Agenda Document Pack - Clydesdale Area Committee - 12/10/2022
South Lanarkshire Council · 12 October 2022
Back to Clydesdale Area Committee — 12 October 2022 and its agenda
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Council Offices, Almada Street Hamilton, ML3 0AA Tuesday, 04 October 2022 Dear Councillor Clydesdale Area Committee The Members listed below are requested to attend a meeting of the above Committee to be held as follows:- Date: Wednesday, 12 October 2022 Time: 14:00 Venue: Hybrid - Council Chamber, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton, ML3 0AA The business to be considered at the meeting is listed overleaf. Yours sincerely Cleland Sneddon Chief Executive Members Catherine McClymont (Chair), Ross Gowland (Depute Chair), Alex Allison, Ralph Barker, Poppy Corbett, Lynsey Hamilton, Mark Horsham, Ross Lambie, Richard Lockhart, Eileen Logan, Julia Marrs, Ian McAllan, David Shearer 1
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BUSINESS 1 Declaration of Interests 2 Minutes of Previous Meeting Minutes of the meeting of the Clydesdale Area Committee held on 17 August 2022 submitted for approval as a correct record. (Copy attached) 3 - 6 Item(s) for Noting 3 Common Good Update Report dated 27 September 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 7 - 14 4 Education Resources - Participatory Budgeting - Pupil Equity Funding Report dated 28 September 2022 by the Executive Director (Education Resources). (Copy attached) 15 - 22 5 Update on Household Waste and Recycling Centre (HWRC) Booking System - Carluke Pilot Report dated 28 September 2022 by the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources). (Copy attached) 23 - 26 Item(s) for Decision 6 Community Grant Applications Report dated 26 September 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 27 - 32 Urgent Business 7 Urgent Business Any other items of business which the Chair decides are urgent. For further information, please contact:- Clerk Name: Carol Lyon Clerk Telephone: 07385 370065 Clerk Email: carol.lyon@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 2
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CLYDESDALE AREA COMMITTEE Minutes of meeting held via Confero and in the Council Chamber, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton on 17 August 2022 Chair: Councillor Catherine McClymont Councillors Present: Councillor Alex Allison, Councillor Ralph Barker, Councillor Poppy Corbett, Councillor Ross Gowland (Depute), Councillor Lynsey Hamilton, Councillor Mark Horsham, Councillor Ross Lambie, Councillor Richard Lockhart, Councillor Julia Marrs, Councillor David Shearer Councillors’ Apologies: Councillor Eileen Logan, Councillor Ian McAllan Attending: Community and Enterprise Resources G Newbigging, Area Manager; C Park, Head of Roads, Transportation and Fleet Services Finance and Corporate Resources M Gordon, Administration Assistant; T Slater, Administration Adviser; L Wyllie, Administration Assistant Also Attending: Police Scotland Chief Inspector T Gallagher and Inspector P Doyle 1 Declaration of Interests The following interest was declared:- Councillor(s) Item(s) Nature of Interest(s) Allison Community Grant Application (CL/18/22) Carnwath Agricultural Society, Carnwath Member 2 Minutes of Previous Meeting The minutes of the meeting of the Clydesdale Area Committee held on 22 June 2022 were submitted for approval as a correct record. The Committee decided: that the minutes be approved as a correct record. 3 Police Scotland Chief Inspector Gallagher and Inspector Doyle provided information on the following key priorities:- ♦ reducing violence and disorder ♦ public protection and protecting people at risk of harm ♦ tackling housebreaking and acquisitive harm ♦ reducing the harm caused by substance misuse Chief Inspector Gallagher and Inspector Doyle, having responded to members’ questions, were thanked for their informative presentation. 2 3
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The Committee decided: that the presentation be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 26 January 2021 (Paragraph 3)] 4 Participatory Budgeting – Community and Enterprise Resources - Footways A report dated 21 July 2022 by the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) was submitted on the outcome and level of engagement for the Participatory Budgeting (PB) consultation exercise to identify £2.5 million of footway projects. Following the participatory budgeting investment in carriageway and footways which had completed in 2021/2022, a second phase of investment had been agreed which would focus on the improvement of footways, making towns and villages in South Lanarkshire safer for pedestrians, supporting healthy lifestyles through physical activity, and improving the look and feel of the environment. £2.5 million ring-fenced investment in the Roads Capital Programme would support footway improvements which were part of the adopted footway network. This investment would continue the Council’s commitment to prioritise investment in roads and related infrastructure by directing additional funds to help improve the condition footways. Details of the split between geographical and operational areas on the footway network length were provided in the report. Residents were asked to vote on their preference in respect of the following themes to indicate what they wished to see delivered through this fund:- minor and residential footways main and distributor footways footways in business areas The consultation process was held from 22 April to 5 June 2022 and was promoted via the Council’s website, social media channels and third sector networks. As in previous financial years, rather than having only a single winning theme, the available funding was allocated across all themes. 