Agenda Document Pack - Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-committee - 28/05/2025
Renfrewshire Council · 28 May 2025
Back to Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-committee — 28 May 2025 and its agenda
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21/05/2025 Notice of Meeting and Agenda Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-committee Date Time Venue Wednesday, 28 May 2025 10:00 Council Chambers (Renfrewshire), Council Headquarters, Renfrewshire House, Cotton Street, Paisley, PA1 1AN Membership Councillor Jacqueline Cameron (Convener): Councillor Graeme Clark (Depute Convener): Councillor Anne Hannigan: Councillor Marie McGurk: Councillor Iain Nicolson: Councillor Andy Steel: 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 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. Published: 21/05/25 MARK CONAGHAN Head of Corporate Governance
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21/05/2025 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. 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
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21/05/2025 Items of business 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. Apologies Apologies from members. 1(a) Cost of Living Update Report by Chief Executive. 1 - 12 1(b) Cost of Living Dashboard Report by Chief Executive. 13 - 30 2 Fairer Renfrewshire programme Update Report by Chief Executive. 31 - 38 3 Winter Connections Evaluation 2024/25 Report by Chief Executive. 39 - 76
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________________________________________________________________________ To: Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee On: 28 May 2025 _____________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive _____________________________________________________________________ Heading: Cost-of-living Update ________________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 At each of the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee meetings, an overview of key context and evidence around current pressures on household finances, both in terms of household income and expenditure has been provided to members. 1.2 Since the last meeting of the Sub-Committee on 26 March 2025, there have been a number of changes in economic factors including a planned increase of 6.4% in the Energy Price Cap from 1 April 2025, meaning households will pay an increasing amount for their energy use, while inflation decreased to 2.6% in the 12 months to January 2025, down from 2.8% in February but still exceeding the 2% target set by the UK Government. Elected members are asked to note that: • The rate of inflation is standing at 2.6% in March and has been above the target rate of 2% set by the UK Government for the Bank of England since October 24, when it reached 2.3%. • The inflation rate for food has decreased slightly to 3% from 3.3% in February, still higher than overall inflation. • The Bank of England interest rate was reduced in May to 4.25% from the 4.5% set in February 2025. • The Energy Price Cap, originally introduced by Ofgem in January 2019 to set limits on the underlying rates energy suppliers, is currently at £1,849 from 1 April, up from £1,738 for the previous quarter. 1.3 This paper provides an overview of information collated by officers in relation at both a national and local level where available. Item 1(a) Page 1 of 76
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2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that members of the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee note the content of the report. 3. Background 3.1 At the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee meeting on 26 March 2025 an overview of key context and evidence around current pressures on household finances, both in terms of household income and expenditure, was examined. Although there has been some easing of cost of living long-term, recent and upcoming changes, especially around food inflation and energy mean that many families are still struggling with costs of living. 3.2 The rising costs of essentials hits low-income families hardest as they spend a greater proportion of their disposable income on these. The Resolution Foundation has found that lower-income families are most affected by surging food prices as they spend a far greater share of their family budgets on food (14%, compared to 9% for the highest-income households). As a result, the effective inflation rate for the poorest tenth of households is around 2% higher than it is for the richest tenth of households. 3.3 Rising fuel costs continue to be a challenge for many households. The annual energy bill for a household using a typical amount of gas and electricity went up £111 a year to £1,849 from April. This is the third consecutive price cap rise, although according to the consultancy Cornwall Insight, the energy price cap is set to fall in July, to an estimated £1,712.27. According to the End Fuel Poverty Coalition, household energy debt is at record levels. In 2024, over £3.7bn was owed for both domestic electricity and gas, compared with £1.8bn in 2021. 3.4 As was previously reported to elected members, an increasing proportion of households are struggling to pay bills and pay off debts as a result of cost of living increases. A number of reports published since 2022 show increases in the average amount of unsecured debts and arrears owed. Figures from our own advice services also show that debt is not declining, with an increase in debt under management of 7.4% this year compared to last, as detailed in the Data Dashboard. 4. Impacts of cost-of-living crisis Living costs 4.1 The latest insights into the cost of living from the Office of National Statistics for the period 5 to 30 March 2025 found: • 87% of those surveyed reported the cost of living as the most important issue facing the UK today and 66% reported that their cost of living had increased compared with a month ago. • For those who reported an increase, costs of food shopping at 91%, energy bills at 78% and fuel at 49% were the most commonly reported reasons. 33% also reported an increase in rent or mortgage costs and 35% a public transport cost increase. Page 2 of 76
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• Around 1 in 33 (3%) adults reported that they had run out of food and were unable to buy more in the past two weeks; increasing to 20% for households with a single adult and at least one dependent child, and 14% for adults paying rent to the council or housing association. • Disabled adults were more likely than non-disabled adults to carry out a range of actions ONS asked about because of their increased cost of living; this included using less fuel in their home (49% compared with 37%) and spending less on food shopping and essentials (48% compared with 36%). • 20% of adults said they had had to borrow more money or use more credit in the last month compared to a year ago. This is a slight decrease from the 21% reported in the last sub- committee papers. When broken down by age, the highest percentage of 28% was recorded for those between 30 to 49 (the same as previously), while 9% of over 70s had to borrow more, a reduction on the 10% reported previously. • Parents were more likely than non-parents to be unable to pay a necessary but unexpected expense of £850 (33% compared with 21%) and to borrow more money than usual in the last month (34% compared with 17%). • Lone parent households with a single adult and at least one dependant child were more likely than households with more than a single adult and at least one dependant child to report that they had run out of food and were unable to buy more in the past two weeks (20% compared with 2%). They were also more likely to report: o being unable to pay a necessary but unexpected expense of £850 (64% compared with 27%) o borrowing more money than usual in the last month (49% compared with 26%) o being unable to pay a bill or standing order (27% compared with 4%) 5 Employment and Wages Page 3 of 76
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5.1 According to the ONS, the Claimant Count in January 2025, which is taken from JobcentrePlus administration systems, for those claiming unemployment-related benefits in Renfrewshire is 3375 people – 2035 men and 1340 women aged between 16 and 64. This is a reduction from 3,395 last reported. The Renfrewshire unemployment rate of 2.9 % is less than the Scotland rate (3.2%) 5.2 ONS figures for the UK show that from the period from December 2024 to February 2025, annual growth in employees' average earnings for regular earnings (excluding bonuses) was 5.9% and total earnings (including bonuses) was 5.6%. Annual average regular earnings growth was 5.9% for the private sector and 5.7% for the public sector. These increases are all above the rate of inflation. 5.3 Over the long term, UK average weekly earnings for both total and regular pay show a steady increase. Average weekly earnings were estimated at £716 for total earnings and £670 for regular earnings in February 2025. 6 Benefits 6.1 On 22 April 2025 Pension Age Disability Payment became available across Scotland after a phased roll out. From this date, people in Renfrewshire who are over state pension age with a disability or long-term health condition that means they need help looking after themselves or supervision to stay safe will now claim the Scottish benefit, rather than Attendance Allowance from the Department for Work and Pensions. It is also available pensioners who are terminally ill. 6.2 People in Scotland who are getting Attendance Allowance from the DWP do not need to do anything as their award transfer will happen automatically. Social Security Scotland will write to people to let them know when this is happening and when this is complete. Social Security Scotland aims to complete case transfer for everyone by the end of 2025. 6.3 Pension Age Disability Payment is paid at 2 different rates, lower and higher. The amount received depends on care needs. • Lower rate is £73.90 a week. It’s for people who need help or supervision during the day or night. Page 4 of 76
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• Higher rate is £110.40 a week. It’s for people who need help or supervision during the day and night. Those who are terminally ill will automatically get the higher rate. 6.4 Pension Age Disability Payment is not means-tested. Claimants’ income and savings are not taken into account and will not affect any award received. 6.5 In the UK Government’s Spring Statement 2025 reform measures for health and disability benefits were announced and there is currently an open consultation taking place on the proposed reforms. Were these reforms to be introduced, it is expected that all those receiving PIP in Scotland would have transferred to the devolved Scottish equivalent, Adult Disability Payment, by the time they were introduced. 6.6 Universal Credit changes are also proposed, which would affect those in Scotland as this remains a reserved benefit. The UC health element will be frozen in cash terms at £97pw until 2029/2030 for existing recipients. The UC health element rate for new claimants will be reduced to £50pw in 2026/2027 and then frozen until 2029/2030. PIP can also be used as a gateway to the health element of UC, so were PIP and Adult Disability Payment to become significantly different, this may have an impact on entitlement to this element for those in Scotland. 7 Inflation, Food Costs and Foodbank use 7.1 Inflation is standing at 2.6% in March and has been above the target rate of 2% set by the UK Government for the Bank of England since October 24, when it reached 2.3%. The rate, however has decreased from the February rate of 2.8%. The largest downward contributions came from recreation and culture and motor fuels. 7.2 In its February 2025 set of forecasts, the Bank of England expects inflation to rise to 3.7% by Q3 2025, before easing slowly back to 2.0% in Q4 2027. 7.3 The inflation rate for food has decreased slightly from 3.3% in January and is now standing at 3%. The Institute of Grocery Distribution (IGD) has warned, however, that food prices could rise by Page 5 of 76
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more than double the Bank of England’s 2% inflation target predicting that food prices would increase by an average of 2.4% to 4.9% in 2025. 7.4 It points to measures, such as national insurance and increases to the national living wage, resulting in higher, unexpected costs for supermarkets and estimates that the supermarkets will absorb between 20% and 40% of these extra costs, with the rest being passed on to shoppers through higher food prices. 7.5 In Renfrewshire, the Renfrewshire Foodbank issued 5,411 vouchers in total in 2024/25, in comparison with 5,267 the previous year, an increase of 2.7%. The vouchers covered 7,075 adults and 3,409 children this year, which was an increase in the total number receiving assistance with 10,484 compared to 9,615 last year (6,724 adults and 2,891 children). 7.6 In terms of vouchers issued per ward, the largest increase was seen in the Bishopton, Bridge of Weir & Langbank area, although numbers are small in comparison to other wards. 62 vouchers were issued in 2024/25 compared to 42 the previous year, an increase of 48%. The biggest decrease of vouchers was seen in Houston, Crosslee and Linwood area. 235 vouchers were issued in 2024/25 compared to 254 the previous year, a decrease of 7.5%. Paisley Northwest remains the ward with the highest number of vouchers issued. 7.7 In 2024/25, the rising cost of essentials was cited the number one reason for voucher issue in Renfrewshire, at 2,510 times. The ongoing impact of a physical or mental health condition was the second most cited reason for voucher issue, at 697 times. These top two reasons remain consistent with the previous year. The third most cited reason for voucher issue in 2024/25 is “other unexpected expense”. Page 6 of 76
