer of Fun small grants fund for community organisations to deliver activities over the summer holidays which could reach communities that might be underserved by mainstream activities, particularly low- income families. 6.7 Grants of up to £5,000 were available to cover costs such as venues, activity costs, sessional staff or volunteer expenses, food, or items to reduce costs for families such as transport. Applications were considered for single events or programmes of activities, designed for whole families or for children and young people of a range of ages. Item 3 Page 28 of 128
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6.8 All projects had to agree to the following principles : • Activities must be free, with no hidden or additional costs • Healthy snacks should be provided, or lunch if full day activities • Activities should be inclusive, welcoming, respectful and safe • Compliant with requirements around safeguarding, child protection and food hygiene as appropriate • Able or willing to provide connections to other services and supports 6.9 Smaller awards of up to £500 were also available for organisations with existing activities over the summer to provide healthy snacks or food, however no organisation applied for this. 6.10 Overall 17 projects were funded through Summer of Fun, to a total of £53841.60. The fund was very oversubscribed, and it was not possible to approve all applications received. A wide range of activities for children and young people of all ages have been provided through the funding, all of which provided food/drinks. These included: • Toddler play sessions • Costs of trips to allow families to make memories together • STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Maths) sessions • Summer Playschemes for low-income, working parents offering free childcare • Free outdoor activities in local parks • Drama • Sports activities 6.11 In addition Future Paisley funded 3 projects which were arts based. Outspoken Arts, RIG Arts and Brick Lane were funded to provide activities, whilst a range of providers were also commissioned using this funding to enhance the activities available through the summer holiday camps, ensuring that as many children as possible were able to enjoy and benefit from cultural experiences and activities. 6.12 Information on the applications reviewed through the Summer of Fun grants programme, including all relevant recommendations, is provided within Appendix 2 to this report. 6.13 A full evaluation of the summer programme will be submitted to the Communities and Housing Board in October 2023. Elected members are also asked to note that an October holiday programme will be delivered utilising previously allocated Tackling Poverty funding. 7 Winter Connections 7.1 Recognising the success of the Winter Connections programme for 2022/23, at Leadership Board of 14 June, £75,000 of Fairer Renfrewshire funding was allocated to support the delivery of a Winter Connections programme for 23/24. It was further agreed that authority be delegated to the Head of Policy and Partnerships to award grants in line with the guidance which would be developed for the Winter Connections programme. Elected members are asked to note the proposal outlined in Section 8, that £10,000 of previous allocated funding through the Alcohol and Drugs Change Programme be reallocated to top up Winter Connections funding, ensuring that the Winter Connections programme also supports work to challenge stigma and support recovery in Renfrewshire. Item 3 Page 29 of 128
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7.2 Taking account of the evaluation of last year’s programme, it is intended to commence the process earlier this year to allow organisations more time to plan and set up their activities. Guidance has been drafted as detailed at Appendix 3, and if approved by Leadership Board, it is intended that the funding will go live for applications from 22 September, with awards being made from October 2023. 7.3 A panel consisting of officers from Renfrewshire Council, Renfrewshire HSCP and Engage Renfrewshire will scrutinise applications and make recommendations to the Head of Policy and Partnerships on funding awards. As with last year’s programme, the panel will be looking to support activities across all parts of Renfrewshire. 7.4 Where possible, organisations involved should offer warm drinks, snacks or food along with activities and supporting the Winter Connections programme. 8. Alcohol and Drugs Change Programme 8.1 Regular updates on the implementation of the programme have been provided to Leadership Board, since its establishment in response to the Alcohol and Drugs Commission report and recommendations. 8.2 A change programme is currently being delivered through the £2m funding allocated by Council in 2020, with £1.66m currently allocated. Work has been ongoing to review spend across existing projects, and to progress evaluation of all initiatives over the next 6 month period. The Programme Board have identified the requirement to support short term funding extensions across three areas of the programme, in order to allow them to better understand the longer-term impact of their interventions, develop funding exit strategies and continue to support the ongoing governance arrangements for the programme. These are highlighted in the table below and it is recommended that a further £164,745 of funding is allocated as follows: Project Original Allocation Budget Remaining Proposed additional Funding Current Position FIRST Crisis – Alcohol and Drugs £160,000 £23,847 £26,643 The project is due to cease in October 2023. The additional funding will allow the project to continue with in-hours and out of hours service for individuals experiencing a crisis in their mental health in relation to their drug and alcohol use until 18 April 2024. This will also provide additional time for the service to further embed their learning with the existing RAMH staff. MyLA - My Life Ahead £200,000 £0 £100,000 The project is due to cease October 2023. It is proposed that by extending this housing-led holistic wraparound support service by a further year it will allow a more accurate assessment of the impact it is having on the individuals it supports in sustaining settled housing. Programme Governance / Lead Officer £100,000 £0 £38,102 It is proposed to extend the project initially until 31 March 2024. This will ensure that the Alcohol and Drugs Change Programme continue to be fully supported and that all funded projects and initiatives are delivered. Item 3 Page 30 of 128
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Project Original Allocation Budget Remaining Proposed additional Funding Current Position TOTAL £460,000 £23,847 £164,745 Recovery Change Fund 8.3 As agreed by the Leadership Board in April 2023, a review of the Recovery Change Fund (£150,000 allocated December 2020) was undertaken over the summer by the Alcohol and Drugs Programme Board. The review included looking at the delivery of the Fund; the local and national funding landscape related to alcohol and drugs and how this has developed over the years since the original allocation of funding; and feedback from groups that received funded. 8.4 The Alcohol and Drugs Programme Board considered recommendations on the future of the funding stream, given the relatively low response - £51,791 was allocated across six projects (previously seven, however a project had difficulty recruiting and didn’t progress). It is proposed that there is potential to link the remaining funding into current funding streams focused on community activities which support those in recovery. As a result, it is recommended that £10,000 of the balance of Recovery Change Funding is redirected into the Winter Connections Programme, with the remaining balance being returned to the programme funding. The Alcohol and Drugs Programme Board will continue explore other opportunities and seek approval from the Leadership Board in relation to further opportunities to support recovery in Renfrewshire. 9 Next steps 9.1 Officers continue to work with partners to progress the Fairer Renfrewshire programme. Priority actions over the next quarter include: • Progressing a ‘deep dive’ data exercise around child poverty as a Community Planning Partnership, focussing on the six priority family groups. • Developing the Fair Food Renfrewshire partnership, using the Sustainable Food Places toolkit and hosting a meeting of the recently established steering group. • Continuing the evaluation of projects within Tackling Poverty Programme and exploring future options with services around required priorities going forward. • Launch of this year’s Winter Connections programme. • Development of the poverty and participation test of change, working alongside the newly established lived experience panel to develop recommendations and the shape of future work. ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – is paper provides an update on the allocation of funding through the Summer of Fun and Community Food Fund, previously agreed by Leadership Board. It also seeks approval to allocate £175k to support projects through the Alcohol and Drugs Change programme. Item 3 Page 31 of 128
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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 provides an overview of the position around household income and expenditure, and is for noting. As such there are no impacts arising from the recommendation of this paper. It is however important to note that impacts on households explored within this paper are likely to be disproportionately felt by equality groups. 8. Health and Safety - none 9. Procurement – none 10. Risk – none 11. Privacy Impact – none 12. COSLA Policy Position – none 13. Climate Risk – none ___________________________________________________________________ Author: Laura McIntyre, Head of Policy and Partnerships Item 3 Page 32 of 128
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Appendix 1 – Community Food fund recommendations Community Food Fund Applications Applications recommended for an award Organisation Area Funding Requested Summary of Project Funding proposed for approval Johnstone Castle Learning Centre Johnstone £4,000 Johnstone Castle Learning Centre Funding will allow JCLC to deliver a new service for families they currently engage with. Young people will identify recipes and types of food that they would like to learn how to cook. This will educate young people about budgeting and basic cooking skills. The young people will receive copies of the recipes at the end of the project so they can continue to cook at home. Meals cooked during each session can be taken home and shared with their families. Funding would cover staffing costs and ingredients. They currently engage with 170-180 young people each week. £2,000 Renfrew YMCA Renfrew £2,600 Supporting Renfrew Renfrew YMCA have applied for funding to enable them to provide additional food provision within their sessions. They plan to run cooking classes which will form part of their youth club sessions. Young people will cook healthy, filling meals and learn how to do this on budget. They will be given the opportunity to sit down and eat the meal during the session. The young people will also be provided with a recipe card to take home. £2,400 REEM (Renfrewshire Effort to Empower Minorities) Paisley £3,100 Cost of Living REEM seek funding to set up weekly cooking classes for BAME households. The project will encourage people to get involved with community gardens and will offer one-to- one support for marginalised individuals suffering poor mental health and/or domestic abuse (individuals will be signposted to external agencies for professional advice and support). REEM also intend to teach service users about budgeting and will purchase a bulk order of food to deliver to households and will link with community gardens to provide fresh fruit and vegetables. The project seeks to support 75 BAME households. Funding would allow the group to hire a chef to run the cooking classes, cover volunteer and travel expenses, purchase bulk food and hire a hall. £1,820 Item 3 Page 33 of 128
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Local Energy Action Plan (LEAP) Lochwinnoch £4,000 Supporting Rural Renfrewshire LEAP run a Community Larder in Lochwinnoch which engages with over 1,300 individuals across the wider area. They also deliver food parcels on a weekly basis to vulnerable households. They have applied for funding to renew their joint FareShare membership via their partner organisation, Darkwood Crew who are based in Ferguslie Park. Funding is also being sought to cover travel costs to transport the food from the Tannahill Centre (central distribution centre for this FareShare membership) to Lochwinnoch. In addition to this, £1,500 has been requested to purchase non- perishable food to top-up the Community Larder. £3,000 Renfrewshire Rainbow Buddies Paisley £3,500 Cooking Kids and Me Renfrewshire Rainbow Buddies have applied for funding to allow them to deliver cooking sessions for adults and their children. The sessions would teach families how to cook a healthy meal on a low budget. One 2-hour session will be delivered each week. Nine 3-week blocks will be delivered with 9 families attending each block. Therefore, the sessions would aim to reach 81 families. Sessions will be offered at varying times to increase accessibility. Funding has been requested to cover the cost of kitchenware, hall hire, bulk purchase of food, a chef and cookbooks. £3,000 KLAS Care C.I.C. Linwood £1,000 Help Me Grow KLAS Care have a small growing ground and they would like to educate families about zero waste by growing their own food such as tomatoes, potatoes and carrots. They will also access food that would be going to landfill. They currently work with children to produce recipes and would like to expand this to include a multi-cultural approach. Funding has been requested to host cooking courses in their own premises using their own produce. £850 Ferguslie Seniors Paisley £4,000 Ferguslie Seniors Lunch Club Ferguslie Seniors Lunch club operates three times per week- Monday, Tuesday and Thursday, 11am-2pm. The project aims to tackle food insecurity, fuel poverty and isolation and loneliness amongst those aged 55 and over. The group currently has 35 members and has a £3 weekly member subscription which funds the meals, social activities and excursions. However, the group would like to make this charge optional to remove any financial barriers. The group utilises the kitchen in the Tannahill Centre to prepare meals and the community rooms to host the club. Funding has been requested to contribute towards the cost of the meals which are £5 per head. Officers will work with the club to ensure participants are offered referrals to wider advice services. £2,500 Item 3 Page 34 of 128
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Barnardo’s Threads Paisley £880 Family Nurture Group Barnardo’s will host a 10-week group for 8 families which will provide a safe, nurturing space for families to spend quality time together. Through effective role modelling and the provision of games and activities, they will promote positive relationships between children and their parents/carers. They will offer a hot and healthy meal at the end of each session. Families will also get to take home a grocery bag and ingredients each week to recreate the meal at home, further enhancing opportunities for families to eat together. £880 Active Communities Johnstone £4,000 Learn to Grow, Grow to Eat! Active Communities aim to increase their sustainability and long-term viability and decrease food insecurity by increasing access to healthy food. They will do this by: 1. Setting up, developing and managing a growing space within their premises. 2. Working in partnership with Community Networks to develop their shared polytunnel and maximising growing capability therein. 3. Further developing their community cooking skills classes and cooking and nutrition information workshops/recipes/leaflets with a focus on plant to plate and how to cook healthy food from fresh ingredients. 4. Increasing and championing an increase in growing and cooking confidence, and an increase in benefits of good nutrition and healthy eating within their communities. Funding has been requested to purchase food, garden equipment, compost, seeds, plants as well as cover transport, printing/packaging and training/volunteer costs. £2,800 Glenburn Resource Centre Paisley £4,000 Cooking Class / Vegetable Garden Glenburn Resource Centre would like to run a cooking class and manage a vegetable garden. This would teach families how to cook a low-cost nutritious meal from scratch whilst sticking to a budget. This would allow families the opportunity to adopt healthy eating habits by growing their own vegetables and would also provide a safe space for people which would improve mental wellbeing. Funding has been requested to cover rent as well as to purchase compost, vegetable seeds, garden equipment, cooking utensils and food for the cooking classes. £2,000 STAR Project Paisley £4,000 Pantry Plus Bulk Food Provision and Transport The STAR Project run Pantry Plus, a Pantry offering food at least 40% cheaper than the cheapest supermarket. Pantry Plus is open to members of the public 4 days a week and does not require a membership fee or referral. They seek funding to renew their joint FareShare license which they share with Active Communities and to cover fuel £3,750 Item 3 Page 35 of 128
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costs for collecting the food from FareShare. This will enable STAR Project to maintain food flow coming into Renfrewshire, ensuring citizens have access to healthy, filling foods. TOTAL £25,000.00 Applications recommended for no Award Our Place Our Families (Renfrew) Renfrew £3,500 Heat and Eat Our Place Our Families have requested funding to allow them to hire the community centre in Arkleston one day a week. The purpose of this is to tackle loneliness and social isolation by providing people with a safe and warm place to have a bowl of soup, drink and a biscuit. Funding has been applied to cover the cost of hiring the hall, ingredients, equipment, stationery, aprons and polo shirts, volunteer costs and PVGs. £0 Stronger Communities Glenburn Paisley £4,000 Food Poverty Stronger Communities Glenburn have applied for funding to allow them to purchase nutritious food for their store cupboard. This will allow families to have a stable and sufficient supply of nutritious food. £0 Erskine Arts Erskine £1,800 Soup Sessions Erskine Arts have requested funding to allow them to deliver ‘Soup Sessions’. They will provide free nutritional soup, rolls and tea & coffee every Monday and Friday for 6 months. This will be a drop-in facility designed to meet the needs of those who are struggling with the cost of living and perhaps feeling socially isolated. Erskine Arts will offer a safe, warm environment where those that need it can access a healthy meal and support services whilst meeting new people. Funding is requested to cover food costs. £0 Streetcare Volunteers Renfrewshire £1,000 Renfrewshire Food Giveaway Streetcare Volunteers provide food parcels on Christmas Eve to households across Renfrewshire. They collect surplus food from supermarkets and run a food drive to collect donations. Families are identified via local schools and some community groups, however most families self-refer themselves via Facebook. It is anticipated that the project would reach 200 families. Funding is requested to purchase longer life food such as tins, pasta, cereal and biscuits as well as toilet and kitchen rolls and some modest Christmas themed items. £0 Item 3 Page 36 of 128
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Pachedu Paisley £4,000 Hardship Support Project Pachedu support around 30 BME target families in Renfrewshire by providing culturally appropriate food. These families encounter multiple barriers such as food poverty, unemployment, low income etc. Funding would allow Pachedu to purchase appropriate ethnic food valued at £120 per family for 30 families to help relieve current financial pressures. Food distribution will be via arranged delivery with service users. Funding has been requested to cover the cost of the food and administrative running costs. £0 Twist and Hit Cheerleaders Paisley £2,550 Food and Nourishment for All – Youth Club Healthy Living Funding will enable them to purchase additional snacks such as crisps, biscuits and juice, as well as small kitchen equipment such as an electric pizza oven to provide warm food in the winter months. Snacks will be provided at their free youth club which runs every Saturday, 7pm-9pm. £0 Item 3 Page 37 of 128
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Appendix 2 – Summer of Fun Grant Applications and Recommendations PART A - Applications approved under delegated authority Organisation Area Funding Requested Purpose Funding approved Friends of Knockhill Park Renfrew £3,600 Summer Activities 2023 £3,600 Renfrewshire Rainbow Buddies Johnstone Castle £3,050 Summer Smiles £3,050 Paisley YMCA Paisley £5,000 Summer of STEAM! - £5,000 Twist and Hit Cheerleaders Paisley £4,940 Free Summer Activities for All (cheering everyone on) £4,940 Mossvale Community Church Paisley £2,924 All Nations Summer Programme – £2,924 Thorn Athletic Community Trust Johnstone £5,000 Thorn Free Summer Football £5,000 Renfrew YMCA Renfrew £5,000 Renfrew YMCA Summer Sessions £2,852.60 Paisley North Church of Scotland Paisley £3,490 Ferguslie Park Holiday Club £2,740 Johnstone Out of School Care Johnstone £3,000 Johnstone Out of School Service £1,000 Home Start Renfrewshire & Inverclyde Paisley £5,000 Home-Start In Renfrewshire - Summer Holiday Activities £3,000 Renfrewshire Effort to Empower Minorities (REEM) Paisley £5,000 Be Happy Project £3,750 Ralston Out of School Care Paisley £2,285 Summer Drama Group £2,285 Paisley North Community Council Paisley £5,000 Family Fun Packs in the Park £2,700 KLAS Care CIC Linwood £4,914 The Summer of 23 £3,000 Johnstone Castle Learning Centre Johnstone £5,000 Johnstone Castle Chaos Club £3,000 Item 3 Page 38 of 128
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Stronger Communities Glenburn and Glenburn Resource Centre Paisley £5,000 Summer Club £3,000 Just Dive In Johnstone £2,000 Last Rays of Sun £2,000 Applications funded through Future Paisley funding Outspoken Arts Scotland Ltd Paisley £4,887.50 Summer Art Camp £4,887.50 RIG Arts Paisley £4,865 Summer Sessions at Seedhill Community art Space £4,865 Brick Lane Music Academy Central Paisley £3,130 Mini Music Makers Summer Fun Project £3,130 PART B – Applications not approved under delegated authority St Mirren FC Charitable Foundation Paisley £5,000 Summer Camps Youth Interventions Linwood £4,900 YI Summer Connections Scottish Afro Caribbean Arts Association Linwood £5,000 We Are Here Project Storm Gymnastics Paisley £3,749.27 Free Summer Gymnastics Scotia Trampoline Paisley £2,719.40 Summer Community Outreach Programme Paisley Barbell Powerlifting Club Paisley £2,000 Summer Gym Programme Glenburn Resource Centre Paisley £5,000 Summer Inclusion Glenvale Paisley £2000 Summer Football Item 3 Page 39 of 128
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Appendix 3 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. We know that people are facing a difficult winter ahead, and Winter Connections will co-ordinate and promote a programme of 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, such as different cultures or age groups • Tablet or device classes for older people • Lunch clubs • Crafting or ‘making’ activities • Classes with a focus on physical activity • Classes which provide and show how to install simple energy efficiency measures • Projects providing social connection and supporting recovery for people affected by drugs and alcohol • Projects supporting people living with mental illness A guide to Winter Connections funding and how to apply Item 3 Page 41 of 128
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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 2023. Training costs for food preparation and hygiene will not be covered within this fund. What your application should cover Applications should describe the 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 • 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 How to apply Applications will be open from 22nd September 2023 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 the beginning of October, and the fund will remain open until the available funding has been used. We don’t know what the demand for this fund will be, so advise that you apply as early as possible. The online application form can be found here Winter Connections Fund (arcgis.com) 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. Item 3 Page 42 of 128
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If you are co-ordinating a number of 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. 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. Item 3 Page 43 of 128
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___________________________________________________________________ To: Leadership Board On: 20 September 2023 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Community Planning – 6 Monthly Update ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 This report provides an overview of recent activity undertaken by the Community Planning Partnership in Renfrewshire. Six monthly update reports are provided to the Leadership Board, following a decision by Council in September 2022 to introduce minor changes to existing community planning governance and reporting arrangements. 1.2 The paper provides an update on: • General programmes of work being progressed across the partnership • The development of a draft Community Plan performance framework • The Local Partnership consultation and engagement programme • The national inquiry by Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee 1.3 The Community Planning Executive Group met on 13 September 2023 and considered updates in relation to: • The Fairer Renfrewshire programme • Ren Zero • The national inquiry on community planning 1.4 The group also discussed an initial performance framework for the refreshed Community Plan, which is set out as a draft at Appendix 1 to this report and will be finalised over the coming months. Partners will also be working over the coming weeks to finalise the annual report which will provide a summary of the impact of local partnership activities. This will be reported to Leadership Board in December 2023. Item 4 Page 45 of 128