60% of funding in an area was allocated to the top scoring theme, 25% to the second top theme and 15% to the third-place theme. Voting details were provided in Appendix 1 to the report. Appendices 3 to 6 set out the specific schemes and indicative sums allocated to each scheme. Those schemes had been identified using the scheme assessment criteria. This allowed officers to score potential footway schemes based on several factors, which collectively contributed towards an overall score enabling officers to prioritise the Council’s resources. This ensured that funds were targeted at those footways that were in greatest need of repair based on engineering judgement. Details of the schemes in the Clydesdale area were provided in Appendix 3 to the report. The Head of Roads, Transportation and Fleet Services responded to members’ questions on various aspects of the report. The Committee decided: that the outcome and level of engagement for the PB consultation exercise to identify £2.5 million of footway projects, as set out in the report, be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 7 September 2021 (Paragraph 4)] 4
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5 Community Grant Applications A report dated 25 July 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on applications for community grant. The Committee decided: that community grants be awarded as follows:- (a) Applicant: Carluke Men’s Shed (CL/14/22) Purpose of Grant: Equipment Amount Awarded: £450 (b) Applicant: Lanarkshire Federation Scottish Women’s Institute, Carnwath (CL/15/22) Purpose of Grant: Outing Amount Awarded: £300 (c) Applicant: Biggar Kirk – Gillespie Centre, Biggar (CL/16/22) Purpose of Grant: Equipment Amount Awarded: £555 (d) Applicant: ISKCON (International Society for Krishna Consciousness) (Scotland) Limited, Lesmahagow (CL/17/22) Purpose of Grant: Eqiupment, materials, administration and publicity costs Amount Awarded: £600 (e) Applicant: Carnwath Agricultural Society, Carnwath (CL/18/22) Purpose of Grant: Equipment, administration and publicity costs Amount Awarded: £567 Councillor Allison, having declared an interest in the above application, withdrew from the meeting during its consideration 6 Urgent Business There were no items of urgent business. 5
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Clydesdale Area Committee Date of Meeting: 12 October 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Common Good Update Report 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide background information and an update on the Lanark and Biggar Common Good funds [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the background information and update on Lanark and Biggar Common Good funds, be noted. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. The Common Good is a fund of money or assets or both and is administered by a Scottish local authority in respect of each former burgh within the area of the local authority. 3.2. Common Good property is owned by the local authority although it is administered separately from other local authority assets for accounting purposes. Ownership is absolute in the strict sense that the authority holds legal title to it. However, what the authority can do with the asset is subject to a system of statutory control. This control has the potential to limit the extent to which the authority can dispose of or deal with the asset and on what terms. 3.3. The Common Good funds held within South Lanarkshire Council are Lanark, Biggar, Hamilton and Rutherglen. The Biggar Common Good Account holds cash balances only. It does not hold physical assets. The Lanark Common Good Account holds a number of properties. A proactive approach to maintenance supports the viability of these assets and reduces the risk to greater liability in the future. 3.4. The Council’s Finance and Corporate Resources (FCR) Committee, at its meeting on 2 October 2013, approved an annual cyclical maintenance plan of £15,000 for Lanark Common Good properties. The Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) has delegated authority to approve maintenance work up to the value of £15,000 for each fund. If inspections highlight requirements to undertake investment which would be beyond routine maintenance, this will be considered separately for approval and will be the subject of a report to the Finance and Corporate Resources Committee. 3 7
