Agenda Document Pack - Community and Enterprise Resources Committee - 13/12/2022
South Lanarkshire Council · 13 December 2022
Back to Community and Enterprise Resources Committee — 13 December 2022 and its agenda
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Council Offices, Almada Street Hamilton, ML3 0AA Monday, 05 December 2022 Dear Councillor Community and Enterprise Resources Committee The Members listed below are requested to attend a meeting of the above Committee to be held as follows:- Date: Tuesday, 13 December 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 Robert Brown (Chair), Maureen Devlin (Depute Chair), Joe Fagan (ex officio), John Anderson, Ralph Barker, Walter Brogan, Andy Carmichael, Maureen Chalmers, Gerry Convery, Poppy Corbett, Andrea Cowan, Margaret Cowie, Colin Dewar, Gladys Ferguson-Miller, Ross Gowland, Graeme Horne, Cal Johnston-Dempsey, Martin Lennon, Richard Lockhart, Hugh Macdonald, Ian McAllan, Kenny McCreary, Davie McLachlan, Carol Nugent, Helen Toner, David Watson Substitutes Alex Allison, Ross Clark, Margaret Cooper, Allan Falconer, Alistair Fulton, Lynsey Hamilton, Ross Lambie, Lesley McDonald, Elaine McDougall, Mark McGeever, Richard Nelson, Graham Scott, David Shearer 1
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BUSINESS 1 Declaration of Interests 2 Minutes of Previous Meeting Minutes of the meeting of the Community and Enterprise Resources Committee held on 4 October 2022 submitted for approval as a correct record. (Copy attached) 5 - 14 Monitoring Item(s) 3 Community and Enterprise Resources - Revenue Budget Monitoring 2022/2023 Joint report dated 16 November 2022 by the Executive Directors (Finance and Corporate Resources) and (Community and Enterprise Resources). (Copy attached) 15 - 24 4 Community and Enterprise Resources - Capital Budget Monitoring 2022/2023 Joint report dated 23 November 2022 by the Executive Directors (Finance and Corporate Resources) and (Community and Enterprise Resources). (Copy attached) 25 - 28 5 Community and Enterprise Resources - Workforce Monitoring - August and September 2022 Joint report dated 10 November 2022 by the Executive Directors (Finance and Corporate Resources) and (Community and Enterprise Resources). (Copy attached) 29 - 36 6 Update of the Community and Enterprise Resources' Risk Register and Risk Control Plan Report dated 21 November 2022 by the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources). (Copy attached) 37 - 58 Item(s) for Decision 7 South Lanarkshire Draft Tourism Strategy Report dated 24 November 2022 by the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources). (Copy attached) 59 - 110 8 Scottish Government 5 Year Play Investment Programme Report dated 21 November 2022 by the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources). (Copy attached) 111 - 114 9 South Lanarkshire Gift Card - Update Report dated 21 November 2022 by the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources). (Copy attached) 115 - 118 Item(s) for Noting 2
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10 Roads Asset Management Plan 2022 - Update Report dated 21 November 2022 by the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources). (Copy attached) 119 - 132 11 Comfort Scheme Pilot Lanark Report dated 21 November 2022 by the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources). (Copy attached) 133 - 136 12 Community and Enterprise Resources - Notification of Contracts Awarded - 1 April to 30 September 2022 Report dated 21 November 2022 by the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources). (Copy attached) 137 - 144 Urgent Business 13 Urgent Business Any other items of business which the Chair decides are urgent. For further information, please contact:- Clerk Name: Elizabeth-Anne McGonigle Clerk Telephone: 07385 403101 Clerk Email: elizabeth-anne.mcgonigle@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 3
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COMMUNITY AND ENTERPRISE RESOURCES COMMITTEE Minutes of meeting held via Confero and in the Council Chamber, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton on 4 October 2022 Chair: Councillor Robert Brown Councillors Present: Councillor John Anderson, Councillor Ralph Barker, Councillor Walter Brogan, Councillor Andy Carmichael, Councillor Maureen Chalmers, Councillor Poppy Corbett, Councillor Andrea Cowan, Councillor Margaret Cowie, Councillor Maureen Devlin (Depute), Councillor Colin Dewar, Councillor Allan Falconer (substitute for Councillor Gerry Convery), Councillor Gladys Ferguson-Miller, Councillor Ross Gowland, Councillor Graeme Horne, Councillor Cal Johnston-Dempsey, Councillor Martin Lennon, Councillor Richard Lockhart, Councillor Hugh Macdonald, Councillor Ian McAllan, Councillor Kenny McCreary, Councillor Davie McLachlan, Councillor Carol Nugent, Councillor Helen Toner, Councillor David Watson Councillors' Apologies: Councillor Gerry Convery, Councillor Joe Fagan (ex officio) Attending: Community and Enterprise Resources D Booth, Executive Director; K Carr, Head of Facilities, Waste and Grounds Services; C Park, Head of Roads, Transportation and Fleet Services; I Ross, Project Manager; I Russell, Construction Unit Manager; G Simpson, Development Adviser Finance and Corporate Resources N Docherty, Administration Assistant; L Harvey, Finance Manager; E Maxwell, Human Resources Business Partner; E-A McGonigle, Administration Officer; L O’Hagan, Finance Manager (Strategy); M M Wilson, Legal Services Manager; L Wyllie, Administration Assistant 1 Declaration of Interests No interests were declared. 2 Minutes of Previous Meeting The minutes of the meeting of the Community and Enterprise Resources Committee held on 9 August 2022 were submitted for approval as a correct record. The Committee decided: that the minutes be approved as a correct record. 3 Community and Enterprise Resources - Revenue Budget Monitoring 2022/2023 A joint report dated 7 September 2022 by the Executive Directors (Finance and Corporate Resources) and (Community and Enterprise Resources) was submitted comparing actual expenditure at 12 August 2022 against budgeted expenditure for 2022/2023 for Community and Enterprise Resources. At 12 August 2022, there was an overspend of £0.050 million against the phased budget. Details were also provided on proposed budget virements in respect of Community and Enterprise Resources to realign budgets. 2 5
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The Finance Manager responded to a member’s question in relation to budget virements. The Committee decided: (1) that the overspend on the Community and Enterprise Resources’ revenue budget of £0.050 million as at 12 August 2022, as detailed in Appendix A of the report, be noted; and (2) that the budget virements, as detailed in appendices B to F of the report, be approved. [Reference: Minutes of 9 August 2022 (Paragraph 3)] 4 Community and Enterprise Resources - Capital Budget Monitoring 2022/2023 A joint report dated 14 September 2022 by the Executive Directors (Finance and Corporate Resources) and (Community and Enterprise Resources) was submitted advising of progress on the Community and Enterprise Resources’ Capital Programme 2022/2023 and summarising the expenditure position at 12 August 2022. The revised capital programme for 2022/2023, as agreed at the 24 August and 21 September 2022 meetings of the Executive Committee, amounted to £64.540 million, a net increase of £0.117 million and, at 12 August 2022, expenditure was £6.505 million. The Committee decided: that the Community and Enterprise Resources’ Capital Programme of £64.540 million, and expenditure to date of £6.505 million, be noted. [Reference: Minutes of the Executive Committee of 24 August 2022 (Paragraph 4) and 21 September 2022 (Paragraph 4)] 5 Community and Enterprise Resources - Workforce Monitoring – June and July 2022 A joint report dated 6 September 2022 by the Executive Directors (Finance and Corporate Resources) and (Community and Enterprise Resources) was submitted on the following employee information for Community and Enterprise Resources for the period June and July 2022:- attendance statistics occupational health statistics accident/incident statistics disciplinary hearings, grievances and Dignity at Work cases analysis of leavers and exit interviews staffing watch as at 11 June 2022 Officers responded to members’ questions on various aspects of the report. The Committee decided: that the report be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 9 August 2022 (Paragraph 6)] 6
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6 Community and Enterprise Resources’ Workforce Plan 2022 to 2025 A report dated 14 September 2022 by the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) was submitted on Community and Enterprise Resources’ Workforce Plan 2022 to 2025. The Executive Committee had agreed the Council Workforce Plan 2017 to 2020, with Resources being required to provide updates on their Workforce Plan to their respective committees. The review of Workforce Plans had been delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic and Resources had produced Plans covering the period 2022 to 2025. The Community and Enterprise Resources’ Workforce Plan 2022 to 2025, together with the Action Plan, was attached as Appendix 1 to the report. The Plan provided an overview of the services delivered by the Resource, the service demands and a workforce profile. This, together with the strategic plans and drivers, was used to identify the objectives and actions required. The key themes for workforce planning that had been identified were:- demographic of the workforce and the impact on succession planning recruitment and retention of employees in key front line and professional areas development of the current workforce to ensure skills were readily available to deliver in key strategic areas maintaining employee wellbeing and resilience The key activities identified were:- revised recruitment practices to attract and retain employees a graduate apprenticeship approach to recruitment to establish links with schools and colleges to encourage pupils and students to consider a role with the Council to establish methods to grow our own talent and future proof the workforce review of working practices and business delivery models optimise the efficiency of the existing workforce, including staff absence cover This aligned with the general common themes from all Resource Action Plans which were:-: increased demand and a reduced workforce pool which was a national issue demographic challenges, increased turnover, employees retiring earlier than expected and succession planning employee wellbeing The Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) responded to a member’s question around optimising efficiencies and processes. The Committee decided: (1) that the content of the report be noted; and (2) that the Community and Enterprise Resources’ Workforce Plan 2022 to 2025, attached as Appendix 1 to the report, be approved. [Reference: Minutes of the Executive Committee of 8 November 2017 (Paragraph 15)] 7
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7 Economic Development – Additional Officers A joint report dated 7 September 2022 by the Executive Directors (Community and Enterprise Resources) and (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted:- seeking approval to make 4 full time equivalent (FTE) existing temporary Economic Development officer posts permanent, increasing the Economic Development establishment accordingly seeking approval to make 1 FTE existing temporary post of Marketing and Events Assistant, seconded to the Supplier Development Programme (SDP), permanent The importance of the Council’s Economic Development Service had been highlighted during recent economic events, which included the delivery of the emergency response to the COVID- 19 pandemic. Furthermore, the introduction of the Community Wealth Building agenda and the National Strategy for Economic Transformation had highlighted that the Economic Development Service was fundamental to achieving the ambition of both the Council and the Scottish Government’s objective of creating a more successful country with opportunities for all to flourish through increased wellbeing and sustainable and economic growth. A new Economic Strategy and associated Action Plan had been drafted which took account of a rapidly changing economy at international, national and local levels which were increasingly influenced by a number of key economic policies and emerging funding streams at UK Government, Scottish Government and City Region level. Several temporary posts had been created to focus on economic development and recovery and, specifically, on business engagement, key sector development and inward investment. A shortage of skills and experience had led to recruitment issues and there was competition from other councils with regards to recruitment when permanent posts were being offered elsewhere. Funding was available to retain the Economic Development Officer posts and this was anticipated to continue to be the position with the emergence of Levelling Up and UK Prosperity funding through to April 2025 and beyond. Making these posts permanent would provide employment security for those on temporary contracts and assist with workforce planning for anticipated turnover, including retirements. The Supplier Development Programme (SDP) was a business support initiative, funded by public bodies, which aimed to help Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) improve their performance in winning contracts with public sector organisations. The Council had hosted the SDP since 2014 and it had grown in membership to include all 32 local authorities, the Scottish Government, over 14 government agencies, and private sector associate membership which had been introduced. Income was generated through events and Scottish Government contributions. The Marketing and Events Assistant post was responsible for assisting with the delivery of training, workshops/webinars, Meet the Buyer events and exhibitions, and also provided support to the SDP team in delivering increased social media outputs. The Scottish Government provided annual funding of £24,000 to fund the post and support delivery of the associated activities. To deliver on the objectives of the Economic Development Service, it was proposed that the following temporary posts be added to the establishment on a permanent basis, as detailed in section 5 of the report:- 4 FTE posts of Economic Development Officer on Grade 3, Level 2-8, SCP 63-80 (£33,651 to £42,830) 1 FTE post of Marketing and Events Assistant, seconded to the SDP, on Grade 2, Level 1- 4, SCP 34-57 (£22,300 to £30,749) 8
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The costs associated with the establishment of the above Economic Development Officer posts would be funded from existing strategic investment funding and Business Loans Scotland funding which was already approved through to 2024/2025, with future years expected to be funded from sources such as Levelling Up and UK Prosperity programmes. If those funds did not continue, then consideration would be made to reducing the establishment accordingly. The costs associated with the SDP staffing requirements would be met, in part, from the annual Scottish Government funding received for the Programme and the remaining costs would be managed through existing SDP funding streams in line with current practice. The Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) responded to members’ questions on various aspects of the report. The Committee decided: (1) the content of the report be noted; (2) that the 4 FTE temporary Economic Development Officer posts on Grade 3, Level 2-8 (£33,651 to £42,830) in the Economic Development establishment, as detailed in section 5 of the report, be made permanent; and (3) that that the 1 FTE temporary post of Marketing and Events Assistant on Grade 2, Level 1- 4 (£22,300 to £30,749), seconded to the Supplier Development Programme, as detailed in section 5 of the report, be made permanent. 8 Investment Fund Projects – Temporary Employees A joint report dated 15 September 2022 by the Executive Directors (Community and Enterprise Resources) and (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted:- providing an update on the staffing changes and proposals within the Waste Service to deliver the approved strategic investments in Waste Services seeking approval to temporarily increase the Waste Services’ establishment by 2.5 FTE for 23 months Most domestic properties in South Lanarkshire had been provided with means of presenting food waste separately, however, there were approximately 5,000 properties in rural areas that had not been provided with a food waste collection service due to environmental and economic reasons. Waste Services had been allocated funding for strategic investments as part of the 2022/2023 revenue budget strategy to purchase hot composters which would be provided, free of charge, to residents in rural areas who did not receive a food waste collection service. The project included the recruitment of a Waste Services Operative to deliver the composters to the rural properties. It was estimated that over 30% of properties in South Lanarkshire were flats and the majority of those had been provided with a single recycling bin for co-mingled recycling because of space restrictions. Residents with co-mingled bins could present paper, card, cardboard, plastic, cans and tins in the blue bins. The quality of material collected from co-mingled bins was generally insufficient to be recycled and, consequently, the waste had to be treated as residual waste. 9
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The proposed project would re-designate the bins to ‘paper and card’ only bins and Waste Services had been awarded £15,470 from the Climate Change Fund to develop communications to support the project. Consistency with regards to the blue bin collections across South Lanarkshire would also be achieved and, therefore, waste awareness messaging would be less confusing for residents. The second phase of the project would involve assessing those properties without recycling bins in order that a recycling service could be provided where space and accessibility allowed. The investment proposals for both projects were fully detailed at section 4 of the report. To deliver on the objectives of Waste Services, it was proposed that the following posts be added to the establishment, as detailed in section 5 of the report:- 0.5 FTE post of Waste Operative on Grade 1, Level 3, SCP 25-27 (£10,398 to £10,687) for a period of 23 months 2.0 FTE posts of Waste Service Assistant (Waste Awareness) on Grade 2, Level 1, SCP 34-35 (£22,300 to £22,665) for a period of 23 months The costs associated with the establishment of the above posts would be met from strategic investment funding of £0.682 million, approved as part of the 2022/2023 revenue budget. Funding would be allocated over this financial year and also 2023/2024 based on programme implementation. The balance of the strategic investment fund would be allocated, on a phased basis, as the projects developed and associated costs were identified. There followed a full discussion during which members asked for details on:- timescales involved for delivery of the hot composters ease of use of the hot composters the recycling rejection rate from flatted properties current contamination rates and variances at flatted properties why recycling of paper and card was being prioritised at flatted properties the Council’s opt in policy for those flatted properties which would no longer be able to recycle glass, cans, tins and plastic containers In response to a member’s suggestion for a members’ awareness session on issues around Waste Services and recycling, the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) advised that this would be developed for elected members in due course. The Committee decided: (1) that the content of the report be noted; and (2) that the additional temporary increase in the Waste Services’ establishment, as detailed in section 5 of the report, to facilitate 2 projects aimed at reducing residual waste and increasing recycling, be approved. 9 Community Benefit Funds – Renewable Energy Fund – Grant Applications A report dated 15 September 2022 by the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) was submitted on 2 applications to the various Community Benefit Funds. The Community Benefit Funds had been established to provide funding to suitable projects providing community benefit in eligible areas. 10
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It was proposed that, subject to the applicant providing written confirmation that all other additional funding for the projects had been secured, a grant of up to:- £61,066 be awarded to Sandford and Upper Avondale Community Council towards eligible costs associated with facilitating the refurbishment of Gilmourton Park from the Calder Water Windfarm Renewable Energy Fund (REF) £49,167.20 be awarded to Sandford Village Hall Trust towards eligible costs associated with facilitating the refurbishment of the village hall from the Kype Muir Windfarm REF The Committee decided: that, subject to the applicant providing written confirmation that all other additional funding for the projects had been secured, a grant be awarded of up to a maximum of:- £61,066 to Sandford and Upper Avondale Community Council towards eligible costs associated with facilitating the refurbishment of Gilmourton Park from the Calder Water Windfarm REF £49,167.20 to Sandford Village Hall Trust towards eligible costs associated with facilitating the refurbishment of the village hall from the Kype Muir Windfarm REF [Reference: Minutes of 9 August 2022 (Paragraph 9)] 10 Blantyre Town Centre Strategy Action Plan A report dated 14 September 2022 by the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) was submitted on the Blantyre Town Centre Strategy and Action Plan. Supporting town centres was a Council priority and the Council worked closely with appropriate groups and organisations through a partnership approach to achieve common goals. In developing the Blantyre Town Centre Strategy, key partners were the Blantyre Business Community and Blantyre Community Council, with a focus on town centre regeneration. Following completion of the Blantyre Town Centre Strategy consultation, officers had requested that elected members and Blantyre Community Council consider the resulting feedback. The outcomes from the consultation had broadly supported the priorities and actions that had been set out in the Strategy, but additional information was provided that had impacted the wider Community Plan. The resulting changes to the Strategy, outlined below, were set out at section 4.3 of the report:- inserting the consultation findings comments about related sites outwith the town centre sphere of influence, but that could have potential impact Following the consultation exercise, the Blantyre Town Centre Strategy and Action Plan, attached as Appendix 1 to the report, had been amended and it was proposed that the Strategy and Action Plan be approved. In addition, it was also proposed that officers from Economic Development would liaise with other Services in the Council and partner organisations to oversee the implementation of the Strategy and delivery of the Action Plan. 11
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Officers responded to members’ questions on various aspects of the report. In response to a member’s question on the role of Area Committees in monitoring progress against the action plans of the Town Centre Strategies, the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) advised that progress reports could be taken to Area Committees on a regular basis. The Committee decided: (1) that the outcome of the Blantyre Town Centre consultation be noted; (2) that Blantyre Town Centre Strategy be approved, taking account of the amendments as detailed in section 4.3 of the report; and (3) that the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) be authorised to proceed with implementation of the Strategy. [Reference: Minutes of 7 December 2021 (Paragraph 6)] 11 Community and Enterprise Resource Plan – Quarter 4 Progress Report 2021/2022 A report dated 24 August 2022 by the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) was submitted on the Community and Enterprise Resource Plan Quarter 4 Progress Report 2021/2022 for the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022. The Resource Plan measures were rated using a traffic light system of red, amber or green as well as blue (BRAG) which indicated that an action had been completed. Details were provided on:- progress against all Resource Plan measures, as detailed in the Quarter 4 Progress Report 2021/2022, attached as Appendix 2 of the report key achievements made by the Resource to date measures which had changed in status from Quarter 2 to Quarter 4, as contained in Appendix 3 of the report. Officers responded to members’ questions on various aspects of the report. The Committee decided: (1) that the Community and Enterprise Resource Plan Quarter 4 Progress Report 2021/2022, as summarised in paragraph 5.2 and attached as Appendix 2 to the report, be noted; (2) that the key achievements made by the Resource to date, as detailed in paragraph 5.3 of the report, be noted; (3) that the areas for improvement and associated management actions, as detailed in paragraph 5.4 of the report, be noted; and (4) that the additional scrutiny of changes in BRAG status between Quarter 2 and Quarter 4, as summarised at paragraph 5.5 and detailed at Appendix 3 of the report, be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 28 September 2021 (Paragraph 6)] 12
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12 Community and Enterprise Resource Plan 2022/2023 A report dated 25 August 2022 by the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) was submitted on the Community and Enterprise Resource Plan 2022/2023. Details were provided on the Resource Plan for 2022/2023, attached as Appendix 1 to the report, which outlined the:- key areas of focus for the year ahead objectives and outcomes measures and actions resourcing of the Plan The Resource had established a number of outcomes to support the delivery of the Connect priorities in 2022/2023. In line with the Council’s performance management arrangements, a mid-year progress report on actions identified in the 2022/2023 Resource Plan would be submitted to a future meeting of the Committee. The Committee decided: that the Community and Enterprise Resource Plan for 2022/2023 be noted and uploaded to the Council’s website. [Reference: Minutes of the Executive Committee of 24 August 2022 (Paragraph 8)] 13 Community and Enterprise Resources – Notification of Contracts Awarded – 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022 A report dated 16 September 2022 by the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) was submitted on contracts awarded by Community and Enterprise Resources in the period 1 October 2021 to 31 March 2022. In terms of Standing Order Nos 21.8 and 22.5 of the Standing Orders on Contracts, Resources were required to notify the relevant Committee of contracts awarded. Details of the contracts awarded by Community and Enterprise Resources were provided in the appendix to the report. Officers responded to members’ questions on various aspects of the report. The Committee decided: that the report be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 7 December 2022 (Paragraph 16)] 14 Urgent Business There were no items of urgent business. 13
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Community and Enterprise Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 13 December 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) Subject: Community and Enterprise Resources - Revenue Budget Monitoring 2022/2023 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide information on the actual expenditure measured against the revenue budget for the period 1 April to 4 November 2022 for Community and Enterprise Resources. [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- (1) that an overspend of £0.056m as at 4 November 2022 on Community and Enterprise Resources’ revenue budget, as detailed in appendix A of the report be noted. (2) that the proposed budget virements be approved. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. This is the third revenue budget monitoring report presented to the Community and Enterprise Resources Committee for the financial year 2022/2023. 3.2 The report details the financial position for Community and Enterprise Resources in appendix A and the individual services’ reports in appendices B to F. 4. Employee Implications 4.1. None 5. Financial Implications 5.1. As at 4 November 2022, there is a minor overspend of £0.056m against the phased budget. 5.2. The report details the financial position for Community and Enterprise Resources in appendix A and variance explanations for each service area are detailed in appendices B to F where appropriate. 3 15
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The minor overspend of £0.056m reflects underspends within employee costs and over recovery of Planning and Building Standards income from fees and income from waste streams and these are supporting costs within Roads, Transportation and Fleet services in relation to transport costs and charging of Electric Vehicles, prior to tariffs being introduced. 5.3. Virements are proposed to realign budgets across budget categories and with other Resources. These movements are detailed in appendices B to F of this report. 6. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 6.1. There are no implications for climate change, sustainability or environment in terms of the information contained in the report 7 Other Implications 7.1. The main risk associated with the Council’s revenue budget is that there is an overspend. There are inflationary and budget pressures including utilities and fuel (as well as general inflation pressures) this year which increase the risk of overspend, however, we have mitigated this going forward by providing additional funds in future years’ budget strategy, and in this year, through some reserve funds available There are also emerging underspends in employee costs which will help offset increasing inflationary pressures. 7.2. We will also continue to monitor the actual impact through four weekly budget monitoring meetings at which any variance is analysed. In addition, the probable outturn exercise ensures early warning for corrective action to be taken where appropriate. 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. 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) David Booth Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) 16 November 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Previous References None 16
