Agenda Document Pack - Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-committee - 12/11/2025
Renfrewshire Council · 12 November 2025
Back to Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-committee — 12 November 2025 and its agenda
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04/11/2025 Notice of Meeting and Agenda Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-committee Date Time Venue Wednesday, 12 November 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 Neill Graham: Councillor Anne Hannigan: Councillor Marie McGurk: Councillor Iain Nicolson: Councillor Andy Steel: 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 Hybrid Meeting Please note that this meeting is scheduled to be held in the Council Chambers. However, it is a hybrid meeting and arrangements have been made for members to join the meeting remotely should they wish. Members of the Press and Public Members of the press and public wishing to attend the meeting should report to the customer service centre where they will be met and directed to the meeting. MARK CONAGHAN Head of Corporate Governance
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04/11/2025 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
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04/11/2025 Items of business Apologies Apologies from members. Declarations of Interest and Transparency Statements Members are asked to declare an interest or make a transparency statement in any item(s) on the agenda and to provide a brief explanation of the nature of the interest or the transparency statement. 1(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 Summer of Fun Evaluation 2025 Report by Chief Executive. 39 - 86 4 Fairer Renfrewshire Action Plan: Update Presentation by Connected Communities Manager.
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1 PUBLIC ________________________________________________________________________ To: Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee On: 12 November 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 3 September 2025, there have been a number of changes in economic factors including an increase of 2% in the Energy Price Cap from 1 October 2025, meaning households will pay slightly more for their energy use, while inflation remained at 3.8% in the 12 months to September 2025, the same figure as July and August and food inflation reduced to 4.5% from 5.1% in August. Elected members are asked to note that: • The rate of inflation is standing at 3.8% in September and has been above the target rate of 2% set by the UK Government for the Bank of England since October 2024, when it reached 2.3%. • The inflation rate for food had increased to 5.1% in August, but reduced in September to 4.5% at the time of the last report and remains higher than overall inflation. • The Bank of England interest rate was reduced to 4% in August 2025 and has remained at that rate. The next announcement on rates is scheduled for 6 November. • The Energy Price Cap, originally introduced by Ofgem in January 2019 to set limits on the underlying rates energy suppliers, is currently at £ 1,775 from 1 October, up £35 a year from 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 86
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2 PUBLIC 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 3 September 2025 an overview of key context and evidence around current pressures on household finances, both in terms of household income and expenditure, was examined. Increasing fuel costs and food inflation rates and rents mean that many families are still struggling with costs of living. 3.2. Office for National Statistics figures show that costs of living are still very high on people’s agenda. Households are struggling to pay bills and pay off debts as a result of cost of living increases and are defaulting on direct debits. Citizens Advice Scotland in their August Energy Brief reported that the number of people seeking advice around energy has risen 65% since 2019/20, with the average energy debt standing at £2,500. 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 6th to 31st August found that 87% of those surveyed reported the cost of living as the most important issue facing the UK today, an increase of 1% in the June figure last reported to the Sub- Committee and around 62% reported that their cost of living had increased compared with a month ago, an increase from the 59% last reported. 4.2. The ONS figures record that the most commonly reported reason given by adults in the latest period for a rise in their cost of living remains the price of their food shop at 96% (previously 94%), which has been the case since they first asked the question in November 2021. 4.3. The proportion of adults reporting that a reason for their cost-of-living increases was the price of their energy bills at 59% has gradually declined since January 2025 and was last reported for June at 64%. 4.4. Around 44% of adults reported that a reason for their cost-of-living increasing was the price of their fuel. This has increased since June 2025 (38%) and is rising steadily since a low in October 2024 (32%). 4.5. Further ONS figures show: • Around one in four (24%) adults reported that they had borrowed more money or used more credit in the last month compared to a year ago. This is the highest figure since last September. Page 2 of 86
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3 PUBLIC • Around one in four (24%) adults said they had borrowed more money or used more credit in the last month when compared with a year ago. This has remained stable over the past three years. • Over one in three (36%) adults reported that they believed they would be unable to save any money in the next 12 months. This has remained stable in the past year. • Around one in three (31%) adults who paid energy bills reported that they found these bills very or somewhat difficult. This has fallen from a peak of almost half (49%) of adults in May 2023 and is a slight decrease on the 33% last reported. • A quarter (25%) of adults would be unable to pay an unexpected, but necessary expense of £850. 4.6. The ONS also found that 43% of people are shopping around more, 42% are spending less on food and essentials, 60% are spending less on non-essentials, while 28% are using savings because of cost of living pressures. 4.7. The ONS also publishes statistics for the UK on Direct Debit failure. The most recent statistics for September 2025 shows a default rate on loans of 5.08%. This is the highest rate since January 2024, and is only the second time the rate has been over 5% since records began in January 2019. 4.8. With regard to Electricity and Gas Direct Debits, the default rate is 3%, the highest since records began in 2019. September 2025 is the first time the rate has been as high as 3%. Energy Price Cap and Standing Charges 4.9. The energy price cap is the maximum amount energy suppliers can charge customers for each unit of energy and standing charge if they’re on a standard variable tariff. Between 1 October and 31 December 2025, the energy price cap is set at £1,755 per year for a typical household who use electricity and gas and pay by Direct Debit. This is an increase of 2% compared to the cap set between 1 July to 30 September 2025 (£1,720). 4.10. Those paying for energy by pre-payment meter have a slightly lower price cap of £1,707, while those who pay by cash, cheque or quarterly Direct Debit pay more, with a cap set at £1,890 a year on typical use, from 1 October to 31 December 2025. Ofgem says this is higher than for those paying by Direct Debit to reflect the additional costs from suppliers to bill those that don't pay by monthly Direct Debit. 4.11. Part of the charge for energy is made up of standing charges, which have increased from 1 October. Electricity has increased by 2.3 pence a day to 53.7 pence a day and gas by 4.2 pence a day to 34.0 pence a day. Gas and electricity standing charges under the cap were very similar before spring 2022, however electricity standing charges jumped by more than 80% in April 2022 and by more than 10% in April 2023 and April 2024. Average direct debit standing charges under the energy price cap are shown in the following chart. Page 3 of 86
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4 PUBLIC 4.12. Standing charges are a fixed daily cost faced by households. This means that they form a larger share of total bills for households which use less energy and a smaller share of total bills for households which use more energy. For those who are classed by Ofgem as being low users of energy standing charges for electricity make up 29% of their total bill and for gas, around 21% of the bill. Official UK Government statistics show that lower energy consumption is closely associated with lower household income and higher levels of deprivation. 4.13. As previously reported to elected members, Ofgem had consulted on Standing Charges, and in September 2025 announced that it planned to go ahead with a new requirement for suppliers to offer their customers at least one lower standing charge tariff for all payment methods in all regions and to smart and traditional meter customers. It also launched a one-month consultation on the details of the lower standing charge proposal. Ofgem expects the new lower standing charge tariffs to appear on the market from early 2026. Energy Debt 4.14. In their energy brief of August 2025, Citizens Advice Scotland report that there has been a surge in demand for energy debt advice over the last five years, with the number of people seeking their advice rising by 65% since 2019/20. The average amount owed has also increased, with the average energy debt people are presenting with being £2,500. 4.15. Locally, Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau (RCAB) report the number of clients seeking energy or utilities advice increased from 149 to 185 between Q2 in 2024/25 and Q2 in 2025/26, and the number of individual contacts rose from 190 to 233. While the amount of new energy related debt has reduced from £56,322.29 to £41,153.66 in Q2 of 2025, RCAB report that there is higher level of debt among clients. 4.16. RCAB energy advisers report that one of the reasons for making fewer applications to energy provider’s hardship funds was that many of the outstanding cases they have were for people Page 4 of 86
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5 PUBLIC whose energy debt was above the cap with which hardship funds were willing to assist (generally around £1,700). These clients needed to bring their energy debt down sufficiently before they could apply to have them cleared and tend to be long standing clients. Therefore, one explanation for the new debt under management for a quarter not reflecting the adviser’s impression of the situation is that debt under management only reflects newly advised of debts, and long term or returning clients with larger amounts of arrears would not be re-recorded. 4.17. Renfrewshire Council Energy Advocates are providing advice to a variety of different households, and they also report clients with large amounts of debt. They have recently started providing fuel vouchers for pre-payment meters through the Fuel Bank Foundation, with the first vouchers being issued in September. It is therefore too soon to identify any trends with regards to clients. 5. Employment and Wages 5.1. According to the ONS, the Claimant Count in September 2025, which is taken from JobcentrePlus administration systems, for those claiming unemployment-related benefits in Renfrewshire is 3,225 people – 1,935 men and 1,290 women aged between 16 and 64. This is a reduction from 3,360 last reported. The Renfrewshire unemployment rate of 2.7 % is less than the Scotland rate (3.0%). 5.2. ONS figures for the UK show that from the period from May to July 2025, annual growth in employees' average earnings for regular earnings (excluding bonuses) was 4.8% and total earnings (including bonuses) was 4.7%. Annual average regular earnings growth was 5.6% for the private sector and 4.7% for the public sector. These increases are all above the rate of inflation, with the annual growth in real terms, adjusted for inflation using the Consumer Prices Index including owner occupiers' housing costs being 0.7% for regular pay and 0.5% for total pay. 5.3. Over the long term, average weekly earnings for both total and regular pay show a steady increase. Average weekly earnings were estimated at £727 for total earnings and £680 for regular earnings in July 2025. 5.4. The most recent local figures are from 2024 and show average weekly earnings of £745 overall in Renfrewshire - £803 for males and £708 for females. More recent figures will be provided when these are available. 6. Benefits 6.1. On 17 June 2025, the Scottish Government announced that it would effectively cancel the impact of the two-child benefit cap from 2nd March 2026. The UK-wide policy prevents parents from claiming universal credit or child tax credit for more than two children, with a few exemptions. This negation of the policy will be done via a Two Child Limit Payment which will start to receive applications in March 2026. 6.2. The Two Child Limit Payment will be: • a monthly payment of £292.81 per eligible child. This is the same as the value of the Universal Credit child element for second and subsequent children Page 5 of 86
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6 PUBLIC • available to households in Scotland who qualify for Universal Credit but do not receive the child element for one or more children due to the two-child limit 6.3. It is estimated that 840 families are affected by the 2 child limit in Renfrewshire, with these households not receiving a child element amount for at least one child. As the policy only applies to children born since 6 April 2017, the number of children potentially affected by it increases each year. 6.4. Applications for the payment open on 2 March 2026 and clients will be able to apply through Social Security Scotland: online, by phone, or in person. Local client advisers from Social Security Scotland will be available across Scotland to assist with applications, including home visits if needed. 6.5. From November, Pension Age Winter Heating Payment replaces Winter Fuel Payment in Scotland. Those eligible will get a payment of between £101.70 and £305.10, and this will be paid automatically in most cases, with letters being sent to confirm payment from November. The payment will made to those over pension age and living in Scotland in the qualifying week, which is Monday 15 September to Sunday 21 September 2025. There are some exemptions to this, such as for those in residential care. 6.6. Social Security Scotland will make the payment automatically to the account used for State Pension or other Scottish benefits, and the amount paid depends on individual circumstances like age and whether other benefits are in payment. For example, someone who is over 80 and living alone will receive £305.10, while if living alone and aged under 80, the amount will be £203.40. 6.7. For those with an income over £35,000, HMRC will recover the payment by either changing their tax code for the 2026 to 2027 tax year or adding the amount to their 2025 to 2026 Self Assessment tax return. 7. Inflation, Food Costs and Foodbank use 7.1. Inflation is standing at 3.8% in September 2025. Despite an increase in food costs this month, price growth in other areas such as air fares slowed, leaving the overall rate of UK inflation at 3.8% - the same as the previous 2 months. Inflation 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%. Page 6 of 86
