Agenda Document Pack - Executive Committee - 24/08/2022
South Lanarkshire Council · 24 August 2022
Back to Executive Committee — 24 August 2022 and its agenda
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Council Offices, Almada Street Hamilton, ML3 0AA Tuesday, 16 August 2022 Dear Councillor Executive Committee The Members listed below are requested to attend a meeting of the above Committee to be held as follows:- Date: Wednesday, 24 August 2022 Time: 10:00 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 Joe Fagan (Chair/ex officio), Gerry Convery (Depute Chair), Alex Allison, John Anderson, Robert Brown, Andy Carmichael, Maureen Chalmers, Ross Clark, Margaret Cooper, Andrea Cowan, Maureen Devlin, Gladys Ferguson-Miller, Lynsey Hamilton, Mark Horsham, Eileen Logan, Katy Loudon, Hugh Macdonald, Ian McAllan, Catherine McClymont, Kenny McCreary, Lesley McDonald, Mark McGeever, Davie McLachlan, Richard Nelson, Mo Razzaq, Kirsten Robb, John Ross, David Shearer, Margaret B Walker Substitutes John Bradley, Walter Brogan, Poppy Corbett, Margaret Cowie, Graeme Horne, Martin Hose, Ross Lambie, Martin Lennon, Elaine McDougall, Norman Rae, Dr Ali Salamati, Graham Scott, David Watson 1
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BUSINESS 1 Declaration of Interests 2 Minutes of Previous Meeting Minutes of the meeting of the Executive Committee held on 29 June 2022 submitted for approval as a correct record. (Copy attached) 5 - 14 Monitoring Item(s) 3 Revenue Budget Monitoring for Period 4 - 1 April to 15 July 2022 Report dated 25 July 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 15 - 20 4 Capital Programme 2022/2023 Update and Monitoring Period 4 - 1 April to 15 July 2022 Report dated 3 August 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 21 - 28 5 Additional Funding from Scottish Government and Other External Funding Report dated 25 July 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 29 - 32 Item(s) for Decision 6 South Lanarkshire Council Response to the Pre-Budget Scrutiny Call for Views Report dated 16 August 2022 by the Chief Executive. (Copy attached) 33 - 46 7 Local Child Poverty Action Report Report dated 15 July 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 47 - 116 8 Resource Plans and Connect Reporting 2022/2023 Report dated 22 July 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 117 - 206 9 Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure Proposed Tariffs Report dated 3 August 2022 by the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources). (Copy attached) 207 - 214 10 Land and Property Transfers and Disposals Report dated 28 July 2022 by the Executive Director (Housing and Technical Resources). (Copy attached) 215 - 218 11 Appointment of Food Champion Report dated 20 July 2022 by the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources). (Copy attached) 219 - 222 12 Response to the National Care Service Bill – Parliamentary Call for Evidence Report dated 12 August 2022 by the Chief Executive. (Copy attached) 223 - 230 2
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13 Representation on Outside Organisations Report dated 16 August 2022 by the Chief Executive. (Copy attached) 231 - 236 Urgent Business 14 Urgent Business Any other items of business which the Chair decides are urgent. For further information, please contact:- Clerk Name: Pauline MacRae Clerk Telephone: 07385 370044 Clerk Email: pauline.macrae@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 3
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EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE Minutes of meeting held via Microsoft Teams and in the Banqueting Hall, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton on 29 June 2022 Chair: Councillor Joe Fagan (ex officio) Councillors Present: Councillor Alex Allison, Councillor John Anderson, Councillor Walter Brogan (substitute for Councillor Eileen Logan), Councillor Robert Brown, Councillor Andy Carmichael, Councillor Maureen Chalmers, Councillor Ross Clark, Councillor Gerry Convery (Depute), Councillor Andrea Cowan, Councillor Maureen Devlin, Councillor Gladys Ferguson-Miller, Councillor Lynsey Hamilton, Councillor Graeme Horne (substitute for Councillor Hugh Macdonald), Councillor Mark Horsham, Councillor Katy Loudon, Councillor Ian McAllan, Councillor Catherine McClymont, Councillor Kenny McCreary, Councillor Lesley McDonald, Councillor Mark McGeever, Councillor Davie McLachlan, Councillor Richard Nelson, Councillor Mo Razzaq, Councillor Dr Ali Salamati (substitute for Councillor John Ross), Councillor Margaret B Walker Councillors' Apologies: Councillor Margaret Cooper, Councillor Eileen Logan, Councillor Hugh Macdonald, Councillor Kirsten Robb, Councillor John Ross, Councillor David Shearer Attending: Chief Executive’s Service C Sneddon, Chief Executive Community and Enterprise Resources D Booth, Executive Director Education Resources C McKenzie, Head of Education (Broad General Education) Finance and Corporate Resources P Manning, Executive Director; T Little, Head of Communications and Strategy; G McCann, Head of Administration and Legal Services; K McLeod, Administration Assistant; S Somerville, Administration Manager Housing and Technical Resources D Lowe, Executive Director Health and Social Care/Social Work Resources S Sengupta, Director, Health and Social Care 1 Declaration of Interests No interests were declared. 2 Revenue Budget Outturn 2021/2022 A report dated 6 June 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the overall financial position of the Council’s General Fund Revenue Account and Housing Revenue Account for the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022. The Council’s overall probable outturn position for the year (including COVID and approved Transfers to Reserves) was reported to the meeting of the Executive Committee held on 2 March 2022 as an underspend of £4.794 million. This assumed full funding of COVID expenditure and an underspend of £4.794 million on the Council’s General Services. 2 5
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The year end position was an underspend of £6.109 million, an improvement of £1.315 million on the probable outturn figure. This included proposed transfers to reserves, COVID expenditure and funding as detailed in Appendices 1 and 2 to the report. It was proposed that the final underspend of £6.109 million be transferred to reserves for use in future years’ budget strategies, including 2023/2024. Transfers to reserves, approved at probable outturn, were detailed in Appendix 3 to the report and proposed new transfers to reserves, requested by Resources at year end, were detailed in Appendix 4 It was proposed to transfer to reserves the over provision of funding to the Integration Joint Board (IJB) in the sum of £2.051 million and that this money would be held in reserves and used to manage pressures within Children and Family Services. As at 31 March 2022, the position on the Housing Revenue Account was breakeven. This was after a transfer to the Housing Revenue Account Reserves of £2.917 million, which was £1.946 million higher than budgeted, as detailed in Appendix 6 to the report. Following discussion, Councillor Fagan, seconded by Councillor Convery, moved approval of the recommendations contained in the report. Councillor Ferguson-Miller, seconded by Councillor Horsham, moved as an amendment that the recommendations contained in the report be approved with the addition of 2 further recommendations and an amendment to recommendation 6 contained in the report as detailed below:- that £3 million of the underspend be used to support our communities during the current cost of living crisis that the range of support for our communities suggested in a Covid Briefing paper issued in January 2021 and detailed below be considered by officers and a briefing paper be provided on the proposed spend:- winter payment to those children in receipt of free school meals winter payment to those in receipt of school clothing grants households in temporary accommodation tenancy assistance by prevention of homelessness which might be caused due to rent arrears and financial difficulties extension of the Financial Wellbeing support currently in place to older people experiencing financial difficulties support to 3rd sector organisations as those services provided an important role in supporting our communities that the remaining £3.109 million underspend, after proposed transfers to reserves, be allocated as detailed in Section 4.12 of the report, resulting in a break-even position for the Council The Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) having clarified the financial position, Councillor Ferguson-Miller, with the agreement of Councillor Horsham, advised of a change to the amendment to reflect that it was proposed that £1.3 million and not £3 million of the underspend be used to support communities during the current cost of living crisis. On a vote being taken by roll call, members voted as follows:- Motion Alex Allison, Walter Brogan, Robert Brown, Andy Carmichael, Gerry Convery, Maureen Devlin, Joe Fagan, Lynsey Hamilton, Catherine McClymont, Kenny McCreary, Lesley McDonald, Mark McGeever, David McLachlan, Richard Nelson, Mo Razzaq, Margaret B Walker 6
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Amendment John Anderson, Maureen Chalmers, Ross Clark, Andrea Cowan, Gladys Ferguson-Miller, Graeme Horne, Mark Horsham, Katy Loudon, Ian McAllan, Ali Salamati 10 members voted for the amendment and 16 for the motion which was declared carried. The Committee decided: (1) that it be noted that across Resources, Corporate Items and Council Tax, the Council was showing a year end underspend of £6.109 million after proposed transfers to reserves, as detailed in section 4 and Appendix 1 of the report; (2) that it be noted that the probable outturn transfers approved by members had been revised to £55.062 million, previously £49.636 million, as detailed in Appendix 3 of the report; (3) that the Resources’ requests for transfers to reserves to spend on commitments against specific streams of funding during the final part of the year totalling £4.902 million, as detailed in Appendix 4 of the report, be approved; (4) that the overfunding position on the IJB contribution, as detailed at section 4.5 of the report, be noted; (5) that it be noted that, after using Scottish Government funding and reserves brought forward from 2020/2021, the position on COVID expenditure was breakeven, as detailed in section 4.9 of the report; (6) that the £6.109 million underspend after proposed transfers to reserves be allocated, as detailed in section 4.12 to the report, resulting in a break-even position for the Council; and (7) that the break-even position on the Housing Revenue Account, as detailed in section 5 of the report, be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 2 March 2022 (Paragraph 3)] 3 Revenue Budget Monitoring for Period 1 April to 20 May 2022 A report dated 7 June 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the overall financial position of the Council’s General Fund Revenue Account and Housing Revenue Account for the period 1 April 2022 to 20 May 2022. At 20 May 2022, the position on the General Fund Revenue Account was an underspend of £0.261 million. The underspend was mainly within Social Work Resources (Adults and Older People) as a result of vacancies relating to Social Workers, day care and residential homes. This formed part of the delegated Integration Joint Board (IJB) budget. The core Council position, without the IJB underspend, was break-even. Details were given on adjustments in relation the following which had been included in the figures contained in Appendix 1 to the report:- loans fund review loan charges 2021/2022 investments 2022/2023 investments job evaluation underspend accounting requirements 7
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It was proposed that the roads carriageways revenue budget totalling £1.531 million be transferred to the 2022/2023 Capital Programme. The total overall budget for roads carriageways across capital and revenue remained unchanged and was detailed in Appendix 1 to the report. Appendix 2 to the report showed that, at 20 May 2022, there was a breakeven position against the phased budget on the Housing Revenue Account. The Committee decided: (1) that the underspend of £0.261 million on the General Fund Revenue Account at 20 May 2022, relating to the delegated IJB budget, as detailed in section 4 and Appendix 1 of the report, be noted; (2) that the transfers to Reserves, as detailed in sections 4.2 to 4.6 of the report, be noted; and (3) that the breakeven position on the Housing Revenue Account at 20 May 2022, as detailed in section 5 and Appendix 2 of the report, be noted. 4 Capital Budget Monitoring Final Outturn - 2021/2022 A report dated 7 June 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on:- the outturn position of the General Services and Housing Capital Programmes for the year ended 31 March 2022 projects, expressed in financial terms, which had been carried forward into 2022/2023 The total spend on the General Services Capital Programme 2021/2022, as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report, amounted to £61.587 million. This compared to the budget of £72.732 million and resulted in an underspend of £11.145 million. This would be carried forward to the 2022/2023 financial year. The programme underspend was due to the timing of project spend and the main projects responsible for the underspend were detailed in the report and at Appendix 2. The majority of those projects would continue into 2022/2023. Details were also given of year end and accounting adjustments. The Housing Capital Programme 2021/2022, as detailed in Appendix 3 to the report, totalled £79.640 million. The actual expenditure on the Housing programme amounted to £73.181 million, a net underspend of £6.459 million. Details were given on the reasons for the underspend. Taking into account the underspend position of £6.459 million and additional one-off income totalling £6.166 million, resulted in a carry forward of £12.625 million. The timing of the New Housing Supply Programme meant that £1.191 million of the carry forward would be required in 2022/2023, leaving slippage of £11.434 million which would fall into future financial years. The budgeted programme 2022/2023 amounted to £52.230 million. The Service anticipated spend to that level, however, work would continue to monitor achievable spend. Any revisions would be submitted to a future meeting of the Committee for approval. The Committee decided: (1) that the outturn on the 2021/2022 General Services Programme of £61.587 million, as detailed in section 4.1 of the report, be noted; (2) that the carry forward of 2021/2022 projects into the 2022/2023 General Services Capital Programme totalling £11.145 million, as detailed in section 4.6 of the report, be approved; 8
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(3) that the outturn on the 2021/2022 Housing Capital Programme of £73.181 million, as detailed in section 4.8 of the report, be noted; (4) that the carry forward of £11.434 million of 2021/2022 projects into future years’ Housing Capital Programmes as detailed in section 4.10 of the report be noted and that the reprofiling of the budget for future years’ Housing Capital Programmes, as detailed in section 4.11 of the report, be approved; and (5) that it be noted that the level of overall spend anticipated in 2022/2023, for both General Services and Housing Programmes, would be the subject of a separate report to this Committee as detailed in sections 4.7 and 4.11 of the report. 5 Capital Budget 2022/2023 and Monitoring for Period 2 - 1 April 2022 to 20 May 2022 A report dated 7 June 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on:- consolidation of capital budget monitoring to give a Council-wide summary of the 2022/2023 Capital Programme including 2021/2022 carry forward progress on the Capital Programme for the period 1 April to 20 May 2022 At its meeting on 23 February 2022, the Council agreed a General Services base budget for 2022/2023 amounting to £82.284 million. Since the approval of this programme, the financial year end and additional funding received had resulted in a revised General Services base budget position for 2022/2023 of £95.232 million, as detailed in Appendices 2 and 3 to the report. Since the budget was approved in February 2022, additional funding of £6.372 million had been awarded to the Council. In addition, Social Work Resources had also proposed a profiling adjustment of £2.070 million to reflect the timing of spend on the Community Alarm project. Adjustments totalling a net increase of £4.302 million were detailed in Appendix 1 to the report and, if approved, the total capital spending programme for 2022/2023 would be £99.534 million. Appendix 2 summarised the programme spend and funding for the General Fund. Budget for the period amounted to £2.098 million and, at 20 May 2022, £2.098 million had been spent on the General Fund Capital Programme. At its meeting on 23 February 2022, the Council agreed a Housing Capital Programme for 2022/2023 amounting to £52.230 million which included funding carried forward from previous years. Programmed funding for the year also amounted to £52.230 million. The funding sources were detailed in Appendix 5 to the report. Budget for the period amounted to £3.289 million and, at 20 May 2022, £3.289 million had been spent on the Housing Capital Programme. The position on the General Fund Capital Programme and the Housing Capital Programme would be monitored by the Financial Resources Scrutiny Forum. Officers responded to members’ questions on various aspects of the report. The Committee decided: (1) that the position of the General Fund Capital Programme, as detailed in Appendices 2 to 3 of the report, and the Housing Capital Programme, as detailed in Appendix 4 of the report, be approved; (2) that the adjustments to the General Fund programme, as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report, be approved; and 9
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(3) that the revised programmes be monitored by the Financial Resources Scrutiny Forum. [Reference: Minutes of 2 February 2022 (Paragraph 4)] 6 Additional Funding from Scottish Government and Other External Sources A report dated 1 June 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on additional funding, totalling £6.385 million, which had been made available to the Council by the Scottish Government and other external sources. The funding had been allocated as follows:- Revenue Funding Resource 2022/2023 (£m) Community and Enterprise 0.886 Education 0.840 Total 1.726 Capital Funding Resource 2022/2023 (£m) Community and Enterprise 4.659 Total 4.659 Overall Total 6.385 Officers responded to members’ questions on funding for the renewal of playparks The Committee decided: that the report be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 2 March 2022 (Paragraph 5)] 7 Representation on the Education Resources Committee A joint report dated 1 June 2022 by the Executive Directors (Finance and Corporate Resources) and (Education Resources) was submitted on arrangements for the appointment of representatives other than Councillors to serve on the Education Resources Committee. Local authorities, when establishing an Education Resources Committee, were required to invite representatives from Church organisations to act as religious representatives on the Education Resources Committee. At its meeting held on 1 July 2003, the Committee agreed arrangements for the appointment of representatives to serve on the Education Resources Committee. It was proposed that steps be taken in line with the arrangements established in 2003 to obtain external representation on the Education Resources Committee as follows:- 2 teacher representatives 2 parent/carer representatives 3 Church/religious representatives 10
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Details were provided in relation to the process for appointing all external representatives. The Committee decided: (1) that the proposals outlined in paragraph 4 of the report to obtain the undernoted external representation on the Education Resources Committee be actioned:- 2 teacher representatives 2 parent/carer representatives 3 church/religious representatives (2) that the appointments of Mrs Coulter and Mr Mulligan as the nominated religious representatives from the Church of Scotland and the Roman Catholic Church respectively, be confirmed; and (3) that the current appointments of the remaining external representation on the Education Resources Committee be extended until new appointments were confirmed. 8 Representation on Outside Organisations A report dated 15 June 2022 by the Chief Executive was submitted providing an update on member representation on outside organisations and partnership bodies. The Council, at its meeting on 18 May 2022, approved its representation on certain statutory joint boards and outside bodies. A report which provided an update on arrangements that were delegated to the Chief Executive to finalise was submitted to the Council on 15 June 2022. At that meeting, it was agreed that a report to consider any further representation on a number of other bodies would be submitted to the Executive Committee. Appendix 1 detailed further representation on a number of outside bodies. In respect of the remaining vacancies, it was proposed that delegated authority be given to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leaders of the relevant Groups, to confirm nominations. Officers and members were heard on updates to the position regarding representation on outside organisations. The Committee decided: (1) that Councillor McClymont be appointed as the Council’s second representative to Discover Lanark, with Councillor Marrs assuming the role as Advisor to that organisation and that the remaining representation on certain outside organisations and partnership bodies, as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report, be approved; (2) that Councillor McCreary be appointed as the Conservative Group’s representative to Safer South Lanarkshire Board; (3) that it be noted that Councillor Devlin was the Council’s representative on the Scottish Joint Council for Local Authority Employees; (4) that it be noted that Councillor Kerr was the Council’s representative on SEEMIS; (5) that it be noted that Councillor Falconer and not Councillor Handibode had been appointed as a substitute member on the Integration Joint Board; and 11
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(6) that those organisations which would no longer have elected member representation be contacted, as outlined in paragraph 4.4 of the report. [Reference: Minutes of South Lanarkshire Council of 18 May 2022 (Paragraph 7) and 15 June 2022 (Paragraph 13)] 9 Strategic Environmental Assessment Progress 2021 to 2022 A report dated 8 June 2022 by the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) was submitted on the progress in carrying out Strategic Environmental Assessments (SEA) on the Council’s policies, plans, programmes and strategies. The Environmental Assessment (Scotland) Act 2005 required the Council, as a “responsible authority”, to carry out a Strategic Environmental Assessment of all its policies, plans, programmes and strategies. The process, which helped to integrate environmental considerations into the preparation and adoption of plans, was carried out on a staged basis alongside the preparation of the proposed plan. The Corporate SEA Working Group met regularly to oversee the progression of SEA across the Council. Details were given on plans which had been:- completed at pre screening stage finalised at screening stage subject to a full SEA subject to a post Adoption Statement The Committee decided: (1) that the statutory requirement for SEA to inform the development of Council led policies, plans, programmes and strategies be noted; and (2) that progress in conducting SEA be noted. 10 Item of Urgent Business – Update on the National Care Service Bill In terms of Standing Order No 20, the Chair authorised consideration of the following item of urgent business. The Chair invited the Chief Executive to provide an update on the National Care Service Bill. The Chief Executive advised of:- the Council’s response to the Scottish Government consultation document on the National Care Service and concerns in relation to:- lack of options appraisal in the consultation document the format of the consultation which proposed 1 single model weighting of responses provisions of the Bill and concerns in relation to:- the proposed extent of powers to Ministers lack of precise detail proposals in relation to Children’s Services and Justice Social Work proposed establishment of new Care Boards and the extent of voting capacity on those Boards 12
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implications for the Council and concerns in relation to:- uncertainty for employees extent of the financial implications for the Council lack of involvement in drafting the Bill position regarding the Council’s future role in care provision next steps, including ensuring robust scrutiny of the Bill A report on the matter would be submitted to a future meeting of the Committee. The Committee decided: to note the position. 13
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 24 August 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Revenue Budget Monitoring for Period 1 April to 15 July 2022 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to: [purpose] advise the Committee on the overall financial position of the Council’s General Fund Revenue Account and Housing Revenue Account for the period 1 April to 15 July 2022 [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s): (1) that the underspend of £0.362 million on the General Fund Revenue Account at 15 July 2022, relating to the delegated Integration Joint Board (IJB) budget, (section 4 and Appendix 1), be noted; and (2) that the breakeven position on the Housing Revenue Account at 15 July 2022 (section 5 and Appendix 2 of the report), be noted. 3. Background 3.1. General Fund Position This overview report will summarise the actual expenditure and income to 15 July 2022 compared with the budget for the same period for both the Council’s General Fund (section 4) and for the Housing Revenue Account (section 5). 4. 2022/2023 General Services Position 4.1. Summary position: General Services Current Position as at 15 July 2022 As at 15 July 2022, the position on the General Services budget is a net underspend of £0.362 million (Appendix 1), made up of variances across the Resources. The majority of the underspend lies within Social Work Resources (Adults and Older People) as a result of vacancies across Social Workers, Day Care and Residential homes. This is part of the delegated IJB budget. The core Council position, without the IJB underspend, is a small overspend of £0.045 million. 4.2. Inflationary / Budget Pressures 4.2.1. General: As we have reported through papers to Council on future budget strategy, the Council is facing exceptional cost increases across a number of areas. These include utilities, fuel, transport costs, food costs and contracts such as PPP and waste. There are also continued additional costs in children and families services and education in relation to greater numbers of children in external accommodation. 3 15