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8 Interest and Mortgage Rates 8.1 The Bank's main rate was reduced to 4.25% on 7 May, as previously reported, it was forecast to reduce the rate twice this year, but the current expectation is now three more cuts. Some analysts are forecasting a base rate of around 3.75% or 3.5% by the end of the year. However, although this is good news for those with tracker mortgages, or who are seeking a new fixed term deal, more than eight in 10 mortgage customers have current fixed-rate deals. The interest rate on this kind of mortgage does not change until the deal expires, usually after two or five years, and a new one is chosen to replace it. About 800,000 fixed-rate mortgages, currently with an interest rate of 3% or below, are expected to expire every year, on average, until the end of 2027, so this will still mean an increase in housing costs for those householders. 8.2 By mid-April, all major lenders were offering fixed rate mortgages of less than 4%, to some customers. The average rate for a two-year fixed deal is now 5.21%, according to the financial information service Moneyfacts. A typical five-year deal has a rate of 5.12%. 8.3 As elected members are aware, the Bank of England uses interest rates to try to keep inflation at 2% or less. With the inflation rate remaining above the Bank of England’s target, however, the Bank also predicted that higher energy and water bills would push up inflation "quite sharply" later this year and warned there were a number of factors that could affect inflation including the possible trade tariffs in the US. 8.4 As stated at 7.2, inflation is now expected to rise to 3.7% and take until the end of 2027 to fall back to its 2% target. 9 Housing costs Rental Costs 9.1 According to the ONS, private rental prices in Renfrewshire have continued to rise to an average of £802 in March 2025, an increase of £9 per month on the last reported figure of £793 in January 2025 and an annual increase of 8.2% from £741 in March 2024. Average rents as of March 2025 in Renfrewshire/Inverclyde by how many bedrooms there are in a property were: • One bedroom: £504 (from £499 in January 25) • Two bedrooms: £670 (from £663 in January 25) • Three bedrooms: £867 (from £858 in January 25) • Four or more bedrooms: £1,533 (from £1,515 in January 25) Page 7 of 76
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Home ownership 9.2 In general, house prices have continued to rise and ONS figures show that the average cost of a home in Renfrewshire is now £165,000 in February 25, up from £155,000 in February 24. The average price paid by first-time buyers was £122,000, which was lower than the December figure of £127,000, but higher than the previous year’s figure of £117,000. For homes bought with a mortgage, the average house price was £165,000, again a decrease from £171,000 in in December 2024, but higher than the £155,000 paid in February 2024. 9.3 This is less than the Scottish figure, where the average house price in February 2025 was £194,000, up from £182,000 a year earlier. 10 Poverty figures 10.1 On 27 March the Scottish Government published their Poverty and Income Inequality in Scotland report for 2021-2024. This report presents three-year averaged estimates of the proportion of people, children, working-age adults and pensioners in Scotland living in poverty, and other statistics on household income and income inequality. These estimates are used to monitor progress in reducing poverty, child poverty and income inequality. 10.2 The figures showed that: • 23% of children were living in relative poverty after housing costs in 2021-24. Child poverty has been broadly stable in the last decade • 20% of working-age adults were living in relative poverty after housing costs in 2021-24. Working-age poverty is in line with the previous stable trend. • 15% of pensioners were living in relative poverty after housing costs in 2021-24. Pensioner poverty has been stable in recent years. Page 8 of 76
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• It is estimated that 16% of the population (890,000 people each year) were living in absolute poverty after housing costs in 2021-24. After a long decline since the mid-nineties, absolute poverty rates have remained at similar levels over the last decade. A person is in absolute poverty if their current household income is less than 60% of the UK median in 2010/11, adjusted for inflation • Before housing costs, 15% of the population (820,000 people each year) were in absolute poverty in 2021-24. The trend is similar to the after housing costs measure. 10.3 The report also found that in 2021-24, 84% of the population lived in households with high food security. This means that 16% of people lived in households with marginal, low or very low food security. People in poverty were less likely to experience high food security: just 67% of those in relative poverty, and 68% of those in severe poverty lived in high food security households. People are in severe poverty when their household income is less than half of the UK median income. 10.4 It is estimated that 23% of children (240,000 children each year) were living in relative poverty after housing costs in 2021-24. Before housing costs, it is estimated that 22% of children (220,000 children each year) were in relative poverty. After a long fall between the late nineties and 2010- 13, which slowed briefly just before the 2008/09 recession, child poverty rates rose again. The before-housing costs and after-housing-cost rates appear to have levelled off more recently. 10.5 Furthermore, three quarters of children in poverty live in working households. 10.6 As has previously been reported, children in child poverty priority groups have a higher risk of being in relative poverty. Page 9 of 76
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10.7 These figures have changed since the previous release. Previous figures showed • Large families - 3 or more children - 32% • Disabled household member - 29% • Youngest in household under 1 - 34% • Minority Ethnic household - 38% • Single Parent household - 38% • Mother under 25 - 55% (current figures are not available) 10.8 The figures also show that most working age adults in poverty are in working households. In 2021-24, 61% of working-age adults (410,000 working-age adults each year) in relative poverty after housing costs were living in a household where someone was in paid work. The share of working-age adults in poverty who lived in working households steadily increased between 2011- 14 (52%) and 2018-21 (62%). However, the reporting period 2019-22 showed a decrease to 57% due to higher economic inactivity as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. The proportion has since recovered as shown in the figure below. Page 10 of 76
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10.9 Officers are working to analyse local statistics, and expect the publication of the End Child Poverty Coalition statistics, which break down data by Ward, shortly. This information will be brought to the next Sub-Committee meeting. Implications of the Report 1. Financial – There are no financial implications associated with this report, which provides an overview of the position and is for noting. 2. HR & Organisational Development – none 3. Community/Council Planning – This report provides a detailed summary of the current evidence relating to household income and expenditure. Wider poverty related issues are a key element of both the Council and Community Plan and the information included within this report is part of the wider Strategic Needs Assessment for these plans. 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. Climate Risk - none 13. Children’s rights – the articles within UNCRC underpin the work that is being progressed in Renfrewshire through the Fairer Renfrewshire programme, particularly in relation to rights in relation to aspects such as life, survival and development, food, clothing and a safe home and supporting the best interests of the child and their families. Child poverty and family wellbeing are key local partnership priorities. 14. COSLA Policy Position – none Author: Diane Dunn, Fairer Renfrewshire Manager, diane.dunn@renfrewshire.gov.uk Page 11 of 76
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Prepared by: Policy and Partnerships tacklingpoverty@renfrewshire.gov.uk Cost of Living Dashboard April 2025 Fairer Renfrewshire Item 1(b) Page 13 of 76
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Cost of Living Dashboard FAIRER RENFREWSHIRE This dashboard has been developed to provide a summary of key indicators relating to how local households might be impacted by the cost-of-living crisis It has four key sections: economy, social security, financial insecurity and housing Each section has an overview with key indicators and their movement from the last period, supported by additional information and graphs showing further analysis and longer-term trends The dashboard is still in development, and feedback is welcome on the information included and its presentation to ensure it is a useful tool Page 14 of 76
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Key statistics - economy OVERVIEW 4.25% 2.6% £19.52 132.32p 3.0% £1,849 • CPI Inflation and food inflation trend had been increasing. Now starting to fall again. • Further reduction in interest rates in May 2025 with further small cuts possible in 2025. • Energy price cap rising, with prepayment meters comparatively cheaper than direct debit. • Average hourly pay increasing, ahead of Scotland and GB average.Page 15 of 76
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Inflation The inflation rate inMarch 2025 is 2.6%, down from 2.8% in February. The increase is not consistent across all categories and there are differing fluctuations. The decrease in the CPI Rate for March 2025, was largely as a result of decreases in housing, recreation and fuel prices. The largest upward trend came from clothing prices. Analysts predict that the inflation rate may increase in April as a result of an increase in energy, water and transport costs. Interest Rates The Bank of England’s base rate reduced to 4.25% in May 2025, having increased significantly over the last year, peaking at 5.25% from August 2023. Interest rate projections are difficult to predict, however many analysts are predicting modest decreases over the next two years. Analysts are now suggesting that the recent price volatility and future price pressures (e.g. fuel, energy, tariffs, national insurance) could lead to an increase in inflation which may dampen the likelihood of the interest rate being cut quickly if inflation rates fluctuate, and do not show signs of a stable decline. -5.0 0.0 5.0 10.0 15.0 20.0 25.0 Jan-19 May-19 Sep-19 Jan-20 May-20 Sep-20 Jan-21 May-21 Sep-21 Jan-22 May-22 Sep-22 Jan-23 May-23 Sep-23 Jan-24 May-24 Sep-24 Jan-25 CPI Inflation Rates Food Inflation CPI 0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 Bank of England Base Rate Changes Page 16 of 76
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Earnings Based on the ONS annual survey of hours and earnings, in 2024 the median hourly pay (excluding overtime) for workers in Renfrewshire is lower compared to that for workers in Scotland, and the rest of Great Britain. It should be noted that the median hourly wage for males in Renfrewshire is less than that for females, however when calculating median gross weekly pay females receive less earnings - £803.40 per week for males compared to £708.60 per week for females. Employment Rate The ONS Labour Force Survey shows the Claimant Count for those claiming benefits 'principally for the reason of being unemployed', which now stands at 3,375. This is based on numbers claiming JSA and Universal Credit. These numbers are based on those aged 16 and over and are not seasonally adjusted. The Renfrewshire unemployment rate of 2.9 % is less than the Scotland rate (3.2%) and lower than that of Great Britain (4.2%). £19.52 £19.19 £18.73 £18.97 £19.50 £19.37 £19.53 £18.95 £17.92 £17.00 £17.50 £18.00 £18.50 £19.00 £19.50 £20.00 Renfrewshire Scotland Great Britain Full-time Workers Male Full-time workers Female Full-time workers 0 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 4,000 4,500 Claimant Count Page 17 of 76
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Economic Inactivity The ONS Labour Force Survey also provides details on those aged 16+ that are economically inactive and not seeking work. Between January 2024 to December 2024, of the 24,500 people aged 16-64 that are classed as economically inactive, 85.1% are not looking for employment (either in the long-term or short/medium term). The percentage of economically inactive people aged 16- 64 that want to gain employment (either in long-term or short/medium term) in Renfrewshire (14.9%) is lower than that of the rates in Scotland (16.8%) and Great Britain (18.3%). The Renfrewshire figure could be underestimated due to the sample size. Please note that due to the sample size within Renfrewshire, some categories do not have a reliable estimate (e.g. looking after family/home, temporary sick or other). Student 28% Long-Term Sick 30% Retired 22% Looking after family/home or Other 20% Economically Inactive Page 18 of 76
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Fuel Prices From the UK Government’s weekly fuel price publication, the average UK pump price on 12 May 2025 is 132.32 pence per litre for petrol, and 139.20 pence per litre for diesel. Energy Price Cap The Energy Price Cap sets a limit on the maximum amount suppliers can charge for each unit of gas and electricity used and sets a maximum daily standing charge. That means there is no upper limit to what a user pays, if more energy is used,more is paid. The Energy Price Cap now changes every three months mainly based on average energy wholesale prices in the months leading up to each change. From April 2025 the Energy Price Cap has risen to £1,849 per year for those on a monthly direct debit, and to £1,803 per year for those with a prepayment meter. The Energy Price Cap from July 2025 is predicted to fall slightly. £0 £500 £1,000 £1,500 £2,000 £2,500 £3,000 £3,500 £4,000 £4,500 Direct Debit Prepayment Page 19 of 76
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Key statistics - social security OVERVIEW 17,118 10,615 5,316 4,651 • Households claiming Universal Credit increasing, this includes new cases and managed migration from tax credits and legacy benefits. • Slight increase in number of children receiving Scottish Child Payment compared to September 2024. Page 20 of 76
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Universal Credit Households on Universal Credit (UC) continue to rise with 17,118 households in Renfrewshire receiving UC as of November 2024 (provisional figures). Starting in August 2023, the managed migration from tax credits to UC contributed to the rises in the UC caseload, with the legacy tax credit system closing for payments in April 2025. From April 2024, the managed migration process commenced for those claimants still on Income Support, Jobseeker’s Allowance, Housing Benefit and Employment and Support Allowance and should be complete by 2026. In July 2024, the DWP published statistics showing the impact of the two-child limit policy on families in receipt of UC or Child Tax Credits (CTC). As of April 2024, in Renfrewshire there were 1,200 households in receipt of UC/CTC with 3 or more children. Of these, 790 households are not receiving a child element/amount for at least one child. The current monthly UC child element amount is £292.81 per month (rate from April 2025). - 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 12,000 14,000 16,000 18,000 Jan-23 Feb-23 Mar-23 Apr-23 May-23 Jun-23 Jul-23 Aug-23 Sep-23 Oct-23 Nov-23 Dec-23 Jan-24 Feb-24 Mar-24 Apr-24 May-24 Jun-24 Jul-24 Aug-24 Sep-24 Oct-24 Nov-24 Number of Renfrewshire Households on UC Page 21 of 76