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7 PUBLIC 7.2. The latest figures show that food and drink inflation rose for the fifth month in a row in August, increasing to 5.1% from 4.9% in July, but then fell to 4.5% in September. Meat, butter, chocolate, coffee and milk were the items with the biggest price rises. Beef and veal were 24.9% higher in price than this time last year, and butter 18.9% higher. The British Retail Consortium (BRC) said that food costs were outstripping average wage growth, which the ONS said reached 4.7% between May and July. 7.3. The food inflation rate is generally forecast to increase, with one economic research firm, Pantheon Macroeconomics, forecasting that it will peak at 6% in December, with others forecasting a slightly lower rate of around 5.8%. 7.4. The Grocer UK points to consumers changing habits and generally buying fewer food products and looking for discounts as well as purchasing more own label foods due to higher costs. 7.5. The Renfrewshire Foodbank issued 1,361 vouchers in Quarter 2 of 2025/26, an increase of 2.95% in comparison with the 1,322 vouchers issued during the same quarter last year. The vouchers covered 1,796 adults and 908 children this year, which was an increase in the total number receiving assistance compared to the same quarter last year (1,740 adults and 844 children). The number of vouchers this quarter is also slightly more than last quarter when 1,342 vouchers were issued covering 1,775 adults and 854 children. 7.6. The rising costs of essentials remains the most commonly cited factor in the reason for voucher issue in Renfrewshire, at 572 times. This is compared to the second most cited factor, other unexpected expense at 205 times, while ongoing impact of physical or mental health condition has become the third most cited factor, at 151 times. Page 7 of 86
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8 PUBLIC 7.7. Renfrewshire Foodbank splits priority and non-priority debt as reasons for voucher issue. This quarter, were these to be added together, debt as a whole would be the second most cited reason for voucher issue at 227 vouchers. Benefit delay also accounted for a high number of vouchers issued at 122. 7.8. The Ward with the highest number of vouchers issued was Paisley Northwest with 452. Renfrew South and Gallowhill was next at 153, and then Paisley Southwest with 129. This is consistent with the previous quarter. 7.9. The table below shows the comparison of the number of vouchers issued in Q2 2025/26 with the same quarter last year. 8. Interest and Mortgage Rates 8.1. The Bank of England has cut its base interest rate five times in the past year, most recently in August to 4.00%. This rate remained the same in September, and the next announcement on Interest rates will be on 6 November. 8.2. The Bank of England Monetary Policy Committee have stated that if the economic situation in the UK remains stable, they should be able to reduce interest rates further over time, but are unable to confirm precisely when or by how much. Analysts had not expected the rate to be cut in September, given the inflation rate is almost double the 2% target set by the Government. 8.3. The Governor of the Bank of England stated that ‘any future cuts will need to be made gradually and carefully’, with the timing and scale of those uncertain. Page 8 of 86
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9 PUBLIC 8.4. Since the base rate was cut to 4% the average fixed rate mortgage rate has decreased. The average two-year deal in September is now 4.19%, down from the 4.50% last reported and the average five-year deal is now also 4.18% down from 4.50%. As previously reported, however, 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. The average Standard Variable mortgage interest rate has also decreased to 6.78% down almost 1% on this time last year. 9. Housing costs Rental Costs 9.1. Zoopla’s Rental Market Report (September 2025) indicates that rental supply has increased and demand has dropped. They indicate that tighter visa rules have led to levels of migration almost halving over 2024, while greater stability in mortgage rates and rising incomes have boosted demand among renters to buy homes, easing some of the excess pressure on the rental market. 9.2. In Q1 2025 there were changes to the way the affordability of mortgages is assessed, which delivered a 20% boost to borrowing capacity for first-time buyers. This may explain a 30% jump in first-time buyer mortgages over the last year, which is one reason that the demand for renting is weakening and more supply is being released. 9.3. Private rent prices in Renfrewshire rose to an average of £813 in August 2025, an annual increase of 8.0% from £752 in August 2024. This was higher than the rise in Scotland (3.5%) over the year. This is an increase of £6 per month on the last reported figure of £807 in June. 9.4. By how many bedrooms there are in a property, average rents as of August 2025 in Renfrewshire/Inverclyde were: • One bedroom: £514 (from £509 in June 25) • Two bedrooms: £680 (from £675 in June 25) • Three bedrooms: £877 (from £871 in June 25) • Four or more bedrooms: £1,550 (from £1537 in June 25) 9.5. Taking the data instead by property type, average rents were: • Flats and maisonettes: £633 • Terraced properties: £813 • Semi-detached properties: £860 • Detached properties: £1,300 Page 9 of 86
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10 PUBLIC 9.6. Many private renters are on below-average household incomes. Almost a third rely on housing benefit to support rental costs, where the allowance has not kept pace with rental increases. This means affordability is a growing constraint for renters. Home ownership 9.7. In general, house prices have continued to rise and ONS figures show that the average cost of a home in Renfrewshire is now £162,000 in July 25, up 11% from the £146,000 in July 2024 and £3,000 higher than the £159,000 reported for May 25. This is less than the average house price in Scotland which was £192,000 in July 2025. In the year to July 2025, the average price for detached properties in Renfrewshire rose by 13.2%, while the average price for flats increased by 8.7%. 9.8. For each property type, average prices as of July 2025 in Renfrewshire were: • Detached properties: £360,000 • Semi-detached properties: £220,000 • Terraced properties: £164,000 • Flats and maisonettes: £105,000 9.9. The average price paid by first-time buyers was £132,000, which was higher than the previous year’s figure of £120,000. For homes bought with a mortgage, the average house price was £176,000, again higher than the £158,000 paid in July 2024, although less than the Scottish average of £200,000. 9.10. According to Adzuna, a recruitment agency, the average salary for jobs advertised in Renfrewshire in September 2025 was £36,698. Salaries in Renfrewshire have gone up 12% year-on-year, higher than the national annual change of 6.8%, although salaries have fluctuated throughout the year. Page 10 of 86
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11 PUBLIC 10. Child Poverty statistics UK child poverty 10.1. The Joseph Rowntree Foundation published its Poverty in Scotland report in October 2025. The report found that: • Poverty is deepening: nearly 1 in 10 people in Scotland are in very deep poverty with incomes below 40% of the median (the standard poverty line is below 60%). For families, alongside minority ethnic families, children in large families have the highest deep (30%) and very deep poverty (19%) rates out of the child poverty priority families. • In-work poverty is increasingly more common: 6 in 10 people in poverty live in a household where someone works and nearly three-quarters of children in poverty do. One-third of children in poverty have both their parents in work. • Poverty amongst disabled people remains high: when disability benefits are excluded from the income of households where someone is disabled, the poverty rate for people in a family where someone is in receipt of a disability benefit is 38%. Over half of all children in poverty live in a household where someone is disabled. • Universal Credit (UC) rates are too low to escape poverty: 42% of people in a family in receipt of a low-income benefit, such as UC, were trapped in poverty. • Housing costs are causing poverty, particularly for renters: 1 in 10 people in rented accommodation (private or social rents) are pulled into poverty due to their housing costs. Page 11 of 86
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12 PUBLIC 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 12 of 86
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Prepared by: Policy and Partnerships tacklingpoverty@renfrewshire.gov.uk Cost of Living Dashboard October 2025 Fairer Renfrewshire Item 1(b) Page 13 of 86
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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 86
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Key statistics - economy OVERVIEW 4.00% 3.8% £19.52 134.81p 4.5% £1,755 • CPI Inflation and food inflation trend has started to increase with the overall rate possibly peaking in September 2025. • Interest Rates held at 4%. • Energy price cap increased, with prepayment meters comparatively cheaper than direct debit. Page 15 of 86
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Inflation The CPI inflation rate in September 2025 is 3.8%, remaining at the same level for the third month in a row. The static rate is not consistent across all categories with differing fluctuations. The CPI Rate for September 2025 showed transport costs being the largest upward contribution, whilst food and non-alcoholic beverages made the largest offsetting downward contribution. Food prices rose at a rate of 4.5%,a reduction from the 5.1% rate in August. Prices for red meat and chocolate continue to rise, but this was offset by cheaperprices for vegetables, milk, cheese, eggs, bread, cereals, fish and juices. The Bank of England had previously forecasted that Inflation was expected to peak at 4% in September. Interest Rates The Bank of England’s base rate remained at 4.00% in September 2025, with the cost of borrowing at the lowest level for more than two years. Interest rate projections are difficult to predict, however many analysts are predicting further rate cuts during 2025 are less likely. Recent price volatility and future price pressures (labour costs and global adverse weather conditions) could lead to further increases in inflation which may dampen the likelihood of the interest rate being cut quickly if inflation rates fluctuate. 0.00 1.00 2.00 3.00 4.00 5.00 6.00 Bank of England Base Rate Changes Page 16 of 86
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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 3,225 in September 2025. 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 is 2.7% and is less than the Scotland rate (3.0%). £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 Renfrewshire Claimant Count Page 17 of 86
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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 July 2024 to June 2025, of the 28,500 people aged 16-64 that are classed as economically inactive, 86.0% 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 (14.0%) is lower than that of the rates in Scotland (17.0%) and Great Britain (19.7%). 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 30% Long-Term Sick 44% Retired 16% Looking after family/home or Other 10% Economically Inactive, not looking for work Page 18 of 86
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Fuel Prices From the UK Government’s weekly fuel price publication, the average UK pump price on 13 October 2025 is 134.81 pence per litre for petrol, and 142.99 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 October 2025 the Energy Price Cap has increased to £1,755 per year for those on a monthly direct debit, and to £1,707 per year for those with a prepayment meter. The Energy Price Cap from January 2026 is predicted to decrease slightly, to around £1,740 but figures are predicted rise to approximately £1,875 in Q2 and £1,870 in Q3 2026 due to global events and wholesale energy price rises. £0 £500 £1,000 £1,500 £2,000 £2,500 £3,000 £3,500 £4,000 £4,500 Direct Debit Prepayment Page 19 of 86
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Key statistics - social security OVERVIEW 18,881 10,410 4,831 4,388 • Households claiming Universal Credit increasing, this includes new cases and managed migration from tax credits and legacy benefits. • Slight decrease in number of children receiving Scottish Child Payment compared to March 2025. Page 20 of 86
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Universal Credit Households on Universal Credit (UC) continue to rise with 18,881 households in Renfrewshire receiving UC as of May 2025 (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 2025, the DWP published statistics show the impact of the two-child limit policy on families in receipt of UC. As of April 2025, in Renfrewshire there were 1,170 households in receipt of UC with 3 or more children. Of these, 840 households are not receiving a child element for at least one child. The current monthly UC child element amount is £292.81 per month (rate from April 2025). 0 2000 4000 6000 8000 10000 12000 14000 16000 18000 20000 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 Dec-24 Jan-25 Feb-25 Mar-25 Apr-25 May-25 Number of Renfrewshire Households on UC Page 21 of 86
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Free School Meals and Clothing Grants The 2025/26 Free School Meals and Clothing Grant application process commenced at the start of June 2025. The number of applications received between June 2025 (3,875) and September 2025 is down compared to the corresponding period as last year (4,048). The award rate at the end of September 2025 (82%) is higher than at the same point last year (78.1%) although there are slightly more cases outstanding awaiting a decision. 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 have lost eligibility. 3500 3600 3700 3800 3900 4000 4100 4200 4300 4400 4500 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 2025/26 Number of FSM/CG Applications Received up to end of September Page 22 of 86
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Key statistics - financial insecurity OVERVIEW 1,396 £0.947m 2,913 2,480 • Foodbank vouchers issued up compared to last quarter, and an increase compared to the same period last year. • Number of Crisis Grants applications awarded is down compared to the same period last year but spend is up. • Number of people approaching local advice agencies down this period, but wider trend is upward. Page 23 of 86
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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 an increase in Benefit Delays/Sanctions and Homelessness being a specified reason in 2025/26 comparing the same period in 2024/25. Foodbank Vouchers Foodbank vouchers issued in Q2 2025/26 (1,396) assisted 934 children and 1,841 adults. 0 200 400 600 800 1000 1200 1400 1600 1800 Foodbank Vouchers Issued by Quarter 0 100 200 300 400 500 Awaiting first benefit payment Debt Drug or alcohol dependency Long term health condition No access to financial support due to… Other Reason for needing more than 3 vouchers in the last 6 months cumulative comparison Apr-Sep 2024/25 2025/26 Page 24 of 86
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Advice Advice Works and Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau (RCAB) both continue to support a high level of new clients. The number of clients who received appointment support during Q2 2025/26 is 86 less compared to the same period in 2024/25. 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 5 years. The levels reported in Q1 for 2024/25 look to be outlier figures with Q1 figures for 2025/26 returning to figures closer to 2023/24 and the remainder of 2024/25 figures. - 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 2025/26 £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 New Debt Under Management 2021/22 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 2025/26 Page 25 of 86
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Scottish Welfare Fund There have been 4,409 applications for Crisis Grants between April 2025 and September 2025 with £350,067 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 86