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3.5. This report will provide details of the management and administration of the Common Good funds (sections 4 and 5). 3.6. Accounts for the Common Good are prepared on an annual basis, as part of the Council’s year end process. The position for the year ended 31 March 2022 is detailed in section 6. 3.7. An up-to-date position, including planned maintenance and committed projects, is included in section 7 for Lanark and section 8 for Biggar. Information on consultations on Common Good assets is provided at section 9. 4. Administration of Common Good 4.1. Finance Services administers the Common Good Account. This includes revenue monitoring, preparation of annual accounts and seeking Committee approval for expenditure to be incurred on various projects as and when they are required. 4.2. If any proposals for common good spend are considered to benefit the local community in Lanark or Biggar, and the level of funding required is feasible, then Finance Services will seek approval from the FCR Committee. 4.3. A Common Good Update report is presented to the FCR Committee at least twice a year. Specifically, a report in August/September will update Committee on the annual accounts of all Common Good Funds. 5. Role of South Lanarkshire Council’s Elected Members 5.1. Decisions on the Common Good Accounts are considered by the Council’s Finance and Corporate Resources Committee. Elected Members are kept up to date with any issues affecting the Common Good and are involved in the consideration of approving spend from the Account. A report on the management of the Lanark and Biggar Common Good Accounts will be provided annually to the Clydesdale Area Committee. 6. Common Good Annual Accounts 2021/2022 6.1. Appendix 1 to the report shows the 2021/2022 unaudited accounts for the Lanark and Biggar Common Good Accounts. These form part of the Council’s Accounts that were approved at the Risk and Audit Scrutiny Committee on 22 June 2022. 6.2. The Appendix shows that as at the end of 2021/2022, the Balance Invested in South Lanarkshire Council’s Loans Fund for Lanark and Biggar is £0.215 million. This is the cash that is held by the Council on behalf of the Common Good Accounts, and which is readily available to meet expenditure. Table 1 provides the details across the two Accounts at the end of 2021/2022. Table 1 - Advances to South Lanarkshire Council Loans Fund Lanark Biggar Total £m £m £m Balance at end 2021/2022 0.191 0.024 0.215 8
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7. Lanark Common Good Fund 7.1. 2021/2022 Year-end position: The Lanark Common Good Account holds both assets and funds. As noted in section 6.2, (and Appendix 1) the balance invested in South Lanarkshire Council’s Loans Fund (cash balances available to spend) is £0.191 million and is the Lanark Common Good Account investment balance. 7.2. As well as cash balances, the Lanark Common Good Account also holds assets. These are detailed in Appendix 2. 7.3. Expenditure is incurred on the upkeep of Lanark Common Good Assets and cash balances available can be considered for spend on specific projects. Income is generated from rent of particular assets. A summary of the Income and Expenditure for 2021/2022 is shown in Table 2. Table 2 - Lanark Common Good - Income and Expenditure 2021/2022 £000 Income Rental Income from various properties 14 Total Income 14 Expenditure Property Costs 1 Repairs and Maintenance (Section 7.4) 11 Legal Expenses 9 Administration of Common Good Account 3 Payments to Other Bodies (Section 7.5) 132 Depreciation and Revaluation Losses 53 Total Expenditure 209 Net Deficit for Year (195) 7.4. The cost of Repairs and Maintenance incurred during 2021/2022 was for a repair at the Tolbooth Building (£0.011m). 7.5. The Payments to Other Bodies costs incurred during 2021/2022 was for a number of projects: the Lanark Loch Pipe repair, remaining footpath works and reconstruction of the gabion baskets at Lanark Loch (£0.088m); health and safety repairs at the Tote building at Lanark Racecourse (£0.041m); and a contribution to the Lanark Community Development Trust for the Clydesdale Horse sculpture (£0.003m). 7.6. Lanark Repairs and Maintenance Budget – Planned Maintenance 2022/2023: As noted in 3.4. an annual budget of £15,000 is available for the maintenance of Common Good properties in Lanark. For 2022/2023, £450 has been set aside for a repair to the leadwork on the flat roof at the Tolbooth. This leaves a remaining budget of £14,550. 7.7. Lanark Committed Projects: There are no projects to note. 9
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8. Biggar Common Good Fund 8.1. 2021/2022 Year-end position: The Biggar Common Good Account holds cash balances only. It does not hold any physical assets. As noted in section 6.2, (and Appendix 1), the balance invested in South Lanarkshire Council’s Loans Fund (cash balances available to spend) is £0.024 million and is the Biggar Common Good Account investment balance. 8.2. A summary of the Income and Expenditure for 2021/2022 is shown in Table 3. Table 3 - Biggar Common Good - Income and Expenditure 2021/2022 £000 Income 0 Expenditure Payments to Other Bodies 8 Total Expenditure 8 Net Deficit for Year (8) 8.3. Since there are no assets to maintain, there is little expenditure incurred by the Biggar Common Good Account. However, during 2021/2022, Biggar Common Good provided funding for lighting units on the path between Campsie’s Garage on Coulter Road and the Boghall Estate (£0.008m). This work was completed during 2021/2022. A charge for the administration of the Fund was incurred in 2021/2022 (£259). There are no assets to generate rental income, and the only income received is from the fund balance being invested by South Lanarkshire Council (£13). 