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4.2.2. As part of the year end financial report reported to Executive Committee in June, funding originally provided by Government across the course of the pandemic was set aside in reserves to meet costs of recovery into 2022/2023. This non-recurring funding is available to help meet these additional inflationary and budget pressures in 2022/2023. The figures presented in the appendices to this report include £15.6 million of these funds from reserves and they will also be included in Resource committee papers. 4.2.3. Children and Families: Within Social Work Resources Children and Families, budget pressures are ongoing into 2022/2023 in relation to residential placements, fostering and kinship care, some of which is a legacy from the pandemic. As well as funds from the reserves being available as detailed above at section 4.2.2, a further £3.451 million has been added to the budget from specific monies set aside in Reserves. This included £2.051 million approved as part of the year-end transfers to reserves reported to Executive Committee in June 2022 and £1.400 million from the Children and Families Residential reserve which was set aside in 2020/2021. 4.3. Areas of Underspend 4.3.1. Employee costs: Included within the overall position already at this point in the year there is an underspend in employee costs (£1.5 million) which reflects the impact of difficulties in recruiting staff across a number of areas. This includes vacancies in Community and Enterprise Resources (Facilities Drivers, mechanics, Environmental Health Officers, Planning Officers, parking and roads operatives), and Social Work/ Care roles. 4.3.2. Whilst significant efforts are made across these areas to recruit, the current level of underspend is unlikely to be reversed. These difficulties in recruiting are a result of the tight labour market at present and skills shortages in certain areas, HGV drivers for example. The Council has put in place new recruitment and development routes to address this recruitment challenge, however, until all posts are recruited, this level of underspend is likely to increase. 4.3.3. When looking at the underspend in employee costs, the broader financial position in services including higher costs elsewhere has to be taken into account, as well as the pressure of future savings requirements and a currently unresolved pay award. 4.3.4. The position will continue to be monitored and an update will be reported on the position in the regular reports to this Committee. 4.3.5. Adults and Older People: There are likely to be further underspends in relation to specific funding streams in Adults and Older People, where spend has not yet commenced or is not fully committed predominantly related to the recruitment challenges. Finance Services are currently in discussion with the Chief Financial Officer from the IJB to confirm the anticipated position and this will be reported back in the regular reports to this Committee. 5. Housing Revenue Account Position 5.1. As at 15 July 2022, Appendix 2 of the report shows a breakeven position against the phased budget on the Housing Revenue Account. Levels of rent collection are regularly monitored by the Housing Services team and appropriate corrective action will be taken, as required. 6. Employee Implications 6.1. None. 16
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7. Financial Implications 7.1. As detailed in sections 4 and 5 of the report. 8. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 8.1. There are no implications for climate change, sustainability or the environment in terms of the information contained in this report. 9. Other Implications 9.1. The main risk associated with the Council’s Revenue Budget is that there is an overspend. As detailed in section 4, inflationary and budget pressures this year increase the risk of overspend however we have mitigated this going forwards through providing additional funds in future years budget strategy, and in this year, through funds available as detailed in section 4.2.1/2. There are also emerging underspends in employee costs (as detailed in section 4.3.1) which will help offset increasing inflationary pressures. 9.2. 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. 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 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) 25 July 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Previous References None List of Background Papers Financial Ledger and budget monitoring results to 15 July 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 17
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Appendix 1a SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Period Ended 15 July 2022 (No.4) Committee Annual Budget Annual Forecast Transfers Annual Forecast Variance Transfers Budget Proportion To 15/07/22 Actual to Period 4 15/07/22 Variance to 15/07/22 Departments: £m £m £m £m £m £m Community and Enterprise Resources 122.639 122.639 0.000 32.185 32.230 (0.045) over Facilities, Waste and Grounds 76.880 76.880 0.000 14.182 14.212 (0.030) over Fleet, Environmental and Projects (0.504) (0.504) 0.000 0.201 0.273 (0.072) over Leisure and Culture Services 21.087 21.087 0.000 10.669 10.668 0.001 under Planning and Economic Development 3.558 3.558 0.000 0.139 (0.041) 0.180 under Roads 21.618 21.618 0.000 6.994 7.118 (0.124) over Education Resources 379.614 379.614 0.000 107.263 107.263 0.000 - Education 379.614 379.614 0.000 107.263 107.263 0.000 - Finance and Corporate Resources 41.650 41.650 0.000 17.526 17.526 (0.000) over Finance Services - Strategy 2.023 2.023 0.000 0.970 0.972 (0.002) over Finance Services - Transactions 18.676 18.676 0.000 6.928 6.857 0.071 under Audit and Compliance Services 0.355 0.355 0.000 0.157 0.157 0.000 - Information Technology Services 5.095 5.095 0.000 4.516 4.638 (0.122) over Communications and Strategy Services 3.043 3.043 0.000 0.753 0.772 (0.019) over Administration and Licensing Services 4.113 4.113 0.000 1.678 1.726 (0.048) over Personnel Services 8.345 8.345 0.000 2.524 2.404 0.120 under Housing and Technical Resources 17.283 17.283 0.000 7.232 7.232 0.000 - Housing Services 8.481 8.481 0.000 3.072 3.067 0.005 under Property Services 8.802 8.802 0.000 4.160 4.165 (0.005) over Social Work Resources 211.484 214.484 0.000 54.093 53.686 0.407 under Performance and Support Services 6.522 6.522 0.000 1.588 1.442 0.146 under Children and Families 38.782 38.782 0.000 11.757 11.924 (0.167) over Adults and Older People 164.445 164.445 0.000 40.114 39.707 0.407 under Justice and Substance Misuse 1.735 1.735 0.000 0.634 0.613 0.021 under Joint Boards 2.152 2.152 0.000 0.701 0.701 0.000 - 774.822 774.822 0.000 219.000 218.638 0.362 under Committee Annual Budget Annual Forecast Transfers Annual Forecast Variance Transfers Budget Proportion to 15/07/22 Actual to Period 3 15/07/22 Variance to 15/07/22 £m £m £m £m £m £m Service Departments Total 774.822 774.822 0.000 219.000 218.638 0.360 under CFCR 0.368 0.368 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 - Loan Charges 35.111 35.111 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 - Corporate Items 33.765 33.765 0.000 0.025 0.025 0.000 - Corporate Items – Strategy (Tfr to Reserves) 17.420 17.420 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 Investments – 2022/23 (Tfr to Reserves) 1.700 1.700 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 Total Expenditure 863.186 863.186 0.000 219.025 218.663 0.362 under Council Tax 167.437 167.437 0.000 47.839 47.839 0.000 - Less: Council Tax Reduction Scheme (23.263) (23.263) 0.000 (6.647) (6.647) 0.000 - Net Council Tax 144.174 144.174 0.000 41.192 41.192 0.000 - General Revenue Grant 234.116 234.114 0.000 66.890 66.890 0.000 - Non-Domestic Rates 422.591 422.591 0.000 120.740 120.740 0.000 - Transfer from Reserves 62.305 62.305 0.000 62.305 62.305 0.000 - Total Income 863.186 863.186 0.000 291.127 291.127 0.000 - Net Expenditure / (Income) 0.000 0.000 0.000 (72.102) (72.464) 0.362 under 18
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Appendix 1b SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Period Ended 15 July 2022 (No.4) Budget Category Annual Budget Annual Forecast Annual Forecast Variance Budget Proportion To 17/05/22 Actual to Period 4 17/05/22 Variance to 17/05/22 Service Departments: £m £m £m £m £m £m Expenditure Employee Cost 576.045 576.045 0.000 152.251 150.686 1.565 under Property Costs 56.089 56.089 0.000 11.435 11.772 (0.337) over Supplies and Services 65.259 65.259 0.000 15.728 14.886 0.842 under Transport Costs 44.068 44.068 0.000 11.297 11.730 (0.433) over Administration Costs 14.259 14.259 0.000 3.593 3.816 (0.223) over Payments to Other Bodies 82.205 82.205 0.000 23.616 23.874 (0.258) over Payments to Contractors 231.359 231.359 0.000 56.922 56.759 0.163 under Transfer Payments 6.664 6.664 0.000 3.307 3.310 (0.003) over Housing Benefits 69.107 69.107 0.000 15.698 15.698 0.000 - Financing Charges (controllable) 2.141 2.141 0.000 0.492 0.467 0.025 under Total 1,147.196 1,147.196 0.000 294.339 293.998 1.341 under Service Departments Total 1,147.196 1,147.196 0.000 294.339 292.998 1.341 under CFCR 0.368 0.368 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 - Loan Charges 35.111 35.111 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 - Corporate Items 33.765 33.765 0.000 0.025 0.025 0.000 - Corporate Items – Strategy 17.420 17.420 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 - 22/23 Investments – T/f to Reserves 1.700 1.700 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 - Total Expenditure 1,235,560 1,235.560 0.000 294.364 293.023 1.341 under Income Housing Benefit Subsidy 64.158 64.158 0.000 14.256 14.256 0.000 - Other Income 308.216 308.216 0.000 61.083 60.104 (0.979) under rec Council Tax (Net of Council Tax Reduction Scheme) 144.174 144.174 0.000 41.192 41.192 0.000 - General Revenue Grant 234.116 234.116 0.000 66.890 66.890 0.000 - Non-Domestic Rates 422.591 422.591 0.000 120.740 120.740 0.000 - Transfer from Reserves 62.305 62.305 0.000 62.305 62.305 0.000 - Total Income 1,235.560 1,236.560 0.000 366.466 365.487 (0.979) under rec Net Expenditure / (Income) 0.000 0.000 0.000 (72.102) (72.464) 0.362 under 19
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Appendix 2 SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Period Ended 15 July 2022 (No.4) Housing Revenue Account Annual Budget Forecast for Year Annual Forecast Variance Budget Proportion to 15/07/22 Actual to Period 3 15/07/22 Variance to 15/07/22 % Note £m £m £m £m £m £m Employee Costs 13.914 13.914 0.000 3.677 3.659 0.018 under 0.5% Property Costs 46.906 46.906 0.000 15.737 15.746 (0.009) over (0.1%) Supplies & Services 0.609 0.609 0.000 0.109 0.118 (0.009) over (8.3%) Transport & Plant 0.195 0.195 0.000 0.047 0.026 0.021 under 44.7% Administration Costs 5.644 5.644 0.000 1.354 1.349 0.005 under 0.4% Payments to Other Bodies 3.030 3.030 0.000 0.601 0.601 0.000 - 0.0% Payments to Contractors 0.100 0.100 0.000 0.029 0.030 (0.001) over (3.4%) Transfer Payments 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 - n/a Financing Charges 26.050 26.050 0.000 11.333 11.333 0.000 - 0.0% Total Controllable Expenditure 96.448 96.448 0.000 32.887 32.862 0.025 under 0.1% Total Controllable Income (112.000) (112.000) 0.000 (27.238) (27.213) (0.025) under recovered (0.1%) Transfer to/(from) Balance Sheet (2.773) (2.773) 0.000 (0.924) (0.924) 0.000 - 0.0% Net Controllable Expenditure (18.325) (18.325) 0.000 4.725 4.725 0.000 - 0.0% Add: Non Controllable Budgets Financing Charges 18.325 18.325 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 - 0.0% Total Budget 0.000 0.000 0.000 4.725 4.725 0.000 - 0.0% 20
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 24 August 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Capital Programme 2022/2023 Update and Monitoring for Period 4 – 1 April to 15 July 2022 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to: update the Executive Committee of progress on the General Fund Capital Programme and the Housing Capital Programme for the period 1 April to 15 July 2022 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Executive Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s): (1) that the Period 4 position (ended 15 July 2022) of the General Fund Capital Programme itemised at appendices 1 – 3 and the Housing Capital Programme at Appendix 4, be noted; (2) that the adjustments to the General Fund programme listed at Appendix 1, and the Housing programme listed at Sections 5.1 and 5.2, be approved; and (3) that the revised programmes be monitored by the Financial Resources Scrutiny Forum. 3. Background 3.1. The attached statements to this report provide a summarised monitoring position as at 15 July 2022. Spending has been split into two separate sections:- General Fund Capital Programme including Education, Social Work, Roads and Transportation and General Services (Section 4). Housing Capital Programme (Section 5). 4. General Fund Capital Programme 4.1. 2022/2023 Budget: The budget agreed at the Executive Committee on 29 June 2022 was £99.534 million. A revised programme of £98.093 million is now anticipated, which includes adjustments to the programme totalling a net decrease of £1.441 million, which are proposed in Appendix 1. The main reason for this reduction is the profiling adjustment, proposed by Social Work Resources, to reflect the timing of spend on the SWIS Plus project. 4.2. The programme includes a budget allocation for 3 significant projects where the level of spend in year has still to be confirmed – Clyde Bridge, Larkhall Leisure Centre and the Levelling Up Fund match funding. An update will be provided to a future meeting 4 21
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of this Committee when the actual expected spend on these projects is known. It is unlikely that all of these funds will be spent this year. 4.3. Period 4 Position: The programme spend and funding for the General Fund is summarised in appendices 2 and 3. As noted in 4.1, the total capital spending programme for the year is £98.093 million. 4.4. Budget for the period is £8.096 million and spend to the 15 July 2022 is £8.176 million, a slight overspend of £0.080 million. 4.5. Actual funding received to 15 July 2022 is £71.677 million. 4.6. Relevant officers will continue to closely monitor the generation of all income including receipts. 5. Housing Capital Programme 5.1. 2022/2023 Budget: Appendix 4 summarises the position on the Housing programme as at 15 July 2022. The original budget for the year was £52.230 million, as approved by the Executive Committee on 29 June 2022. The Final Outturn report for financial year 2021/2022 noted a carry forward of £11.434 million into future years. Further analysis of this budget confirms that £6.820 million is required in 2022/2023, with the remainder being carried forward into future years. 5.2. In addition, it is proposed that the 2022/2023 Capital Programme be increased by a further £7.311 million to reflect the expenditure on new build homes at East Whitlawburn, which are being built on behalf of West Whitlawburn Housing Association. 5.3. As a result of these adjustments noted at sections 5.1 and 5.2, a revised programme of £66.361 million is presented for approval. Programmed funding for the year also totals £66.361 million. The funding sources are also detailed in Appendix 4. 5.4. Progress on the Housing Capital Programme will continue to be monitored and updates will be provided to future meetings. 5.5. Period 4 Position: Budget for the period is £11.339 million and spend to 15 July 2022 amounts to £11.339 million. 5.6. As at 15 July 2022, £11.339 million of funding had been received. 5.7. Regular monitoring of both the General Fund Programme and the Housing Programme will be carried out in detail by the Financial Resources Scrutiny Forum and reported on a regular basis to the Executive Committee. 6. Employee Implications 6.1. There are no employee implications as a result of this report. 7. Financial Implications 7.1. The financial implications are contained in sections 4 and 5 of the report for the General Services and Housing capital programmes respectively. 8. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 8.1. There are no implications for climate change, sustainability or the environment in terms of the information contained in this report. 22
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9. Other Implications 9.1. The main risk associated with the Council’s Capital Programme is an overspend. There are detailed project management plans prepared and the risk of overspend on each project is monitored through four weekly investment management meetings. 9.2. 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. 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 existing policy, function or strategy and therefore no impact assessment is required. 10.2. 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) 3 August 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Previous References Executive Committee, 29 June 2022 List of Background Papers Capital Ledger prints to 15 July 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 23
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APPENDIX 1 SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL CAPITAL EXPENDITURE 2022/2023 GENERAL SERVICES PROGRAMME FOR PERIOD 1 APRIL 2022 TO 15 JULY 2022 Proposed Adjustments Community and Enterprise Resources Country Parks - Horseshoe Bridge, Calderglen The project to replace the Horseshoe Bridge at Calderglen Country Park was scheduled to be undertaken during the summer months. However, due to contractual issues it is now planned to commence this project in early Spring 2023. Approval is sought to slip £0.174m into financial year 2023/2024. (£0.174m) Education Resources Kirklandpark Primary School - Adaptations Approval is sought to increase the 2022/2023 Capital Programme to reflect £0.040m of Developer Contributions already received from the development at Lethame Road, Strathaven. This funding will be utilised to convert general purpose space into a permanent classroom at Kirklandpark Primary School, Strathaven. In order to reflect the anticipated timescales for this project, £0.005m will be required to undertake design works in 2022/2023 with the balance of £0.035m required in 2023/2024 to carry out the works during the 2023 Easter school holidays. £0.040m (£0.035m) Housing and Technical Resources Prioritised Urgent Investment - Roberton Hall Approval is sought to increase the 2022/2023 Capital Programme by £0.188m reflecting additional contributions from Clyde Windfarm (£0.094m) and the Renewable Energy Fund (£0.094m) towards the cost of the essential works undertaken at Roberton Hall. £0.188m Social Work Resources Replacement Care Facility – Blantyre Approval is sought to increase the 2022/2023 Capital Programme to reflect a £0.040m contribution from NHS Lanarkshire towards the cost of the rehabilitation gym within the new care facility at Blantyre. £0.040m SWIS Plus Replacement Approval is sought to slip £1.500m into the 2023/2024 Capital Programme to reflect the revised completion schedule for the new SWIS Plus Replacement system. This project is slightly behind schedule, whilst the final details of the contract are being negotiated. The revised timescales reflect the contract commencing on 1 August 2022, instead of 1 July 2022, with an 18-month implementation period reflected in the profile of payments to the contractor. (£1.500m) TOTAL ADJUSTMENTS (£1.441m) 24
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APPENDIX 2 SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL CAPITAL EXPENDITURE 2022/2023 GENERAL FUND PROGRAMME FOR PERIOD 1 APRIL 2022 TO 15 JULY 2022 £m Total Budget (Executive Committee – 29 June 2022) 99.534 Proposed Adjustments – Period 4 (1.441) Total Revised Budget 98.093 2022/23 Budget Period 4 Proposed Adjustments Revised 2022/23 Budget Resource £m £m £m Community & Enterprise 64.423 (0.174) 64.249 Education 16.128 0.005 16.133 Finance & Corporate 3.695 - 3.695 Housing & Technical 8.125 0.188 8.313 Social Work 5.363 (1.460) 3.903 Other Match Funding 1.800 - 1.800 TOTAL CAPITAL PROGRAMME 99.534 (1.441) 98.093 25
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APPENDIX 3 SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL CAPITAL EXPENDITURE 2022/2023 GENERAL FUND PROGRAMME FOR PERIOD 1 APRIL 2022 TO 15 JULY 2022 2022/23 Original Budget 2022/23 Revised Budget 2022/23 Budget to 15/07/22 2022/23 Actual to 15/07/22 £m £m £m £m Expenditure General Fund Programme 95.232 98.093 8.096 8.176 Income 2022/23 Original Budget 2022/23 Revised Budget 2022/23 Actual To 15/07/22 £m £m £m Prudential Borrowing 55.416 51.335 51.335 Developers Contributions 6.552 7.347 5.696 Partners (Including High Blantyre Construction, SPT, Sustrans, and CARES) 1.745 3.758 1.414 Scottish Government: - Capital Grant 22.424 22.908 5.680 - Cycling, Walking and Safer Routes 2.154 2.887 0.000 - Vacant and Derelict Land 1.820 1.820 0.969 - Regeneration Capital Grant 1.720 2.020 0.807 - Town Centre Regeneration Fund 0.101 0.101 0.101 - Place Based Investment Programme 1.617 3.357 3.357 - Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure 0.118 0.118 0.089 - NSS Tec 0.000 0.040 0.040 Glasgow City Region City Deal 0.000 0.000 0.000 Capital Receipts 1.000 1.000 0.787 Specific Reserves 0.534 1.034 1.034 Revenue Contribution 0.031 0.368 0.368 TOTAL FUNDING 95.232 98.093 71.677 26
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APPENDIX 4 SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL CAPITAL EXPENDITURE 2022/2023 HOUSING PROGRAMME FOR PERIOD 1 APRIL 2022 TO 15 JULY 2022 2022/23 Original Budget 2022/23 Revised Budget 2022/23 Budget to 15/07/22 2022/23 Actual to 15/07/22 £m £m £m £m Expenditure 2021/22 Budget Incl. adjustment from 2020/21 52.230 66.361 11.339 11.339 2022/23 Original Budget 2022/23 Revised Budget 2022/23 Actual to 15/07/22 £m £m £m INCOME Capital Receipts 0.000 7.311 0.000 Capital Receipts – Land Sales 0.000 0.000 0.007 Capital Funded from Current Revenue 26.050 26.050 11.332 Prudential Borrowing 22.018 26.462 0.000 Scottish Government Specific Grant: - New Build 2.242 4.048 0.000 - Open Market Purchase Scheme 1.800 2.370 0.000 - Mortgage to Rent 0.120 0.120 0.000 52.230 66.361 11.339 27
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 24 August 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Additional Funding from Scottish Government and Other External Sources 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] advise Members of additional funding that has been made available to the Council by the Scottish Government and other external sources since the last report to this Committee (29 June 2022). [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the additional funding totalling £2.902 million, as detailed at Appendix 1 of the report, be noted. 3. Background 3.1. The Council is periodically advised of additional funding which is made available from the Scottish Government and other sources to enable various initiatives to be undertaken. 3.2. Additional funding may either be paid through the General Revenue Grant mechanism or by the completion of appropriate grant claims. 3.3. Details of the additional funding are attached at Appendix 1 to the report. The report details additional funding that has been reported by Resources as part of the additional resources notification process, as well as any additional funding that has increased the Council’s budget by more than £0.100 million. 4. Employee Implications 4.1. None. 5. Financial Implications 5.1. Additional capital funding of £2.902 million has been identified for 2022/2023. There is no additional revenue funding to note. Total funding identified is £2.902 million. 5.2. Resource budgets will be updated to reflect this additional funding as required, and where appropriate, details of spending plans will be presented to Resource Committees for approval. 5 29
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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. There are no other implications in terms of the information contained in this report. 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 existing policy, function or strategy and therefore no impact assessment is required. 7.2. 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) 25 July 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes. Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Previous References Executive Committee, 29 June 2022 List of Background Papers Additional Funding Reports:- 2 June 2022 to 20 July 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 30
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Appendix 1 Additional Capital Funding Resource Description 2022/2023 £m 2023/2024 £m Total £m Method Housing and Technical Energy Efficient Scotland – Area Based Schemes 2.902 - 2.902 Scottish Government TOTAL CAPITAL FUNDING 2.902 - 2.902 31
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 24 August 2022 Report by: Chief Executive Subject: South Lanarkshire Council Response to the Pre- Budget Scrutiny Call for Views 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] present the Council’s response to the call for views issued by the Finance and Public Administration Committee of the Scottish Parliament as part of the pre- budget scrutiny process [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [] (1) that the South Lanarkshire response to the call for views, attached at appendix 1, be approved; and (2) that any comments agreed by the Executive Committee be forwarded to the Scottish Parliament for consideration along with the response already provided. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. In recent years, in line with the recommendations of the Budget Process Review Group report, Scottish Parliament subject committees have undertaken pre-budget scrutiny, in advance of the publication of the Scottish budget. 3.2. The intention is that committees will use pre-budget reports to influence the formulation of spending proposals while they are still in development. In order to facilitate this, committees are required to publish pre-budget reports at least six weeks prior to the Scottish budget. 3.3. As part of its pre-budget scrutiny, the Finance and Public Administration Committee of the Scottish Parliament issued a call for views on 23 June 2022 on “Scotland's public finances in 2023/2024 and the impact of the cost of living and public service reform”. Within this, the Committee has indicated that it is particularly interested in views on how the rising cost of living will impact on the Scottish budget in 2023/2024 and whether the Scottish Government’s proposals for reforming public services will deliver the efficiencies expected. 3.4. This report presents the Council’s input to this call for views for Committee approval. 6 33
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4. The pre-budget scrutiny call for views 4.1. The focus of the Finance and Public Administration Committee is on the impact of the cost of living crisis and public service reform. The Committee notes that the context for the budget includes slower income tax growth in Scotland than the UK as a whole; as well as forecast errors which suggest a lower budget than previously anticipated. 4.2. With this context in mind, the Committee has asked for views on eight questions:- 1. The Scottish Government’s Resource Spending Review assumes that the current taxation policies are maintained while funding for health and social care and social security is prioritised. Are these the right priorities and approach for the Scottish Budget 2023/2024 and until 2026/2027? 2. The Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC) notes that Scottish income taxes have grown more slowly than the rest of the UK and is forecasting Scottish taxes to be around £360 million less in 2023/2024 than they would be without income tax devolution. The SFC is also forecasting that, as a result of forecast error, the Scottish Budget in 2023/2024 could be £221 million lower. How should the Scottish Government’s Budget 2023/2024 respond to this challenge? 3. How should the Scottish Government respond to inflationary pressures and the cost of living crisis in its Budget 2023/2024? 4. The Spending Review identifies key areas of reform over the lifetime of the Parliament to support its priorities in the Spending Review, including delivering efficiency savings across the public sector. How should the Scottish Government approach each of these areas to achieve efficiencies while also maintaining effective public services? 5. How effective do you think these reforms will be in delivering efficiency savings in the Scottish Budget 2023/2024, and beyond? If you have additional or alternative priorities for achieving efficiencies (for example within your public sector area), please provide details. 6. What impact will the Spending Review priorities have on the delivery of national outcomes in the National Performance Framework? 7. How should the Scottish Government target spending in its budget to achieve net zero targets? 8. How has the Scottish Government reflected its commitment to fiscal transparency in the Spending Review and how can it best ensure that spending in the Budget 2023/2024 can be properly identified and tracked? 4.3. The Council’s response, attached in full at Appendix 1, emphasises throughout the unprecedented financial pressures faced by local government, and makes the point that any further reductions in budgets will have severe implications for councils’ ability to deliver services. This will, in turn, hamper the ability of councils to support Scottish Government priorities and the achievement of national outcomes. 4.4. Ultimately the funding squeeze on local government means councils will not be able to contribute to the national priorities framework in the way intended; they won’t be able to meet targets on poverty/child poverty; and there is the real prospect that 34