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Key statistics - housing OVERVIEW 16,5595,425 285 5,305 • New homeless cases down slightly in Q2 compared to Q1, although wider trend is upward. • No real change in the proportions of people reporting why they became homeless or where they are from. • More tenants in rent arrears this period, but a decrease in the value of arrears compared to same period last year. Page 27 of 86
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Council Tenants in arrears As at the end of October 2025, 5,305 current tenants were in rent arrears totaling £2.76m. 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 2025 – 30 September 2025, 60 tenants have qualified for Tenant Support Fund assistance with £7,876 awarded. Homeless Cases The Housing and Homeless Advice Service had 285 new cases within Q2 in 2025/26 compared to 283 for the same period in 2024/25. The main reasons for presenting as homeless remains relationship breakdowns (family or partner). There is an unprecedented demand for the homeless service with the current caseload the highest on record which puts the service under significant and concerted pressure. There is a 14% increase in applications at the mid-point of 2025/26 compared to 2024/25. 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 2025/26 221 247 214 250264 261 227 274 244 283 242 246 317 285 0 50 100 150 200 250 300 350 Q1 Q2 Q3 Q4 New Homeless Cases 2022/23 2023/24 2024/25 2025/26Page 28 of 86
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Housing CostsAverage Monthly Rent Costs From the Office for National Statistics’ local housing statistics publication for August 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. Property Prices and Mortgage Affordability The average price of a home in Renfrewshire was £162,000 in July 2025, which was higher than the average of £146,000 in July 2024. The average price paid by first-time buyers was £129,000 up from £120,000 the previous year. Across Scotland, the average house price in July 2025 was £192,000, which was more than a year earlier (£186,000). 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 August 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 Average Monthly Rents in Renfrewshire Aug-25 Annual Change in Average Rents 1 Bedroom £514 9.1% 2 Bedroom £680 8.6% 3 Bedroom £877 7.9% 4 or more Bedroom £1,550 6.2% Type of Property Average Price Average Monthly Mortgage Repayment (Assuming 25-year repayment, 4.5% interest rate and 10% deposit) Flat £105,000 £525.26 Terraced £164,000 £820.41 Semi-detached £220,000 £1,100.55 Detached £360,000 £1,800.90 Page 29 of 86
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1 PUBLIC ___________________________________________________________________ To: Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee On: 12 November 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. Key priorities for the Fairer Renfrewshire Programme for September – December 2025 are as follows: • Development of our advancement of equality of opportunity programme • Commencement of work on the re-commissioning of external advice contract • Make £50 Winter Clothing Payment to families in receipt of School Clothing Grant • Launch of this year’s Winter Connections programme • Agreement of a plan for the Fair Food Renfrewshire partnership to develop next steps • Develop a Fairer Renfrewshire Action Plan detailing the priorities and programme of work Item 2 Page 31 of 86
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2 PUBLIC to be undertaken over the next 18-24 months. 1.5. 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. 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 Equalities Outcomes Consultation 4.1 The equalities outcome consultation was launched at the start of September 2025. The consultation is designed to provide those who work, live and study in Renfrewshire with an opportunity to feedback on the Council’s draft equality outcomes and associated actions. There are two methods for individuals to participate in the consultation, either through one of the scheduled face to face sessions or via an online survey. 4.2 Outreach activity has taken place to promote and enhance the response to the consultation. Third sector organisations, community groups and Council services which engage with individuals who are likely to have an interest in the equality outcome consultation have been contacted and offered an individual bespoke session. These sessions have encouraged engagement with the consultation, and either helped individuals fill out the consultation, or were run as a focus group. These sessions have been flexible in how they are delivered and driven by the needs of the individuals attending them. For example, Sewing2Gether All Nations was visited to help individuals attending fill out the online consultation form. 4.3 Further engagement sessions took place with: • Active Communities Knitting Group • the Active Communities Pantry • Community Learning and Development ESOL class • Disability Resource Centre Page 32 of 86
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3 PUBLIC • people supported by Learning Disability Services through the HSCP • The Fairer Renfrewshire lived experience panel • Home Start Wellbeing Group • Kairos Women+ • dates-n-mates • RAMH 4.4 In addition to these bespoke sessions, 4 general sessions took place. These were face to face sessions in Johnstone, Renfrew and Paisley as well as an online Teams session. 4.5 Sixty written responses had been received when the consultation closed on 31 October 2025, using a mix of online and paper surveys. School Support and Family Advice Service 4.6 Between 1 July and the 30th of September 2025, the School Support Service assisted 43 clients. This reduction in numbers from the previous quarter is to be expected due to the school holidays. The majority of enquiries related to benefits advice, which continues to be the main focus of the service. 4.7 Total client financial gains (CFGs) for the period were £151,104.37, achieved across 27 clients. Most financial gains were secured through successful benefits claims, including: • Universal Credit – £87,258.00 • Adult Disability Payment (Daily Living) – £24,860.05 • Child Disability Payment (Care) – £16,905.20 • Carer’s Support Payment – £4,918.60 • Carer’s Allowance – £2,129.40 • Education Maintenance Allowance – £2,940.00 • Scottish Child Payment – £1,411.80 • Best Start Grant – Early Learning Payment – £1,279.20 4.8 Additional smaller gains were recorded from Child Benefit, Employment and Support Allowance, and Charitable Support, totalling £9,249.12. 4.9 The client profile for Q2 shows that the service continues to reach families facing multiple challenges. Around 42% of clients reported a long-term health condition or disability, and a third had caring responsibilities for children with disabilities. Most clients were women aged 25–59, with nearly a quarter unemployed and a further 19% unable to work due to ill health. Just over half of clients lived in council or other social rented housing, reflecting engagement with low- income households. 4.10 Advice was also provided across a range of other areas, including education, housing, energy, and finance and charitable support, reflecting the holistic nature of the project. Page 33 of 86
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4 PUBLIC 4.11 For quarter 2 of 25/26, Advice Works received 113 referrals for their Family Advice Service and completed 120 cases. Most of these clients have received a benefit check, with some School Clothing Grant and Child Benefit applications. The majority of these referrals came from Health Visitor teams, with a number too from Social Work and also through self-referral and other Council teams. 4.12 Client Financial Gain for the year to date for Family Advice is £20,007, with the total for the year so far being almost £54,000, however even in cases where a client speaks to an adviser and there is no financial gain made, the client benefits from the reassurance of a benefit check. Meeting with Advice Works also opens discussion on all financial matters that may be worrying the client, such as debts and budgeting. 4.13 With regard to the Child Poverty Priority Groups, Advice Works have seen 60 families within the Family Advice Service so far this year, falling into these categories: CHILD POVERTY STATS Q2 Lone Parent 25 Disabled Ad/child 20 3+ children 10 Minority ethnic 8 Child under 1 12 Parent under 25 3 Total 78 4.14 Officers have also been working with Advice Works and RCAB to develop a pathway to advice for families with children of all ages, with the intention of distributing and promoting this to Education staff and Whole Family Wellbeing teams as well as 3rd sector organisations working with parents and children. This promotion will take place as part of Talk Money Week. 4.15 As in previous years, Advice Works and RCAB will come together in Talk Money Week to offer additional appointments for clients to speak about any aspects of their finances which are worrying them and get Income Maximisation advice. Lived Experience Panel 4.16 Elected Members have been given a number of updates relating to work of the Fairer Renfrewshire Panel. The Panel will be involved in events around Halloween and contributed to Renfrewshire’s Employability Week through taking part in a session with Invest, DWP and Skills Development Scotland to look at how their services could be better promoted. 4.17 The Panel also took part in the Fairer Renfrewshire Action Plan engagement session which took place on 8 October alongside representatives from Council services and the 3rd sector. Page 34 of 86
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5 PUBLIC 4.18 Looking forward, the Panel will meet with the Convenor and Depute of the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee as well as the Convenor of the Communities and Housing Policy Board before Christmas. Community Development in Gallowhill 4.19 As previously reported to the sub-committee, 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 earlier Community Needs Assessment which took place in the area. This is intended to provide capacity to support the development and implementation of actions emerging from the community needs assessment and continue to improve and expand community led activity and infrastructure in the area. 4.20 Unfortunately, the Community Development Officer (CDO) for Gallowhill left post during September 2025. Officers, however, continue to work with Active Communities, and using the Community Needs Assessment are prioritising areas of work which will make a difference to the community. A meeting with Transport colleagues is planned for late October, and Housing Regeneration colleagues are also involved in looking at how we can work together for maximum effect in the area. 4.21 Recruitment for a new CDO is now underway, so that more intensive work in the area can restart. 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. This group will continue to meet in the intervening period. Winter clothing payment 4.22 The £50 winter clothing payment for each eligible child was paid to families on 31 October 2025. The payment is made to Renfrewshire parents and carers who have received a school clothing grant, and the additional money will help families buy additional clothing for the winter months. 4.23 Recipients received a message about the payment which included information about the School Support and Family Advice Services, and Head Teachers were provided with information on how to support families to access financial advice and how to book a Talk Money Week advice appointment. 4.24 In addition, a press release was issued, again with details of where families could get advice, and promoting the additional Talk Money Week appointments. These appointments were offered by Renfrewshire Citizens Advice Bureau and Advice Works as part of Talk Money Week which ran from 3 to 7th November. Page 35 of 86
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6 PUBLIC Fair Food Renfrewshire/Good Food Nation 4.25 The Fair Food Renfrewshire Steering Group, which met initially in September 2023, has continued to meet on a quarterly basis. The meeting took take place on 10 September, with a new plan for 2025/26 being approved alongside an update on the Food Support Forum and the Good Food Nation work. 4.26 The first Fair Food Renfrewshire work plan was approved in August 2024 by the Steering Group. The focus of that plan was on communications and marketing, re-establishing a Food Support network forum to discuss emergency and community food, and investigating the possibility of increasing access by local food producers to procurement frameworks. In addition to continuing and developing the work of the first plan, the second work plan will cover the work in 2025 onwards including exploring opportunities to apply for external funding and collaborate with Council Officers to include food growing and reducing food waste within the next phase of the plan for Net Zero. 4.27 The Scottish Food Coalition contacted the food partnership during the summer inviting them to become members of the Coalition, as they wanted to expand their membership into all local authority areas within Scotland. The Coalition is a diverse alliance of organisations working for a just transition to a fair, healthy, sustainable food system. As the Scottish Food Coalition’s principles align with that of Fair Food Renfrewshire, the Steering Group approved membership and Officers will actively take part in future Scottish Food Coalition meetings. 4.28 Officers will also continue to attend relevant events to support the work of Fair Food Renfrewshire and around the Good Food Nation legislation. The proposed National Good Food Nation Plan was laid before Parliament on 27 June. The Scottish Parliament’s Health, Social Care and Sport Committee and Local Government, Housing and Planning Committee plan undertook scrutiny of the proposed National Good Food Nation Plan during September. The Health, Social Care and Sport Committee published their report on 30 September which will be considered by the Scottish Government’s Good Food Nation team. The expectation is that subject to any further amendments, the national Plan will be finalised and approved by the end of 2025. 4.29 Discussions are continuing around the commencement date for when the statutory duty begins which will require local authorities and health boards to publish their Local Good Food Nation Plans following a public consultation. Details of funding for local authorities and health boards to develop their plans is not expected until February 2026. Winter Connections 4.30 At Leadership Board in May 2025, it was agreed that £75,000 of funding be allocated from Fairer Renfrewshire programme to provide small grants to local organisations to support a Winter Connections programme in partnership with local organisations. The programme aims to encourage people to connect and participate in activities in warm and welcoming spaces across communities in Renfrewshire. Page 36 of 86