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2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that members of the Leadership Board: • Note the content of this report. 3. Background 3.1 This paper represents the regular 6 monthly update submitted to the Leadership Board for consideration on wider community partnership developments. A range of new activities and developments continued to be progressed over this period, including: • A key focus of partners over Spring and Summer 2023 has been the ongoing development of the Fairer Renfrewshire programme, with a number of key activities progressed in relation to financial insecurity and mitigating the impacts of the cost of living crisis. This includes the delivery of the summer holiday activity and food programme for children and families (with CLAD, One Ren, Future Paisley and wider community partners) and the development and launch of schools and family advice models. Partnership funding bids to access Scottish Government funding in relation to poverty have also been developed. • Partners have worked closely together across sectors to support people coming to live in Renfrewshire through resettlement and wider asylum programmes, with Engage Renfrewshire leading on the development of a new community network to bring together community resources which provide local support to new arrivals in the area. • Following the recommendations of the Alcohol and Drugs Commission, work continues to develop service provision and to support recovery across Renfrewshire. This includes the delivery of a very successful recovery event with partners including Scottish Recovery Consortium in Spring 2023, and the development of the initial Trauma Informed and Responsive Renfrewshire programme. • Lead by housing, partners across services and more widely have been supporting the ongoing delivery of the Council’s housing regeneration programme, with a real focus on health and wellbeing of residents as well as the physical regeneration of housing and place. • Community Justice Renfrewshire has developed a Community Justice Outcome Improvement Plan 2023-26, identifying areas of focus that will be subject to closer analysis and assessment over the course of 2023/24. In February 2023 a new Lead Officer was appointed to support the partnership. The Lead Officer has made good progress refreshing and strengthening relationships across the partnership and has taken early steps to review governance arrangements to improve efficiency, decision making and performance reporting. • Partnership priorities for Renfrewshire Children’s Services Partnership are currently being reviewed, with partners coming together in August 2023 to review progress to date in relation to the Children’s Services Plan, with a key focus on activities such as the Whole Family Wellbeing programme. Item 4 Page 46 of 128
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4. Renfrewshire Community Plan 4.1 In line with the provisions of the Community Empowerment Act, local partners are required to produce a Local Outcomes Improvement Plan (LOIP), which outlines the strategic priorities of all stakeholders within a local authority area, and with a particular focus on tackling inequality. In Renfrewshire this is referred to as our Community Plan, a ten year plan running from 2017-2027 which the following agreed themes: 4.2 A refresh of the plan was undertaken during 2022, with partners agreeing to spend the remainder of the plan focusing on 3 specific areas of focus, 12 priority actions were also identified for partners to progress through a shared commitment. These are highlighted in the diagram below: 4.3 Officers within the Policy and Partnerships team have been working with partners to develop a performance framework against which progress in the second half of the Plan can be measured. An initial framework was discussed by the Community Planning Executive Group on 13 September 2023 and is attached as Appendix 1 to the report. The purpose of the framework is to support the Partnership to evidence the impact that collaboration and joint activities are having locally. An update on this work will be provided in the next update to Leadership Board. The framework will be reviewed again in March 2024 to assess how this is working in practice. Item 4 Page 47 of 128
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5. Community Plan Annual Report 5.1 Partners have been working together to develop the Community Plan Annual Report for 2022/23. It is anticipated that this will be presented to Community Planning Partners during Autumn 2023, with the report being submitted to the Leadership Board in December 2023. 5.2 The format of the report is being adapted to be more engaging for stakeholders and communities, with a stronger focus on the impact of activities being undertaken through partnership collaboration. 6 Local Partnerships - consultation on next phase of development 6.1 At the Leadership Board on 14 June 2023, elected members were asked to note planned engagement on the development of Local Partnerships. It was anticipated that this work would commence over the summer period, however this did not start until early September 2023, as key officers were required to undertake a number of time critical programmes of work. This included the launch of the Summer of Fun Grants programme, the Community Food grants programme, the development of schools and family advice models and Local Partnership grant activity. 6.2 As noted above this process has now commenced, and will include engagement with: • Local Partnership members including elected members • Local Partnership chairs • Lead Officers • Wider community groups and organisations 6.3 As reported to Leadership Board in June 2023, the key issues which are being explored are the steps that would be required to: • Enhance participation in Local Partnership meetings • Facilitate greater engagement from Council services and partner organisations on issues which impact Local Partnership areas • Develop meaningful local priorities and action plans • Identify options for improving the grant allocation process 6.4 The full report and recommendations from the review will be submitted to the Leadership Board on 6 December 2023, which will allow any actions to be taken to inform a planned refresh of local partnership membership and the launch of revised grants guidance in early 2024. 6.5 In addition, further to the last update to Leadership Board work has commenced on the recruitment process for a dedicated officer to support the development of locality plans across the Local Partnerships. It is anticipated that the postholder will be in place in early 2024. Item 4 Page 48 of 128
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7. Community Planning Inquiry 7.1 The Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee launched an inquiry in November 2022, to consider the impact of Part 2 of the Community Empowerment Act (2015) (“the Act”) on community planning and how Community Planning Partnerships (CPPs) can respond to significant events such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the current cost-of-living crisis. 7.2 A response was drafted on behalf of the Community Planning Partnership and was reported to Leadership Board in February 2023, after being submitted on a partnership basis to the inquiry. 7.3 The committee inquiry focussed in on the impact the Act has had on community planning and explored how CPPs respond to significant events such as the Covid-19 pandemic and the current cost-of-living crisis. The key areas of focus are set out below. o If the Act has led to improvements to community engagement and participation o Progress in tackling inequalities o The impact of Local Outcome Improvement Plans, and locality plans o The main challenges faced by CPPs o Revising the guidance available for CPPs o Alignment with other strategies and planning o Impact of the Act on statutory partners. 7.4 The Committee recently published its inquiry report into community planning - Community Planning: Post-legislative scrutiny of Part 2 of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 | Scottish Parliament. 7.5 The report is very detailed and includes a number of key recommendations and findings that will be considered nationally, and by partners at a local level within the Community Planning Partnership Executive Group. These include: • The Scottish Government’s review of the Act should explore whether its ambitions for community planning are realistic without further investment. It should also explore further how community planning partners should best direct their own resources to underpin CPPs' work. • CPPs should take proactive steps to ensure that communities of interest or identity are fully included in planning processes to avoid further marginalising key groups who are already at increased risk of inequality. Their voices should for example be clearly reflected in LOIPs and locality plans. • The Scottish Government should consider commissioning research into the impact made by CPPs in improving inequalities. This could explore how CPPs are, and should be, linking interventions with outcomes data at a local level and outlining a framework for CPPs to use. • In its development of a Community Wealth Building Bill, the Scottish Government should give early consideration to the role of CPPs in delivering the policy ambitions, whether any legislative changes to their role would be required to facilitate that, and should ensure sufficient guidance is provided to CPPs about their role in community wealth building. Item 4 Page 49 of 128
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• The work that the Scottish Government and Cosla are jointly undertaking to review Local Governance in Scotland should incorporate the role that CPPs have, and any conclusions reached should provide clarity for all partners on the importance of community planning. 7.6 The Scottish Government is also carrying out an informal review of Part 2 of the Act, and the Committee report includes a number of recommendations for the Scottish Government to consider as part of their review. 8 Next steps 8.1 The next scheduled update to members will be provided in February 2024. Implications of the Report 1. Financial – none 2. HR & Organisational Development – none 3. Community/Council Planning – as outlined within the content of the report. 4. Legal - none 5. Property/Assets - none 6. Information Technology - none 7. Equality and Human Rights – 8. Health and Safety - none 9. Procurement – none 10. Risk – none 11. Privacy Impact – none 12. COSLA Policy Position – none 13. Climate Risk – none Author: Laura McIntyre, Head of Policy and Partnerships Item 4 Page 50 of 128
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Draft Community Plan Performance Framework – please note this remains under development and is for information only Area of Focus 1 – Supporting low income families What we will do What activities are we progressing How will we track progress Current data to be populated Thriving Provide opportunities and support to parents to enter, sustain and progress at work Local Employability Partnership including: • Better off campaign • Toolkit to support conversations with clients around employability. • Number of people supported, sustained in work at 6 Months through Renfrewshire Council Employability Programme • Parental support fund data • Engagement across service supports • No of low income parents supported with improved incomes • Number of Living Wage employers Well Join up support for families within communities RCSP has identified a number of specific aims in relation to this priority area: • We will ensure our children and young people enjoy good physical and mental health • We will ensure our children and young people are safe and loved • We will ensure our children and young people have their rights protected and their voices heard • We will ensure our children and young people achieve and make positive contributions to their community Specific programmes of activities are being progressed in partnership: • Whole Family Wellbeing Programme including Family Wellbeing hub, development of referral process, Thrive under Five and data analysis. • Ren 10 health and wellbeing • Indicators to be developed through WFW programme – including wellbeing assessment data which is being developed as part of the process. • Average complementary tariff score of pupils living in SIMD 30% most deprived areas • Number CYP accessing school counselling / % reporting improved outcomes • Number of CYP accessing Ren 10 and % reporting improved outcomes • Number of families referred for Money Advice and financial gain • Number of beneficiary families • % of children at risk of overweight or obesity (27 – 30 months & Primary 1) • Number of organisations signed up to breastfeeding friendly scheme • Number of staff trained in relation to breastfeeding friendly scheme Item 4 Page 51 of 128
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Continue to promote Breastfeeding Friendly Scotland Scheme 130 organisations signed up to the scheme with 316 staff trained on breastfeeding and the law, including 23 Early Learning and Childcare Centres (ELCC). Within Renfrewshire’s Plan for Net Zero, Connected Communities theme, there is an action to work with partners and local organisations to launch a one-stop information service which links and signposts to support and advice across all areas of the Plan for Net Zero and address the cost of living crisis Fair Provide support that allows families to live dignified lives and respond to the cost of living crisis • Schools Advice / Family Advice Model • Winter Clothing Grant Payments • Lived Experience Panel • Summer holiday food and activity programme • Fair Food Renfrewshire • Local Housing Strategy actions in relation to Fuel Poverty : Work towards meeting the national fuel poverty targets and reducing the amount of people affected by fuel poverty across Renfrewshire. • Healthier Wealthier Children Programme, with updated pathway • Welfare Advice & Health Partnership – GP embedded Money Advice • % of children living in poverty (after housing costs) (LGBF) • Propose - develop qualitative data through surveys • % participation for 16-19 years old per 100 in education training and employment • GP embedded advice - Number of referrals and financial gain • No of healthier wealthier referrals; number engaged and number from child priority groups Safe Work together to support children and young people at risk of trauma and harm • Trauma Informed and Responsive Renfrewshire • The Promise • Percentage of Looked After Children cared for in the community (LGBF) • Number of Children on CP register • Data on CP referrals. • New Promise Measures under development Item 4 Page 52 of 128
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Area of Focus 2 – Tackling health inequalities What we will do What activities are we progressing How will we track progress Current data to be populated Thriving Tackle the barriers to work for people with disabilities and health conditions • Local Employability Partnership targeted activities • Employment rate 50+ Employment rate of disabled people • % disabled people in employment • Economic activity • Supported employment opportunities Well Provide a network of community mental health and wellbeing supports • Ren 10 • Renfrewshire Wellbeing Network (now over 160 members and meets bi-monthly) • Culture, Arts, Health and Social Care Group, led by HSCP and funded by Future Paisley, has supported 39 organisations with culture and arts related activities, across a range of care groups, to support their health and wellbeing • Established a 3rd Sector Forum that sits under the HSCP’s Strategic Planning Group with a focus on partnership working • The gap between minimum and maximum male life expectancy in the communities of Renfrewshire • Percentage of patients who started treatment within 18 weeks of referral to Psychological Therapy • Suicide rate (per 100,000) Fair Reduce the impact of alcohol and drugs and support recovery • Alcohol and Drugs Change Programme • ADP programme • Stigma and language initiatives • Alcohol Policy across organisations • Drug and alcohol related deaths per 100,000 popn • Rate of alcohol-related hospital stays per 1,000 population • Drug related hospital stays per 100,000 population • Alcohol and Drugs waiting times for referral to treatment. % seen within 3 weeks Safe Make sure people can live safely and independently at home and in the community • From Renfrewshire’s Draft Local Housing Strategy for 2023-28 - Strategic Priority 5 – People can live independently for as long as possible in their own home and the different housing needs of people across Renfrewshire are being met. • Renfrewshire’s Integrated Joint board Strategic Plan 2022-25 also highlights the aim to shape services around individuals, unpaid • Balance of Care: Home Care - total number of hours provided for/clients receiving personal care versus non- personal care • Balance of Care: Number of open community placements vs open residential placements for 65+ (Care at Home vs residential) ( Item 4 Page 53 of 128
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carers and communities with a focus on helping people to live independently • Housing Regeneration Programme • As part of the Alcohol and Drugs Change Programme, the Council allocated £2 million of funding to support individuals affected by alcohol and/or drugs. An innovative pilot project MYLA (My Life Ahead) was established in May 2022 utilising some of this funding. • HSCP working with Environment, Housing and Infrastructure to improve accessibility for people with physical disabilities and sensory impairments. Established a Towns and Villages Accessibility Forum that meets quarterly. • Reconnect project, through the HSCP, now provides volunteer befriending for most vulnerable clients • Population of clients receiving Telecare all ages – rate per 1,000 (Outcome 2) • Number of people accessing Community Alarms (75+) ) • Number of people accessing Community Alarms (all ages) • Number of adult support plans completed for carers (age 18+) by HSCP • Number of Adult Support and Protection referrals (by source) Area of Focus 3 – Addressing the climate emergency What we will do What activities are we progressing How will we track progress Current data to be populated Thriving Create good, green jobs and a green skills pipeline everyone can access • Green Economy Officer in Council / Net Zero Grants • Chamber of Commerce support for Businesses • Working with colleges, schools, universities, local training providers, apprenticeships and staff training, to ensure that the courses and training opportunities exist for the stable and sustainable, quality jobs that will be created to ensure every person is able to reskill and upskill to participate in a just transition to net zero Informed by the development of phase 2 of Renfrewshire's Plan for Net Zero, which included engagement with a range of local and national stakeholders and the local community. Measures to be developed and will include linking proposed pipelines of major infrastructure projects with skills transition and local employment opportunities. Identifying skills gaps, shortages and requirements ahead of time to maximise opportunities for local citizens and businesses from design and construction to Item 4 Page 54 of 128
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supply chain and manufacturing through to operation and maintenance. This could be measured through local opportunities identified and relevant figure on local employment or apprenticeships. Well Make sure there are local spaces and nature that support health and wellbeing • Net Zero Plan • Biodiversity Plan • Active Travel Strategy and network • You Decide process • Sustainable Communities funding • Number of community-led projects and initiatives taking local climate action • % m2 covered by allotments/community growing grounds • % of residents with safe access to nature within 1km of their residence • air quality monitoring across all areas to evaluate and improve air quality Fair Deliver a just transition towards net zero with fairness at its core • Fairer Renfrewshire programme • As part of Renfrewshire’s Plan for Net Zero quantified delivery plans are currently being developed: area-based, phased delivery plans with benchmark capital costs that will also undertake socio-economic impact assessments to quantify and consider all impacts of the Plan for Net Zero. • Number of people supported to reskill, upskill or participate in training in skills required for the transition to net zero. Safe Develop adaptations to climate impacts for vulnerable people Adaptation Plan for Renfrewshire identified as priority for development • % m2 public open spaces managed for biodiversity/number of projects to increase resilience to climate change Item 4 Page 55 of 128
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Our Renfrewshire – core measures Indicators Current data to be populated Thriving Renfrewshire claimant count Percentage of Renfrewshire population aged 16-64 Gross Value Added (GVA) per capita (LGBF Number of new business start ups in Renfrewshire with Business Gateway support Total CO2 emissions (tonnes) from public buildings % of School Leavers in Positive Destination % of Procurement spend on Local SMEs Well Number of emergency admissions Number of unscheduled hospital bed days (acute specialties) A&E attendances (18+) Acute Bed Days Lost to Delayed Discharge The gap between minimum and maximum male life expectancy in the communities of Renfrewshire % of people who describe their general health as good or very good over the last year Fair Percentage Point Gap in % Pupils Achieving Expected Level for their stage in Literacy between pupils living in 30% Most Deprived areas and those living in 70% Least Deprived Areas (SIMD) Percentage Point Gap in % Pupils Achieving Expected Level for their stage in Numeracy between pupils living in 30% Most Item 4 Page 56 of 128
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Deprived areas and those living in 70% Least Deprived Areas (SIMD) % of people from the 15% most deprived communities who describe their general health as good or very good over the last year % of Household that are workless Safe Number of fires – primary and secondary Total number of incidents/call outs SFRS Number of deliberate fires Total crime – incidents reported / split by categories eg serious and organised crime, road traffic offences, sexual crime, domestic violence etc Item 4 Page 57 of 128
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___________________________________________________________________ To: Leadership Board On: 20 September 2023 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Officer, Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Adult Social Care: 6 Monthly 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 6-monthly update report to Leadership Board, together with Renfrewshire’s Integration Joint Board Annual Performance Report 2022/23 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; • that a revised suite of adult social care performance indictors will be submitted to a future meeting of this Board for approval; and • that the next six-monthly update report for April to September 2023 will be presented to the Leadership Board in February 2024. _________________________________________________________ 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: Item 5 Page 59 of 128
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• Social work services for adults and older people; • Services and support for adults with physical disabilities and learning disabilities; • Mental health services; • 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; and • Reablement services, equipment, and telecare. 3.2 Whilst regular reporting in relation to these services is provided to the Integration Joint Board (IJB), it was previously agreed that 6 monthly updates would also be presented 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 2022/23 4.1 Renfrewshire IJB’s Annual Performance Report 2022/23 provides a comprehensive reflection on the HSCP’s performance against agreed local and national performance indicators and in delivering the commitments set out within year one of the IJB Strategic Plan 2022-25. 4.2 While 2022/23 has been another challenging year, overall performance has improved when compared with 2021/22. At the financial year end 2022/23, the HSCP performance scorecard showed an improved position compared to 2021/22, the table below highlights: indicators with red status reduced by one, amber reduced by four and green increased from 16 to 22. The full Scorecard is included at Appendix 1 within the Annual Performance Report 2022/23 and a detailed section of Council delegated indicators are included in Appendix 1 of this report. Performance Indicator Status 2021/22 2022/23 Target achieved 16 22 Warning (less than 10% variance of target) 10 6 Alert (more than 10% variance of target) 13 12 Data only 18 11 Item 5 Page 60 of 128
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5. Key Activities 5.1 A summary of the key activities undertaken during 2022/23 related to the delegated services are detailed in the section below. Winter Pressures 5.2 As previously reported, the Winter Plan 2022/23 was approved by Renfrewshire’s IJB on 25 November 2022. Each year, Renfrewshire HSCP develops plans to ensure the resilience of critical services over the winter period. The planning process for winter 2022/23 was undertaken across all HSCP internal and hosted services. 5.3 The key priorities over the winter were as follows: • Deliver the seasonal vaccination programmes; Flu and COVID Booster; • Embed frameworks, policies and plans to support service resilience and the prioritisation of emergency and critical services, whilst maintaining the delivery of other essential services; • Develop ‘Data Resilience’ plans to ensure that services were prepared for any potential loss of systems, network or power for a period of one week; • Continue to survey the environment and stay abreast of how services were performing for service users, amending policy and practice to sustain service levels; • Support the public to continue to access services, addressing their critical and essential needs and supporting residents to remain safe and well; • Support partner organisations to take steps to prepare for winter and collaborate on necessary solutions for the benefit of residents; • Deliver, champion and optimise the use of appropriate infrastructure across the partnership, to underpin the successful delivery of our plans; • Understand the needs of services through the festive period and plan appropriately to maintain and manage service levels and any potential disruption; • Deliver the right balance of annual leave and staffing across services to maintain service levels throughout the winter period; and • Support the health and wellbeing of staff so that they remain well and are able to undertake their roles through challenging winter conditions. 5.4 Additional winter funding was secured from the Scottish Government to create additional posts across a range of services, of which 45.84 FTE posts were successfully recruited to. Care Homes 5.5 Enhanced clinical and care oversight arrangements for care homes were put in place early in the pandemic to support care home staff to keep residents safe. The guidance required that clinical and care professionals at NHS boards and local authorities will have a leading role in the oversight for care homes in their area. There has been considerable learning and examples of excellent partnership working during this time. Item 5 Page 61 of 128