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Free School Meals and Clothing Grants The 2023/24 Free School Meals and Clothing Grant application process commenced in June 2023 and closed in April 2024. The 2024/25 Free School Meals and Clothing Grant application process commenced at the start of June 2024. The number of applications received since June 2024 is down compared to the corresponding period as last year. The number of children awarded a Free School Meal shows a drop of 103, however there is a drop of 542 children being awarded a Clothing Grant for the same period. This drop could be down to fluctuations in school rolls and eligibility and there could also be less repeat or duplicate applications. Large numbers of Child Tax Credit claimants did not move to UC and therefore could lose eligibility. 0 2,000 4,000 6,000 8,000 10,000 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 Period June to March Number of applications received Number of children applied Number of children awarded CG Number of children awarded FSM Page 22 of 76
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Key statistics - financial insecurity OVERVIEW 1,357 £0.846m 5,854 2,768 • Foodbank vouchers issued slightly up compared to last quarter, but a decrease compared to the same period last year. • Number of Crisis Grants applications received and awarded is down compared to the same period last year. • Number of people approaching local advice agencies down this period, but wider trend is upward Page 23 of 76
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More than 3 vouchers needed in the last 6 months In terms of more than 3 vouchers needed in the last 6 months there has been a steady decrease in overall cases. There has been a quarterly decrease in Benefit Delays/Sanctions being a specified reason, however these cases could be apportioned to another category. Foodbank Vouchers Foodbank vouchers issued in Q4 2024/25 (1,357) assisted 917 children and 1,792 adults. 973 979 12911243 1395 1009 1362 1632 1148 1295 145613681400132213321357 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 Foodbank Vouchers Issued by Quarter 0 100 200 300 400 500 600 700 800 900 Awaiting first benefit payment Benefit delay or sanction Debt Domestic abuse Drug or alcohol dependency Homelessness Long term health condition Long term unemployment No access to financial support due to… Other - low income Other Reason for needing more than 3 vouchers in the last 6 months (2024/25 Cumulative) Page 24 of 76
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Advice Advice Works and Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau (RCAB) are supporting a high level of new clients. The number of clients who received appointment support during 2024/25 is 268 less compared to the same period in 2023/24. N.B. These figures do not include the number of calls/emails from people looking for signposting information. Debt Under Management Advice Works and Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau continue to deal with a high level of enquiries regarding debt. The combined level of new debt cases under management is shown below, by quarter over the last 3 years. By comparing the debt under management during Q2-Q4 2024/25 compared to Q2-Q4 2023/24, there is a 7.4% increase. The levels reported in Q1 look to be outlier figures, but it will be monitored to identify any pattern when 2025/26 Q1 figures are available. - 500 1,000 1,500 2,000 2,500 3,000 3,500 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Combined Advice New Client Cases 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 £0.00 £500,000.00 £1,000,000.00 £1,500,000.00 £2,000,000.00 £2,500,000.00 £3,000,000.00 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 Debt Under Management 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 Page 25 of 76
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Scottish Welfare Fund There have been 8,866 applications for Crisis Grants between April 2024 and March 2025 with £644,633 awarded. This is an average award rate of 66%. Nationwide, the main reasons for a CG not being awarded are “reasons for application do not meet the conditions of award” and “excluded as a result of previous applications”. Generally, awards are restricted to 3 within a 12-month rolling period however discretion can be used. In Renfrewshire, discretion isfrequently exercised. Cost-of-living pressures will for many households result in immediate financial crises more often with less flexibility to manage budgets. Nationwide 52% of Crisis Grant awards are made to single persons, with 22% made to single parents. This suggests single people and single parents, who rely on one income within the household, are financially struggling in terms of income and disproportionately by expenditure due to housing, energy, fuel, and food costs. 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 Crisis Grant Applications by month Page 26 of 76
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Key statistics - housing OVERVIEW 16,1635,425 246 2,293 • New homeless cases marginally down in Q4 compared to Q3, but wider trend is upward. • No real change in the proportions of people reporting why they became homeless or where they are from. • Less tenants in rent arrears this period, and a decrease in the value of arrears compared to same period last year. Page 27 of 76
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Council Tenants in arrears As at the end of March 2025, 2,293 current tenants were in rent arrears totaling £1,704,939. This figure includes all levels of arrears some of which are caused by Universal Credit payment processes. Staff within Housing Services continue to work with tenants to address rent arrears and provide advice/signpost tenants to support services and agencies where financial difficulties are identified. For the period 1 April 2024 – 31 March 2025, 294 tenants have qualified for Tenant Support Fund assistance with £41,287 awarded. Renfrewshire Council tenancy rents will increase by 7.5% for 2025/26. The number of applicants on the housing list at the end of 2024/25 compared to the previous year’s figure. Homeless Cases The Housing and Homeless Advice Service had 246 new cases within Q4 in 2024/25 compared to 274 for the same period in 2023/24. The main reasons for presenting as homeless remains relationship breakdowns (family or partner). The current caseload of homeless applications seems to have stabilized in comparison to last year, however numbers remain at a much higher level than pre-covid. The key challenge is the number of homeless cases at any one time, and this puts pressure on the temporary accommodation team who need to find more temporary properties to accommodate families. £0 £500,000 £1,000,000 £1,500,000 £2,000,000 £2,500,000 £3,000,000 £3,500,000 £4,000,000 Current Tenant Arrears 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 221 247 214 250264 261 227 274 244 283 242 246 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 New Homeless Cases 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 Page 28 of 76
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Housing CostsAverage Monthly Rent Costs From the Office for National Statistics’ local housing statistics publication in April 2025, figures show average rent changes. These statistics are based predominantly on advertised rents, so do not represent rent changes for existing tenants. Local Housing Allowance (LHA) rates are the maximum amount that can be paid for Housing Benefit and Universal Credit (Housing Costs) for those renting from a private landlord. Any shortfall between charged rent and the amount of HB/UC Housing Costs awarded would have to be made up by the tenant, although Discretionary Housing Payments can be awarded to provide support. The 2025/26 rates have been frozen at the Jan 2024 rate. Mortgage Affordability Average house prices for all property types continue to rise. The house prices combined with recent higher rates have driven up the average monthly mortgage repayment amounts. Whilst the Bank of England base interest rate fell in February 2025, it is expected that future rates will decline slowly and over a longer timescale to ensure inflation rates remain at levels consistent with the 2% target. Renfrewshire Monthly LHA Rates March 2025 LHA Rate April 2025 LHA Rate 1 Bedroom Shared £360 £360 1 Bedroom £400 £400 2 Bedroom £525 £525 3 Bedroom £600 £600 4 Bedroom £1,100 £1,100 Type of Property Average Price Average Monthly Mortgage Repayment (Assuming 25 year repayment, 5 year fixed initial agreement and 10% deposit Flat £101,000 £505.25 Terraced £156,000 £780.39 Semi-detached £214,000 £1,070.53 Detached £364,000 £1,820.91 Average Monthly Rents in Renfrewshire Mar-25 Annual Change in Average Rents 1 Bedroom £504 9.0% 2 Bedroom £670 8.8% 3 Bedroom £867 8.9% 4 or more Bedroom £1,533 6.6% Page 29 of 76
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1 ___________________________________________________________________ To: Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee On: 28 May 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Fairer Renfrewshire Programme Update ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1. The Council and partners have a key focus on tackling inequality and improving wellbeing and have longstanding programmes of work and partnership arrangements in place such as the Tackling Poverty Programme and the change programme established in response to the findings of the Renfrewshire Drug and Alcohol Commission. 1.2. At Council on 2 March 2023 members reaffirmed their commitment to the Fairer Renfrewshire programme and outlined several investments including bringing together the current Fairer Renfrewshire funding alongside the Tackling Poverty and Social Renewal reserve funds into a single resource. 1.3. At Council on 27th February 2025, members further reaffirmed their commitment to the Fairer Renfrewshire programme with continued investments in a number of targeted interventions including additional welfare rights and schools advice funding, a targeted programme of summer activities for children and young people from low-income families, another year of the Winter Connections programme in 2025/26, and a further winter school clothing payment in 2025. 1.4. Work on priorities has continued throughout 2024/25, with this paper containing progress updates at Section 4. 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that members of the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee note the report. Item 2 Page 31 of 76
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2 3. Background 3.1 As highlighted in Section 1, the Fairer Renfrewshire Programme brings together a number of existing programmes of work focussed on achieving fairness and equity. The programme currently works to deliver against 4 key themes: • Improving financial security • Advancing equality of opportunity • Building community capacity and resilience • Listening to lived experience 4. Fairer Renfrewshire Programme Updates Easter Holiday Provision 4.1 A focussed programme of holiday activities for children and young people took place throughout the Easter break. Camps were provided across six locations by Community Learning and Development staff and Street Stuff for children and young people aged 5-14. The camps were free and with a healthy lunch provided. Information and booking for the camps was shared with families in receipt of School Clothing Grants, and also on a referral basis from Social Work to ensure effective targeting of places to children that need it most. 4.2 Over the period, 368 children and young people attended with a total of 534 attendances. Information gathered at booking has shown that the camps did reach child poverty priority groups, especially lone parent families and families with 3 or more children. Ages of children attending ranged from 5 -14, although fewer 13 and 14 year olds took part. The greatest number of children were aged 7, 8 and 9. 32 families where English wasn’t the first language also booked into camps. Officers are continuing to review the booking processes to maximise attendance within the available spaces. 4.3 The camps were well received, with comments from parents and carers such as ‘Great to know they can go and play without putting a strain on finances and know they are safe, should be more like this. GREAT. thank you.’ and ‘I am a kinship carer for my 2 grandchildren only my granddaughter attended it was a life saver as very new to all this I also work and being free was a great saving as of next year 2 of them will be attending.’ Summer of Fun 4.4 At Leadership Board on 23 April 2025, it was agreed that the £100,000 allocated to Summer of Fun in March’s budget be split, with 50% of the funding to be directed to deliver holiday camp provision, and the remaining 50% being allocated to support the establishment of a small grants programme which would allow third and community sector partners to deliver local, targeted provision to low-income families across Renfrewshire. This is the same approach as the 2024 Summer of Fun programme. Page 32 of 76
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3 4.5 In order to ensure that local organisations are able to access this funding within the necessary timescales before the summer period, the grants funding programme opened at the end of April, with funding applications being reviewed by a partnership panel. Delegated authority has been provided to the Head of Policy and Partnerships to consider and award grant funding of up to £3,000 per application, in consultation with the Council Leader. 4.6 Updates will be brought to future Sub-Committees. Benefit Take Up Campaign 4.7 As previously reported to Sub-Committee, over the winter period officers have undertaken a programme of work alongside partners to increase uptake of Pension Credit, alongside any other eligible benefits specifically for older people. 4.8 As we move beyond spring, this is being extended and pop-up events are being held across Renfrewshire. At these events, Advice Works will be able to provide advice to anyone with money, debt or benefit (including Pension Credit, Universal Credit or disability benefits) issues or questions. These will also cover Free School Meals and School Clothing Grants. 4.9 Although subject to change, the intended pop-ups are timetabled as below. Communications and Marketing are working to promote these events, and materials such as leaflets will be available. Date Day Time Location 2nd May Friday 10am-3pm Johnstone Town Hall, adjacent to Johnstone Library 7th May Wednesday 10am- 12noon Bishopton Library 8th May Thursday 10am- 12noon Ferguslie Park Tannahill Centre, adjacent to Ferguslie Library 9th May Friday 10am- 12noon Glenburn Library 14th May Wednesday 10am- 12noon Lochwinnoch Library 16th May Friday 10am- 12noon Bridge of Weir Cargill Hall, adjacent to Bridge of Weir Library 21st May Wednesday 10am- 12noon Erskine Library 23rd May Friday 10am- 12noon Foxbar Library 28th May Wednesday 10am- 12noon Linwood Library 30th May Friday 10am- 12noon Renfrew Library 4th June Wednesday 10am- 12noon Ralston Community Centre, adjacent to Ralston Library 6th June Friday 10am-3pm Paisley Central Library Page 33 of 76