8.4. Biggar Committed Projects: There are no projects to note. 9. Consultation on Common Good Assets 9.1. New Lease Arrangements: There are currently no consultations on new lease arrangements. 9.2. Change of Use: There are currently no consultations on change of use. 9.3. Lanimer Shed and Rural Development Centre at Lanark Racecourse: A report was presented to the Community and Enterprise Resources Committee on 9 August 2022 on a proposal to create a Lanimer Shed and Rural Development Centre at Lanark Racecourse. A copy of the report can be found at the following link:- Community and Enterprise Resources Committee Report 9.4. The project will be funded from the Scottish Government’s Regeneration Capital Grant Fund (RCGF) and will result in the creation of assets which would be held in the Lanark Common Good Account. 9.5. Discussions are ongoing with the potential tenants, the Lanark Lanimer Committee and Healthy Valleys. Draft lease terms have been sent out to both organisations, however, there is currently no formal legal agreement for them to take up occupancy of the buildings. 10
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9.6. Full market rent is estimated at £16,000 for the Lanimer Shed and £12,000 for the Rural Business Centre, however, both organisations are community groups and so consideration will be made to the rental being discounted by applying a concession. The rent concession would be calculated using the Council’s model used for Community Asset Transfers. 9.7. Maintenance costs, both external and internal for the Lanimer Shed and Rural Development Centre will be met by the Tenants under the terms of their leases. 9.8. If either of the properties is vacated, they would be relet on commercial terms, however, the Lanark Common Good Account would be liable for any costs associated with the vacant property. As these buildings are being built with the intention of these being leased out, a financial liability to the Common Good would only arise should these tenants leave. Therefore, at this point there should be no financial implications for the Common Good Account. 9.9. Section 104 of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 requires a local authority which is considering a disposal or change of use in respect of property held as part of the common good to publish details of the proposed disposal or change of use and to invite representations from community councils, community bodies and any other persons. 9.10. The consultation in respect of the proposal to create a Lanimer Shed and Rural Development Centre at Lanark Racecourse was published on 19 July 2022 and closed on 14 September 2022. Details of the consultation were e-mailed to members of the Finance and Corporate Resources Committee and the local members for Lanark on the 15 July 2022 and can be found at the following link:- Lanark RC Site CG Notice 10. Employee Implications 10.1. None. 11. Financial Implications 11.1. Financial details on the Lanark and Biggar Common Good Accounts are detailed in sections 6 to 8 of the report. As noted in section 9.8, there should be no financial implications arising from the proposal to create a Lanimer Shed and Rural development centre. 12. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 12.1. There are no implications for climate change, sustainability or the environment in terms of the information contained in this report. 13. Other Implications 13.1. The ongoing repairs and maintenance support the viability of Common Good assets and reduces the Council’s risk to increased liabilities in the future. 14. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 14.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy, and therefore, no impact assessment is required. 11
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14.2. There is also no requirement to undertake any consultation in terms of the information contained in this report. Paul Manning Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 27 September 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Previous References Clydesdale Area Committee - Common Good Update Report, 7 September 2021 List of Background Papers Finance and Corporate Resources Committee, 7 September 2022 Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Jackie Taylor, Head of Finance Ext: 5637 (Tel: 01698 455637) E-mail: jackie.taylor@southlanarkshire.gov.uk@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 12
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Appendix 1 2021/2022 Annual Accounts Lanark Biggar £000 £000 Income and Expenditure Accounts Income for the Year 14 - Expenditure for the Year (209) (8) Surplus / (Deficit) to the Balance Sheet (195) (8) Balance Sheet Fixed Assets Property, Plant and Equipment 1,470 - Investments Advances to South Lanarkshire Council Loans Fund 191 24 Total Assets 1,661 24 Current Liabilities Creditors (2) - Total Assets less Current Liabilities 1,659 24 Represented By: Common Good Account 1,360 32 Surplus / (Deficit) (195) (8) Amortisation of Revaluation Reserve 4 - Gain / Loss on Disposal of Fixed Assets - - 1,169 24 Revaluation Reserve Opening Balance 470 - Gain / Loss on Revaluation 24 - Amortisation of Revaluation Reserve (4) - Closing Balance 490 - Total 1,659 24 13