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List of Background Papers Financial ledger and budget monitoring results to 04 November 2022. Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Louise Harvey, Finance Manager Ext: 2658 (Tel: 01698 452658) E-mail: louise.harvey@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 17
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Appendix A SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Community and Enterprise Resources: Period 7 Ended 04 November 2022 (No.8) Community and Enterprise Resources Summary Annual Budget Forecast for Year Annual Forecast Variance Budget Proportion 04/11/22 Actual 04/11/22 Variance 04/11/22 % Variance 04/11/22 Note £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 Budget Category Employee Costs 89,189 89,189 0 49,748 48,631 1,117 under 2.2% Property Costs 3,809 3,809 0 2,485 2,998 (513) over (20.6%) Supplies & Services 17,648 17,648 0 9,206 9,203 3 under 0.0% Transport & Plant 23,601 23,601 0 12,742 13,608 (866) over (6.8%) Administration Costs 816 816 0 501 552 (51) over (10.2%) Payments to Other Bodies 9,825 9,825 0 5,491 5,491 0 - 0.0% Payments to Contractors 46,506 46,506 0 21,464 21,165 299 under 1.4% Transfer Payments 603 603 0 330 330 0 - 0.0% Financing Charges 185 185 0 96 109 (13) over (13.5%) Total Controllable Exp. 192,182 192,182 0 102,063 102,087 (24) over 0.0% Total Controllable Inc. (67,888) (67,888) 0 (35,839) (35,807) (32) under recovered (0.1%) Net Controllable Exp. 124,294 124,294 0 66,224 66,280 (56) over (0.1%) Variance Explanations Detailed within Appendices B to F. Budget Virements Budget virements are shown in Appendices B to F. 18
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Appendix B SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Community and Enterprise Resources: Period Ended 04 November 2022 (No.8) Facilities, Waste and Grounds Services Annual Budget Forecast for Year Annual Forecast Variance Budget Proportion 04/11/22 Actual 04/11/22 Variance 04/11/22 % Variance 04/11/22 Note £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 Budget Category Employee Costs 55,948 55,948 0 31,350 31,053 297 under 0.9% 1,b,d,e, f Property Costs 1,756 1,756 0 988 1,044 (56) over (5.7%) 2,a,c,f, g Supplies & Services 8,539 8,539 0 4,347 4,263 84 under 1.9% 3,b,f,g Transport & Plant 8,588 8,588 0 4,865 4,911 (46) over (0.9%) b,f Administration Costs 165 165 0 76 108 (32) over (42.1%) 4,f Payments to Other Bodies 50 50 0 39 39 0 - 0.0% F Payments to Contractors 16,897 16,897 0 7,961 7,662 299 under 3.8% 5,a.b,f Transfer Payments 0 0 0 0 0 0 - n/a Financing Charges 45 45 0 28 32 (4) over (14.3%) Total Controllable Exp. 91,988 91,988 0 49,654 49,112 542 under 1.1% Total Controllable Inc. (19,728) (19,728) 0 (11,683) (11,634) (49) under recovered (0.4%) 6,f,g Net Controllable Exp. 72,260 72,260 0 37,971 37,478 493 under 1.3% Variance Explanations 1. The variance is mainly due to vacancies that are being actively recruited within School Crossing Patrollers, Catering, Cleaning and Janitors services within Facilities, and turnover and staff working on reduced hourly contracts as a result of flexible retirement throughout the service. 2. The variance is due to greater than budgeted expenditure on Health & Hygiene charges within the Janitorial service and rates charges associated with historic public conveniences, and higher than anticipated expenditure on the security and upkeep of the Castlehill Transfer station. In addition, the overspend is also due retention of the additional death facility at Peel Park. 3. The variance is due to an under spend on school meals food purchases and is offset by an under recovery in school meal income. 4. The overspend is due to a greater spend on medical costs within the service. 5. The variance is mainly due to the income received from the disposal of both fibres and containers with the Waste service. 6. The variance is due to an under recovery in school meals income, income from Horizons restaurant, hospitality and cleaning service movements, a decrease in uptake in the Care of Gardens service within Grounds partially offset by income from the provision of additional conference & banqueting services for Vaccination centre. Budget Virements a. Transfer from reserves in respect of expenditure commitments for Lammermoor retention money, repairs and renewals for Forrest Street containers, work carried out at the crematorium and laptops for Cooks in Charge. Net effect £0.162m: Property Costs £0.019m, Supplies & Services £0.062m Payment to Contractors £0.081m. b. Transfer previous investment monies to Cost of Living initiatives in respect of funding for Waste Education and organic waste collection, fly tipping and CCTV. Net effect (£0.262m): Employees (£0.067m), Supplies & Services (£0.185m), Transport & plant (£0.021m), Payment to Contractor £0.011m. c. Funding received for utilities support. Net effect £0.098m: Property Costs £0.098m. d. Transfer of budgets to support New Deal, maximising attendance resourcing and procurement savings. Net effect (£0.226m). Employee Costs (£0.224m), Property Costs (£0.002m).. e. Transfer from Education Resources for provision of additional services. Net effect £0.022m. Employee costs £0.022m f. Realign budget to reflect service delivery within Facilities, Waste and Streets & Bereavement. Net effect £0.000m: Employees £0.819m, Property (£0.108m), Supplies and Services £0.396m, Transport £0.298m, Administration (£0.008m), Payment to Other Bodies £0.010m, Payment to Contractors (£0.367m), Income (£1.040). g. Income received from Scottish Power for work carried out at Coalburn play park. Net effect £0.000m. Supplies & Services £0.183m, Income (0.183m). 19
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Appendix C SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Community and Enterprise Resources: Period Ended 04 November 2022 (No.8) Planning and Regulatory Services Annual Budget Forecast for Year Annual Forecast Variance Budget Proportion 04/11/22 Actual 04/11/22 Variance 04/11/22 % Variance 04/11/22 Note £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 Budget Category Employee Costs 7,207 7,207 0 4,077 3,808 269 under 6.6% 1,b Property Costs 148 148 0 131 130 1 under 0.8% a,d Supplies & Services 277 277 0 120 120 0 - 0.0% c,d Transport & Plant 554 554 0 477 476 1 under 0.2% d Administration Costs 146 146 0 61 62 (1) over (1.6%) d Payments to Other Bodies 255 255 0 73 73 0 - 0.0% d Payments to Contractors 1,624 1,624 0 751 751 0 - 0.0% Transfer Payments 0 0 0 0 0 0 - n/a Financing Charges 46 46 0 25 25 0 - 0.0% Total Controllable Exp. 10,257 10,257 0 5,715 5,445 270 under 4.7% Total Controllable Inc. (5,320) (5,320) 0 (3,173) (3,393) 220 over recovered 6.9% 2,d Net Controllable Exp. 4,937 4,937 0 2,542 2,052 490 under 19.3% Variance Explanations 1. The variance is mainly due to vacant posts within the services which are being recruited. 2. The over recovery in income is due to a greater demand for planning and building standards applications. Budget Virements a. Funding received for utilities support. Net effect £0.005m: Property Costs £0.005m. b. Transfer of budgets to support New Deal. Net effect (£0.110m). Employee costs (£0.110m) c. Transfer from reserves in respect of expenditure commitments for Environmental Flare system. Net effect £0.030m. Supplies & Services £0.030m. d. Realign budget to reflect service delivery within Environmental Services and Planning and Building Standards. Net effect £0.000m: Property £0.107m, Supplies and Services (£0.018m), Transport £0.428m, Administration £0.020m, Payment to Other Bodies £0.010m, Income (£0.547). 20
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Appendix D SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Community and Enterprise Resources: Period Ended 04 November 2022 (No.8) South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture Annual Budget Forecast for Year Annual Forecast Variance Budget Proportion 04/11/22 Actual 04/11/22 Variance 04/11/22 % Variance 04/11/22 Note £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 Budget Category Employee Costs 4 4 0 2 2 0 - 0.0% Property Costs 98 98 0 62 63 (1) over (1.6%) Supplies & Services 0 0 0 0 1 (1) over n/a Transport & Plant 0 0 0 0 0 0 - n/a Administration Costs 8 8 0 8 9 (1) over (12.5%) Payments to Other Bodies 80 80 0 0 0 0 - n/a Payments to Contractors 23,474 23,474 0 10,655 10,655 0 - 0.0% a,b Transfer Payments 0 0 0 0 0 0 - n/a Financing Charges 0 0 0 0 0 0 - n/a Total Controllable Exp. 23,664 23,664 0 10,727 10,730 (3) over 0.0% Total Controllable Inc. 0 0 0 0 (3) 3 over recovered n/a Net Controllable Exp. 23,664 23,664 0 10,727 10,727 0 - 0.0% Variance Explanations No variances to report. Budget Virements a. Transfer from Corporate items in respect of funding for warm welcome initiative. Net effect £3.000m: PTC £3.000m. b. Transfer previous investment monies to Cost of Living initiatives in respect of funding for Community Led Activities and Cardio equipment investments. Net effect (£0.424m): PTC (£0.424m). 21
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Appendix E SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Community and Enterprise Resources: Period Ended 04 November 2022 (No.8) Enterprise and Sustainable Development Annual Budget Forecast for Year Annual Forecast Variance Budget Proportion 04/11/22 Actual 04/11/22 Variance 04/11/22 % Variance 04/11/22 Note £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 Budget Category Employee Costs 5,115 5,115 0 2,888 2,882 6 under 0.2% 1,b, d,e Property Costs 796 796 0 534 536 (2) over (0.4%) c Supplies & Services 296 296 0 139 140 (1) over (0.7%) a Transport & Plant 47 47 0 45 44 1 under 2.2% Administration Costs 99 99 0 40 45 (5) over (12.5%) a Payments to Other Bodies 4,187 4,187 0 1,340 1,340 0 - 0.0% a,b, d Payments to Contractors 52 52 0 52 52 0 - 0.0% d Transfer Payments 0 0 0 0 0 0 - n/a Financing Charges 44 44 0 20 20 0 - 0.0% Total Controllable Exp. 10,636 10,636 0 5,058 5,059 (1) over 0.0% Total Controllable Inc. (3,838) (3,838) 0 (1,979) (1,989) 10 over recovered 0.5% d,e Net Controllable Exp. 6,798 6,798 0 3,079 3,070 9 under 0.3% Variance Explanations 1. The variance is mainly due to vacant posts within the services which are being recruited. Budget Virements a. Transfer from reserves in respect of expenditure commitments for Montrose House move to Headquarters, food strategy and climate change investments. Net effect £0.051m: Supplies and Services £0.038m, Administration £0.001m, Payment to Other Bodies £0.012m. b. Transfer previous investment monies to Cost of Living initiatives in respect of investment funding for Get South Lanarkshire Working. Net effect (£0.428m): Employees (£0.004m), Payment to Other Bodies (£0.424m). c. Funding received for utilities support. Net effect £0.002m: Property Costs £0.002m. d. Establish budget in respect of income received for East Overton Community and Sports Facilities, Strathaven CARS project, Smarter Choices Smarter Places, UK Shared Prosperity Fund, Community Led Local Development funding. Net Effect £0.000m: Employee Costs £0.102m, Payment to Other Bodies £0.486m, Payment to Contractors £0.009m, Income (£0.597m). e. Realign budget to reflect service delivery within Economic Development. Net effect £0.000m: Employees (£0.181m), Income £0.181m. 22
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Appendix F SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Community and Enterprise Resources: Period Ended 04 November 2022 (No.8) Roads, Transportation and Fleet Services Annual Budget Forecast for Year Annual Forecast Variance Budget Proportion 04/11/22 Actual 04/11/22 Variance 04/11/22 % Variance 04/11/22 Note £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 Budget Category Employee Costs 20,915 20,915 0 11,431 10,886 545 under 4.8% 1,b Property Costs 1,011 1,011 0 770 1,225 (455) over (59.1%) 2,a Supplies & Services 8,536 8,536 0 4,600 4,679 (79) over (1.7%) 3,a Transport & Plant 14,412 14,412 0 7,355 8,177 (822) over (11.2%) 4,d Administration Costs 398 398 0 316 328 (12) over (3.8%) Payments to Other Bodies 5,253 5,253 0 4,039 4,039 0 - 0.0% Payments to Contractors 4,459 4,459 0 2,045 2,045 0 - 0.0% c Transfer Payments 603 603 0 330 330 0 - 0.0% Financing Charges 50 50 0 23 32 (9) over (39.1%) Total Controllable Exp. 55,637 55,637 0 30,909 31,741 (832) over (2.7%) Total Controllable Inc. (39,002) (39,002) 0 (19,004) (18,788) (216) under recovered (1.1%) 5,d Net Controllable Exp. 16,635 16,635 0 11,905 12,953 (1,048) over (8.8%) Variance Explanations 1. The variance is due to staff turnover and vacancies within Roads and Fleet which are being recruited. 2. The overspend is in the main due to higher than anticipated electricity costs for Electrical Vehicle charging points and the upkeep of Roads depots. 3. The overspend mainly relates to increased costs for annual subscriptions for Computer Licences and PPE within Roads. 4. The overspend is mainly due to the timing of efficiencies and greater than anticipated expenditure in the workshop within Fleet services. 5. The under recovery is mainly due to the net effect of less than anticipated income from maintenance works within Roads and an under recovery in taxi inspection income partially offset by income recovered from the sale of vehicles within Fleet. Budget Virements a. Funding received for utilities support. Net effect £0.115m. Property Costs £0.045m, Supplies & Services £0.070m. b. Transfer of budgets to support maximising attendance resourcing and transfer of emergency planning to Finance & Corporate Resources. Net effect (£0.150m). Employee Costs (£0.150m). c. Transfer previous investment monies to Cost of Living initiatives in respect of community resilience funding. Net effect (£0.220m). Payment to Contractor (£0.220m) d. Realign budget to reflect service delivery within Fleet services. Net effect £0.000m: Transport £0.230m, Income (£0.230). 23
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Community and Enterprise Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 13 December 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) Subject: Community and Enterprise Resources - Capital Budget Monitoring 2022/2023 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to: [purpose] provide information on the progress of the capital programme for Community and Enterprise Resources for the period 1 April to 4 November 2022. [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation: [recs] (1) that the Community and Enterprise Resources capital programme of £48.270 million, and expenditure to date of £16.292 million, be noted. 3. Background 3.1. This is the third capital monitoring report presented to the Community and Enterprise Resources Committee for the financial year 2022/2023. Further reports will follow throughout the year. 3.2. As noted in the last report to this Committee (4 October 2022), the budget for Community and Enterprise Resources for financial year 2022/2023 was £64.540 million. 3.3. Since that meeting, the Executive Committee has agreed changes to the Community and Enterprise Resources Capital Programme totalling a net decrease of £16.270 million. The details are shown in Appendix A. This takes the Community and Enterprise Resources programme for 2022/2023 to £48.270 million. 3.4. The report details the financial position for Community and Enterprise Resources in Appendix A. 4. Employee Implications 4.1. There are no employee implications as a result of this report. 5. Financial Implications 5.1. As detailed in Section 3.3, the revised capital programme for Community and Enterprise Resources for 2022/2023 is £48.270 million. 4 25
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5.2. Period 8 Position Anticipated spend to date was £15.906 million and spend to 4 November 2022 amounts to £16.292 million, an overspend of £0.386 million. This mainly reflects the timing of spend on the new Jackton Primary School project within the Glasgow City Region City Deal Programme and a number of projects within the Place Based Investment Programme. 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 main risk associated with the Council’s Capital Programme is that there is an overspend. The Council continues to experience material shortages, longer lead times and extraordinary inflationary price increases and it is anticipated that this will continue to impact the supply chain for the foreseeable future. The impact of this will continue to be monitored through the four weekly investment management meetings. Further updates will be reported in the coming months with any significant increases in contract values being brought to members’ attention. 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. There was also no requirement to undertake any consultation in terms of the information contained in this report. Paul Manning Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) David Booth Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) 23 November 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Previous References Community and Enterprise Resources Committee, 4 October 2022 Executive Committee, 2 November 2022 Executive Committee, 30 November 2022 List of Background Papers Financial ledger to 4 November 2022 Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact: Lorraine O’Hagan, Finance Manager (Strategy) Ext: 2601 (Tel: 01698 452601) E-mail: lorraine.o’hagan@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 26
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Appendix A South Lanarkshire Council Capital Expenditure 2022-2023 Community and Enterprise Resources For Period 1 April 2022 – 4 November 2022 Community and Enterprise Resources Base Budget £000 Budget Adjustments £000 Slippage £000 Total Budget £000 Budget to Date £000 Actual Expenditure £000 Facilities, Waste and Grounds 1,949 834 (226) 2,557 222 219 Enterprise and Sustainable Development 27,435 2,061 (10,416) 19,080 6,592 6,874 Roads, Transport and Fleet 29,997 2,528 (5,892) 26,633 9,092 9,199 TOTAL 59,381 5,423 (16,534) 48,270 15,906 16,292 For Information Only Budget Adjustments approved by Executive Committee, 2 November 2022: Budget Adjustments approved by Executive Committee, 30 November 2022: Budget Adjustments Douglas Park – Floodlights Halfway Park Play Area – Redevelopment Place Based Investment Programme Vacant and Derelict Land – Cuningar Allotments Rural Business Centre, Lanark Total Budget Adjustments £0.016m £0.174m (£0.100m) (£0.592m) (£0.650m) (£1.152m) Budget Adjustments White Bridge Replacement, Chatelherault Country Park Glasgow City Region City Deal – Stewartfield Way Clyde Bridge Larkhall Leisure Centre Total Budget Adjustments (£0.226m) (£0.492m) (£5.400m) (£9.000m) (£15.118m) 27
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Community and Enterprise Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 13 December 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) Subject: Community and Enterprise Resources – Workforce Monitoring – August and September 2022 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide employment information for August and September 2022 relating to Community and Enterprise Resources [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the following employment information for August and September 2022 relating to Community and Enterprise Resources be noted:- attendance statistics; occupational health; accident/incident statistics; discipline, grievance and Dignity at Work cases; analysis of leavers and exit interviews; staffing watch as at 10 September 2022 [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. As part of the Council’s performance management arrangements, regular workforce monitoring reports are submitted to Committee. This report for Community and Enterprise Resources provides information on the position for August to September 2022. 4. Monitoring Statistics 4.1. Attendance Statistics (Appendix 1) Information on absence statistics is analysed for the month of September 2022 for Community and Enterprise Resources. The Resource absence figure for September 2022 was 7.1%, this figure has increased by 1.0% when compared to the previous month and is 1.7% higher than the Council-wide figure. Compared to September 2021, the Resource absence figure has decreased by 0.4%. Based on the absence figures at September 2022 and annual trends, the projected annual average absence for the Resource for 2022/2023 is 7.4%, compared to a Council-wide average figure of 6.0%. 5 29
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Managers follow the procedures outlined in the Maximising Attendance Policy to support employees to remain at work, or to return to work after a sickness absence. There are comprehensive employee supports in place and, additionally, Personnel Services work in close partnership with line managers and Resource Management Teams on a case management basis to ensure that appropriate actions are taken. The attendance information contained in this report includes absences as a result of Covid-19, and employees are being supported through this difficult time to maintain attendance levels where they can. At the time of this report, the Council overall absence level was 6.12% with 0.54% of this relating to Covid-19 for sickness and special leave. 4.2. Occupational Health (Appendix 2) In terms of referrals to occupational health, which include medical examinations and physiotherapy, overall, 257 referrals were made this period. This represents a decrease of 2 when compared with the same period last year. 4.3. Accident/Incident Statistics There were 32 accidents/incidents recorded within the Resource this period, an increase of 20 when compared to the same period last year. 4.4. Discipline, Grievance and Dignity at Work (Appendix 2) During the period, 15 disciplinary hearings were held within the Resource, an increase of 7 when compared to the same period last year. Four appeals were heard by the Appeals Panel, and at the end of September 2022, 4 Appeals Panels were pending. One grievance hearing was raised within the Resource, this figure has increased by 1 when compared to the same period last year. No Dignity at Work complaints were raised within the Resource, this figure has decreased by 1 when compared to the same period last year. 4.5. Analysis of Leavers (Appendix 2) There were a total of 47 leavers in the Resource this period eligible for an exit interview. This figure has increased by 1 when compared with the same period last year. Seven exit interviews were conducted in this period, a decrease of 3 when compared to the same period last year. 4.6. When processing an employee termination, managers were asked to identify whether they intended to replace the employee who had left the Council. If they indicated that they did not intend to replace the employee, they were asked to select from the following options:- plan to hold for savings fill on a fixed term basis pending savings transfer budget to another post end of fixed term post 4.7. Appendix 2a provides a breakdown of vacant posts and whether these are being replaced or held for savings. In the period August to September 2022, 93 (45.34 FTE) employees in total left employment, managers indicated that 90 (43.21 FTE) posts were being replaced and 3 posts (2.12 FTE) were due to the end of a fixed term contract. 30
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5. Staffing Watch 5.1. There has been a decrease of 48 in the number of employees in post from 11 June to 10 September 2022. 6. Employee Implications 6.1. There are no implications for employees arising from the information presented in this report. 7. Financial Implications 7.1. All financial implications are accommodated within existing budgets. 8. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 8.1. There are no Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications in terms of the information contained within this report. 9. Other Implications 9.1. There are no risk in terms of the information contained within this report. 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. 10.2. There was no requirement to undertake any consultation in terms of the information contained in this report. Paul Manning Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) David Booth Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) 10 November 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Fair, open and sustainable Ambitious, self aware and improving Excellent employer Focused on people and their needs Working with and respecting others Previous References Community and Enterprise Resources – 4 October 2022 List of Background Papers Monitoring information provided by Finance and Corporate Resources 31
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Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Elaine Maxwell, HR Business Manager Ext: (Tel: 01698 454647) E-mail: Elaine.Maxwell@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 32
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2020 / 2021 2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2020 / 2021 2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2020 / 2021 2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2020 / 2021 2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 % % % % % % % % % % % % April 3.1 2.3 4.4 April 5.3 5.7 7.3 April 5.0 5.2 6.9 April 4.4 4.3 5.6 May 2.4 2.7 3.9 May 4.3 6.4 6.8 May 4.0 5.9 6.3 May 3.1 4.9 5.4 June 1.6 2.8 3.5 June 4.0 6.6 7.2 June 3.6 6.0 6.7 June 2.7 4.7 5.3 July 1.8 2.9 3.9 July 3.6 5.3 5.9 July 3.4 4.9 5.6 July 2.3 4.0 4.6 August 1.7 2.9 3.4 August 4.9 6.4 6.6 August 4.4 5.9 6.1 August 3.1 4.7 4.4 September 1.6 3.4 3.1 September 5.8 8.2 7.9 September 5.1 7.5 7.1 September 4.2 6.4 5.4 October 3.1 3.8 October 6.3 7.9 October 5.8 7.3 October 4.8 6.3 November 3.6 3.5 November 7.1 8.0 November 6.6 7.3 November 5.8 6.9 December 3.1 4.2 December 6.4 8.0 December 5.9 7.4 December 5.6 6.9 January 3.4 3.6 January 6.0 9.6 January 5.6 8.6 January 4.8 7.0 February 2.8 4.4 February 6.5 9.5 February 5.9 8.7 February 4.8 6.6 March 2.6 6.0 March 6.8 11.0 March 6.2 10.2 March 4.9 7.9 Annual Average 2.6 3.5 4.0 Annual Average 5.6 7.7 8.0 Annual Average 5.1 7.1 7.4 Annual Average 4.2 5.9 6.0 Average Apr-Sep 2.0 2.8 3.7 Average Apr-Sep 4.7 6.4 7.0 Average Apr-Sep 4.3 5.9 6.5 Average Apr-Sep 3.3 4.8 5.1 546 2940 3486 16136 Resource Total No of Employees at 30 Sept 2022 No of Employees at 30 Sept 2022 No of Employees at 30 Sept 2022 No of Employees at 30 Sept 2022 Appendix 1 Absence Trends - 2020/2021, 2021/2022 & 2022/2023 Community and Enterprise Resources APT&C Council WideManual Workers 33
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COMMUNITY AND ENTERPRISE RESOURCES Aug-Sep Aug-Sep 2021 2022 MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS Number of Employees Attending EMPLOYEE COUNSELLING SERVICE Total Number of Referrals PHYSIOTHERAPY SERVICE Total Number of Referrals REFERRALS TO EMPLOYEE SUPPORT OFFICER 81 75 REFERRALS TO COGNITIVE BEHAVIOUR THERAPY 0 0 TOTAL 259 257 Aug-Sep Aug-Sep 2021 2022 Specified Injuries* 0 0 Over 7 day absences 2 5 Over 3 day absences** 1 1 Minor 6 16 Near Miss 1 3 Violent Incident: Physical**** 1 6 Violent Incident: Verbal***** 1 1 Total Accidents/Incidents 12 32 Aug-Sep Aug-Sep 2021 2022 Total Number of Hearings 8 15 Total Number of Appeals 0 4 Appeals Pending 0 4 Time Taken to Convene Hearing Aug - Sep 2022 0-3 Weeks 4-6 Weeks Over 6 Weeks 9 2 4 Aug-Sep Aug-Sep 2021 2022 Number of Grievances 0 1 Still in Progress 0 1 Aug-Sep Aug-Sep 2021 2022 Number of Incidents 1 0 Number Resolved at Formal Stage 1 0 Aug-Sep Aug-Sep 2021 2022 Career Advancement 2 2 Poor Relationship with Manager/Colleagues 2 0 Moving Outwith Area 0 1 Personal Reasons 0 3 Further Education 2 1 Childcare/caring responsibilities 1 0 Other 3 0 Number of Exit Interviews conducted 10 7 Total Number of Leavers Eligible for Exit Interview 46 47 Percentage of interviews conducted 22% 15% APPENDIX 2 86 95 14 6 CAUSE OF ACCIDENTS/INCIDENTS 78 *A Specified Injury is any fracture (other than to the fingers, thumbs or toes), amputation, loss of sight, serious burns, crushing injury, scalping, loss of consciousness caused by asphyxiation/ head injury, a chemical or hot metal burn to the eye or penetrating injury as defined by the HSE. **Over 3 day / over 7day absence is an injury sustained outwith specified injury category that results in a period of absence of absence as defined by the HSE. ***Near Miss - Any unexpected, unplanned occurrence (except Dangerous Occurrences) that does not lead to injury of persons, damage to property, plant or equipment but may have done so in different circumstance. ****Physical violent incidents are included in the "Specified" figures, where applicable, to provide the "Total Specified" figures. 81 ****Physical violent incidents and ***** Verbal Violent Incidents are included in the "Over 3-day or Over 7-day" figures, where applicable, to provide the "Total Over 3-day or Over 7-day" figures. ****Physical Violent Incidents and ***** Verbal Violent Incidents are included in the "Minor" figures, where applicable, to provide the "Total Minor" figures. ANALYSIS OF REASONS FOR LEAVING RECORD OF DISCIPLINARY HEARINGS RECORD OF GRIEVANCE HEARINGS RECORD OF DIGNITY AT WORK 34
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Appendix 2a Aug - Sep 2022 Cumulative total (Apr 22 - Mar 23) FTE* H/C** FTE H/C Number of Leavers 45.34 93 150.48 290 Replace Employee 43.21 90 142.42 278 Filling on a Temp Basis 0.00 0 0.00 0 Plan to transfer budget to another post 0.00 0 0.00 0 End of fixed term post 2.12 3 8.06 12 Leave vacant pending savings or service review 0.00 0 0.00 0 Plan to remove for savings 0.00 0 0.00 0 * Full time equivalent ** Head count/number of employees 35
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As at 10 September 2022 Total Number of Employees F/T P/T F/T P/T 1287 236 206 1408 Director Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Fixed SCP Teacher TOTAL 1.00 1525.42 397.39 233.22 45.23 17.00 2.00 9.60 0.00 2230.86 As at 11 June 2022 Total Number of Employees F/T P/T F/T P/T 1300 231 196 1458 Director Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Fixed SCP Teacher TOTAL 1.00 1543.77 402.16 227.38 45.73 17.00 2.00 5.00 0.00 2244.04 Appendix 3 JOINT STAFFING WATCH RETURN COMMUNITY AND ENTERPRISE RESOURCES *Full - Time Equivalent No of Employees Salary Bands 3137 MALE FEMALE TOTAL *Full - Time Equivalent No of Employees Salary Bands MALE FEMALE TOTAL 3185 36