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councils will fail to meet legislative obligations due to unprecedented budget pressures. 4.5. Within the Council’s response, Committee is asked to note the following key points:- According to figures from Audit Scotland, funding for councils has reduced by 4.2% in real terms since 2013/2014, which contrasts with an increase of 4.3% in Scottish Government funding for other areas of the budget over the same period. Inflation is already having a significant and damaging impact on council services. With general inflation projected to rise above 10% in the coming months, and costs for particular items considerably in excess of that figure, pressures on local authority budgets will continue to increase. Our starting point in response to this would be that the impact of the significant, extraordinary effect of inflation should be recognised in funding settlements for local government. This should extend to include the impact on pay awards for our workforces. Flat cash settlements give no ability to invest in the workforce in response to high inflation levels. Local authorities have a pivotal role in delivering the national outcomes, especially those which are strongly influenced by how people experience their local areas, communities and sense of agency and empowerment. The squeeze on Council funding will impact on councils’ ability to support these outcomes. Councils are key to addressing the cost-of-living crisis more generally, and in particular, how it affects our residents. We provide assistance and support across our areas to those who are struggling to meet the costs of living – money advice, support into employment, backing for the Living Wage, the Council Tax Reduction scheme and in many other ways. Financial settlements should recognise this key role. There are a number of areas of spend within council budgets which are subject to preservation as a result of direction from the Scottish Government, which restricts the opportunity for local flexibility reflecting the actual circumstances affecting councils. Councils are looking for flexibility across all of their budgets to allow them the opportunity to make decisions locally to achieve the wide outcomes. 4.6. As noted above, the Parliamentary Committee has issued its call for views as part of the normal pre-budget scrutiny process. Other subject Committees have also initiated consultations, each with a focus relevant to their specific concerns:- Health, Social Care and Sport Committee – focusing on health and social care sustainability; preventative spend; and health and social care outcomes. COVID-19 Recovery Committee – focusing on how the Scottish Government plans to fund the COVID Recovery Strategy and the ongoing costs associated with the pandemic that are outlined in the Strategic Framework. Constitution, Europe, External Affairs and Culture Committee – focusing on how are budgetary decisions supporting the recovery of the culture sector from COVID and what should be the Scottish Government’s priorities in supporting recovery through Budget 2023/2024. 4.7. The date of the Scottish budget has not yet been confirmed, as it will depend on the timing of the UK budget (which has not yet been announced). The Scottish budget is normally in December, following an Autumn UK budget, although timings have been different in recent years due to the timing of UK elections and the pandemic. For now, the working assumption is that pre-budget reports will be required to be published by the end of October. 35
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5. Next steps 5.1. The deadline for the call for views is 19 August 2022. In order to meet this deadline, Council officers have submitted the draft response pending today’s discussion by Elected Members. If approved by Committee, the Council will confirm the submission as its response and will incorporate any comments agreed by the Committee. 6. Employee Implications 6.1. There are significant potential implications for staff across the Council as a consequence of decisions made about how to support the Scottish Government’s priorities through the budget 2023/2024. 7. Financial Implications 7.1. There are significant potential financial implications for the Council arising from decisions taken in relation to the Scottish Budget 2023/2024. The response prepared by the Council underlines the scale and significance of the financial challenges facing local government. 8. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 8.1. There are no direct climate change, sustainability and natural environment implications arising from this report. 9. Other Implications 9.1. Considering the detail of the report and identifying actions as appropriate contribute towards effective risk management. There are very significant risks to local government arising from the decisions taken in the Scottish Budget 2023/2024. 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. Consultation was undertaken internally on the contents of this report. Cleland Sneddon Chief Executive 16 August 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Previous References None List of Background Papers None 36
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Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Tom Little, Head of Communications and Strategy Ext: 4904 (Tel: 01698.454904) E-mail: Tom.Little@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 37
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Appendix 1 1. The Scottish Government’s Resource Spending Review assumes that the current taxation policies are maintained while funding for health and social care and social security is prioritised. Are these the right priorities and approach for the Scottish Budget 2023-24 and until 2026- 27? It is acknowledged that health and social care and social security are considered priorities as we come out of the pandemic and into a cost-of-living crisis. However, the outcome of prioritising these areas means that other areas of public spending that are considered unprotected, including local government, face real cuts in funding. In March 2022 Audit Scotland concluded that, once specific Covid funding was removed from any calculations, “councils have seen funding reduce, in real terms, by 4.2% since 2013-14, with increasing amounts of funding ring-fenced to meet Scottish Government priorities.” Figures received from Audit Scotland indicated that, when funding for Scottish Government priorities is removed, the real terms cut to local government core budgets is over 9.6%.That ultimately means that councils will have to face decisions around the services they provide, like education, waste collection and work on public protection, such as against anti-social behaviour. In short, ringfencing and prioritising of certain areas comes at the cost of reducing other budgets. This is a significant factor in the budget gaps that councils are facing across Scotland – on 15 June 2022 elected members at South Lanarkshire Council were advised that the budget gap we face in our 2023-24 revenue budget stood at £37.541 million before any solutions are identified and applied. The solutions and savings that will require to be found in order to bridge such gaps, across Scotland, will mean tough decisions regarding the sustainability of key services that citizens depend on, especially the vulnerable. 2. The Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC) notes that Scottish income taxes have grown more slowly than the rest of the UK and is forecasting Scottish taxes to be around £360 million less in 2023-24 than they would be without income tax devolution. The SFC is also forecasting that, as a result of forecast error, Matters of income taxation, and the rates and bands that apply, are for the Scottish Government to consider as they manage their budget. This also applies to how the potential shortfall of £581 million for 2023-24 is managed. We note that in their Local Government in Scotland Overview 2022 (published May 2022) Audit Scotland noted that the 4.2% reduction in Scottish Government funding for councils since 2013-14 contrasted “to an increase of 4.3 per cent in Scottish Government funding of other areas of the budget over the same period”. 38
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the Scottish Budget in 2023-24 could be £221 million lower. How should the Scottish Government’s Budget 2023-24 respond to this challenge? In local government, year on year we have faced challenges to balance budgets, with increasing costs that have not been matched with increasing settlements. That work has included an ongoing focus on finding ever more efficiencies, and ultimately having to make decisions around what can and can’t be afforded in terms of service delivery. The Scottish Government has longer-term budget planning that should allow them to be able to consider the impacts of any budget changes over the medium term. For local government there would be an obvious benefit if there was a move to multi-year settlements, which would allow a longer-term planning approach. 3. How should the Scottish Government respond to inflationary pressures and the cost of living crisis in its Budget 2023-24? Inflation is already having a significant and damaging impact on council services. Inflation hits across our own delivered services, services we commission and on our day to day running costs in similar ways to the impacts that our residents are feeling in their own pockets (utilities, food, materials etc). Inflation also impacts on our capital programmes – like all sectors, we have seen large increases in the costs of materials. Unlike the private sector, of course, we do not have the option of passing those costs on directly to the customer. With general inflation projected to rise above 10% in the coming months, and costs for particular items considerably in excess of that figure, we anticipate pressures on local authority budgets to increase. Our starting point in response to this would be that the impact of the significant, extraordinary effect of inflation should be recognised in funding settlements for local government. This should extend to include the impact on pay awards for our workforces. Flat cash settlements give no ability to invest in the workforce in response to the high inflation levels. Local authority employees have taken the brunt of pay restraint since the financial downturn in 2008 with salaries reduced by over 22% in real terms. Local authorities are also key to addressing the cost- of-living crisis more generally, and in particular how it affects our residents. We provide assistance and support across our areas to those who are struggling to meet the costs of living – money advice, support into employment, backing for the Living Wage, the Council Tax Reduction scheme and in many other ways. Without the recognition of that key role in financial settlements many of these services will be more 39
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difficult to deliver. As well as local government services having to be cut, potentially resulting in significant job losses, there will be a reduction in essential services for the public at a time when some people will need them most. 4. The Spending Review identifies key areas of reform over the lifetime of the Parliament to support its priorities in the Spending Review, including delivering efficiency savings across the public sector. How should the Scottish Government approach each of these areas to achieve efficiencies while also maintaining effective public services? a) Digitalisation For the past six years councils have been working together to accelerate Digital Transformation, thereby delivering service improvements and efficiencies. All Scottish local authorities participate in the Local Government Digital Office and benefits have been realised in delivering Once For Scotland solutions rather than re-inventing the wheel 32 times. Particular benefits have been realised in the areas of cyber security and Microsoft 365 rollout, both of critical importance to support agile working during the pandemic. The common platforms initiative has the potential to deliver returns more quickly. Encouraging and incentivising councils to adopt standard solutions saves money in several ways: - Lower procurement and ongoing support costs - Negotiate better pricing due to increased volumes - Share best practice between councils - Redesign processes to be more efficient - Less need for costly custom developments - Faster, less risky implementations - Adopt new technology faster (eg Cloud) The Scottish Government should look at ways whereby councils can be encouraged to move to standard solutions, perhaps by assisting with project/implementation costs where this is a barrier. This initiative will also help remove legacy systems which may be a cyber risk. In addition, the Scottish Government could consider how best to exploit data by building a standard data platform which can be securely used by councils to: - Cleanse data to improve quality - Enrich data by joining datasets - Generate dashboards and standard data returns - Provide high quality management reporting This capability, which councils are unlikely to develop in isolation in the short term, would enable senior managers with insight to and insight to both improve services and identify future efficiencies 40
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b) Maximising revenue through public sector innovation Councils have had many years of having to look at more efficient practices. There has been a move towards councils looking to maximise revenue in more creative ways and in more commercial manners that will allow continued financial support for core budgets. As budgets become tighter, the need to explore these options becomes more pressing Areas that have been, or are being, considered include expanding charging for services, full cost recovery and working in partnership with private partners to bring in investment, such as electric vehicle charging and energy production/management. c) Reform of the public sector estate Through the Heat Networks Act and Scottish Government’s Heat in Buildings Strategy, the public sector estate is identified as an opportunity to progress and pilot decarbonised heating and energy efficiency technologies and methods. These approaches will result in increased spending required to meet new standards or guidance and as such may conflict with any suggested review or decrease of spend in this area. Within its response to the Scottish Government’s Heat in Buildings Strategy Consultation in April 2021, South Lanarkshire Council highlighted the need to consider adequate levels of support and funding were made available to local authorities and the wider public sector to meet the challenges associated with the decarbonisation of both domestic and non- domestic buildings they own or operate. This includes both capital and revenue funding. The scale and nature of such projects will require funding across several financial years, therefore it is important that key areas of expenditure can be funded on more than an annual basis. A continued and stable investment programme can encourage innovation, collaboration and drive efficiencies. d) Reform of the public sector landscape The most significant reform of the public body landscape planned over the lifetime of the current parliament is the proposed creation of a National Care Service (NCS). Our concerns around this development are wide-ranging and were set out at length in our response to the NCS consultation. Looking specifically at efficiencies, we would reiterate our view that structural change is not necessary to achieve the outcomes articulated in the review of adult social care: the same results could be achieved more quickly, and at lower cost, with targeted investment and appropriate reform within existing structures. 41
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Crucially, there is a risk that shifting services into the NCS would fundamentally undermine the ethos of whole system, place-based, person-centred working. It would move away from the key principle that local systems, services and workforces are best placed to identify the specific needs of people and communities in their local authority area and to ensure that workforces have the knowledge, skills and resources to respond to these needs. These factors would, in our view, weigh heavily in the balance against any straightforward efficiencies that the NCS might realise. We remain concerned that there has been no detailed assessment of the risks associated with the creation of an NCS and the transfer of accountabilities, resources and staff from local government. e) Improving public procurement With eight years having passed since the last Procurement Reform Act in 2014, the Scottish Government should consider the scope for further reform to procurement legislation. At a UK level, reform is being driven by EU Exit and the view that procurement reform can move away from the rules- based approach driven by the single market, but consideration needs to be given to how this can be achieved in Scotland, while maintaining the principles of fairness and transparency and ensuring that public sector procurement is aligned to National Outcomes. In respect of public procurement structural reform, we note the commitment in the Spending Review to increase cross sectoral consolidated procurement and agree that there is scope to consider the roles of Centres of Expertise more widely across the public sector to maximise value from public spending. 5. How effective do you think these reforms will be in delivering efficiency savings in the Scottish Budget 2023- 24, and beyond? If you have additional or alternative priorities for achieving efficiencies (for example within your public sector area), please provide details. Local government have been delivering efficiencies for over a decade due to financial settlements being insufficient to cover costs. Measures include all of the areas listed above. So we are not starting from a position where there are still significant further efficiencies to be had in these areas. Other areas that we have looked to include rationalising management and supervisory structures, spend to save proposals, better use of technology, modernising of services /systems, as well as having to consider how and what we do. For digitalisation, the biggest saving opportunity is in robustly encouraging the use of common platforms across councils. For example, the recent widespread adoption of Microsoft 365 is enabling efficient 42
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collaboration between councils and with the NHS. Standard solutions eliminate duplication, costly customisation and enable faster redesign and transformation of business processes by leveraging developments and best practice from other councils In terms of the public sector estate, consideration should be given to the actions, efficiencies and modernisation efforts that have already been progressed by local authorities and other organisations in relation to the public sector estate to reduce costs associated and ensure it meets current service requirements. The Public Sector approach to Asset Management delivers continuous review of assets, and in the post- Covid service environment there will require to be changes in the location, design and scale of the public estate to meet changing service need. While this process can generate capital receipts and revenue savings over the medium to long-term, investment is required in building fabric, digital connectivity and service redesign in order to effectively implement initial re-configuration, particularly where co-location is proposed. Given the current pressures on the construction industry the delivery of additional short-term benefits for 2023-24 would appear unlikely as proposals would require to be already underway. It may instead be worth considering how previously suggested revisions to private finance models and supplier frameworks can be progressed to aid local authorities in meeting the future challenges associated with building management. Where these revisions represent a repackaging of existing council spend, this should not be viewed as a substitute for additional, substantive funding. In terms of public procurement, the Scottish Government will need to recognise current market conditions and the expected medium to long-term impacts of inflationary pressures, which are expected to last through the parliamentary term, in driving efficiencies through procurement. The impact of added value in procurement, including the sustainable procurement duty and guidance on Climate, Fair Work First, Living Wage and local agendas in respect of Community Wealth Building will need to be balanced against achievement of efficiencies. The introduction of the National Care Service is expected to have a significant impact on Social Care commissioning arrangements across Scotland for both local authorities and the Centre of 43
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Excellence. Looking at the public body landscape, we also believe the proposal to create an all-embracing National Care Service with constituent Community Health and Social Care Boards (CHSCBs) will be a costly, disruptive, and potentially ineffective reform which will take time, energy and resource away from addressing core problems. The NCS project overlooks the role of contextual factors such as chronic underfunding, socio-economic challenges, and fragmentation across the wider public health and social care system, in determining the outcomes that care service users experience. It introduces a level of risk that has not been fully assessed or mitigated. We have further concerns in relation to the costings and we question how much can be achieved with the limited monies available. To date no information has been provided on modelling of volume or costs of demand for the NCS, nor how the additional investment will be funded on a recurring basis. The Independent Review of Adult Social Care report suggested an indicative £0.66bn requirement per annum but is acknowledged as not covering all elements of the 53 recommendations and is based on a rudimentary uprating of historic service volume data as a proxy for the costs of unmet need. COSLA has suggested a figure well in excess of £1.2bn per annum, albeit with a clear acknowledgment that considerable detailed work will be needed to confirm the adequacy of this sum and what level of entitlements would be needed. The potential investment is not only a game changer but a necessity - the Fraser of Allander Institute recently commented “an underfunded national care service is unlikely to be any better than the system it seeks to replace”. Our argument is that if sufficient funding is available, a structural change is unnecessary. Finally, we would argue that much of the detailed work still requires to be done to understand the implications and practical impacts of the creation of the NCS. This work includes the design of the new care entitlements and support models; access arrangements; the financial framework that will support the new investment and a range of other fundamental assessments. To take a decision on the scale of structural change before these fundamental developments relating to function are completed and the full implications are understood is premature and presents significant risk to all stakeholders. We would argue that an important part of these considerations would be developing an 44
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understanding of the impact on councils of such a major change in the public sector landscape; removing such a large part of the work of councils from them would inevitably have serious consequences on how they manage their finances and balance their workforces. It would be a serious omission if the likely future shape and function of councils was not modelled before a decision was taken to remove their health and social care responsibilities. 6. What impact will the Spending Review priorities have on the delivery of national outcomes in the National Performance Framework? The spending review rightly states that “local authorities play a vital role in delivering public services and are key partners in the delivery of the priorities set out by the spending review” (p.27). More broadly, local authorities have a significant role to play in helping to deliver the national outcomes overall. The flat cash commitment to local government will, in the current context, lead to pressure on many services, and this in turn will impact on local government’s ability to deploy resources that support the national outcomes. The national outcomes that might be most affected are those that are strongly influenced by how people experience their local areas, communities and sense of agency and empowerment. These include: • people grow up loved, safe and respected so that they realise their full potential • people live in communities that are inclusive, empowered, resilient and safe • people value, enjoy, protect and enhance their environment • people have thriving and innovative businesses, with quality jobs and fair work for everyone • people are healthy and active • people tackle poverty by sharing opportunities, wealth and power more equally 7. How should the Scottish Government target spending in its budget to achieve net zero targets? Within its response to the Scottish Government’s Heat in Building Strategy and discussions with the Scottish Government on the implementation of Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategies, South Lanarkshire Council suggested that public funding should be prioritised for those ‘least able to pay’ for any proposed actions to achieve net zero and highlighted that owner contributions are the most significant barrier to building owners accessing current funding streams. 45