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5.6 On 19 December 2022, the Chief Social Work Advisor and the Chief Nurse set out recommendations for new arrangements to provide continuing enhanced support to adult and older people’s care homes in Scotland. The recommendations have since been adopted in Renfrewshire and a Collaborative Care Home Support Team is in place. Local strategic oversight of these arrangements continues to be provided by the COG who regularly monitored performance, scrutinise reports and establish special meetings of the group, as and when required. 5.7 During 2022/23, unannounced inspections were undertaken by the Care Inspectorate at Montrose and Renfrew care homes which are operated by the HSCP. The Inspection Teams looked at a selection of the quality indicators which are based on the intelligence they hold about the service, and any risk factors that they may have identified. The evaluations provided to the care homes is as follows: Montrose Care Home How well do we support people's wellbeing? 4 - Good People's health and wellbeing benefits from their care and support 5 - Very Good People experience meaningful contact that meets their outcomes, needs and wishes 5 - Very Good People's health and wellbeing benefits from safe infection prevention and control practice and procedure 4 - Good How good is our leadership? 4 - Good Quality assurance and improvement is led well 4 - Good Renfrew Care Home How well do we support people's wellbeing? 4 - Good People experience compassion, dignity and respect 4 - Good People experience meaningful contact that meets their outcomes, needs and wishes 5 - Very Good People's health and wellbeing benefits from safe infection prevention and control practice and procedure 4 - Good How good is our leadership? 4 - Good Quality assurance and improvement is led well 4 - Good Care at Home 5.8 Although our Care at Home services faced significant challenges, the HSCP were able to continue to support existing vulnerable service users whilst remaining responsive to the safe and timely discharge of patients from hospital. Renfrewshire was the highest performing HSCP in Scotland at March 2023 for standard bed days lost to delayed discharge. Item 5 Page 62 of 128
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5.9 On 14 September 2022, the Care Inspectorate concluded an unannounced inspection of the Renfrewshire Care at Home Service. Unfortunately, the inspection highlighted some areas of concern which resulted in the grades provided in the table below. The HSCP immediately established a working group to expedite implementing the necessary requirements and improvements identified within the report. A follow-up visit was undertaken by the Care Inspectorate between 28 November 2022 and 1 December 2022 and resulted in the positive re-evaluation of the grades below. Quality Indicator 14 September 2022 1 December 2022 How well do we support people's wellbeing? 2 - Weak 4 - Good People experience compassion, dignity and respect 3 - Adequate 4 – Good People experience meaningful contact that meets their outcomes, needs and wishes 2 - Weak 4 - Good People's health and wellbeing benefits from safe infection prevention and control, practice and procedure 2 - Weak 4 - Good How good is our leadership? 3 - Adequate Not assessed Quality assurance and improvement is led well 3 - Adequate Not assessed The Inspection team also highlighted the following key messages: • People told us they were treated with kindness, compassion and dignity. • The provider had implemented personal plans for people using the service. • The provider had completed medication assessments and created medication plans for people using the service. • Infection Prevention and Control policy and practice had improved since the last inspection. Home First Response Service 5.10 The Home First Response Service, which was launched in November 2022, sees patients who would otherwise potentially spend long periods in hospital, receive a tailored care plan, which can be delivered in a home or community environment. The service is particularly helpful to elderly patients, where treatment at home provides significant benefits – increasing recovery time, preserving mobility and reducing the chance of delirium. Specially trained HSCP staff have been embedded alongside acute frailty teams at the Royal Alexandra Hospital to help limit admissions, improve early discharges and support anticipatory care planning. Item 5 Page 63 of 128
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Day Centres and Respite Services 5.11 Day centres and respite services have continued to provide support to those in greatest need. Work is underway to develop day opportunities and explore wider, flexible community-based models which, where appropriate for each person, provide additional choice beyond existing services and support innovative use of our buildings. This work will be captured within the scope of the HSCP’s Sustainable Futures programme from June 2023 onwards. Carers 5.12 As members are aware, a co-produced Unpaid Carers' Strategy 2022-25 was published which reaffirms the value we place on unpaid carers and the contribution they make to the wider community of Renfrewshire. It sets out a commitment to unpaid carers, by prioritising a preventive approach to supporting them and building carer friendly communities across Renfrewshire. Our aim is to help them to remain in their caring roles and to manage their own health and wellbeing alongside their caring responsibilities. 5.13 In support, a Carers Partnership Officer funded by the HSCP has been recruited by Renfrewshire Carers Centre, to help identify carers and promote a wide-reaching awareness and development programme. This links with services, acute and community health partners, the voluntary sector and communities to ensure that unpaid carers can access the support they need. The work resulted in the highest number of completed adult carer support plans and the highest number of new unpaid carers accessing support since the HSCP began recording this data. The HSCP recently agreed a new three-year contract with Renfrewshire Carers Centre to continue this work. Adult Support and Protection (ASP) 5.14 Some people may find it more difficult to keep themselves safe and might need help and support to look after themselves. Renfrewshire Adult Protection Committee (RAPC) continues to oversee the effectiveness of our adult protection practice. During the reporting period, RAPC has been working towards implementing the revisions for the Scottish Government’s revised Code of Practice for ASP. Given the significance of the Code of Practice an action plan has been develop and there will be a phased approach to implementation. To ensure staff are engaged throughout the process, a series of briefings has already begun. 5.15 The Institute for Research and Innovation in Social Services (IRISS) was commissioned by the Scottish Government, to design a minimum data set that works both locally and nationally to generate meaningful and comparable data. Renfrewshire HSCP was identified at an early stage to become a learning partner and help develop the new data set that better reflects the whole ASP journey. The new national minimum dataset has been designed, tested and rolled out across Scotland. 5.16 During Adult Support and Protection Day on 20 February 2023, our local communications reflected the national key message of Seen Something, Say Something. In addition, a spotlight on neglect and self-neglect were issued. Item 5 Page 64 of 128
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The RAPC Twitter feed was also used to disseminate this material, to carry the same key messages to members of the public. Alcohol and Drugs Recovery 5.17 Following the Alcohol and Drugs Commission’s final report in December 2020, partners have prioritised a range of actions in response to the key recommendations, as well as establishing a Programme Board to drive the local response, ensuring that all partners work together, join up service developments, and maximise the resources available. Key developments in projects progressed over the year include: • Harm Reduction Response Team (HaRRT) - The Service is delivered through a mobile unit, which has been situated in specific areas in relation to near fatal overdoses and suspected drug deaths postcode data. Launching in early summer 2022, around 153 clients were supported by the service throughout 2022. • MYLA (MyLifeAhead) – This housing-led project offers supports to households in Renfrewshire, whose life is being affected by alcohol/drugs, and builds on the concept that in order to have good health, you need to have a good, settled home. Launching in May 2022, the project is already supporting 26 service users, with referrals coming from a broad range of services/agencies. • FIRST Crisis - This project involves extending the current out of hours crisis support service provided by RAMH to include support in relation to alcohol and drugs. The Service operates between 9am-8pm Monday- Friday and 9-5pm Saturday/Sunday and public holidays, predominantly through telephone support. Launching in April 2022, 171 clients were supported by the service throughout 2022. • Building Based Services - In response to identified issues with the environment at the Back Sneddon Street Service, the HSCP are reviewing accommodation requirements and the findings will used to inform a Property Strategy. The HSCP are also considering expanding the use of space in other buildings across Renfrewshire to support a shift to a more community-based model, for example more clinical space has been agreed for ADRS use in areas such as Johnstone and Renfrew. • Hidden Harm - Independent research was commissioned to better understand the level of hidden harm from alcohol and drugs in Renfrewshire. This was completed by We are With You and the findings from this research have been shared and discussed with partners. • Mental Health Support for Children and Young People - The Youth Health and Wellbeing Service began in mid-September 2022 and provides drop-in facilities for young people who require access to both health and wellbeing support direct from health professionals. A second phase of the approach involves undertaking targeted work in specific schools experiencing very complex needs. • Alcohol Policy - A partnership officer has been recruited to drive policy change across Renfrewshire. Actions over the last year include: continuing to support the Licensing Forum, as well as community councils around their role in the licensing process and for the Licensing Statement Review; and, supporting Council HR colleagues in developing a Workplace Alcohol and Item 5 Page 65 of 128
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Substance Policy, as well as supporting a review of similar policies in West College Scotland. • Enhanced Education and Training Across Educational Establishments - The ‘Alcohol and Substance Awareness Education’ pack, including nursery, primary, and secondary resources, has been produced with Renfrewshire Children’s Services, Teachers, Police Scotland, NHS, Renfrewshire HSCP and, most importantly, children, young people, and those who have lived experience of drug and alcohol use. Since its launch in August 2022, the programme has been accessed by over 400 Renfrewshire teachers. • Family Support Review - An independent review of existing family support provision Renfrewshire has been carried out, engaging with local families and frontline staff to assess where possible gaps in provision exist, and making recommendations on how to address these. • Recovery Change Fund - The aim of the Recovery Change Fund is to support the development of local groups and organisations which provide social connection and support recovery in Renfrewshire. • Connected and Caring Renfrewshire – The Scottish Recovery Consortium (SRC), working in partnership with colleagues in CIRCLE, delivered a programme of events and activities throughout 2022 including the 2022 Recovery Walk Scotland, which took place in Paisley on 24 September. The Programme is joint funded by the ADP and the Alcohol and Drugs Change Programme. • Peer Worker Model - The model delivers a core programme of activities and is developing links for future implementation. Current service provision includes activities such as a book group, gardening group, focus group, football, drama etc. The Coordinator and workers played a key role in the Connected and Caring Renfrewshire programme and its development and delivery, including holding a Listening Event. • Stigma/Language Matters – High level themes and initial actions have been identified, including supporting staff to understand the power of language, be confident in their use of language, and to challenge stigma by speaking up when people make negative or wrong comments; and supporting national campaigns to help people in Renfrewshire understand the power and impact of language. A review of the resources required to deliver this project is currently underway, exploring the potential to engage a partner to undertake this work. 5.18 Renfrewshire Alcohol and Drug Partnership (ADP) has key responsibility for implementing the National Policy Framework and driving forward local action to reduce the use of and harm from alcohol and drugs. A summary of the key activities undertaken during the reporting period include: • An enhanced drug death review process was set up, including the formation of a Renfrewshire multiagency Drug Death Review Group which aims to identify trends, risk factors, and recognise areas of focus for prevention. • A multiagency Naloxone Delivery Group has been established with the goal of expanding Naloxone availability throughout Renfrewshire. The distribution of Naloxone continues to target those most at risk of overdose through Item 5 Page 66 of 128
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supply by local services including ADRS, CIRCLE, HaRRT, the Overdose Response Team, pharmacies, and needle exchanges. • Drug Death Reflective sessions were held for ADRS staff throughout April 2022. The purpose of these sessions was to learn how ADRS staff can be better supported in the event that someone on their caseload dies. A subsequent report capturing staff insights, and an action plan to drive change was implemented. • The Drug Death Prevention Group continued to drive forward and implement actions identified within the Preventing Drug Deaths in Renfrewshire Action Plan. This has been updated following a development session with group members, facilitated by Scottish Drugs Forum, as well as the recommendations and strategies including the Drug Death Task Force Final Report. • The Renfrewshire Lived Experience Forum held its first meeting in December 2022 and continues to meet on a monthly basis. Members of the community with lived and living experience of alcohol and drug use, for either themselves or a family member, are invited to learn more about how they have the ability to influence change in Renfrewshire. The purpose of the group is to give members the opportunity to share their views and experiences to help inform the work of the ADP and in turn improve services. • A Family Support Recovery Worker was recruited, in partnership with Barnardo’s. Their role will has been to establish a network of support for people in Renfrewshire who are impacted by a loved one’s drug or alcohol use. 6. National Care Service 6.1 The National Care Service (Scotland) Bill was introduced by the Scottish Government in June 2022 with the intention of reforming how social care, social work and community health services are delivered in Scotland. It has been described by the Scottish Government as the most significant reform to public services since the creation of the NHS. 6.2 The proposal to create a National Care Service was based on the recommendations made by the Independent Review of Adult Social Care, led by Derek Feeley. One of the recommendations called for increased national oversight of adult social care in response to challenges that were highlighted during the coronavirus pandemic. The Scottish Government’s intention is to ‘co- design’ these details alongside people who use and work in social care. 6.3 On 7 June 2023, the Scottish Parliament agreed a further delay to Stage 1 scrutiny of the NCS Bill, which will now be completed by 31 January 2024. 6.4 Following this, on 12 July 2023, the Scottish Government announced that an initial agreement has been reached with local government and the NHS regarding the accountability arrangements for the NCS. The agreement aims to establish responsibility for people’s care once the NCS is established. A summary of the key points from the agreement include: • Overall legal accountability will be shared between Scottish Government, the NHS and local government; Item 5 Page 67 of 128
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• Staff will continue to be employed by local authorities, and councils will still be responsible for assets like buildings and the delivery of services; and • New governance arrangements will be introduced to ensure consistently high levels of service across the country, while building the flexibility to meet varying community needs at a local level. 6.5 The detail of how this will work at a local level will be developed in the coming months and this will help inform what the implications will be for Renfrewshire. The recent steps to involve local government more fully in the development is welcomed as is the clarity around staff, assets and service delivery. 7. Adult Social Work Performance Overview 7.1 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 involving Heads of Service and Service Managers 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. 7.2 In addition to internal scrutiny, performance is reported at all IJB meetings, with the scorecard presented twice-yearly. The report charts data for the last three years and, where possible, associated targets, the ‘performance direction of travel’ and whether the indicator is currently on track to meet target. The reports provide a detailed picture of what is working well, current challenges and intended remedial action where necessary. 7.3 The scorecard includes adult social care indicators alongside a variety of both local and national health service indicators. The suite of adult social care indicators is currently being reviewed and on completion, a revised 2024/25 scorecard for this Board will be developed and submitted for approval. 7.4 There are 19 adult social care indicators, details of the performance are provided in Appendix 1, however a summary is included in the table below. Performance Indicator Status No. Target achieved 2 Warning 1 Alert 1 Data only 15 7.5 The rate of sickness absence for HSCP adult social work staff remains as a red alert. Addressing absence management and supporting employees to return to work is a key priority for the HSCP Senior Management Team. In collaboration with the Council’s HR and Organisational Development, a streamlined process for absence management is being rolled out using the Business World system and additional supporting attendance training is being provided to managers. In Item 5 Page 68 of 128
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addition, health improvement activities and support through Healthy Working Lives is also ongoing to help raise employee awareness of health issues. 8. Next Steps 8.1 The next performance report on delegated Adult Social Care functions will be reported to the Leadership Board on 21 February 2024. ___________________________________________________________________ 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 – Published in November 2022, Renfrewshire IJB’s Workforce Plan 2022-25 aims to ensure the Partnership has a workforce fit for purpose and enabled to deliver the current and future needs of those who rely on our services. 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 9. Procurement – none 10. Risk – none 11. Privacy Impact – none 12. Cosla Policy Position – none. 13. Climate Risk – The HSCP is committed to tackling the climate emergency and actively participates in Renfrewshire’s Plan for Net Zero. Item 5 Page 69 of 128
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_________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers None ___________________________________________________________________ Authors: Yvonne Farquhar, Service Planning and Policy Development Manager, Chief Executive’s Service yvonne.farquhar@renfrewshire.gov.uk Item 5 Page 70 of 128
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Appendix 1 Performance Indicators The 19 adult social care services’ indicators are as follows: Performance Indicator Status No. Target achieved 2 Warning (less than 10% variance of target) 1 Alert (more than 10% variance of target) 1 Data only 15 Status Direction of Travel Performance Indicator 19/20 Value 20/21 Value 21/22 Value 22/23 Value Target Percentage of clients accessing out of hours home care services (65+) 90% 90% 90% 92% 85% Average number of clients on the Occupational Therapy waiting list 315 159 143 226 350 Percentage of long-term care clients receiving intensive home care 27% 29% 29% 28% 30% Sickness absence rate for HSCP Adult Social Work staff (work days lost per FTE) 18.08 13.50 17.79 21.86 15.3 days Explanation for red status: Addressing absence management and supporting employees to return to work is a key priority for the HSCP Senior Management Team. In collaboration with the Council’s HR and Organisational Development, a streamlined process for absence management is being rolled out using the Business World system and additional supporting attendance training will be provided to managers. In addition, health improvement activities and support through Healthy Working Lives is also ongoing to help raise employee awareness of health issues. Direction of Travel Improvement Deterioration Same as previous reporting period Item 5 Page 71 of 128
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Data Only Indicators Performance Indicator 19/20 Value 20/21 Value 21/22 Value 22/23 Value Homecare hours provided - rate per 1,000 population aged 65+ 414 390 411 444 Percentage of homecare clients aged 65+ receiving personal care 99% 99% 99% 99% Population of clients receiving telecare (75+) - Rate per 1,000 (2022/23 includes all telecare, previous years included enhanced alarms only) 50 46 58 140 Percentage of routine OT referrals allocated within 9 weeks 42% 41% 68% 92% Number of adult carer support plans completed for carers (age 18+) (Renfrewshire Carers Centre only, does not include the number for HSCP) 162 86 148 203 Number of adult carer support plans declined by carers (age 18+) (Renfrewshire Carers Centre only, does not include the number for HSCP) 34 51 36 223 Number of young carers' statements completed 68 49 27 49 Number of Adult Protection contacts (including AWC) received 3,106 3,487 4,263 4,123 Total Mental Health Officer service activity 683 627 1,222 1,362 Number of Chief Social Worker Guardianships (as at position) 110 115 125 132 Percentage of children registered in this period who have previously been on the Child Protection Register 11% 29% 30.4% 9.52% No. of SW employees, in the MTIPD process, with a completed IDP 909 1,000 People, Performance and Talent Policy is currently being reviewed and a new indicator will be developed. Item 5 Page 72 of 128
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Local Government Benchmarking Framework Performance Indicator 19/20 Value 20/21 Value 21/22 Value 22/23 Value Care at Home costs per hour (65 and over) £26.40 £23.05 £25.67 Information from LGBF - available 2024 Direct payment spend on adults 18+ as a % of total social work spend on adults 18+ 5.88% 4.05% 4.8% Information from LGBF - available 2024 Net residential costs per week for older persons (over 65) £298 £277 £633 Information from LGBF - available 2024 Item 5 Page 73 of 128
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___________________________________________________________________ To: Leadership Board On: 20 September 2023 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Migration and Asylum Update ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 This paper provides an overview of recent developments in relation to migration and asylum provision in Renfrewshire. The paper highlights a range of concurrent issues which are being monitored by partners, including support for people who have settled in Renfrewshire across communities and the potential future impact on housing and health and social care. 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that members of the Leadership Board note the contents of this report. 3. Background 3.1 Renfrewshire has a strong track record in terms of supporting people who have come to live and settle in the area through different humanitarian programmes or routes, such as the resettlement scheme for Syrian and Afghan nationals and for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people. 3.2 Partners and officers have developed skills and experience in terms of supporting people to settle successfully and have worked with community groups and organisations to build initial networks that aim to strengthen partnership working on this issue. Item 6 Page 75 of 128