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Community and Enterprise Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 13 December 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) Subject: Update of the Community and Enterprise Resources Risk Register and Risk Control Plan 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to: - ] present an update on the Risk Register and Risk Control actions for Community and Enterprise Resources [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [ (1) that the current position with regards to the Resource Risk Register is noted; and (2) that it be noted that the outstanding Risk Control Actions will be progressed by relevant officers [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. The Council’s Risk Management Strategy promotes consideration of risk in service delivery, planning and decision-making processes. The Strategy requires Resources to record and review risks and control actions regularly. Community and Enterprise Resources follow the guidance in developing, monitoring and updating the risk register on an ongoing basis. 3.2. The purpose of the register is to ensure that the Resource is fully aware of its top risks, that these risks are prioritised and that controls are in place to eliminate or minimise the impact of the risks. 3.3. The Resource scores the risks in accordance with the Council scoring mechanism, based on likelihood and impact. This results in risks being scored between one and twenty-five (low – very high). 3.4. Risks are scored on their inherent score (risk if we do nothing) and their residual risk (risk after applying controls). The Council’s scoring matrix is attached at Appendix One. 3.5. The last update of the Community and Enterprise Resources Risk Register was reported to Committee on 28 September 2021. 3.6. The Resource’s top risk register, and risk control plan has been reviewed. This work was completed in August 2022. 6 37
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3.7. The Central Risk Management team annually reviews Resource compliance with the Risk Management Strategy. The outcome of the 2021/22 review identified that Community and Enterprise Resources achieved 100 per cent compliance, scoring 45 out of a possible 45. 4. Resource Risk Management 4.1. Each Resource has a Resource Risk Management Group which has responsibility for the promotion and management of risk. 4.2. The Community and Enterprise Resources Risk Management Group continues to meet as required. 4.3. The work of the group over the last year has focused on the review and update of the Resource Risk Register and ensuring that the register reflected the Council Plan and individual Service Plans. 5. Risk Register 5.1. Work has been completed by the Resource Risk Group to finalise the review of the Resource Risk Register. The review gave consideration to risks at a Service level, as well as strategic Council risks. 5.2. The Resource Risk Register will be monitored on an ongoing basis to allow new risks to be added and for the control measures and scores of the existing risks to be reviewed in light of new information. 5.3. Risks can result from internal or external influences, with examples being the impact of projected funding cuts or legislative changes or the impact of internal service changes. 5.4. The development process for the Resource Plan requires a risk assessment process to be undertaken as appropriate, resulting in some actions within the Resource Plan having a corresponding risk identified within the risk register. 5.5. The main changes to the register are summarised below:- Three new top risks have been added The Council is unable to support households most impacted by the cost-of- living crisis, resulting in increasing levels of poverty, debt and damage to health (SLC Top Risk) The Council fails to deliver the outcomes of the Community Wealth Building Strategy (SLC Top Risk) Failure to achieve the outcomes of the Council Plan (SLC Top Risk) The previous Grounds Service risk which covered the damage caused by Ash Dieback disease has been re-scored as a high risk and re-categorised as an ‘all service’ risk due to the potential impact on other services The ‘EU Exit’ risk has been removed as a Council top risk as this is no longer considered a corporate issue for the Council. This remains as a CER top risk, scoring high, to allow any residual risk issues to be addressed. The Emergency Response Council top risk has been transferred to Finance and Corporate Resources 5.6. Risks scored 15 to 25 are considered to be very high risks and risks scored eight to 12 are considered to be high risks. Very high and high risks are monitored closely. The top risks identified for the Resource, that is those that are residually scored as being very high and high, are attached at Appendix Two. 38
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5.7. Appendix Three provides a comparison of risk scores for 2021 and 2022. This appendix also details any significant changes made to the risks. 5.8. Risks evaluated residually as being medium or low risk will be monitored to ensure that they continue to be adequately managed. 5.9. The Committee is asked to note the contents of the Resource Risk Register. 6. Insurance Hotspots 6.1. Following the completion of claims analysis reports by insurers, various areas of work have been identified to mitigate insured losses. Those which affect Community and Enterprise Resources include a property insurer survey programme; ongoing development of driving at work training; and a Health and Safety/training review to be undertaken by the Council’s claims handlers: Property A property insurer survey programme is underway Work to address functionality and reliability of CCTV systems across South Lanarkshire Motor Following the development and launch of a ‘Challenging Driver Behaviour’ learn online course for managers this year, a review to be undertaken on the uptake and steps taken to ensure that all managers with responsibilities for driving at work complete the course. Development and roll out of the same ‘Challenging Driver Behaviour’ learn online course for all drivers Following the update and roll out of motor insurance procedures this year, managers have been asked, through a more detailed post incident interview process, to establish the root cause of motor accidents and identification of support/corrective action, where required. Continued support and monitoring of this process via the Drivers Safety Group Continued factfinding investigations into accidents, as per guidance which forms part of the Council’s driving at work procedures Combined Liability Health and Safety/training review to be undertaken by the Council’s claims handlers, Gallagher Bassett Roads and Transportation Services to trial technology associated with road safety inspections and network condition surveys 7. Scope and Appetite for Risk 7.1. The Council aims to be risk embracing, that is it will accept a tolerable level of risk in seeking service efficiencies and in agreeing control measures. 7.2. The level of risk facing the Council is measured both before (inherent risk) and after (residual risk) consideration of controls. The Council should never carry a very high residual risk exposure as this would indicate instability, but a low residual risk exposure should also be avoided as this indicates lack of innovation. 7.3. The Council’s ideal risk profile is defined within the Risk Management Methodology as:- No more than 10 per cent of residual risks at a very high level No more than 15 per cent of risks at a high level Around 50 to 60 per cent of residual risks at a medium level No more than 30 per cent of residual risks at a low level 39
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7.4. Table One below shows the top risks heat map, i.e. it details the total number of risks for each individual residual risk score. Table Two below notes the overall risk profile for the top risks. Table One – Community and Enterprise Resources Top Risks Heat Map Likelihood 5 Almost Certain 0 0 1 2 0 4 Likely 0 2 3 1 0 3 Possible 0 3 7 4 0 2 Unlikely 0 4 10 2 0 1 Rare 0 3 4 4 0 1 Negligible 2 Minor 3 Moderate 4 Major 5 Catastrophic Impact Table Two – Community and Enterprise Resources Top Risks Risk Profile Risk Category Risk Rating Number of risks Percentage of risks 1 Very high 4 8% 2 High 18 36% 3 Medium 21 42% 4 Low 7 14% 7.5. Despite the fact that the profile noted in Table Two is outwith the ideal universal risk exposure defined by the Risk Management Strategy, this risk exposure is reasonable given the number of high-level risks currently being faced by the Resource. 7.6. Community and Enterprise Resources have ensured that all inherent risks scored at a very high and high level have cost effective control measures in place. Where further control measures are required, these are included within the Resource risk control plan. 8. Risk Control Actions 8.1. Two risk control actions due for completion during 2021/22 have been completed. One hundred per cent (2/2) of these risk control actions were completed on time against an overall Resource target of 90 per cent. A further 4 have completion dates for March 2023 8.2. Details of the completion of risk control actions during 2021/22 and those due in 2022/23 to date are contained in Table Three below. Table Three – Completion of top risk control actions 2021/22 2022/23 (as at 16 September 2022) Total number of actions due 2 4 Completed on time 2 0 Completed late 0 0 Due to be completed at a later date 0 4 40
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8.3. Progress with completion of Resource Risk Control Actions is monitored on a monthly basis by the Central Risk Management team. This is also reviewed by the Resource Risk Group. 8.4. There are four risk control actions due for completion during 2022/23. The Committee is asked to note that the outstanding actions to mitigate risks within the Risk Control Plan will be progressed by the relevant officers. 9. Major Projects, Partnerships or Change 9.1. Within Community and Enterprise Resources, 26 partnerships have been identified. Four of these are considered to be high risk, these are the Clyde Gateway Partnership, SPT, City Deal and Climate Ready Clyde Partnership. The remaining 22 partnerships have been assessed as being low risk. 9.2. Appropriate risk management arrangements are in place for the high-level partnerships. 10. Next Steps 10.1. The Resource Risk Management Group will continue to meet as required. The risk register will be reviewed on an ongoing basis by the group to ensure that risks remain valid for the appropriate Service areas and to identify new areas of risk that affect the Resource. An update report will be provided to Committee on an annual basis. 11. Employee Implications 11.1. Time will be required by the Resource Risk Management Group in the management of the Resource Risk Register and Risk Control Plan. 12. Financial Implications 12.1. There are no direct financial implications associated with the Council’s top risks. There are a number of proposed risks which are classified under the heading of financial. Where this is the case, the appropriate controls and actions have been included in the risk control cards and progress will be monitored. 13 Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 13.1 Sustainable development issues are included within the Council’s top risk register through being linked directly to the Council plan objective ‘make communities safer, stronger and sustainable’ 14. Other Implications 14.1. Failure to demonstrate that risk is actively considered and managed cannot only lead to avoidable financial loss but could also affect delivery of services and could affect the Resources’ reputation. 15 Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 15.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to existing policy, function or strategy and, therefore, no impact assessment is required. 15.2. Consultation on the content of this report has been undertaken with members of the Community and Enterprise Resources Risk Management Group. 41
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David Booth Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) 21 November 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Previous References Community and Enterprise Resources Committee – 28 September 2021 - Annual update on Resource Risk Register and Risk Control Action Plan List of Background Papers Figtree extracts (risk register and risk control action plan) Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact: - Linda Burnett, Support Manager Tel: 07795 455507 E-mail: linda.burnett@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 42
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Appendix One – Risk scoring matrix and likelihood and impact definitions Likelihood Score 1 2 3 4 5 Description Rare Unlikely Possible Likely Almost certain Likelihood of occurrence 1 in 10 years 1 in 3 years 1 in 2 years Annually Monthly Probability of occurrence The event may occur in certain circumstances The event could occur The event may occur The event will probably occur The event is expected to occur or occurs regularly Impact Reputation Financial Service delivery/ Time to recover Compliance Safety 1 Negligible Public concern restricted to local complaints <£50,000 per annum No impact to service quality; limited disruption to operations. No external interest Minor injury – no lost time 2 Minor Minor adverse local/public/me dia attention and complaints £50,000- £250,000 per annum Minor impact to service quality; minor service standards are not met; short term Very minor attention from legislative /regulatory body Minor injury – resulting in lost time 3 Moderate Adverse national media Public attention £250,000 to £500,000 per annum Significant fall in service quality; major partnership relationships strained; serious disruption in service standards Short-term attention from legislative/ regulatory body Major injury or ill health resulting in lost time 4 Major Serious negative national or regional criticism £500,000 to £1million per annum Major impact to service delivery; multiple service standards are not met; long term disruption to operations; multiple partnerships affected Medium-term attention from legislative/ regulatory body Fatality; Or injuries to several people 5 Catastrophic Prolonged international, regional and national condemnation >£1million per annum Catastrophic fail in service quality and key service standards are not met; long term catastrophic interruption to operations; several major partnerships are affected National impact with rapid intervention of legislative/ regulatory body Multiple fatalities; Or injuries to large number of people The assessments for impact and likelihood combine to provide an overall inherent risk score on the scale of between 1 and 25, using the Council’s recognised risk matrix. 43
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Risk matrix Likelihood 5 Almost Certain 5 10 15 20 25 4 Likely 4 8 12 16 20 3 Possible 3 6 9 12 15 2 Unlikely 2 4 6 8 10 1 Rare 1 2 3 4 5 1 Negligible 2 Minor 3 Moderate 4 Major 5 Catastrophic Impact The risk score is calculated as follows: Likelihood score x Impact score = Risk Score 44
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Appendix Two Community and Enterprise Resources Risk Register (as at October 2022) Extract of risks with residual score category of Very High and High Risk Category Key risk Inherent Risk Score Sample of Controls Residual Risk Score 1 Very High (15-25) Reduction in external funding and fees/income received by the Council, as well as the increased demand for services including the residual impact of the pandemic, and the increased cost of services due to rising inflation and the cost of living crisis, results in increasing budget gaps. The Council is seeing considerable increases in prices in terms of energy, fuel and food costs reflecting the global economic environment. These will have an impact on the current and future years’ Budget Strategy. This may also affect the level of service that the council can provide. Council Top Risk 25 Very high • Reports prepared to Council timetable and reported to Finance, CER Committee to provide assurances that income and expenditure is within budget and regular updates provided to Director of Finance • Robust arrangements in place to monitor service delivery outturns against budgets • Implications of changes to service provision managed through consultation, impact assessments and Trade Union negotiation. • Promotion of new/updated policies via Website, Press, Social media etc. • Management of outsourced work including regular contractor meetings as appropriate. 20 Very high The council is unable to support households most impacted by the cost-of living crisis, resulting in increasing levels of poverty, debt and damage to health Council Top Risk 25 Very high • Provision of support to local business by Economic Development • Increased School Meal provision / breakfast clubs • Resourcing and support to the provision of ‘Warm Spaces’ hubs in Lifestyle Centres/ Libraries and other council properties. 20 Very High 45
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Risk Category Key risk Inherent Risk Score Sample of Controls Residual Risk Score The council fails to maximise the benefits of the Community Wealth Building Strategy Council Top Risk 25 Very High • Supplier Development Programme provides training to businesses on how to bid for contracts/meet the buyer events • Work with Scottish Enterprise, Scottish Development International and Glasgow City Region partners to raise the profile of investment opportunities • Support is provided to all businesses through the council’s Business Support Team and Business Gateway Lanarkshire service • Reporting schedule in place to monitor progress through Sustainable Development and Climate change Strategy 16 Very High Failure to meet sustainable development and climate change objectives Council Top Risk 20 Very High • Sustainable development and climate change is mainstreamed across the Council and associated Plans, Policies and Strategies • Implementation of the Council's Sustainable Development and Climate Change Strategy and Carbon Management Plan • A long-term capital programme that tackles climate change mitigation and adaptation • The preparation of a pipeline of climate change mitigation and adaptation projects to attract investment/funding • Active membership in Climate Ready Clyde regional adaptation partnership 15 Very high 2 High (8-12) The council does not have the appropriate emergency / business continuity plans; contingency arrangements or partnerships 25 Very high • The ability to adapt funding to support community and third sector groups, e.g. government support provided via additional 12 High 46
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Risk Category Key risk Inherent Risk Score Sample of Controls Residual Risk Score in place to respond to/or recover from a pandemic/endemic event. Council Top Risk funding to support vulnerable groups, hardship funds etc. • Business Continuity Plan developed to facilitate the continued delivery of safety critical Priority 1 Services, the plan also facilitates the delivery of priority 2 services as far as practicable and priority 3 services as far as resources allow • Budget monitoring and re-alignment arrangements in place for lines that could potentially be affected by loss of income The Council is significantly affected by the impact of the UK leaving the European Union (Brexit) • Limited procurement options and contract restrictions • Loss of EU funding • Implications of changes to free movement of trade and people • Demand on business support services could be affected 25 Very high • All grants covering ESF, ERDF activity up to April 2023 approved and grant accepted prior to deadlines • Economic Development provides ongoing support to businesses within the South Lanarkshire area and gathers information and intelligence through partners and business networks • Implementation of the UK shared prosperity fund which replaced the previous ESF/ERDF funding streams • Contractor and supplier management arrangements in place including regular contract management for Contractors with meetings as appropriate 12 High Fraud, theft, organised crime and cyber attacks Council top risk 20 Very high • CER Fraud risk register in place and updated annually. • Fraud, Cyber / Information security Training Learn on Line Modules; mandatory for all employees 12 High 47
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Risk Category Key risk Inherent Risk Score Sample of Controls Residual Risk Score Information governance not subject to adequate control Council top risk 20 Very high • Compliance with Information Governance Strategy • Retention schedules • Electronic Content Management System (ECM) • Completion of annual information Governance checklist 12 High The council fails meet statutory and legislative duties in respect of public protection Council Top Risk 16 Very high • Responsive public health service and inspection programme in place including food hygiene, health and safety enforcement and advisory service, contaminated land and air quality, private sector housing stock, • Ongoing review of contaminated land strategy and maintenance of register of contaminated land • Agreed programme of business compliance visits and Health and Safety Welfare inspections and follow up visits carried out throughout the year, targets for inspections set and closely monitored • Partnership working with police Scotland and NHS • Raising awareness of current scams and frauds being perpetrated in the local community 12 High Failure to work effectively with the private sector to support local businesses, town centres and the rural economy 16 Very high • Support to Business Improvement Districts, town centres and other partnerships via numerous channels include the ‘Invest in South Lanarkshire’ website and management of the Supplier Development 12 High 48
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Risk Category Key risk Inherent Risk Score Sample of Controls Residual Risk Score Programme including strategic development and delivery of events, training and e- commerce • Regular operational and steering group meetings and ongoing liaison with partnership authorities. (e.g. EK task force and Clyde Gateway, Lanarkshire Area Tourism Partnership) • Implementation of the Community Led Local Community Fund (CLLD), Community Benefit funding in rural area with appropriate funding in line with relevant (e.g. rural) strategies, and the Business Loan Scotland Lack of capacity and skills to meet increased service demands Council top risk 20 Very high • Performance Appraisal (PDR) process including service learning and development priorities and employee training plans • The Workforce strategy provides greater level of organisational control rather than service/resource specific and has a focus on agile working. • Management Development and Leadership Challenge Programme • Stress audit tool • Effective partnership working with Trade Unions 9 High IT development and functionality does not keep pace with changing service requirements Council Top Risk 20 Very high • Service IT requirements restricted to reflect available resources • IT service plan closely monitored and progress reports issued to the IT Strategy Group/ICT Board on a regular basis 9 High 49
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Risk Category Key risk Inherent Risk Score Sample of Controls Residual Risk Score Ash Dieback Disease 20 Very high • Raising awareness of ash dieback and the issues it may cause • Preparing and implementing an Ash Dieback Action Plan • Assisting with recovery of landscape and infrastructure affected by ash dieback 9 High Failure of unrestricted substandard bridges • Injury to people, damage to assets and network interruption/disruption 16 Very high • Implement and maintain enhanced structural monitoring • Maintain list of qualifying structures • Implement appropriate reactive mitigation measures when need for repair identified. • Option to close if absolutely necessary 9 High Failure to secure external funding and effectively manage funds / maximise investment 16 Very high • CMT approval process for external funding • Manage expectations of Councils income at outset • Funding and compliance section investigate all methods of external funding 9 High Failure to improve SLC infrastructure 16 Very high • Roads investment programme. • Major programme of carriageway upgrading to improve the road condition being undertaken - progress monitored closely through iMPROVE. • Regular monitoring by managers of progress and budgets. • Improvements to road related infrastructure using Roads Investment Programme and external funding. 9 High Increasing levels of adverse weather Council Top Risk 16 Very high • Council wide emergency planning arrangements, Duty Manager, standby rota and weather forecasting systems in place • Effective management of existing budget resources through regular reporting and dialogue with Exec Dir Finance and 9 High 50
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Risk Category Key risk Inherent Risk Score Sample of Controls Residual Risk Score Corporate and investment in flooding infrastructure • Remote monitoring of high risk flood sites using flood camera/telemetry solutions • Winter weather procedures, Winter Service Policy and Ops manual and dedicated flood risk management team • Pothole inspection and pro-active rectification programme using sub- contractors during extended severe weather Impact of Waste Management market changes • Changes to global economic policy changes resulting in market collapse and inability to dispose of recycled products 12 High • Market changes monitored through waste industry network groups and via meetings with contractors • Contracts include contingency arrangements including back up provision for alternative suppliers • Operational monitoring process in place • Waste Awareness Team – ongoing initiatives to promote and improve levels of domestic recycling 9 High Failure to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of employees and the protection of service users and members of the public in the delivery of council services Council Top Risk 20 Very high • Occupational Health and Safety Management System embedded throughout Resource • Risk Assessments and Safe Systems of Work and associated local management procedures developed and implemented • Resource, Service and Trade Union communication and consultation arrangements in place • H&S Training matrices (Specific training requirements for employees at Service level within the Council) 8 High 51
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Risk Category Key risk Inherent Risk Score Sample of Controls Residual Risk Score • Programme of H&S Audits and Inspections undertaken Failure to achieve the outcomes of the Community Plan Council Top Risk 20 Very high • Partners signed up to Community Plan 2022-2032 and have agreed to mainstream the Sustainable Development Goals to work on the Partnership • Governance arrangements via the Community Planning Partnership Board • Regular progress reporting to RMT/CMT/Committee • Community Planning Risk Register maintained and monitored 8 High Failure to achieve the outcomes of the Council Plan Council Top Risk 20 Very High • Annual performance reporting • Governance arrangements via the Executive Committee, Performance and Review Scrutiny Forum and CER Resource Committee 8 High Increased costs providing winter maintenance • Failure to provide essential services during periods of extreme winter weather 12 High • Effective management of existing budget resources through regular reporting and dialogue with Exec Dir Finance and Corporate. • Salt stocks and storage capacity • Winter weather procedures, winter service policy and ops manual • Daily winter task force meetings held during periods of extreme weather to ensure service delivered in most efficient and effective way. • Implementation of the actions arising from the review of winter maintenance 8 High 52
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Appendix 3 – Comparison of the 2022 and 2021 Resource risk register Risk Category 2022 Risk description 2021 Residual risk score 2022 Residual risk score Change in residual risk scores Key changes Very High The council is unable to support households most impacted by the cost-of-living crisis, resulting in increasing levels of poverty, debt and damage to health N/A 20 New risk The focus of this new risk is on the support that the council can provide to households. The council’s support role is only a small part of the mitigation, with the Government and Energy Companies playing a lead role. Very High Reduction in external funding and fees/income received by the Council, as well as the increased demand for services including the residual impact of the pandemic, and the increased cost of services due to rising inflation and the cost- of-living crisis, results in increasing budget gaps. The Council is seeing considerable increases in prices in terms of energy, fuel and food costs reflecting the global economic environment. These will have an impact on the current and future years’ Budget Strategy. This may also affect the level of service that the council can provide. 20 20 = The risk description has been updated, to reflect the level of Government grant received, inflationary increases, rising energy costs, reduced income (cost-of- living crisis) and greater pressure on council budgets 53
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Risk Category 2022 Risk description 2021 Residual risk score 2022 Residual risk score Change in residual risk scores Key changes (App 5) The council fails to maximise the benefits of the Community Wealth Building Strategy N/A 16 New Risk This new council risk recognises the importance of councils Community Wealth Building (CWB) strategy. CWB is an alternative approach to traditional economic development and a fundamental shift in the councils approach across a number of services. Failure to meet sustainable development and climate change objectives 15 15 = The risk has been updated to reflect the recently approved strategy and pending development of an action plan. High The council does not have the appropriate emergency / business continuity plans; contingency arrangements or partnerships in place to respond to/or recover from a pandemic/endemic event. 16 12 The risk description has been refocused to consider potential future events and residual effects of the current pandemic being managed at Resource level. Fraud, theft, organised crime and cyber attacks 12 12 = The risk has been updated to reflect the global increase in cyber attacks Information governance not subject to adequate control 12 12 = The council fails meet statutory and legislative duties in respect of public protection 12 12 = The Council is significantly affected by the impact of the UK leaving the European Union (Brexit) 12 12 = No longer considered a top risk for the council, remains on CER register until residual risk issues are addressed 54