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4 4.10 As has previously been reported to elected members, and can be seen from the Dashboard, applications and awards of Free School Meals and School Clothing Grants decreased in 24/25. While we cannot identify one reason for this, it’s is considered that the drop is partly down to large numbers of Child Tax Credit claimants not moving to Universal Credit and therefore losing eligibility. 4.11 With some P6 and P7 pupils now entitled to Free School Meals where their parents/carers are in receipt of Scottish Child Payment, the eligibility rules around Free School Meals and School Clothing Grants have also become more complex, and the families of those pupils may not apply for either free meals or grants, as they automatically get free meals. This means they also miss out on the money paid in lieu of meals during holidays and the £50 winter clothing grant that the Council agreed would be paid later this year. 4.12 As part of the application process and promotion of applications this year, a campaign is being planned around encouraging parents and carers to apply for benefits which may entitle them to FSM/SCG and well as for the meals and grants themselves. This campaign will focus on the money potentially lost by not making a claim and it is hoped this reminder will encourage parents and carers to come forward for a benefit check to establish whether they are missing out. School Support and Family Advice Service 4.13 Between the 1st of April 2024 and the 31st of March 2025, the School Support Service assisted 138 clients. These clients made a combined 263 individual contacts. The most popular advice areas were benefits and housing. The clients included 42 who were lone parents and 36 who had children with disabilities. 4.14 The School Support Service, during this period, recorded financial gains for 103 clients totalling £415, 884. Most financial gains were achieved from benefit entitlements including Adult Disability Payment, Child Disability Payment, and Universal Credit, with gains also from Carers Allowance, Educational Maintenance Allowance and Scottish Child Payment. 4.15 Many of the clients using the service are coming forward with issues that involve multiple Council and other services, and clients recently received support around opening bank accounts and advice for families with No Recourse to Public Funds. 4.16 For quarter 4 of 24/25, Advice Works received 80 referrals for their Family Advice Service and completed 113 cases. For the year, this is a total of 331 referrals and 405 cases closed. The majority of these clients have received a benefit check, with some adult disability payments applications, Scottish Child Payment and Best Start Food applications. The majority of these referrals came from Health Visitor teams, with a number too from Social Work, Education and through self-referral. 4.17 Client Financial Gain for the year to date for Family Advice is £82,471, however even in cases where a client speaks to an adviser and there is no financial gain made, the client benefits from Page 34 of 76
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5 the reassurance of a benefit check and meeting with Advice Works opens discussion on all financial matters that may be worrying the client, such as debts and budgeting. 4.18 With regard to the Child Poverty Priority Groups, Advice Works have seen 266 families falling into those categories so far this year. 4.19 Further promotion of the Family Advice Service will be part of the Free School Meal/School Clothing Grant application process. Lived Experience Panel 4.20 Elected Members have been given a number of updates relating to work of the Fairer Renfrewshire Panel. From the end of October, for 5 weeks, the Fairer Renfrewshire Panel worked on a piece of commissioned work for Renfrewshire HSCP, where they considered the outcomes of the NHSGGC Public Health and Wellbeing Survey. The Panel presented their findings to a special meeting of Renfrewshire’s Community Planning Partnership Executive Group on 28th April. 4.21 The Panel also have meetings planned with Transport to input to the draft Local Transport Strategy and the Digital Strategy Delivery manager to feed into digital exclusion work. Additionally, Officers from the Communications and Marketing teams will meet the panel over the next few weeks as well as their input being sought for the Community Learning and Development Summer Camps, around better targeting and increasing uptake. Community Development in Gallowhill 4.22 As previously reported to the sub-committee, late in 2023, Renfrewshire HSCP was successful in a funding bid to NHSGGC Public Health to carry out a Community Needs Assessment (CNA) in Gallowhill, recognising the concerning increase in Child Poverty rates in the Gallowhill and Renfrew South Ward. The CNA, being carried out by Active Communities, commenced at the start of July 2024 using the Place Standard Tool and 1,033 responses were submitted as part of this consultation. 124 of these were gathered through 1:1 interview in the community, with 262 full responses to all 14 questions and a further 771 partial submissions. 4.23 At Leadership Board on 4 December, £50,000 of Fairer Renfrewshire funding was allocated in grant funding to Active Communities to support the continuation of community development activity in Gallowhill following the publication of the Community Needs Assessment. This will provide capacity to support the development and implementation of actions emerging from the CHILD POVERTY STATS Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 TOTAL Lone Parent 30 24 12 18 84 Disabled Ad/child 15 15 9 10 49 3+ children 7 3 4 7 21 Minority ethnic 16 9 5 5 35 Child under 1 21 10 9 11 51 Parent under 25 8 9 3 6 26 TOTAL 97 70 42 57 266 Page 35 of 76
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6 community needs assessment and continue to improve and expand community led activity and infrastructure in the area. 4.24 Active Communities carried out a recruitment exercise in March, and a new Community Development Officer for Gallowhill started in post on 22 April. They will work between Gallowhill and Active Communities office in Johnstone, and have 3 priorities: • Join up services and support available locally, informed by the community needs assessment • Increase uptake of services and support for low-income families, focussed on targeting priority families • Providing dedicated community development support to improve and expand community led activity and infrastructure in the area. 4.25 Wider work will also be undertaken to develop a place-based approach based on the learning from the CNA, with a group comprising Council and HSCP officers and Active Communities steering this work. Period Products 4.26 In 24/25 both Environment Housing and Infrastructure and Chief Executive’s staff have been working together to increase the uptake of free period products across Renfrewshire. Supported by Marketing colleagues, this work has culminated in a Period Product campaign across social media, which started on 31 March, What’s On advertising which ran for 30 days and a radio advert on Quality Radio which ran for 3 weeks. 4.27 The Social Media advertising had a reach of 40,319 and 130,819 impressions to 23 April, with 2,456 clicks on the link provided. Roughly 90% of those that clicked on the link were women and 10% men. 4.28 The adverts have driven demand, with the first batch of home orders after the start of the campaign numbering over 300 and including 66 from young people 16 or under and added demand from community organisations. Demand has also increased within OneRen venues, with OneRen now including Paisley Town Hall as a venue where products are available, as well as the new Central Library. 4.29 Officers have also been out within communities carrying out Reusables Roadshows, promoting reusable products, for example at events supported by Youth Services. Community Organisations supporting or engaging with young people have also been invited to order products to improve uptake with those of school age, as there is still a stigma around periods and obtaining products in schools. This quarter Reusables have been available at: • Celebrating Renfrewshire Event – January 2025 • Cost of living event at South End Action Centre – February 2025 • Love2Care event at Paisley Town Hall – February 2025 Page 36 of 76
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7 4.30 In addition, Engage Renfrewshire agreed to support a reusables giveaway for third sector organisations at their office in March. This was advertised in their newsletter, and allowed any community organisation to make an appointment to pick of products for their service users and/or the general public. 21 organisations took this opportunity with several more picking up the surplus that was left at the Engage office for this purpose. Fairer Renfrewshire Programme 25/26 and next steps 4.31 Officers have been developing a Fairer Renfrewshire programme for 2025/26, reviewing existing programmes of activity across 2024/25, and informed by discussions at the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee and relevant partnership groups. The proposed programme also reflects the specific commitments agreed as part of the approval of the Council’s budget on 27 March. 4.32 At this meeting it was agreed that £0.450m of additional funding would be allocated to the Fairer Renfrewshire programme to support the following targeted interventions: • A targeted programme of summer activities for children and young people from lowincome families, working across Council services and with community groups and third sector organisations across Renfrewshire to ensure that our most vulnerable families are able to access a range of activities and healthy food over the summer period • Continuation of the £50 winter school clothing payment to each school child eligible for school clothing grant • Continuation of the successful Winter Connections Programme. 4.33 It was also agreed that £0.095m would be allocated from existing Fairer Renfrewshire funding to support the Welfare Rights Advocacy service and schools advice support delivered by Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau. 4.34 At Leadership Board on 23 April, an additional £0.585m of Fairer Renfrewshire Funding was allocated to support the delivery of the programme in 25/26 in line with the priorities reported to elected members at the last Sub-Committee meeting. Officers are now working to take forward these priorities, and updates will be brought to future meetings. 4.35 The future reporting programme for the sub-committee is being targeted as follows: September Priority focus: Advancing Equality of Opportunity workstream Standard: CoL Update / Dashboard Evaluation: FR Panel November Priority focus: Money Advice / Place based approaches / Gallowhill (Connected Communities bits) / Breakfast clubs Standard: CoL Update / Dashboard Page 37 of 76
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8 Evaluation: Summer provision January Priority focus: Good Food Nation Standard: CoL Update / Dashboard Implications of the Report 1. Financial – There are no financial implications associated with this report. 2. HR & Organisational Development – none 3. Community/Council Planning – The Fairer Renfrewshire Programme is a key driver in achieving the ‘Fair’ strategic outcome and theme within the Council Plan, and covers a number of the key actions identified in the plan. It also represents a significant partnership programme of work which supports the ‘Fair’ theme within the Community Plan, with dedicated partnership governance being established to ensure alignment between these areas of work. 4. Legal - none 5. Property/Assets - none 6. Information Technology - none 7. Equality and Human Rights – Equality and human rights are a key pillar of this plan, and it is anticipated that the programme will likely advance equality of opportunity. 8. Health and Safety - none 9. Procurement – none 10. Risk – none 11. Privacy Impact – none 12. Climate risk – none 13. Children’s rights - the articles within UNCRC underpin the work that is being progressed in Renfrewshire through the Fairer Renfrewshire programme, particularly in relation to rights in relation to aspects such as life, survival and development, food, clothing and a safe home and supporting the best interests of the child and their families. Child poverty and family wellbeing are key local partnership priorities. 14. COSLA Policy Position – none Author: Laura McIntyre, Head of Policy and Partnerships Page 38 of 76
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1 ________________________________________________________________________ To: Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee On: 28th May 2025 _____________________________________________________________________ Report by: Chief Executive _____________________________________________________________________ Heading: Winter Connections Evaluation 2024/25 ________________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1. At Leadership Board on 14 September 2022, elected members agreed that officers should develop a Winter Connections Programme which would provide a network of local places and spaces where people can connect to others in their community throughout winter. £50,000 of grant funding was allocated by the Board in September 2022, to support local groups and organisations to participate in the programme and to contribute some of the costs of delivery where this was required. 1.2. The Winter Connections programme has now completed its third year, having been running during the winter months since November 2022, and continues to be delivered in partnership with local organisations and aiming to encourage people to connect and participate in activities in warm and welcoming spaces across communities in Renfrewshire. 1.3. The programme continues to attract new organisations bidding for funding, with this year’s programme being delivered by a mix of organisations that have received funding before, and those new to Winter Connections. 1.4. An evaluation for the 24/25 Programme has now been carried out, and the key messages of the evaluation include: • Over 2,500 people benefited from the programme, demonstrating a continued need for access to free activities and company throughout the winter months. • The social aspect of bringing people together created a sense of belonging and provided a supportive environment and peer support, which was especially important for people who were feeling isolated. Item 3 Page 39 of 76