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3.3 The last 12-18 months have seen unprecedented change in terms of migration and asylum activity. This includes significant programmes of work relating to Ukrainian Displaced Persons as a result of the invasion by Russia, the roll-out of asylum dispersal across the UK beyond initial asylum areas such as Glasgow, and a significant increase in the requirement to support unaccompanied asylum seeking children and young people for all local authorities across the UK. 3.4 As part of the new service arrangements put into place at end March 2023, the Head of Policy and Partnerships was asked to take on a strategic role in terms of co-ordinating the Council’s response to Migration and Asylum related issues within Renfrewshire. In this role the Head of Policy and Partnerships works closely in particular with the Head of Housing and the Head of Childcare and Criminal Justice / CSWO and HSCP, in order to assess ongoing implications for operational service delivery and to ensure emerging risks are identified and responded to by partners. 3.5 In terms of governance arrangements, the Head of Childcare and Criminal Justice / CSWO has continued to chair an officer level Strategic Migration Group(SMG) which meets on a quarterly basis and is comprised of key service representatives. These arrangements have recently been reviewed and work is underway to strengthen and extend the membership, and to put into place an operational group which will consider current levels of activities and developments within communities, and escalate these to the strategic group as required. 3.6 This paper seeks to provide an update for elected members on the current issues being progressed by officers and partners. 4. Support for Ukrainian Displaced Persons (UDPs) 4.1 The Council, HSCP and partners have played a key role in national efforts to support people who arrived in Scotland and into Renfrewshire over the last 15 months, as a result of the invasion of Ukraine by Russia. A core element of our role has been to support the establishment and ongoing operation of a Welcome Hub linked to Glasgow Airport. 4.2 As elected members will be aware, the main purpose of the Welcome Hub is to provide a warm welcome to the country, including the provision of temporary accommodation and support to those arriving, with the aim of UDPs then moving on to more settled accommodation within other local authority areas, including Renfrewshire. In practice, those arriving have often stayed many weeks and months within the Welcome Hub, due to factors including the availability of settled accommodation across Scotland. Item 6 Page 76 of 128
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4.3 Over 2000 people have been supported through the Welcome Hub to date, which has been a remarkable achievement for the core team of officers within the Housing Service that have provided this support over this period. A range of wider partners and services have also been fully involved and supportive of the work of the Welcome Hub and in supporting UDPs who stay temporarily or more permanently in Renfrewshire including colleagues in schools and learning establishments and community learning and development officers that have worked to support families living in the hub for however long. 4.4 In late 2022, the Scottish Government paused the super sponsor scheme. Whilst the number of arrivals and people being supported in the Welcome Hub has reduced compared to the peak, there continue to be challenges in terms of supporting people staying in the hotel to move to settled accommodation in other local authority areas. As at end August 2023, 103 UDPs (54 households) continue to be supported in Welcome Hub accommodation in Renfrewshire near to Glasgow Airport. 4.5 Through the Homes for Ukraine Scheme, hosts were asked to commit to providing accommodation to a UDP/their family for a minimum period of 6 months, with a £350 pm payment being made by the UK Government (through the local authority) to support the arrangements for up to 12 months. The UK Government announced an uplift in the payment for a further 12 months, at an enhanced rate of £500 pm in order to encourage hosts to sustain existing host arrangements. 4.6 There are currently 61 host arrangements in place in Renfrewshire. Support is available to hosts and UDPs from the refugee resettlement team, and there is significant administration and financial monitoring input from different officers to ensure relevant grant claims are made to the UK Government, and payments made to hosts as required. 4.7 As at end August 2023, 466 Ukrainian Displaced Persons (202 households) were living across Renfrewshire’s communities with hosts or through social landlord tenancies. 4.8 Across our learning estate we have 85 children and young people attending our schools and early learning centres. We also have an additional 30 children and young people who reside within Welcome Hub accommodation and who are attending our schools/early years centres which were identified as part of the welcome hub strategy as the receiving schools. Almost all have settled into school life well. We are proud to share with the board that a number of young people who recently sat SQA exams have achieved excellent results and have moved onto positive destinations or have continued with their education. Item 6 Page 77 of 128
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4.9 In terms of housing, it is important to note the significant role that the Council’s housing service and wider social landlords have played in terms of offering tenancies to UDPs. Renfrewshire has supported a significant proportion of people staying in the local hub to move into local tenancies, as well as to move to other areas (124 social rented tenancies between the Council (74) and registered social landlords (50)). This has placed an addition strain on the demand for social rented housing given the increase in homelessness in Renfrewshire over the last 2 years in line with the national trend. 4.10 The Communities and Housing Policy Board recently approved proposals to apply for repair and improvement costs for empty houses from the Scottish Government’s ‘Longer-Term Resettlement Fund’. Initial discussions have commenced with Scottish Government officials on the feasibility of ‘last in the block’ properties being repaired and used for the resettlement of UDP’s, and a further report will be submitted to the Communities and Housing Policy Board providing an update on progress. 4.11 Discussions are ongoing at a national level in relation to funding to support UDPs across Scotland. This relates to funding for each person supported through the UK Government tariff funding arrangements, as well as Scottish Government funding to support the operation of welcome hubs. Funding arrangements for 2023/24 welcome hub provision have not yet been confirmed which represents an ongoing risk financially for the Council. 4.12 There is also a strong focus on moving support for Ukrainian nationals to be aligned with the national New Scots strategy, recognising that the conflict is unlikely to end in the short to medium term and Ukrainian people may stay in Scotland for a longer period than it was initially thought may be the case. 5. Unaccompanied Asylum Seeking Children (UASC) 5.1 Renfrewshire has a significant level of experience in terms of supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and young people, with a small team in place within Children’s Services established to provide this support. Over the past twelve months the Home Office implemented a National Transfer Scheme for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. This meant that all local authorities in the United Kingdom (not Northern Ireland) were required to accept the transfer of unaccompanied asylum-seeking children arriving in Kent and the Southwest of England. Renfrewshire continues to provide support for unaccompanied asylum seeking children who arrive spontaneously in the area. Unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in Renfrewshire are considered looked after by the council. 5.2 The Home Office initially indicated that local authorities would be expected to provide support for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children equivalent to 0.07% of the general child population. The Home Office indicated recently Item 6 Page 78 of 128
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that due to continued new arrivals and need to rebalance the unaccompanied asylum-seeking child population they were increasing the percentage to 0.1% of the general child population. 5.3 The spontaneous arrivals alongside the national transfer scheme has resulted in significant pressure on finding suitable resources to provide accommodation for those children Renfrewshire is responsible for. At the present time there are no internal vacancies in fostering or residential children’s houses. The independent foster care and residential childcare providers are reporting limited vacancies. The lack of accommodation options is a national issue. 5.4 Renfrewshire is presently supporting 30 unaccompanied asylum-seeking children and 20 former unaccompanied asylum-seeking children. 5.5 As noted earlier in this report there are significant pressures on securing accommodation within the local housing market. This has resulted in a delay in some young people that have been welcomed in Renfrewshire in recent years, being able to move from care placements into and beyond throughcare accommodation. It is expected that as additional arrivals are received the pressure on accommodation will continue to be problematic. 5.6 Over the past three months additional requests to provide support to individuals who are claiming to be children have been made by Migrant Help. Migrant Help have accepted individuals who are identified as potential victims of trafficking and providing them with accommodation in Renfrewshire. Migrant Help has noted that some of those they have provided support to have later claimed to be children and unaccompanied and request that Renfrewshire take responsibility for them. This has resulted in the local authority being served with two notices for judicial review. One of these notifications has been withdrawn with the other was not progressed by the Court. Members can be assured that Renfrewshire is discharging our responsibilities for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in our area. 5.7 The Home Office has indicated they are considering establishing a reception centre for unaccompanied asylum-seeking children in Scotland. There is no indication where the Home Office would locate the reception centre. The Chief Social Work Officer is clear the proposed reception centre model is not one which should be supported from a safeguarding perspective. In addition, he is concerned the Home Office has not considered fully the implications for the local authority in which any reception centre is located in terms of their responsibility for looked after children. Item 6 Page 79 of 128
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6. Afghan Resettlement programme 6.1 Local authorities across Scotland have also supported humanitarian schemes relating to nationals from Afghanistan. A small number of people have been supported to resettle in Renfrewshire as part of this programme, whilst in some areas of Scotland and across the UK, a significant number of Afghan nationals are being supported through hotel contingency / bridging accommodation. 6.2 In May 2023, the UK Government began to serve Afghan households in bridging hotels with a three month Notice to Quit (NTQ) over a staggered period. Over the last few months, local authorities with Afghan bridging hotels have been working intensively to support families out of hotel accommodation. 6.3 There are also a growing number of Afghan nationals in host countries such as Pakistan that are being issued with visas to come to the UK through the existing humanitarian programmes, which could continue to create additional pressures on local authorities depending on where arrivals come through. 6.4 The situation in relation to these programmes is being closely monitored by local officers and partners. In Renfrewshire we have begun to see Afghan nationals present for support to our housing support and homelessness services, which combined with other wider pressures and resettlement and asylum programmes, is increasingly challenging for services to manage. 7. Asylum Dispersal 7.1 In April 2022, the UK Government notified all UK local authorities of their intention to expand asylum dispersal arrangements across the UK, rather than through a number of agreed asylum dispersal areas such as Glasgow. 7.2 The Home Office’s contractor, Mears, has to date identified only a small number of properties in Renfrewshire to support asylum dispersal, due to the current pressures being experienced in the local private sector housing market. 7.3 However, in tandem, the Home Office have also been working to secure hotel contingency accommodation to be used across Scotland, in response to the large number of asylum seekers currently awaiting decisions (due to backlogs) and the ongoing high level of arrivals being experienced in the South of England. Within Renfrewshire the Home Office have procured the use of two hotels, one in Paisley and one in Erskine which could potentially provide accommodation to around 220 people in total at present. 7.4 Within the hotel in Erskine, agreement was reached for this to be a mixed accommodation model, rather than accommodating single adult males alone. Elected members will be aware that weekly protests have now been held for 6 Item 6 Page 80 of 128
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months at the hotel, involving both far right groups and counter protestors. As well incurring significant police resources, local community representatives continue to report the detrimental impact that the protests have on the local community. 7.5 A range of local and national community groups and organisations have reached out to provide support to asylum seekers being supported in hotel contingency accommodation in both Paisley and Erskine, which have been very important in terms of promoting their overall health and wellbeing. 7.6 The HSCP has worked with GPs and community health services to ensure GP registration and access to other support takes place as is required. 7.7 The Council recently received notification that due to pressures in the asylum system nationally, the Home Office would be seeking to maximise the use of all procured contingency hotel accommodation in Scotland. This includes implementing a policy of room sharing in hotel accommodation in Paisley. The total impact of these changes could potentially increase the number of asylum seeking adults living in local contingency hotel accommodation from 220 to 300 people. 7.8 In terms of the hotel in Erskine, a review is being undertaken by the Home Office to consider the impact on local services of the hotel accommodation, now that the initial capacity of 174 has been reached. 7.9 Officers and partners were invited to attend a muti agency forum meeting with representatives from the Home Office and Mears in mid August 2023. This provided an opportunity to express specific concerns in relation to the overall wellbeing of people living within contingency hotel accommodation, and the potential pressure on local health and housing services as these recent changes are implemented. 7.10 In particular there is concern that as the asylum population increase locally, more people will be served with potentially positive asylum decisions whilst being accommodated in the local area. Whilst this is positive for the individuals concerned, this could mean increased numbers of people presenting to homeless services for support who would require to be provided with temporary accommodation and the right to apply for a social rented tenancy. In line with current protocols put into place by the Home Office, asylum seekers receiving a positive asylum decision have 28 days to leave existing accommodation and are directed to work with charities and the local authority to make this transition and find suitable accommodation. Those receiving negative decisions on asylum applications, are given 21 days notice within existing accommodation. Item 6 Page 81 of 128
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7.11 Local services are already beginning to see this happen albeit in small numbers, including people who may present who have been previously supported in asylum accommodation in other local authority areas. 7.12 Concerns have also been raised in relation to the potential for people staying in the asylum contingency hotels, who have been assessed as under 18 as part of their claim. In these cases the local authority would be required to provide care and support to any young person, as they would for any other vulnerable/care experienced young person. This could represent significant ongoing resource pressures for the organisation. Implications of the Report 1. Financial – there are ongoing financial implications for the Council of participation in the provision of welcome hub and resettlement support for Ukrainian Displaced Person’s, for unaccompanied asylum seeking children and young people and implications for Council and partner resources in relation to the asylum dispersal programme. 2. HR & Organisational Development – Grant funding allocated by both the UK Government and Scottish Government for different schemes has been utilised to fund additional support staff as required. 3. Community/Council Planning – Supporting New Scots to resettle in Renfrewshire is an important element of the Fairer Renfrewshire programme, and has been identified as a priority by members of the Fairer Renfrewshire lived experience panel. 4. Legal – relevant legal advice is sought from colleagues in relation to proposed policy changes and their impact on Renfrewshire. 5. Property/Assets – none. 6. Information Technology – none. 8. Equality and Human Rights - the Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. The New Scots strategy supports a human rights based approach to the resettlement of people in local communities. These principles remain core to local discussions with partners in relation to proposed policy changes which may arise 8. Health and Safety – none. 9. Procurement – none. 10. Risk – the paper notes potential risks in terms of increased pressure on local resources as a result of national policy changes around asylum dispersal. 11. Privacy Impact – none. 12. COSLA Policy Position – regular updates on migration and asylum developments are considered through COSLA Leaders and policy boards. 13. Climate Risk – none/ ___________________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers: None Author: Laura McIntyre, Head of Policy and Partnerships. Item 6 Page 82 of 128
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___________________________________________________________________ To: Leadership Board On: 20 September 2023 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Sustainable Communities Fund ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 In March 2023, Council agreed to combine the remaining monies from the Community Empowerment Fund and Climate Change Action Fund to create a single, easy-to-access Sustainable Communities Fund. Available funding has been boosted by an allocation of £650,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, giving total overall funding of £1.596m (£1.122m capital and £0.474m revenue). 1.2 The new Sustainable Communities Fund will strengthen work within communities to identify opportunities for land and assets within local areas to develop local projects which benefit those who live there – connecting people through regenerated local spaces and tackling inequality through community collaboration. Officers have built on best practice across all Scottish local authorities for the development of a Sustainable Communities Fund process for approval by the Board. 1.3 It is proposed that the Sustainable Communities Fund would follow a tiered funding model to reflect different-sized community projects as well as the different levels of support required at different stages of development. A tiered approach will also help to ensure ease of access to a proportionate application process to enable a range of deliverable initiatives that align with community empowerment: • Small - awards up to £10K: capital and revenue funding to develop local projects and initiatives which are targeted at enabling community participation and promoting community collaboration and which build resilience within our communities. This level would be targeted at groups where a small amount of money can make a significant difference to enabling community participation; • Intermediate – awards of £10K to £25K: capital and revenue funding to develop deliverable projects or organisations with a focus on improving community infrastructure and/or community wellbeing and which have the potential to be replicated in other areas; and Item 7 Page 83 of 128
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• large – awards up to £100K: larger capital grants with the aim of supporting communities that aspire to take ownership or develop land or buildings in local communities. 1.4 Award recommendations would be submitted to subsequent Communities and Housing Policy Boards for approval, following evaluation by a panel of relevant Service representatives. Award recommendations would target areas including: • community capacity building; • local natural spaces that support health and wellbeing; • community wealth building; • place-based investments to improve community spaces; and • small scale strategic climate projects. 1.5 Through the Sustainable Communities Fund, there would be a focus on project ideas that align with the themes and aims within the Renfrewshire Council Plan (2022-27), Our Renfrewshire Community Plan and/or Renfrewshire’s Plan for Net Zero. 1.6 Guidance has been developed for the Fund and can be found in Appendix 1. Subject to the approval of this guidance and related governance arrangements for the funding, it is proposed that the application process is launched in October 2023. 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that members of the Leadership Board: • Approve the guidance attached at Appendix 1 • Agree that recommendations in relation to the award of funding are submitted to the Communities and Housing policy board • Approve the allocation of £0.100m of the £1.596m total funding available to be utilised to support the costs of fund administration, application development and community development activities which will be required to maximise the value of this funding pot in line with similar arrangements for this type of project. • Note that regular updates will be provided to the Communities and Housing policy board on the implementation of the funding and all projects. 3. Background 3.1 In March 2023, Council agreed to combine the remaining monies from the Community Empowerment Fund and Climate Change Action Fund to create a single, easy-to-access Sustainable Communities Fund. It was estimated at that time that £1m of funding would be available to launch the new fund. 3.2 Current financial assessment has confirmed that £1.070m of funding has yet to be drawn down across the previous funds, with £124,000 requiring to be held in reserves for several projects whereby funding has been allocated previously by the relevant policy board, but has not yet been fully drawn down or committed. Item 7 Page 84 of 128
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3.3 Elected members are asked to note that this funding was further boosted by an allocation of £650,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Communities and Place, for the support and improvement of community assets and infrastructure. 3.4 The total funding pot which is available to be allocated through the Sustainable Communities Fund applications is therefore £1.496m (£1.122m capital and £0.374m revenue), subject to the approval of members to the allocation of £100,000 from the fund to support ongoing administration and application development. 3.5 The new Sustainable Communities Fund will strengthen work within communities to identify opportunities for land and assets within local areas to develop deliverable and sustainable local projects which benefit those who live there – connecting people through regenerated local spaces and tackling inequality through community collaboration. It is part of a series of initiatives which promote community collaboration and better wellbeing, providing for a greener future. 3.6 The design of the Sustainable Communities Fund builds on the best practice in recent years across funding streams, but with a much stronger focus on supporting projects which are innovative and are sustainable in the longer term without ongoing Council support. 3.7 The Sustainable Communities Fund is an open funding call which comprises both capital and revenue funding and which will remain open until at least 31st March 2025 or until all funding is fully committed, with applications being evaluated on a quarterly basis, with submission deadlines for each evaluation clearly set out. 3.8 The UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Communities and Place portion of the Sustainable Communities Fund is made up of a clear split between capital and revenue funding; and has set amounts allocated over financial years 2023-24 and 2024-25 and will be allocated within these guidelines. 3.9 Applications will be assessed through a rigorous process against the criteria set out in the fund guidance. 4. Target Areas and Outcomes 4.1 The aim is to improve the lives of local people and build resilient communities through sustainable activities developed and valued by local people, helping to build community pride and cohesion. 4.2 A range of potential interventions designed to build capacity and resilience in communities and to maximise the impact of the fund have been identified. It is envisaged that eligible projects will focus on one or more of the following areas: • community capacity building: to enable community groups to explore community asset transfer. This could include feasibility studies to help the development of deliverable place-based infrastructure initiatives, support to develop community action and place plans, improvements to community infrastructure or volunteering activities to improve opportunities and promote wellbeing; Item 7 Page 85 of 128