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7 PUBLIC 4.31 The funding will support local community and voluntary organisations with the additional costs of making venues, activities and sessions open as part of the programme, such as equipment, food, energy costs, and rent and funded activities must fit the criteria of Winter Connections and be: • Open, free and easy to access (although this can mean open to all within a particular age or targeted group) • Inclusive, welcoming, respectful, and safe • Able or willing to provide connections to other services and supports • Able to offer warm drinks/snacks/food along with activities, where possible 4.32 The Winter Connections programme opened for applications on 22 September. Due to the number of applicants, it was suspended on 6 October by which time 47 applications been received. The applications had a good geographical spread across Renfrewshire, with five of the villages currently represented, as well as Renfrew, Johnstone and Linwood and various areas in Paisley. They also offered a wide range of activities across different days and times. 4.33 The applications were assessed by a panel consisting of officers from Renfrewshire Council, Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership and Engage Renfrewshire, with authority delegated to the Head of Policy and Partnerships to award grants in consultation with the Council Leader. 4.34 A full list of awards and activities provided will be provided to the Sub-Committee at the next meeting. 5. Priorities for next period 5.1 Officers co-ordinating the programme have previously outlined a draft reporting schedule for the board. This has been required to flex due to emerging priorities, including the launch of new Scottish Government Child Poverty Accelerator funding, as well as additional development work in relation to equalities outlined in the paper. 5.2 Over the next quarter we will continue to focus on the: • Finalisation and implementation of the Fairer Renfrewshire Action Plan • A review of breakfast club provision • The rollout of the Winter Connections 25 programme 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 Page 37 of 86
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8 PUBLIC 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 86
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PUBLIC ___________________________________________________________________ To: Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee On: 12 November 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ Report by: Head of Policy and Partnerships ___________________________________________________________________ Heading: Summer of Fun Evaluation 2025 ___________________________________________________________________ 1. Summary 1.1 As part of the Council’s budget which was approved in February 2025, funding of £100,000 was allocated through the Fairer Renfrewshire programme to support the development of a summer holiday programme, with a focus on providing support and healthy food over the holiday period to low-income families. It was agreed that £50,000 of the funding would be allocated to the provision of summer camps and £50,000 would be allocated to the Summer of Fun Community Programme piloted in 2023. 1.2 In addition to the camps and small grant programme, additional funding from a number of different sources was used to deliver a varied programme of activities for children, families, and young people, including Additional Support Needs (ASN) provision along with youth work provision, a youth voice and participation programme, sports activities and an Adult and Family Learning programme. 1.3 Renfrewshire Libraries ran their own summer programme using some of the equipment and games that had been previously funded by Fairer Renfrewshire as well as their own resources. They also received £1,227 from Fairer Renfrewshire to purchase toys, healthy snacks and drinks for children visiting the Skoobmobile and for libraries throughout Renfrewshire. Item 3 Page 39 of 86
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PUBLIC 1.4 The attached evaluation report provides information on the whole summer programme that took place in summer 2025 and includes key findings and recommendations. Findings from the evaluation will be considered in future planning for similar activities. 1.5 A copy of the full evaluation report is attached at Appendix 1. ___________________________________________________________________ 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that members of the Fairer Renfrewshire Sub-Committee note the report. ___________________________________________________________________ 3. Background 3.1 In February 2025 Council allocated £100,000 of funding through the Fairer Renfrewshire programme to support the development of a summer holiday programme, with a focus on providing support over the holiday period to low-income families. It was agreed that £50,000 of the funding would be allocated to the provision of summer camps and £50,000 would be allocated to the Summer of Fun Community Programme piloted in 2023. The Fairer Renfrewshire Lived Experience Panel played a key role in directing how this funding could be used. 3.2 In addition to the camps and small grant programme, additional funding from a number of different sources was used to deliver a varied programme of activities for children, families, and young people, along with youth work provision, a youth voice and participation programme, sports activities and an Adult and Family Learning programme. 3.3 Summer Additional Support Needs (ASN) provision was delivered from Riverbrae, including the playscheme provided through Klas Care, who were funded to deliver this programme as part of wider work through the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund (WFWF). 3.4 Renfrewshire Libraries ran their own summer programme using some of the equipment and games that had been previously funded by Fairer Renfrewshire as well as their own resources. They also received £1,227 from Fairer Renfrewshire to purchase toys, healthy snacks and drinks for children visiting the Skoobmobile and for libraries throughout Renfrewshire. Their programme allowed a coverage of activities in areas where no Summer of Fun activity was proposed. Over the summer holidays, the Skoobmobile made 48 visits to communities and engaged with 572 adults and 995 children in total. 3.5 In total around 8,812 people were supported across the whole programme, mainly children but also families, with 20 organisations receiving funding through the small grants programme. Although available to all, the programme was targeted to families with low Page 40 of 86
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PUBLIC income. For example, promotion of the summer camps was done through messaging to all parents and carers in receipt of School Clothing Grants. 3.6 The programme provided a range of benefits for children and their parents/carers including: • providing accessible, free and fun activities that low-income families could access • helping to reduce financial costs for families • providing a safe environment for children and young people to socialise and learn new skills • having a positive impact on parents and children’s mental health through creating connections and offering respite • encouraging new people to engage with services 4. Key Findings from the evaluation 4.1 Key findings from the evaluation include: • Access to free, structured, engaging activities aimed at different ages and often including day trips to places of interest, resulted in a successful Summer of Fun programme. The removal of financial barriers to participation and the welcoming and inclusive nature of activities created an accessible programme for families. • The Summer of Fun programme provided children with the opportunity to learn new skills, make new friends, be creative, visit new places and make memories with their families. It helped to create connections, reduce isolation and provide respite to parents and carers. • The programme was able to reach low-income families, particularly those families who are in the child poverty priority groups who may be underserved by mainstream holiday programmes. • Benefits of the Summer of Fun programme included providing free fun activities that low-income families could access, helping to reduce financial costs for families and encouraging new people to engage with organisations. • Partnership work enabled organisations to broaden their offer of activities and bring in community safety partners to deliver informative sessions to keep young people safe. 4.2 A full copy of the evaluation report is at Appendix 1 ___________________________________________________________________ Implications of the Report 1. Financial – The Summer of Fun programme was funded by a budget allocation to Fairer Renfrewshire, alongside resources from OneRen and Scottish Government through the Whole Family Wellbeing fund. Page 41 of 86
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PUBLIC 2. HR & Organisational Development – none. 3. Community/Council Planning – The multi-agency, universal and targeted work developed and delivered across Renfrewshire throughout the summer holidays contributed to key areas of activity relevant to Community Planning priorities and Renfrewshire’s Council Plan strategic outcomes; outlined below. • Our Renfrewshire is well - Supporting the wellness and resilience of our citizens and communities. • Our Renfrewshire is fair - addressing the inequalities that limit life chances. • Reshaping our place, our economy, and our future - Promoting learning and skills for life. • Building strong, safe, and resilient communities - Empowering communities and Delivering community-based services. • Tackling inequality, ensuring opportunities for all – Promoting skills and learning for life, Celebrating youth! Improving mental health and wellbeing; Addressing health inequalities; and promoting active lifestyles. 4. Legal – none. 5. Property/Assets - none. 6. Information Technology - none. 7. Equality & Human Rights - The Recommendations contained within this report have been assessed in relation to their impact on equalities and human rights. No negative impacts on equality groups or potential for infringement of individuals’ human rights have been identified arising from the recommendations contained in the report because it is for noting only. If required following implementation, the actual impact of the recommendations and the mitigating actions will be reviewed and monitored, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council’s website. 8. Health & Safety - none. 9. Procurement – none. 10. Risk - none. 11. Privacy Impact - none. 12. COSLA Policy Position –not applicable. 13. Climate Risk – not applicable. 14. 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. _________________________________________________________ List of Background Papers None _______________________________________________________________ Author: Diane Dunn, Fairer Renfrewshire Manager Page 42 of 86
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1 PUBLIC An evaluation of the Summer of Fun Programme 2025 “We saw children who had never entered a pool finally relax and play. We saw carers cry with relief. We saw families laugh together for the first time in weeks. It wasn’t just swimming — it was respite, it was inclusion, it was connection. Thank you for trusting small, grassroots organisations like ours. With this kind of funding, we can do what we do best: meet families where they are and lift them, together.” Just Dive In September 2025 Page 43 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 2 PUBLIC 1. Contents 2. Executive Summary ...................................................................................... 3 3. About Summer of Fun .................................................................................. 6 a. Background ...................................................................................................... 6 b. Renfrewshire Summer Holiday Camps ........................................................ 6 c. Summer of Fun Community Programme.................................................... 8 d. Additional Support Needs (ASN) Provision............................................... 12 e. Street Stuff ...................................................................................................... 12 f. Adult and Family Learning ........................................................................... 13 g. The Promise Champs Summer Programme ............................................. 15 h. One Ren Libraries .......................................................................................... 18 i. Skoobmobile .................................................................................................. 18 4. Evaluating the Summer of Fun programme .......................................... 20 a. Renfrewshire Summer Holiday Camps ...................................................... 20 b. Additional Support Needs (ASN) Provision............................................... 23 c. Skoobmobile .................................................................................................. 24 d. Summer of Fun Community Programme.................................................. 25 5. Conclusions .................................................................................................. 40 6. Appendix 1 – Organisations which received Summer of Fun small grants .............................. 43 Page 44 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 3 PUBLIC 2. Executive Summary Since 2023, Renfrewshire has been running a successful Summer of Fun programme, providing free activities for children and young people over the Summer break. The programme coordinates a range of Council services and partners including a number of local 3rd sector organisations which are funded through a small grants programme. In February 2025 Council allocated £100,000 through the Fairer Renfrewshire programme to support the development of the 2025 summer holiday programme, with a focus on providing fun activities, support and healthy food over the holiday period to low-income families. It was agreed that £50,000 of the funding would be allocated to the provision of summer camps and £50,000 would be allocated to the Summer of Fun Community Programme piloted in 2023. The Fairer Renfrewshire Lived Experience Panel played a key role in directing how this funding could be used. The Community Learning and Development team developed the programme of activities for children and young people through a summer camp model in partnership with Street Stuff, and with the provision of a healthy meal. Work was undertaken to prioritise access to camp bookings to families with low incomes, especially in the child poverty priority groups and through referrals from Childrens Services before opening up access more widely. The Community Programme is a small grants programme for local community groups and organisations to operate free activities over the summer holidays which reach communities and particularly low-income families that might be underserved by mainstream activities. Additional funding from a number of different sources was used to deliver a varied programme of activities for children, families, and young people, along with youth work provision, a youth voice and participation programme, sports activities and an Adult and Family Learning programme. Summer Additional Support Needs (ASN) provision was delivered from Riverbrae School, including the playscheme provided through Klas Care, who were funded to deliver this programme as part of wider work through the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund (WFWF). One Ren delivered a summer programme in the libraries and with the Skoobmobile team. Funding through Fairer Renfrewshire was provided to OneRen to provide toys, healthy snacks and drinks for children visiting the Skoobmobile and for libraries throughout Renfrewshire. Page 45 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 4 PUBLIC In total around 8,812 people were supported across the whole programme. This report describes the work delivered across Renfrewshire throughout the summer holidays as part of the 2025 Summer Holiday provision. Key findings • Access to free, structured, engaging activities aimed at different ages and often including day trips to places of interest, resulted in a successful Summer of Fun programme. The removal of financial barriers to participation and the welcoming and inclusive nature of activities created an accessible programme for families. • The Summer of Fun programme provided children with the opportunity to learn new skills, make new friends, be creative, visit new places and make memories with their families. It helped to create connections, reduce isolation and provide respite to parents and carers. • The programme was able to reach low-income families, particularly those families who are in the child poverty priority groups who may be underserved by mainstream holiday