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2 • Activities provided opportunities to improve physical and mental health and wellbeing, learn new skills, increase confidence and be creative. • The programme enabled organisations to engage with new people, raising awareness of their venues and services and signposting to other services across Renfrewshire. • Providing hot drinks in libraries encouraged visitors to stay for longer, creating connections with others and with library staff. • Providing free food alongside activities ensured that the programme discretely supported families who are continuing to experience financial hardship. • The programme continues to be an important element of the Council’s approach to tackling the cost-of-living crisis. 1.5. The programme has been evaluated each of the previous years and has been found to positively contribute to Renfrewshire Council’s continued wider response to the continued high cost-of- living. In addition to the key messages, the evaluation report also provides a series of recommendations to be considered as part of any future programme. A copy of the full evaluation is attached at Appendix 1. 1.6. At the Council’s budget meeting in February 2025, £75,000 of funding was allocated to support the delivery of a fourth year of Winter Connections for 2025/26. 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that members of the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee: • Note the content of the report 3. Background 3.1 The development of the Winter Connections Programme has been a key focus for officers with £75,000 of funding allocated from the Fairer Renfrewshire Programme to support the delivery of Winter Connections activities for the third Winter. The Winter Connections programme attracted 49 applications for funding from a mix of organisations that had received funding before and some organisations that were new to the Winter Connections programme, with 42 applications approved. 3.2 The programme offers an extensive and varied programme of activities across Renfrewshire, hosted by community groups, including OneRen libraries. These largely ran until March 2025. Page 40 of 76
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3 3.3 Hosts are asked to sign up to Winter Connections principles, and support was provided to all host organisations including a Winter Connections toolkit, printed materials, information sharing, access to other services such as advice, period products provided for locations. 3.4 There is a continued focus on the promotion of the programme and linked activities across the partnership, with a clear and recognisable Winter Connection identity developed. Information on Winter Connections is available on the Council website, which includes a searchable map function displaying all venues, activities and facilities. Activities were widely promoted through social media, and printed materials have been widely distributed across all towns and villages across Renfrewshire. 3.5 The funding was fully exhausted by December 2024, and the programme has drawn to a close. A number of projects have secured alternative funding to continue their projects moving forward during the year. Implications of the Report 1. Financial – There are no financial implications associated with this report, which provides an overview of the evaluation for Winter Connections. Any recommendations taken forward in future years will be met within the agreed Winter Connections budget. 2. HR & Organisational Development – none 3. Community/Council Planning – The Winter Connections programme supports a number of the key priorities within the Council and Community Plan. 4. Legal - none 5. Property/Assets - none 6. Information Technology - none 7. Equality and Human Rights – The Winter Connections programme is considered to have a positive impact on a wide range of equalities groups. The evaluation considers in detail the effectiveness of the programme in reaching a number of equalities 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 Page 41 of 76
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4 14. Children’s Rights – The Winter Connections programme is considered to have a positive impact on Children’s Rights, with a number of activities targeted at families and providing a range of free and accessible opportunities for children to participate. Author: Annabelle Walter, Connected Communities Manager Page 42 of 76
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1 An evaluation of the Winter Connections Programme 2024/25 The Winter Connections programme has been an invaluable initiative, providing essential warm spaces, social connection, and well-being activities for older adults during the colder months. We have seen firsthand the difference it has made, particularly for individuals experiencing loneliness, financial hardship, or health challenges. Many participants expressed that these sessions were the highlight of their week, helping them stay active, reduce stress, and feel part of a community. Just Dive In Page 43 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 2 Contents 1. Executive Summary ........................................................................... 3 2. About Winter Connections ................................................................. 4 3. Programme Delivery .......................................................................... 8 4. Impact of the Programme ................................................................ 18 5. What did we learn? ........................... Error! Bookmark not defined. 6. Conclusions and recommendations ............................................... 32 7. Appendix 1 ....................................................................................... 33 Page 44 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 3 1. Executive Summary The Winter Connections programme has been running during the winter months since November 2022. The programme has been delivered in partnership with local organisations and aims to encourage people to connect and participate in activities in warm and welcoming spaces across communities in Renfrewshire. Local community and voluntary organisations can apply for small grants of up to £2,000 to support with the additional costs of making venues, activities and sessions open as part of the programme. Items eligible for funding include equipment, food, energy costs, and rent. The programme has been evaluated each year and has positively contributed to Renfrewshire Council’s continued wider response to the cost-of-living crisis. As a result, in June 2024, £75,000 of funding was allocated from the Fairer Renfrewshire programme to support the delivery of a third year of Winter Connections for 2024/25. The programme continues to attract new organisations bidding for funding, with this year’s programme being delivered by a mix of organisation that have received funding before, and those new to Winter Connections. Key findings: • Over 2,500 people benefited from the programme, demonstrating a continued need for access to free activities and company throughout the winter months. • The social aspect of bringing people together created a sense of belonging and provided a supportive environment and peer support, which was especially important for people who were feeling isolated. • Activities provided opportunities to improve physical and mental health and wellbeing, learn new skills, increase confidence and be creative. • The programme enabled organisations to engage with new people, raising awareness of their venues and services and signposting to other services across Renfrewshire. • Providing hot drinks in libraries encouraged visitors to stay for longer, creating connections with others and with library staff. • Providing free food alongside activities ensured that the programme discretely supported families who are continuing to experience financial hardship. • The programme continues to be an important element of the Council’s approach to tackling the cost-of-living crisis. Page 45 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 4 2. About Winter Connections 2.1. Background Following a successful Winter Connections programme over the winter of 2023/24, Renfrewshire Council’s Leadership Board allocated £75,000 of funding in June 2024 from the Fairer Renfrewshire programme to run the programme again during 2024/25. Once again, the funding provided small grants to local organisations to support delivery of a programme that would encourage people to connect and participate in activities in warm and welcoming spaces across communities in Renfrewshire. Local community and voluntary organisations could apply for small grants of up to £2,000 to support with the additional costs of making venues, activities and sessions open as part of the programme. Items eligible for funding included equipment, food, energy costs, and rent. Funded activities needed to fit the criteria of Winter Connections and 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 There were 49 applications to the programme which were assessed by officers from Renfrewshire Council, Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership and Engage Renfrewshire. This process ensured a transparent cross-sector approach that enabled partners to evaluate Winter Connections applications based on knowledge of other available support across Renfrewshire. Applications came from a mix of organisations that had received funding before and some organisations that were new to the Winter Connections programme. Of the 49 applications, 42 were successful, 6 were unsuccessful and one application was withdrawn. Unsuccessful applications were signposted to alternative sources of funding where appropriate. An allocation of £2,155 of this funding was made to One Ren to support the programme and to provide hot drinks, soup, and snacks in all Renfrewshire libraries. Page 46 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 5 Winter Connections branded materials, including posters and stickers as well as leaflets with advice on where to find support with financial worries were also distributed to organisations participating in the programme along with free period products. A dedicated Winter Connections webpage was set up on the Council’s website with an interactive map displaying all venues, activities, and facilities. To understand the impact of the Winter Connections programme, a feedback form was sent to organisations to assess the difference that the programme had made. 36 organisations returned feedback which has been analysed in the sections below. 2.2. The Winter Connections Programme This year’s programme benefited from a wide range of activities, including line dancing, songwriting, and retro gaming. Some activities were open to everyone and aimed to attract families and multiple generations, however some organisations focussed specifically on delivering sessions for children and younger people, for example, youth clubs, while others focussed on activities for older people or people from ethnically diverse communities. Organisations often designed their programmes with input from existing members and new participants to ensure that there were activities that appealed to everyone. Rays of Hope found that one of their most popular activities is choir singing. This year the group were invited to sing at some concerts, providing them with an opportunity to showcase their talents, which they really enjoyed. Page 47 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 6 Activities delivered as part of Winter Connections Creative activities Health and Wellbeing Children and Young People Social activities Practical support Arts & Crafts Playing music and songwriting Nature crafting sessions (making Christmas wreaths and natural hand cream) Drama Sewing Making t-shirts, bags and fridge magnets Football Multi-sensory play Line dancing Swimming/flotation sessions Chair yoga/pilates Choir singing Online Safety workshop Youth club Basic cooking class Retro gaming Arts & crafts Homework/after school club Fun events for Halloween/Christmas Movie afternoon Coffee mornings Quizzes Bingo Trips to the theatre/historic buildings Lunch Club Board games Music Signposting to sources of advice Food provision Access to charge devices Language café Distribution of clothing, period products Provision of laptops and Ipads for people to use Cooking classes IT support Just Dive In delivered activities designed to support older adults, including Warm Water Flotation Sessions in a heated private pool which promoted relaxation, pain relief, and mental well-being. They also provided low-impact swimming sessions designed for mobility support and confidence-building, alongside crafting sessions which encouraged social engagement, creativity, and community-building. The Preshal Trust provided a twice weekly drop-in with a two course hot lunch, hot drinks and biscuits throughout the day. They also provided one-to-one support alongside activities such as cooking sessions, sewing, line dancing, arts and crafts, board games and quizzes. Page 48 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 7 Renfrew Trinity Church held a colouring-in competition each week with a prize for the winners while Brick Lane Music Academy held an afternoon meet up for musically minded individuals in isolation, in recovery, in hardship or struggling with mental health issues. They provided food and access to music rehearsal studios where participants could practice their music and write songs. Paisley YMCA offered free weekly crafting and making clubs for adults. Participants had the opportunity to make teeshirts and tote bags, using vinyl cutting, heat pressing and fabric paints. They also created fridge magnets and made 3d sculptures by hand. Johnstone Castle Learning Centre provided sessions for children, young people and adults on different days providing a range of activities. We provided youth services which ran over two sessions, a primary and a secondary group 3 evenings per week. These sessions included basic cooking, arts and crafts, pool, games, IT, gaming X-box and PlayStation. We also provided two fun themed events at Halloween and Christmas and offered football sessions in partnership with our local football team and our two community police officers. We provided adult services every Friday with IT support, basic cooking, quizzes and other social