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Risk Category 2022 Risk description 2021 Residual risk score 2022 Residual risk score Change in residual risk scores Key changes • Limited procurement options and contract restrictions • Loss of EU funding • Implications of changes to free movement of trade and people • Demand on business support services could be affected Failure to work effectively with the private sector to support local businesses, town centres and the rural economy 12 12 = Introduction of the new Community Wealth Building top risk provided opportunity to combine three business support risks Lack of capacity and skills to meet increased service demands 9 9 = The risk has been updated noting difficulties with the recruitment and retention of staff IT development and functionality does not keep pace with changing service requirements 9 9 = Increasing levels of adverse weather 9 9 = The risk has been updated to cover droughts/water supply issues and wildfires Ash Dieback Disease N/A 9 New CER risk The focus of this risk is to ensure the development of an Ash Dieback Action Plan in line with the Ash Dieback Toolkit (Scotland), the four key parts of the approach are Awareness, Planning, Action and Recovery. Ash Dieback has the potential to lead to long lasting changes in our landscape, tree populations and canopy cover and loss of ecosystem 55
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Risk Category 2022 Risk description 2021 Residual risk score 2022 Residual risk score Change in residual risk scores Key changes services potentially leading to reduce carbon lockup. Tree failures could result in an increase in road network disruptions, flooding, and a potential significant increase in vehicle and property claims. Failure of unrestricted substandard bridges • Injury to people, damage to assets and network interruption/disruption 9 9 = Failure to secure external funding and effectively manage funds / maximise investment 9 9 = Failure to improve SLC infrastructure 9 9 = Impact of Waste Management market changes • Changes to global economic policy changes resulting in market collapse and inability to dispose of recycled products 9 9 = Failure to ensure the health, safety and wellbeing of employees and the protection of service users and members of the public in the delivery of council services 8 8 = Failure to achieve the outcomes of the Community Plan 8 8 = 56
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Risk Category 2022 Risk description 2021 Residual risk score 2022 Residual risk score Change in residual risk scores Key changes Failure to achieve the outcomes of the Council Plan N/A 8 New risk This new risk recognises the importance of achieving the values, visions, priorities and outcomes set out in the Council plan Increased costs providing winter maintenance • Failure to provide essential services during periods of extreme winter weather 8 8 = 57
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Report Agenda Item To: Community and Enterprise Resources Date of meeting: 13 December 2022 Prepared by: Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) Subject: South Lanarkshire Draft Tourism Strategy 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the paper is to: - provide an overview of the work undertaken to create a new draft South Lanarkshire Tourism Strategy seek approval of the South Lanarkshire Tourism Strategy 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- (1) that the draft South Lanarkshire Tourism Strategy and Action Plan be approved. 3. Background 3.1. As part of the 2021/2022 Revenue Budget, members approved a sum of £3 million towards economic recovery under the heading “Get South Lanarkshire Working”. Members’ high-level ambitions for the £3 million were broken down into three headings – “Social Enterprise and Business Support”,” Locate in South Lanarkshire” and “Tourism Cooperative and Strategy”. 3.2. As a key business sector in South Lanarkshire, it is important to support and nurture growth in the Tourism sector, taking advantage of South Lanarkshire’s natural environment, heritage, and culture, not only to attract tourists from Scotland/UK and abroad but also to encourage local people to spend their recreational time and money closer to home. £0.5m of the funding was allocated to a South Lanarkshire Tourism Strategy and potential creation of a Tourism Cooperative body. 3.3. The new Tourism Strategy and associated Action Plan has been drafted to take account of a rapidly changing sector at international, national, and local levels. 3.4. The draft Tourism Strategy has been shared with partners, stakeholders and members of the public within and outwith the Council as part of a consultation process and the comments received have helped define the current document. 3.5. In addition, a symposium event entitled “Shaping the future for South Lanarkshire tourism” was held as an online webinar event on 1 February 2022 with 45 attendees from both the public and private sector, with presentations from VisitScotland, Scottish Tourism Alliance, Business Gateway, Elevator, Rural Dimensions and South Lanarkshire Council Officers. 7 59
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3.6. Tourism has been identified as a key sector in South Lanarkshire and has been supported on a pan-Lanarkshire basis in partnership with VisitScotland and North Lanarkshire Council. One of the principal themes of the first-ever Lanarkshire Tourism Action Plan, launched in 2005, was to develop a tourism network structure in Lanarkshire. The Lanarkshire Area Tourism Partnership was created to oversee the action plan and agree strategic ambitions. 3.7. Two independent associations were also created – the Lanarkshire Visitor Attractions Association and the Lanarkshire Accommodation Association. To obtain better synergies and organisation efficiencies, these groups were later merged to create the Lanarkshire Tourism Association (LTA). Interest and membership in the LTA tailed off in its latter years and, when the longstanding chair stepped down in 2020, the LTA struggled to find volunteers willing to become office bearers and the decision was made by its members to wind down the group. This coincided with the Covid-19 pandemic and the resultant shut down of the economy as a preventative measure has had a particularly adverse effect on the tourism sector. Consequently, there is currently no active tourism membership group that represents the South Lanarkshire tourism sector as a whole. 3.8. The allocated funding has been used to recruit an Economic Development Officer with responsibility for the Tourism sector. An initial appointee left the Council’s employment in February 2022 and, following a further recruitment process, a new officer was been appointed in May. The £0.5m funding is intended to cover staff costs and technical support and advice needed to set up a new Destination Marketing Organisation (DMO) as well as promoting and marketing it to the industry to maximise numbers of local tourism businesses signing up. A further member of staff may be recruited, when appropriate, to undertake administration functions as a new tourism body for Lanarkshire comes to fruition. 3.9. Tourism is a key employer in South Lanarkshire and pre-COVID (2019-20) was responsible for employing 3,013 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs (Scottish Tourism Economic Activity Monitor STEAM). The re-purposing of land and property to create new tourism assets not only offers the potential to create new attractions to entice visitors to visit the region and spend money, but it can also create facilities that local communities can use and benefit from and can make facilities more viable than if they were just relying on local custom, protecting, and enhancing jobs and communities. Tourism, therefore, makes a significant contribution towards the Community Wealth Building agenda as well as to the economy of South Lanarkshire. 4. Draft Tourism Strategy 2022-2025 4.1. The proposed draft Tourism Strategy is attached at Appendix 1. 4.2. In the new strategy ‘Our Vision’ for South Lanarkshire is:- to cultivate a vibrant, successful visitor economy in South Lanarkshire which promotes responsible growth and creates jobs and opportunities for communities throughout the region 4.3. The desire is for this to be a shared strategy which evolves to ensure that all sectors of the South Lanarkshire tourism sector have their say in shaping the Strategy and the associated action plan. In keeping with this collaborative approach, other public agencies have been invited to feed in actions that will have a positive effect on South Lanarkshire’s visitor economy. Actions that have been fed in are included in the associated action plan (included in Appendix 1). 60
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4.4. The Strategy is intended to help the sector recover, increase the value of the tourism sector, and positively enhance the benefits of tourism across South Lanarkshire by delivering the very best for our visitors, our businesses, our people, our communities, and our environment. 4.5. It is important to note that this Strategy and action plan is not set in stone. The economy is currently operating in a very fast moving, uncertain environment and it is important to adopt a flexible approach to respond effectively to change. Should a new tourism membership group be created in South Lanarkshire, it is recognised that tourism businesses and wider stakeholders who form the membership of any new group may wish to make changes to this Strategy and action plan. 4.6. In summary, the strategy includes the following sections:- Foreword – This briefly sets out the background and the focus of our proposed activity around the six priority areas identified – People, Place, Business, Marketing, Responsible Tourism and Partnership Working. The Strategy in Context – South Lanarkshire is refreshing and launching a suite of key strategies and plans including our Council Plan ‘Connect’, our Community Plan, our Community Wealth Building Strategy, our Economic Strategy, Sustainable Development and Climate Change Strategy and our Tourism Strategy, all of which are inherently linked and informed by our communities. Council Plan priorities are:- People – we need to put people first and reduce inequality Progress – we need to recover, progress and improve Planet – we need to work towards a sustainable future in sustainable places The Tourism Strategy dovetails with these priorities and seeks to promote inclusive growth and maximise opportunities across all our communities as we intensify our activity on the journey to net zero. Consumer Trends – This sets out the consumer trends that have been identified since the pandemic. At the time of writing this Strategy, various consumer trends were being forecast and have been taken into account to maximise the Tourism Strategy’s impact. Strategic Priorities – We set out the key priorities of People, Place, Business, Marketing, Responsible Tourism, Partnership Working (and the creation of a new collaboration model). Further details on the priority areas, commitments, actions and leading organisations can be found in the action plan contained in Appendix 1. Measuring Success - progress in delivering the action plan is measured through the data sources currently available – the Council subscribes to two sources of data on the sector - the regional Scottish Tourism Economic Activity Monitor (STEAM) data and Visitor Attraction data from the Moffat centre. VisitScotland are also leading on the Scottish Tourism Observatory project which aims to create a resource for Scotland’s tourism industry which would make necessary, relevant, and valuable data, analysis, and insight easily accessible. The Strategy refers to other associated strategies and action plans. Existing monitoring and reporting arrangements to monitor those action plans will remain in place to avoid duplication and ensure consistency. 61
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Delivering on our Ambitions - The key actions and areas of activity are set out in the Strategy’s Action Plan (attached in Appendix 2) which defines our priorities, outcomes, actions and how we will measure success. The Council cannot, by itself, direct all of the activities set out in the Strategy and will rely on partners and stakeholders to lead on some aspects of its delivery. Nonetheless, the objective is to show that the Council, as the democratic institution covering the area, has a pivotal role – not only as a direct provider and deliverer of economic development activity but also as a co-ordinator, influencer and facilitator of activity led by others. The action plan is a dynamic document, designed to be agile and updated using an evidence and data driven approach to recognise and meet changing economic circumstances. 5. Next Steps and Timescales 5.1. On the basis this Strategy is approved, it is intended to communicate it via publication on the Council’s website. Officers will continue to engage with partners and businesses providing support and advocating the creation of a sustainable, collaborative industry body to coordinate actions and deliver the Strategy. 5.2. During the implementation phase, annual updates on measuring the success of the Strategy and Action Plan will be provided to relevant Committee. Officers recognise that we will require to respond to ever changing economic challenges that are influenced by national and international factors and consider how we can enhance the level of activity in any of the key thematic areas to mitigate negative economic impacts to our local economy. 6. Employee Implications 6.1. The Council has recruited a full time Tourism Officer to finalise and assist with delivering this Strategy’s action plan and measure its success going forward. Existing resources within Enterprise and Sustainable Development that have already been approved via the 2022/23 budget will also contribute to deliver actions where necessary. 7. Financial Implications 7.1. Community and Enterprise Resources have a budget of £0.094m for year 2022/2023 and £0.131m for year 2023/2024 to support the Tourism Strategy. External funding will also be sought from UK Government and Scottish Government funding streams to maximise the impacts of activity across the sector. 8. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 8.1. Following a Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) Screening and with the agreement of the statutory Consultation Authorities, the Council made a formal determination in May 2022 that a full SEA is not required for the Tourism Strategy. This is because it is considered unlikely that new significant environmental effects would be identified from implementing the Strategy which have not been identified, assessed and reported within the South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan, the Council Plan and the Community Plan. 9. Other Implications 9.1. The key risk associated with the finalisation, delivery and monitoring of the Strategy is the potential for further national and/or international economic shocks. This could constrain recovery and economic growth in the tourism sector both locally and nationally. 62
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10. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 10.1. The requirement for an Equality Impact Assessment (EqIA) is currently being reviewed. 10.2. Council Resources and external partners have been consulted as part of the consultation process. An online public consultation exercise has also taken place. Responses have been considered and, where appropriate, incorporated into the strategy and action plan. David Booth Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) 24 November 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Values Focused on people and their needs Priorities We will work towards a sustainable future in sustainable places We will work to recover, progress and improve Outcomes Good quality, suitable and sustainable places to live Thriving business, fair jobs and vibrant town centres Previous References None List of Background Papers Draft South Lanarkshire Tourism Strategy 2022-2025 Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact: - Stephen Keating, Economic Development Manager, Enterprise and Sustainable Development Services Email: Stephen.Keating@southlanarkshire.gov.uk Laura Sprowl, Enterprise and Sustainable Development Services Email: Laura.Sprowl@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 63
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South Lanarkshire Tourism Strategy 2022- 2025 (Draft for consultation) The vision – To cultivate a vibrant, successful visitor economy in South Lanarkshire which promotes responsible growth and creates jobs and opportunities for communities throughout the region. Foreword/summary Tourism is a key sector in the South Lanarkshire economy. In the year prior to the COVID pandemic, 2019, Lanarkshire attracted 614,820 visitors. These visitors generated an economic impact of £204.5M for South Lanarkshire and the sector supported 3,013 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs (SOURCE: Scottish Tourism Economic Activity Monitor 2020). It is widely recognised that the Scottish tourism sector has been one of the sectors hit hardest by the COVID-19 pandemic. South Lanarkshire tourism businesses have been hit extremely hard. Loss of revenue, rising costs and staff recruitment difficulties have combined to put a tremendous strain on business owners and their staff. South Lanarkshire Council is determined to help the local economy recover and grow and through this document encourages collaboration within the sector to raise the profile of South Lanarkshire’s world class heritage, cultural and natural assets and attract more visitors to the area. Our mission To cultivate a vibrant, successful visitor economy in South Lanarkshire which creates benefits and opportunities for all. Tourism can be a force for positive change, it can sustain communities and the economy by creating jobs, tackling de-population, and offers the possibility of improving the well-being of local residents as well as visitors. With our new strategic approach, and a renewed spirit of collaboration to facilitate a greater alignment between public, private and third sector tourism stakeholders, we are confident that South Lanarkshire will not just recover lost ground, but we can grow a stronger, more resilient visitor economy which will benefit communities throughout the region. We are currently operating in a very fast moving, uncertain environment and it is important that we adopt a flexible approach to respond effectively to change. It is important to note that this strategy and action plan are not set in stone and the desire is for it to represent a set of shared goals which will evolve over time as new opportunities arise. Partnership working will remain an important aspect of future delivery. South Lanarkshire Council will continue to work in partnership with key long-standing partners including North Lanarkshire Council, VisitScotland and Business Gateway to maximise opportunities for the businesses and the wider area. We will also raise awareness of funding opportunities for the tourism sector to ensure that South Lanarkshire achieves its fair share of support. In keeping with this collaborative approach, a range of public agencies have identified actions that will have a positive effect on South Lanarkshire’s visitor economy. A current list of all actions to date are included in the Action plan at Appendix A. Date – November 2022 66
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Contents 1. Strategic context 2. Consumer trends 3. Key priorities • People • Place • Business • Marketing • Responsible tourism • Partnership working 4. Measuring success Appendix A Action plan Appendix B Strategic context- policies and plans 67
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1. Strategic context In 2005, the first-ever Lanarkshire Tourism Strategy was launched. Subsequent strategies were launched in 2009 and 2016. Previous strategies have all been pan-Lanarkshire strategies covering both North and South Lanarkshire. This is the first South Lanarkshire area specific tourism strategy which allows us to have a clearer focus on the challenges and opportunities for the South Lanarkshire area. Creating a strategy in an unpredictable and fast changing environment presents some challenges. Rather than create a long-term strategy such as the national tourism strategy – ‘Scotland Outlook 2030,’ which covers a ten-year period, this strategy will cover a relatively short timescale to the end of 2025, when a full review, evaluation and update can then take place. Even though the accompanying action plan covers the same short timescale, it needs to be flexible enough to allow the partners the ability to respond to changes in the operating environment, market conditions and evolving consumer trends and behaviour. We would therefore consider the action plan to be a live document which will be updated and modified as required. This Tourism Strategy has been developed as part of the wider work South Lanarkshire Council are leading, together with partners, to refresh and launch a range of new key strategies and plans including our Council Plan ‘Connect’, our Community Plan, our Community Wealth Building Strategy, our Sustainable Development and Climate Change Strategy, our Economic Strategy and this Tourism Strategy. All of these documents are inherently linked and have been informed by what our communities have told us should be our priorities: • People – we need to put people first and reduce inequality • Progress – we need to recover, progress and improve • Planet – we need to work towards a sustainable future in sustainable places Tourism’s role in community wealth building (CWB) Tourism plays a key role in community wealth building (CWB) and South Lanarkshire’s CWB strategy includes five pillars which are: • Spend: The council will support and encourage the local economy to grow sustainably through the effective use of procurement to benefit local economies. • Workforce: The council recognises the importance of employment for individuals and families in terms of achieving potential, improving feelings of self-worth, achieving financial independence, and reducing poverty. • Land and Property: The council will use or repurpose council property and assets, and that of other anchor organisations, in a socially productive way to generate wealth for local citizens. • Finance: The council will encourage and support communities’ financial growth, including building and attracting development and investment opportunities and encouraging local spend. • Building the Generative Economy: The council will work to support local businesses, not-for-profit organisations, and communities to safeguard and create local jobs and address post-Covid recovery. Tourism offers tremendous opportunities to deliver CWB outcomes. The sector is a key employer in the region and makes a positive contribution to the workforce pillar. The re- purposing of land and property to create new tourism assets not only offers the potential to create new attractions to entice visitors to visit the region to spend money, but it can also 68
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create facilities that locals can use and benefit from and can make facilities more viable than if they were just relying on local custom, protecting, and enhancing jobs and communities. This strategy is influenced by the following strategic plans: • Tourism Lanarkshire 2020 • Scotland Outlook 2030 and The Scottish Tourism Emergency Response Group (STERG) Recovery Plans • Scotland’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET) • Scottish Agritourism A Strategy for Sustainable Growth • Promote Economic Strategy for South Lanarkshire (2013-23) • South Lanarkshire Community Wealth Building Strategy (CWB) • South Lanarkshire Community Plan (2017-27) • Connect 2017-2022 • Sustainable Development and Climate Change • South Lanarkshire Good Food Strategy 2020-2025 • Spatial Planning Further details on these documents can be found in Appendix B. 69
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2. Consumer trends At the time of writing this strategy various consumer trends were being forecast and these have been taken-into-account when preparing this strategy and the accompanying action plan. These trends include: Localism and slow tourism will see people travelling less but travelling ‘better’ Consumers have long been encouraged to 'discover what’s on your doorstep' and 'think global, act local', however, during and after the COVID-19 pandemic, this became a much more tangible concept for all. This trend is predicted to remain with visitors seeking authentic experiences, close to home. South Lanarkshire’s proximity to the ‘Central Belt’ of Scotland and to the North of England, allied with good transport links will mean that we are ideally positioned to benefit from consumers wishing to limit their travel time. Adaptable adventure There is much evidence that the fundamental need for outdoor activities – which has been a growing tourism driver for years – has been further strengthened by the pandemic-related restrictions, with an increasing number of people becoming more active in their own local areas or looking for alternative ways of staying healthy and physically fit. Private, personalisation and premium experiences There will be an increased demand for small group travel and private tours. Consumers will seek personalisation and bespoke products and will plan and curate holidays which offer cultural experiences, unique activities, and services that provide travel advice and route planning services. Travelling with purpose It is predicted that wellness, fitness, and health enhancement will become increasingly important considerations when visitors are choosing holiday destinations. Artisanal retail and food and drink Consumers are looking to reconnect with the processes and products they use and the people producing them, both at home and as part of planned trips. Workcations Individuals are being enabled to make decisions about working environments based on their own personal circumstances and, as such, can choose to work from less traditional settings or combine work with opportunities to undertaken leisure activities. Affordability In the current economic environment, with the cost-of-living crisis added to the economic shocks of the past few years such as Covid and Brexit, at the forefront of people’s minds, consumers are seeking affordable experiences that demonstrate value for money. All these trends and drivers represent future opportunities for the tourism sector. Public agencies are here to support businesses as they respond to these opportunities and changing environments and can provide help, advice, tailored training programmes, financial assistance, and signposting to other sources of support. 70
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3. Key priorities Our vision To cultivate a vibrant, successful visitor economy in South Lanarkshire which creates benefits and opportunities for all. Key priorities Our six key priority areas will centre on: 3.1 People 3.2 Place 3.3 Business 3.4 Marketing 3.5 Responsible tourism 3.6 Partnership Working Each of the key priority areas includes a summary of proposed actions. Appendix A provides the full detail for each action including suggesting which organisation will take the lead in delivery. 71
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3.1 People The South Lanarkshire tourism sector will become a career of choice. Our sector will attract, develop, and retain a skilled, committed, diverse and valued workforce. Analysis undertaken on behalf of the Lanarkshire Economic Forum has identified the following as key factors in the economic recovery in Lanarkshire. • Employability - maximising outcomes for young people and unemployed/underemployed adults across Lanarkshire’s communities; and • Skills - addressing current and future economic opportunities with specific emphasis on the up-skilling and re-skilling of the workforce and safeguarding apprenticeships. Tourism is an important employer in Lanarkshire and pre-COVID (2019-20) was responsible for employing 3,013 full-time equivalent (FTE) jobs (Scottish Tourism Economic Activity Monitor STEAM). Tourism is a valuable provider of jobs as it offers job creation opportunities throughout our urban and rural communities. By creating quality jobs offering the right pay and conditions, there are huge opportunities to grow employment within the tourism sector, with our tourism businesses becoming more aware of fair work practices and more responsible employers. Tourism offers vast, meaningful, and exciting opportunities for our future and existing workforce. If we want our tourism sector to grow, it is vital that the South Lanarkshire tourism sector attracts, trains, and retains the size and quality of workforce needed to meet the sector’s needs and growth ambitions. The COVID pandemic and the EU Exit has created significant challenges for the South Lanarkshire tourism sector, and we will work together to increase the number and quality of tourism employment opportunities, develop sustainable career pathways and tourism becoming a career of choice rather than a default sector. Collaborations are taking place to address skills shortages in the tourism and hospitality sectors such as the CareerScope job portal, founded by Springboard, Hospitality Action, the Institute of Hospitality, The Scottish Tourism Alliance, Savoy Educational Trust and UK Hospitality. Proposed actions To help deliver an effective people strategy we will: • Encourage work placements in the tourism and hospitality sectors. • Provide support to individuals to enable them to develop their skills. • Provide recruitment support to employers via the Flexible Workforce Development Fund. • Raise the profile of the tourism sector as a career of choice, promote the courses we offer and attract applicants. • Actively engage with Tourism employers in South Lanarkshire to ensure our further and higher education institutions’ curriculum offer meets their needs of staff new to the Tourism industry and for staff progression and upskilling. • Seek opportunities to network across the Tourism industry within South Lanarkshire through our engagement with the Federation of Small Businesses, Lanarkshire Chamber of Commerce and Trade and other industry bodies. • Support Scotland Food & Drink’s Regional Food Tourism Ambassador Programme. 72