programmes. • Benefits of the Summer of Fun programme included providing free fun activities that low- income families could access, helping to reduce financial costs for families and encouraging new people to engage with organisations. • Partnership work enabled organisations to broaden their offer of activities and bring in community safety partners to deliver informative sessions to keep young people safe. • The free holiday camp places were helpful in supporting working parents with childcare costs, particularly single parents. They provided a safe environment for children to socialise and enjoy a range of activities over the holidays, with outdoor activities being noted as an important benefit. • As identified in previous years, many parents and carers that do a block booking for holiday camps do not show up to the camps and do not cancel their spaces. Further work is required to make sure there is maximum take up of this provision to benefit as many families as possible. • The Promise Champs programme offered care experienced young people safe spaces to build friendships, develop new skills, enjoy nutritious food, and receive support in a positive and youth-friendly setting. Page 46 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 5 PUBLIC • Adult & Family Learning Services ESOL group offered families lots of fun ways to practice English by taking part in activities and games that helped to build vocabulary and boost confidence in speaking English. • The Skoobmobile was very popular and worked in partnership with other Council departments and 3rd sector partners to expand their offer and increase awareness of the service. Being mobile, the free access to play and crafting activities was particularly important to parents who were unable to travel and in areas where no other activities were being delivered. • Additional Support Needs provision continued to identify and respond to the need for provision for children and young people with complex additional support needs through free engaging activities, healthy snacks and free transport for some sessions. Page 47 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 6 PUBLIC 3. About Summer of Fun a. Background In February 2025, Council allocated £100,000 of funding through the Fairer Renfrewshire programme to support the development of a summer holiday programme of activities, with a focus on providing support over the holiday period to low-income families including healthy food where appropriate. It was agreed that £50,000 of the funding would be allocated to the provision of summer camps and £50,000 would be allocated to the Summer of Fun Community Programme piloted in 2023. The Fairer Renfrewshire Lived Experience Panel played a key role in directing how this funding could be used. Renfrewshire’s Community Learning and Development team developed a programme of activities for children and young people through a summer camp model in partnership with Streetstuff, and with the provision of a healthy meal. Work was undertaken to prioritise access to camp bookings to families with low incomes, especially in the child poverty priority groups and through referrals from Childrens Services before opening up access more widely. Contact was also made with Mears around attendance of Summer Clubs for asylum seeking families. The Community Programme is a small grants programme which allows local community groups and organisations to operate free activities over the summer holidays which can reach communities that might be underserved by mainstream activities, particularly low- income families. The Programme is administered by the Fairer Renfrewshire team. b. Renfrewshire Summer Holiday Camps Following on from last year’s successful programme, Renfrewshire’s Community Learning and Development team delivered a summer camp for children and young people. The holiday camps were held in 6 venues across Renfrewshire with a focus on reaching families most in need of the free provision. There were 1,973 attendances at the holiday camps. A programme was developed offering several core activities and targeted to young people aged 5 to 14 years whose families received the school clothing grant, in addition to separately funded youth work provision, a youth voice and participation programme, Page 48 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 7 PUBLIC sports activities and youth bus delivered by Street Stuff and an Adult and Family Learning programme that families could attend together. The approach built on the successes from previous summer programmes and the partnership working between services. The summer provision also ensured a varied programme catering for families, children, and young people across the whole of Renfrewshire. Information about the camps and details of how to book were sent directly to families who were receiving free school meals and clothing grants and, although we know this information was shared between families, the targeting of the information allowed the service to reach low income families in the first instance. Care was also taken to work closely with services such as Social Work, Education and other partners to identify families and young people that would particularly benefit from organised summer activities and to signpost them towards and sign them up for universal activities. The aim was to develop a programme of integrated provision to address the barriers and isolation faced by people in the most deprived areas, but at the same time open to families across Renfrewshire, concentrating on the Scottish Government’s child poverty priority groups. Camps for ages 5 to 14 years were delivered throughout the summer holidays from Monday to Friday from 9.30am to 3pm, twice per week in each of the following venues: Having fun with Street Stuff Page 49 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 8 PUBLIC • Renfrew – St James’ Primary School • Gallowhill – St Catherine’s Primary School • Ferguslie Park – Glencoats Primary School • Linwood – Linwood High School • Foxbar – St Paul’s Primary School • Johnstone – West Johnstone Shared Campus This summer a range of activities were delivered which included hockey, basketball, football and dance as well as arts and crafts, board games and glitter tattoos. Children and young people also had the opportunity to discuss issues around respect and Police Scotland and Scottish Fire and Rescue also delivered workshops on online safety and the dangers of fire raising. c. Summer of Fun Community Programme Utilising the allocated budget of £50,000, local community and voluntary organisations could apply for small grants of up to £3,000 to cover costs of summer activities, including venues, materials, food, transport and sessional staff. Smaller awards of up to £500 were also available for organisations with existing activities over the summer to provide healthy snacks or food. Applications were considered for single events or programmes of activities, designed for whole families or for children and young people of a range of ages. All projects agreed to the following principles • Activities must be free, with no hidden or additional costs • Healthy snacks should be provided, or lunch if full day activities • Activities should be inclusive, welcoming, respectful and safe • Compliant with requirements around safeguarding, child protection and food hygiene as appropriate • Able or willing to provide connections to other services and supports In order to ensure that this funding was distributed as quickly as possible, authority was delegated to the Head of Policy and Partnerships to award grants in line with the guidance, with information on awards to be provided to the Leadership Board in consultation with the Council Leader. In total 25 organisations applied for funding. Applications were assessed by a panel consisting of officers from Renfrewshire Council, including from Youth Services, Page 50 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 9 PUBLIC Renfrewshire Health and Social Care Partnership, and from Engage Renfrewshire, with the panel meeting regularly between mid May and the beginning of June. The panel members were able to evaluate the Summer of Fun applications based on knowledge of other available support across localities. Overall 20 projects were funded through Summer of Fun, with the full £50,000 utilised. This included an allocation to One Ren libraries to provide toys which could be taken round in the Skoobmobile to add an extra aspect to their and partners’ programmes and snacks and drinks for children during library activities. As the fund was oversubscribed, it was not possible to approve all applications received. Unsuccessful applicants were signposted to other support or information about sources of funding via Engage Renfrewshire. A list of the organisations that delivered Summer of Fun small grants activities can be found in Appendix 2. A wide range of activities for children and young people of all ages were provided through the funding, along with healthy snacks/ lunches and drinks. Activities that were offered included: • Inflatable fun sessions • Summer playschemes offering free childcare • Traditional games and outdoor activities in local parks • Day trips to local visitor attractions • Arts and crafts and creative activities, such as pottery painting • Sports activities including football, snorkelling, cheerleading, swimming and dancing • Educational activities like cooking skills, music technology and baking • Music workshops and storytelling Day trips proved to be very popular, with young people enjoying a day with their families at Blair Drummond Safari Park, Millport, the Sealife Centre at Loch Lomond, Monty’s Farm Park, Glasgow Science Centre, and the beaches at Ayr and Troon. CREATE Paisley provided drop-in sessions across Johnstone and Paisley for young people, with outdoor creative workshops in the Finding Your Feet garden and music and dance workshops delivered by their partners at The Soundsystem Project and Right2Dance. In addition they delivered weekly sessions for families from the Ukraine and Syria in partnership with Renfrewshire’s Resettlement Team. Page 51 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 10 PUBLIC Just Dive In delivered a range of sensory-friendly aquatic activities including sensory splash sessions, family float sessions, quiet swims and mermaid and snorkel tasters. These activities were specifically designed to be accessible to children and families who may otherwise have faced barriers to participation. Many of the organisations worked with partners to offer as wide a range of activities as possible. Home-Start Renfrewshire and Inverclyde partnered with St Mirren FC to organise a visit to St Mirren Park, giving families and volunteers the opportunity to enjoy a stadium tour and lunch. This was an exciting and memorable experience for both children and parents. They also hosted five Park Day sessions across various locations in Renfrewshire, offering outdoor crafts, play-based activities and healthy snacks for both children and adults. These activities provided vital opportunities for connection, play and support, helping families stay engaged with Home-Start and with each other throughout the summer. Creating with nature (Home-Start Renfrewshire and Inverclyde) Children participating in Fit and Fed with St Mirren FC Charitable Foundation Page 52 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 11 PUBLIC Alongside delivering inclusive activities for all age groups, Active Communities brought in partners to provide advice and information to parents. They had visits and demonstrations from the Fire Service, Invest, Advice Works, DigiRen and the Skoobmobile. The residents we work with bought into the events from the start. Once the funding was granted, we created a seven-week programme to provide free fun family events each Friday mornings (10-11.30am) in Gallowhill. The community centre was the focus of all events, so we had to hire the space for the 7 weeks. Each session offered something different and ranged from cooking lessons including American and Scottish themed food, a silent disco which the mums loved! We held drumming and music workshops, puppet storytelling with Professor Squozz (up to age 5), facepainting, delivery of arts and crafts sessions where families could leave with something they made, an end of summer disco with game activity and a carnival style day with funfair games, prizes and lots of activity. Active Communities Brick Lane Music Academy provided a range of music activities including Family Music Sessions, Magical Musicians and Band in a Week, where children could sing and learn to play musical instruments. Lunch provided and families with other children under 5 were able to use their facilities, including their new sensory garden. Creche facilities were available too. Erskine Arts delivered workshops in art, music production and performing for different age groups. Young people were able to create, sing, act and learn practical skills in recording and producing music. The STAR Project’s Summer of Fun programme enabled them to offer free spaces on their summer trips to families who would struggle to access activities over the summer due to financial constraints. They also held an end-of-summer Fun Day in Fountain Gardens for the whole community. This included a picnic and BBQ, inflatables, craft activities, music and games, and provided an opportunity for families who attended their summer programme to “come together, share experiences and deepen their connections”. Page 53 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 12 PUBLIC d. Additional Support Needs (ASN) Provision Summer ASN provision this year was located at Riverbrae School, with Klas Care funded to provide some places there as part of wider work through the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund (WFWF). Riverbrae Playscheme took place between 7th July and 7th August 2025 from 10am to 2pm Monday to Friday. There was the opportunity for up to 40 children to attend per day. There were 212 applications received in total and 195 families took up the offer of support, 15 of whom received their funded places through Klas Care. Although families were allocated with 5 free spaces across the 5 weeks, additional sessions could be purchased. A range of fun engaging activities and free play time was delivered throughout the summer holiday period which included: • A nutritious meal and healthy snacks throughout the day • Child led play, both indoor and outdoor activities – including sports, creative arts and sensory experiences. • Much needed social interaction with other children and young people • A high level of staffing who were able to respond to each individual child’s needs A nurse was available two days per week for children who required a higher level of support/complex medical needs and for those using free spaces, transport costs were provided. 