activities. We provided a food pantry to help families. Johnstone Castle Learning Centre In some cases simply the opportunity to attend a warm and welcoming space with hot drinks, snacks and food and optional activities or a common interest encouraged friendly conversation, connections with others and an opportunity to be included and supported. Projects also offered practical support in the form of advice and signposting, distribution of clothing and food and inviting guest speakers from a range of organisations to provide information on different topics. A list of the funded host organisations delivering Winter Connections activities can be found in Appendix 1. Page 49 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 8 3. Programme Delivery 3.1. Promoting Activities Renfrewshire Council’s Communications and Marketing team promoted the Winter Connections programme through print and social media, including a poster distribution across Renfrewshire. Information about the programme was posted on Facebook, shared into more than 50 Facebook groups and included in the Council’s email newsletters across the winter period. Renfrewshire Council also issued a media release which was also available on the website and posted on X. Organisations used many different channels to promote their Winter Connections activities. Like last year, the most common way for residents to find out about activities was through social media (72% of respondents) and word of mouth (58% of respondents). How did people find out about your Winter Connections project? Method of information Number* % Social media 26 72 Word of mouth 21 58 Posters / flyers 15 42 Contact database/people attending other activities/Whatsapp groups 13 37 Other organisations e.g. church/sheltered housing/school 9 26 Referral from another organisation 5 14 Village or park notice boards 3 9 * out of a total of 36 responses. Note: All respondents provided more than one answer to this question I put a post on social media & word of mouth – both classes filled quickly so I couldn’t put up my posters as I was full!. Lochwinnoch Community Development Trust Page 50 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 9 The New Tannahill Centre shared information about their Winter Connections project at a networking breakfast which included local partners, such as schools and nurseries. CREATE Paisley did targeted outreach in the local high schools and Johnstone Castle Learning Centre worked with the local primary school to take referrals. Shopmobility Renfrewshire and Inchinnan Development Trust let all of their members know about the upcoming activities via a newsletter and the Thursday Club advertised in the local shops. Other organisations promoted their activities through Engage Renfrewshire and Lochwinnoch Community Development Trust. Many organisations advertised their activities to existing members who spread the word and brought along friends and family. We used a variety of outreach methods to ensure that older adults in the community were aware of the Winter Warmth and Wellbeing initiative. Many attendees were referred by friends, family, or previous participants who had benefited from our other programs. We shared details about the project via Facebook, community group pages, and our website, which helped reach a wider audience. We distributed printed materials in local community centres, libraries, and shops, targeting areas where older adults regularly visit. Local organisations, including health and social care teams, charities, and older adult support groups, referred individuals who could benefit from the sessions.This multi-channel approach ensured that we reached those who needed it most, particularly individuals at risk of isolation, poor mental health, or mobility challenges. Just Dive In Winter Connections branded posters were provided, however, many organisations created their own posters and distributed these throughout their local communities to promote their activities. Posters went up around the community in local businesses and shops. This was helpful for reaching people who may not be online. Page 51 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 10 3.2. What worked well? There were a number of factors that contributed to the success of the programme this year. The provision of free activities alongside a hot meal or drink continued to encourage people to go along to venues. Erskine Arts were delighted to be able to offer free, fresh and healthy soup every week which their participants looked forward to. Without the Winter Connections funding they would not have been able to make this offer. Home-Start Renfrewshire and Inverclyde found that the hot food offering was particularly welcomed in areas identified as having higher rates of child poverty. We know how important groups are for both new and existing families especially over the Winter months. Winter can often prove more isolating for families with short days, winter bugs, increased heating costs. Our new outreach Group in Gallowhill, developed in partnership with the Whole Family Wellbeing project, has been well attended and has raised awareness of Home-Start’s service, increasing the numbers of families we now support in this area. Home-Start Renfrewshire & Inverclyde Equally important, however, was the creation of a community of friendship and support that was available locally. Organisations reported that activities provided a great way to connect with other people and meet new people in a safe warm environment. Many of the activities that were provided offered support to improve physical activity and mental health and wellbeing. Page 52 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 11 I think having it easily accessible in the McKillop hall was great – central to the village, the sense of connection that was established was phenomenal as they were all new to chair yoga, they were surprised themselves by the difference it has made to their balance, to their stiff joints, circulation & mental wellbeing. Lochwinnoch Community Development Trust The warm water flotation and swimming sessions were particularly well received, as they offered pain relief, relaxation, and confidence-building in a way that traditional exercise often does not. The activities were accessible for those with limited mobility, disabilities, and chronic pain, ensuring everyone felt included and supported. Just Dive In Dates-n-Mates making Halloween crafts It’s also evident from the feedback that people were interested in attending because they had the opportunity to try a new activity and to learn something. Participants enjoyed activities that also provided a skill, for example cooking and having access to equipment that was not available at home, for example IT equipment. Page 53 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 12 For our youth services the basic cooking was a great success as it taught the participants transferable skills that they could use at home and many reported that they didn’t get a chance to cook at home. And the use of our IT equipment was a great as many of our young people have no access to internet or equipment at home. Johnstone Castle Learning Centre Young people baking at Johnstone Castle Learning Centre The progamme also helped to address social isolation by bringing together people with similar interests and providing opportunities to be creative. We offered a wide range of activities to bring young people together. These included creative activities such as art and craft, ceramics and jewellery making, creative writing, dance and singing, as well as provided snacks, drinks and a warm, welcoming space where young people can meet friends and get advice from supportive adults. CREATE Paisley The participants have really benefited from meeting like minded people/musicians with similar personal issues and looked forward to meeting up on weekly basis. Brick Lane Music Academy Organisations consistently reported about the communities of people that had been created, the sense of community and how important the activities were in developing friendships. For many older adults it gave them their only weekly social contact with friends in a relaxed and safe environment. Many attendees expressed how valuable it was to have a comfortable, heated environment where they could socialise and stay active, particularly during winter when isolation increases. The crafting sessions and tea/coffee chats encouraged friendships and social engagement, reducing loneliness and improving mental well-being. Just Dive In Page 54 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 13 The Preshal Trust found that participants enjoyed the relaxed environment where there was no pressure to take part in activities. Shopmobility Renfrewshire were able to recruit some new volunteers through the programme and also increased their membership by having the opportunity to promote the diversity of their service. The New Tannahill Centre also engaged more volunteers to become part of their café system. Organisations also reported that, because they were already part of larger networks, the programme was essential in guiding people to specific areas of support that they were not able to provide. In addition many organisations invited guest speakers from other support services along to talk to their participants, providing information and advice on a range of topics. Each week, we served hot soup with bread and butter, and created a social space for women+ to connect. There were optional activities available including a scrapbook to collage recipes, colouring books and food related puzzles. We also had services attending including Voice Ability x2, RACA, Pachedu, Digital Champions (libraries) and Social Security Scotland. Women+ were able to access our free shop and pantry, contraception, period products and refreshments. We were pleased to see so many women+ engaging in the project over the winter period, benefitting from our transport fund (especially for disabled women+) and providing a great voluntary opportunity. Kairos Women+ When asked if there was anything that they would change about the programme, 16 of the 32 organisations that responded stated that they would not change anything. Suggestions made by the remaining organisations are discussed below. Half of the organisations that responded would like to include additional activities, to take young people on trips or expand their service offer to add an extra session. Demand for warm water flotation and gentle swimming was higher than anticipated, and some participants expressed interest in attending more frequently. With additional funding, we could offer extra sessions to accommodate more people. While crafting and social sessions were well received, offering additional relaxation activities (such as guided meditation or storytelling) could further enhance the experience. Just Dive In Page 55 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 14 Almost a fifth of organisations would like to see additional funding being made available. This would enable them to include additional activities, or to provide extra staffing to be able to reach more people given that there was no shortage of demand for most activities. Many organisations were also keen to continue the programme beyond the winter period and additional funding would enable them to extend their Winter Connections Programme. We are very grateful the Winter Connections support to our service and wish it was all year round. We have received this funding over the past few years and it remains a vital part of our funding which isn’t taken for granted. With increased competition for funding we have limited reserves that would not allow for us to offer families food without this. Home-Start Renfrewshire & Inverclyde Additional funding for transport was also suggested, with a few organisations reporting that attendance would have been higher if they were able to offer support with transport. Some older adults, particularly those with mobility challenges, found it difficult to travel to sessions in colder weather. A transport partnership or funding for travel assistance would help increase accessibility. Since winter challenges extend beyond March, continuing the programme for an extra month could help sustain the positive impact.. Just Dive In Rainbow Buddies would change the time of their club to ensure the safety of the young people attending. We would also change the timings of the club going forward as a number of our young people walk home themselves after receiving their dinner we had concerns with how dark it was during the winter months. Renfrewshire Rainbow Buddies Page 56 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 15 Houston Community Council film show Active Communities said they would change the name of their project. We met someone who wanted to come but thought it sounded too much like a soup kitchen they didn't want people thinking they needed free food. This demonstrates the importance of providing clear information in the promotion of the Winter Connections programme that the aim is to encourage people to connect and participate in activities in warm and welcoming spaces across communities in Renfrewshire. 