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• local natural spaces that support health and wellbeing: with a focus on benefiting those communities in greatest need of green spaces by increasing access to nature, including creating or improving green and blue infrastructure and incorporating nature into wider public spaces and/or increasing positive and healthy activity provision for local communities; • community wealth building: reshaping local relationships and infrastructures to ensure local well-being and benefits, e.g. supporting local skills development and community enterprises, development of volunteering projects that provide opportunities and benefits into the hands of local people; • place-based investments to improve community spaces: including support and improvement of community assets to increase users of facilities and improve accessibility to opportunities within communities; physical alteration of community buildings and new infrastructure projects, including those that build resilience within communities to impacts of climate change; and • small-scale strategic climate projects: contributing towards Renfrewshire’s drive to net zero through local responses to the climate emergency which help to build resilience within our communities, including local projects which increase biodiversity, small scale strategic active travel enhancements, improvements that increase resilience to impacts of climate change, local food growing projects, small scale energy projects. 4.3 The purpose of the Sustainable Communities Fund is to support community organisations with a focus on deliverable and sustainable project ideas and initiatives that align with the themes and aims within the Renfrewshire Council Plan (2022-27), Our Renfrewshire Community Plan and/or Renfrewshire’s Plan for Net Zero. 4.4 In order to support sustainable projects to be developed, the Sustainable Communities Fund will be an open fund, with applications evaluated on a quarterly basis, with submission deadlines for each evaluation clearly set out. 4.5 Guidance has been developed for the Fund and can be found in Appendix 1. 5. Sustainable Communities Fund Tiered Model 5.1 It is proposed that the Sustainable Communities Fund would follow a tiered funding model to reflect different-sized community projects as well as the various stages of project development. A tiered approach will also help to ensure ease of access to a proportionate application process for appropriate levels of funding and support to enable a range of initiatives that align with community empowerment: • a funding stream for smaller awards of up to £10K: capital and non-recurring revenue funding targeted at projects and initiatives which enable community participation and promote community collaboration; help to build resilience within our communities; and/or improve health and wellbeing and social outcomes. This level would be targeted at groups where a small amount of money can make a significant difference to enabling community participation; • funding applications to develop the project or organisation with a value between £10K and £25K: capital and non-recurring revenue funding for projects with a focus on improving community infrastructure or initiatives which have a focus on community wellbeing and community connections and which have the potential to be replicated in other areas. This level may also include feasibility studies or Item 7 Page 86 of 128
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development of business plans for more complex community asset projects or assistance to develop community action and place plans; and • larger capital grants of up to £100K with the aim of supporting communities that aspire to take ownership or redevelop land or buildings in their local communities. 5.2 In exceptional circumstances, grants exceeding these values may be considered for transformational projects which align with local plans, or where it may be appropriate to be used as match funding for larger, phased projects. 6. Next Steps 6.1 Following approval, it is intended that the first round of applications for the Sustainable Communities Fund would be launched in October 2023. 6.2 Award recommendations would follow consideration by a panel of relevant Service representatives, with award recommendations being submitted to subsequent Boards for approval. 6.3 The Sustainable Communities Fund provides significant opportunities to work with communities in a different way as part of the developing communities programme. Additional officer capacity would be required to ensure that the value of funding is maximised, due to the significant levels of coordination which is required across Services and with partners and community organisations. As such, it is proposed that £100K is used to support the administration of the Fund, including key areas such as the application process, application assessment and community capacity building. This is in line with previous arrangements agreed by elected members for funds of this nature and scale. Implications of the Report 1. Financial – The Sustainable Communities Fund consolidates the Climate Change Action Fund and the Community Empowerment Fund into a fund totalling £1.070m (£0.518m revenue and £0.552m capital) which is further supported by £0.650m of nonrecurring funding drawn from the Shared Prosperity Fund. Of the £1.720m total funding, £124,000 requires to be held in reserves to be drawn down in relation to committed projects approved under the Climate Action Fund and £100,000 to support fund administration. Total available funding for allocation is therefore £1.496m (£1.122m capital and £0.374m revenue) subject to the approval of members in relation to fund administration costs. 2. HR & Organisational Development – Additional officer capacity would be required to support administration of the Fund to ensure the value of funding is maximised.. 3. Community/Council Planning – the Fund set out in the paper supports engagement and collaboration with local communities on a range of activities which align with the new Council Plan 2022-2027; Our Renfrewshire Community Plan and/or Renfrewshire’s Plan for Net Zero. 4. Legal - none. 5. Property/Assets – none. 6. Information Technology – none. 7. Equality and 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 Item 7 Page 87 of 128
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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 and Safety – none. 9. Procurement – none. 10. Risk – none. 11. Privacy Impact – none. 12. COSLA Policy Position – none. 13. Climate Risk – the Sustainable Communities Fund aligns with the themes within Renfrewshire’s Plan for Net Zero and the delivery of relevant projects will assist the local response to the climate emergency. Appendix 1: Sustainable Communities Fund Draft Guidance ___________________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers: None Author: Laura McIntyre, Head of Policy and Partnerships. Item 7 Page 88 of 128
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Renfrewshire’s Sustainable Communities Fund A guide to the grant funding available for community groups and how to apply Introduction Renfrewshire Council’s new Sustainable Communities Fund combines the Community Empowerment Fund and Climate Change Action Fund into a single, easy to access grant fund. The Fund is further boosted by investment from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Communities and Place for the support and improvement of community assets and infrastructure. The new Sustainable Communities Fund will strengthen work within communities to identify opportunities for land and assets within local areas to develop deliverable local projects which benefit those who live there – connecting people through regenerated local spaces and tackling inequality through community collaboration. It is part of a series of initiatives which promote community collaboration and better wellbeing, providing for a greener future with initiatives designed and developed by communities but supported by the Council. The fund is further designed to support and enable Community Asset Transfer under the Communities Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015. The Sustainable Communities Fund follows a tiered funding model to reflect the range of sizes of community projects and to ensure ease of access to the application process for appropriate levels of funding and support required at the different stages of project development and implementation. The application process supports this tiered approach, ensuring that level and detail of information requested is proportionate to the size of the project and the level of funding being requested. Target Areas The aim of the Sustainable Communities Fund is to support projects which improve the lives of local people and build resilient communities through sustainable activities which are developed and valued by local people. Applications supported through the Sustainable Communities Fund should have a strong focus on project ideas that align with the themes and aims within the Renfrewshire Council Plan (2022-27), Our Renfrewshire Community Plan and/or Renfrewshire’s Plan for Net Zero. Eligible projects will focus on one or more of the following areas: • community capacity building: to enable community groups to explore community asset transfer. This could include feasibility studies to help the development of deliverable place-based infrastructure initiatives, support to develop community action and place plans, improvements to community infrastructure or volunteering activities to improve opportunities and promote wellbeing. • local natural spaces that support health and wellbeing: with a focus on benefiting those communities in greatest need of green spaces by increasing access to nature, including creating or improving green and blue infrastructure and incorporating nature into wider public spaces and/or increasing positive and healthy activity provision for local communities. • community wealth building: reshaping local relationships and infrastructures to ensure local well-being and benefits, e.g., supporting local skills development and community enterprises, development of volunteering projects that provide opportunities and benefits into the hands of local people. Item 7 Page 89 of 128
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• place-based investments to improve community spaces: including support and improvement of community assets to increase users of facilities and improve accessibility to opportunities within communities; physical alteration of community buildings and new infrastructure projects, including those that build resilience within communities to impacts of climate change; and • small scale strategic climate projects: contributing towards Renfrewshire’s drive to net zero through local responses to the climate emergency which help to build resilience within our communities, including local projects which increase biodiversity, small scale strategic active travel enhancements, improvements that increase resilience to impacts of climate change, local food growing projects, small scale energy projects. We are keen to fund projects that build local knowledge of the climate emergency through information and engagement activities. It is anticipated that projects will advance equality of opportunity and improve accessibility and inclusivity - tackling areas including isolation; food insecurity; healthy eating; health inequalities; connectivity to services and social activities; and fuel poverty, as well as improving health and wellbeing. Projects should also seek to promote or improve action on climate change, economic development, regeneration, public health, social and environmental wellbeing or reduce socio-economic inequalities. Eligibility – Who can Apply? The Sustainable Communities Fund is open to any community or voluntary organisation based in Renfrewshire which has a constitution and a bank account. If funding requested is part of a Community Asset Transfer request or is for development of an asset transferred under the CAT process, applicants must be eligible as a ‘Community Transfer Body’ (information available on the Council Website). An exception to this will be made for applications seeking to explore the feasibility of Community Asset Transfer of their group or organisation. In some circumstances funding awarded through the Sustainable Communities Fund may qualify as a subsidy under the UK Government Subsidy Control Act. In such circumstances, you will be asked to confirm that the value of all public grants received by your organisation in the preceding three years, including the period to be covered by the Sustainable Communities grant, will not exceed £350,000 in total. How Much Can I Apply For? As indicated previously, the Sustainable Communities fund will operate on a tiered model allowing projects to apply just for the monies they require. A single application form will be used for each tier but applicants will only need to provide information in proportion to the amount of funding being requested. The Fund comprises both revenue and capital resources. As a rule of thumb, revenue funding is suitable for one off costs such as professional fees, marketing, feasibility studies and business plans. This list is not exhaustive, however, it should be noted that the Sustainability Fund will not cover costs over multiple years. Capital funding is only suitable for non-recurring costs, for example, build costs including refurbishment and costs associated with setting up a project, for example, equipment, furniture, IT and energy saving devices. Grants for this fund will be considered from one of the following three tiers: • Small - awards up to £10K: capital and revenue funding targeted at enabling community participation and promoting community collaboration including the Item 7 Page 90 of 128
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purchase of small items of equipment, feasibility studies, community engagement and climate change interventions. • Intermediate – awards of £10K to £25K: it is anticipated that grant awards will be mostly for revenue costs with a focus on improving community infrastructure, incl. feasibility studies/business plans for deliverable community asset projects and project management costs, however, applications for small capital investment in equipment and set up costs will also be considered. • Large – awards up to £100K: this will be capital funding aiming to support communities that aspire to take ownership or redevelop land or buildings in their local communities on a sustainable basis. In exceptional circumstances, grants exceeding these values may be considered. This might include, but is not limited to: • the project representing a significant capital project with a robust business case, • the organisation being successful in levering in external funding to Renfrewshire, • the organisation demonstrating extensive community engagement in support of its project, including strong relationships and partnerships in the area, or • the organisation being recognised as a key strategic partner for Renfrewshire Council and, for example, has a formal Strategic Partnership Agreement in place Organisations may make more than one application to the Sustainable Communities Fund. The fund is designed to support project progression so an application to one tier of funding will not preclude future applications to higher tiers as projects develop. It should be noted that the fund will not generally support multiple applications to the same tier. An exception to this rule may be considered where an organisation has an entirely new project with separate outcomes. What We Will Fund As indicated, the Sustainable Communities Fund comprises both capital and revenue funding and is designed to enable communities to develop and take forward opportunities for the benefit of those who live there. The Fund can be used to support a range of potential interventions which may include, but are not limited to: • new models of land use which improve quality, dignity or sustainability, e.g. community gardens, growing spaces (capital and revenue); • enhancing local biodiversity and natural habitats e.g. planting projects, nature corridors (capital and revenue); • supporting, recruiting and/or retaining volunteers, or relevant training, e.g. local energy advisors, local food growing advisors, community hire station for tools, local repair hubs, repair workshops, led walks or bike rides (revenue); • business planning, surveys or feasibility studies for the development of a community asset and asset transfer (revenue); • developing or increasing organisational capacity, e.g. to manage and develop an asset (revenue); • purchase of infrastructure and equipment for improvements to community spaces, e.g. energy efficiency measures, outdoor gym equipment, planters for local growing spaces (capital); • costs associated with premises, e.g. venue hire for targeted community events to improve community cohesion and alleviate loneliness and isolation (revenue); • equipment to enable services, e.g. tools for hire stations, bike repair essentials, repair equipment, refrigeration for community kitchens (capital); Item 7 Page 91 of 128
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• climate information & engagement building understanding of the climate emergency across Renfrewshire’s geographical communities and communities of interest through awareness raising engagement activities (revenue); • restoration and development of existing buildings or towards the costs of new build projects (capital). Outputs and Outcomes The Sustainable Communities Fund is designed to support interventions that promote and enable local communities to take forward ideas and opportunities that improve the fabric and working of communities for the benefit of those who live there. We have identified a range of outputs and outcomes that will help us and you to measure the difference that sustainable communities funding has made in your community. This list is not exhaustive and applicants are encouraged to identify additional outputs and/or outcomes that are appropriate for your project. Outputs Outputs are the result of activity, for example, if the project is to create a community garden, the output will be the garden, an improvement to public space or new amenity for public use. Proposed outputs for the Sustainable Communities Fund, but not limited to, include: • Number of organisations receiving financial support • Number of new community improvement schemes • Number of new low or zero carbon infrastructure installed • Number of new facilities created in communities • Number of existing community facilities improved • Number of local events or activities supported including training and capacity building • Number of assets transferred to community control Outcomes Outcomes are the product or impact of activity, the added value of carrying out the activity, for example, sticking with the community garden theme, the outcome may be improvement in biodiversity and/or positive impacts on public health and social wellbeing. Proposed outputs for the Sustainable Communities Fund, but not limited to, include: • Increase in capacity within community organisations and management (number of organisations) • New jobs created (number) • Increase in knowledge and skills, e.g. in climate change or community growing (number of people trained) • Improved perception of facilities/amenities (number of people) • Increased users of facilities/amenities (number of people) • Increase in community engagement and participation (number of people) • Increase in social well-being (percentage) • Increase in public health and mental wellbeing (percentage) • Increase in environmental wellbeing (number of initiatives) In selecting outputs and outcomes for your project, applicants should consider how they will measure these. The Application Process Item 7 Page 92 of 128
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Application to the Sustainable Communities Fund will be via a standard application form. The application form will require basic information about your organisation and governance arrangements. The form will ask you to describe your project and detail all of the costs associated with your project as well as those that you are applying for. The form will also ask you to specify the outputs and outcomes to be achieved by the project, timelines and how these will be measured. You will be asked to identify the tier of funding being applied for and whether costs will be capital or revenue. Applications tiers 2 and 3 will require additional information proportionate to the higher level of funding being requested. When Can I Apply? Applications are invited from Monday 2nd October 2023. The fund will remain open until at least the 30th of November 2024 or until all funding is fully committed. Applications can be submitted at any time and will be considered at the next available quarterly assessment panel. Dates for when the assessment panel will meet and deadlines for applications are set out in the table below: Quarterly Assessment Month Last date for application submission Board Decision Date Assessment 1 November 2023 31st October 2023 16th January 2024 Assessment 2 February 2024 31st January 2024 12th March 2024 Assessment 3 April 2024 2024 31st March 2024 21st May 2024 Assessment 4 July 2024 30th June 2024 20th August 2024 Assessment 5 September 2024 31st August 2024 October 2024 Assessment 6 December 2024 30th November January 2025 Applicants should note that a successful funding application to the Sustainable Communities Fund to support development of a project idea is not an indication of the outcome of a related asset transfer request. Each asset transfer request will be considered on its own merits. Assessment Criteria Applications to the Sustainable Communities will be assessed in the first instance by an internal officer panel comprising senior officers from across the Council and recommended for approval to the Communities and Housing Policy Board who will make the final decision. Please note that information is provided to the Communities and Housing Policy Board on all applications, whether they are recommended for approval or not. In assessing applications, the officer panel will consider how well applications meet the following criteria: Eligibility • Organisation making the application is formally constituted and is community controlled (the business of the organisation is controlled by the members being members of the community; • Where appropriate, the organisation meets the criteria as a Community Transfer Body under Part 5 of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015. Positive impact for local communities • You have identified the community need for your project, as well as clearly showing the changes your project will bring; Item 7 Page 93 of 128
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• You have identified clear outputs and outcomes for your project and can clearly explain the impact your project will have for the community; • You have identified measures you will take to know and measure if you have achieved positive change. Community Participation • You can evidence how the community have been involved in the development of your idea, and are supportive of your plans. • Your plans show the community will continue to have a voice in the delivery and oversight of your project. • You can demonstrate a clear commitment to equality, diversity and inclusion, making sure that different types of people are supported and empowered to engage with your project. Viability and Sustainability • You can demonstrate how your project can be financially sustainable. • Your organisation has the appropriate skills, experience, and qualifications to deliver the project, or has a plan for engaging people who do. • Your organisation has suitable governance arrangements in place for the scale of the project and has clear succession plans in place for the recruitment of board members or trustees. Strategic fit with the fund objectives and criteria • You understand how your project fits with the strategic priorities of Renfrewshire Council and Renfrewshire Community Planning Partnership. • Your project is complementary to existing facilities and provisions in the local area. Best Value and leverage of additional funding and/or resources • You can demonstrate how your project meets the 7 best value themes including, clear vision and leadership, governance and accountability, effective use of resources, partnership and collaboration working, sustainability, working with communities and fairness and equality; • You can identify and secure other funding sources to support the development of your project, including the leverage of additional funding into Renfrewshire. Fair Work Principles In July 2023, the Scottish Government introduced new guidelines for Fair Work First in workplaces across Scotland. This includes a commitment to paying the Real Living Wage (currently £10.90 per hour) and providing an effect employee voice. The guidelines extend to recipients of public funding including grant monies. Applicants should provide a statement indicating how they will support and implement Fair Work First principles, where appropriate and reasons as to why this may not apply to your project. Grant Conditions All grants will be subject to Renfrewshire Council’s standard Grant Conditions. • £1,000 to less than £10,000: All grant payments will be authorised by the Council subject to satisfactory compliance procedures outlined in the Grant Conditions and subject to scrutiny of any grants claims and receipts/invoices by the Council. Once agreed all grant payments will normally be made in one or two instalments at the Council's discretion. • £10,000 or more: All grant payments will be authorised by the Council subject to satisfactory compliance with the bookkeeping and accounts procedures outlined in the Grant Conditions and subject to scrutiny of any grants claims and Item 7 Page 94 of 128