47 families took up the offer for free transport to Playscheme for parents within Renfrewshire. Parents were encouraged to transport their children where possible, however, due to the location of the venue and to maximise opportunities and support for families during the summer holiday period, there was some transport available for those who needed it most. e. Street Stuff Street Stuff continued to deliver their core programme of activities in the evenings from Monday to Saturday for young people aged 8 to 16 throughout the summer holidays which also included the provision of healthy food. 1,800 attendances were recorded with activities including multi-sports and the games buses with PS4 games and DJ decks. Young people had the opportunity to mix with friends, listen to music and play fun and interactive games. Page 54 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 13 PUBLIC The Street Stuff activities were delivered at the following places: • Linwood – Our Lady of Peace • Foxbar – Morar Drive and Foxbar Youth Drop in • Erskine - Bargarran Primary School • Johnstone – McMaster Centre • Shortroods – Beechwood Community Centre MUGA • Gallowhill Community Centre • Glenburn – Skye Crescent f. Adult and Family Learning The Adult and Family Learning team supported 61 families in Renfrewshire to enjoy a fun- filled summer regardless of the weather. Four sessions a week in Southend, Foxbar, Johnstone, Renfrew and Erskine ran throughout July and offered parents lots of fun ways to engage with their children. Johnstone families enjoyed outdoor fun – a scavenger hunt in nature, looking for leaves, twigs, ladybugs and four leaf clover as well as searching for fairy houses. Children played with chalk, bubbles, bats and balls and footballs and made use of the outdoor equipment, with some of them conquering their fear of the climbing wall. The children also enjoyed story times and games on the Skoobmobile as well as choosing a library book. They also had the opportunity to get involved in some messy baking. Page 55 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 14 PUBLIC The Glasgow Science Centre hosted a day out for 7 families that included free entry, lunch, and travel to and from the centre. Families from Erskine took part in a variety of activities, including lego yacht racing which they really enjoyed. Page 56 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 15 PUBLIC An ESOL specific group was delivered in Moorpark and learners were able to practice their English by taking part in a variety of fun tasks and games that helped build their vocabulary and boost their confidence in using English. g. The Promise Champs Summer Programme The Youth Services Promise Champs summer programme was funded through the Promise Partnership Youth-Led Corra Fund to support care-experienced young people, young carers, and their peers living in Renfrewshire to engage in a wide range of youth work opportunities including clubs, trips, and new experiences removing common barriers such as cost and accessibility. The programme was co-designed with existing Promise Champs, who played a key role in shaping it, selecting residential venues, and identifying the experiences they most wanted to access. Designed to run across the full six-week summer break, the programme offered young people safe spaces to build friendships, develop new skills, enjoy nutritious food, and receive support in a positive and youth-friendly setting. Opportunities were widely shared through Promise Keeper, social work, and youth work networks, with sign-ups managed via the Class4Kids platform. This ensured the offer reached young people aged 12–17 across Renfrewshire who would benefit most. The programme delivered 6 weekly themed youth club sessions which were attended by 10 participants, 3 summer trips attended by 36 young people, 6 drama workshops attended by 8 young people, a residential experience attended by 14 young people and a Promise Youth Festival. Page 57 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 16 PUBLIC Summer trips included visits to Glasgow Splatter Art Studio, Edinburgh Zoo and a beach day with picnic. Packed lunches were provided for all the trips. The Summer trips were a great way to bring the Promise Champs participants from different communities together. The trips encouraged exploration and fun and promoted independence, and social development. Youth Services hosted an overnight residential for 14 young people at Lapwing Lodge providing opportunities to try new challenges, create memories and strengthen peer bonds. Activities included high ropes, tomahawk throwing, inflatable challenges, and canoeing, along with evening entertainment and group discussions on future Promise initiatives. In addition, Youth Club Summer sessions were held in Paisley Methodist Church from 1 - 3pm on Mondays throughout July and August and were open to young people aged 12-17 years of age. These weekly clubs provided a consistent, safe, and fun space for young people to take part in arts and crafts, team games, independent play, and meaningful social time with peers. Young people enjoyed engaging, youth-led activities that boosted wellbeing and confidence. In partnership with Moxie Drama School, 6 drama workshops on Thursdays from 12 to 2pm gave young people the opportunity to develop performance and storytelling skills through improvisation, dance, singing, and script writing. These activities boosted self-confidence and creativity, developed individual and group communication skills and empowered young people to express themselves through voice and movement in a safe space. The youth festival, Promise YouthyFest was held on 6th August from 11am to 7pm at Youth Services, West Primary School and was attended by 189 young people. The festival was an incredibly positive and enriching event, bringing together care experienced children and young people, young carers, their friends, and families for a full day of celebration, creativity, and community connection. Thanks to successful external funding from the Promise Partnership Youth-led Corra Fund, young people were able to take full ownership of the planning, design, and delivery of YouthyFest, embedding youth voice at every stage. Festival highlights included music and performances, funfair-style activities, creative zones, circus skills, a silent disco and wellbeing and chill-out areas for young people to relax, recharge, and access support if needed. Feedback from the festival was overwhelmingly positive with attendees highlighting the warm and welcoming environment, the quality and variety of activities for all ages, the Page 58 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 17 PUBLIC efforts to making the event inclusive and barrier-free and how empowered the young organisers were. The following impact and positive outcomes were identified: 1. Youth Leadership and Empowerment: • The event demonstrated the power of youth leadership. The Promise Champs led every stage of the festival’s development—from branding to logistics—developing real-world skills in project management, communication, and collaboration. • Young people felt listened to, valued, and empowered, boosting their self-esteem and sense of purpose. 2. Increased Inclusion and Accessibility: • YouthyFest removed common barriers to participation such as cost, travel, and lack of support, ensuring care experienced young people, young carers, and their families could attend without stress or financial strain. • Signposting and support throughout the day created a welcoming and inclusive atmosphere for families of all backgrounds. 3. Strengthening Relationships and Community Bonds: • The festival created a space where friendships flourished, families connected, and communities came together in celebration. • For many, it was a rare opportunity to enjoy a day out as a family unit in a safe, stigma- free environment. 4. Promoting The Promise Values: • Every element of the event was designed to uphold and reflect the values of The Promise: love, safety, and respect. • Attendees repeatedly described the day as “fun,” “inclusive,” “safe,” and “uplifting.” 5. Positive Family Experiences: • Families reported feeling supported, connected, and uplifted by the day. Parents and carers expressed appreciation for the thought and care that went into making the event inclusive, relaxing, and fun for both young people and adults. Page 59 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 18 PUBLIC h. One Ren Libraries Renfrewshire Libraries ran their own programme of events this year using equipment bought in previous years and linked it to the annual Summer Reading Challenge “Story Garden”. All activities were free and focused on using recyclable materials and items that are easily sourced. The Summer Reading Challenge this year had the theme of Story Garden, with 1,571 children signing up for the challenge and over half, 912 completing it. One Ren received £1,227 from Fairer Renfrewshire to purchase toys, healthy snacks and drinks for children visiting the Skoobmobile and for libraries throughout Renfrewshire. i. Skoobmobile The Skoobmobile provided access to library activities, including the Summer Reading Challenge and information about partner organisations. With the increasing cost of summer activities, the Skoobmobile was in more demand than ever, giving families free access to different play and crafting opportunities without having to travel or make reservations. A helping hand in Barshaw Park on a Home-Start Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Park Day Page 60 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 19 PUBLIC Fairer Renfrewshire provided funding for new toy provision as well as free snacks and drinks. The mobile service visited the following locations: • Howwood • Houston • Gallowhill • Todholm • Barshaw Park • Gockston Road The Skoobmobile has built relationships with many groups and organisations throughout Renfrewshire to ensure that the programme reaches all communities. They joined Active Communities’ Summer of Fun programme at Gallowhill Community Centre as well as West Johnstone Family Group, Southend Action Centre and St Mirren Fit n Fed camps where children were offered football themed crafts every Thursday morning over the holidays. Toy items purchased with Fairer Renfrewshire funding were used on a free play basis at Gallowhill, Barshaw Park, Marshes, Howwood and Houston community visits and were very well received, especially the shape matching game. Board games were popular with children and facilitated interactions between children and led to friendships being made. Feedback from children was very positive. “I can’t wait to be on the Skoobmobile again because its so fun” “Loved our time on the Skoobmobile and nice to have a look at some Gaelic books too”. “I liked playing with the new games, the shape game was fund, and it was nice to spend time together”. Digital Champions joined the Skoobmobile every Wednesday at Barshaw Park to raise awareness of their service. The service was also joined by Invest in Renfrewshire on two occasions and worked with Paisley Museum Cultural Learning Team at Sma Shot Day to support an interactive weaving experience for visitors. As part of Fèis Phàislig the bus was joined by 9 adults and 12 children for a morning of traditional music and activity for families at Barshaw Park. The programme faced some challenges including mechanical issues, getting relief drivers, and weather (good and bad) impacting on attendance. Page 61 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 20 PUBLIC 4. Evaluating the Summer of Fun programme Different parts of the programme were evaluated in different ways, but we have included information on numbers attending and comments from staff, parents, carers and children, below. a. Renfrewshire Summer Holiday Camps Over the summer period there were 1,973 recorded attendances at the Summer camps. Participants were asked to provide their views on the Summer of Fun camps by giving the camps a rate out of 5, with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best. Participants stated that they enjoyed the camps and the total rating for the camps was 4.5 out of 5. Evaluation has shown that the free holiday camp places were helpful to families for a number of reasons. The availability of free spaces supported working parents with childcare costs, particularly single parents. The camps provided a safe environment for children to meet new children, develop their social skills and try out different activities over the holidays. The range of activities available meant that children were able to learn new skills and the positive impact of being away from screens and participating in outdoor activities was noted as an important benefit. Skoobmobile stories Page 62 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 21 PUBLIC “Summer club gives my children the opportunity to meet new people, try new activities and build up their confidence. I pay for both girls to attend summer clubs in school throughout the week to allow me to go into the office. Therefore having this club one day a week free of charge also helps us financially as a family.” “They are important as I am a single mum who works and with my daughter being my only child and not a lot of friends this allows her to be more social with kids her age. I also cannot afford to get her back into clubs she has requested she wants to go to but this way she gets to do this with adults who can help and teach.” Feedback about staff was very positive, with parents commenting on how friendly and helpful staff were. The table below details the characteristics of the families who responded to the questions as part of the sign up process for the Summer Camps. The majority of families were lone parents, while over a third of families had 3 or more children. Promotion of the camps was done through messaging to all parents and carers in receipt of School Clothing Grants, to ensure the camps were targeted to low income families. Although those parents passed the booking details to friends and family, the figures show that the camps reached the targeted groups. Category Yes Responses % of Families Lone parent families 289 35.8 Families with 3 or more children 278 34.7 Families with a disability 181 22.6 Black and minority ethnic families 72 9.0 Families with a child under 1 65 8.0 Families with parents under 25 9 1.1 Percentage of children from each age Category % of Families Aged 5 5.4% Aged 6 16.7% Page 63 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 22 PUBLIC Aged 7 18.5 Aged 8 14.3 Aged 9 16.3 Aged 10 11.2 Aged 11 7.4 Aged 12 5.2 Aged 13 3.6 Aged 14 1.3 The overall total within the ‘Yes responses’ column is calculated by counting only those responses where an obvious straight ‘yes’ or ‘no’ response was provided, hence the differing totals for each category. On a less positive note, over the summer holiday period around 1,973 attendances were recorded out of a possible 3,150 spaces, with children and young people benefitting from the daytime camp provision. Prior to the bookings being available, the Fairer Renfrewshire Lived Experience Panel were engaged around how non-attendance could be reduced. Suggestions they made around communications to parents and offering entrance to a prize draw for attendance were taken on board, however non-attendance rates were still high. It has been established that many parents and carers that do a block booking when the programme launches do not show up to the camps and do not cancel their spaces. Parents were asked to provide feedback about non attendance and cited alternative plans and illness as reasons for not attending. Looking forward, we will do further work to examine how we can remind parents of the camps and prompt them to cancel if they will not attend, to allow other families to make use of the places. A waiting list is kept, so when cancellations are made, other families can be quickly advised of spaces. Looking at geographical coverage, there were registrations for the camps from most areas across Renfrewshire with the exception of Bridge of Weir and Kilbarchan. We can infer that transport may be an issue for parents and carers to get children to camps from these villages, especially for those who don’t have a car. Page 64 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 23 PUBLIC b. Additional Support Needs (ASN) Provision For children with additional support needs attending activities at Riverbrae, the aim was to provide activities that focussed on providing a warm, welcoming, fun and safe environment, allowing children and young people to build good relationships with both the staff and other children and young people who attended the playscheme. Activities were child-led, with lots of outdoor play due to the good weather. The paddling pools and water activities were very popular and children enjoyed using the outdoor equipment on site, including swings and climbing frame and imaginative play with staff exploring the outdoors. There were also arts and crafts activities, games and play opportunities offered indoors for children who enjoyed this. Assigned quiet areas offered low stimulation, with tents, soft furnishings and quiet activities for children and young people