3.3. How many people attended? Organisations were asked about the number of people who attended their activities. We did not ask organisations to keep track of numbers while delivering activities, but some did, and others provided an estimate. The average number of people attending each individual session was 25. Activities for younger people and older people were especially popular. Houston Community Council’s film showings hosted 50 people at one of their weekly events, Foxbar Elderly Forum regularly had between 40 and 45 participants while The Thursday Club in Glenburn attracted between 85 and 87 participants each week. Page 57 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 16 Lochwinnoch Youth Drop In attracted an average of 28 young people per session, while Pachedu averaged around 32 attendees per session. Twist and Hit Cheerleaders had 87 new sign ups for their youth club. On average, 8 to 12 people attended each session. Attendance varied depending on weather conditions and personal circumstances, but overall, sessions were consistently well attended with many participants returning each week. With increased capacity and additional transport support, we believe attendance could have been even higher, as demand exceeded availability for certain sessions. Just Dive In Young people’s cooking class at Johnstone Castle Learning Centre From October 2024-March 2025, 22 sessions with 285 attendances and 485 soup portions served. There have been 218 volunteer hours given to the project with a team of 7 volunteers rotating each week. Additionally, 13 new women+ have joined the group. Kairos Women+ Page 58 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 17 From the 36 responses received, it is estimated that over 2,500 different people benefited from the Winter Connections programme. Given that there were 42 projects participating in the programme this year, this number will be considerably higher. Activities were open to everyone but inevitably certain activities attracted particular demographics. For example, coffee mornings and bingo were more likely to attract a mix of older people, youth clubs were obviously targeted towards children and young people, while fitness classes and creative activities appealed more to women. Of the 36 projects who provided feedback for this question, just over two thirds stated that it was mainly women who attended activities, while over half of all projects appealed to older people. Wreath making was mostly women with one man joining the fun. The ages ranged from 25 to 85. Mostly from Inchinnan, Erskine, Bishopton and Renfrew. Inchinnan Development Trust Who attended your Winter Connections project? Number of projects* % Women 24 67 Older People 19 54 Men 17 47 Children 12 33 Young people / teenagers 9 26 People from ethnically diverse communities 8 22 Families 7 21 People from other geographical areas in Renfrewshire 7 20 People with a disability 4 11 *out of a total of 36 responses. Note: All respondents provided more than one answer to this question Some activities were specifically aimed at particular groups, for example, Dates-n-Mates project was for individuals over the age of 18 with a learning disability and Shopmobility Renfrewshire’s project was aimed at anyone with a mobility disability and their carers as well as the general public. Just over a fifth of projects, (22%) drew in people from ethnically diverse communities compared with 30% last year. Just over a quarter of projects (26%) attracted young people / teenagers. Page 59 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 18 4. Impact of the Programme 4.1. What difference did the Winter Connections Programme make to participants? Organisations were asked whether they thought that the activities they had delivered as part of the programme had provided any benefits for those attending. Feedback was overwhelmingly positive with organisations highlighting several impacts from the programme. Overall, the combination of physical activity, relaxation, creativity, and social connection made this programme a valuable and meaningful experience for participants. Just Dive In A majority of those who completed feedback forms agreed that the programme activities had supported participants by connecting them to each other, with 97% of organisations reporting this benefit. According to 97% of organisations the programme also contributed to reducing social isolation and encouraging new people to engage with the organisation, while 94% stated that the programme had benefited people by creating a sense of belonging to the local community. The provision of fun activities was considered beneficial for participants by 89% of organisations. Other perceived benefits were reducing financial costs and providing access to information/advice (80% of respondents each), helping people to learn about a new service in their area (75%) and providing the opportunity to learn something new (75%). Benefit to people attending activities Number of projects* % Connecting people to each other 35 97 Reducing social isolation 35 97 Encouraging new people to engage with the project/organisation 35 97 Creating a sense of belonging to the local community/neighbourhood? 34 94 Providing fun activities 32 89 Reducing financial costs 29 80 Providing access to information/advice 29 80 Helping people to learn about a new service in their local area 27 75 Providing the opportunity to learn something new 27 75 Providing entertainment for children 14 39 * out of a total of 36 responses Page 60 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 19 Reducing Social Isolation The programme had a significant impact on reducing social isolation by connecting people to each other through warm, welcoming spaces, shared interests, interesting activities and hot food. People were brought together who would not otherwise have met and, for Pachedu’s participants the environment was helpful in connecting new Scots with each other. It has created a safe and welcoming space for young people and new Scots to interact and socialise, helping to prevent isolation. The provision of warm food and valuable information has been immensely helpful to many of the young people, ensuring they feel supported and connected. Pachedu Just Dive In found that for many participants the group was their only regular social activity and the crafting sessions created a friendly, welcoming space where people could chat and build friendships. One participant commented "This group has been a lifesaver. I was feeling really isolated this winter, but now I have something to look forward to every week. The warm water helps my arthritis, and I’ve made new friends too." Feedback from Friends of Howwood Park’s Tuesday Club shows the extent to which participants have relied on the club to get them out of the house and interacting with other people during the winter months. Participants were sad to see the project coming to an end, especially as it coincided with a lot of social activities in the village coming to an end at the same time. A decision was taken to continue running the Tuesday Club on a monthly basis to keep it 'ticking over' until the Winter Connections funding reopens. The numbers of people attending Inchinnan Development Trust’s nature crafting sessions increase every year and people look forward to the activities. Similarly in Houston, the Community Council’s film showings at the Carrick Centre had increasing numbers attending each time and they have decided to self-fund beyond the winter period to maintain momentum. Page 61 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 20 We have learned from the project that social isolation is an increasing issue in our community. With people commuting from Houston for work and entertainment those who are getting older and not so able to travel are finding they don’t know people in the local community and are becoming more isolated. Houston Community Council People arriving for Houston Community Council film show Johnstone Dementia Friendly Community Group reported that the funding had enabled them to continue to provide “quality activity, friendship and uplifting moments”, while Rays of Hope used a 12 seater table to encourage everyone to talk to each other and saw “lovely new friendships rise from the dust.” Participants at Howwood Community Council’s social get-together described it as the highlight of their week. The Winter Connections programme aims every year to provide an activity in as many areas of Renfrewshire as possible and it seems that this is an important aspect of the success of the programme. The fact that activities are local and people do not have to travel far to access the programme is key to participation, particularly given that activities take place during winter when people are more reluctant to go out. Friends of Howwood Park commented that if their project was not local then most people would not attend. Improving physical and mental health The programme included many activities that contributed to the improvement of participants physical and mental health and wellbeing, for example fitness classes, creative sessions and activities designed to reduce anxiety and physical pain. Page 62 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 21 Lochwinnoch Community Development Trust delivered a series of Winter Wellbeing workshops which included gentle physical movement, nutrition advice and mental wellness coaching tips. All participants reported improved physical and mental wellbeing, improved sleep, balance and co-ordination after attending the workshops and many continued to practice at home using recordings of the meditations that they had used. For me, I've struggled for years with effects of psoriatic arthritis which has greatly effected my confidence and mobility. Today, in class, I suddenly found myself doing deep knee lunges!!! Oh my days...been years since I've been able to do that! I'm now 'lunge-fantastic', which means I can start, slowly, building up lost muscle mass. Lochwinnoch Community Development Trust yoga class participant Lochwinnoch Community Development Trust Chair Yoga Class Shopmobility Renfrewshire found that their crafting sessions served as a boost to those who attended and increased their confidence and ability to get out and about despite having mobility disabilities. Langbank Swingpark Regeneration commented that the Get Active sessions delivered for children had resulted in calmer and more focussed behaviour in school the day after the sessions. Just Dive reported that their participants had found their sessions to be hugely beneficial for both physical and mental well-being. Page 63 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 22 The warm water flotation and swimming sessions provided stress relief, reduced anxiety, and boosted mood, especially for those experiencing seasonal depression or chronic pain. Participants reported feeling calmer and more positive after sessions. Low-impact aquatic activities helped those with arthritis, fibromyalgia, and mobility challenges, improving flexibility, reducing pain, and increasing confidence in movement. Just Dive In Crafting at Just Dive In CREATE Paisley and Brick Lane Music Academy provided a creative space for people to enjoy new company and friendships through a shared interest, such as music or art. These creative activities also helped to improve mental health and wellbeing through learning a new skill, building confidence and making social connections. Renfrewshire Effort to Empower Minorities also found that their Weekly Community Café Sessions and workshops increased confidence and offered the opportunity to learn new skills through bringing people from different generations, backgrounds, and experiences together in the local community. Page 64 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 23 Feedback from parents and guardians of children attending the Renfrewshire Rainbow Buddies youth club suggests that the funding has had a positive impact by “providing a safe warm area within the community to allow young people to socialise, be safe and learn/ take part in a range of activities and skill based work, for example sewing.” Raising awareness of what organisations deliver and signposting An important impact of the programme was in raising awareness of services and how they can support people. The projects not only delivered activities and provided free, hot food but also served as information hubs, signposting people to other services that were needed and creating an environment for informal peer support between individuals who attended. Renfrew YMCA reported that a big impact of the programme had been the provision of a safe environment where people could approach organisations that could assist them with any challenges they had. The spaces also offered an insight into challenges faced by participants which led to Friends of Howwood Park inviting along guest speakers to discuss different topics with their participants. We had a speaker from Virgin Money do a talk on financial scams and how to avoid them. We discussed and are looking into using MyBus for some of the older attendees, who are at the stage of being unable to leave the house without assistance. Friends of Howwood Park Page 65 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 24 Crafting session at Shopmobility Renfrewshire Ralston Out of School Care found that the project provided a link to their service for people who had not used it before, while participants at Shopmobility Renfrewshire’s crafting sessions gained more understanding of their services and how they could be supported. Home-Start Renfrewshire and Inverclyde were able to use their referral partnerships with community organisations to benefit the families they worked with. Home-Start has strong referral partnerships with community organisations and connect our families with financial assistance and benefit advice while also guiding them towards training, volunteering, and job opportunities to support improved outcomes and their capacity to develop their own solutions. Home-Start Renfrewshire & Inverclyde Page 66 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 25 CREATE Paisley commented that the Winter Connections programme was a great way for them to signpost the young people they work with to other positive places and activities for them across the winter period. Reducing costs for individuals and families Feedback from Winter Connections projects highlights the continued importance of the programme in helping to address the impacts of the cost-of-living crisis. The programme helped to reduce the financial burden on families and individuals and contributed to tackling food insecurity. The New Tannahill Centre reported that people were shocked that activities and hot food were free of charge. The need for a breakfast club had recently been identified among their service users and the programme enabled them to try this out and they will now be continuing this throughout the year. Older people attending Paisley YMCA’s ‘Cosy Crafts at the Y’ project stated that they felt there was no where they could go to enjoy some crafts and a cup of tea without spending money as most places were beyond their budgets. The Thursday Club reported that their membership numbers usually decline when the weather is bad but people turned up because they knew they were getting a hot lunch. Shopmobility Renfrewshire also believed that the access to hot food and drinks helped to maintain attendance. Every Tuesday for the last six weeks they know they will get something to eat and drink - we offered packs of food which was uneaten to take away and there was never a scrap left. Shopmobility Renfrewshire The programme provided free hot nutritious meals and, some organisations, including Kairos Women+, KLAS Care and Active Communities also provided access to free or affordable food items through their free shops and food pantry. Page 67 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 26 Friends of Howwood Park managed to secure funding from Greater Renfrewshire & Inverclyde Local Action Group (GRI LAG) to give each person attending the Tuesday Club a bag of food shopping to take home at the end of each meet, for the last 8 weeks of the club. Each bag contained around £10 worth of cupboard foods such as tea bags, pasta, beans, soup, biscuits, breakfast cereal, pasta sauces etc. This is to help them with the cost of living. Not surprisingly, the attendees have loved this! So the 2 funds have crossed over here, which