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Appendix 2 Lanark Common Good Assets Asset Name Address 13 Delves Road 13 Delves Road, Lanark, ML119DU 43 High Street 43 High Street, Lanark, ML117LU Castlehill Bowling Green Castlegate, Lanark, ML119EF Tolbooth High Street, Lanark, ML117EX Lanark Moor Country Park Hyndford Road, Lanark, ML119TA Lanark Race Course Hyndford Road, Lanark, ML119TA St Nicholas Church Tower High Street, Lanark, ML11 Moorpark Stadium Hyndford Road, Lanark, ML119BG Melvinhall Park Cleghorn Road, Lanark, ML11 Lanark Loch Equestrian Centre Hyndford Road, Lanark, ML11 9TA Braxfield Land And Plantation Braxfield Terrace, Lanark, MLl119BZ Castlegate Car Park North Castlegate, Lanark, ML119E Castlegate Car Park South Castlegate, Lanark, ML119D Castlehill Car Park Castlegate, Lanark, ML119EF Newmains Farm/Former Whitelees Road, Lanark, ML11 Lanark Gc Machine Sheds Whitelees Road, Lanark, ML11 7RX Smyllum Park Grazings Smyllum Crossing, Lanark, ML117RY Car Park Portland Place, Lanark, ML117L Lanark Loch Land & Plantations Whitelees Road, Lanark, ML11 7RX Springbank Farm Lanark, ML118SG Railway Solum Whitelees Road, Lanark, ML11 Newmains And Bottomlees Lanark, ML11 Tote Building Hyndford Road, Lanark, ML11 14
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Participatory Budgeting – Update for Clydesdale Area Committee September 2022 Service Area Education Lead Officer Laura Mitchell Stage 1 : Pre Consultation : • What are we asking the public for their view on (what service is it / description etc)? • How much funding are we asking about? • Who are we asking, • How are we doing this ? • When are we doing this ? • When will we report back ? Progress update since last Area Committee 21-22 PB Activity within Education Resources: A video has been developed, which highlights the work of PB within Education Resources in 21-22 - Participatory Budgeting 2021/22 Round-Up. This has been shared locally and nationally. Learning from PB activity in 21-22 has informed this year’s process. PB training was updated for 22-23 to build on the successes and challenges from year one of implementation. PB Scotland requested a press release of SLC’s PB journey – this can be found on the PB Scotland website and their Twitter feed. Lead Officers are presenting SLC’s PB journey at PB Scotland’s National Conference on 28th September. An article was also published in The View early in the new academic year – Children and young people get more say on how school budget is used - South Lanarkshire View Education Resources submitted an award application to the International Observatory on Participatory Democracy for the Best Practice Award for Citizen Participation. The application highlighted the success of PB work in schools in 21-22. The evaluation phase is currently under way. A PB section has been developed within a new Equity Hub (an online site, which will provide schools with support and resources to help them tackle the poverty-related attainment gap). The PB section provides information on PB, as well as resources and examples of good practice both locally and nationally. This PB section was launched to schools as part of 22-23 refreshed PB training with a formal launch of the whole Equity Hub planned for November 2022 at the CQIS conference. 22-23 PB Activity within Education Resources: Before the summer holidays, Head Teachers were informed PB will continue into session 22-23. They were asked to allocate a minimum of 5% of their 22-23 PEF allocation and identify a staff member to lead/facilitate this activity in their school. Schools were informed the principles and practices of PB are applicable across their full PEF allocation as per PEF National Operational Guidance. Schools were therefore encouraged to put aside more than the recommended 5% where possible. Refreshed PB training was developed and delivered to HTs and PB Leads on 18th August 2022. Head Teachers and PB Leads were briefed on the PB process and taken through a 4 15
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Power Point Presentation, which outlined expectations and timescales and the support available to them. It also drew on the learning from last session signposting resources and good practice examples from schools in 21-22. The Power Point presentation and training recording was shared with all schools there-after. Following this, Head Teachers identified the percentage of their 22-23 PEF allocation they wanted to allocate to PB for 22-23. They submitted this information to Education Resources in their 22-23 PEF Profile of Spend on 31st August. The PB Teams Page continues to facilitate the sharing of good practice across schools as well as providing live, ongoing support to PB leads. 