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3.2 Place We will create and develop an attractive, competitive visitor destination. A rich history South Lanarkshire has a lot to offer potential visitors with an exciting mix of urban and rural experiences. An undoubted strength is our wealth of historic assets which has been recently enhanced by the addition of The David Livingstone Birthplace following a £9 million investment. The new David Livingstone Birthplace Museum complements an already strong heritage offering which includes the William Adam designed Chatelherault Hunting Lodge located within the vast Chatelherault Country Park. Other historic Duke of Hamilton heritage assets include the magnificent Hamilton Mausoleum, and Low Parks Museum with its Cameronians (Scottish Rifles) Gallery reflecting over 300 years of this unique regiment's story. In addition to castles – Bothwell and Craignethan – other South Lanarkshire heritage attractions include the 5-star Biggar and Upper Clydesdale Museum and National Museum of Rural Life. The most iconic historic asset in the region however is undoubtably New Lanark World Heritage Site. The new UNESCO National Trail in Scotland which will digitally connect the 13 UNESCO World Heritage Sites, Biosphere Reserves, Global Geoparks and Creative Cities, is sure to offer opportunities to encourage visitors to stay longer and spend more locally. At one with nature South Lanarkshire offers a mix of natural assets ranging from the popular Calderglen Country Park in East Kilbride, one of the region’s most visited attractions, through to a large beautiful rural landscape. Visitors wanting to explore the region either by foot or by bike will not be disappointed as South Lanarkshire has an extensive core path network (2217 km) including the Clyde Walkway, and two National Cycle Routes connecting to Glasgow, Edinburgh, and Carlisle. Venues, events, and festivals The area offers high-quality venues including the Category A listed Edwardian Baroque Style Hamilton Town House, the Scottish Baronial Style Rutherglen Town Hall, and the impressive Lanark Memorial Hall. South Lanarkshire has some popular and well-established events and festivals including Lanimers Day, and the Strathaven Balloon Festival. Expanding the region’s calendar of events will be largely dependent on being able to make South Lanarkshire a more attractive destination for event organisers. For example, the first edition of the combined UCI Cycling World Championships will be held between August 3-13, 2023, Described as an '11-day mega event' by the UCI, the Glasgow 2023 World Championships will bring together 13 different cycling World Championships, across at least six different locations around Glasgow and southern Scotland. This presents a great opportunity for South Lanarkshire Tourism businesses. Tourism infrastructure and transport South Lanarkshire has some excellent transport links and has the M74 running right through the area. South Lanarkshire has benefitted from transport improvements in the past few years particularly with regards to the M8/M73/M74 upgrade, including works at the Raith Interchange. The area is also home to the picturesque Clyde Valley Tourist Route. In addition to the road network, many South Lanarkshire attractions are served by train and bus stations. It is important from an environmental as well social inclusion point of view that public transportation is well promoted through all activity. 73
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Visitor accommodation Visitors to South Lanarkshire can choose from a diverse range of accommodation options ranging from urban hotels through to farm stay self-catering and bed and breakfasts. In the last few years, the region’s hotel stock has been boosted by the addition of the Hampton by Hilton, Hamilton Park, The Premier Inn Hotel in Hamilton and the Ramada by Wyndham, East Kilbride. Several other developments are currently in the pipeline with an expansion to Crossbasket Castle and the proposed Lannraig Scotland Resort planned near Carnwath. One area which requires further investigation is the growth in caravan and campervan usage. The increase in campervan ownership has been keenly noticed since the COVID pandemic Whilst perhaps not as badly affected as some hotspot areas such as Loch Lomond National Park, Skye and the Pentland Hills, South Lanarkshire has not been immune to issues with Tinto Hill being particularly affected. With the growth in caravan and campervan ownership showing no signs of abating, the council and private and public sector partners will need to consider how best to respond to this development in a way that mitigates any negative impacts whilst taking advantage of the opportunities that this market growth offers. Another trend is the establishment of short term let accommodation. This can result in the provision of reasonably priced accommodation where it is appropriately managed. The law around short-term lets recently changed and from 1 October 2022 those who provide short- term let accommodation need to apply for a licence from South Lanarkshire Council in order to operate. South Lanarkshire food and drink Food and drink are an important part of the tourism mix and experience and help to shape visitor’s perceptions of a destination. While food and drink are not typically drivers of destination choice, food and drink are key elements that can significantly enhance our visitors’ experience – and therefore enjoyment – of a particular destination. Local food and drink products and activities can help foster a sense of connection to South Lanarkshire’s natural environment, local people, local customs and help create a sense of place as visitors increasingly seek local produce With visitors increasingly seeking new experiences, local produce, and ways to partake in sustainable tourism, agritourism has become a growing consumer trend. Agritourism is something that we are seeing throughout South Lanarkshire in the form of farm stays, farm shops which sell locally grown and sourced produce, and farm visits. Locally, ‘Lanarkshire Larder,’ a local network of food and drink businesses, is working hard to raise the profile of the region’s food and drink offering. With our rich and seasonally variable larder, and wide range of excellent independent producers, South Lanarkshire is well placed to excel in the provision of locally sourced, high-quality food and drink products for visitors. Availability and the promotion of local food and drink in the hospitality sector is important. VisitScotland’s Taste our Best Quality Assurance scheme has a role to play here as it recognises high quality and locally sourced produce. South Lanarkshire Council’s Food & Drink Officer works closely with the food and drink sector in the area and with the national agency Scotland Food & Drink to champion local produce and assist with supporting the industry. 74
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Retail and town centres South Lanarkshire’s town centres are diverse and perform many functions including education, health, shopping, public services, leisure, culture and history. Our towns are multipurpose destinations which support the visitor experience by providing amenities, quality places to eat and drink, transport links and retail. This in turn provides income, jobs and services for our local communities. Each town centre has its own unique identity and history – from picturesque market towns such as Lanark, Strathaven and Biggar to those with an abundance of leisure activities such as East Kilbride. The range of different town centre offers throughout the authority mean that there is an experience to attract every type of visitor. Our town centres have to adapt to survive and generating visitors through tourism will be vital to achieving this goal. Creating high quality, authentic and memorable experiences To remain competitive, the South Lanarkshire tourism industry will need to provide a wide range of high quality, and memorable visitor experiences that fully utilise our strengths, our assets and responds to visitor trends. Creating a memorable experience is critical and our attractions must continue to evolve to generate repeat visits. High quality visitor experiences will require us all to monitor visitor feedback and take-action where necessary. Communication takes place with agencies such as VisitScotland, Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions and Green Tourism, who all operate quality assurance schemes and training programmes, to explore if partnership activity could help provide Lanarkshire businesses with the quality assurance support that they require. Through partner collaboration we will undertake some exploratory work to find out what support, if any, is required and desired. Proposed Actions To help deliver the place priority, we will: • Ensure national planning policy on tourism and the visitor economy is considered in decision making on planning applications. • Work to secure funding to develop and enhance the tourism and visitor infrastructure. • Work with communities to support community-led tourism opportunities. • Work with town centre partners and stakeholders to ensure that our towns are a welcoming, functional, and vibrant place to live, work, visit and do business. • Extend the Clyde Walkway south from its current termination point at New Lanark to connect with adjacent sections of the ‘Scotland’s Great Trail’ network. • Provide a tourism offer that will directly contribute to the quality of life for South Lanarkshire’s residents via improved places to visit, looking after our environment and greenspace, including thriving country parks for all to enjoy. • Provide a programme of high-quality productions throughout our 5 Cultural Venues to encourage theatre goers to remain within the (South) Lanarkshire area rather than travel to neighbouring authorities and additionally will enhance Lanarkshire as an area to visit from out with the locality. • Encourage the media/film industry to use our locations and our rural landscape and heritage settings as film locations, raising the profile of our venues. • Further develop new and diverse accommodation options. 75
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3.3 Business We will build business resilience, sustainability, improve viability and profitability. Research undertaken on behalf of the Lanarkshire Economic Forum has identified new business starts, sustaining and growing existing businesses, and building the capacity and capability of companies, as critical elements in Lanarkshire’s economic recovery. The national tourism strategy – Scotland Outlook 2030 paints a picture of success involving: • Our businesses will thrive in a supportive environment, adopting responsible and fair business practices whilst being open to change and committed to investing in their future. • Businesses will have a stronger capability to secure appropriate investment which will be reflected in the productivity of the sector, showing positive improvement, growth and improved financial returns. • We will see all businesses able to embrace innovation and technology to create and deliver new and better visitor experiences in line with the changing landscape and consumer behaviour. Several public agencies already provide financial support to the tourism sector. South Lanarkshire Council’s Business Support team provide help and support to businesses through advice and offer financial grant support in the form of small grants up to £3000, and larger recovery and growth grants up to £20,000, (There is a proposal to increase the maximum grant to £50k being presented to Council on 7 December.) The team provide a business one-stop-shop by making introductions and signposting businesses to partners and other relevant council departments. Business Gateway Lanarkshire, through their team of specialist advisors, provide a range of advice, expert knowledge, market intelligence, workshops, advise on funding opportunities and events to help businesses achieve their goals. Other national public agencies are on hand to help Lanarkshire tourism businesses and include VisitScotland Skills Development Scotland and Scottish Enterprise. Industry bodies also offer advice, support and training opportunities to the tourism sector and include the Lanarkshire Chamber of Commerce and Trade, Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA), Federation of Small Business (FSB) and the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA). 76
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Proposed actions To help support our businesses we will: • Provide financial support to tourism and hospitality businesses through the council’s business support grants. • Provide advice and support to tourism and hospitality businesses via the Business Gateway Lanarkshire service. • Work together with other partners to support tourism and hospitality businesses. • Drive product development with existing and new pipeline businesses. • Support businesses to deliver high quality memorable experiences which benefit visitors and the places they visit. • Support business through successful delivery of digital skills and development advice. • Support and advise businesses in the adoption of responsible tourism practices and development of sustainable experiences. • Support tourism businesses to build business resilience, sustainability, improve business viability and profitability. • Further develop networking connections between tourism businesses to coordinate and extend the tourism offer, events and attractions. 77
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3.4 Marketing We will raise the profile of South Lanarkshire as an attractive visitor destination. Consumer segments VisitScotland’s national segmentation model helps optimise marketing spend. It helps us to understand visitor behaviours and target communications to the right consumers with shared needs using the most cost effective and targeted marketing channels. VisitScotland have identified 5 target segments: • Natural Advocates • Curious Travellers • Engaged Sightseers • Adventure Seekers • Food-Loving Culturalists Natural Advocates, Curious Travellers and Engaged Sightseers appear be the most appropriate prospects for the South Lanarkshire tourism offering. With Engaged Sightseers preference to use ‘trusted’ or well-known websites, and National Advocates being the heaviest users of official country tourism websites, it is important that South Lanarkshire content is maximised and communicated on VisitScotland channels to ensure we also benefit from United Kingdom marketing spend. Natural Advocates Natural Advocates tend not follow the crowds and desire holidays that help them to unwind, recharge and enjoy quiet time. With their desire to get away from it all, rural South Lanarkshire will appeal to this segment. Curious Travellers A holiday or break for the Curious Traveller will pack a lot in, exploring the history and culture of destinations, enjoying scenery and landscapes, getting ‘off the beaten track’ and trying new things will all appeal to their natural curiosity. Enjoying the outdoors via hiking, rambling or short walks and taking in natural sites are also activities that this segment will relish. Engaged Sightseers Engaged Sightseers are above average holiday takers, taking the highest number of nights away on holiday per year of all the segments. Engaged Sightseers particularly enjoy spending their UK holiday time touring and general sightseeing. Historical places are of great interest as well as scenery, nature, and wildlife. They enjoy visiting castles, monuments, parks and gardens, museums, and galleries. Short walks will appeal but typically they will not participate in more active sports. Digital marketing – capacity building Having a welcoming, visible, and bookable website is key to attracting new customers to a tourism business. Today’s holidaymakers use a wide variety of channels to find and book trips and it’s no surprise that the greeting they receive online should be as welcoming as it is in person. From search engine listings to social media platforms and online travel agent websites, the secret to being found is to maintain a strong presence in the places your customers look for inspiration. 78
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Many tourism businesses have invested a great deal in their digital offering but with advances occurring at a rapid rate, there is a need to stay up to date and ensure that individual business websites are discoverable and bookable. Business Gateway Lanarkshire and other agencies offer regular free training which allow businesses to develop their digital knowledge so they can continue to invest in their digital offering. VisitLanarkshire Given that the VisitLanarkshire brand and associated website is now well established, the intention will be to continue to use this VisitLanarkshire brand in the immediate future for consumer marketing. It is imperative that all tourism businesses are listed on this website to benefit from these marketing campaigns. Regional tourism websites have changed over the past few years, so the website is currently being refreshed and it will act as an effective portal for planning a trip to South Lanarkshire and then direct visitors out to the individual business external websites to make their booking. Proposed actions To help the marketing priority we will: • Raise the profile and digital booking ability of South Lanarkshire tourism offering. • Ensure that South Lanarkshire is represented in Glasgow City Region (GCR) tourism marketing activity. • Gather tourism data to inform collaborative and individual decision making and share with tourism operators. • Promote use of local food and drink produce (promotion and events) across business sectors including tourism. • Promote our town centres. • Work with VisitScotland to profile our visitors and understand their needs. • Work with VisitScotland to enhance visitlanarkshire.com. • Work with VisitScotland to enhance South Lanarkshire content in relevant marketing activity. • Raise the profile of South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture assets. • Promote the development of tourism sector and connections between businesses, events and attractions and offers to extend visitor stays and spend in South Lanarkshire. 79
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3.5 Responsible tourism We will develop a sustainable visitor economy, maximising the positive impacts, and minimising any potential negative impacts. What is responsible tourism? Responsible tourism requires the South Lanarkshire tourism industry, public sector agencies, communities, and visitors to work collectively to maximise the positive economic, social, and environmental impacts of their activity, and minimise the negative ones. Responsible tourism considers not only the needs of the visitor and the tourism industry, but also host communities and the environment. There are three strands to a responsible tourism approach: 1. Sustainability - environmental, cultural, and economic • Environmental - looking after our key South Lanarkshire assets by seeking to address the impacts of climate change and reducing harm to the natural and built environment. • Cultural - protecting our cultural heritage; our attractions, events, and activities. • Economic – enabling economic growth whilst ensuring progress is beneficial to everyone. 2. Inclusion - ensuring South Lanarkshire is a place for everyone by prioritising accessibility and inclusivity, so no one faces barriers to visiting the area. 3. Communities - connecting visitors and host communities meaningfully while working with local people to make sure they experience the benefits of tourism – economic, social and well-being. Why is responsible tourism important? We have a duty of care to protect our assets for the future. A responsible approach to tourism will help South Lanarkshire’s attractiveness, help communities thrive, and enable growth and at the same time minimising any negative impacts. Working towards a low carbon economy Sustainable Development and Climate Change is a key focus of the national tourism efforts and is also shared by South Lanarkshire Council. The Sustainable Development and Climate Change Strategy 2022-2027 has been agreed. The council has also signed up to the Glasgow Food and Climate Declaration and Edinburgh Biodiversity Declaration. In addition, emerging planning policy at a national level is heavily focussed on addressing climate change which in turn will be addressed in Local Development Plan 3. VisitScotland have already committed to: • Take action to reduce carbon emissions as an organisation and encourage Scotland tourism industry to consider and address their carbon footprint. • Work collaboratively with the Scottish tourism and events industry to educate and share best practice around effectively reducing carbon emissions. • Play a leading role in the development of Scotland as a globally recognised responsible destination. 80
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• Engage our communities to make sure they are at the heart of our responsible tourism future. As a tourism sector we should ensure that we engage and support the efforts of VisitScotland and other agencies such as Scottish Enterprise who are progressing projects to work towards a low carbon economy and do likewise with efforts being made at a council level. Proposed Actions To help support responsible tourism we will: • Explore low carbon opportunities. • Develop more sustainable town centres. • Reduce our carbon footprint by utilising digital communication channels when appropriate to do so • Encourage visitors to act responsibly when visiting South Lanarkshire. • Develop tourism programmes to include input on the sustainable visitor economy and how to maximise positive and minimise negative impacts • Develop planning policies to ensure the delivery of the Tourism Strategy is sustainable. 81
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3.6 Partnership working Collaborative working will allow the South Lanarkshire tourism sector to realise its full potential. While there is a strong history of successful partnership working in Lanarkshire, there is currently no formal grouping or structure in place for the industry. South Lanarkshire Council already has well established links and levels of engagement with other bodies involved in tourism initiatives including VisitScotland, Scottish Enterprise and has a long-established working relationship with North Lanarkshire Council delivering, who share the management of the VisitLanarkshire brand and associated marketing activity. The Scottish Governments NSET strategy highlights the importance of Scotland’s Regional Economic Partnerships as they bring together key economic drivers to enhance regional interests, focus and align resources and provide the opportunity to share knowledge and expertise. The council is a member of the Glasgow City Region Tourism Portfolio group, as well as the Scottish Local Authority Economic Development (SLAED) tourism group and the Scottish Tourism Alliance. The council’s arms-length organisation – South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture, is a member of the Association of Scottish Visitor Attractions (ASVA). Successful delivery however will require the input from the sector itself, and a wide number of stakeholders including the Lanarkshire Chamber of Commerce and Trade and the Federation of Small Business. The importance of our further education establishments – University of the West of Scotland, South Lanarkshire College and New College Lanarkshire, and our schools will also be critical as we aim to progress our tourism people strategy. Proposed Actions To help promote partnership working we will: • Continue to listen to the views of the Lanarkshire tourism sector on their desire for a new collaborative tourism membership organisation and what form it should take. • Utilise Regional Economic Partnerships to raise the profile of our tourism offering. • Work in partnership with North Lanarkshire Council on appropriate pan-Lanarkshire activity. • Encourage joint working with tourism colleagues across the 32 local authorities in Scotland. • Support food and drink networks and linkages to tourism businesses in South Lanarkshire. • Work in partnership with employers in the Tourism sector in South Lanarkshire to support their training and development needs to help realise the potential of their business and of their employees 82
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4 Measuring success Tourism Action Plan The current action plan at appendix A, in November 2022, includes actions from the council and some public sector partners. Each action has a nominated lead officer and progress will be monitored and shared. This is intended to be a shared document and additional activities will be identified and tracked as the strategy progresses. Data sources The council already subscribes to twos sources of data on the sector – the regional Scottish Tourism Economic Activity Monitor (STEAM) data and Visitor Attraction data from the Moffat centre. STEAM data provides us with data relating to visitor numbers, volume and value data and employment statistics. This information will allow us to compare data and trends with the majority of local authorities in Scotland and will also allow us to compare current performance against historical data as we have subscribed to this model for several years. The Moffat Centre’s Visitor Attraction Monitor provides good quality trend data for the visitor attraction sector. This is a partnership document and, pending the potential forming of a collaborative tourism group, it is anticipated that such a group will take action to monitor and measure the success of the action plan. Each lead organisation will require to take responsibility for their respective actions in the action plan and measure their actions regularly and report back as evidence of progress in delivering the strategy in addition to economic outcomes like numbers of new businesses, employment and turnover. 83
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Appendix A – Tourism Action Plan These actions are intended as an initial list of actions that will be delivered by South Lanarkshire Council and other partners. The intention is that this will be a live document which will get updated and changed over time. It is recognised that a new tourism membership group (if created), may wish to re-prioritise, progress, and deliver activity to address the specific challenges and opportunities that they believe need to be addressed. People We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action How will we know this step is complete and measure outcomes? Timescales Lead Support apprenticeships in the tourism and hospitality sectors Fund and promote hospitality and travel Foundation Apprenticeships, Modern Apprenticeships and Graduate Apprenticeships Work with industry to identify demand for apprenticeships Number of hospitality and travel Foundation Apprenticeships, Modern Apprenticeships and Graduate Apprenticeships 2022 - 2025 Skills Development Scotland (SDS) Contract with Training providers to deliver apprenticeships Promote apprenticeships through our digital portals https://www.apprenticeships.scot/ https://www.ourskillsforce.co.uk/ 84
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People We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action How will we know this step is complete and measure outcomes? Timescales Lead Provide financial support to individuals to enable them to develop their skills Provide financial support via Individual Training Accounts (ITAs) which is administered by SDS Promote ITAs to individuals across Scotland Number of individuals who secure ITAs, number of training courses completed Ongoing SDS Provide support to employers via the Flexible Workforce Development Fund • Provide support & promote the Flexible Workforce Development Fund Promote the fund to employers through the SDS website and via other channels Applications are via SDS who will review and evaluate applications Number of employers and employees supported/assisted Ongoing SDS Through our marketing strategy work to raise the profile of the tourism We review our curriculum offer in Travel and Tourism annually Keep up to date with industry trends and leading industry bodies to ensure curriculum is kept up to date Publication of all courses including those relating to Tourism courses Ongoing South Lanarkshire College 85
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People We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action How will we know this step is complete and measure outcomes? Timescales Lead sector as a career of choice, promote the courses we offer and attract applicants. on the College website To review our Marketing Strategy Evaluate the success of previous campaigns and adapt to suit changes in curriculum and the sector as a whole That we attract students to relevant courses either those new to the Tourism industry or by delivering upskilling to those already in the Tourism industry Ongoing South Lanarkshire College Actively engage with Tourism employers in South Lanarkshire to ensure our curriculum offer meets their needs of staff new to the Tourism industry and for staff progression and upskilling. Through consultation we will align our curriculum offer to meet the needs of the South Lanarkshire Tourism sector Contact South Lanarkshire Tourism sector employers to consult on the relevance of the curriculum offer in Tourism and to adapt the curriculum to meet the needs of the Tourism sector When contact has been made and arrangements to meet and/or network with Tourism sector employers. That the curriculum has been reviewed to meet the needs of the Tourism sector Academic Year (AY) (Aug - Jun) 22/23 and beyond South Lanarkshire College Through networking with relevant South Contact relevant South Lanarkshire Tourism networking groups When contact has been made and arrangements to South Lanarkshire College 86
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People We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action How will we know this step is complete and measure outcomes? Timescales Lead Lanarkshire and national groups relating to Tourism we will promote South Lanarkshire college courses meet and/or network with Tourism businesses. Successful engagements with the tourism sector employers and the sharing of relevant course information Place We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action How will we know this step is complete and measure outcomes? Timescales Lead Develop planning policies to support the delivery of the Tourism Strategy Existing policy on the visitor economy and tourism will be reviewed and refreshed Prepare South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan 3 Adoption of SLLDP3 The finalised SLLDP3 will be produced in 2027/28 but preparatory work will begin long before this. SLC Planning 87