who required this type of environment. Page 65 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 24 PUBLIC Some families applied for places but did not use them. The service was able to accommodate some changes due to last minute holidays and illness, however not all families contacted the service to cancel their place and it was then not possible to offer these places to other families. On one day there were 17 spaces unfilled. Parents reported that they would like the service to be equitable with the option of Pay to Play to be available for the children and young people at Riverbrae as well as Klas Care. c. Skoobmobile Over the summer holidays, the mobile service made 48 visits to communities and engaged with 572 adults and 995 children in total. Feedback from evaluation forms indicates that 96% of people who attended enjoyed their visit onboard, with 78% agreeing that the Skoobmobile increased reading for their child over the holiday period. “My daughter is very creative and loves her visits to the Skoobmobile. She loves choosing her books and spends the remaining time at the crafts table. Staff are very friendly and helpful and it is a great asset - very engaging to the children. We love our visits to the Skoobmobile.” “It enhances my child’s reading throughout the holidays, we both spend time reading at night now and it is a lovely way to switch off together at the end of a busy day. Thank you to the Skoobmobile staff for being great with her and always looking to engage the children.” Just over half (52%) of those who provided feedback stated that they used the Skoobmobile for the Summer Reading Challenge. When asked how they found out about the mobile service, 44% discovered Skoobmobile via word of mouth, 20% became aware of it through social media, 24% from school communication and 12% became aware of the service when the Skoobmobile visited their local area. Children enjoying craft on the Skoobmobile Page 66 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 25 PUBLIC d. Summer of Fun Community Programme In August a feedback form was sent out to every organisation that had delivered activities as part of the Summer of Fun Community Programme to ask about their experience of delivering activities and to gain understanding of the difference that it had made for those who participated. Feedback froms were returned from every organisation that was funded. Feedback from organisations included photographs of activities, some of which are included in this report. Promoting Activities Renfrewshire Council’s Communications and Marketing team promoted the Summer of Fun programme widely through social media and organised a poster distribution to venues across Renfrewshire towns. All promotional materials had a QR code so that people could scan and view the whole programme on the Council’s webpage. In line with input from the Fairer Renfrewshire Panel, all free activites, whether Summer of Fun grant funded, through Community Learning and Development, or through Libraries, were listed on one web page. This included the Skoobmobile programme. Organisations were asked how people found out about the activities they were offering. Most organisations used a mixed approach to ensure that they connected with new families as well as those who were already aware of or using their services. This resulted in many of the activities being fully or over-subscribed very quickly. Families found out about our Summer of Fun activities through a combination of direct communication and digital channels. Our staff shared the full itinerary of Park Day sessions with families the week before schools finished for summer, ensuring they had time to plan and choose the sessions that suited them best. We also promoted the activities via our Parents Hub, a private Facebook group for families we support and through WhatsApp group chats set up for both families and volunteers. In addition, many families were already engaged with our services and heard about the activities through word of mouth and ongoing participation in our regular programmes. Home-Start Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Page 67 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 26 PUBLIC While 74% of those who responded stated that people had found out about their project mainly through social media, 58% found that word of mouth was a key factor in promoting their activity. Just over half of respondents (53%) related that people found out because they were already attending other activities that the organisation delivered, while 32% cited referrals from partner organisations. How did people find out about your Summer of Fun project? Method of information % Social media 74 Word of mouth 58 Attending other activities 53 Posters 32 Partners 32 Referral from another organisation 21 Note: All respondents provided more than one answer to this question Due to the nature of their work, Renfrewshire Women’s Aid only invited women and children who were already using their service to attend the summer programme. Just Dive In distributed printed flyers to local nurseries, libraries, community centres and GP practices to ensure that they could reach digitally excluded families. Paisley St George’s used their well-established relationships with local schools to promote their activities, whilst Stronger Communities Glenburn found that most families found out about the programme through their social media and word of mouth, with parents recommending sessions to friends and other families. Page 68 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 27 PUBLIC Active Communities sent flyers to schools in the Gallowhill area and invited partner organisations to send information to their group members. They also created a colourful flyer to give to parents and distributed these around the flats, community centre and some local shops. Half of the organisations had received referrals and these mainly came from their links with local nurseries and schools, statutory services such as health visitors and Social Work and Page 69 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 28 PUBLIC the Whole Family Wellbeing team. Other referrals came from Engage Renfrewshire, Barnardos, Renfrewshire Wellbeing Network and other third sector organisations. How successful were the activity sessions? The continued popularity of the Summer of Fun programme is evident from the fact that demand significantly exceeded expectations and many organisations were oversubscribed quickly and were unable to offer places to everyone. The diversity of activities across the programme meant that all organisations had consistently good attendance throughout the summer. Being able to offer free, structured, engaging activities aimed at different ages, and often including day trips to places of interest, resulted in a successful programme. The removal of financial barriers to participation, and the welcoming and inclusive nature of activities created a more accessible programme for families that may typically feel excluded. For the STAR Project it resulted in a “stigma-free approach where it was not evident who had paid for a trip and who had received a free place.” The wider marketing of the Summer of Fun brand also created credibility which encouraged people to attend. Children enjoying football at St Mirren Page 70 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 29 PUBLIC The programme worked well because it was free for families to attend, which removed financial barriers and meant everyone could take part regardless of circumstances. Offering a mix of activities such as cinema trips, soft play, and arts & crafts gave children plenty of choice and kept them engaged. Providing food alongside the activities worked particularly well, as it helped ease pressure on families during the holidays and made the days feel like a complete experience. Parents appreciated the chance to spend quality time with their children, while children enjoyed trying new things, making friends, and having fun in a safe and supportive environment. Stronger Communities Glenburn Organisations felt that the local focus enabled them to tailor activities to the real needs of the community and the absence of eligibility checks allowed them to support families with dignity and ensure that there was no stigma attached to participation. Active Communities noticed that people in Gallowhill were “excited that they had something to look forward to in their own area” and that activities helped to bring people together who may not have known each other, helping to reduce isolation and loneliness. They also encouraged participants to engage with local organisations for support. Home-Start Renfrewshire and Inverclyde offered families a choice of location for their Park Days, holding sessions across Paisley including Barshaw, Brodie and Maxwellton Parks, as well as Robertson Park in Renfrew. They also offered families flexibility through providing Outdoor games and learning to drum with STAR Project Page 71 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 30 PUBLIC morning and afternoon sessions and found that volunteers were invaluable in helping to run activities and provide additional support to families. For the summer trip to Heads of Ayr Farm Park we provided flexibility for travel to meet individual needs. For one family with two children with ASN, using their own car provided control over arrival and departure times and reduced overstimulation. Conversely, another ASN family found the coach most suitable, as the additional pairs of hands on board provided valuable support with their other children. This demonstrates that a flexible approach enables families to choose what works best for them. Home-Start Renfrewshire and Inverclyde CREATE Paisley found that using outdoor spaces provided a nice change of scene for creative activities. They had a very busy programme which stretched their staff and in future they would seek to bring in additional staffing support or reduce the amount of activity slightly. They commented that widening out the age range for the trips and outdoor activities allowed them to accommodate younger siblings which worked well and using volunteers to support sessions “worked brilliantly, providing peer support and mentoring, as well as meaningful experience for the young volunteers themselves.” Paisley St George’s Church divided children into different age groups which allowed leaders and children to get to know one another and to tailor activities to suit their needs. This was important given that children from diverse backgrounds with different needs from 10 different primary schools attended the programme. “From the children’s perspective, they got to know the leaders who were primarily assigned to them and were able to form new friendships with other children in their groupThe consistency of groups allowed the leaders who were assigned to each group to better understand the individual personalities and needs of each child in their group.” Paisley St George’s Church Just Dive In discovered that managing bookings, cancellations, and reschedules became time-consuming due to the high volume of interest and would put a dedicated admin resource or online booking system in place. They would also like to create options for families to sustain the benefits beyond summer, for example, through subsidised term-time swim lessons, ongoing mermaid/snorkel sessions, or family water safety training. The programme has also highlighted the need for dedicated small-group or ASN-only slots for families with children who require one-to-one support. Page 72 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 31 PUBLIC The learning from this year has helped shape how we will structure both our next summer programme and our year-round delivery to better support the most vulnerable families in our community. Just Dive In 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 session was 13 adults and 39 children (from 19 project responses). Not all projects had adults participating and in some cases, the adults were volunteers. Some projects had much higher attendance, such as STAR Project (78 children per session) and Paisley St George’s (60 children per session). Sessions which attracted the most children were activities for toddlers, football camp and day trips. Home-Start Renfrewshire and Inverclyde’s Park Days were attended by a total of 31 families, comprising 82 individual family members, while their co-designed trip to Heads of Ayr Farm Park attracted 45 families (131 parents/carers and children) and 10 volunteers. Thorn Athletic Community Trust delivered 3 weeks of community football camps to over 100 children. Not all projects ran for a full six weeks but an estimated figure from 19 project responses suggests that around 726 adults and 2,233 children benefited from Summer of Fun activities. The aim of the small grants programme overall was to provide a range of activities that would be accessible to low-income families across Renfrewshire, in particular supporting families in the six child poverty priority groups, who are at higher risk of living on a low- Cooling down with a lollipop at Thorn Athletic Community Trust Page 73 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 32 PUBLIC income as well as Care Experienced young people. All 19 small grants funded projects that provided feedback responded that they had managed to reach these families through their activities. Just over a fifth of projects (21%) were able to reach families in all of the child poverty priority groups and those with care experience, whilst 89% of projects were able to reach families in four or more of the six child poverty priority groups. Over a third of projects (37%) managed to reach six of the seven priority groups. Projects were most successful at reaching the following families: • lone parents (100%) • families with three or more children (95%) • families where someone in the house has a disability (95%) • black and minority ethnic families (84%) • families where parents are under the age of 25 (68%) Over half (58%) of organisations managed to reach families with a child aged under one year old and 53% of organisations also reached care experienced children and young people. Who attended your Summer of Fun project? Number of projects % Lone Parents 19 100 Families with 3 or more children 18 95 Families where someone in the house has a disability 18 95 Black and minority ethnic families 16 84 Families where parents are under the age of 25 13 68 Families with a child aged under one year old 11 58 Care experienced children and young people 10 53 When asked how they were able to reach these families, whilst half of the organisations received referrals, just over half responded that families were already known to them through being regularly involved with their other services. Referrals from statutory organisations came via Renfrewshire Council’s Social Work team, Whole Family Wellbeing team as well as schools and nurseries, health visitors and Engage Renfrewshire. Third sector referrals were through Barnardos, STAR Project, Renfrewshire Young Carers and other local voluntary organsiations. Page 74 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 33 PUBLIC Many of the young people we already engage with live in the top 20% of areas with multiple deprivations (SIMD Index). We have well established links with local schools, and community partners, and shared information on our social media and with our partners to help us publicise the activities. CREATE Paisley Working with trusted referral partners who had existing relationships with families living in poverty helped organisations to identify families that would benefit most from the programme. For Home-Start Renfrewshire and Inverclyde it was important to ensure that low income families were targeted in an inclusive and respectful way by sharing information about the free activities and snacks with all of the families they work with. The STAR Project liaised with partner organisations to identify family groups who would not ordinarily access STAR’s services but who