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receipts/invoices by the Council. Once agreed, a schedule of grant payment will be agreed and may be paid in advance at the Council's discretion. Please note: Grants are made payable to applicant organisations or individuals detailed in the main application form. Grants awards are not transferrable to other organisations or entities. Grant payments will be made directly via BACs transfer to applicant organisations detailed in the main application form. Payments will not be made to individual or personal accounts. Grants awards are not transferrable to other organisations or entities. Receipts may be requested to evidence that grant awards have been spent in accordance with the application and to evidence spend by date if required. Monitoring and Evaluating Outcomes Council Officers will work with all successful applicants to monitor the outcomes delivered by projects and initiatives supported through the Fund. Attachments To Your Application Organisations and Groups should provide supporting evidence as follows: • Bank Statement less than three months old. • Copy of your most recent Annual Accounts or Income and Expenditure Statement. These should be less than 15 months old, dated and signed as approved. (You may provide a link to OSCR/Companies House submitted file) • New organisations should submit estimates of income and expenditure for the first 12 months. • A signed, dated copy of the organisation’s Constitution or Memorandum and Articles of Association. (You may provide a link to OSCR/Companies House submitted file) • Any other relevant reports or information to support your application such as supporting evidence (including media coverage, press cuttings, images, past publicity materials, reviews, and letters of support) (PDF’s preferred) Item 7 Page 95 of 128
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To: Leadership Board On: 20 September 2023 Report by: Director of Finance and Resources Heading: Consultation on the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill 1. Summary 1.1. The Scottish Government is inviting responses to their consultation on the proposed Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill, which was introduced in the Scottish Parliament in May 2023. 1.2. The consultation opened on 26 June 2023 and closed on 1 September 2023. Renfrewshire Council’s draft response to the consultation is attached at Appendix 1 for consideration. 2. Recommendations 2.1. Members are asked to: a) approve the consultation response as attached at Appendix 1; and b) homologate the formal submission of this response by the Director of Finance and Resources to meet the closing date of 1 September 2023. 3. Background 3.1. The consultation relates to proposals to introduce powers for local authorities to raise income through a scheme of Transient Visitor Tax (the visitor levy). The Bill proposes how the levy should be charged, monitored and enforced, along with estimates of implementation and administration costs within its Financial Memorandum. Item 8 Page 97 of 128
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3.2. There are six documents supporting the introduction of the bill, which can be sourced at the following link: Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill as Introduced | Scottish Parliament Website 3.3. One of these documents is the Financial Memorandum, which is attached for ease of reference at Appendix 2. This estimates set-up costs for local authorities to be in the region of £0.100m-£0.460m, with ongoing administrative costs estimated at ranging from £0.145m to £0.240m per annum. 3.4. Until the scheme guidance is concluded and analysis of the local market is undertaken, the equivalent financial impact for Renfrewshire Council cannot be accurately assessed; however, as a new burden it would be expected to attract some level of financial support within the General Revenue Grant, once implemented. Item 8 Page 98 of 128
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Implications of this report 1. Financial – The Financial Memorandum associated with the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill estimates set-up costs for local authorities in the region of £0.100m-£0.460m, with ongoing administrative costs estimated at ranging from £0.145m to £0.240m per annum. 2. HR and Organisational Development – As with any new activity for the Council, the planning, implementation and administration of a Visitor Levy scheme would require to be adequately resourced. 3. Community/Council Planning - None directly arising from this report. 4. Legal - None directly arising from this report. 5. Property/Assets - None directly arising from this report. 6. Information Technology - None directly arising from this report. 7. Equality and 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. 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 and Safety - None directly arising from this report. 9. Procurement - None directly arising from this report. 10. Risk - None directly arising from this report. 11. Privacy Impact - None directly arising from this report. 12. Cosla Policy Position – COSLA supports local authorities having the powers to raise a Visitor Levy and is expected to be part of the expert working group developing supporting guidance for the Bill. 13. Climate Risk – None directly arising from this report. Author: Alastair MacArthur, Director of Finance and Resources Item 8 Page 99 of 128
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Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill Economy & Development Team views Q1) What are your views on whether local authorities should have a power to place a levy (a type of additional charge or fee) on top of the price charged for overnight accommodation in their area? The power is a positive tool to allow for reinvestment in local facilities for areas which have significant visitor numbers; however it does bring a new administrative burden for local authorities in terms of research, data gathering, charging mechanisms, maintenance of customer base, reporting, consultation and potential enforcement activity. Q2) Given that the Bill is likely to result in different councils introducing a visitor levy in different ways or not doing so at all, what impact do you think the Bill will have in your area and across different parts of Scotland? For example, this could include any impact (positive or negative) on local authority finances, local accountability and flexibility, businesses, or on numbers of overnight visitors. A successfully implemented levy scheme would offer an income stream to local authorities to reinvest into their visitor offering. In terms of impact on visitor numbers to a local area it seems unlikely that such a levy would be a determining factor on choice of location for visit, though there could be unintended consequences where popular visitor locations that have implemented a levy are located close to areas with no levy. This could lead to visitors choosing accommodation options in the neighbouring authority area and still benefiting from the local visitor experience. It will be crucial to consult with local industry representatives to understand their view before formalising such a scheme. Early indications suggest an immaterial benefit to the financial position of Renfrewshire Council; however, until data is available this is difficult to comment on with any certainty. Note that set-up costs for local authorities are estimated to be in the region of £110k-£480k with Item 8 Page 101 of 128
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recurring revenue costs of up to £500k, so the scheme would need to generate excess of this annually to be viable for the council to introduce. Q3) Do you agree with the Bill’s definitions of a “chargeable transaction” and of “overnight accommodation”? If not, what definitions do you think would be better? No objections to the definitions outlined. Q4) What are your views on the Bill’s proposal to allow councils to set the levy as a percentage of the chargeable transaction? Are there any other arrangements that you think might be better? If so, please give examples and a short description of the reasons why. A percentage levy approach would certainly pick up on seasonal changing price points for accommodation as demand rises; however, it would also be chargeable on a trust basis with providers indicating price points; there would be limited or no visibility for councils to validate provider income or have the ability to forecast expected values. Alternatively, a fixed levy approach (e.g. £2 per night) would be much clearer for customers and easier to administer and monitor, both for the council and providers; particularly smaller businesses who may have fairly low-tech billing and invoicing systems and who may negotiate rates on a more ad-hoc basis. Q5) What are your views on the absence of an upper limit to the percentage rate (which would be for councils to decide) and that it could be different for different purposes or different areas within the local authority area, but not for different types of accommodation? If the power is devolved to local authorities, so should the decision on charging levels for this levy. For this reason the calculation of the charge should not be so prescribed; there should be an option to apply a fixed rate per night, to deliver a levy structure that will help meet local objectives. Q6) The Bill would allow councils to apply local exemptions and rebates to some types of guests if they choose to. It also allows the Scottish Item 8 Page 102 of 128
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Government to set exemptions and rebates on a national basis where it considers it appropriate. What are your views on the Bill’s proposals in relation to exemptions and rebates? This could be useful on a local basis to exempt particular events or introduce levy free months, for example; however communication to providers would have to be very well planned and this would add a level of complexity to billing that would bring further resourcing costs. It could also be useful if applied nationally to exempt categories of visitor, such as temporary accommodation placements for homeless applicants, or resettlement of refugees or asylum seekers. Q7) Do you agree with the Bill’s requirements around the introduction and administration of a visitor levy scheme, including those relating to consultation, content, and publicity (Sections 11 to 15)? Are there any other requirements you think should be met before any introduction of the levy in a given area? Agree with proposed approach to full consultation with industry and operators locally; neighbouring or similarly profiled authority benchmarking would also be useful. Q8) What are your views on the Bill’s requirements for local authorities in respect of records keeping, reporting, and reviewing? (Sections 16, 18 and 19) Financial record keeping and reporting appears reasonable and similar to Council Tax and NDR reporting; ease of adoption will depend on the system/process selected and the complexity of scheme arrangements. Q9) The Bill requires that net proceeds of the scheme should only be used to “achieve the scheme’s objectives” and for “developing, supporting, and sustaining facilities and services which are substantially for or used by persons visiting the area of the local authority for leisure purposes.” Do you agree with how the Bill proposes net proceeds should be used and if not, how do you think net proceeds should be used? Flexibility for councils to apply income as appropriate would be preferable to the prescriptive use set out above. It could be argued that a significant proportion of local core infrastructure costs support people Item 8 Page 103 of 128
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visiting the area, e.g. streetlighting , roads, potholes, not just direct tourism costs. Another significant area of related spend is borrowing costs on historic capital spend related to improving visitor facilities. It would be useful to set out whether application of the income could include this (if set out in scheme objectives perhaps), or whether any spend has to be prospective. Local authority finance is in such a challenging position at present that maximum flexibility on the application of levy income generated should be recommended. Q10) What are your views on the Bill’s requirements for accommodation providers to identify the chargeable part of their overnight rates, keep records, make returns, and make payments to relevant local authorities? Are there any other arrangements that you think would be better, for example, by reducing any “administrative burden” for accommodation providers? Agree that this responsibility should lie with accommodation provider; however, moving to a fixed rate per night booked would substantially reduce the administrative burden on providers, as basic occupancy records would already be maintained. Q11) Do you have any comments on Part 5 of the Bill (Enforcement and Penalties and Appeals)? Are there any other arrangements that you think might be more appropriate in ensuring compliance and reducing the risk of avoidance? The introduction of an enforcement, penalties and appeals regime would incur additional administrative cost, not so much in the collection of debts, but inspection of properties, verification of documentation, etc. Again, a simplified levy would reduce the burden of proof on providers. If visitor booking numbers were open data subjects by law across Scotland, for example, there would be much less challenge around this. The collection of penalties is very challenging without specific enforcement powers. Item 8 Page 104 of 128
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Q12) Do you have any comments on the issues that the Scottish Government proposes to deal with in regulations after the Bill has been passed? (Set out in the Delegated Powers Memorandum) Are there any that you think should be included in the Bill itself rather than being dealt with by regulations and if so, why? No comment Q13) Do you have any comments on the accuracy of the estimated costs for the Scottish Government, local authorities, accommodation providers and others as set out in the Financial Memorandum and Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA)? In terms of the challenges around the costs and practicalities of administering this new income stream, the council would need at the outset: a means for businesses to provide data returns (digital?); a means of billing/collecting/receiving payments (BACS?); reconciliation work matching up incoming payments with billing and all returns received, accounting for changes in business ownership; additional debt recovery activity for non-payment or payment less than expected. There is no detail behind the estimated costs provided, so difficult to comment on this. The method and subjects used to obtain the estimates appear reasonable, but the range of estimated cost depends greatly on the number of bookable beds and visitors in each area. Until that income can be estimated for Renfrewshire, the viability of this scheme cannot be accurately assessed. Item 8 Page 105 of 128
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This document relates to the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill (SP Bill 28) as introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 24 May 2023 SP Bill 28–FM 1 Session 6 (2023) VISITOR LEVY (SCOTLAND) BILL —————————— FINANCIAL MEMORANDUM INTRODUCTION 1. As required under Rule 9.3.2 of the Parliament’s Standing Orders, this Financial Memorandum is published to accompany the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill, introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 24 May 2023. 2. The following other accompanying documents are published separately: • Explanatory Notes (SP Bill 28–EN); • a Policy Memorandum (SP Bill 28–PM); • a Delegated Powers Memorandum (SP Bill 28–DPM); • statements on legislative competence by the Presiding Officer and the Scottish Government (SP Bill 28–LC). 3. This Financial Memorandum has been prepared by the Scottish Government to set out the costs associated with the measures introduced by the Bill. It does not form part of the Bill and has not been endorsed by the Parliament. BACKGROUND 4. During 2018, the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA), and a number of individual local authorities, called on the Scottish Government to grant the powers to allow a local authority to place a levy on visitors (sometimes referred to as a ‘tourist tax’), in their area, if they chose to do so. COSLA’s ‘Transient Visitor Tax’ paper set out this ask, arguing that a discretionary visitor tax would strengthen local democracy and local choice, and generate revenue which could contribute to the cost of maintaining public services that support tourism and enhancing the tourist experience. 5. As part of the agreement of the Budget 2019-20, the Scottish Government committed to “consult on the principles of a local determined tourist tax, prior to introducing legislation to permit local authorities to introduce a transient visitor levy, if they consider it appropriate for local circumstances”. This commitment was part of a package of measures focussing on local tax reforms and local fiscal empowerment, helping further empower communities and local councils across Scotland, between now and the end of Parliament. 6. A formal public consultation “Consultation on the Principles of a Local Discretionary Transient Visitor Levy or Tourist Tax” was therefore held from 9 September 2019 to 2 December Item 8 Page 107 of 128
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This document relates to the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill (SP Bill 28) as introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 24 May 2023 2 2019. An analysis of consultation responses was published on 27 March 2020. Work on a visitor levy was paused in March 2020 in light of the pandemic. Budget 2022/23 announced the Scottish Government’s intention to recommence this work, following which renewed stakeholder engagement was carried out. This culminated in the Bill being included as part of the Programme for Government announced on 6 September 2022. OVERVIEW 7. The provisions of the Bill are as follows: • Power to impose a levy: The Bill will devolve more power to a local level by providing local authorities with a discretionary power to enable them to charge a visitor levy on purchases of overnight stays in all or part of their areas. • Basis and calculation of levy (inc. Rate): A visitor levy will be a percentage of overnight accommodation, excluding additional services, applied to all commercially let accommodation. A visitor levy will not apply where it is a person’s only or usual place of residence (temp or otherwise). The percentage rate is to be set locally. • Liability to pay: Liability to collect and remit the levy will lie with the accommodation provider. This would not prevent an accommodation provider entering into an arrangement for a third party to collect and remit the levy on their behalf. It is likely that the levy charge will be passed on to the person or party who is staying in the accommodation. • Introduction and Administration of Levy: The Bill provides prior consultation requirements for a local authority. These include: o Prepare and publicise outline of the proposed visitor levy scheme, including a statement of objectives o Consult representatives of communities, business engaged in tourism, and tourist organisations o Report on outcome of consultation and the decision a local authority intends to take on a visitor levy o Notify Scottish Ministers of decision to introduce a visitor levy scheme o Publicise its decision to introduce a visitor levy scheme, including the date on which the visitor levy will commence • Reporting and Review: The Bill provides that local authorities must keep a separate account for each visitor levy scheme in operation; report annually on the amount of money collected, the use of net proceeds, and performance against objectives; and review the levy every 3 years and publish its report on any review. • Use of net proceeds: Local authorities must use the net proceeds of a visitor levy scheme to facilitate achievement of objectives that relate to developing, supporting or sustaining facilities or services which are substantially for or used by those visiting the scheme area for leisure purposes. Local authorities must consult on the proposed use of revenues from a visitor levy. Item 8 Page 108 of 128
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This document relates to the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill (SP Bill 28) as introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 24 May 2023 3 • Collection: Liable persons must submit a return every quarter for levy received during this period or any other period of payment as specified by the local authority. Liable persons must retain records for 5 years (or any such period specified by a local authority), including details of any chargeable transactions. • Enforcement: Local authorities will be given powers to: o Obtain information and documents from liable persons; o Obtain information and documents from third parties; o Powers to enter and inspect the premises of liable persons or third parties; o Powers to copy and remove documents; o Impose a penalty in situations where no return/levy payment is made; failure to keep appropriate records; failure to comply with request for information; providing inaccurate information; obstruction of an inspection; concealing/destroying relevant documents; o Reduce, suspend or waive penalties. • Appeals: The Bill provides regulation making powers for appeals against local authority decisions. METHODOLOGY General Approach 8. As the Bill introduces a discretionary power to implement a visitor levy on overnight stays in overnight accommodation for which a payment is made, it is likely that only some of Scotland’s 32 local authorities will introduce a visitor levy. This is partly because the tax base (visitor spending on commercial accommodation) in a number of local authorities is relatively small, meaning any revenues generated could be low in some areas relative to costs involved introducing a visitor levy. 9. It follows that it would not be appropriate for the purposes of the Financial Memorandum to assume that any additional administrative and compliances costs arising from the Visitor Levy Bill will be incurred by every local authority in Scotland or by all accommodation providers in Scotland. Similarly, it would be inappropriate for the Financial Memorandum to assume particular decisions by local authorities, both on whether or not to introduce a visitor levy in their area and what percentage rate they would choose to apply. 10. Therefore, the methodological approach to deriving estimates in this Financial Memorandum is to assess possible costs which may arise for individual local authorities, individual accommodation providers and other individuals within sectors, rather than assessing the impact of a visitor levy on these sectors as a whole. It is partly due to this approach and other areas where costs will ultimately depend on local authority decisions in relation to a levy, that estimates of costs are provided as a range. These ranges also reflect the variety of accommodation providers in the sector as this is likely to have an impact on any financial costs borne by any individual local authority or accommodation provider or other individual. Item 8 Page 109 of 128
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This document relates to the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill (SP Bill 28) as introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 24 May 2023 4 Costs arising to different sectors 11. Costs to the Scottish Government are expected to be negligible, and there are therefore no quantified costs in the Financial Memorandum for the financial impact on the Scottish Government. 12. Costs to local authorities have been estimated through a joint exercise between Scottish Government and COSLA to identify and establish a range of initial estimates for the likely administrative and compliance costs associated with a visitor levy. Three local authorities, including two that have undertaken local consultations on the principle of a ‘tourist tax’, provided initial estimates of the set-up and on-going costs associated with administering a future visitor levy. These estimates were based on local authority experience administering other local taxes, including enforcement activity. In addition, Scottish Government officials have engaged with several other municipalities in Europe and North America1 with direct experience of administering these types of local taxes. 13. Costs to accommodation providers have been established through a number of engagement exercises with the industry. Significant qualitative evidence was gathered as part of a series of interviews with accommodation providers across Scotland which established the potential impacts of a visitor levy. A follow-up survey was issued to these businesses with a particular focus on understanding the compliance challenges associated with the specific proposals in the Bill and to provide an evidence base to make reasonable assumptions to quantify the likely impacts on a range of different accommodation businesses. Further evidence in relation to costs associated with changing property management systems (software), was gathered through a survey of property management system suppliers operating in Scotland. Additional estimates were based on assumptions of time required to complete tax returns and other administrative tasks in relation to a visitor levy. 14. Costs to other businesses are expected to be negligible and there are therefore no quantified costs on this in the Financial Memorandum. 15. Costs to visitors have been identified through looking at the impact of a potential visitor levy on prices of accommodation for different types of visitors. 16. Costs to other bodies who are expected to be liable parties for a visitor levy have been identified through stakeholder engagement. Costs to bodies who are not liable are expected to be negligible and there are therefore no quantified costs on this in the Financial Memorandum. Timing and uncertainty 17. Given that the Bill sets a requirement for local authorities to conduct a consultation and assess impacts before a decision to implement a visitor levy is made, and the requirement for a 18 month notification period for accommodation providers, it is assumed that the earliest a visitor levy could be applied in Scotland would be 2026. 1 The Scottish Government has discussed aspects of visitor levy operation with officials from local government, destination management organisations and other bodies responsible for administering local taxes in Amsterdam, Nice, Berlin, Toronto, Reno Tahoe (Nevada) and Indianapolis. Item 8 Page 110 of 128