is great. We probably would not have recieved the funding to do this had the Tuesday Club not been running. Friends of Howwood Park Feedback from Home-Start Renfrewshire and Inverclyde participants highlights the importance of this provision and the discrete manner in which it was provided. Winter Connections has become a key part of providing additional support to help families experiencing financial hardship alongside a raft of other organisations and programmes. Families have advised that being able to attend a warm environment and receiving a hot meal took pressure off their own financial costs. The winter months are particularly difficult, and parents are having to choose to eat or heat their homes. Parents have confided in our staff that by coming to group for a few hours per week they are not having to heat their home and having both themselves and their child fed, without worry, makes a huge impact to their week. Home-Start Renfrewshire & Inverclyde "I always forget to eat or avoid eating due to costs. This means I get something and my daughter gets the roll she loves that I couldn't always get her. I love this it feels like a treat because more often than not most families can't afford it.” Home-Start Renfrewshire & Inverclyde group participant Page 68 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 27 “For a few hours I’m there I’m not having to worry about heating my home or what we will eat. It seems small but makes a big difference to me.” Home-Start Renfrewshire & Inverclyde group participant It is clear that the overall impact of the Winter Connections programme was positive and that many people benefited from participating. There were a range of impacts on physical and mental health, social isolation, reducing costs and increasing awareness of services. These benefits are nicely summed up in a comment from The Preshal Trust. Winter Connections gave them a place to come to which was welcoming, warm and free and where they could meet others in a similar situation and not feel judged. It reduced isolation for many, enabled them to make new friends and connections, and assisted with the cost of living as all food and drink was free. It also gave them the chance to take part in some fun activities and overall the whole experience improved their overall health and wellbeing. The Preshal Trust Painting pictures at Jubilee House Having seen the many positive benefits of the programme for their members and communities, many organisations wish to continue delivering the programme beyond the winter months. Just Dive In are looking for other funding to help them to continue their sessions during Spring and Summer. Houston Community Council found their film show events to be so successful that they intend continuing them through the year and will self fund and seek local sponsorship to continue through the additional months. Page 69 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 28 Ralston Out of School Care Winter Connections Project Ralston Out of School Care received funding to run a drama club which culminated in a show for family and friends of the children particpating. The club ran from the end of January until the show in mid March 2025. The club was advertised through sending emails to parents of children in the school and through social media posts. They were hoping to attract 30 children but ended up with 48 children and had to turn away another 11. The club ran on Monday and Fridays from 3pm to 4.30pm. The funding enabled them to commission Upbeat Theatre Company, a social enterprise they had worked with previously to work with the children. Upbeat Theatre Company organised the scripts, costumes, scenery, pictures and makeup and were brilliant at keeping the children focused and offered additional support such as changing lines, providing extra scripts and additional opportunities to rehearse. A very professional show was performed on the stage in the school hall on a Friday afternoon to 115 people to very positive feedback from the audience. The club and show were extremely successful both in term of numbers attending and the outcomes of increasing skills and confidence of the children. Ralston OSC would like to try to obtain funding to do another show and involve parents and staff alongside Upbeat Theatre Company. The positive feedback from parents demonstrates that participating in the drama club and final show was beneficial for their children, even the youngest ones. Many parents would like their children to have the opportunity to participate in another show in the future and some even offered their services to help. My son’s confidence definitely grew throughout his time at the club - he got stage fright during his nativity last year and ran off stage, so he was extra nervous for this show. He absolutely smashed it though, and I know that's down to all the encouragement from yourselves so thank you very much. The performance was fantastic and it was great to see all the age groups included. All the children were wonderful. It is great for their confidence to have these opportunities. My son Page 70 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 29 met new friends and really loved having a costume and being part of a show with ‘big boys and girls’. Thank you very much for giving him this amazing experience. This club was amazing - so good to boost confidence and have a new experience that a 5 year old wouldn’t usually get!! It was so well done and my son had a great timing learning the lines and songs!! My daughter loved being a part of the show. There was a variety for her to be part of singing, acting and dancing. I feel it's a fantastic way to explore child's interest. My daughter thoroughly enjoyed being part of the show. It was an amazing show, choreographed so well. Would love to be part of more such shows. The best part about being children exploring different avenues, singing, acting, dancing. Love it. Feedback from Renfrewshire Libraries Feedback from libraries suggests that the hot drinks and snacks they provided were popular with children and adults alike. Providing hot drinks for visitors encouraged them to stay longer in the library and socialise with others. At Johnstone Library staff were happy to see the free hot drinks return to the libraries and could see the positive impact it had on visitors. It’s something so simple and we all take for granted to go home from work to a warm house and can have tea/coffee whenever we want. One young man who was recovering from addictions said that he felt safe in the library. They reported that a group of four boys came in everyday after school for a hot chocolate and played chess. At Linwood Library several people came in specifically for a hot drink. Staff commented that the service was very well-used and definitely missed when supplies ran out. They had people asking for some time after it finished if it would be starting again. One man in particular would come at the same time in the morning, make a coffee and read the paper. It basically became part of his routine. He then started coming in with a friend who would also have a drink and they would spend time talking together or reading the papers, when before they never spent much time in the library, if at all. Page 71 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 30 At Lochwinnoch Library the hot drinks were popular with those using the library as a study- space or simply as somewhere to read the paper and books available and pass a little time in a welcoming space, no questions asked. Over winter, there were a group of older ladies who came to the library every week after their Tai Chi lessons. They would spend the rest of the morning until lunchtime having drinks and cup-a-soups and chatting, clearly enjoying the social interaction and refreshments. The funding also helped to provide more social interaction for families after schools. Parents and guardians would come after school with their children and whilst the children picked books / played etc., the adults would spend the time talking over cups of tea and coffee. Sometimes such interactions would be a planned event (“Let’s meet at the library just after 3 o’clock”) or other times a happy coincidence and a chance to catchup. Erskine Library staff felt that the hot drinks were a huge benefit to the service and also found that for many of their visitors, the hot drinks became part of their routine to pop into the library to read the paper, have a hot drink and a chat with other users. 4.2. Areas for improvement Of the 34 projects that responded to a question about where the Winter Connections programme could be improved, 47% felt that the programme did not need any improvements. The remaining projects suggested the following: Promotion of the programme • Advertise through schools and other organisations • Direct engagement with community health teams, carers' networks, and sheltered housing groups could ensure more people in need are aware of the programme • Having a centralised approach to promotion and outreach support, for example, a Renfrewshire-wide awareness campaign including council newsletters, GP referrals, and community group engagement to reach those most in need. Page 72 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 31 Additional Funding An increase in the funding for the programme would enable organisations to extend the life of the programme, reach more people, provide additional sessions per week, provide similar activities all year round, cover additional staffing costs and provide funding for trips for young people to learn about their environment and to participate in outdoor activities. In many cases demand for sessions was high, but funding constraints limited how many people could be supported. Additional funding to extend the programme beyond March would allow organisations to continue delivering support into early spring, when isolation and cold weather challenges persist. A key takeaway from this programme is the ongoing demand for such services beyond winter. Isolation and accessibility challenges do not end in March, and we believe there is a strong case for extending or adapting Winter Connections into a year-round initiative, with targeted seasonal support. Just Dive In Funding for travel assistance or partnerships with community transport services could also increase the accessibility of activities. Many older adults and individuals with mobility challenges struggled to attend due to lack of transport options. We will ensure that organisations are aware of other potential funding sources, such as Local Partnership funding and of support through Engage Renfrewshire to find information about alternative funding. Direct links to other services There was a suggestion from one project that links to free or affordable healthy food would be useful and another suggested that perhaps the Council could negotiate a deal with a major supermarket for free healthy food. This suggestion has been passed to Officers working on Fair Food Renfrewshire. Another suggestion was to broaden out the range of activities to improve mental health and wellbeing, for example having guided meditation or the opportunity for participants to engage with mental health specialists regularly to improve outcomes. Howwood Community Council thought that it was useful having guest speakers along to talk about different topics and they would like to have more of these in the future. Page 73 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 32 Networking and collaboration Some organisations were keen to network with other funded projects to share good practice and suggested the following: • Facilitating regular check-ins or networking sessions between funded organisations to encourage collaboration and shared learning • Sharing what other groups are doing well to give others ideas on what they could add to their activities 5. Conclusions The Winter Connections programme aimed to encourage people to connect and participate in activities in warm and welcoming spaces across communities in Renfrewshire. Feedback suggests that the programme continues to be successful in benefitting attendees by connecting them to each other and improving physical and mental health and wellbeing. There is also evidence that the programme provides an inclusive and supportive environment for people to engage with services, helping to reduce social isolation, reduce financial costs and provide access to information and advice. The activities on offer were enjoyed by all ages and allowed access to new experiences, increasing confidence and enabling participants to learn new skills. The programme continues to be an important element in the Council’s approach to addressing the cost-of-living crisis. Whilst the programme has been a great success, the areas for improvement around promotion, networking, links to other services and additional funding should be noted. I feel the Winter Connections has had a huge impact on our community it has helped tackle issues such as loneliness & isolation. Our services have also helped to prevent the escalation of poor mental health , anti-social behaviour and youth disorder, alcohol and drug misuse within young people. Our food pantry has helped alleviate food deprivation caused by the cause of living crisis and this has helped the families using our service in a financial manner. Johnstone Castle Learning Centre Page 74 of 76
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Winter Connections Evaluation Report 2025 33 6. Appendix 1 Organisations which hosted Winter Connections activity Active Communities Scotland Ltd Loud n Proud Brick Lane Music Academy CIC Pachedu CREATE Paisley Paisley North Church of Scotland Dates-n-Mates Paisley YMCA Erskine Arts Ralston Primary Out of School Care Friends of Howwood Park Rays of Hope Foxbar Elderly Forum Renfrewshire Effort to Empower Minorities (REEM) Home-Start Renfrewshire & Inverclyde Renfrewshire Rainbow Buddies Houston Community Council Renfrew Trinity Church Howwood Community Council Renfrew YMCA SCIO Inchinnan Development Trust ROAR – Connections for Life Ltd Johnstone Castle Learning Centre School of African Cultures Johnstone Dementia Friendly Community Group Scottish Afro Caribbean Arts Association (SACAA) Jubilee House Shopmobility Renfrewshire Just Dive In CIC STAR Project Kairos Women+ The Bungalow KLAS Care CIC The Tannahill Centre Langbank Swingpark Regeneration The Thursday Club Linwood Community Council The Preshal Trust Lochwinnoch Community Development Trust Twist and Hit Cheerleaders Lochwinnoch Dodge Ball Club and Drop In Page 75 of 76
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34 Chief Executive’s Service Renfrewshire Council Renfrewshire House Cotton Street Paisley PA1 1BR A big thank you to all of the organisations who provided feedback, quotes and photographs for this report. Page 76 of 76