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Given the complexities of bringing forward Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Networks the council suggests directing investment toward the considerable cost of decarbonisation of core public sector assets would deliver more immediate benefits. The council also highlighted the lack of financial support identified for the social housing sector in the investment plans and outlined the risk this would have on low-income households, including social housing tenants, in relation to fuel poverty and the costs of living. The continuing disparity in grant subsidy between local authorities and RSLs is unacceptable and does not represent Best Value. Consideration should be given to agreeing long term funding models to provide confidence to building owners, suppliers and consumers to help achieve the net zero targets. In addition, continuing and increased multi-year capital investment for (1) EV charging infrastructure both for public and fleet charging hubs, (2) Low Carbon fleet transition and (3) walking and cycling infrastructure. 8. How has the Scottish Government reflected its commitment to fiscal transparency in the Spending Review and how can it best ensure that spending in the Budget 2023-24 can be properly identified and tracked? To achieve transparency a move towards a more collaborative approach to budget setting would be welcomed. There have been calls to reduce the level of ring- fenced small pots of money, and a move towards more ability to make local decisions to achieve wider outcomes and this approach would be welcomed, rather than looking to ensure “tracking” of the spending review proposals. There are a number of areas of spend within council budgets which are subject to preservation as a result of instruction from Scottish Government, such as a requirement to maintain teacher numbers for example, or maintain contributions towards Health and social care partnerships. This restricts the opportunity for local flexibility reflecting the actual circumstanced affecting councils. Councils are looking for flexibility across all of their budgets to allow them the opportunity to make decisions locally to achieve the wide outcomes. 46
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 24 August 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Local Child Poverty Action Report 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] update the Committee on the local work to address Child Poverty and seek approval for the new Local Child Poverty Action Report [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Executive Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- (1) that the progress and improvement work being carried out around the Local Child Poverty Action Report be noted; (2) that the content of the draft report, and its publication, be approved; and (3) that the ongoing work on areas of improvement and the intention to create a 3 year Strategy in 2023 be supported. 3. Background 3.1. The Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 introduced a new requirement for local authorities and relevant health boards to prepare Local Child Poverty Action Reports (LCPAR) as soon as reasonably practicable after the end of each reporting year. beginning in June 2019. 3.2. The purpose of the LCPARs is to describe any measures taken in the area of the local authority during the reporting year and planned measures for the year ahead that seek to address and mitigate child poverty. These are organised around the 3 drivers of Cost of Living, Income from Benefits and Income from Employment. Actions are identified using local data, the lived experience of families and the expertise of partnership staff. Key actions for this year include:- Extending the model of Routine Enquiry used by colleagues in NHS Lanarkshire to increase income from benefits in families they support. Addressing the increase in household costs and in particular the price of increase in gas and electricity prices. An integrated approach to parental employability and supporting a ‘next steps’ aspiration for parents. 3.3. The work described in the reports is expected to contribute to the 4 national income based child poverty reduction targets to be achieved by 2030. (1) Less than 10% of children are in relative poverty (2) Less than 5% of children are in absolute poverty (3) Less than 5% of children are in combined low income and material deprivation 7 47
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(4) Less than 5% of children are in persistent poverty It should be noted that the achievement of these targets, however, is not entirely within the control of local partners given the primary drivers of poverty which are related to macro economic trends which cannot be heavily influenced by local control measures. The Poverty and Inequality Commission have identified in their recent scrutiny of the National Child Poverty Delivery Plan that the national actions which have been committed to there, and in particular the increase of the Scottish Child Payment to £25 per week, will help with progress to meet the targets, however they also highlight a need for specific and urgent action to address the cost of living crisis, and for progressive revenue-raising measures in order to fund greatly enhanced social protection measures at a national level in order to achieve all targets. 3.4 The Scottish Government made it clear that the introduction of the requirement to produce LCPARs signals an imperative to undertake new activity and a new approach to tackling Child Poverty; effectively a step-change in tackling child poverty. Where local partners are continuing with existing activity, they should be clear about the supporting evidence base indicating its effectiveness. 3.5 The Poverty and Inequality Commission, tasked by the Scottish Government provide feedback on all the LCPARs. Feedback on the South Lanarkshire LCPAR for 2019/2020 and 2020/2021 was overwhelmingly positive. In addition, the Improvement Service indicated through feedback sessions that they were continuing to direct other councils towards our reports as an example of good practice. 3.6 South Lanarkshire Council, NHS Lanarkshire and other South Lanarkshire Partnership members agreed at the CPP Board meeting of the 6 June 2018 to produce a single LCPAR, recognising a collective effort would be more effective. 3.7 The Child Poverty Working Group was established in late 2018 to produce the plan. This group has continued to meet to ensure that the work around the plan remains relevant and focussed on the key actions to address child poverty in South Lanarkshire. 4. Progress to date 4.1. Child poverty is caused by a complex blend of structural issues relating to macro-economic and political factors governing the labour market, employment and social security. Social factors make particular groups especially vulnerable to poverty, e.g. children, lone parents, disabled people and Black & Minority Ethnic (BME) groups. The following diagram from the Scottish Government provides an overview of what its research indicates are the main drivers of child poverty. 48
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4.2. Of the above drivers of child poverty, maximising income from benefits and measures to reduce the costs of living are vital to mitigate financial hardship however in themselves will lift households out of poverty in a sustainable way. The third driver focusing on employment and providing households with an income based on fair work principles has however the potential of making that sustainable change. The most recent unemployment claimant figures for South Lanarkshire as at June 2022 were 6,665 claimants. This represents the lowest figure, not just since the start of the pandemic, but is historically low. We are also aware of significant labour shortages across a range of sectors including a number of roles in the council and wider public sector which indicates there is an opportunity that has not existed to this extent previously to make greater inroads into this poverty target than before. The approach to employability may however need to innovate to focus on the capacities of applicants and subsequent development in skills in role rather than traditional employability training which has focused on what cannot currently do. 4.3. We set out to ensure that the LCPAR provides background information, a progress report on South Lanarkshire activity and an action plan (currently organised around the 3 child poverty drivers). 4.4. Data published by the Child Poverty Action Group on 12 June shows that child poverty in South Lanarkshire fell from 21.5% in 2014/2015 to 19.6% in 2020/2021. In real terms this represents 1,180 children less living in poverty locally. Overall, this is the 7th largest percentage decrease out of the 32 Scottish local authorities, and the largest number of children in any authority. Despite this, there is much work still to be done. 5. The 2022/2023 LCPAR and Next Steps 5.1. Throughout the last year, partners have the partnership writing group has worked with the Improvement Service to take a fresh approach to identifying local areas for improvement. This work has been supported by the Council’s Corporate Management Team, and in particular the Director of Health and Social Care. 5.2. The draft report is attached as Appendix 2 and continues to build upon the good work of previous years. This year, we have taken a different approach to writing the report and focused on what would make it live and relevant for families living in South Lanarkshire. As a result the document is shorter and more focused on case studies and examples. The detailed monitoring of actions over the past year which had previously appeared as part of the report are now included with this paper as Appendix 3 in order to allow for scrutiny. The main priorities for the forthcoming year are presented in Appendix 4, with an emphasis on improvement areas, such as routine enquiry, parental employability and cost of living issues. 5.3. We recognise that the cost of living crisis will have an impact on all families in South Lanarkshire, and particularly on those already struggling with lower incomes. This is an area which the partnership group continues to monitor and develop actions around throughout the year. Monitoring includes the work of research and data sub groups who identify trends and interesting practice to present to the partners. The challenge which is being faced is not underestimated. 5.4. With the publication of the Scottish Governments new Child Poverty National Delivery Plan for 2022 to 2026, Best Start Bright Futures, the possibility of becoming a national pathfinder became available. South Lanarkshire has expressed an interest in this and a decision is expected around August 2022 as to which areas will be identified as pathfinders. 5.5. One issue which has been identified by many local authorities is that producing a yearly plan can be challenging when designed and delivering complex pieces of work. With this in mind, the partners have discussed the creation of a 3 year strategy in 2023, with an annual 49
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update report on progress. This meets the requirements of the legislation, allows for longitudinal development of activities to meet outcomes, and reflects the timescale of the national delivery plan. With this in mind, we are seeking approval to take this approach to planning and monitoring work going forward. 5.6. Listening to the voices of families and communities experiencing poverty issues is a crucial feature of our work around children and families, and we continue to develop our approaches to this. We have been in discussion with the Poverty Alliance who are seeking funding from the Scottish Government to work in partnership in the development of a ‘mini public’ approach in South Lanarkshire. This ‘Panel’ model from the mini public would be used to generate proposals that would inform our approach to addressing child poverty. The mini public would also serve as the basis for establishing a longer term approach to engagement focusing on low incomes and poverty. 5.7 Whether this is successfully funded or not, we continue to plan better ways to engage with families and ensure their voice is at the heart of our planning for future activity. 6. Employee Implications 6.1. There are no immediate employee implications arising from this report. 7. Financial Implications 7.1. Any financial implications will be met within existing budgets. 8. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 8.1. There are no implications for climate change, sustainability or the environment in terms of the information contained in this report. 9. Other Implications 9.1. The LCPAR continues to be a point of local and national scrutiny. This could have positive and/or negative impacts on perceptions of the Council and its partners and proactive PR approach will be required. 10. Equality Impact Assessment 10.1. In developing the new LCPAR, a new Equality Impact Assessment has been completed along with a Children’s Rights Wellbeing Impact Assessment. These are attached as Appendix 5 and will be published on the website along with the LCPAR. 11. Children’s Rights Considerations 11.1 A Children’s Rights Wellbeing Impact Assessment has been completed as part of the work to develop the LCPAR. 11.2 The work to engage children, young people and families in developing the plan is central to our continuing commitment to the UNCRC and in particular the following Articles:- Article 6 (life, survival and development) every child has the right to be kept safe from harm, the right to be alive, survive and develop through life Article 12 (respect for the views of the child) every child has the right to express their views, feelings and wishes in all matters affecting them, and to have their views considered and taken seriously. Article 13 (freedom of expression) every child must be free to express their thoughts and opinions and to access all kinds of information, as long as it is within the law Article 27 (adequate standard of living) every child has the right to a safe place to live, food and clothing 50
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Paul Manning Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 15 July 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Values Focused on people and their needs Priorities We will work to put people first and reduce inequality We will work to recover, progress and improve Outcomes Our children and young people thrive 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:- Rhonda Leith, Community Engagement Manager E-mail: rhonda.leith@southlanarkshire.gov.uk Kevin Mullarkey, Childrens Services Partnership Planning Manager South Lanarkshire Council Email : kevin.mullarkey@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 51
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South Lanarkshire’s Local Child Poverty Action Report Providing the best start and brighter futures for every child and family in South Lanarkshire Our progress to support families over 2021/22 and our plans for 2022/23 and beyondSLC print proof Appendix 1 7 53
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SLC print proof 54
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1 Foreword __________________________________________________________ 4-5 2 The current context ___________________________________________________ 6 3 Our plan and its progress ___________________________________________ 7-24 4 Our approach to improvement _____________________________________25-26 5 Our priorities for 2022/23 _____________________________________________ 27 3 Contents page SLC print proof 55
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Welcome to the fourth edition of South Lanarkshire’s Local Child Poverty Action Report. As a partnership we are beginning to take a look beyond what has been our core offer of support to families over recent years and consider what more we can do to make things easier for families, especially at this time of rapidly increasing cost of living. While COVID-19 is still with us and the impacts of the pandemic still weigh heavy on individuals and communities, we can see our lives getting back to normal and on the road to recovery. With that in mind we want to explore practical solutions with families experiencing poverty related challenges, to find out what support can help make real changes in their lives. We know that too many children and families face poverty issues and with it difficult choices on how to make available resources go as far as possible. This often limits opportunities in many areas of life, e.g. health, education and learning involvement in our communities, pursuing hobbies and interests, or making time for holidays as a family. Our aspiration for families continues to be that they experience the best start and aspire for the best possible future outcomes. To achieve this, a whole family approach to tackling poverty and improving wellbeing is essential in how we support families, especially at the point of first contact with support services. An approach highlighted in the new national delivery plan Best Start: Brighter Futures bit.ly/ TacklingChildPovertyDeliveryPlan2022-2026 that highlights ‘To deliver sustained reductions in child poverty over the longer term and break the cycle of child poverty, we will work with partners to provide the integrated and holistic support parents need to enter quality employment, improve their wider wellbeing and engage with the drivers of poverty reduction’. Our approach in South Lanarkshire will be built upon: • Providing opportunities and integrated support to parents and young adults to enter and sustain progress in work • Supporting families to live dignified lives with their basic needs met, and: • Doing everything we possibly can to ensure our next generation thrives Our plan for 2022-23 has four parts. Three sections consider the work we are already doing and will develop around the three main drivers to address poverty. This year we have added a fourth section that looks at how we will work together to deliver support differently and more effectively to families. 4 1 Foreword SLC print proof 56
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Over the past year we have taken time to work together to identify the areas where we can work differently and maximise our capacity and resources for the benefit of families. The following commitments reflect where we will improve what we do and how we do it: • We will make sure that policy development and future service delivery is influenced by the voice of families experiencing poverty • Our third sector organisations with their strong links to communities will be more involved and at strategic level • We will make better use of existing data that could be used to improve a shared understanding of the impact of poverty at household and locality level • We will deliver more holistic, wraparound support services which are as accessible as possible to families experiencing poverty • We will develop shared short, medium and long term outcomes and identify the necessary resources to work collaboratively towards them, which adds value to our core offer of support to families • We will build a more comprehensive evaluation of services and interventions, to better understand the impact of support on households With this step change in our approach to our work, we plan to move to a three-year strategy to address child poverty in South Lanarkshire This journey will be closely aligned to the last three years of the national delivery plan Best Start Better Futures and our forthcoming 2023-26 Children’s Services Plan. Our vision for this approach is that we will have the voice of our children and families at the centre of our planning and service design. Finally, a big thank you to all the staff from our statutory, voluntary sector and community partners who have contributed to the work to make a difference to families. Your hard work, commitment, and dedication to make changes to how we support families to achieve best possible outcomes is very much appreciated. Cllr Joe Fagan Leader of South Lanarkshire Council Martin Hill Chair of Lanarkshire NHS Board 5 SLC print proof 57
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Families, and the agencies that work alongside them, are living and operating in a landscape where the adverse impacts of COVID-19 are still being felt. In addition to this the rising cost of living, and particularly of fuel and food, means that money is stretched even further than it was before. Inflation has been predicted to rise to over 10% by the end of the year, and to remain high throughout 2023. The ongoing conflict in Ukraine has pushed energy and fuel prices to new highs, and this has an impact on the availability and cost of other goods. Inequalities within communities continue to be a real concern and we know that some groups of people are affected more than others by this, including the priority groups for our local child poverty action: • one-parent families • a household where someone is disabled • families with three or more children • minority ethnic families • families with a child under one year old • families where the mother is under 25 years of age. We also know that young people who are care experienced are directly impacted by these changes in a disproportionate way. We have borne these groups in mind particularly when writing this report, as well as remembering that the rising cost of living impacts upon all families. As part of our ongoing work to support families, we have made a firm commitment to improving our services as a partnership. In the last year we have worked to identify some key areas where we can do this, and this year’s report has a focus upon them. In the future, our plans are to work to create a three-year strategy which we will report on and update on an annual basis. This will allow us to create longer term aims and actions and measure improvement more effectively. Of course, our work on child poverty does not happen in isolation. Nationally, the Scottish Government has a new four year delivery plan “Best Start, Bright Futures” which details the support they will provide through initiatives such as the Scottish Child Payment and other financial supports. It also details national funding streams such as the Whole Family Wellbeing Fund, which will be devolved to us at a local level to spend. Along with our existing resources, we commit to making sure that these funds are used to support improvements in the services we provide and to make a difference to the lives of children and families in South Lanarkshire. This includes working towards the aim of 5% of our spend on spend on health and social care being on preventative measures by 2030. Locally, we have just produced a new Community Plan for our Community Planning Partnership. This partners a new Council Plan which shares its vision of improving the life and prospects of everyone in South Lanarkshire. To do this, all of the partners involved locally will be working to make sure that we are supporting people to overcome the impacts of poverty, learning together about what does and does not work, and acting sustainably to support our communities and our planet for the future. This includes continuing our work on neighbourhood planning, where communities facing the greatest inequalities are supported to articulate and deliver upon their own priorities. Much of this work involves children and families in very practical ways, helping people support each other and making sure that the resources of partners are used to the best effect in our communities. You will see examples of this work through this report and we continue to recognise the importance of community led activity and of shaping our services in response to the voices of those with lived experience of poverty in making sure that we do help to improve lives for children and families. 6 2 The current context SLC print proof 58
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The following section details the work undertaken in relation to each of our priority themes: Driver 1 Progress on increasing income from benefits Increase the uptake of benefits Work of local Financial Advice Services Citizens Advice Bureau The past 2 years have provided a challenge to CAB’s in South Lanarkshire as regular face to face advice and support has been curtailed due to COVID-19 restrictions, with the service limited to telephone or online contact in many cases. Over the last year CABs have begun to return to their traditional way of working and have experienced an increase in families seeking support. Across South Lanarkshire there has been a 40% rise in the number of financial health checks being delivered over the past year (500 compared to 357 in 2020/21), with the number of families supported increasing by 106% (233 compared to 113 in 2020/21). Together the money and debts advice provided by the South Lanarkshire CAB’s has led to over £720,377 in financial gains to clients including families, a 250% increase on the previous year. One area where there has been a noticeable rise in people and families seeking advice is on energy related costs. CAB’s report a 33% increase in enquiries related to energy costs over the year (2,651 compared to 2,000 in 2020/21), with an estimated £126,608 in financial gains secured for clients, e.g. negotiating new tariffs, payment plans, obtaining related benefits and supports. South Lanarkshire Council Money Matters Advice Service The Money Matters Advice Service is a free and confidential service operated by South Lanarkshire Council to provide monetary advice and advocacy support to households experiencing financial difficulties. Over the past year Money Matters has helped 843 new clients with benefits and debt advice through their popular Telephone Advice Line service, which represented a slight increase on the number of new clients referred in 2020/21. Thanks to the work of Money Matters staff, almost £1.5 million in financial gains have been secured for clients through unclaimed or backdated benefits over the past year that would have otherwise been lost without this help. 7 Our plan and its progress 3 SLC print proof 59
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Expanding the routine enquiry approach NHS Lanarkshire Midwife/Health Visitors and Money Matters Advice Service Routine Enquiry as part of child health improvement support has been embedded in practice among Health Visitors and local Midwives for a number of years. As the first point of contact midwives and health visitors refer pregnant women and new mothers at risk of financial hardship, onto local financial advice services. Over the last year, more than two thirds (68%) of referrals to Money Matters Telephone Advice Line were from NHS Lanarkshire staff using the Routine Enquiry, representing a total of 510 women. Partnership working - Proving financial advice in health settings The Royal Hospital for Children - NHS Lanarkshire A financial advice service has been provided for parents with children at the RHC in Glasgow for a number of years. 38 South Lanarkshire parents received advice through the service during 2021/22, an increase from 30 recorded last year. Over £100,000 in financial gains were secured for families using the service during 2021/22. GP Community Link Worker programme The GP Community Link Worker (CLW) programme is a new service introduced in April 2021. GP CLW’s are non-clinical practitioners who work directly with patients to help them navigate and engage with wider services. They offer non-clinical holistic support to patients, enabling them to set goals and overcome barriers, in order to take greater control of their health and well-being. As part of the GP CLW programme NHS Lanarkshire has commissioned a Financial Wellbeing Advice (FWA) service, delivered through SLC Money Matters and the Hamilton, Rutherglen, Clydesdale and East Kilbride CAB’s. During the first full year of operation, there were 597 referrals made to the Financial Wellbeing Advisors, with around £305,202 in financial gains secured for the families/individuals referred. 8 3 SLC print proof 60