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This document relates to the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill (SP Bill 28) as introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 24 May 2023 5 18. It is assumed therefore that in financial years 2024/25 and 2025/26, local authorities and accommodation providers will incur some one-off set-up costs in order to develop required processes and systems to collect and remit a visitor levy. These assumptions are reflected in the presentation of costs throughout the financial memorandum, however, it should be noted that local authorities may choose to introduce a visitor levy at a later point in time. COSTS ON THE SCOTTISH ADMINISTRATION 19. The direct financial implications of the Bill on the Scottish Government are minimal. As the decision to introduce a visitor levy is discretionary, the Scottish Government will not provide funding to local authorities to meet any costs associated with designing, implementing or applying any visitor levy scheme. 20. There may be some costs to the Scottish Government associated with developing secondary legislation or national guidance as required. 21. There may be costs associated with appeals against decisions made in respect to a visitor levy to the First-Tier Tribunal. The 2019 National Consultation did not ask respondents for views on appeal fees. The Bill does not contain provisions relating to appeals but confers regulation--making powers to Scottish Ministers to make provision for appeals. As a novel discretionary local tax without equivalence in the UK, there are uncertainties over size and scope of an appeals system needed for this new discretionary power and therefore no comparable financial estimates available. The Scottish Government believes that providing a cost estimate based on an existing nationwide local taxation appeals system (such as for non-domestic rates or Council Tax Reduction) would be misleading given the discretionary nature of the Bill. As such, there is no estimate provided for the costs of appeal processes. Given the level of uncertainty we will engage with stakeholders during the development of these regulations to ensure any costs related to appeals are identified. 22. If local authorities use the power to introduce a visitor levy, then the Scottish Government and its agencies may have additional costs if they choose to pay the levy on behalf of staff staying in overnight accommodation for official business in areas that apply a visitor levy. The increase to travel and subsistence costs for the Scottish Government will depend on the number of business trips made to areas where a levy is in place and the rate of the visitor levy applied in these areas. 23. Internal management information held by Scottish Government indicates expenditure on hotels in Scotland of around £350,000 in 2021-22, however this is expected to increase as staff travel resumes following the end of working from home guidance during the Covid-19 pandemic. COSTS ON LOCAL AUTHORITIES Overview of costs 24. As a discretionary power, only local authorities who choose to introduce a visitor levy scheme within all or part of their area will incur any costs associated with the Bill. The intention of the Bill is that a visitor levy will raise additional revenues for these local authorities. Whilst the up-front set-up and decision-making costs may need to be financed within existing local authority budgets, it should be borne in mind that these costs could be offset against future revenues raised Item 8 Page 111 of 128
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This document relates to the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill (SP Bill 28) as introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 24 May 2023 6 through a visitor levy. Similarly, any on-going administration costs could also be offset against future revenues. Net proceeds from a visitor levy will then be invested by the local authority in, supporting or sustaining facilities or services which are substantially for or used by those visiting the scheme area for leisure purposes. 25. The Bill also creates provisions for local authorities to use civil penalties which would apply to accommodation providers who are found to be non-compliant through late or inaccurate remittance of tax returns, for example. Whilst the purpose of the relevant civil penalties is not revenue-raising, there is potential that proceeds from any such penalties will contribute towards meeting on-going administrative costs. 26. In partnership with COSLA, the Scottish Government has identified three broad areas where local authorities that choose to implement a visitor levy will incur new costs: consultation and decision-making costs (including any costs for establishing a governance model); set-up costs; and on-going administration costs (including costs associated with monitoring and enforcement and communications). The costs to a local authority will mostly consist of additional salary costs, but also costs associated with IT system procurement and maintenance. Consultation and decision-making costs 27. The Bill sets out various requirements local authorities must meet before introducing a visitor levy. This includes the requirement to publish an outline of any proposed scheme; a statement about the scheme’s objectives, including how the local authority intends to measure and report on those objectives; and an assessment of the impacts. Local authorities will also be required to consult with communities, businesses and other relevant local stakeholders. Following consultation, local authorities must also publish a report which includes a summary of the consultation responses received, any decision made on introducing a levy and the reasons for doing so. Local authorities may also be required to publish any impact assessments required under existing statutory duties to consult and have regard for groups and communities. The Bill also sets out that the visitor levy scheme must be reviewed every three years. 28. The cost of any consultation exercise is likely to vary depending on the format of the consultation, the number of questions asked, the number of responses received, the number of face-to-face engagements undertaken and whether the consultation is undertaken in-house or is contracted out to a third party. Therefore there is some degree of uncertainty over the costs that might arise for a given local authority. The requirement to conduct impact assessments will also add to the decision-making costs for local authorities. 29. Based on the range of estimated costs provided by local authorities for conducting consultations and the additional requirement to also conduct and publish an impact assessment, a reasonable estimate of one-off consultation and decision-making cost is between £10,000 and £20,000 for each local authority that chooses to implement a visitor levy. Item 8 Page 112 of 128
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This document relates to the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill (SP Bill 28) as introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 24 May 2023 7 30. The cost of reviewing the visitor levy scheme every three years is likely to be negligible. The Bill does not set out specific requirements for the review, but it is expected that any document would include an assessment of revenues collected, costs incurred by the local authority in collecting the tax and how revenues have been used to support the objectives of the levy, as set out in the initial consultation process. Set-up costs for a visitor levy scheme 31. The Bill does not prescribe the new activities, processes and systems a local authority is likely to require in order to implement and operate a visitor levy. Local authorities will therefore have a degree of autonomy in the approach and design of such processes and systems, tailoring these to be most appropriate to local circumstances. However, it is recognised that some core features of these new processes and systems will be common across all local authorities that choose to implement a levy. Local authorities have also suggested that should more than one local authority intend to implement a visitor levy, then certain systems and processes could be replicated across different areas and costs associated with designing these systems be shared, where this is feasible and cost effective for those involved. 32. Local authorities will have to set-up new processes to collect and account for visitor levy payments made by accommodation providers, either through adapting existing processes, such as billing systems for other local taxes, or through procuring new systems. It should be noted that many of these systems are likely to facilitate online payments to minimise costs of collection to be in keeping with how these taxes are administered in other jurisdictions. Local authorities will have to act in line with relevant data protection legislation when setting up these new processes and systems. 33. Following the decision to implement a visitor levy, local authorities are likely to wish to establish a record of accommodation providers within their area that would be liable to remit payments under a visitor levy scheme. Local authorities have noted that most of this information could be extracted from existing sources such as the valuation roll, existing local commercial needs studies, and information from the short term lets licensing regime. 34. Once accommodation providers have been identified, local authorities would then need to notify, in a timely manner, each accommodation provider of specific requirements related to the new visitor levy. These may include those related to collection and remittance, the operation of exemptions (if these are adopted as part of a local scheme) and record keeping for audit and monitoring purposes. They would also have to set out clearly the potential for penalties to be applied for non-compliance and the process through which accommodation providers would be able to ask for a review of, or formally appeal, decisions in relation to a visitor levy. There would also be some activity involved in raising awareness amongst visitors and potential visitors of the introduction of a visitor levy. 35. Before a visitor levy is implemented, local authorities may have to hire additional operational staff or re-train existing staff. These costs are likely to vary according to the size of the local authority and the number of accommodation providers in the area required to remit a visitor levy. Finally, for planning purposes, local authorities may need to estimate the potential revenue that they could raise from a visitor levy. This could be more accurately achieved through Item 8 Page 113 of 128
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This document relates to the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill (SP Bill 28) as introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 24 May 2023 8 requesting details of room sales from each accommodation provider in years prior to implementation, and consideration of new accommodation supply locally. 36. The most significant set-up cost for a local authority choosing to implement a visitor levy will consist of expenses related to purchasing and developing appropriate software and other processes needed to collect a visitor levy. Initial estimates provided by local authorities were made on the basis of previous quotes received by software suppliers to adapt existing billing software. The actual costs will depend on a number of factors and the time of implementation. The City of Edinburgh Council also noted that they would likely have to take on some additional staff in order to implement a visitor levy, including project management staff for a governance model and communications and stakeholder management. 37. Based on estimates provided by local authorities, and making appropriate adjustments,2 a reasonable estimate of the total set-up costs associated with a visitor levy is approximately £100,000 - £460,000 per local authority. The Scottish Government understands these set-up costs would include procurement for an IT system (or the upgrading of an existing one); recruitment and training; and costs for an awareness-raising campaign. 38. Other set-up costs around identifying accommodation providers operating in a local authority, and informing accommodation providers of their requirements under a visitor levy scheme, were also estimated by councils but were generally on a much smaller scale. On-going administration costs 39. Local authorities that choose to implement a visitor levy are likely to incur ongoing recurring costs each year associated with the operation of a visitor levy. The majority of these costs are likely to be associated with core operational staff who will undertake a number of activities such as collating tax returns, undertaking monitoring and enforcement duties such as debt recovery and audit procedures, issuing penalties, handling complaints and disposing of appeals. These costs may also include costs associated with oversight of the operation of the visitor levy scheme, including the need to report revenues and their use locally. There will also be costs associated with on-going maintenance of new IT systems for a visitor levy scheme and costs associated with regular communication with stakeholders, accommodation providers and visitors. 40. Local authorities with many accommodation providers in the area(s) where the visitor levy applies are likely to have higher administrative costs associated with collecting, monitoring and enforcing a visitor levy. Costs may also depend on the nature of accommodation providers in a given local authority, with higher costs associated with tax returns submitted by businesses using paper based tax returns compared to those businesses that may use an online portal. 41. In discussions with officials involved in administering these taxes from Nice, Amsterdam and Toronto, it was suggested that core staffing requirements ranged from 3 to 5 full time equivalent members of administrative staff. Assuming the average cost to a local authority of a 2 In line with UK Treasury Green Book practice, the initial set-up cost range has been inflated by 200% to account for optimism bias in estimates provided by local authorities. This is the upper bias adjustment suggested for equipment and development projects. The Green Book is available here: https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-green-book-appraisal-and-evaluation-in-central-governent Item 8 Page 114 of 128
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This document relates to the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill (SP Bill 28) as introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 24 May 2023 9 staff member was £35,000, this would mean in a Scottish local authority context, staff costs associated with administrative activities of around £105,000 to £185,000. With other non-staff costs adding around 25% (according to evidence from the OECD), this could mean overall administrative costs of £145,000 to £240,000, with a mid-point of £190,000. Edinburgh Council’s own assessment was that on-going costs associated with the visitor levy would be around £500,000 per year, and therefore that is taken as an upper boundary in our assessment of costs due to the Council having a higher number of accommodation providers with more frequent tax returns. Just over half of Edinburgh’s figure was estimated to cover core operational activities, with other items of expenditure on project management in relation to governance, operations and reporting, as well as IT maintenance and a provision for additional communications. It was also noted that some efficiencies could be made in some areas of programme management and administration costs if the levy could be administered with existing IT systems. 42. It should be noted that one of the main complexities that could add to the on-going costs of the scheme would be the inclusion of exemptions on individuals or accommodation types. The Bill does not include any exemptions at a national level, but leaves open the flexibility for local authorities to introduce their own local exemptions taking account of any national guidance. Local authorities will have to carefully consider the cost-effectiveness of any processes used to handle exemptions. 43. In order to ensure compliance, local authorities will incur some costs relating to monitoring and enforcement activities, such as costs associated with issuing reminder notices, penalties and recovery action in extreme cases. As a novel tax in the UK, the level of enforcement needed for a levy is unknown and therefore there are no estimates for enforcement activities, though some local authorities listed enforcement duties as part of their estimates for core operational activities. The most comparable local tax is the Workplace Parking Levy, which has yet to be implemented by a local authority and therefore no data exists on the size and scale of enforcement operations. Local authorities implementing a visitor levy may need to inspect accommodation occupancy records, accounts and other data held by accommodation providers to determine eligibility or for enforcement purposes. The use of these enforcement powers may increase ongoing administration costs for local authorities. Summary of costs to local authorities 44. Given the broad estimates provided by local authorities and the assumed timing of cost impacts, as referred to in the methodology section, Table 1 summarises the estimated costs to a local authority if it chose to implement a visitor levy. Clearly there is a high degree of uncertainty around these costs given the diverse nature of local authorities across Scotland. For example, local authorities with more accommodation providers may face higher administration costs, due to the requirement to process more remittances, compared to those with fewer accommodation providers. Item 8 Page 115 of 128
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This document relates to the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill (SP Bill 28) as introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 24 May 2023 10 Table 1: Summary table of expected costs to a local authority associated with a visitor levy3 Year T-2 Year T-1 Year T Year T+1 Year T+2 Consultation and Decision- making £10,000 - £20,000 £0 £0 £0 <£1,000 Set-up costs* £50,000 - £230,000 £50,000 - £230,000 £0 £0 £0 Administration Costs £0 £0 £190,000 - £500,000 £190,000 - £500,000 £190,000 - £500,000 Total £60,000 - £250,000 £50,000 - £230,000 £190,000 - £500,000 £190,000 - £500,000 £190,000 - £500,000 * Set-up costs are assumed to be incurred over the years T-2 and T-1 prior to the implementation of visitor levy. No inflation rate has been applied – this is due to a number of uncertainties around estimates (we do not know the introduction date of a visitor levy, which is at the discretion of the local authority, and therefore the corresponding inflation rate), therefore applying an inflation rate could be misleading. In addition, any adjustment to inflation would result in a wider range of estimates, losing precision from the current range with little benefit in return. It should therefore be noted that costs are likely to reflect inflation pressures in reality. 45. Revenue raised by local authorities through a visitor levy will be dependent on a number of factors, notably the rate at which the levy is set. Cities and states operating existing occupancy taxes charged on the basis of a percentage of the accommodation price have been found to charge rates of between 1% and 7%. Given local authorities can choose to set the rate of a visitor levy in their area, we estimate a range of costs based on a similar range of potential rates of between 1% and 7%. Based on the latest overnight visitor data, the regions most likely to benefit from a visitor levy are Edinburgh & the Lothians (£6 million to £41 million, depending on tax rate), Highland & Islands (£3 million to £21 million) and Greater Glasgow & Clyde Valley (£2 million to £16 million). However, due to the approximation of the share of overall tourist spend that is channelled towards accommodation costs and the impact of inflation on accommodation costs, these estimates should be treated with caution. COSTS ON BUSINESSES – ACCOMMODATION PROVIDERS Overview of costs 46. Accommodation providers have been identified as a distinct sector – separate from businesses in general - as the Scottish Government recognise this sector will incur some additional costs should the local authorities in which they operate choose to introduce a visitor levy. 47. Accommodation providers will be required to calculate and collect the visitor levy payable by visitors staying on their premises, and remit all levies collected to the relevant local authority. To comply with these requirements, accommodation providers could potentially incur costs in several broad areas, which can be broadly split into initial setup costs and ongoing administration costs. 3 Note Year ‘T’ is the year in which a local authority implements a visitor levy. Item 8 Page 116 of 128
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This document relates to the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill (SP Bill 28) as introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 24 May 2023 11 Table 2: Broad costs for accommodation providers required to collect and remit a visitor levy Initial set-up costs On-going administration costs • Costs associated with undertaking or commissioning necessary updates or changes to existing property management systems in order to collect, record and remit visitor levy revenue accurately in accordance with local authority requirements. • Costs associated with preparing regular remittance tax returns to the local authority (assuming one return per quarter). • Costs associated with training existing staff on new systems or changes that have been made to existing systems. • Costs associated with performing reconciliation exercises associated with tax returns and due diligence checks to ensure, for example, the correct visitor levy rate is applied to invoices. • Costs associated with testing or piloting any new systems before a visitor levy is required to be collected. • Costs associated with engaging in additional record keeping for the purposes of evidencing where a local exemption to the visitor levy was applied. • Costs associated with renegotiating existing contracts with third parties (such as third-party booking platforms or online travel agents) where a commission is based on the price of accommodation sales to exclude the cost of a visitor levy. • Costs associated with explaining to customers why a visitor levy has been added to their accommodation bill. 48. The magnitude of the costs identified in Table 2 are likely to vary by size and type of accommodation provider. For example, the collection of new data and new record keeping may be a more significant burden to smaller hotels, self-caterers or B&Bs that may not currently be required to collect and remit other taxes currently (such as VAT). 49. The magnitude of costs may also be influenced by the implementation timeframe adopted by a local authority, with shorter timeframes potentially presenting greater challenges in particular for costs associated with changes to property management systems. In addition, the magnitude of any costs are likely to depend on the specific arrangements adopted by the local authority in relation to those areas which are not set out in the Bill, such as the range of any local exemptions that are adopted. Item 8 Page 117 of 128
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This document relates to the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill (SP Bill 28) as introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 24 May 2023 12 50. As noted in the methodology section, to develop a better understanding of costs to accommodation providers, the Scottish Government conducted an exercise with a cross-section of accommodation providers across Scotland to understand the potential costs associated with a visitor levy and to inform the Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA). Further to this, the Scottish Government also conducted a survey of property management system providers. The following detail on costs to accommodation providers reflects the key messages and evidence gathered from these exercises, as well as responses to the formal public consultation. Set-up costs 51. Accommodation providers in local authorities where a visitor levy is introduced are likely to face some up-front set-up costs. Many accommodation providers use software to manage bookings and generate invoices for guests for example. Most accommodation providers that use these systems will likely need to adapt these systems, potentially paying one-off fees to their suppliers. Any additional fees charged by property management system suppliers to adjust existing systems may vary depending on the type of provider (hotel, B&B, hostel, self-catering sector) and the commercial arrangement each accommodation provider has with their property management system supplier. It is also the case that not all accommodation providers will use a property management system (PMS) and therefore these businesses will not incur these costs, but they would have to adjust their current processes if a local authority introduced a visitor levy. 52. In general terms, software costs may be higher for businesses that make use of multiple booking channels and for smaller businesses with less sophisticated booking systems. Costs may be lower for accommodation providers who use property management systems which are also used in jurisdictions in other countries where a visitor levy is currently collected. 53. Accommodation providers noted that there could be a potential interaction between a visitor levy and commission charged by Online Travel Agents (OTAs) and third parties. For those accommodation providers who have contracts with OTAs, generally a percentage commission is charged on the sale of accommodation which is, in most cases, based on the consumer price and therefore will be inclusive of taxes (such as VAT). It is possible that accommodation providers will seek to re-negotiate or review existing contracts and arrangements with OTAs and other third parties to ensure that a visitor levy is excluded from the calculation of commission, to reduce future costs on sales. (Under the Bill a visitor levy itself is calculated after any commission payable to a booking service has been deducted). The magnitude of these costs are likely to vary and be dependent on the nature of the relationship between individual accommodation providers and third parties. 54. Accommodation providers may need to adapt current practices in relation to data collection, record keeping and their accounting procedures in order to comply with local authority requirements for a visitor levy. For example, accommodation providers that offer inclusive rates or package terms, such as an inclusive meal or other services (such as use of spa facilities), may need to ensure that bills are disaggregated, so that the visitor levy can be applied to the appropriate accommodation charge. In addition, record keeping practices may need to change, so that records of revenue coming into the business in each quarter are clearly delineated into accommodation and non-accommodation costs for the purposes of potential local authority monitoring and audit procedures. Accommodation providers may need to collect additional data about guests in cases Item 8 Page 118 of 128