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Place We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action How will we know this step is complete and measure outcomes? Timescales Lead Prepare Rural Design Guide to include visitor facilities and accommodation Committee approval of Supporting Planning Guidance Dec 2022 SLC Planning Ensure national planning policy on tourism and the visitor economy is considered in decision making on planning applications Establish National Planning Framework 4 as key issue once it is approved and becomes part of the Development Plan Prepare interim Supporting Planning Guidance based on NPF4 as appropriate Committee approval of Supporting Planning Guidance Mar 2023 SLC Planning Engage with the tourism industry and partner organisations when preparing policy and SPG Hold engagement event Dec 2022 SLC Planning Work to secure funding to develop and enhance the tourism and visitor infrastructure Prepare and submit funding bids Develop designs and costings for missing long distance walkway sections in S Lanarkshire. Submit applications for funding Securing funding and construction of long- distance paths Mar 2024 SLC Rural and Funding Team Develop Clyde100 concept and designs for associated infrastructure improvements creating proposals for enhanced SLC infrastructure at key locations Secure funding for design and scoping of projects Dec 2022 SLC Rural and Funding Team Work with third sector, landowners, and community organisations and trusts to develop the quality and variety of the visitor experience Value of funding secured for enhanced visitor facilities and attractions Mar 2024 SLC Rural and Funding Team 88
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Place We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action How will we know this step is complete and measure outcomes? Timescales Lead Work with communities to support community led tourism opportunities Undertake a rural community tourism engagement consultation. Assessing, demands, pressures, and opportunities identified by rural communities. Report completed 2022 SLC Rural and Funding Team Work with town centre partners and stakeholders to ensure that our towns are a welcoming, functional, and vibrant place to live, work, visit and do business. Work with town centre organisations such as Development Trusts and Business Improvement Districts to enhance the town centre offer. Regular meetings and coordination with organisations to support their ambitions Minutes of meetings etc. Ongoing SLC Town Centre Management Team Extend the Clyde Walkway south from its current termination point at New Lanark to connect with adjacent sections of the ‘Scotland’s Great Trail’ network. Create connection south to the Southern Upland Way at Leadhills/ Wanlockhead • Review Clyde Walkway extension feasibility study • Undertake landowner and community consultation • Secure funding from appropriate sources including Renewable Energy Fund • Completion of landowner and community consultation • Funding secured • Detailed design specifications and costings prepared • Completion of contract documentation 2025 SLC Countryside and Greenspace Service in partnership with Planning and Regeneration Services 89
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Place We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action How will we know this step is complete and measure outcomes? Timescales Lead • Prepare detail design specifications and costings • Prepare contract documentation • Undertake site implementation Create connection east via Biggar to join with the John Buchan Way in the Scottish Borders • Review Clyde Walkway extension feasibility study • Undertake landowner and community consultation • Secure funding from appropriate sources including Renewable Energy Fund • Prepare detail design specifications and costings • Prepare contract documentation • Undertake site implementation • Completion of landowner and community consultation • Funding secured • Detailed design specifications and costings prepared • Completion of contract documentation 2025 SLC Countryside and Greenspace Service in partnership with Planning and Regeneration Services Connection west via Douglas and Glespin to the River Ayr Way in East Ayrshire • Review Clyde Walkway extension feasibility study • Undertake landowner and community consultation • Completion of landowner and community consultation • Funding secured 2025 SLC Countryside and Greenspace Service in partnership with Planning and 90
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Place We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action How will we know this step is complete and measure outcomes? Timescales Lead • Secure funding from appropriate sources including Renewable Energy Fund • Prepare detail design specifications and costings • Prepare contract documentation • Undertake site implementation • Detailed design specifications and costings prepared • Completion of contract documentation Regeneration Services Provide a tourism offer that will directly contribute to the quality of life for South Lanarkshire’s residents via improved places to visit, looking after our environment and greenspace including thriving country parks for all to enjoy Turn our assets into experiences attracting new and repeat visitors Review and develop our cultural programme to best fit our target markets, providing imaginative and creative programming and curation of collections, exhibitions, events, and festivals. Deliver a visitor attraction activities and events programme Annual visitor numbers Dec 2022 then annual reviews South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture (SLLC) Invest in our local heritage to ensure we sustain our tourism offer Seek external funding opportunities to invest in our open spaces. We will study visitor numbers at Key assets eg Tinto Hill in order to improve facilities to meet demand. External funding secured and delivery of investment projects Dec 2022 then annual reviews SLLC 91
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Place We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action How will we know this step is complete and measure outcomes? Timescales Lead We will Promote the 6 SLL&C golf courses. Provide a programme of high-quality productions throughout our 5 Cultural Venues to encourage theatre goers to remain within the (South) Lanarkshire area rather than travel to neighbouring authorities and additionally will enhance Lanarkshire as an area to visit from out with the area Work in partnership with similar services in North Lanarkshire to provide a comprehensive offering from Lanarkshire as a whole. Programme high quality performances and companies. Ticket sales Dec 2022 then annual reviews SLLC Invest in the infrastructure of our venues to ensure they are ‘fit for purpose’ in terms of delivering large scale productions Investigate funding and capital expenditure opportunities to invest and enhance the quality of performances and invest in our venues, including equipment Total funding secured Dec 2022 then annual reviews SLLC Research caravan and camping provision and the demand and appropriateness for Aires provision in the area Research demand and explore appropriate delivery options to meet this demand. Gather views from interested stakeholders, liaise with other local authorities who have operated pilot schemes and explore the viability of potential pilot schemes/sites. Initial research completed. Pilot scheme(s) identified. 2023/2024 SLC Tourism Officer, Economic Development working in partnership with planning, roads, 92
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Place We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action How will we know this step is complete and measure outcomes? Timescales Lead and licensing colleagues Encourage the media/film industry to use our locations and our rural landscape and heritage settings as film locations Work in collaboration with the film industry to identify suitable locations Establish links with potential partners Number of film bookings secured Dec 2022 then annual reviews SLLC 93
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Business We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action How will we know this step is complete and measure outcomes? Timescales Lead Provide support to tourism and hospitality businesses through the council’s grants scheme Offer targeted support to South Lanarkshire tourism and hospitality businesses, enabling them to create and safeguard jobs, increase turnover and profit Administer the Business Support Grants scheme to support businesses to invest, subject to eligibility etc criteria. Annual evaluation of programmes / interventions: • Number of grant applications. • Number of businesses supported. • Number of jobs safeguarded/created 2022 then annual evaluations SLC Economic Development team Support Scotland Food & Drink’s Regional Food Tourism Ambassador Programme Ensure that good links are in place between Scotland Food & Drink, the current South Lanarkshire Food Tourism Ambassador, and with South Lanarkshire Council Ensure regular communication takes place. If the scheme is expanded and additional ambassadors are required, help Scotland Food & Drink to identify other new potential ambassadors Evaluation of Food Tourism Ambassador Scheme by Scotland Food & Drink Ongoing South Lanarkshire Council (SLC) Food and Drink Sector Lead, Economic Development Provide support to tourism and hospitality businesses via the Business Gateway Lanarkshire service Work with the current contractor – Elevator, to deliver support to tourism and hospitality businesses Regular meetings are held with SLC, North Lanarkshire Council and the Business Gateway Lanarkshire contractor – Elevator Annual evaluation of activity: • Number of businesses to receive business advice. • Number of training events. • Number of tourism- specific initiatives 2022 then annual evaluations Business Gateway Lanarkshire / SLC Economic Development team 94
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Business We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action How will we know this step is complete and measure outcomes? Timescales Lead e.g., Lanarkshire Tourism Month. • Number of tourism/hospitality businesses attending training events. Work with other partners to support tourism and hospitality businesses Signpost to businesses to other sources of help and advice. Through our engagement with organisations such as the Scottish Tourism Alliance, VisitScotland, Glasgow City Region and the Scottish Local Authorities Economic Development (SLAED) tourism sub-groups, we will endeavour to be aware of available support and opportunities to the sector and share this information with the sector Number of referrals made to partner organisations 2022 then annual evaluations SLC Economic Development team 95
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Business We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action How will we know this step is complete and measure outcomes? Timescales Lead Drive product development with existing and new pipeline businesses Help industry to develop and diversify their product to target, in the short term, those key markets first to return post Covid- 19, and longer term, targeted higher value market segments Develop product readiness by ensuring businesses are travel trade ready, understanding travel distribution by key market, available routes to market, and then identifying and engaging with intermediaries. Delivered through a range of business surgeries and events as well as providing platforms for business to participate e.g., missions, workshops, pre-event training, VisitScotland Expo TBC Ongoing VisitScotland Support business through successful delivery of digital skills and development advice Delivering digital advice and support specifically tailored for the tourism industry. Driven by keen understanding the visitor journey. Helping businesses upskill their digital capabilities, taking advantage of the digital routes to market Achieved through a series of 1-2-1 digital reviews, webinars and workshops covering: digital fundamentals, online booking, digital technologies, online travel agent distribution, reputation management, social media and google analytics Number of businesses participating in reviews, webinars, and workshops Ongoing VisitScotland 96
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Business We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action How will we know this step is complete and measure outcomes? Timescales Lead Support tourism businesses to build business resilience, sustainability, improve business viability and profitability. Communicate South Lanarkshire College’s curriculum offer that can support upskilling and the development of employees in the Tourism sector Work with our Marketing Team to actively promote our courses to the Tourism sector in South Lanarkshire On production of targeted information on the College website and communications sent to Tourism groups we have networked with as above. AY 22/23 South Lanarkshire College 97
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Marketing We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action How will we know this step is complete and measure outcomes? Timescales Lead Raise the profile of the South Lanarkshire tourism offering Raise awareness via the Visitlanarkshire.com website and associated social media channels Work with North Lanarkshire Council (NLC) colleagues to review the current website content Completion of website review report. Ongoing SLC Tourism Officer, Economic Development team Redevelop website and liaise with VisitScotland when doing so to ensure alignment with national VisitScotland site Launch of new refreshed website December 2022 SLC Tourism Officer, Economic Development team Ensure the site remains relevant by maintaining and adding relevant content onto the site and associated social media channels Visitor traffic stats will be monitored 2022 then annual evaluations SLC Tourism Officer, Economic Development team Promote the area’s tourism offering via VisitLanarkshire campaigns and marketing activity Work with NLC colleagues to develop and execute marketing activity All activity (where measurable), will be reviewed and evaluated when completed 2022 then annual evaluations SLC Tourism Officer, Economic Development team Ensure visitors have information on the accessibility of venues and attractions Raise awareness of accessible tourism through linking listings on VisitLanarkshire.com with AccessAble Keep the VisitLanarkshire website up to date and maintain ongoing subscription with AccessAble Continue to work with AccessAble and ensure website is kept up to date Ongoing SLC Tourism Officer 98
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Marketing Promote our town centres Promote all town centre offers through use and promotion of the inside out app. Delivery of the insideOut app to provide a communication tool for town centre businesses, communities, and visitors. The app contains information on town centre business, attractions, events, and trails. We will continue to work with town centre stakeholders to populate and promote the app. Complete App development in 2022. Ongoing marketing and promotion. SLC Town Centre Management Team Ensure that South Lanarkshire is represented in Glasgow City Region (GCR) tourism marketing activity Be an active member in the GCR Tourism and Destination Marketing Portfolio, and GCR Tourism Delivery Group. Collaborate with group members and participate in appropriate marketing activity Production of final action plan progress report Ongoing SLC Tourism Officer, Economic Development team Gather tourism data to inform decision making and share with tourism operators Work with key national organisations such as VisitScotland and the Scottish Tourism Alliance (STA) to access market data and visitor intelligence Hold regular meetings with VisitScotland and monitor Scottish Tourism Observatory developments. Retain membership with the STA and encourage South Lanarkshire organisations to participate in data gathering activity Number of South Lanarkshire organisations participating in data gathering exercises Ongoing SLC Tourism Officer, Economic Development team Commission research to inform decision making Commission data from existing models such as Scottish Tourism Economic Activity Monitor (STEAM) reports, and the Moffat Centre Visitor Barometer reports. We will keep a record of the number of data sources being used and ensure that South Lanarkshire trends are monitored, and appropriate action taken where required Annual reviews SLC Tourism Officer, Economic Development team 99
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Marketing Consider commissioning data where gaps exist Promote use of local food and drink produce (promotion and events) across business sectors including tourism Support promotion and events which celebrate the use of local food and drink in tourism Work with national organisations such as Scotland Food & Drink, and local groups like Lanarkshire Larder to promote local food and drink produce Number of events organised/supported, number of initiatives supported, number of participating businesses, number of visitors attending Ongoing SLC Food and Drink Sector Lead, Economic Development team Work with VisitScotland to profile our visitors and understand their needs. Create market prioritisation framework Use VS research and insights to identify key target markets and segments, their location, and interests Completed framework will align with VS insights Ongoing SLC Tourism Officer in partnership with VisitScotland Align South Lanarkshire product offering with the key markets and segments identified Visitor needs and products will be matched Ongoing SLC Tourism Officer in partnership with VisitScotland Work with VisitScotland to enhance South Lanarkshire content in relevant marketing activity South Lanarkshire products are included in relevant VS marketing material Explore creation of a High level – digital visitor Regular updates with VS ensuring they are kept up to date with regional product development Examples of South Lanarkshire products included in relevant VS marketing activity and reflected on visitscotland.com Procure a digital Ongoing- fortnightly series of meetings with VisitScotland SLC Tourism Officer, Economic Development team 100
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Marketing guide that highlights offering development consultant to deliver this Partner with VS to deliver paid marketing activity where relevant using their channels to extend reach Paid marketing activity completed Ongoing SLC Tourism Officer in partnership with VisitScotland Prepare new Marketing Plan 2022/23 New Marketing Plan launched 2022 SLLC Raise the tourism profile of SLLC assets Existing South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture Marketing Plan reviewed and refreshed. Raise the profile of our venues and move away from the perception of provincial venues, instead focussing on the high-profile artists and companies that perform Marketing Plan 2022/23 reviewed Marketing Plan 2022/23 progress report completed, and progress reviewed Nov 2022 SLLC Prepare new Marketing Plan 2023/2024 New Marketing Plan launched Apr 2023 SLLC Instigate a marketing campaign aimed at the profile of the venues as opposed to specific shows, focussing on our online Box Office www.sllcboxoffice.co.uk Number of marketing campaign delivered Dec 2022 then annual reviews SLLC 101
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Responsible tourism We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action How will we know this step is complete and measure outcomes? Timescales Lead Develop planning policies to ensure the delivery of the Tourism Strategy is sustainable Develop planning policy requiring the provision of appropriate infrastructure and visitor management in new developments and the protection of the natural and built environment Prepare South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan 3 Adoption of SLLDP3 The finalised SLLDP3 will be produced in 2027/28 but preparatory work will begin long before this. SLC Planning Reduce our carbon footprint by utilising digital communication channels when appropriate to do so We will use digital marketing methods when appropriate. A blend of online and offline meetings will be used to reduce the need for participants to travel to meetings The carbon impact of activity will be considered when we are planning marketing and other communication activity. When we are planning in-person events we will promote public/active transport options where these are available We will monitor the amount of print we are generating and use surveys when we are holding in-person events. Ongoing SLC Tourism Officer, Economic Development team Encourage visitors to act responsibly when visiting South Lanarkshire Embed responsible tourism messaging in the new VisitLanarkshire.com website Ensure the new website contains information on: • Responsible tourism • Accessibility • Links to Public transport options • Active Travel Launch of refreshed website 22/23 SLC Tourism Officer, Economic Development team 102
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Responsible tourism • ‘Green tourism’ Develop Tourism courses to include input on the sustainable visitor economy and how to maximise positive and minimise negative impacts As above where we consult with tourism sector partners to inform the curriculum to meet needs Contact Tourism sector employers in South Lanarkshire and with relevant South Lanarkshire Tourism networking groups to encourage discussion about embedding sustainable tourism into the curriculum to meet sector and employee need Attendance and feedback from successful networking events. AY 22/23 and 23/24 South Lanarkshire College 103
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Partnership working We will: High level actions Steps we will take to deliver this action How will we know this step is complete and measure outcomes? Timescales Lead Consult with the Lanarkshire tourism sector and find out their views on whether a tourism membership organisation is desired for the region. Ongoing discussions with the industry in both group settings and with individual businesses to establish the desire for the formation of a collaborative group. Virtual symposium held and survey issued in Feb 2022. Further consultation is taking place in order to reach a consensus on the establishment of a sector collaborative body. Sector engagement will be completed with a majority view established on the desire for a collaborative tourism group. March 2023 SLC Tourism Officer, Economic Development team Engage in joint working with tourism colleagues across the 32 local authorities in Scotland Share intelligence and explore joint opportunities with tourism officers in other local authority areas Be an active members of the Scottish Local Authority Economic Development (SLAED) Tourism Sub-group Meeting minutes, participation in joint working activity Meetings take place quarterly 104
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Partnership working Support food and drink networks in South Lanarkshire Work with organisations such as Scotland Food & Drink to provide help and advice to groups like Lanarkshire Larder Raise awareness of promotional and funding opportunities from the council and other organisations Number of food and drink groups supported; number of members/activities undertaken; number of attendees at events Quarterly reports SLC – Food and Drink Sector Lead, Economic Development team 105
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Appendix B strategic context –relevant policies and plans This strategy is influenced by the following strategic plans: Tourism Lanarkshire 2020 This strategy picks up some themes from the Tourism Lanarkshire 2020, a Lanarkshire wide strategy which covered the period 2016-20. Scotland Outlook 2030 and The Scottish Tourism Emergency Response Group (STERG) Recovery Plans Scotland Outlook 2030 represents the longer-term tourism strategy for Scotland up to 2030. The STERG Recovery Plans were created in 2020-21 to deal with short to medium-term actions required to assist the tourism sector to recover from the effects of the COVID pandemic. Scotland’s National Strategy for Economic Transformation (NSET) The vision of the national strategy is to create a wellbeing economy: a society that is thriving across economic, social and environmental dimensions, and that delivers prosperity for all Scotland's people and places. It mentions that it is vital that every region in Scotland benefits from, and contributes to, a more productive and innovative economy, therefore highlighting the importance of Regional Economic Partnerships. Scottish Agritourism A Strategy for Sustainable Growth This strategy highlights the growing trend that is agritourism. With South Lanarkshire having a vast rural landscape, there are already businesses in the area diversifying to offer agritourism experiences and this strategy notes globally agritourism has a sector worth over £1 billion per annum. It is therefore essential that agritourism is clearly defined as a unique, authentic experience for visitors. We particularly look to encourage tourism in the rural areas of South Lanarkshire and therefore the Scottish Agritourism Strategy was a positive influence when developing the tourism strategy. Promote Economic Strategy for South Lanarkshire (2013-23) and South Lanarkshire COVID-19 Recovery Plan This strategy picks up key development themes from the Promote Economic Strategy which are business development and growth, physical infrastructure and place, and Skills - learning and employability. This tourism strategy aims to contribute towards progressing the following indicators and targets from that plan: • Increase the number of businesses per 10,000. • Increase Gross Value Added (GVA). • Maintain 3-year business survival rate. • Increase the number of business start-ups. • Increase the number of school leavers into positive and sustained destinations. • Reduce the proportion of South Lanarkshire residents below the Living Wage. • Increase the employment rate. • Reduce the number of working age residents who are employment deprived. • Reduce the levels of income deprivation. The new tourism strategy and associated action plan also aims to make a positive contribution to ongoing COVID-19 recovery efforts. 106
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South Lanarkshire Community Wealth Building Strategy (CWB) CWB is an alternative approach to traditional economic development, and seeks to develop resilient, inclusive local economies, with more local employment and a larger, more diverse business base. Our diverse tourism sector is ideally placed to make a positive contribution to South Lanarkshire’s CWB aspirations and enhance our urban and rural communities. South Lanarkshire Community Plan (2017-27) The vision for South Lanarkshire Community Plan is: "to improve the quality of life for all in South Lanarkshire by ensuring equal access to opportunities and to services that meet people's needs". The overarching objective is to tackle deprivation, poverty, and inequality. Successful implementation of this tourism strategy and action plan will make a positive contribution to several Community Planning Partnership (CPP) goals including encouraging growth of new businesses; improving the growth and survival of existing businesses in ways that generate better pay, job security and opportunities to progress; and help new businesses to develop through creating the right environment and signposting help and financial support. Tourism is also ideally placed to make a positive contribution towards a family focused financial inclusive strategy with many jobs within tourism and hospitality industry sectors not being typical ‘9-5 jobs’ with a wide range of full-time, part-time and seasonal jobs being provided. The wide variety of shift patterns can suit a variety of people and their own unique circumstances for example some part-time roles may be more suitable for single parents. Tourism can also help tackle health inequalities. Natural tourism assets – walking and cycling trails for example, can be freely accessed by locals as well as visitors, and their use can provide a wide range of physical and mental health benefits. Cultural assets such as museums can promote a sense of belonging and can help combat social isolation. Sensitive investment in tourism assets can help improve the natural environment as can responsible tourism campaigns to encourage visitors to look after the environment when they are visiting. Connect (2017-22) Connect is the council Plan for South Lanarkshire. It sets out the council’s vision, values, and ambitions and what we hope to achieve to improve outcomes for local people over the next five years. At the very heart of this is our vision, which is to improve everyone's quality of life through the services delivered by our five Resources (Education, Social Work, Community and Enterprise, Housing and Technical, and Finance and Corporate) and in the work we do with communities and partners, including the South Lanarkshire Community Planning Partnership and the Health and Social Care Partnership. 107
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Sustainable Development and Climate Change The development of A South Lanarkshire Sustainable Development and Climate Change Strategy 2022-2027 is ongoing. The council has also signed up to the Glasgow Food and Climate Declaration and Edinburgh Biodiversity Declaration. A key theme of this strategy is to identify sustainable development opportunities which will help progress moving towards a net zero economy. South Lanarkshire Good Food Strategy 2020-2025 One of the actions of the South Lanarkshire Good Food Strategy is to “showcase and promote the local food sector to South Lanarkshire residents and visitors” with food and drink being an “integral part of the visitor experience”. Key themes include quality and provenance. Spatial Planning The South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan 2 was adopted by the council April 2021. Policy in relation to the visitor economy and tourism supports the provision of new high quality visitor attractions and facilities together with infrastructure and accommodation as well as the safeguarding of existing features. Proposals are expected to be sustainable, located in appropriate locations while ensuring developments include low and zero carbon energy generating technologies. At a national planning policy level, the focus is on enabling sustainable development that helps strengthen the tourism sector. There is a recognition that tourism will need to adapt to climate change and its impact on travel as well as economic challenges. Impact on the environment and communities will require visitor management and the protection of key assets while investment in appropriate infrastructure is critical. The policy direction will be set out in National Planning Framework 4 which is expected to be approved by the Scottish Parliament in mid-2022; this in turn will inform the preparation of Local Development Plan 3. If you need this information in another language or format, please contact us to discuss how we can best meet your needs. Phone: 0303 123 1015 Email: equalities@southlanarkshire.gov.uk www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk 108