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What difference have we made in 2021/22 Case study (Working in partnership - Money Matters Advice Service and NHS Family Nurse) A young woman aged 18 with a new baby was in homeless accommodation, with no parental support. With the help of the family nurse, the Money Matters Advice Service undertook several home visits to provide support. The Money Matters advisor assisted the young women with a claim for Universal Credit, and as a result she got £114.09 per week with her housing costs paid in full by the council. The advisor also helped the client apply for Child Benefit and secured a payment of £21.15 per week. Once the client started to receive Universal Credit, she was also entitled to a Best Start Grant of £606 (one off payment) and Best Start Food payment of £36 every 4 weeks. As well as financial help, Money Matters got in touch with the young women’s energy provider and helped her to deal with energy debts, as she was having to pay more than £400 per month for gas and electricity. The advisor arranged for Home Energy Scotland to work with her to clear this debt and arrange financial assistance to help with the bills. Money Matters also arranged for the young women to be provided with emergency food parcels, including clothes and toys for child as it was Christmas time. The client also received a £50 Asda voucher from Swaddle to help with the costs of Christmas shopping. 9 SLC print proof 61
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Rolling out financial advice services into Schools CAB’s and Money Matters Advice Service - school outreach work The Money Matters Advice Service were unable to offer outreach support to parents and children in schools last year due to the continuation of COVID-19 restrictions. Money Matters were able to provide alternative support through the SLC Education School Holiday Programme however. Working with the SLC Community Wellbeing Team, Money Matters carried out financial outreach work within local schools at school holiday clubs during 2021/22. Through this work 91 families were referred back to Money Matters for further benefits advice and support. This outreach support secured financial gains for families of £14,838 in unclaimed or back dated benefits. Money Matters and CAB’s are currently looking at ways to develop a joint approach with Education Resources to sustain a presence in local schools for the years ahead. Social Security Scotland - new and existing child/parent targeted benefits Best Start Grants and Best Start Foods support children in low-income families with costs such as food, clothing, and school equipment, as well as toys and school trips. During 2021/22 Social Security Scotland approved 70% of applications from South Lanarkshire families for Best Start Grants and Best Start Foods, which is the highest figure recorded since the benefit was launched more than three years ago. Since the introduction of Best Start in December 2018, South Lanarkshire families have benefited from over £5 million in accrued payments. The Scottish Child Payment was introduced in 2020/21, as a means to tackle child poverty more directly. ‘Best Start, Bright Futures’ the national Child Poverty Delivery Plan identifies this support as making a critical contribution to achieving the long-term ambition of reducing relative child poverty in Scotland to 10% by 2030. Initially paid at £10 for every child under six in a household every four weeks, the payment has increased to £20 per child from April 2022. In the period up to 31st March 2022, 9,460 applications for the new payment have been received from South Lanarkshire parents, resulting in over £3.5 million in new additional benefits going to children in qualifying families. 10 3 SLC print proof 62
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Driver 2 Progress on minimising the effects of Cost of Living rises Increase uptake of funded and early learning and childcare entitlements for 2 and 3-year-olds South Lanarkshire Council Early Years’ Service The Early Learning and Childcare service continue to work with colleagues across Education, Health, and Social Work to promote early access to quality nursery provision and maximise take up of free funded entitlements for two and three year olds. Over the last year we exceeded the target to improve the uptake of funded places for eligible two-year-old children, with the number of two year olds taking up a place increasing from 15.5% (471 children) to 24% (795 children) in 2021/22. During 2021/22 100% of children in South Lanarkshire entitled to 1,140 hours of funded childcare have benefited from the opportunity. The Early Years’ Service continues to build on the work to support parents from low-income households not eligible for 1,140 hours funded childcare to apply for exemption to nursery fees. In 2021 we opened eight new childcare establishments, seven of which provided additional places for two-year-old children. Thanks to these new settings we have provided an additional 160 full time equivalent places. Reduction in financial barriers to education for school age children Reducing the cost of the school day initiatives Significant progress has been made during the course of 2021/22 with the target of 100% of schools having a Cost of the School Day Position Statement in place by March 2022 being achieved. Schools have used the cost of the school day toolkit to implement changes to help families cope with costs. St John Ogilvie and Biggar High Schools and Netherburn and Rigside Primary Schools have featured in national guidance as examples of good practice: https://cpag.org.uk/talking-costs (download resource PDF) Staff training sessions have been delivered in every school on cost of the school day and poverty awareness over the past year and a new Twitter feed https://mobile.twitter.com/slcequity has been established to provide updates to the school community and encourage networking among pupils and families on cost of the school day issues. A cost of the school day policy document is currently being produced and should be available for consultation by March 2023, with full publication planned for June 2023. We will also build on the school cost of the school day position statement initiative and ensure that at least 60% of schools have moved from a position statement to a policy by June next year. 11 SLC print proof 63
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What difference have we made in 2021/22 Case study (Increasing COSD awareness in schools/Challenge Poverty Week 2021) Several events during Challenge Poverty Week in October 2021 increased knowledge among pupils around Cost of the School Day issues. Lesmahagow High School (below left) nominated a ‘Captain of Equity and Inclusion’ to lead on discussions with other pupils on what more the school could do to remove financial barriers to education and tackle the Cost of the School Day. As part of their work during Challenge Poverty Week Calderglen High School’s S4 pupils (above right) discussed the effects of poverty on families as part of Modern Studies lessons. Pupils were tasked with mapping the impact that poverty can have on wellbeing and discussed what actions could be developed to support people out of poverty. In common with other primary schools during Challenge Poverty Week, Neilsland Primary School in Hamilton held a series of activities including class discussions, pupil presentations (given at a virtual school assembly), and encouraged the donation of unwanted clothes for low income pupils/ families ahead of winter (‘Rake and Take Rail’) 12 3 SLC print proof 64
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Maximising the uptake of School benefits – free school meals and clothing grants The latest figures on free school meal uptake shows that the percentage of pupils taking a free school meal in South Lanarkshire has returned to pre-COVID19 levels, with 65% of eligible primary pupils and 41% of eligible secondary pupils being recorded to regularly take a free meal during 2021/22, the same level as was recorded in 2019/20. More pupils entitled to clothing grants have also been claiming the benefit over the past year with an increase from pre-COVID levels being recorded from 12,537 payments in 2019/20 to 12,784 in 2021/22. Tackling food poverty out with regular school hours/ Holiday Hunger programmes and Breakfast Clubs A voucher scheme has been introduced to cover meal costs for children from low-income households during school holiday periods. The vouchers provide a payment of £2.50 per day/ per child to cover meals during all school holiday periods. 9,557 children eligible to free school meals used a voucher (later replaced by direct payments through Pay Point) during 2021/22 which represents a slight increase on the level recorded in 2020/21. Prior to the pandemic, 88 out of 124 SLC primary schools had a breakfast club, with close to 6,000 pupils aged between 5 - 12 benefiting. During 2020/21 the effects of COVID-19 restrictions meant attendance at clubs was limited to children of key workers, however last year’s LCPAR action plan set a target for all primary schools to reintroduce breakfast clubs and to aim for attendance to surpass the levels recorded pre-COVID. As of the end of 2021 all our 124 primary schools have an attached breakfast club with regular attendance levels at almost 8,000 pupils per week (7,843 per week), well above pre-pandemic levels. 13 SLC print proof 65
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Participatory Budgeting in Schools - Improving engagement with children, parents, and staff to ensure that the priorities of school communities better guide spending decisions. South Lanarkshire has been identified as one of the pioneers in the implementation of Participatory Budgeting and our schools have been cited in recent national guidance, as models of good practice in aligning funding to school community priorities - https://blogs.gov.scot/participation/2022/01/24/ participatory-budgeting-pb-in-scottish-education/. Although PB in schools was Introduced in 2019, COVID-19 restrictions have hindered the rollout of the process, with 2021/22 being the first full year of participatory budgeting in all 146 schools in South Lanarkshire. Over the past year 81% of schools have allocated the minimum 5% of their Pupil Equity Funding through PB, whilst 19% of schools allocated more than this. Overall, 6% of the £9.9m local authority Pupil Equity Funding Allocation was distributed through participatory budgeting across all South Lanarkshire schools, a total of £607,137. A total of 27,972 pupils, 9,689 parents/carers and 3,806 staff were involved and 90% of schools reported participatory democracy increased citizen participation in their school. As part of the next LCPAR 2022/23 we intend to ensure that 100% of SLC schools will again commit to spending at least 5% of their budgets via PB during the coming year. 146 projects designed by young people and their families, which focused on closing the poverty- related attainment gap have been implemented. Schools were encouraged to have their own aims for their projects, which were then used as a basis to report impact. The most popular themes selected by school communities were outdoor recreational resources and more funding for extra- circular activities. We are committed to ensure that 100% of schools committed to spending at least 5% of their budgets via Participatory Budgeting in 2022/23. What difference have we made in 2021/22 Case study (Participatory Budgeting in Schools, Strathaven Academy Barista project) A Participatory Budgeting Group, comprising of staff, pupils and parents, sought ideas from stakeholders. Suggestions for potential projects included new outdoor seating; a school gardening project; and a Barista Project. All three options were publicised in a short video and voted for by stakeholders via a Google form (paper/email vote were also available). In total 76% of pupils, 70% of staff and 441 parents voted. The most popular option (the Barista Project) has allowed pupils to achieve accredited qualifications (SQA Barista Award, Skills for Work, SQA Enterprise and Employability - Certificate of Work Readiness), as well as improve their skills for learning, life and work, helping them access part-time work in the hospitality field as well as positive destinations beyond school. Pupil: “I feel like we have a voice and were listened to. I really enjoyed being part of this and can’t wait to learn new skills once the Barista machine arrives.” 14 3 SLC print proof 66
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Guaranteeing Privileged Transport and increasing Active travel The Privileged School Transport Places scheme allows children entitled to Free School Meals free travel to school under certain conditions. Before the pandemic 55 school pupils were registered with the scheme, however this was reduced during 2020/21 due to COVID-19 restrictions. The figures for 2021/22 confirm that scheme membership has returned to pre-COVID levels with 55 pupils again registered for Guaranteeing Privileged Transport. Information from the Sustrans suggests that the percentage of South Lanarkshire children using active travel modes (walking, cycling, scootered/ wheeled) has grown, increasing from 44.1% in 2020, up to 45.6% in 2021 (the most recent available). The number of schools completing Travel Plans has also been progressively increasing over the past 5 years, with 75 schools now having a plan in place, the highest number on record. What difference have we made in 2021/22 Case study (Encouraging Active Travel among young people, Clyde Gateway – Supporting Families project) In Autumn 2021, the Supporting Families project established walking buses from two local primary schools (St Columbkille’s and Burgh in Rutherglen) with the aim of increasing attendance at afterschool childcare sessions and to make sessions more accessible for families that might experience access barriers due to the increasing cost of travel. By taking an inclusive approach to reduce inequalities, there was an 83% increase in participants attending the sessions (an extra 11 families attending). Through the project the wider school community, including parents and carers have been encouraged to see walking as an easy way to improve physical, mental and social health. It is free, and no special equipment is needed. It is hoped that participation in the project will have long lasting benefits and encourage the school community to realise the advantages of active travel choices, both financially in terms of cost savings on travel at a time of rising costs, but also to the local environment, and reducing the number of unnecessary car journeys. 15 SLC print proof 67
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Reducing housing costs for families Increasing the supply of affordable homes for families - Increase the availability of inclusive types and designs SLC Housing and Technical Resources delivered 657 additional homes for rent during the course of 2021/22, a 48% increase on the number of built in 2020/21. The latest figures include 604 new build properties and 53 homes bought from the private sector through the council’s Open Market Purchase Scheme. 200 of the new build properties completed last year were allocated to families with children under the age of 16, including 30 properties to families with disabled children. Deliver regeneration projects to improve housing and built environment in priority areas (East Whitlawburn) South Lanarkshire Council has continued to work in partnership with key stakeholders and partners to deliver 230 new social rented homes as part of the Whitlawburn Regeneration Masterplan (170 being council homes). During 2021/22 there were 122 council properties built bringing total completions to 160 council owned properties. Maintaining affordable rents for Council tenants Housing and Technical resources continues to strive to keep rent levels low for tenants, and actively engages with tenants on rent levels that are thought to be reasonable in light of cost of living rises. The South Lanarkshire Council average rent of £74.55 per week remains lower than the Scottish average of £77.83. The annual rent increase was set at 2.2% with 1,133 council tenants playing a central role in the process. The increase planned for 2022/23 has again been capped at 2.2%. Supporting the housing needs of minority groups - ethnic minorities and travellers We have continued to support households with children from minority ethnic communities, to access and sustain affordable accommodation, including Gypsy/Travellers and refugee families resettled through the UK resettlement scheme. There are two council owned Gypsy/Travellers sites within South Lanarkshire: Springbank Park, East Kilbride and Shawlands Crescent, Larkhall. 100% of tenants on both sites have sustained their tenancy during 2021/22. In terms of refugee families, SLC Housing and Technical Resources have resettled eight families as part of the UK resettlement scheme during 2021/22. As with the travelling community, 100% of refugee families have sustained their tenancy over the past year. 16 3 SLC print proof 68
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Reducing energy costs for families Improving the energy efficiency of homes for families The proportion of homes meeting current Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing in South Lanarkshire continues to increase, with 98% of council stock meeting this standard. The council continue to work towards maximising the energy efficiency of its homes through the ongoing Home+ programme. As part of the Energy Efficient Scotland Route Map, we are now working towards increased energy efficiency standards that requires all properties to achieve an Energy Performance Certificate Band B by 2032. As of 31st March 2022, 6.48% of the council’s domestic housing stock already meets the EPPC Band B standard. A financial commitment has been made by SLC Housing and Technical Resources to continue to work towards 100% of its eligible domestic stock meeting the increased standard within the next 10 years. The total amount of funding secured for energy efficient work in 2021/22 was £2,901,995. Reducing homelessness and the threat of homelessness among families, children and young people Housing allocation - prioritising homeless families with children South Lanarkshire Council continues to work with partners to reduce the overall number of homeless households. As of 31st March 2022, there were 231 households with children residing in temporary accommodation, a 3% reduction on the level recorded before the pandemic (238 at 31st March 2020). The council’s homelessness services continue to work to reduce the time families spend as homeless. Latest evidence confirms that number of days families spend as homeless has reduced from 192 days in 2020 to 164 this year, a 14.5% reduction. Providing support with homelessness prevention and tenancy sustainment A Tenancy Sustainment Fund was introduced in 2020 to support tenants maintain their rent payments in order to sustain their tenancy and prevent homelessness. In total there were 538 homeless households provided with support over the last year, 25% of the awards were provided to families. As a result of the award 93% of tenants reported an improvement in budgeting, engagement and overall wellbeing. Supporting care experienced young people to plan for and move to independent living in the community SLC Social Work staff offer intensive and ongoing support to young people just out of care to help them sustain their tenancy as part of the Throughcare initiative. During 2021/22, 96% of tenancies were sustained by Throughcare applicants, compared with just 80% in 2020/21. 17 SLC print proof 69
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What difference have we made in 2021/22 Case study (Providing ‘holistic’ support to families under the threat of homelessness) Housing and Technical Resources work closely with families living in temporary accommodation. One example was a mother and her young daughter who were assessed as homeless after fleeing domestic violence. The family were supported by the Housing Officer, Women’s Aid and her GP, who confirmed they were suffering from Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder as a result of the domestic violence. The family were placed in temporary accommodation where they both became settled, the child was enrolled in a local nursery, the mother joined a local church, and the neighbours were a support. Educational Psychology had been working with her daughter as she was not coping well due to her experience as a very young child. As a result of the support, there has now been a huge positive change in her daughter’s behaviour, and she is now looking forward to a bright future at school in August. The mother advised she has received great support from Housing and neighbours since she has been living in the temporary accommodation. The Housing Officer identified the temporary accommodation was a good move for the family and discussed the possibility of offering the temporary accommodation as a permanent settled home and a positive solution to their homelessness. The accommodation was then made permanent, and the family is continuing to flourish. The mother was also provided with a laptop and three years free data through the ‘Bringing IT Home’ programme, allowing her to take up a course at South Lanarkshire College, which she is really enjoying. Administered by Housing and Technical Resources and funded jointly by the Scottish Government and Scottish Procurement Alliance, Bringing IT Home has provided 55 devices with connectivity to homeless households across South Lanarkshire. Quote from the parent:- “I am delighted that my house has been flipped from temporary to permanent. My voice has been heard and the Housing Officer has been such a great support to me and my daughter. I now have somewhere to call home” 18 3 SLC print proof 70
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Ensuring digital inclusion for families in the most deprived areas A range of digital supports were made available for schools, pupils and families including chrome books, Mifi devices and cloud storage. A resource called Texthelp was made available for all schools with training for staff available. SchoolCloud was purchased for all establishments and has been used by a large number of schools and pupils with feedback being very positive and resulting in purchase of this resources for a second year for all schools A Digital Development Officer has been in place since October 2021 to support the implementation of the digital support in schools and for pupils and families. Maximising opportunities to participate in Leisure and Cultural activities among young people from low income families Active Schools Programme - South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture continue to work to increase the level of participation with Active Schools through expanding the number of staff delivering activities and the number of pupils engaging with the programme. The aim is to provide more and higher quality opportunities to take part in sport and physical activity before, during and after school, and to develop effective pathways between schools and sports clubs in the local community. The LCPAR 2021/22 action plan set out an ambition to progressively return Active Schools attendance back to pre-COVID levels, starting with a target 155,000 pupil visits (40% of all pupils) to programme events. The 2021/22 figures confirm there has been a 60% increase in the number of pupils engaging with Active Schools programmes over the past year, with nearly a quarter of a million (249,893) visits to activities recorded, well above the target of 155,000. Similarly, the latest figures for pupil participation (as a % of the school roll) indicates that the target of 40% of pupils participating in Active Schools programmes has been exceeded with 41% of the school roll (18,585 pupils) attending events during 2021/22. In order to achieve increased participation, the Active Schools team have been working closely with Head Teachers and Health and Wellbeing Lead Officers across local schools to develop a diverse programme of activities designed to be more attractive to pupils of any age or ability. All Active Schools Coordinators are now fully re-engaged with their learning community partners to develop and deliver a range of intervention programmes. Staff have been working to extend delivery of Active Schools beyond traditional school hours through providing more student placements, linking to our Income from Employment work and providing local sports students with valuable work experience. Partnerships are in place with local colleges to recruit more than 100 students to increase the capacity for young people to access Active Schools programmes/ events across our communities next year. The Active Schools team have also trained 75 senior pupils to deliver free activity to their peers and neighbouring primary school pupils. 19 SLC print proof 71
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Increasing concession scheme membership among young people from deprived neighbourhoods - South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture provides a membership concession scheme for low-income families, that allows a 50% reduction in fees to access sports and leisure activities. Before the pandemic there were over 6,000 members of the concession scheme, and partners are committed to rebuilding scheme membership back to pre-COVID levels, with an ambition of 5,000 members by end of year 2021/22 (the target in the LCPAR action plan 2021/22), and increasing to 6,000 by the end of 2022/23. The latest figures indicates (31st March 2022) there are currently 5,541 live memberships of the concession scheme, well above the target set of 5,000. A new pricing structure to access leisure facilities has been introduced to specifically encourage greater use by children and young people. Staff have been actively promoting the new scheme along with the importance of physical activity in schools, sports and community groups. Feedback suggests that the new pricing structure is proving popular among young people and has contributed to increase in the use of facilities over the year. Reducing addictions and health harming behaviours among young people and parents from low income families NHS Lanarkshire run a dedicated service aimed at tobacco control, and a smoking cessation programme ‘Quit Your Way’ has been running locally for several years. Our action plan is aimed to reduce smoking among pregnant women resident in areas with the highest levels of deprivation. Over the last year the NHS tobacco control team have been pro-active with activities aimed at securing greater levels of smoking cessation. Staff have continued to deliver awareness sessions to pregnant women within local community settings and with partner organisations such as Healthy Valleys and Family Centres. Training sessions were also delivered to staff working in maternity services, student midwives and Family Nurse Partnership team. NHS Lanarkshire has also conducted a mapping exercise to allow Quit Your Way staff to engage with organisations and to train maternity staff and develop resources to contribute to a further reduction in pregnant women smoking in target areas by March 2023. 20 3 SLC print proof 72