22-23 PB Activity within Clydesdale Area: Schools within the Clydesdale area have collectively allocated £102,222.60 (approximately 7%) of their £1,435,165 PEF Allocation for participatory budgeting (PB). Appendix 1 shows a breakdown of this for each of the learning communities. Appendix 2 summarises the percentage of PEF allocation that schools have allocated for participatory budgeting – 74% of schools have allocated the minimum 5% of their PEF budget, whilst 26% of schools have allocated more than this. This session 10 schools have allocated a larger % of their PEF allocation to PB than in 21-22. Only 3 schools in the area allocated less percentage than in 21-22. Last year schools received an additional 15% uplift to their PEF allocation from the Scottish Government to support recovery post-covid. This session PEF allocations are more in-line with pre-uplift levels, and this along-with increasing staff costs have been contributory factors for the schools who have allocated less than in 21- 22. A further school-by-school breakdown is outlined in Appendix 3. PB Stakeholder groups (comprising of pupils, parents and staff) are currently leading the PB process in their schools. The outcome for each school will be reported to Education Resources via a Google form by 7th October 2022. Information on the outcome of the process will be shared at future area committee meetings. Stage 2 : Post Consultation • The outcome of the PB activity • What happens next ? • Further reporting requirements (eg required Committee approval) Following the voting, Education Resources will provide Area Committees with the following: - Summary Report of each school’s PB outcome (available late October/early November) and Local Authority and Area analysis report of this - Case studies of school activity, which has had particular impact/success (ongoing throughout the year) - Detailed Local Authority Financial Report of how PEF money allocated for PB has been spent (May/June 2023) Education Resources will support schools with implementation of this and monitor and track the impact of this activity. Findings will inform any future PB activity within Education Resources. Regular PB Updates and the highlighting of good practice will be communicated to schools via the Equity Hub and through our @SLCEquity Twitter handle. 16
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Clydesdale Area Committee Date of Meeting: 12 October 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) Subject: Update on Household Waste and Recycling Centre (HWRC) Booking System - Carluke Pilot 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide members with an update on the implementation of the on-line booking system which was introduced on a pilot basis at Carluke Household Waste and Recycling Centre (HWRC) on 21 February 2022 [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the evaluation of the pilot of the on-line booking system at Carluke HWRC be noted. [1s] 3. Background 3.1. In order to manage the number of visitors using Carluke HWRC, especially during peak times, the Council decided to introduce a booking system on a pilot basis. The aims of the pilot were to: reduce waiting times for residents; prevent queues of traffic on the access road to the site (long queues were impacting on businesses located within Castlehill Industrial Estate); reduce incidences of verbal and physical abuse being experienced by site staff; prevent residents from other local authorities using the site; and reduce ‘trader abuse’. 3.2. The booking system went live on Monday 21 February 2022. Waste Services worked with Corporate Communications to devise a communications plan to promote the booking system to local residents four weeks in advance of the go-live date. Residents who arrived at the site without a booking were allowed access for a period after the system went live. This ‘grace period’ ended on 31 March 2022. 4. Evaluation of the pilot 4.1. Between 21 February and 4 August 2022 residents in South Lanarkshire made over 27,000 booking requests for Carluke HWRC. Almost 96% of the bookings have been ‘self-service’ i.e., made by the resident (or a representative) using the on-line booking form. The remainder (1,091) were made on behalf of the resident by the Council’s Customer Contact Centre. The breakdown of booking requests is as follows:- Completed bookings 24,082 (89%) No Shows 2,143 (8%) Cancelled by Resident 803 (3%) 5 23
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4.2. The table below gives a breakdown of where visitors who use the site reside. The information in the table is based on address details given by the resident in the booking form. 4.3. The chart below shows that the most popular day to visit the site is Monday, followed by Sunday. The fewest number of bookings are received on Thursdays. 4.4. The chart below shows that the most popular time to visit is between 1.00pm – 2.00pm and the least popular time is between 7.00pm – 8.00pm. Area No. of Booking Requests % Biggar 1484 5.5% Carluke 16540 61.1% Lanark 8883 32.8% Larkhall 44 0.2% West Linton (Dolphinton) 46 0.2% Forth 16 0.1% Other 38 0.1% TOTAL 27051 100% 24