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Appendix 2 List of bodies consulted/responded to online consultation process. The following business engagement and other work has been undertaken to inform the tourism cooperative and strategy work. The additional funding was announced in February 2021. South Lanarkshire tourism businesses were issued with a survey in May 2021 to gather information and their views on current challenges, opportunities and their priorities for the sector moving forward. Informal discussions with individual businesses have informed our strategic approach. Economic Development officers are in frequent dialogue with businesses regarding a wide variety of topics – planning applications, grant applications, COVID support etc., and this has provided officers with an opportunity to gather from businesses their views on opportunities and challenges for promoting tourism in South Lanarkshire and their views regarding whether they would like to see a new tourism membership body set up in South Lanarkshire. An example of this approach includes engagement with the Clydesdale Tourism Group. Officers have attended meetings to advise on support for the sector and where local businesses and stakeholders have expressed their views and have provided feedback. Officers have strived to reflect the needs and aspirations of the group within the draft tourism strategy. The council’s Economic Development team often receive feedback and comments from residents and visitors about a wide variety of tourism issues. This feedback has informed and been reflected in the draft tourism strategy. Discussions with the former Chair of the Lanarkshire Area Tourism Partnership and Lanarkshire Tourism Association (LTA) and former members of both organisations have taken place to learn lessons from the past. The Scottish Tourism Emergency Response Group (STERG) was created in March 2020 to respond to the COVID-19 crisis and their work has included wide ranging industry surveys and engagement across the Scottish tourism sector. STERG data and intelligence has been considered to inform a strategic approach. Officers have had discussions with a wide variety of external organisations to inform work regarding the potential development of a tourism membership organisation in South Lanarkshire. Individual discussions have taken place with South of Scotland Destination Alliance, Ayrshire and Arran Destination Alliance, Argyll and the Isles Tourism Cooperative, Visit Inverness, Loch Ness Improvement District, Breadablane Tourism Cooperative, Cooperative Scotland, the Scottish Tourism Alliance, and Scottish Enterprise. • An online consultation was held in February 2022 with 32 responses from a variety of organisations including VisitScotland, Quothquan and Thankerton Community Council, Royal Burgh of Lanark Community Council, Lanarkshire Larder, Campaign for Real Aires, Carluke Community Council, Lanarkshire Police Historical Society, Lanarkshire Heritage Forum, Leadhills Heritage Trust, Hollandbush Golf Club. 7 109
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Community and Enterprise Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 13 December 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) Subject: Scottish Government 5 Year Play Investment Programme 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to: - provide an update on the work undertaken to date on the Scottish Government’s proposed Play Area Investment Programme propose a strategic, place-based approach to allocating funding from the programme 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s): - (1) that the content of the report be noted; and (2) that the proposed place-based, local approach is approved rather than a blanket spend approach. 3. Background 3.1. The Scottish Government has launched a £60 million fund to renew play parks in Scotland, in order that children have access to high-quality outdoor play in their own communities. £10 million of funding was distributed across councils in 2021/2022 and 2022/2023, with the Council’s share totalling £594,000. The Scottish Government has now confirmed the full allocation which would see South Lanarkshire receiving a total of £3.58 million up to 2025/2026. 3.2. The original intention of the Government was to renew and transform all play areas in Scotland. However, it was clear from the proposed funding package that this would not be achievable. Due to the potential shortfall in funding, the Scottish Government agreed that councils could identify their own investment priorities. Previously, Committee approved the appointment of two temporary Landscape Architects for 2 years utilising the Scottish Government funding received to date. However, only one post was able to be appointed, and the post holder has been able to independently assess what was required in each play area to bring it up to a basic standard. This employee will also be responsible for any consultation going forward as well as associated designs, procurement and contract management relating specifically to Scottish Government spend. 8 111
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3.3. The Council has now completed an initial exercise to identify potential costs to bring all 233 play areas up to an appropriate standard rather than full renewal. This has identified a funding shortfall of approximately £620,000 to bring all play areas up to an appropriate standard. 3.4. Prior to the assessment process starting, the Council also carried out a high-level survey on play in general with 6,395 responses received. The consultation response will be utilised as the Council begins implementation of the programme, with the comments received for each site considered in more detail and further consultation undertaken with local children, families, and ward members as proposals are developed. 3.5. Separate to this, there is a forthcoming review of planning regulations and the Planning Service is leading on the development of an Open Space Strategy which incorporates new play sufficiency requirements, albeit the exact criteria for assessing play provision and surrounding open space has not yet been confirmed. It is hoped that by ensuring that all play areas meet a basic standard, this would help contribute to meeting future play sufficiency requirements. To support the implementation of the Programme, the service is also investigating an IT solution to capture and maintain up to date play inspection and investment information. 4. Investment programme 4.1. The Scottish Government has now confirmed the profile of spend that South Lanarkshire Council will receive for the investment programme, including funding already received. The Council will also continue to explore opportunities for external funding or developers’ contributions that could be utilised to supplement the investment programme and maximise the benefit of individual projects. Year Allocation (£m) 2022/23 0.594 2023/24 0.597 2024/25 0.896 2025/26 1.493 Total 3.580 4.2. As highlighted in section 3.3, initial inspection of all play areas has shown a funding shortfall of £620,000 to bring all sites up to an appropriate standard. A simple allocation of the funding available across all current play areas, regardless of any other considerations, would see minimal impact in many play areas. For some, funding would only go some way to addressing accessibility issues, environmental conditions or applying modern safety standards to historic locations i.e. new fencing for play areas near roads. 4.3. The shortfall in funding provides the opportunity to consider a more strategic place- based approach to allocating specific investment that could see targeted investment in priority play areas. The initial assessment of all play areas against appropriate standards will be used as the basis of funding in each identified locality. This approach would be developed in collaboration with the local community and local ward members, building on the consultation already undertaken and delivering local investment based on local priorities. 112
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4.4. Given the multi-year profile of the funding, the following programme is proposed with focus on specific localities each year. Within the programme there will be flexibility to bring forward or push back projects as funding and staffing resource allows. Year Areas Number of sites 2023/24 Larkhall, Rutherglen, Cambuslang 31 2024/25 Hamilton, Bothwell, Uddingston, Blantyre, Strathaven and surrounds 36 2025/26 East Kilbride 65 2026/27 Clydesdale 101 Total 233 4.5. Taking the programme forward will require a mix of resource usage. The Resource has recruited one temporary Landscape Architect dedicated to the programme and the service has 3 further permanent Landscape Architects who work on a variety of different projects at any given time. As the programme develops, work will be prioritised accordingly internally and there will also be a requirement to commission specific work packages or projects as determined by resource capacity. Further consideration will also be given to additional managerial support as the programme develops into a more complex programme of individual projects. 4.6. Current market conditions will also have an impact on programme implementation. With all 32 councils accessing a small number of specialist approved contractors across Scotland, lead in times to commence projects have already increased significantly and some contractors are not bidding for tenders in outlying areas due to the amount of local work available. 5. Employee Implications 5.1. The temporary Landscape Architect post has been recruited on a 2-year basis and is due to terminate in February 2024. It is expected the programme will continue for two years beyond this date and so will be reviewed as future resources are considered. 6. Financial Implications 6.1. South Lanarkshire Council has been allocated £3.58m for the investment programme with £0.594m received to date and the remainder due to be received over the next 3 years as shown in section 4.1. Applying an appropriate standard investment to the Council’s 233 play areas has identified a funding shortfall for this purpose of £0.6m. The proposed place-based approach of identifying priority work within a locality will allow the funding to be applied to local priorities. 6.2. The current market for contractors and equipment is exceptionally volatile and the initial assessment was based on best estimates at that time. The actual cost of projects will not be known until the tender process is underway. Additionally, RPI over the 5- year period will have an impact on costs over this time and, therefore, reduce the amount of work that will be able to be undertaken. This will be continually reviewed as the investment programme is developed. 6.3. It should also be noted that the investment programme is one off funding and does not account for any increased maintenance costs over the long term of new and additional play equipment. In addition, the Council may not be able to meet ongoing public expectations to maintain these standards and this is something that COSLA has raised with the Scottish Government on behalf of all councils. 113
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7. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 7.1. All potential play area improvements will create a more inviting and pleasant environment for children and families to gather and, where possible, we will utilise natural site characteristics more effectively to enhance the play experience and will increase tree canopy cover and add other vegetation to improve climate change resilience. 8. Other Implications 8.1. There are no implications for risk currently identified in terms of the information contained within this report. 9. Equality Impact Assessment 9.1. The 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) 21 November 2022 Links to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Values Focused on people and their needs Working with and respecting others Priorities We will work to put people first and reduce inequality Outomes Good quality, suitable and sustainable places to live People live the healthiest lives possible Previous References None List of Background Papers None Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact: Lynn Carr, Amenity Services Manager Ext: 815 7755 (Tel: 01698 717755) E-mail: lynn.carr@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 114
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Community and Enterprise Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 13 December 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) Subject: South Lanarkshire Gift Card – Update 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- update members on the performance of the South Lanarkshire Gift card over year one 2. Recommendation 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s): [ (1) the evaluation of the South Lanarkshire Gift Card Scheme, be noted; and (2) that the Council does not progress with the gift card programme. 3. Background 3.1. Along with all other local authorities in Scotland, South Lanarkshire Council was asked by the Scottish Government, through Scotland’s Town Partnership, to back a Scotland Loves Local Gift Card scheme. The scheme was designed to encourage local shopping, drive footfall to local businesses and keep spend in the local area for longer. 3.2. The initiative was fully funded and supported by the Scottish Government for the first year, September 2021 to August 2022. Each local authority signed up to the scheme via a concordat and was provided with 5000 gift cards for its local area for the first year. The scheme was fully paid and managed for the first year. Thereafter, the local authority has the option to agree to continue the scheme for a further year, subject to covering all running costs. 3.3. Approval to proceed with a 1-year trial of the proposal was given by this Committee at its meeting of 7 December 2021. South Lanarkshire Council signed up to the concordat, through which the council gave its support to the scheme for an initial one- year period. Through this, the Council agreed to:- promote the Scotland Loves Local Gift Card scheme amongst outlets, merchants and attractions in the local authority area a local launch and promotion of the Gift Card to businesses in South Lanarkshire provide content for a landing page specific to South Lanarkshire 3.4. The gift cards utilise the existing MasterCard network and can be accepted by small independent businesses and national retailers who use this network. There was no cost to individual businesses and full operational support and merchant care was delivered by Miconex, who provide all purchase and fulfilment functions. Scotland’s 9 115
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Town Partnership (STP), on behalf of Scottish Government, had a contract in place with Miconex and covered the full costs of the first year including licence fee, administration, support and management costs. Data was also collected and used to track spend on the cards and provide information to determine what the benefit is to businesses from such a scheme. 3.5. The only cost to the Council for the initial year pilot period was officer time. 4. Card Performance in South Lanarkshire 4.1. The South Lanarkshire Gift Card was promoted through the Council’s networks as well as through partner organisations such as Hamilton BID. Support was also given by Miconex by approaching individual businesses to encourage sign up. 4.2. As of 30 September 2022, 207 businesses had signed up to the South Lanarkshire programme (this includes nationals who have signed up across Scotland). The card had generated sales in South Lanarkshire of £1,235. 4.3. This is a disappointing level of uptake and does not represent value for money or an effective use of the resources. 4.4. Continuation of the gift card scheme comes with an annual cost of £11,700. This breaks down into a £600 per month administration fee as well as printing costs of £4,500 for 5,000 cards. Should a local authority want more cards, there will be an additional fee. 4.5. Given the low sales in South Lanarkshire and, therefore, limited economic benefit to the area, it is not deemed best value to, continue with the card, particularly as no budget currently exists to meet the schemes costs. 5. Employee Implications 5.1. There are no employee implications arising from the content of this report 6. Financial Implications 6.1. Continuation of the card would require an annual budget of £11,700. This funding is not available from existing budgets. The uptake and levels of spend associated with the trial clearly shows that the economic benefits do not provide a suitable return on investment. 7. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 7.1. There are no climate change or environmental implications as a result of this report. 8. Other Implications 8.1. The card is being widely promoted by Scotland’s Towns Partnership discontinuation may result in complaint from some businesses. 9. Equality impact assessment and Consultation Arrangements 9.1. 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. 9.2 There is no requirement to undertake consultation in terms of the information contained in this report. 116
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David Booth Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) 21 November 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, Effective, Efficient and Transparent Previous References Community and Enterprise Committee 7 December 2021 - South Lanarkshire Gift Card List of Papers Attached None Contact for Further Information Name Victoria Eccles Designation Project Development Officer E-mail victoria.eccles@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 117
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Community and Enterprise Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 13 December 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) Subject: Roads Asset Management Plan 2022 - Update 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to: - [purpose] provide an update on the Roads Asset Management Plan (RAMP) and outline the condition of roads and related infrastructure assets. [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the contents of this report be noted. [1r 3. Background 3.1. The Executive Committee, at its meeting held on 22 September 2010, approved the implementation of an extended model for Corporate Asset Management from 2011. This included developing Asset Plans across several service areas, in line with CiPFA guidance, and summarised, under an overarching Corporate Asset Management Plan, which demonstrates how each area supports corporate objectives. The Service Areas are Property, Housing, ICT, Roads Infrastructure and Fleet. 3.2. The Corporate Asset Management Plan (AMP) is reviewed annually and, being the Council’s single largest asset group, the Roads Asset Management Plan (RAMP) is a key element of the corporate document. 3.3. The development of RAMPs across Scotland provides an excellent example of collaborative working across all 32 councils. A 4-year project, in which all councils participated, was completed in 2016. The good progress achieved is now being developed further via a successor project in which all Scottish councils are again participating. 3.4. The main purpose of developing the RAMP is to: - Ensure we have a sound knowledge of the extent and condition of our main asset groups Understand where any knowledge gaps exist and consider how these might be addressed Understand the level of current investment on each asset group and the associated condition trend 10 119
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3.5. The roads asset consists of the following main groups. Asset Type Asset Description and Components Carriageway The part of the road used by vehicles. This asset group includes drainage systems, lay-bys, bus lanes, traffic calming and verges. Footways, Footpaths and Cycleways Footways – used by pedestrians adjacent to the carriageway. Footpaths – used by pedestrians remote from the carriageway. Cycleways – used by cyclists and in some cases pedestrians. Pedestrianised Areas – generally located in town centres. Structures Primarily bridges and culverts with a span greater than 0.9 metres and retaining walls with minimum retained height of 1.35 metres. Street Lighting Includes lamps, columns, ducts, cabling, control pillars, illuminated road signs and bollards and festive lighting Traffic Management Systems Signalised junctions and pedestrian crossings, detection equipment, ducts, and cabling Street Furniture Vehicle restraint systems (safety fence) 4. Carriageway Asset 4.1. The Council is responsible for a total of 2,295 kilometres (1,426 miles) of carriageway. The Council’s carriageway network is divided into four classifications A, B, C and Unclassified. 4.2. Inventory records are accurate for the lengths of road, however, the widths of the road are estimated based on classification of the road. Over time, these widths will be collected and added into our network management system and will aid with quantification and refinement of the valuation of the carriageway asset. 4.3. The carriageway asset Gross Replacement Cost of the recorded asset, as derived utilising the Asset Valuation tool developed by Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland (SCOTS), is £2.226 billion. 4.4. Safety inspections are carried out in accordance with the Guidance Document for Road Safety Inspections and Defect Categorisations. This manual takes cognisance of the guidance contained within Well Managed Highway Infrastructure Code of Practice. These safety inspections are carried out on a monthly, three monthly or annual basis depending on the hierarchy of the carriageway. 4.5. In addition to these inspections, regulatory inspections to deliver our obligations under the New Roads and Street Works Act 1991 (NRSWA) and the Transport Scotland Act 2005 (2019 legislation currently being implemented) are also carried out. 4.6. Annually, the Scottish Roads Maintenance Condition Survey (SRMCS) is undertaken on our road network by SCOTS nominated contractor WDM Ltd. This survey tackles 100% of our A class carriageways in one direction, with the other direction being surveyed the following year. 50% of our B and C class roads are surveyed with the whole of the B and C class network being surveyed over a four-year period. Only 10% of our unclassified road network is completed each year. This survey produces our 120
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Road Condition Index (RCI) based on the percentages above and applied to the whole of the network. The survey identifies for each 10-metre section of road whether it falls into the red category (requires maintenance) amber (should be considered for maintenance) or green (serviceable). The RCI is published each year as a national performance indicator. 4.7. In 2017, SCOTS requested that the backlog for carriageway maintenance across Scotland was recalculated by WDM Ltd, based on the latest SRMCS survey data at the time. The backlog calculation for our road network was £90.420m in 2018. This is the sum of money required to be invested in a single year to bring our road network back to a serviceable standard. This backlog figure has reduced from £137m in 2013, and this is to be welcomed. The backlog figure is due to be updated in 2023. 4.8. The condition of our carriageways has improved as outlined below and, although there was a slight regression over the 2019-2021 period, a further improvement was recorded for the latest survey going below 30% for the first time. The RCI is the combined value of the red and amber categories referenced at 4.6 and, overall, a lower figure is better. 4.9. Full tables of the Road Condition Index for A, B, C and Unclassified roads is shown in Appendix A 4.10. Our position in Scotland in terms of RCI ranking has improved as shown below from 19th reported over the period 2012-14 to 10th over the period 2020-22, noting a year on year drop from 8th over the 2019-21 period. Once again, the lower figure indicates the better performance. 121
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4.11. An independent assessment was undertaken by WDM Ltd to calculate the Steady State cost for South Lanarkshire’s network in 2018. The steady state is the amount of investment required to maintain the road network in its current condition. Based on the network condition in 2018, the steady state figure, which is based upon the needs/condition of the carriageway network, is £12.500m. 4.12. It should be recognised that 4 years on, and given significant and observed increases in construction costs, that the equivalent steady state figure is likely to have increased, although any increase may be offset slightly by an improving network across some category of roads. This figure, both in terms of needs and expected cost, was scheduled to be updated this financial year, but this is now expected during 2023- 2024. 4.13. It should be borne in mind that the steady state figure is an estimate, rather than an actual figure and it is important to note that the need to improve the condition of the road network is assessed on an individual basis to support and justify expenditure. It must also be noted that the current steady state figure does not take account of the significant construction inflation that the industry is presently encountering. In simple terms, projects are costing much more than before, and the equivalent scale of works are not presently possible with the same level of investment. 4.14. During this financial year 2022-2023, approximately £9.765m is being directed towards carriageway improvements. 5. Footway Asset 5.1. The Council is responsible for a total of 2,425 kilometres (1,506 miles) of footway. It should be noted that this figure represents adopted footways/footpaths only and there are other footpaths that are maintained by other parts of the Council or third parties. Most of the adopted footway network is contained within the urban area. 5.2. The length of footway network is an estimated length based on there being two footways on each length of carriageway within the urban area. All the footways have been estimated as having a 2-metre width. The footway asset Gross Replacement Cost of the recorded asset is estimated at £612.7m. 19 16 17 18 19 19 13 14 13 10 9 7 8 10 0 4 8 12 16 20 24 28 32 South Lanarkshire Network (out of 32 RA's) Network 122
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5.3. Inspection arrangements and maintenance categories are similar to those for carriageways in terms of the nature of inspections, but the frequencies can vary depending on the hierarchy. 5.4. There is no national condition survey for footways similar to that which is undertaken for carriageways. Instead, priorities for resurfacing are established via the local knowledge of our officers considering the condition of a footway and its level of use. 5.5. A sample survey of 59.2% of our estimated footway length was undertaken in calendar years 2014, 2015, 2016 and 2017 which indicated that 16.2% of our footways should be considered for maintenance purposes. This figure is likely to have increased since the sample survey. 5.6. The estimated steady state figure for footway maintenance is £0.800m and we are currently investing above this level. 5.7. Following the participatory budgeting investment in roads and footpaths completed in 2021/2022, a second phase of investment was agreed that will focus on the improvement of pavements, making our towns and villages safer for pedestrians, supporting healthy lifestyles through physical activity and improving the look and feel of our environment 5.8. In addition to £1.000m funding which has been allocated from our roads investment programme for prioritised footway improvements through the participatory budgeting process, a further £2.500m has been identified to support footway and footpath improvements which are part of the adopted footway network. This investment of £3.500m for 2022/2023 will continue the Council’s commitment to prioritising investment in roads infrastructure by directing additional funds to help improve the condition of our footways and footpaths. Some of £3.500m will carry forward in 2023/2024. 6. Lighting Asset 6.1. The Council has 60,923 lighting columns, 66,017 luminaires, 2,260 Control Pillars and an estimated 1,976 kilometres (1228 miles) of cabling. Inventory records for lighting columns, luminaires and control pillars are accurate, however, inventory of the cabling network and knowledge of its condition is limited as most of it is underground. 6.2. The percentage of lighting columns exceeding their design life is 35.7%, giving the Council the sixth oldest lighting column stock in Scotland. The cost to replace all these columns at current rates would be £37.26 million. The cost to maintain the lighting asset in its current condition (steady state) is £1.00million. This should be considered relative to existing capital and revenue funding totalling £0.640m. 6.3. The trend in columns beyond their design life continues to improve from 48% in 2015 to 35.7% at present. This progress is primarily a consequence of the column renewal programme which was undertaken in parallel with the LED installation programme, commencing in 2015 and being completed over 3 years. This programme saw some 60,000 lighting units converted to energy saving LEDs and some 7,250 of our oldest lighting columns replaced. 7. Structures Asset 7.1. The Council is responsible for a total of 778 structures which includes road bridges, footbridges, culverts, and subways together with a currently unquantified number of road related retaining walls. 123