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This document relates to the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill (SP Bill 28) as introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 24 May 2023 13 where a local authority has chosen to introduce certain exemptions, and this is likely to create additional costs to the accommodation provider. 55. Finally, accommodation providers will have to create new processes to manage the collection and remittance of the levy, including payment arrangements with the local authority, familiarising themselves with any particular requirements set out in local authority returns. For larger businesses, there may also be a requirement to train staff to manage these new processes. On-going administration costs 56. Accommodation providers will have to calculate the additional cost of a visitor levy and ensure that this amount is collected on each sale of accommodation. For accommodation providers that use property management systems, this is likely to be negligible. However, for those accommodation providers that use paper-based systems, this is likely to impose an additional administrative burden. It may also depend to a large extent on the frequency of room rate price changes in response to changing demand. 57. On-going costs for accommodation providers will be associated with any processing of sales data each quarter to ensure an accurate tax return is made to the local authority, reflecting total revenue from room sales in the previous quarter. Depending on the processes used by a particular accommodation provider and the complexity of their revenue streams, this is likely to take some time to complete. Accommodation providers that use property management systems may be able to streamline this process, reducing the number of manual checks required when making a return. The time required for accommodation providers that do not use these systems to complete a tax return may be longer. For the purposes of the Financial Memorandum, we assume that a typical accommodation provider (or someone employed by them) would need to spend around half a day compiling a tax return each quarter. Indicative costings and scenarios 58. As part of the Business and Regulatory Impact Assessment (BRIA) exercise, the majority of accommodation providers could not quantify the costs that they would face as a result of a visitor levy being introduced as this depended on the complexity of the proposed visitor levy, in particular in relation to the operation of exemptions which may be adopted by local authorities. Some accommodation providers indicated the likely amount of time it may take for certain set-up and on-going activities identified above to be completed which were then used to inform a set of reasonable assumptions for compliance costs for typical accommodation providers as reported in tables 3 and 4 below. In addition, some larger accommodation providers did provide indicative cost estimates for set-up costs associated with adapting property management systems. All costs presented should be viewed as illustrative only and may not be representative of the costs to accommodation providers as a whole. 59. One hotelier, which operated four hotels in a single local authority, provided a detailed cost estimate of the set-up and on-going costs they expect could be incurred by their business as a result of requirements to collect and remit a visitor levy. They estimated initial set-up costs of around £5,000 to make changes to their booking platform across their four hotels. Other providers suggested the cost of re-programming their systems would be in the order of £20,000 to £25,000, Item 8 Page 119 of 128
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This document relates to the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill (SP Bill 28) as introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 24 May 2023 14 but it should be noted that these accommodation businesses operated across a number of sites (20+) in different areas of Scotland and therefore had complex requirements. 60. For small to medium sized businesses, we estimate that a one-off fee is charged by a property management system (PMS) supplier that may be between £1,000 and £3,000, based on previous costs reportedly charged for VAT changes, with businesses operating across more sites potentially incurring higher costs. Other set-up activities identified by accommodation providers were assumed to absorb between 10 and 30 working days of time for various staff employed by the business (or external such as accountants, IT specialists) ahead of the introduction of a visitor levy, which, once accounting for average staff costs, we estimate could cost an additional £2,000- £7,000 per accommodation provider. Taken together, for a small to medium sized business we estimate set-up costs may range between £3,000 to £10,000 per business (although the true value for a particular business could lie outside this range). 61. An Edinburgh hotelier also estimated that it would cost around £50 to prepare a visitor levy remittance and send this to a local authority, which equates to around £200 per year to remit a visitor levy which requires quarterly remittance. We assume that the costs of collecting and remitting a visitor levy will vary across providers, so we use a range of between £100 and £400 per year. 62. Micro businesses that operate with a turnover below £85,000 and do not need to register for VAT were assessed separately as they generally have less complex requirements around property management systems, so may face lower set-up costs but have less experience in remitting taxes. Set-up activities were assumed to absorb between 2 – 5 days of a business owners time prior to implementation of a visitor levy. Costs were derived by applying this range to the average profit generated per working day of accommodation providers in the sector where turnover is less than £85,000. For micro businesses, based on the average time reportedly taken to complete a VAT return (13.5 hours, assuming 4 returns per year), we estimate annual on-going compliance costs associated with a visitor levy return for a typical business would be around £100-£500 per year. 63. Consideration has been given on the application of VAT on a visitor levy. It is recognised that should a visitor levy be considered liable for VAT, this would increase the total price for the accommodation and potentially incur further costs to accommodation providers. The application of VAT may also have additional financial implications for accommodation providers that operate just below the thresholds for VAT registration or the VAT flat rate scheme. Policy decisions on VAT remain a reserved matter, so this is not a matter Scottish Ministers can decide. Given that the UK Government’s final position on the application of VAT will not be confirmed until completion of the Bill’s passage through Parliament, and the differential impact on businesses depending on turnover and operations, we have not provided costs on the impact of VAT but note this is an area where accommodation providers may incur additional operating costs. Item 8 Page 120 of 128
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This document relates to the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill (SP Bill 28) as introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 24 May 2023 15 Table 3: Summary table of expected costs for a small to medium sized business in the accommodation sector in an area where a visitor levy is implemented A small accommodation provider with a turnover between £1m and £5m and less than 50 employees Year T-1 Year T Year T+1 Year T+2 Set-up costs (excluding one off PMS fee) £2,000- £7,000 0 0 0 Set-up costs (one off PMS fee) £1,000 - £3,000 0 0 0 On-going costs 0 £300-£400 £300-£400 £300-£400 Total £3,000- £10,000 £300-£400 £300-£400 £300-£400 Table 4: Summary table of expected costs for a typical micro business in the accommodation sector in an area where a visitor levy is implemented A micro business with a turnover of less than £85,000 Year T-1 Year T Year T+1 Year T+2 Set-up costs £150 - £1,100 0 0 0 On-going costs (excluding increase in PMS fees) £100-£500 £100-£500 £100-£500 On-going costs (including increase in annual PMS fee) £100-£350 £100-£350 £100-£350 Total £150 - £1,100 £200-£850 £200-£850 £200-£850 Item 8 Page 121 of 128
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This document relates to the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill (SP Bill 28) as introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 24 May 2023 16 Accommodation provider competitiveness and profitability 64. A further potential cost for accommodation providers relates to the possible impact of a visitor levy on competitiveness and profitability. The impact of a visitor levy on accommodation providers’ competitiveness and profitability depends on a number of factors: firstly on whether accommodation providers pass on the cost to visitors by increasing the price of accommodation; secondly on the behavioural response of visitors to a change in accommodation prices; and thirdly, on how the net proceeds from a visitor levy are used to support and sustain the visitor economy in the local area and improve aspects of a destination that contribute to the overall competitiveness, such as digital and transport infrastructure, tourist services, and natural and cultural resources. 65. Whilst it is expected that accommodation providers will include a visitor levy in full on an invoice to visitors, the degree to which accommodation providers will change their pricing strategies to mitigate the impact of the visitor levy on the price of accommodation for visitors is not known. An accommodation provider’s willingness to pass on the levy to consumers and how consumer demand for visitor accommodation responds to any price increase both depend on how sensitive consumer demand for accommodation is to changes in the price of accommodation - this is referred to as the price elasticity of demand (PED) in economic theory. The more sensitive consumers (or in this case visitors) are to changes in price the more ‘elastic’ their demand for accommodation. The PED, in turn, depends on a number of factors which may vary between and within local authorities including: • the proportion of consumer income that the good/service accounts for, whereby goods/services that account for a higher proportion of income tend to be more elastic; • the strength of the product/service’s reputation/brand, whereby strongly branded goods/services tend to be less elastic; • whether it has good substitutes, whereby goods/services with more substitutes tend to be more elastic; • whether the good/service is more of a luxury or a necessity, whereby luxury items tend to (but not always) be more elastic and necessities tend to be more inelastic; • the time frame, whereby demand tends to be more elastic the longer the time from the price change. 66. Generally, a higher price for accommodation will reduce demand for accommodation by visitors. The degree to which visitors are responsive to a change in the price of accommodation depends on their sensitivity to price changes as described above. It should be noted that accommodation costs make up only a portion of an average visitors spend. Therefore, a 1% increase in accommodation costs would lead to a less than 1% increase in the cost of visiting a destination. The extent to which visitor demand will fall in response to a less than 1% increase in the price of accommodation is unclear. Item 8 Page 122 of 128
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This document relates to the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill (SP Bill 28) as introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 24 May 2023 17 67. Evidence on the price elasticity of tourist demand in relation to Scotland is limited. In 2021 the Scottish Government therefore commissioned a literature review of tourism elasticities in comparable European destinations. Drawing on the elasticities of the 11 destinations that were found to be most relevant to Scotland, an approximation of tourism elasticities for Scotland was developed. For the 11 destinations that were found to be most similar to Scotland, estimated PED values ranged fairly significantly from -5.10 to +2.18 with an overall median of -1.50 and an overall mean of -1.36, indicating tourism demand in Scotland is likely to be relatively elastic. 68. The literature reviewed also supported the theory that price sensitivity and tourist behaviour differs by a range of factors including the travel purpose (e.g. business, leisure), the source market (where the tourist comes from), the type of tourism product, culture, weather and advertising. 69. Given the range of possible elasticities that may apply to Scotland (and in particular local authorities within Scotland), there is likely to be wide range of possible impacts on visitor demand from a visitor levy and therefore profitability for the accommodation sector and tourism sector as a whole. It is therefore possible that the imposition of a visitor levy will have a negligible impact on visitor behaviour. 70. Many cities across Europe and across the world have occupancy taxes which are levied at the accommodation sector, which are similar in the visitor levy as set out in the Bill. As part of the BRIA, we have looked at 5 places in Europe (Hamburg, Berlin, Barcelona, Paris, Lisbon) where similar taxes have been introduced or increased in recent years and tracked trends in overnight visitor numbers before and after the policy change. In almost all cases, visitor numbers in the years following the introduction of the levy (up to 2019) were higher than in the year prior to the policy change. These statistics present a compelling case that taxes on visitor accommodation do not appear in practice to be linked to noticeable negative impacts on visitor demand for accommodation. However, in their decision-making processes around whether a visitor levy is adopted locally, we would expect local authorities to assess the impact of the tax on visitor demand prior and post implementation. 71. As well as potential impacts on visitor demand, it should be noted that there may be displacement of some economic activity to other parts of Scotland, with some visitors choosing to stay outside of the areas where a visitor levy is introduced, or stay with friends and family. COSTS ON OTHER BODIES, INDIVIDUALS AND BUSINESSES Costs on individuals - visitors 72. Should accommodation providers, in the long run, pass on the full cost of a visitor levy to visitors, then those using overnight accommodation in those parts of Scotland where a visitor levy has been introduced will have to pay a higher price for accommodation than previously. This will raise the cost of visiting these particular areas, and therefore may lead to some changes in visitor behaviour as discussed above. As with other sections in this document, this Financial Memorandum does not include estimates of the possible cost to all visitors should each of the 32 local authorities in Scotland choose to implement a visitor levy. Item 8 Page 123 of 128
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This document relates to the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill (SP Bill 28) as introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 24 May 2023 18 73. Accommodation costs vary substantially across the accommodation sector, depending on the type and quality of accommodation, the location of the accommodation and the season in which accommodation is booked. Table 5, below, provides some examples of the range of possible visitor levy amounts payable by different groups of visitors, depending on the type of trip they are planning under a 1% visitor levy. Table 5: Examples of visitor trips and visitor levy payable across different accommodation types Scenario Description Price Total taxable cost Total Visitor Levy Payable (1%) A A couple stay in Edinburgh for a long weekend (3 nights) in August and stay in an average priced hotel £220 per room per night £660 £6.60 B A single person stays 2 nights in a hotel in an average priced hotel in Aberdeen in November £80 per room per night £160 £1.60 C Two couples visits Edinburgh for a short-break (4 nights) using an Airbnb rental (entire home) £170 per property per night £680 £6.80 D A group of 4 backpackers travel to the Highlands for a long-weekend (3 nights) and use hostel accommodation on their trip £30 per bedspace per person £360 £3.60 E A family of five (2 adults and 3 children) on a week holiday in April in self-catering accommodation in Argyll & Bute £775 for a weeks booking £775 £7.75 F A family of four (2 adult and 2 children) on a week summer holiday at a caravan site £40 per pitch per night £280 £2.80 *Note: Prices are illustrative and are drawn from various sources. 74. The average price of a dormitory bedspace in a hostel in the Highlands was found to be around £30 per person per night. In scenario D, a group of 4 backpackers travelling in the Highlands for a long weekend would be expected to pay an additional £3.60 (30p per person per night). A typical price of a caravan pitch for a family of four was found to be around £40 per night in Scotland, as per scenario F, this would mean a family of 4 would pay an additional £2.80 for a week’s holiday (10p per person per night). A couple visiting Edinburgh in August for a long weekend and staying in an average priced hotel would pay an additional £6.60 (£1.10 per person per night) as per scenario A. Item 8 Page 124 of 128
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This document relates to the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill (SP Bill 28) as introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 24 May 2023 19 75. It should be noted that, had the Bill legislated for a fixed charge per person per night, the costs to these groups could have looked very different. For example, a £1 per person per night charge would have meant the visitors in scenario F paying £28 as opposed to £2.80, whilst the couple in scenario A would only face a decrease in the levy from £6.60 to £6. This reflects that the basis of charge in the visitor levy bill is progressive in respect to the cost of accommodation. 76. Whilst the costs to overnight visitors to some parts of Scotland are likely to increase marginally, the analysis above does not take into account the potential wider benefits to visitors from how local authorities will use the additional revenue raised to sustain and support the visitor economy locally. Investments of this nature are likely to enhance the value-for-money and uniqueness of the destination for visitors, which might mitigate fully or in part the impact of any small price increases. There is evidence that visitors are increasingly placing value on paying additional taxes if it is demonstrated that funds are used to enhance local communities. As part of Booking.com’s 2022 sustainable travel report,4 it was found that 59% of international travellers surveyed want to leave the places they visit better than when they arrived, and 25% of travellers would be willing to pay more for travel activities to ensure they are giving back to local communities. Costs on other businesses 77. Scottish businesses may incur increased costs if they choose to meet travel and subsistence costs for staff whom may be required to travel and stay overnight in other areas of Scotland where a visitor levy is implemented. 78. Statistics from VisitScotland’s Visitor Survey indicate that in 2019, across Scotland as a whole, around 1.6 million (12%) of the total 13.8 million domestic visitor nights estimated to take place are accounted for by people staying overnight for business purposes. For international visitors staying overnight in Scotland, it is estimated that 371,000 (11%) of the total 3.4 million were for business purposes.5 There are also strong regional variations across Scotland; travel for a business related reason in 2019 made up a higher share of international visits in Grampian (29% of international visits, 16% of domestic) than in Edinburgh and Lothians (9% of international visits, 15% of domestic). Greater Glasgow & Clyde saw the highest share of business travel for domestic visitors (21% of domestic visits, compared to 15% of international visits).6 79. The additional costs to these businesses will vary and depend on which local authorities implement a visitor levy scheme, the rate at which a visitor levy would be set and the impact of any local exemptions to a visitor levy. Costs on other bodies 80. Not all accommodation providers are private businesses. Some other charity and not-for- profit bodies that provide commercial accommodation may face some additional costs, including the set-up and ongoing administrations costs identified for businesses above. For example, The National Trust for Scotland (NTS), a registered charity, own and operate a range of commercial 4 https://www.gstcouncil.org/booking-com-2022-sustainable-travel-report/ 5 https://www.visitscotland.org/research-insights/about-our-visitors/international/annual-performance-report 6 https://www.visitscotland.org/research-insights/regions Item 8 Page 125 of 128
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This document relates to the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill (SP Bill 28) as introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 24 May 2023 20 accommodation properties across Scotland. The NTS currently advertise 61 properties available for booking across a number of areas;7 Table 6 indicates the spread of properties across different parts of Scotland. Therefore, depending on which local authorities choose to implement a visitor levy, the NTS may bear similar costs to those that will apply to the accommodation sector in general. It should be noted that the NTS response to the public consultation indicated that they were neutral on various proposals for a levy on visitors to Scotland. In addition, in the design of local schemes, the Bill allows flexibility for local authorities to introduce exemptions at a local level, which could be applied to accommodation let by charitable bodies, which means bodies such as the NTS would not face any additional costs. Table 6: Location of National Trust for Scotland Properties Areas of Scotland Number of NTS self-catering properties Edinburgh & East 13 Highlands 21 North East 14 South & West 13 Total 61 81. Scottish universities that let student accommodation in halls of residence to non-students outside of term time will also be impacted by the Bill if they are located in a local authority area that introduces a visitor levy. By way of example, the University of Edinburgh advertises 153 bedrooms available for commercial letting all year-round and 2,500 bedrooms during the summer.8 It is likely that universities will bear similar costs to businesses in relation to complying with any visitor levy scheme. 82. Other public bodies might directly benefit from the provisions in the Bill. As stated in the overview section, revenues from the visitor levy will be required to be spent on developing, supporting or sustaining facilities or services which are substantially for or used by those visiting the scheme area for leisure purposes, which could include proving funding for organisations that manage and promote particular destinations. These organisations could therefore benefit from an additional sustainable funding stream for their work. There may also be indirect benefits on businesses who benefit from an improvement in the visitor offer in an area, for example sightseeing tour businesses benefiting from the development of amenities around a historic site. 7 Sourced from the National Trust for Scotland website, data extracted on 19.01.202 https://www.nts.org.uk/holiday-accommodation 8 https://www.uoecollection.com/ Item 8 Page 126 of 128
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This document relates to the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill (SP Bill 28) as introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 24 May 2023 21 SUMMARY TABLE 83. The table below summarises the estimated costs outlined in this Financial Memorandum. Decisions about the implementation of the Bill will take place in due course. For the purposes of this Financial Memorandum and estimating the time when the financial impact of the Bill will arise, it is assumed that the earliest a visitor levy could be introduced in any part of Scotland is 2026. Table 7 Set-up costs Recurring costs Scottish Government Minimal None Local Authorities £110,000 - £480,000 per local authority £190,000 - £500,000 per local authority Accommodation providers – businesses and liable public bodies £3,000 - £10,000 per accommodation provider (small to medium size) £150 - £1,100 per accommodation provider (micro size) £200 - £400 per accommodation provider (small to medium size) £100 - £500 per accommodation provider (micro size) Other businesses None Minimal Other bodies None None Item 8 Page 127 of 128
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This document relates to the Visitor Levy (Scotland) Bill (SP Bill 28) as introduced in the Scottish Parliament on 24 May 2023 SP Bill 28–FM Session 6 (2023) VISITOR LEVY (SCOTLAND) BILL FINANCIAL MEMORANDUM Parliamentary copyright. Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body Information on the Scottish Parliament’s copyright policy can be found on the website - www.parliament.scot Produced and published in Scotland by the Scottish Parliamentary Corporate Body. All documents are available on the Scottish Parliament website at: www.parliament.scot/documents Item 8 Page 128 of 128