would benefit from gaining access to free trips. They also promote the summer programme at events, such as Wellbeing in the Park and World Labyrinth Day to ensure that new families are made aware of their service. When we released our Summer Programme and asked families to sign up for trips, we met with each family to discern who would benefit from being offered free places. Three families, who were identified as being particularly vulnerable to struggling financially over the summer period were offered more than one trip for free (they were each offered 2). STAR Project Active Communities hold a weekly Soup and Social on Fridays and used this opportunity to discuss the Summer of Fun programme with attendees. Just Dive In wanted to ensure that there were no barriers to attending so they provided non-digital booking options and simple sign-up processes. They also promoted the programme through community hubs, libraries, and word of mouth, ensuring that families who were digitally excluded or disengaged from mainstream services received information about the programme. We were intentional in removing stigma around accessing free or funded places. Our messaging focused on inclusion, wellbeing, and fun — not hardship — which helped families feel welcome and dignified in accessing support.This values-led approach allowed families to participate without shame, and many expressed gratitude that the offer “felt like a treat, not a handout.” Just Dive In Page 75 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 34 PUBLIC Feedback from families and young people themselves has also confirmed that the programme has benefited those who needed it most. What difference did the small grants programme make? Feedback from organisations about the impact of the programme was overwhelmingly positive. All the organisations agreed that there were several benefits for families who attended activities. They highlighted the opportunity for low-income families to access fun activities that were open to everyone and where their children could participate in organised activities, socialise and make new friends in a safe environment. All organisations reported that the programme had helped to reduce financial costs for families. Most respondents also agreed that the programme had encouraged new people to engage with the project (95% of respondents). Other perceived benefits were providing access to information and advice (79% each) and helping people to learn about a new service in their local area (79%). Having fun on a day out with Paisley St George’s Church Page 76 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 35 PUBLIC Benefit to people attending activities Number of responses % Providing fun activities that low-income families could access 19 100 Reducing financial costs for families 19 100 Encouraging new people to engage with the project / organisation 18 95 Providing access to information / advice 15 79 Helping people to learn about a new service in their local area 15 79 Almost a third of organisations highlighted other benefits of the programme. Just Dive had feedback from parents and carers that sessions gave them “a rare opportunity to relax, socialise, or bond with their children in a supportive, non-judgemental space”, reducing social isolation and carer burnout. CREATE Paisley observed benefits in providing opportunities for children and young people across Renfrewshire to learn new skills, meet new people in their community and go to new places they may not have otherwise had access to. Home-Start Renfrewshire and Inverclyde saw benefits in providing new and fun experiences for families to enjoy together across generations, while Renfrewshire Rainbow Buddies felt that the programme supported the transition into primary school for young people who were anxious about starting school. Organisations highlighted the importance of the Summer of Fun grants, without which they would not be able to provide free activites to local children, young people and families throughout the summer. It was clear from the feedback that organisations enjoy being part of the programme and undoubtedly see the positive impact it has on participating families. The funding allowed Cherrie Children’s Daycare, run by Moorpark Community Association, to offer much more than they would normally and to have staff in place to support the children and families using their service. Page 77 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 36 PUBLIC For some families, it was the only structured activity that they could afford over the holidays. Brick Lane Music Academy reported that without the funding many families who benefited would not normally have been able to afford such activities for their children. Both Renfrewshire Women’s Aid, Stronger Communities Glenburn and Home-Start Renfrewshire and Inverclyde commented on the lasting memories created for children and their parents/carers. The support created opportunities for the children and families we work with to enjoy activities they otherwise would not have been able to afford or experience. Every outing was met with wonderful feedback, and it truly made a positive difference to the families’ summer, helping them make cherished memories that will last far beyond the holidays. Renfrewshire Women’s Aid The Summer of Fun programme provided opportunities to have fun and children enjoyed making new friends, visiting new places and trying new experiences. Just Dive In combined fun with learning new skills, such as snorkelling and mermaid swimming and introduced water safety and confidence in a way that didn’t feel like learning. Ralston Out of School Care took children for swimming sessions which helped to keep them active during the holidays. They also provided a day trip to Millport and for some of the children this was a very exciting experience as they had never been to the beach before. Home-Start visit to St Mirren football stadium Page 78 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 37 PUBLIC However, there is also feedback to suggest that as well as providing accessible and affordable activities, the programme also helped to create connections, reduce social isolation, with families often supporting each other. By helping to alleviate financial pressure and offering respite to parents and guardians, the programme also supported improvements in mental wellbeing. The programme not only provided fun and connection but also strengthened relationships between families, volunteers and staff. It helped reduce isolation, supported mental wellbeing. Home-Start Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Fantastic opportunity for charities and community groups to be able to facilitate such activities. It makes a huge difference to be able to make offers like this free to all. It removes any stigma and helps to attract harder to reach people who may feel like they have barriers to creative access. It also helps to spread good awareness about what we are providing locally. It’s nice to know that you are part of a wider Renfrewshire collective providing free summer activities. There are plenty of other ‘high cost’ activities out there for people who can afford it. Erskine Arts In some cases the benefits of participating in the programme have lasted beyond the summer, with STAR Project noticing that some families that bonded during trips have continued these connections, with new friendships developing between people who had never met before. Page 79 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 38 PUBLIC CREATE Paisley also found that the programme encouraged families to sustain their involvement once the summer activities came to an end. The Family Club was a new initiative for us and worked really well. We offered toast, teas and coffees and a space for parents/guardians to connect. We found this group was just as important for parents/guardians as it was for the young people and we were thrilled with the warm feedback from all participants. All the families were keen to join the new Family Zone group (funded by Local Partnership funding) after the holidays. Paisley St George’s Church reported that the programme offered benefits for the wider community in providing a valuable opportunity to engage volunteers of all ages. They were very motivated by the opportunity to contribute and have such a positive impact on children in our community. The importance of volunteers in delivering these types of activities free of charge for children who may not otherwise have these experiences, cannot be overstated. Outdoor crafts with Brick Lane Music Academy and fun with musical instruments at Gallowhill Community Centre Page 80 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 39 PUBLIC Suggested improvements to the small grants programme There are always ways in which we can improve upon our design, development and delivery of the summer programme. Similarly to last year, the most common comments from projects related to additional funding and having funding decisions made earlier. Organisations were positive about communication with council officers, however the timescales between being awarded funding and delivering the programme of activities was raised again as an issue. Several organisations suggested that earlier confirmation of funding would have given them more time to plan and advertise activities, to get venues booked. Having funding decisions made as early as possible would also enable organisations to liaise with partner organisations, including schools, nurseries and health visitors to maximise the impact of the programme for families that would benefit most. The funding announcement came in the final week of the school term which meant that our programme had to be ready in a very tight timescale and couldn’t be marketed as widely as we would have hoped so this could be looked at for future. Active Communities Additional funding would help organisations to expand their activities, offer a wider range of activities or offer free spaces to more families. The demand for activities often exceeded what organisations were able to supply, evidenced by how quickly sessions were booked up. Most of the organisations would like to offer more sessions but need more funding to do this due to increasing costs for staff and overheads and are concerned that they may have to scale back provision in future. Day trips were particularly popular, however the cost of bus hire limits the number of families that these can be offered to. The STAR Project supplemented their funding award with their own resources, volunteer contributions, and in-kind donations to ensure that activities still went ahead. The funding was very positive and allowed us to provide free, accessible activities for families who really benefited from them. One area for improvement could be to provide the funding decisions earlier, which would give more time for planning and promotion. Having the option for slightly increased or more flexible funding would also help us reach more families and offer a wider variety of activities. Overall, the support was very valuable and much appreciated. Stronger Communities Glenburn Page 81 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 40 PUBLIC One organisation suggested that funding transport costs would allow them to support families with mobility issues and thereby prevent exclusion of these families from participating in the summer programme. A small number of families from more remote parts of Renfrewshire or those without transport struggled to attend. Exploring funding for travel support or outreach delivery could increase reach and inclusion. Just Dive In Another suggestion was to improve promotion of the programme to ensure that those who are digitally excluded or new to the community can easily discover what activities are available, for example, providing information about the programme in multi-language posters. 5. Conclusions The Summer of Fun programme aimed to deliver free, fun activities over the summer holidays for communities that might be underserved by mainstream activities, and particularly low-income families. Feedback suggests that the programme was able to reach these families, particularly those who are in the child poverty priority groups. The majority of families that attended the holiday camps were lone parents, while over a third of families had 3 or more children. Feedback from the small grants funded projects showed that they had also managed to reach families in all child poverty priority groups through their activities. The ASN playscheme supported children who have complex needs, and free transport for this provision was welcomed by families. The Promise Champs activities supported those who are care experienced, to develop new skills and build friendships. While we don’t have exact figures, we estimate that around 9,000 people, mainly children but also their families benefitted from the programme that provided a range of benefits for children and their parents/carers including: • providing accessible, free and fun activities that low-income families could access • helping to reduce financial costs for families • providing a safe environment for children and young people to socialise and learn new skills • having a positive impact on parents and children’s mental health through creating connections and offering respite • encouraging new people to engage with services Page 82 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 41 PUBLIC It also provided access to food, activities and advice, providing support in a dignified manner which reduced the potential for stigma. Whilst the summer camps and ASN provision were successful in benefiting children and young people from low income families, feedback indicated that some families did not turn up due to alternative plans or illness, and spaces were left usused. Although prior to this year’s programme we had worked with the Fairer Renfrewshire Lived Experience panel to try and reduce the number of ‘no shows’ there is still some work to be done in this area to maximise attendance and ensure families benefit from the provision. Whilst the Community Programme was successful in helping to meet demand from local families for inclusive, affordable summer activities, it is important to take into account feedback from organisations that could improve a future programme. Earlier confirmation of funding would give organisations more time to plan and promote activities, and to liaise with partner organisations to maximise the impact of the programme for families. Renfrewshire Council’s programme of inclusive, accessible summer activities has become an important and eagerly anticipated part of summer, evidenced by the demand for activities and the feedback from organisations, parents and children. Additional funding across the programme would increase capacity to meet demand and allow a wider range of activities, benefitting more families and maximising the positive impacts that this programme brings. Page 83 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 42 PUBLIC Building confidence in the water with Just Dive In Page 84 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 43 PUBLIC 6. Appendix 1 – Organisations which received Summer of Fun small grants Active Communities Brick Lane Music Academy CREATE Paisley Erskine Arts Home-Start Renfrewshire and Inverclyde Johnstone Castle Learning Centre Just Dive in CIC KLAS Care CIC Moorpark Community Association Cherrie Children’s Daycare Paisley St George’s Church of Scotland Ralston Out of School Care Renfrewshire Rainbow Buddies Renfrewshire Women’s Aid STAR Project St Mirren FC Charitable Trust Stronger Communities Glenburn The Art Department Thorn Athletic Community Trust Twist and Hit Cheerleaders One Ren Libraries Page 85 of 86
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Summer of Fun 2025 Evaluation Report 44 PUBLIC to all of the organisations who provided feedback, quotes, photographs and video links for this report Chief Executive’s Service Renfrewshire Council Renfrewshire House Cotton Street Paisley PA1 1BR Page 86 of 86