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7.2. Good records are held for most of these assets, however, there are currently limited records held by the Council in respect of road related retaining walls. 7.3. The current Gross Replacement Cost of the Structures asset is estimated at £507.9m. This figure does not include the replacement cost of any road related retaining walls. 7.4. Bridge inspections are carried out in accordance with the guidance and recommendations of the “Well Managed Highway Infrastructure: A Code of Practice” published by the UK Roads Liaison Group. This recently published Code encourages the use of a risk-based approach toward identifying bridge inspection intervals. At present, General Inspections are carried out every two years and Principal Inspections every six years on all structures with a span more than 0.9m. More frequent Special Inspections are carried out on structures where more specific monitoring of condition is appropriate (e.g. where assessments have indicated potential capacity issues). 7.5. Routine repairs that are identified during the bridge inspection process are prioritised considering the severity and extent of the defect which has been observed. 7.6. There are 102 steel bridges across the structures asset. Properly specified and applied protective paint systems are expensive but serve to prolong the life span of steel structures and can substantially extend intervals between maintenance and repair operations. The introduction of a formalised maintenance painting regime for our steel bridges would be of significant benefit. Currently, this work is tackled on a needs basis as funding permits. 7.7. Investment during 2021/2022 on bridge maintenance and renewal was £860,000. This figure represents a 52% increase upon the 2019/2020 budget allocation but it should be noted that this includes targeted investment at two discrete major bridge replacement projects which extended into 2021/2022. The cost to maintain the structures asset in its current condition (steady state) is £5.230m. 7.8. In addition to the inspection process discussed above, a national assessment programme, carried out to determine the suitability (i.e. strength) of the bridge stock for the introduction of 40/44 tonne vehicles onto the road network, revealed 123 bridges to have a load bearing capacity below current standards. A comprehensive bridge strengthening programme has, in recent years, seen excellent progress in addressing the Council’s weak bridges. Of the 123 bridges which failed the assessment, only 16 remain to be addressed. These are subject to an enhanced monitoring and inspection regime. 7.9. The bridge assessment process included a risk analysis of vehicle containment characteristics at each bridge location. The results of the analysis revealed that, in terms of risk and containment, parapets on 8% of the Council’s bridge stock require to be upgraded. A programme to improve vehicle containment capability at these structures has been initiated. Due to competing priorities, there were no containment upgrades undertaken in 2020/2021 and 52 structures remain outstanding as a priority for the implementation of improvement measures. 7.10. If current funding levels continue to be provided and depending on the nature and priority afforded to other commitments arising, the completion of several containment improvement schemes per year is anticipated. Again, in terms of risk and containment, the need for upgrading works at the remaining 92% of bridges is currently considered low. It should be recognised that some of these parapets do have containment issues, but the level of risk is low given the site characteristics. 124
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7.11. The condition of all highway structures is determined following a General or Principal Inspection and rated in accordance with the ADEPT Bridge Condition Index (BCI) Guidance. BCI values are generated from ratings apportioned to the severity and extent of defects recorded during a bridge inspection and can be interpreted broadly as the percentage condition score of a bridge or a group of bridges. Separate BCI figures are derived to account for the condition of all structural elements of a bridge (BCIav) and for the condition of those elements defined as being of very high importance (BCIcrit). The condition indicators for the entire bridge stock as a single group over the past six years are as follows, noting the higher figure indicates better condition. 7.12. It may be observed from the second and third columns in the above table that BCIav and BCIcrit values for the entire asset fluctuate slightly over time but have remained within the range of “good condition” (BCI value 80-90) and “fair condition” (BCI value 65-80) respectively throughout the last six years. It should be noted, however, that there has been a regression in the value of both indicators over the past 6 years which represents an overall and ongoing deterioration in asset condition within that time. 7.13. The assembly of a register of road related retaining walls within South Lanarkshire was commenced in 2014/15. The retaining wall asset will be of significant magnitude and the formation of the database which will contain several thousand items is a long- term commitment for the Council. The code of practice suggests that all road related retaining walls should be subject to the same type of inspection regime as is currently carried out on bridges and culverts (see section 7.4). 8. Traffic Signals 8.1. The Council is responsible for 231 sets of traffic signals and controlled pedestrian crossings. The numbers and different types of installations are listed below: - 110 Traffic Signals 73 Puffins 15 Pelicans 33 Toucans 8.2. South Lanarkshire has an ageing traffic signal and pedestrian crossing asset base, with many utilising older and energy inefficient technology. In recent years, the Council has initiated a programme to replace older traffic signals and pedestrian crossings with modern ones. The replacement of an average traffic signal junction costs in the region of £275k and a pedestrian crossing around £77k. The existing level of funding generally allows for the renewal of one traffic signal junction per year or 4 pedestrian crossings. Year BCIav BCIcrit 2013-14 85.68 74.60 2014-15 84.91 75.72 2015-16 84.49 75.14 2016-17 84.09 73.02 2017-18 83.83 72.20 2018-19 83.68 72.11 2019-20 82.51 70.39 2020-21 81.87 68.76 2021-22 81.21 68.48 125
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8.3. External funding does allow other infrastructure to be renewed but this is a changing situation as it is dependent on the availability of funding and our ability for a project to meet grant conditions. These new installations both maximise the safety benefits to all road users and improve the flow of traffic using modern computer control systems such as Microprocessor Optimised Vehicle Actuation (MOVA) and Split Cycle Offset Optimisation Technique (SCOOT). 8.4. Typically, Roads and Transportation Services receive and respond to approximately 1,500 traffic signal faults annually. In 2020/2021, officers dealt with 1,289 faults and, in 2021/2022, this decreased to 1,140. 8.5. The gross replacement value of all traffic signal apparatus is currently estimated at a value of £33.6m. The cost to maintain the traffic signal asset in its current condition (steady state) is £1.500m. 8.6. In 2022/2023, funding of around £0.975m will be directed towards investment in traffic signal infrastructure. This comprises some £0.8m of external funding and £175k of capital funding. 8.7. At present, the Council is developing a 15-year lifecycle plan, although the replacement of each asset is still assessed on an individual needs basis. Any plan longer than this would result in reliability issues arising and, over recent years, some installations have failed, resulting in emergency replacement works being necessary. The Council currently has 34 sets of traffic signals and 56 pedestrian crossings (representing 35% of our assets) that are 15 years old or older. This is an increase of 5 sets of traffic signals and the status quo for pedestrian crossings compared to the previous year. 8.8. It should also be noted that there is no guarantee that, after September 2023, there will be a supply of incandescent lamps due to an EU directive prohibiting their use and with the reducing demand, lighting manufactures ceasing their manufacture. The Council currently has supply for 22 sets of traffic signals and 45 pedestrian crossings that use these incandescent lamps. 8.9. The age of the equipment is increasing quicker than replacement equipment is being installed, therefore, the trend for the overall condition of the asset continues to regress each year. While these older installations continue to operate, the risk of them failing is higher than at other locations with potentially greater impact if they fail during a busy period of the year. 9. Street Furniture - Vehicle Restraint Systems 9.1. There are currently 515 vehicle restraint systems, totalling 43.3 Km. Approximately 20% of the systems have reached the end of their serviceable life (life expired) due to having timber posts suffering from rot as opposed to steel posts. Some systems have also suffered from extensive corrosion. 9.2. Approximately 10% of existing systems are damaged, and an estimated 95% of the systems surveyed would not comply with current design standards, although there is no need to retrospectively replace older installations unless they have suffered significant damage and need replacement. Repairs are prioritised in line with available funding. 126
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9.3. The estimated gross replacement cost of the vehicle restraint systems which would bring the systems up to current standards is £12.97million. The estimated cost to replace older systems is £8.6million. The estimated annual cost to maintain the asset in its current condition (steady state) is £0.4million. 10. Conclusions and Summary 10.1. Roads and related infrastructure keep our communities and businesses connected. Businesses use it to deliver goods and services, buses travel along it, people use it to travel to work and communities to access shopping, learning, healthcare, and active travel priorities. This paper sets out the overall condition of this infrastructure and important matters to note are as follows: Carriageways: This has generally been improving in condition because of previous investment decisions, with a slight regression in RCI figure in 2020, recovering slightly again in 2021. Footways / Footpaths: At least 16.2% of our network requires to be considered for maintenance but it should be noted that investment has been increased significantly in recent years. Structures: Bridge condition is generally good to fair although the overall outlook is one of slow deterioration. Good progress has been made in dealing with bridges assessed as being inadequate for current loading standard, however, greater investment is required in the maintenance of the bridge stock to arrest the general deterioration in condition and continuing attention is additionally required to the many bridges with sub-standard parapets. The specific investment commitment to replace two bridges in Clydesdale is welcomed noting the need to significantly increase funding for the Clyde Bridge project. Street Lighting: Recent investment has reduced energy use by approximately half and replaced 7,253 of the oldest lighting columns representing significant progress. Current investment is focusing on targeting columns over their critical age, to maintain a ‘steady state’ position. The percentage of lighting columns exceeding their design life is 35.7%. Traffic Management Systems: The overall condition of traffic signal equipment is deteriorating as the current replacement programme is not sufficient to upgrade the number of installations that are greater than 15 years in age. Street Furniture: The condition of vehicle restraint systems is such that a significant number are beyond their design life and require to be improved. A prioritised programme of sustained investment will be required. 11. Employee Implications 11.1. There are no employee implications associated with this report. 12. Financial Implications 12.1. Investment in roads and related infrastructure will be necessary to lock in and retain the benefits of the already significant investment levels to date. Capital programmes for future years will, therefore, consider necessary investment opportunities for the asset groups discussed above. 127
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12.2. However, as noted earlier, projects are costing much more than before, and the equivalent scale of works are not presently possible with the same level of investment. This point must be considered should the overall condition of the asset groups be expected, at least, to be maintained to the same level. Moving forward, pressures across Council budgets are likely to impact on the level of funding that can, in the short term, continue to be directed at these road infrastructure asset groups. 12.3. Similarly, opportunities will be taken to secure and lever in new sources of funding including external partner funding where possible. Significant success has already been achieved in securing external funding for traffic signal and active travel investment 13. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 13.1. Policy and asset management directed at maintaining, improving, or making road and transport infrastructure safe and resilient is essential to support economic and sustainability priorities. 14. Other Implications 14.1. There are no other implications or risk in relation to the information contained within this report. 15. Equality Impact Arrangements and Consultation Arrangements 15.1. 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) 21 November 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Values Focused on people and their needs Working with and respecting others Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Ambitious, self-aware and improving Fair, open and sustainable Priorities We will work to put people first and reduce inequality We will work towards a sustainable future in sustainable places We will work to recover, progress and improve Outcomes Good quality, suitable and sustainable places to live Thriving business, fair jobs and vibrant town centres Caring, connected, sustainable communities People live the healthiest lives possible 128
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Previous References Community and Enterprise Resources Committee - 7 December 2021 List of Background Papers Roads Asset Management Plan – 2022 Update Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact: Colin Park, Head of Roads, Transportation and Fleet Services Tel: 07795 090 494 E-mail: colin.park@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 129
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Appendix A RCI tables for A, B, C and Unclassifed Roads 30.2 28.9 28 27.2 25.9 22.7 21 22.2 23 22.9 23.3 23.2 23.9 24 20 22 24 26 28 30 32 34 RCI Value South Lanarkshire A Class A Class 32.3 29.7 30.1 31.8 30.4 25.0 22.7 23.7 24.1 24.5 25.0 25.3 26.2 25.6 20.0 22.0 24.0 26.0 28.0 30.0 32.0 34.0 RCI Value South Lanarkshire B Class B Class 130
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32.3 29.7 30.1 31.8 30.4 25.0 22.7 23.7 24.1 24.5 25.0 25.3 26.2 25.6 20.0 22.0 24.0 26.0 28.0 30.0 32.0 34.0 RCI Value South Lanarkshire B Class B Class 37.8 39.5 40.5 38.7 39.0 39.5 37.0 36.8 35.5 33.4 32.3 30.3 30.5 29.9 28.0 30.0 32.0 34.0 36.0 38.0 40.0 42.0 RCI Value South Lanarkshire Unclassified U Class 131
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Community and Enterprise Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 13 December 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) Subject: Comfort Scheme Pilot (Lanark) 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to: - provide Community and Enterprise Resources Committee with an update on the comfort scheme pilot (Lanark) 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- (1) that the evaluation of the comfort scheme pilot be noted; (2) that it be noted that, following the evaluation of the pilot, the Council would not continue the scheme; and (3) that it be noted that the Council would progress discussions with Lanark Business Improvement District (BID) on the potential continuation of the scheme under their management and operation. 3. Background 3.1. In 2013, the Council made the decision to close all public conveniences, as part of that year’s budget process. Over the subsequent 3 years, all the Council’s 21 public conveniences were closed to the public. Since then, the Council has continued to make an annual £2k contribution to the New Lanark heritage site for public use of their facilities. There are also 2 local community groups which operate and manage public convenience provision in Larkhall and Biggar. 3.2. At the time, the Council explored extending the comfort scheme arrangement at New Lanark to local businesses in areas where the public convenience was closing. The conclusion was that there were sufficient alternative locations including shops, that provided public access to toilet provision. The final determining factor was the low usage of the existing public conveniences. 3.3. In line with the Business Improvement District (BID) for Lanark, a decision was taken to pilot a comfort scheme (Community Toilet Scheme) initiative from April 2019 to April 2020. The comfort scheme enables local authorities to work in partnership with local businesses to provide access for the public to clean, safe, and accessible toilets in local business premises. Local businesses are paid a small annual fee for providing this access. 11 133
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4. Comfort Scheme Pilot 4.1. Local businesses were written to in March 2019 to request expressions of interest to participate in the comfort scheme. From the expressions of interest received, 3 local businesses were registered for the pilot: Clydesdale Inn, Castlebank Horticultural Centre and Horse and Jockey Bar. In addition, it was agreed that Council and SLLC premises would participate i.e. South Vennel, Lanark Memorial Hall, Lanark library and Lanark Lifestyles. 4.2. The three local businesses were assessed in line with agreed comfort scheme assessment criteria. The annual fees range from £500 to £1,500 per annum, as determined by the standard of the facilities provided. South Lanarkshire Legal Services prepared Minutes of Agreement in relation to access and fee payments as agreed with the local businesses for the pilot period. 4.3. The scheme was launched in July 2019 for an initial period of 1 year. However, as a result the onset of the Covid pandemic in March 2020, the pilot has been interrupted on several occasions and the decision was taken to extend the scheme until the end of the September 2022 to allow at least one full year of operation. It should be noted that the Council facilities were also closed to the public during this time. 4.4. The scheme was publicised using social media and the Council website as well as publicity at the local train station. Local businesses also display the scheme logo on windows and entrances to buildings. In 2021, the publicity was extended to include lamppost advertising which displayed a QR code and this allowed the posters to be dynamic and updated via the Council website. The website provided up to date details of the premises offering the comfort scheme and a map to locate them. 5. Evaluation of Pilot 5.1. Prior to the evaluation commencing, the 3 business were visited to agree the final extension to September 2022 and to discuss the evaluation process. Council officers visited the three local premises on a number of different occasions to observe the activity of visitors to these premises. During these visits, footfall to all 3 premises was low ranging from 0 visitors to 4 visitors. It cannot be determined if visitors were attending the premise for the sole purpose of the comfort scheme. The visits took place in July and August 2022 at various points in the day, with a particular focus on lunchtime periods. The total cost for the pilot was £9,675 (see breakdown at 6.1). 5.2. The anticipated ongoing costs for the retention of the existing scheme would be around £6,800. Ongoing support would be required for the scheme to respond to business and member enquires and undertake assessments. Annual fees, advertising costs and legal costs would continue to be incurred. 5.3. During this time, following local member request, Discover Lanark (BID) were contacted to discuss the comfort scheme with the Discover Lanark Board keen to see the outcome of the pilot evaluation. It is clear from discussions that the Board sees a value to having toilets available to visitors to the area and is willing to discuss and work with the Council to ensure provision of a comfort scheme can continue. 134
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5.4. Given the evaluation of the pilot and the overall cost to the Council to administer and run the scheme, it is proposed that the Council does not continue the scheme on a permanent basis. However, following positive initial discussions with Discover Lanark it is proposed to continue these discussions with the aim of continuing the comfort scheme under their management and operation with appropriate support from the Council. 6. Employee Implications 6.1. The Council has committed staff time and resource from Facilities Management and Legal Services in the set up and operation of the pilot scheme. Any continuation of the scheme will require further commitment in staff time. 7. Financial Implications 7.1. The financial costs incurred for operating and administering the comfort scheme pilot are shown below:- Fees for 3 current members £5,555 Advertising £200 Staffing costs (inc. set up, administering, and assessing) £3,920 Total £9,675 7.2. There is no identified ongoing revenue budget for the set up and operation of a comfort scheme. 8. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 8.1. There are no significant implications in terms of climate change, sustainability and environmental implications associated with this report 9. Other Implications 9.1. There are no other significant implications as result of the contents of this report. 10. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements: 10.1. The 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 10.2. There is no requirement to undertake consultation in terms of the information contained in this report. David Booth Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) 21 November 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Focused on people and their needs Working with and respecting others Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent 135
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List of Background Papers None Contact for Further Information If you would like further information, please contact: Anne Goldie, Facilities Services Manager Mobile (07795 090278) E-mail: anne.goldie@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 136
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Community and Enterprise Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 13 December 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) Subject: Community and Enterprise Resources - Notification of Contracts Awarded - 1 April to 30 September 2022 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide notification in line with Standing Orders on Contracts to Committee of all contracts awarded by Community and Enterprise Resources during the period 1 April to 30 September 2022. 1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that details of the contracts awarded be noted. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. It is a requirement of Clauses 21.8 and 22.5 of the Standing Orders on Contracts that details of the acceptance of all tenders above £50,000 be reported retrospectively to the relevant Committee for noting, other than those under Clause 21.3 where the award is not the lowest in a price only tender, or costs exceed the approved financial provision. In these instances, a report is submitted to the appropriate Committee and subsequent authority to award is granted by that Committee. 4. Contract Awards 4.1. A full list of contracts awarded during the period 1 April to 30 September 2022 on the basis of lowest offer and/or most economically advantageous offer submitted, is provided at Appendix 1. 5. Employee Implications 5.1. Contracts management including performance appraisal will be undertaken by both the main user Services and Procurement. 6. Financial Implications 6.1. There are no financial implications associated with this report which is for information purposes only. Appropriate budgetary provision is available for each of the contracts awarded. 7. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 7.1. There are no climate change or environmental implications as a result of this report 12 137
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8. Other Implications 8.1. There is a risk that failure to report awards may lead to contracts being awarded that do not represent best value, breach statutory procurement obligations and Standing Orders or do not follow internal processes which mitigate the risk. 9. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 9.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy nor recommend a change to an existing policy, function, or strategy and therefore, no impact assessment is required. 9.2. There is also no requirement to undertake any consultation in terms of the information contained in this report. David Booth Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) 21 November 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Ambitions/Objectives Accountable, Effective, Efficient and Transparent Previous References Community and Enterprise Resources Committee List of Background Papers Standing Orders on Contracts Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Emma Smith, Corporate Procurement and Transactions Manager Ext: 5329 (Tel: 01698 455329) E-mail: emma.smith@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 138
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Appendix 1 Community and Enterprise Resources Contracts Awarded over £50,000 in value Contractor CRN Value of Contract Awarded Date of Award Brief Description Contract Period Calor Gas Ltd SLC/PS/COMENT/21/149 £80,000.00 19 April 2022 The Supply and Delivery of Industrial Gases 19/04/2022 - 31/03/2023 Extension 31/03/2024 Stanger Testing Services Ltd SLC/PS/COMENT/21/135 £429,337.50 13 May 2022 Road Materials Testing Contract 13/05/2022 - 12/05/2025 Extension to 12/05/2027 Glasdon UK Ltd SLC/PS/COMENT/21/032 £279,980.00 19 May 2022 Supply and Delivery of Bollards and Verge Markers 30/05/2022 - 29/05/2024 Extension to 29/05/2026 Ricardo-Aea Ltd SLC/PS/COMENT/21/116 £50,000.00 20 May 2022 Air Quality Monitoring Support Services 01/07/2022 - 31/03/2023 Elveden farms Ltd SLC/PS/COMENT/22/041 £65,207.00 30 May 2022 Supply and Delivery of Christmas Trees 2022 30/05/2022 - 31/01/2023 Facultatieve Technologies Ltd SLC/PS/COMENT/21/161 £180,000.00 1 June 2022 Maintenance of Crematorium Equipment 01/06/2022 - 31/05/2026 Extension to 31/05/2028 139
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Lloyd Ltd SLC/PS/COMENT/22/034 £261,128.00 31 May 2022 The Supply of Bobcat E19 Excavators with Double Dozer Blade and C/W Trailer 31/05/2022 - 30/04/2023 Patersons of Greenoakhill Ltd SLC/PS/COMENT/21/219 £477,400.00 1 June 2022 Landfilling of Residual Waste (unsuitable for processing via Thermal Treatment Facilities) 01/06/2022 - 31/12/2025 Charles Tennant & co Ltd SLC/PS/COMENT/21/157 £160,005.00 8 June 2022 Supply of Ad-Blue Fuel Additive 08/06/2022 - 07/06/2025 Tarmac Ltd SLC/PS/COMENT/21/199 £68,266.50 17 June 2022 Supply and Delivery of Cold Permanent Pothole Repair - Viafix 13/06/2022 - 29/02/2024 Extension to 28/02/2025 P F Cusack (tools supplies) Ltd SLC/PS/COMENT/21/037 £120,000.00 22 June 2022 Supply and Delivery of Miscellaneous Roads Products 27/06/2022 - 26/06/2024 Extension to 26/06/2026 Mallatite Minor Struct & Prod Ltd SLC/PS/COMENT/22/046 £230,000.00 9 June 2022 Supply and Delivery of Ultracrete M90 (Eprobed) 27/06/2022 - 26/06/2024 Extension to 26/06/2026 SSI Schaefer Limited SLC/PS/COMENT/22/051 £850,000.00 1 July 2022 The Supply and Delivery of Refuse Containers 01/07/2022 - 30/06/2023 Intelligent Health SLC/PS/COMENT/22/053 £114,997.00 13 July 2022 Beat the Street East Kilbride 01/07/2022 - 31/07/2023 Compass Minerals UK Ltd SLC/PS/COMENT/22/064 £1,333,042.00 11 July 2022 Bulk Rock Salt for Winter Maintenance 11/07/2022 - 31/10/2022 Salt Sales Company SLC/PS/COMENT/22/064 £1,333,042.00 11 July 2022 Bulk Rock Salt for Winter Maintenance 11/07/2022 - 31/10/2022 140
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TRL Ltd SLC/PS/COMENT/22/002 £140,000.00 1 August 2022 ECO Stars Commercial Fleet Scheme 01/08/2022 - 31/07/2025 Boyd Brothers (Fauldhouse) Ltd SLC/PS/COMENT/21/212 £124,853.79 20 July 2022 Electric Vehicle Public Charing Infrastructure 01/08/2022 - 01/12/2022 A G Barr plc SLC/PS/COMENT/21/162 £845,480.00 17 August 2022 Supply and Delivery of Soft Drinks and Bottled Water for Resale 17/08/2022 - 17/08/2025 Extension to 17/08/2027 Fast Fixx Catering Engineers Ltd SLC/PS/COMENT/22/031 £450,000.00 1 May 2022 Repair, Inspection and Maintenance of Commercial Catering Equipment 01/05/2022 - 30/04/2023 Extension to 30/04/2024 Chargemaster Ltd SLC/PS/COMENT/22/085 £254,287.00 6 September 2022 Installation of Electric Vehicle Charging Points 03/01/2022 - 30/06/2022 Parks Motor Group SLC/PS/COMENT/22/090 £58,000.00 20 September 2022 Supply and delivery of Light Vehicles 20/09/2022 - 31/03/2023 Motus Commercials SLC/PS/COMENT/22/091 £1,728,218.00 20 September 2022 Supply and delivery of Heavy Vehicles 20/09/2022 - 31/03/2023 Brakes SLC/PS/COMENT/22/027 £4,859,077.98 31 May 2022 Supply and distribution of Frozen Foods 30/05/2022 - 29/05/2024 Extension to 29/05/2026 Dennis Eagle Ltd SLC/PS/COMENT/22/036 £2,551,720.00 4 May 2022 Supply and delivery of Heavy Vehicles 04/05/2022 - 31/12/2022 Fuchs Lubricants (UK) plc SLC/PS/COMENT/21/216 £156,000.00 5 May 2022 Supply and Delivery of Lubricant Oils, Greases and Anti-Freeze 09/05/2022 - 08/05/2025 Extension to 08/05/2026 141
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Brakes SLC/PS/COMENT/22/005 £127,891.70 12 September 2022 The Supply and Distribution of Fresh Meats, Cooked Meats & Fresh Fish 01/10/2022 - 31/03/2023 Campbells Prime Meat Ltd SLC/PS/COMENT/22/005 £127,891.70 12 September 2022 The Supply and Distribution of Fresh Meats, Cooked Meats & Fresh Fish 01/10/2022 - 31/03/2023 Covanburn Contracts Ltd SLC/PS/COMENT/18/062 £59,772.37 23 September 2022 Scrogton Bridge Refurbishment 27/09/2022 - 08/11/2022 Electrical Testing Ltd SLC/PS/COMENT/21/234 £600,000.00 22 June 2022 Highway Electrical Connections and Minor Installation Works 23/06/2022 – 22/12/2023 Extension to 22/06/2025 Tructyre Fleet Management McConechy’s Tyre Service SLC/PS/COMENT/21/147 £2,200,000.00 23 June 2022 Supply and Fitting of Tyres for Vehicles and Plant 15/06/2022 - 31/01/2026 Grafton Merchanting GB Ltd SLC/PS/COMENT/21/036 £560,000.00 27 July 2022 Supply and Delivery of Drainage Products 01/08/2022 - 31/07/2024 Extension to 31/07/2026 31-Jul-24 142
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Contract extensions awarded over £50,000 in value Contractor Contract Reference Value of Contract Awarded Date of Extension Brief Description Contract Extension period Excel Environmental Services SLC/PS/COMENT/17/247 £2,460,000.00 1 September 2022 Pest Control, Industrial Cleaning and Other Environmental Services 30/09/2022 - 30/09/2023 John McGeady Ltd SLC/PS/COMENT/19/133 £3,780,000.00 6 April 2022 Planer and Paver Hire and Works 30/04/2022 - 30/04/2024 Scottish SPCA SLC/PS/COMENT/19/004 £100,000.00 1 July 2022 Kennelling of Stray Dogs 30/09/2022 - 30/09/2024 Various contractors SLC/PS/COMENT/17/138 £10,800,000.00 1 April 2022 Framework for the Supply and Delivery of Coated and Uncoated Roadstone & Readymix Concrete 01/04/2022 - 31/03/2023 Extension to 30/09/2023 143
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