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Driver 3 Progress on maximising opportunities to increase income from employment Reduce the gap in school leavers entering a positive destination between most deprived 20% and least deprived 20% areas Support provided via the Aspire Youth Employability Team has helped more young people into a positive post school destination. The latest figures (2020/21) suggest that more than 96% of South Lanarkshire pupils leaving school have moved into a positive destination, such as employment, training or higher/ further education, an increase over the previous year. Although the gap between leavers in high deprivation and low deprivation areas moving into positive destinations has increased slightly over the past year (from 6.3% in 2019/20 to 6.4% in 2020/21) this is a result of a greater rise in the number of leavers from the least deprived areas achieving a positive destination, rather than a fall in the number of leavers from deprived areas entering into employment, education or training. Support care experienced school leavers sustain a positive destination The commitment to increase the number of young people from care experienced backgrounds sustaining a positive destination after they leave school, and maintaining this level above the Scottish average has been achieved. 90% of South Lanarkshire leavers from care backgrounds have sustained a destination in employment, training or further/ higher education according to the 2020/21 SLDR follow up survey, a higher figure than the Scottish average (88%) and an increase from the level (86%) recorded in 2019/20. Linking the skills of young people to the needs of the local economy The Youth Employability service has been working with Skills Development Scotland, South Lanarkshire College, New College Lanarkshire and locally contracted training providers to develop training as part of the Grad8 programme. Gradu8 supports young people, particularly those from areas of high deprivation to take advantage of new employment opportunities in growth sectors such as Construction. 229 young people have completed an SCQF Level 4/5 Construction Foundation Apprenticeship during 2021/22, up from the target set against last year’s total of 138. Modern Apprenticeships South Lanarkshire Council’s Employability and Youth Employability services, along with Skills Development Scotland, and other agencies have continued to work with employers over the past 12 months to maximise Modern Apprenticeship opportunities for local young people. The figures from 2020/21 suggested that the number of Modern Apprenticeships in South Lanarkshire had dropped by over a third, compared to 2019/20 (from 1,926 to 1,251) directly due to the impact of the pandemic. The latest figures indicate that the number of apprenticeship opportunities in SLC is returning to pre-COVID-19 levels with 1,688 places being taken up during 2021/22, an increase of around 35% on 2020/21, suggesting that local employer confidence in recruiting and training staff has recovered faster than expected. 21 SLC print proof 73
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Increase employment support for low-income parents South Lanarkshire Council Employability Service The Employability Service, along with the DWP, local employers, voluntary sector, local training and further education providers are working together to overcome the challenges of COVID-19. As part of the recovery new working practices, such as providing more targeted support to child poverty priority groups, e.g. lone parents, families with disabled adults/ children, BAME families and larger families, are being prioritised as a key feature of this work. The new approach will continue to adapt to the “new normal” of the post pandemic labour market, finding innovative solutions to supporting and engaging with families and parents in order to help these households lift themselves out of poverty. Over the past year the Council’s Employability service has helped 129 parents with their employability goals. This has resulted in 41 parents increasing pay and/or hours worked. All 129 parents have reported increased skills and a growth in confidence in their own abilities and prospects. More intensive models of supporting parental employability are in currently in development. These will be more person centred and intended to meet the requirements of the whole family with parents/ families designing solutions tailored to their own individual needs. What difference have we made in 2021/22 Case study (Employability programmes - Routes to Work South) Client N was referred to the Making It Work program by Job Centre Plus in November 2021. Having recently left a violent relationship, N was suffering from extreme anxiety and had to relocate in an attempt to get their life back on track. N is a single parent to an eight year old and has been unemployed for over two years, claiming Universal Credit. Prior to becoming unemployed, the client was a qualified painter and decorator and was seeking a career change. N was keen to secure a job in social care or childcare but lacked experience, confidence, and self-esteem. Initially they worked with an advisor to improve their confidence before considering the various training courses available. Eventually N settled on the Safari Course, a 4-week intensive training course that focuses on personal development and provides participants with the opportunity to gain an Institute of Leaning and Management award. N reported that they gained a lot from the course and with the support of their Advisor and they began applying for job opportunities within the care sector. N attended an interview with a care home and was offered a part time job, 17 hours per week over three days, which provided a balance between working and being a lone parent and accepted the job offer. N is being supported by their employer to complete a HNC in Social Care and is due to start college in August this year. Since joining the program and over the last six months, N has reported increased confidence and self-esteem and believes that their new job is the perfect fit. N is continuing to focus on rebuilding their life. 22 3 SLC print proof 74
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Clyde Gateway - Supporting Families project The Clyde Gateway ‘Supporting Families’ model in the Rutherglen area is focused on employability, skills development, childcare and all elements of wellbeing (financial/mental/physical). It is specifically aimed at families identified within the six child poverty priority groups. One of the main components of the project is the Family Support Worker role who works closely with referred families to deliver holistic support. Through the adoption of this new holistic support model, families report better participation, fewer barriers to employability opportunities, and increased wellbeing. As part of the new support model each individual and family completes a Holistic Needs Assessment to establish and agree realistic and tangible goals for the family with clear short, medium, and long term outcomes. The assessment helps to identify suitable, bespoke, and wraparound interventions for the family. In recognition of the success of the approach, the project model was extended from a single nursery in Rutherglen (Glenburgh) to three local primary schools. Working in partnership has been the key to the project’s success, with South Lanarkshire Council, South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture, One Parent Families Scotland and Routes to Work South and Head Teachers all involved. During 2021/22 the project supported 25 people into employment, a further 33 people benefited from skills development, volunteering, and employability support, As well as employability support, the project has also helped families with financial and benefits advice. 59 people were supported to achieve reduced living costs and a reduction in personal debt, resulting in an estimated £69,547 in financial gains. A further 34 people were supported through crisis situations and into stability through financial advice, resulting in a further £23,891 in financial gains. More details on the Clyde Gateway Supporting Families project are available here - www.clydegateway.com/community_posts/childcare-and-family-support. 23 SLC print proof 75
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Employee upskilling South Lanarkshire Council Employability Service Since the majority of families that experience child poverty are already in employment, upskilling has a vital part of to play in tackling the problem. The Employability Service upskilling programme aims to allow staff working in lesser skilled jobs, experiencing low pay and underemployment a chance to gain new qualifications, increase their working hours and levels of pay, and enhance employment prospects while still in the workplace. During 2021/22 169 employees engaged with the Upskilling Programme. 27 employees successfully increased their hours or ensured Job security within the workplace, while 37 staff secured promotion at work. The service noted that has been a high demand for employees to re-skill and gain Health and Social Care qualifications. What difference have we made in 2021/22 Case study (Clyde Gateway - Supporting Families project) “We have worked with one family for several years due to domestic abuse and supported mum in a variety of ways in order to build her confidence and independence, however it was always limited to the school setting. The Supporting Families project was able to support her in being able to access and apply for work and she has successfully applied for a new job. We can see first-hand the positive impact this has had on mum’s self-esteem and self-worth but also the pride her child feels about her mum.” Andy Gray, Headteacher, St Columbkille’s Primary School. “I would like to thank my support worker for all the help and information that she gave me and to tell her that she changed my life in a very good way. I was not aware of the help that I could get before meeting her and the options that I have to study, work and look after my children at the same time. Thank you very much.” Family A - supported in the project “I was in a place where I desperately needed help but didn’t know how or where to find it. Without this project I would still be struggling.” Family B supported in the project. 24 3 SLC print proof 76
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Working with colleagues from the national Improvement Service we engaged in four action learning sessions online to consider which aspects of our approach to tackling child poverty was working, to take time to think through any challenges experienced and identify future areas for improvement. The diagram below shows an overview of the step change process and outputs, which informed our decision-making process around our 3 stepped change ideas. The LCPAR Group used the self- assessment tool to highlight strengths and areas for improvement under four headings: • Understanding Local Need • Using a Wide Range of Policy Levers • Ways of Working • Understanding Our Progress Strengths included strong commitment, use of range of policy levers and good understanding of local context. Challenge Session LCPAR completes Child Poverty Self- Assessment Process Group reaches agreement about priority areas for improvement Group identifies gaps in current activity Group identifies concrete action to initiate improvement Consensus Session - 24th November Outcome Based Planning Session Improvement Planning Session Overview Report The group used the consensus approach to reach agreement on the need for a refreshed approach to child poverty characterised by: • More engagement of those with lived experience and the 3rd sector • Holistic, intuitive, ‘wraparound’ services for those at risk of child poverty • Outcome focused and data driven decision making Creating 7 improvement statements outlined above. Through Outcome Based Planning the group identified specific gaps and areas for improvement in current provision including need for: • More holistic, parent focused employability support. • Intuitive entry points and movement between services to avoid siloes • More focus on tackling the cost of living – particularly housing and fuel poverty’s 3 areas of stepped change were identified below 3. The group identified concrete actions intended to move the partnership towards realising ‘South Lanarkshire Approach’ including: • Commitment to more streamlined, collaborative approach to LCPAR reporting. • Establishment of Data, Research and Lived Experience Subgroups • Identification of specific, timed, partnership actions to address gaps identified through the improvement process. 25 Our approach to improvement 4 SLC print proof 77
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Three stepped change areas The three areas for development identified as stepped change in addition to our priorities: - 1. Successful extension of routine enquiry and active referral beyond existing pathways 2. Develop holistic, wraparound support for parents to guide them through obstacles to employment (skills, childcare transport, mental health, benefit entitlement) and beyond 3. Work together to reduce the impact of energy and household bill increases on families with children experiencing or at risk of child poverty (including the priority groups) How will we achieve this? • Increased focus on joint working and the pooling of expertise and resources to deliver additional value through the LCPAR group and the organisations it represents. • Commitment to an increasingly evidence based, outcome focused approach which gives particular consideration to the needs of the priority groups at highest risk of child poverty. • Systematic involvement of people with lived experience and the third sector in policy development, decision-making and delivery. • Long term, strategic thinking. The partners are currently giving consideration to whether three or five year tackling poverty / child poverty strategies – supplemented by annual progress reports - might help support a more holistic, preventative approach. Our integrated approach To support our commitment to improvement work, there is high level buy-in for our step change approach from Community Planning Partners. This is crucial where we try to break down barriers to progress, to shift investment from areas not having the desired impact for families and to build confidence in doing things differently to help families make positive changes. This buy-in also provides greater governance and scrutiny of our work and provides a sense check on the pace of change and the difference that this is making for families. There is regular reporting to the Council’s Corporate Management Team and through this engagement valuable contributions are made by senior management to our child poverty working group when necessary. 26 4 SLC print proof 78
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Income from benefits Cost of living Income from employment Working together to deliver differently An increase in the awareness of families about the benefits and entitlements they are eligible for Reduction in financial barriers to education for school age children Reduce the gap in school leavers entering a positive destination between most deprived 20% and least deprived 20% areas The voice of children and families experiencing poverty informs policy development and service delivery Families are more aware of changes in available benefits Reduced housing costs for families Support care experienced school leavers sustain a positive destination Support the third sector to be involved in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of child poverty activity in South Lanarkshire Increased uptake of funded and early learning and childcare entitlement for 2- and 3-year-olds Increase employment support for low income parents Improve use of data so that partners can build a shared understanding of poverty at household, neighbourhood, and locality level Improved digital inclusion amongst families in the most deprived areas Employees being paid the living wage - parents Deliver more holistic, wraparound, accessible support to families experiencing poverty Reduce Food Poverty Employee upskilling - parents Develop shared short-, medium- and long-term outcomes and identify the necessary resources to work collaboratively towards them Reduced costs of participation in Leisure and Culture experiences Cary out a comprehensive evaluation of services to better understand the impact on households Reduce costs associated with health harming behaviours 27 Our priorities for 2022/23 Our priorities for 2022/23 and the longer term and the longer term 5 SLC print proof 79
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If you need this information in another format or language, please contact us to discuss how we can best meet your needs. Phone: 0303 123 1015 Email: equalities@southlanarkshire.gov.uk Produced for Finance and Corporate Resources by Communications and Strategy. 063325/Aug22 www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk SLC print proof 80
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Appendix 2 South Lanarkshire Local Child Poverty Action Plan 2021/2022:- Performance against measures and targets from last year Table 1: Actions and measures: Income from Benefits No. Action Measure(s) Baseline 2019/20 (Unless otherwise stated) Target 2021/22 Lead Officer/ Reporting Officer Performance against measure/target Statistical Year up to 31st March 2022 (or nearest available date) (Add breakdown data on children and parents if possible) RAG status 1.1 Increase the uptake of benefits & entitlements Deliver the Scottish Government funded financial health check to families via CAB Number of financial health checks delivered 280 Continue to target families and increase the number of FHC offered to this target group SLC CAB managers CABs consolidated monitoring spreadsheet 500 (40% increase since 2021/22, 79% increase since 2019/20) Number of families with children receiving benefits advice 85 Continue to target families with children and increase the number receiving benefits advice 233 (106% increase since 2021/22, 174% increase since 2019/20) Midwives and Health Visitors will deliver a routine enquiry on financial wellbeing of families at key pregnancy and health visiting assessment visits and refer to Money Matters Percentage of routine enquiries by midwives 76% 80% NHS 75% of women were asked about financial difficulties at booking (n= 4,676) TAL referral data (based on % referral by NHS) 23% of TAL referrals from NHS Midwives (A marginal drop on the level of enquiries raised from midwife visits recorded in 2020/21 and from the 2019/20 baseline level (both 76%)) Percentage of routine enquiries by health visitors 91.5% across all age groups 92% across all age groups Data from NHS not available due to change in monitoring/ recording system, this was the source of the original baseline and target. The target refers to older NHSL reporting system currently being replaced. On this basis cannot allocate a RAG status based on No RAG status, change to NHSL reporting system, target to be re- negotiated 7 81
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this year’s performance. TAL referral data (based on % referral by NHS) 33% of TAL referrals from NHS Health Visitors Monitor the impacts of COVID 19 and adapt MMAS service as needed Percentage of and number of families engaging 1,005 / 77% Maintain above 70% MMAS 81.61% Total amount of benefits awarded £2,590,075 Maintain above £2,000,000 £1,499,663.35 (The baseline figure of £2.59m was pre- COVID, and the service has been hit by the reduction in face to face contacts due to COVID-19 restrictions. This is reflected in the lower financial gains figures recorded against the target of +£2m plus for year 2021/22.) Number of referrals to the Royal Hospital for Children 323 (Lanarkshire figure) Target not applicable, Services are demand led NHS NHSL RHC 38 referrals (SLC figure only) No RAG status Measure contextual Total benefits awarded £270,271 (Lanarkshire figure) Target not applicable, Services are demand led NHSL RHC £106, 610 No RAG status Measure contextual Social Security Scotland will continue to raise awareness and promote uptake of the Scottish Child Payment among staff and clients Total Scottish Child Payments New benefit, no baseline at 2019/20 or 2020/21 New benefit, no baseline at 2019/20 or 2020/21 New benefit, target to be established during 2021/22 No target applicable, figure is a cumulative total & will continually increase Social Security Scotland Applications received – 9,460 (December 2021) No RAG status, target to be established for 2022/23 Total amount of benefits awarded (Scottish Child Payment) Value of payments made - £3,522,780 (December 2021) No RAG status, target to be established for 2022/23 The NHS Lanarkshire GP Community Link Worker Financial Wellbeing Advice Service will Number of new referrals made to Financial Wellbeing Providers (FWAs) New programme Baseline for Apr21-Mar22 597 Target not applicable, Services are demand led NHS 597 No RAG status Measure contextual 82
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provide support to families referred by GPs Number of people who engage with a Financial Wellbeing Advisor appointment As above= 597 £305,272 As above= 597 No RAG status Measure contextual Financial gain following engagement with Financial Wellbeing Assessment £305,272 No RAG status Measure contextual Money Matters Advice Service will deliver financial outreach support to parents through a video developed to be used with schools Number of schools using the video New programme, no baseline at 2019/20 or 2020/21 9 schools MMAS No data available due to restricted access to schools during 2021/22 No RAG status, target to be established for 2022/23 Number of enquiries made to MMAS New programme, target to be established during 2021/22 120 No RAG status, target to be established for 2022/23 Total financial gain for families New programme, target to be established during 2020/21 The total financial gain up to the period 18/02/2022 was £14,837.99. The total debt dealt with was £35,304.92 No RAG status, target to be established for 2022/23 1.2 Families are more aware of changes in available benefits Partners will distribute updated benefits information to staff and families using a range of communication methods and social media platforms Number of Best Start Grant applications and percentage approved 6,470/ 67% (June 2020) Increase percentage of applications approved No target applicable, figure is a cumulative total & will continually increase No target applicable, figure is a cumulative total & will continually increase Social Security Scotland 19,995 / 70% (February 2022) Total Best Start Grant benefits awarded £1,244,950 (June 2020) £5,006,099 (February 2022) No RAG status Financial gains continuous Total Best Start Foods benefits awarded £52,339 (June 20200) £1,653,501 (February 2022) No RAG status Financial gains continuous 83
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Table 2: Actions and measures: Cost of Living No. Action Measure(s) Baseline 2019/20 (unless otherwise stated) Target 2021/22 Lead Officer/ Reporting Officer Performance against measure/target Year up to 31st March 2022 (or nearest available date) (Add breakdown data on children and parents if possible) RAG status 2.1 Increased uptake of funded and early learning and childcare entitlement for 2- and 3- year-olds Continue to work with a range of professionals and services who will have contact with eligible families and will promote free Early Learning and Childcare for 2- year-olds Percentage uptake of funded 2-year-old places 15.5% for 2- year-old children with entitlement Maintain at 15.5% SLC Education 100% of eligible children applicants being provided with their 1140 hours of funded ELC. 795 2 year olds taking up the entitlement (Approx. 24% of all 2-year-olds in SLC taking up a place, exceeding the target of 15.5%) In 2021 SLC opened 8 new establishments, 7 of which provided additional places for 2-year-old children. These new settings provide an additional 160 FTE places for 2-year-old children. 2.2 Reduction in financial barriers to education for school age children A South Lanarkshire Cost of the School Day Policy will be in place by the end of 2021/22 and all schools will refresh their position statement on Cost of the School Day during 2021/22 Percentage of schools with a CoSD position statement in place 100% of schools have a CoSD position statement in place (2020/21) 100% of schools will have a refreshed CoSD position statement in place SLC Education 100% of schools have a Cost of the School Day Position Statement. 84
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All schools will contribute a minimum of 5% to participatory budgeting activity within the school community by the end of academic year 2021/22 Percentage of schools completing a participatory budgeting process. New programme, no baseline at 2019/20 or 2020/21 100% of schools with PEF allocations SLC Education 100% of schools who receive PEF money have completed the Participatory Budgeting process. 146 schools in total have completed a PB process– 122 primary, 17 secondary and 7 ASN. Percentage of schools having reviewed their equity policies and procedures New programme, no baseline at 2019/20 or 2020/21 100% of schools with PEF allocations SLC Education 100% of schools who receive PEF money have produced a clear plan for PEF spend within their School Improvement Plan. 86% of schools (from a baseline of 30%) now have robust equity outcomes and measures. Schools will work with Money Matters and signpost parents and families for appropriate financial help Number of families referred New programme, no baseline at 2019/20 or 2020/21 New programme, target to be established during 2021/22 MMAS 19 Families with 38 issues. Community Wellbeing dealt with 498 families in total with 91 being referred to MMAS for benefit advice and 29 for debt advice. The total financial gain up to the period 18/02/2022 was £14,837.99. The total debt dealt with was £35,304.92 No RAG status, target to be established for 2022/23 Work to increase the uptake of Privileged School Transport Places for pupils entitled to Free School Meals and develop new active travel opportunities for pupils Number of Privileged School Transport Places offered 55 60 SLC Education 55 pupils (Although the target of 60 pupils has not been achieved, level of uptake has increased to pre-COVID levels during 2021/22.) 85
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Percentage of pupils recorded as using active travel journeys to school 44.1% (2020) Increase the proportion of journeys to school by pupils using active travel methods 45.6% (2021) (walked, cycled, scootered/ wheeled) 75 Schools (51%) with completed Travel Plans (cumulative total, as of June 2022), the highest number since the scheme was introduced (2017) Increase the uptake of Free School Meals through continued automated enrolment (South Lanarkshire Council, Finance and Education Resources) Percentage of free school meals uptake in primary schools. 65.21% Maintain primary/ secondary at March 2021 levels SLC Education 65% -- Primary Schools Percentage of free school meals uptake in secondary schools. 40.89% Maintain primary/ secondary at March 2021 levels 41% -- Secondary Schools Fund free school meals to eligible children during the holiday periods (£30 voucher per fortnight covering Summer, October, Christmas, February and Easter Holiday) Number of children receiving vouchers 9,500 (2020/21) No target applicable, this is a contextual measure. The number of children supported depends on the number of children eligible for free school meals, and this is variable SLC Food Policy Officer There are currently 9,557 children eligible for low income based Free School Meals payments during school holidays in school session 2021-22. Please note that this figure changes on a regular basis. Families have received cash payments rather than vouchers No RAG status Measure contextual Continue to offer the increased level of School Clothing Grant, currently £130 per child and increase uptake through automated enrolment and additional promotion to encourage uptake Number of pupils claiming school clothing grant for pupils claimed 12,537 Maintain at March 2021 levels SLC Finance and Corporate 12,784 Percentage of pupils claiming school clothing grant for pupils claimed 29.38% 28.36% (The percentage of total pupil population claiming CG’s is down slightly from 2020/21 due to an increase in the pupil roll in the secondary sector. The number of pupils claiming CG’s has increased over the past 12 months) 86