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4.5. Residents who use the booking system are invited to participate in customer satisfaction surveys. Corporate Resources collate the responses received on behalf of Waste Services. The table below summarises the responses received to date. 4.6. Since the start of the pilot, Waste Services have received a total of 13 complaints about the booking system from site users. A summary of the complaints received can be found in the table below:- Complaint Type No of Complaints No assistance from site staff 3 Unhappy that a booking is required 2 Technical issues 2 Attitude of site staff 2 Unhappy about staff questioning origin of the waste being brought on to the site 2 5. Proposal and Next Steps 5.1. Given the positive evaluation results it is proposed to continue with on-line booking system at Carluke HWRC. The service will also now consider introducing the booking system initially on a pilot basis, at the Council’s other HWRCs. These sites are currently operated on behalf of the Council by a third party and as such any decision to introduce a booking system would require consultation with contractor. Proposals for the system at Carluke and further expansion across all HWRCs will be presented to a future meeting of the Community and Enterprise Resources Committee for consideration. 6. Employee Implications 6.1. The introduction of the booking system has seen a reduction in the number of incidences of verbal and physical from members of the public towards the site employees. The continued use of the booking system is supported by the Trade Unions. 7. Financial Implications 7.1. The cost of maintaining on-line booking system is £5,000 per annum and will be met from existing Waste revenue budget. Month Booking Systems Ease of Use Booking Slots Availability Personal Experience of HWRC March 97% satisfactory or above 95% satisfactory or above 89% satisfactory or above April 91% satisfactory or above 95% satisfactory or above 81% satisfactory or above May 93% satisfactory or above 98% satisfactory or above 87% satisfactory or above June 85% satisfactory or above 98% satisfactory or above 91% satisfactory or above July 96% satisfactory or above 99% satisfactory or above 84% satisfactory or above 25
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8. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 8.1. The booking system has improved turnaround times at the site and reduced the queue times . Anecdotally, this has reduced the amount of engine idling on the access road. 8.2. The booking system confirmation e-mail advises site users of the separate recyclable/non-recyclable waste streams for the waste they are depositing on site, which helps to reduce the amount of waste deposited in residual waste skips. 9. Other Implications 9.1. Shorter queues at the site have benefited members of the public and local businesses. 9.2. The on-line booking system has successfully supported the Council’s channel shift agenda with more than 96% of bookings being made online. 9.3. The on-line booking system has contributed to a reduction in the incidences of abuse at the site. 10. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 10.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy and therefore no impact assessment is required. David Booth Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) 28 September 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Caring, connected sustainable communities We will work towards a sustainable future in sustainable places Focused on people and their needs Previous References Clydesdale Area Committee, 16 November 2021 List of Background Papers None Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Kirsty McGuire, Waste Services Manager Tel: 01698 717748 E-mail: Kirsty.McGuire@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 26
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Clydesdale Area Committee Date of Meeting: 12 October 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Community Grant Applications 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] request approval for the allocation of community grants to 11 community groups in the Clydesdale Area Committee area from the 2022/2023 community grant budget 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that community grants be awarded as follows:- (a) Applicant: Lanark Agricultural Discussion Society, Lanark (CL/19/22) Purpose of Grant: Outing Identified Community Benefits: Caring, connected, sustainable communitites Estimated Cost: £550 Total Eligible Grant Applied for: £300 Recommendation: £300 Amount Awarded: To be determined by the Committee (b) Applicant: Crawfordjohn Heritage Venture Trust, Biggar (CL/20/22) Purpose of Grant: Materials, administration and publicity costs Identified Community Benefits: Caring, connected, sustainable communities Estimated Cost: £310 Total Eligible Grant Applied for: £310 Recommendation: £310 Amount Awarded: To be determined by the Committee 6 27