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(South Lanarkshire Council, Education Resources and Finance Resources) Deliver the Scottish Government funded Summer of Fun holiday programme Number of children and young people attending the programme New programme, no baseline for 2019/20 or 2020/21 No target applicable, Programme will not be repeated after 2021/22 SLC Education No RAG status Measure to be removed after 2021/22 Number of meals provided as part of the programme New programme, no baseline for 2019/20 or 2020/21 No target applicable, Programme will not be repeated after 2021/22 No RAG status Measure to be removed after 2021/22 2.3 Reduced housing costs for families Maintain affordable rents for Council homes, benchmarked against Scottish average Average rents for all Council homes and for larger-size family homes SLC Ave per week= £70.26 Scot LA Ave per week= £75.79 Maintain below Scottish average SLC Housing The rent a tenant is required to pay depends on the type and size of home. The South Lanarkshire Council average rent of £74.55 per week remains considerably lower than the projected Scottish average of £77.83 per week for the same period. Invest and deliver additional affordable housing, built to Housing for Varying Needs standards (meeting higher energy efficiency standards and minimising fuel costs) and ensure this includes allocations to families with children and young people Number of new affordable homes delivered, including those allocated to households with children 284 Increase the number of new affordable homes built throughout the financial year. SLC Housing 657 additional homes for social rent were delivered across South Lanarkshire in 2021/22. This included 604 new build properties and an additional 53 homes secured through the council’s Open Market Purchase Scheme. Deliver regeneration projects to improve housing and built environment in priority areas (East Whitlawburn) Number of new affordable homes delivered for families in area-based regeneration project Baseline not applicable, area based project Increase the number of new affordable homes built in the Whitlawburn regeneration area SLC Housing During 2021/22 there were 122 council properties built bringing the total completions to 160 council owned properties. It is expected that the remaining 10 council properties will be completed during 2022/23. 87
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Support households with children, within minoritised ethnic communities, to access and sustain affordable accommodation including Gypsy/Travellers and refugee families resettled through the UK resettlement scheme. Number of households with sustained tenancy of one year and over. New action, No baseline at 2019/20 or 2020/21 Target not applicable, Services are demand led SLC Housing Gypsy/Travellers –tenancy sustainment on the sites remains at 100% for 2021/22. Refugee families – 8 refugee families were resettled through the UK resettlement scheme with a 100% tenancy sustainment rate. No RAG status Measure contextual 2.4 Reduced energy costs for families Target housing investment to improve fuel and thermal efficiency of larger homes and reduce energy costs Proportion of housing meeting energy efficiency standards for social housing (EESSH2) 4% 7% SLC Housing 6.48% of the council stock meeting EESSH2 standard with a financial commitment also made by Housing and Technical Resources to continue to work towards this milestone for all of its eligible domestic housing stock. (note 98% of council stock now meeting EESSH1 standard) Promote and administer national funding mechanisms including ECO:Flex and Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Schemes to support families within owner occupied and private rented properties. Total amount of funding secured for 2021-22 for EES: Area Based Schemes New action, no baseline for 2019/20 or 2020/21 Target not applicable, Services are demand led SLC Housing £2,901,995 available EES:ABS Funding for 2022/2023 No RAG status Measure contextual Number of properties improved through ECO:Flex scheme in 2021/22. New action, no baseline for 2019/20 or 2020/21 Target not applicable, Services are demand led In 2021/22 3,536 private sector homes had energy efficiency improvement measures carried out through ECO:FLEX Scheme No RAG status Measure contextual 2.5 Reduced homelessness including families with children and young people Prioritise allocation of available housing for those in need, including homeless households Number of homeless households with children 238 households 449 children (March 2020) Reduce against baseline SLC Housing 231 households with children residing in temporary accommodation, compared to 219 on 31 March 2021. (Although there has been a marginal increase in the number of households with children living in temporary accommodation over the past 12 months, performance against the target is assessed against the baseline year (2019/20) figure of 238, hence the RAG status is assessed as green.) 88
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The length of time homeless households spend in temporary accommodation is dependent on a range of factors including support needs and housing availability. Services continue to reduce the time spent as homeless for households with children The average time (days) spent as homelessness for households with children 192 Reduce against baseline 164 days (a -14.6% reduction from the baseline figure of 192) Provide housing support service provision to improve homelessness prevention and support tenancy sustainment Number of households supported including households with children 937 Maintain number of households receiving support SLC Housing 538 homeless households provided with support (note 25% of the Tenancy Sustainment Fund awards were provided to families with children) (Number of homeless households provided with support is dependent on the number of households who report to the service for support, which varies year on year. On this basis the measure should be contextual, or an alternative measured agreed). No RAG status Measure contextual Continue to implement joint working through the care protocol to prevent and reduce homelessness for care experienced young people and support them to move to independent living in the community Number of care experienced young people supported to plan for and move to independent living in the community 73 through care applicants of which 29 active and 44 deferred (not ready to be permanently housed) Target not applicable, Services are demand led SLC Housing 98 through care applicants of which 37 are on the waiting list to be rehoused and 61 are not yet ready to be permanently rehoused. (note 43 young people rehoused and one tenancy terminated) No RAG status Measure contextual 2.6 Improved digital inclusion amongst families in the most deprived areas Identify and provide support to families with school pupils who require extra help with digital inclusion to enable any blended learning model to take place effectively Number of families supported 5,442 Target TBC SLC Education A range of digital supports were made available for schools, pupils and families including chrome books, Mifi devices and cloud storage. A resource called Texthelp was made available for all schools with training for staff available. SchoolCloud was purchased for all establishments and has been used by a large number of schools and pupils with feedback being very positive and resulting in purchase of this resources for a second year for all schools A Digital Development Officer has been in place since October 2021 to support the implementation of the digital support in schools and for pupils and families. TBC 89
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2.7 Reduce Food Poverty Delivery of Breakfast Clubs in schools Number of Breakfast Clubs operating in schools 88 (June 2019) 124 (all SLC Primary School) SLC Education 124 Number of children benefiting from Breakfast Clubs 5,883 (June 2019) 6,500 children benefiting (or a 10% increase) An average of 7,843 pupils per week have been taking a breakfast. (November 2021) Increase the uptake of free nutritional supplements Total number of eligible children receiving free vitamin D through the universal vitamin distribution programme 773 pots of vitamins distributed Increase distribution of free vitamins Increase the number of distribution points for free vitamins NHS 5,157 units of vitamin D drops distributed No data available currently for total number of eligible children (from birth to 3rd Birthday) No RAG status Partial data reported. Measure to be re-designed for 2022/23 plan. 2.8 Reduced costs of participation in Leisure and Culture experiences SLLC will work with schools to maintain targeted delivery of the Active Schools programme where possible throughout the COVID-19 recovery phase Number of visits pupils make in attending the active schools programme 391, 952 (2018/19) *155, 000 Visits SLLC 249,983 visits Equalities data will be available in August once submitted to Sport Scotland. SLLC will work with schools to maintain targeted delivery of the Active Schools programme where possible throughout the COVID-19 recovery phase Percentage of school roll participating in Active Schools activities 48% of all pupils (2018/19) *40% of all pupils SLLC 41% of the school roll (exceeding target of 40% by +1%) 18,585 pupils attended Active Schools activities. 90
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Continue to offer the SLLC concession scheme through promotion and awareness raising Number of concessions taken up 6,005 (2018/19) *5,000 (by March 31st 2022) SLLC 5,541 live concession scheme memberships 2.9 Reduce costs associated with health harming behaviours Support families in higher poverty areas to reduce costs associated with health harming behaviours e.g. tobacco, alcohol and drug use Number of pregnant women living in 40% most deprived areas of who stop smoking 19 successful quits from pregnant women in the 40% most deprived areas 20 pregnant women living in the 40% most deprived areas will stop smoking NHS April 2021 – December 2021 16 pregnant women living in the 40% most deprived areas successfully quit smoking at 12 weeks. Published and confirmed data for April 2021 to March 2022 will be available 1st August 2022. It is predicted that the target for 2021/22 will not be met. During this period COVID-19 had an impact on the tobacco programme, which resulted in: • Reduction in referrals • No face to face contact with patients/clients • Increased challenges for all community pharmacies during COVID -19 • Redeployment of QYW Nurses • Increased levels of sickness absence • Raising awareness of QYW service opportunistically reduced • Tobacco Control Team Vacancies • Stop Smoking Services were adapted In Quarter 1 2022/23 referrals have increased as COVID-19 restrictions lifted, face to face work has been reintroduced within community settings and positive opportunities for partnership working has resumed. 91
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Table 3: Actions and measures: Income from Employment No. Action Measure Baseline 2019/20 (unless otherwise stated) Target 2021/22 Lead officer/ reporting officer Performance against measure/target Year up to 31st March 2022 (or nearest available date) (Add breakdown data on children and parents if possible) RAG status 3.1 Reduce Gap in school leavers entering a positive destination between most deprived 20% and least deprived 20% areas DYW partners will provide early support to school leavers to support positive transitions from school Percentage gap in positive destinations between the most deprived 20% and least deprived 20% SL - 6.3% National – 6.3% Maintain the gap at the national level or better Skills Development Scotland South Lanarkshire – 6.4% Scotland – 4.8% (Local authority level SLDR returns impacted by COVID-19) Deliver an SCQF Level 4/5 Construction Foundation Apprenticeship SLC Number of young people completing the Construction Foundation Apprenticeship 138 completers (2020/21) 229 SLC Education 229 young people engaged on the SDS funded programme in 2021/22 Youth employability partners work with employers to provide an increase in Modern Apprenticeship opportunities (SDS) Number of Modern Apprenticeship starts 1,250 1,251 Skills Development Scotland 1,688 92
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3.2 Support care experienced school leavers sustain a positive destination Continue identification of individual support needs of care experienced young people via the Multi Agency Tracking Group consisting of the Council and SDS. Percentage of care experienced school leavers entering a positive destination SLC - 86% (2019/20) National– 81% On or below national level Skills Development Scotland South Lanarkshire – 90% Scotland– 87.9% 3.3 Increase employment support for low income parents Continue to deliver the Parental Employment Support programme (SLC) By 31st March 2022 32 parents (2020/21) 70 parents receive increased hours/ pay SLC Employability 41 parents increased hours/pay./improved current employment. Note- during 2021/22 the service engaged with 129 parents. This included 80 Lone Parents, 24 parents with a disability, 11 BAME Parents, 10 parents with a disabled child, 4 parents with 3 or more children. Opportunities to increase hours and pay for parents in employment were limited due to the economic situation arising from the COVID lockdowns for most of 2021/22. Employers experienced difficult financial and business issues for most of last year including staff shortages and recruitment challenges which resulted fewer opportunities for increasing hours/ pay than was envisaged at the time of setting the target for 2021/22. Although the target of 70 parents achieving enhanced hours/ pay was not achieved, the target was set based on assumptions that covid restrictions would be lifted earlier than expected. As COVID-19 restrictions were eased during Q4 2021/22 the confidence of parents to participate in the programme increased and this resulted in a rise in engagements in the early months of 2021. There has been an overall increase in the number of parents and parents from the six child poverty priority groups engaging with the programme over the past year. It is envisaged that more opportunities for pay and hours increases for employees will be realised in 2022/23 after parents currently engaging with the programme have completed their qualifications (timescale of achievement of qualifications are not co-terminus with financial year reporting). 93
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By 31st March 2022 New measure, no baseline at 2019/20 or 2020/21 110 parents increase confidence 129 parents have progressed with increased confidence By 31 March 2022, 16 parents (2020/21) 50 parents to enter job outcomes 26 parents into jobs The target of 50 parents into employment by the end of 2021/22 was optimistic and based on the assumption of an early return of confidence in parents to re-enter the employment market. Opportunities for employment during 2021/22 have been more restricted than was thought last July (when the targets were set) due to the effect of recurring COVID-19 lockdowns on local labour markets for most of 2020/21, and the lower confidence of local employers to recruit in uncertain economic circumstances. Clyde Gateway will deliver an inclusive employability support programme within the Clyde Gateway corridor supporting families in the Rutherglen Project and Glenburgh Nursery into fair work By March 31 2022, 50% of project participants supported will either move to employment from being unemployed, or will increase hours in employment, or have an uplift in salary New programme, no baseline at 2019/20 or 2020/21 50% Clyde Gateway 23 people supported (46%) By March 31 March 2022, 50% of participants will be supported to access skills development, volunteering, and employability support New programme, no baseline at 2019/20 or 2020/21 50% against a target of 50 Clyde Gateway 33 people supported (66%) By March 31 2022, 50 supported to have reduced living costs and a reduction in debt New programme, no baseline at 2019/20 or 2020/21 60% against a target of 50 Clyde Gateway 59 people supported (119%) By March 31 2022, 50 supported through crisis situations and into stability New programme, no baseline at 2019/20 or 2020/21 60% against a target of 50 Clyde Gateway 34 people supported (68%) By March 31 2022, 100% of single parent referrals continue to engage to take up full entitlements of existing and new social security New programme, no baseline at 2019/20 or 2020/21 100% of all referred Clyde Gateway 33 single parents continued engagement (92%) 94
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benefits 3.4 Employees being paid the living wage The Lanarkshire Living Wage Campaign Group will promote the living wage to employers across Lanarkshire to increase the number of employees earning the living wage (SLC) The number and proportion of employees earning less than the Living Wage 18,000/ 20.8% Scotland=15.1% (2020) (ASHE) Reduce to below 20% SLC Finance and Corporate 14,000/ 12.5% (2021) Scotland= 14.4% (ASHE) The number and proportion of employees earning the Living Wage or more 70,000/ 79.2% Scotland=84.9% (2020) (ASHE) Increase to 80% 96,000/ 87.5% (2021) Scotland= 85.6% (ASHE) Number of accredited employers providing the Living Wage 93 employers (as of 31st March 2021) Increase from baseline 118 employers (as of 31st March 2022) 3.5 Employee upskilling South Lanarkshire Council will deliver an upskilling programme for staff experiencing low pay, underemployment and a lack of skills and qualifications in the workplace By March 2022 120 staff will become more financially independent 120 (2020/21) 120 employees SLC Employability 169 employees engaged in Upskilling Programme By March 31 2022, 50 staff will increase their hours 11 (2020/21) 50 employees 27 employees successfully increased their hours/ ensured Job security within the workplace. Further financial and wider business challenges arising through the continued COVID-19 lockdowns during 2021/22 has impacted on employers’ capacity to increase working hours to a greater extent than was thought at the time of setting the end of year targets. The expectation for 2022/23 is that there will be greater opportunities for staff to upgrade working hours as employers gain confidence, and the labour markets return to some form of stability. By March 31 2022 75 staff will secure promotion at work 64 (2020/21) 75 employees 37 employees secured a promotion at work Further financial and wider business challenges arising through the continued COVID-19 lockdowns during 2021/22 has impacted on the capacity of local employers to create promotion opportunities to a greater extent than was thought at the time of setting the end of year target. The expectation for 2022/23 is that there will be greater opportunities for staff promotions, as employers gain confidence, and the labour markets return to some form of stability. 95
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3.6 Trade spend to living wage employers NHS Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire Council will continue to monitor, and where possible increase, the proportion of trade spend to Living Wage accredited (remove) employers Proportion of trade spend to living wage employers (as a percentage total spend on contracts to all employers) NHS Lanarkshire = 2.7% (amounting to £6,744,092) SLC= 90% of regulated contracts awarded to Real Living Wage employers *No target applicable, contextual measure SLC Finance and Corporate/NHS SLC= 98% (337 out of 343) of suppliers awarded contracts paying the real living wage (June 2022) NHSL= Available in September 2022 SLC= 25% (84 out of 343) of suppliers awarded SLC contracts are accredited living wage employers (June 2022) NHSL= Available in September 2022 No RAG status Measure contextual Proportion of trade spend to Lanarkshire based employers (as a percentage total spend to all suppliers) NHS Lanarkshire= 24.8% (amounting to £57,200,000) SLC= 18% (core spend £58.8m) *No target applicable, contextual measure SLC Finance and Corporate/NHS No update No RAG status Measure contextual Proportion of trade spend to supported employers NHS Lanarkshire= 0.002% (amounting to £3,875) – SLC= 0% **No target applicable SLC Finance and Corporate/NHS No update No RAG status Measure contextual 96
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Appendix 3 South Lanarkshire’s Local Child Poverty Action Plan for 2022/2023 Table 1: Actions and measures: Income from Benefits No. Action Measure(s) Baseline 2019/20 (Unless otherwise stated) Performance 2021/22 Target 2022/23 Lead Officer/ Reporting Officer 1.1 Increase the uptake of benefits & entitlements Deliver the Scottish Government funded financial health check to families via CAB Number of financial health checks delivered 280 500 (40% increase since 2021/22, 79% increase since 2019/20) Continue to target families and increase the number of FHC offered to this target group CABs consolidated monitoring spreadsheet Number of families with children receiving benefits advice 85 233 (106% increase since 2021/22, 174% increase since 2019/20) Continue to target families with children and increase the number receiving benefits advice Midwives and Health Visitors will deliver a routine enquiry on financial wellbeing of families at key pregnancy and health visiting assessment visits and refer to Money Matters Percentage of routine enquiries by midwives 76% 75% of women were asked about financial difficulties at booking (n= 4,676) TAL referral data (based on % referral by NHS) 23% of TAL referrals from NHS Midwives 80% NHS Monitor the impacts of COVID 19 and adapt MMAS service as needed Percentage of and number of families engaging 1,005 / 77% 81.61% Maintain above 70% MMAS 7 97
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Total amount of benefits awarded £2,590,075 £1,499,663.35 (The baseline figure of £2.59m was pre-COVID, and the service has been hit by the reduction in face to face contacts due to COVID-19 restrictions. This is reflected in the lower financial gains figures recorded against the target of +£2m plus for year 2021/22.) Increase to £2,000,000 Number of referrals to the Royal Hospital for Children 323 (Lanarkshire figure) NHSL RHC 38 referrals (SLC figure only) Target not applicable, Services are demand led NHS Total benefits awarded £270,271 (Lanarkshire figure) NHSL RHC £106, 610 Target not applicable, Services are demand led Social Security Scotland will continue to raise awareness and promote uptake of the Scottish Child Payment among staff and clients Total Scottish Child Payments New benefit, no baseline at 2019/20 or 2020/21 New benefit, no baseline at 2019/20 or 2020/21 Applications received – 9,460 (December 2021) New benefit, target to be established during 2021/22 No target applicable, figure is a cumulative total & will continually increase Social Security Scotland Total amount of benefits awarded (Scottish Child Payment) Value of payments made - £3,522,780 (December 2021) The NHS Lanarkshire GP Community Link Worker Financial Wellbeing Advice Service will provide support to families referred by GPs Number of new referrals made to Financial Wellbeing Providers (FWAs) New programme, no baseline at 2019/20 or 2020/21 597 Target not applicable, Services are demand led NHS Number of people who engage with a Financial Wellbeing Advisor appointment As above= 597 98
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Financial gain following engagement with Financial Wellbeing Assessment £305,272 Money Matters Advice Service will deliver financial outreach support to parents through a video developed to be used with schools Number of schools using the video New programme, no baseline at 2019/20 or 2020/21 No data available due to restricted access to schools during 2021/22 9 schools MMAS Number of enquiries made to MMAS 120 New programme, target to be established during 2021/22 Total financial gain for families The total financial gain up to the period 18/02/2022 was £14,837.99. The total debt dealt with was £35,304.92 New programme, target to be established during 2020/21 1.2 Families are more aware of changes in available benefits Partners will distribute updated benefits information to staff and families using a range of communication methods and social media platforms Number of Best Start Grant applications and percentage approved 6,470/ 67% (June 2020) 19,995 / 70% (February 2022) Increase percentage of applications approved Social Security Scotland 99
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Table 2: Actions and measures: Cost of Living No. Action Measure(s) Baseline 2019/20 (unless otherwise stated) Performance 2021/22 Target 2022/23 Lead Officer/ Reporting Officer 2.1 Increased uptake of funded and early learning and childcare entitlement for 2- and 3-year- olds Continue to work with a range of professionals and services who will have contact with eligible families and will promote free Early Learning and Childcare for 2-year- olds Percentage uptake of funded 2-year-old places 15.5% for 2-year- old children with entitlement 24% of all 2-year-old children taking up entitlement To maintain current level of funded places being available and accessed by eligible families. SLC Education 2.2 Reduction in financial barriers to education for school age children A South Lanarkshire Cost of the School Day Policy will be in place by the end of 2021/22 and all schools will refresh their position statement on Cost of the School Day during 2021/22 Percentage of schools with a CoSD position statement in place 100% of schools have a CoSD position statement in place (2020/21) 100% of schools have a COSD statement 60% of schools to have a COSD policy in place by June 2023 SLC Education All schools will contribute a minimum of 5% to participatory budgeting activity within the school community by the end of academic year 2021/22 Percentage of schools completing a participatory budgeting process. New programme, no baseline at 2019/20 or 2020/21 100% of schools with PEF allocations 100% of schools with PEF allocations 146 schools to contribute a minimum of 5% of PEF to participatory budgeting activity with-in the school community by June 2023 SLC Education 100
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Schools will work with Money Matters and signpost parents and families for appropriate financial help Number of families referred 19 families (2021/22) 19 families (2021/22) Increase from 19 families referred MMAS Work to increase the uptake of Privileged School Transport Places for pupils entitled to Free School Meals and develop new active travel opportunities for pupils Number of Privileged School Transport Places offered 55 55 60 SLC Education Percentage of pupils recorded as using active travel journeys to school 44.1% (2020) 45.6% (2021) Increase the proportion of journeys to school by pupils using active travel methods The number of SLC schools with Travel Plans 71 75 Increase the number of SLC schools with Travel Plans Increase the uptake of Free School Meals through continued automated enrolment (South Lanarkshire Council, Finance and Education Resources) Percentage of free school meals uptake in primary schools. 65.21% 65% Target not applicable as measure contextual SLC Food Policy Officer Percentage of free school meals uptake in secondary schools. 40.89% 41% Target not applicable as measure contextual 101