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(c) Applicant: Crawfordjohn and Elvanfoot WRI, Crawford (CL/21/22) Purpose of Grant: Outing Identified Community Benefits: Caring, connected, sustainable communities Estimated Cost: £365 Total Eligible Grant Applied for: £365 Recommendation: £300 Amount Awarded: To be determined by the Committee (d) Applicant: Braehead Lunch and Leisure Club, Forth (CL/22/22) Purpose of Grant: Outing, entrance fees and equipment Identified Community Benefits: Caring, connected, sustainable communities Estimated Cost: £380 Total Eligible Grant Applied for: £380 Recommendation: £380 Amount Awarded: To be determined by the Committee (e) Applicant: KFM Tenants Group, Carluke (CL/23/22) Purpose of Grant: Outing and entrance fees Identified Community Benefits: Caring, connected, sustainable communities Estimated Cost: £1,090 Total Eligible Grant Applied for: £350 Recommendation: £350 Amount Awarded: To be determined by the Committee (f) Applicant: Scottish Old Peoples’ Welfare Committee (Douglas Branch), Douglas, (CL/24/22) Purpose of Grant: Outing and entrance fees Identified Community Benefits: Caring, connected, sustainable communities Estimated Cost: £650 Total Eligible Grant Applied for: £350 Recommendation: £350 Amount Awarded: To be determined by the Committee (g) Applicant: Coulter WRI, Coulter (CL/25/22) Purpose of Grant: Outing Identified Community Benefits: Caring, connected, sustainable communities Estimated Cost: £400 Total Eligible Grant Applied for: £300 Recommendation: £300 Amount Awarded: To be determined by the Committee 28
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(h) Applicant: 1st Carstairs Girls Brgade, Carstairs (CL/26/22) Purpose of Grant: Outing and entrance fees Identified Community Benefits: Caring, connected, sustainable communities Estimated Cost: £1,480 Total Eligible Grant Applied for: £1,000 Recommendation: £350 Amount Awarded: To be determined by the Committee (i) Applicant: Carmichael Babies and Toddlers, Carmichael (CL/27/22) Purpose of Grant: Entrance fees Identified Community Benefits: Caring, connected, sustainable communities Estimated Cost: £325 Total Eligible Grant Applied for: £325 Recommendation: £325 Amount Awarded: To be determined by the Committee (j) Applicant: Crossford, Hazelbank and District War Memorial Group, Crossford (CL/28/22) Purpose of Grant: Start-Up Costs – Equipment and materials Identified Community Benefits: Caring, connected, sustainable communities Estimated Cost: £300 Total Eligible Grant Applied for: £300 Recommendation: £300 Amount Awarded: To be determined by the Committee (k) Applicant: Coalburn Brass Band Family, Coalburn (CL/29/22) Purpose of Grant: Materials Identified Community Benefits: Caring, connected, sustainable communities Estimated Cost: £500 Total Eligible Grant Applied for: £500 Recommendation: £500 Amount Awarded: To be determined by the Committee s] 3. Background 3.1. The Council operates a community grants scheme to support local constituted community groups and voluntary organisations. All applications require to be supported by a constitution, audited accounts or annual income and expenditure accounts, a bank statement, and confirmation that the group/organisation will adhere to the conditions of the grant award. Applications are invited continually throughout the year. 3.2. The main aims of the community grants scheme are to:- fund activities and projects which bring community benefit involve people in the community by bringing them together to enjoy educational, recreational, leisure and other community activities or to improve the local environment 29
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3.3. Support can be provided for a range of activities including administration and publicity costs, purchase of equipment and materials, annual outings and entrance fees, start-up costs and special events. 4. Employee Implications 4.1. None. 5. Financial Implications 5.1. The current position of the community for the Clydesdale Area Committtee area in 2022/2023 is as follows:- Total allocation for Community Grants £25,750 Grants previously allocated £7,592 Community grants allocated in this report £3,765 Remaining balance £14,393 6. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 6.1. There are no implications for climate change, sustainability or the environment in terms of the information contained in this report. 7. Other Implications 7.1. The risk to the Council is that grant funding is not utilised for the purpose of which it was intended. This risk is mitigated by internal controls including audit procedures and conditions of grant agreement. 8. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 8.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy and therefore no impact assessment is required. 8.2. All the necessary consultation with the community groups has taken place. Paul Manning Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 26 September 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes ♦ Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent. Work with communities and partners to promote high quality, thriving and sustainable communities Previous References ♦ Clydesdale Area Committee – 17 August 2022 List of Background Papers Individual application forms 30
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Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Jennifer Hilston, Clerical Assistant Ext: 4822 (Tel: 01698 454822) E-mail: jennifer.hilston@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 31
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