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Fund free school meals to eligible children during the holiday periods (£30 voucher per fortnight covering Summer, October, Christmas, February and Easter Holiday) Number of children receiving vouchers 9,500 (2020/21) 9,557 (2021/22) No target applicable, this is a contextual measure. The number of children supported depends on the number of children eligible for free school meals, and this is variable SLC Food Policy Officer Continue to offer the increased level of School Clothing Grant, currently £130 per child and increase uptake through automated enrolment and additional promotion to encourage uptake (South Lanarkshire Council, Education Resources and Finance Resources) Number of pupils claiming school clothing grant for pupils claimed 12,537 12,784 No target applicable, this is a contextual measure. MMAS Percentage of pupils claiming school clothing grant for pupils claimed 29.38% 28.36% 2.3 Reduced housing costs for families Maintain affordable rents for Council homes, benchmarked against Scottish average Average rents for all Council homes and for larger-size family homes SLC Ave per week= £70.26 Scot LA Ave per week= £75.79 The rent a tenant is required to pay depends on the type and size of home. The South Lanarkshire Council average rent of £74.55 per week remains considerably lower than the projected Scottish average of £77.83 per week for the same period. Maintain affordable rents for Council homes benchmarked against Scottish average SLC Housing Invest and deliver additional affordable housing, built to Housing for Varying Needs standards (meeting higher energy efficiency standards and minimising fuel costs) and ensure this includes allocations to families with children and young people Number of new affordable homes delivered, including those allocated to households with children 284 657 additional homes for social rent were delivered across South Lanarkshire in 2021/22. This included 604 new build properties and an additional 53 homes secured through the council’s Open Market Purchase Scheme. Increase the number of new affordable homes built throughout the financial year. SLC Housing Deliver regeneration projects to improve housing and built environment in priority areas (East Whitlawburn) Number of new affordable homes delivered for families in area-based regeneration project Baseline not applicable, area based project During 2021/22 there were 122 council properties built bringing the total completions to 160 council owned properties. It is expected that the remaining 10 Increase the number of new affordable homes built in the Whitlawburn regeneration area SLC Housing 102
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council properties will be completed during 2022/23. Support households with children, within minoritised ethnic communities, to access and sustain affordable accommodation including Gypsy/Travellers and refugee families resettled through the UK resettlement scheme. Number of households with sustained tenancy of one year and over. New action, No baseline at 2019/20 or 2020/21 Gypsy/Travellers – the residents on both sites at Shawlands Crescent, Larkhall and Springbank, East Kilbride are long term residents who have sustained their occupancy for a number of years. As such, tenancy sustainment on the sites remains at 100% for 2021/22. Refugee families – 8 refugee families were resettled through the UK resettlement scheme with a 100% tenancy sustainment rate. Target not applicable, Services are demand led SLC Housing 2.4 Reduced energy costs for families Target housing investment to improve fuel and thermal efficiency of larger homes and reduce energy costs Proportion of housing meeting energy efficiency standards for social housing (EESSH2) 4% 6.48% TBC SLC Housing Promote and administer national funding mechanisms including ECO:Flex and Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Schemes to support families within owner occupied and private rented properties. Total amount of funding secured for 2022-23 for EES: Area Based Schemes New action, no baseline for 2019/20 or 2020/21 £2,901,995 Target not applicable, Services are demand led SLC Housing Number of properties improved through ECO:Flex scheme in 2022/23. New action, no baseline for 2019/20 or 2020/21 3,536 Target not applicable, Services are demand led 2.5 Reduced homelessness including families with children and young people Prioritise allocation of available housing for those in need, including homeless households Number of homeless households with children 238 households 449 children (March 2020) 231 households with children Reduce against baseline SLC Housing The average time (days) spent as homelessness for households with children 192 164 Reduce against baseline Provide housing support service provision to improve homelessness prevention and support tenancy sustainment Number of households supported including households with children 937 538 Maintain number of households receiving support SLC Housing 103
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Continue to implement joint working through the care protocol to prevent and reduce homelessness for care experienced young people and support them to move to independent living in the community Number of care experienced young people supported to plan for and move to independent living in the community 73 through care applicants of which 29 active and 44 deferred (not ready to be permanently housed) 98 through care applicants of which 37 are on the waiting list to be rehoused and 61 are not yet ready to be permanently rehoused. Target not applicable, Services are demand led SLC Housing 2.6 Improved digital inclusion amongst families in the most deprived areas Identify and provide support to families with school pupils who require extra help with digital inclusion to enable any blended learning model to take place effectively Number of families supported 5,442 TBC Target TBC SLC Education 2.7 Reduce Food Poverty Delivery of Breakfast Clubs in schools Number of Breakfast Clubs operating in schools 88 (June 2019) 124 (all SLC Primary School) Maintain all primary schools SLC Education Number of children benefiting from Breakfast Clubs 5,883 (June 2019) An average of 7,843 pupils per week have been taking a breakfast. (November 2021) Increase to 8,000 children benefiting 2.8 Reduced costs of participation in Leisure and Culture experiences SLLC will work with schools to maintain targeted delivery of the Active Schools programme where possible throughout the COVID-19 recovery phase Number of visits pupils make in attending the active schools programme 391, 952 (2018/19) 249,983 visits Return to 2018/19 levels/ 300,000 visits SLLC Percentage of school roll participating in Active Schools activities 48% of all pupils (2018/19) 41% of all pupils 48% of all pupils Continue to offer the SLLC concession scheme through promotion and awareness raising Number of concessions taken up 6,005 (2018/19) 5,541 (2021/22) 6,000 (by March 31st 2023) SLLC 104
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2.9 Reduce costs associated with health harming behaviours Support families in higher poverty areas to reduce costs associated with health harming behaviours e.g. tobacco, alcohol and drug use Number of pregnant women living in 40% most deprived areas of who stop smoking 19 successful quits from pregnant women in the 40% most deprived areas April 2021 – December 2021 16 pregnant women living in the 40% most deprived areas successfully quit smoking at 12 weeks. Published and confirmed data for April 2021 to March 2022 will be available 1st August 2022. It is predicted that the target for 2021/22 will not be met. 20 pregnant women living in SIMD 1 and 2 will stop smoking NHS 105
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Table 3: Actions and measures: Income from Employment No. Action Measure Baseline 2019/20 (unless otherwise stated) Performance 2021/22 Target 2022/23 Lead officer/ reporting officer 3.1 Reduce Gap in school leavers entering a positive destination between most deprived 20% and least deprived 20% areas DYW partners will provide early support to school leavers to support positive transitions from school Percentage gap in positive destinations between the most deprived 20% and least deprived 20% South Lanarkshire - 6.3% Scotland – 6.3% South Lanarkshire – 6.4% Scotland – 4.8% Maintain the gap at the national level or better SLC Education 3.2 Support care experienced school leavers sustain a positive destination Continue identification of individual support needs of care experienced young people via the Multi Agency Tracking Group consisting of the Council and SDS. Percentage of care experienced school leavers entering a positive destination South Lanarkshire - 86% (2019/20) Scotland– 81% South Lanarkshire – 90% Scotland– 87.9% On or below national level SLC Education 3.3 Increase employment support for low income parents Continue to deliver the Parental Employment Support programme (SLC) Parents receive increased hours/pay 32 (2020/21) 41 (2021/22) 70 SLC Employability Parents with increased confidence New measure, no baseline at 2019/20 or 2020/21 129 (2021/22) TBC Parents entering positive job outcomes 16 (2020/21) 26 50 Clyde Gateway will deliver an inclusive employability support programme within the Clyde Gateway corridor supporting families in the Rutherglen Project and Glenburgh Nursery into fair work Project participants supported will either move to employment from being unemployed, or will increase hours in employment, or have an uplift in salary New programme, no baseline at 2019/20 or 2020/21 23 people supported (46%) 50% Clyde Gateway 106
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Project participants will be supported to access skills development, volunteering, and employability support New programme, no baseline at 2019/20 or 2020/21 33 people supported (66%) 50% Participants will be supported will have reduced living costs and a reduction in debt New programme, no baseline at 2019/20 or 2020/21 59 people supported (119%) 60% Participants will be supported through crisis situations and into stability New programme, no baseline at 2019/20 or 2020/21 34 people supported (68%) 60% Eligible parents will be supported to take up full entitlements of existing and new social security benefits New programme, no baseline at 2019/20 or 2020/21 33 single parents continued engagement (92%) 100% Develop, deliver and evaluate a pilot place based approach to employability support which includes targeted recruitment within a specific area to support the harder to reach to progress into employment Pilot has been designed and implementation has begun New programme New programme TBC SLC Employability 3.4 Employee upskilling South Lanarkshire Council will deliver an upskilling programme for staff experiencing low pay, underemployment and a lack of skills and qualifications in the workplace Staff will become more financially independent 120 (2020/21) 169 TBC SLC Employability Staff will increase their hours 11 (2020/21) 27 confidence, and the labour markets return to some form of stability. 50 Staff will secure promotion at work 64 (2020/21) 37 employees secured a promotion at work 75 107
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Appendix 4 Equalities Impact Assessment/Children’s Rights Wellbeing Impact Assessment - Combined Equality and Children’s Rights Wellbeing Impact Assessment – South Lanarkshire Children’s Services Plan 2021-23 Resources/Partnership Children’s Services Partnership Service/establishment Children’s Services Planning Lead officer Kevin Mullarkey Children’s Services Partnership Planning Manager Group members Kevin Mullarkey Policy title Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022-23 The aim, objective, purpose and intended outcome of the policy The aim of the Local Child Poverty Action Report is to guide the work of partner organisations delivering support service to families experiencing poverty issues across South Lanarkshire. It is also intended to communicate to families, communities and associated stakeholders the extend of our core offer of support and how we plan to make improvements going forward. The intended outcome of the report is to reduce the impact of poverty on families and to support the children’s services partnership vision of ‘ensuring South Lanarkshire’s children, young people and families will be safeguarded and supported to reach their full potential and thrive within their communities’. Services/partners/stakeholder/service users involved in the development and/or implementation of the policy. All stakeholders have been given the opportunity and have contributed towards the work of our partnership and in development of the report and have had an input into its content. This includes: South Lanarkshire Council, NHS Lanarkshire, the voluntary sector, South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture, Skills Development Scotland, Home Energy Scotland. 1. Who will be affected by this policy? Children, young people, parents and carers 2. Who will be/has been involved in the consultation process? We are building the widest possible approach to participation, which has ensured that the broader public services workforce and substantial numbers of families have been given the opportunity to engage in the work to determine the priorities of our work. 7 109
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3. Please outline any particular needs which equality groups may have in relation to this policy, what evidence you are using to support this and whether there is any negative impact on particular groups. Protected Characteristic What effect/difference will your policy have on people? How do you know that? Age The report is aimed at all families, especially families experiencing poverty challenges. It is anticipated that the focus on areas for improvement will have a positive impact on as many families as possible with no negative impact. Families across South Lanarkshire have helped us and will increasingly help us determine the priorities of our work based on what we can do better. Disability The plan will have a specific focus on the six priority groupings highlighted in the national delivery plan Best Strat Brighter Futures including families with adults or children with additional support needs or disabilities. This will have a positive impact on the outcomes for families in this category. The main recommendations of the national Additional Support for Learning review will inform improvement activity. Moving forward children, young people and parents with disabilities will help us determine design what future support looks and feels like Gender reassignment There is no evidence that the group covered by this protected characteristic will be negatively impacted by this proposal. The inclusive nature of the work of the partnership and the process in developing the report is explicit in its content and aspirations for delivery. Marriage and civil partnership There is no evidence that the group covered by this protected characteristic will be negatively impacted by this proposal. No negative impact anticipated. Pregnancy and maternity It is anticipated that the plan will have a positive impact on families, including pregnant women and new mothers. There are key priorities in the plan that will drive improvements in support to provision of childcare to support families and new mothers return to employment where relevant. Race Minority Ethnic families are one of six priority groupings and there is no evidence that the group covered by this protected characteristic will be negatively impacted by this proposal. Our Minority Ethnic families will be encouraged to work closely with us to identify what more we can do to support families cope with poverty challenges. No negative impact anticipated, and our approach will target the six priority groups in addition to all families. The inclusive nature of the work of the partnership and the process in developing the report are clearly explicit in its aspirations for delivery. Religion and belief There is no evidence that the group covered by this protected characteristic will be negatively impacted by this proposal. No negative impact anticipated and the work of partners will support all families. The inclusive nature of the work of the partnership and the process in developing the report are 110
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clearly explicit in its content and aspirations for delivery. Sex (Gender) There is no evidence that the group covered by this protected characteristic will be negatively impacted by this proposal. No negative impact. The inclusive nature of the work of the partnership and the process in developing the report are clearly explicit in its content and aspirations for delivery. Sexual orientation There is no evidence that the group covered by this protected characteristic will be negatively impacted by this proposal. No negative impact anticipated. The inclusive nature of the work of the partnership and the process in developing the report are clearly explicit in its content and aspirations for delivery. 4. If any negative impact is identified, please explain how you will address this? Please outline any proposed actions in the action plan below Action required Person responsible Date to be completed Outcome No action required 5. If the policy has a negative impact on an equality group, but is still to be implemented, please provide justification for this. It is not expected that the plan will have a negative impact on any equality group. Children’s Rights Wellbeing Impact Assessment CRWIA key questions 1.Which UNCRC Articles are relevant to the policy/measure? While many if not all the UNCRC articles are relevant, the main guiding principles have been the focus of the assessment as they are not only rights in themselves but underpin every other right in the Convention: • For rights to be applied without discrimination (Article 2) • For the best interests of the child to be a primary consideration (Article 3) • The right to life, survival and development (Article 6) • The right to express a view and have that view taken into account (Article 12). Additionally extensive work is be carried out across the public sector workforce to ensure that children’s rights and the UNCRC articles are embedded in the planning and delivery of services for children, young people and families. 2.What impact will the policy/measure will have on children’s rights? We are confident that the Local Child Poverty Action Report for 2022-23 and our supporting work will have a positive effect on the rights of children, young people in South Lanarkshire. 3. Will there be different impacts on different groups of children and young people? At the heart of our work will be the awareness of support to the six priority groups identified in Best 111
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Start Brighter Futures. It is expected that there will be key benefits to many groups of children, young people and families because of the priorities presented in the report. We anticipate improvement in the quality and delivery of services across our priority areas with no adverse impact on other areas of provision. 4. If a negative impact is assessed for any area of rights or any group of children and young people, what options have you considered to modify the proposal, or mitigate the impact? It is not anticipated that the plan will negatively impact on any of the areas of children’s rights, or on any distinct group of children and young people. As part of our ongoing development, we are developing a clear methodology to put children, young people and families at the heart of our planning and service design to ensure no negative impact occurs from this work. This will include building on our improvement work so far and developing a best practice participation model in partnership with the Poverty Alliance and the ‘Get Heard Scotland’ campaign. 5. How will the policy/measure contribute to the wellbeing of children and young people in Scotland? The report and activity articulated in it is built upon already established good practice delivering quality services and support to children, young people and families which are informed by the wellbeing indicators informed by best GIRFEC practice. We expect the report and activity to support it will however challenge stakeholders to focus on some important areas for step change and improvement which will increase important aspects of the wellbeing of children and families. 6. How will the policy/measure give better or further effect to the implementation of the UNCRC in Scotland? The report contains bespoke sections highlighting good practice and areas of priority action to achieve best practice on children’s rights and participation. This places children’s rights and the voices of children and families at the centre of all that we do in driving areas for improvement. The Children’s Rights and Engagement Group aligned to the children’s services partnership will work to increase understanding of the UNCRC articles and children’s rights in general increasing competence and confidence of staff across public services, including the partners collaborating on the Local Child Poverty Action Report activity. 7. What evidence have you used to inform your assessment? The report is informed by a lengthy improvement process in partnership with the Improvement Service to help identify our strengths as a partnership and where we think we can do better. A comprehensive joint strategic needs assessment process that includes a detailed analysis of available data trends around child poverty, a broad workforce perspective of delivering services and a strong children, young people and family voice based on lived experiences and perspective of accessing support and services has helped our understanding of need. This evidence base was primarily produced to support the development of South Lanarkshire’s Children’s Services Plan and is being currently updated and will inform our work going forward and in building our three year strategy from 2023. JSNA NOv 2020 MasterV5.docx 8. Have you consulted with relevant stakeholders? We take the widest possible approach to participation and our partners bring a wide understanding of lived experience of families to the planning process. All the main delivery partners have been involved in our work to reflect on our core offer of support to families and where we think we can do 112
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better; this work is reflected in the report. However, we know that our participation work with families around child poverty can be better and going forward and we will work with the Poverty Alliance and the ‘Get Heard Scotland’ campaign to put families at the centre of determining priorities and service design. 9. Have you involved children and young people in the development of the policy/measure? We take the widest possible approach to participation and our partners bring a wide understanding of lived experience of families to the planning process. However, we know that our participation work around child poverty can be better and going forward and we will work with the Poverty Alliance and the ‘Get Heard Scotland’ campaign to put families at the centre of determining priorities and service design. 10. How will the impact of the policy be monitored and reported on an ongoing basis? Progress will be monitored through annual reporting of our poverty work and via regular reports on performance provided to the following groups: • Corporate Management Team • Community Planning Partnership Board • NHS Lanarkshire Board • Children’s Services Strategy Group • Getting It Right for South Lanarkshire’s Children Partnership Board An annual report will be produced, published and submitted to the Scottish Government for scrutiny and feedback. 11. What is your recommendation for the policy? Introduce x modify pilot Don’t introduce 12. Conclusion The Local Child Poverty Action Report 2022-23 has been developed with a wide contribution of stakeholders and features priorities that service users have helped identify, based on their views and experiences of access in and receiving support in the past. We are confident that the priorities articulated in the report will help drive improvement in key areas of support to our most vulnerable children and families experiencing poverty related challenges (including the six priority groups) and result in no negative impact families as a whole. Completed by Date Kevin Mullarkey Children’s Services Partnership Planning Manager 07795453122 June 2022 113
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Appendix 5 Article 2: The Convention applies to everyone: whatever their race, religion or abilities, whatever they think or say, whatever type of family they come from. Article 3: The best interests of the child must be a top priority in all things that affect children. Article 4Governments must do all they can to make sure every child can enjoy their rights. Article 5 Governments must respect the rights and responsibilities of parents and carers to direct and guide their children as they grow up, so that they can enjoy their rights properly. Article 6 Every child has the right to life. Governments must do all they can to make sure that children survive and develop to their full potential. Article 8 Governments must respect every child’s right to a name, a nationality and family ties. Article 11 Governments must do everything they can to stop children being taken out of their own country illegally or being prevented from returning. Article 12 Every child has the right to have a say in all matters affecting them, and to have their views taken seriously. Article 13 Every child must be free to say what they think and to seek and receive all kinds of information, as long as it is within the law. Article 14 Every child has the right to think and believe what they want and to practise their religion, as long as they are not stopping other people from enjoying their rights. Governments must respect the rights of parents to give their children information Article 15 Every child has the right to meet with other children and to join groups and organisations, as long as this does not stop other people from enjoying their rights Article 16 Every child has the right to privacy. The law should protect the child’s private, family and home life. 7 115
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about this right. Article 17 Every child has the right to reliable information from the media. This should be information that children can understand. Governments must help protect children from materials that could harm them. Article 18 Both parents share responsibility for bringing up their child and should always consider what is best for the child. Governments must support parents by giving them the help they need, especially if the child’s parents work. Article 19 Governments must do all they can to ensure that children are protected from all forms of violence, abuse, neglect and bad treatment by their parents or anyone else who looks after them. Article 20 If a child cannot be looked after by their family, governments must make sure that they are looked after properly by people who respect the child’s religion, culture and language. Article 21 If a child is adopted, the first concern must be what is best for the child. All children must be protected and kept safe, whether they are adopted in the country where they were born or in another country. Article 22 If a child is a refugee or is seeking refuge, governments must make sure that they have the same rights as any other child. Governments must help in trying to reunite child refugees with their parents. Article 23 A child with a disability has the right to live a full and decent life with dignity and independence, and to play an active part in the community. Governments must do all they can to provide support to disabled children. Article 24 Every child has the right to the best possible health. Governments must work to provide good quality health care, clean water, nutritious food and a clean environment so that children can stay healthy. Richer countries must help poorer countries achieve this. Article 25 If a child lives away from home (e.g. in care, hospital or in prison), they have the right to a regular check of their treatment and the way they are cared for. Article 26 Governments must provide extra money for the children of families in need. Article 27 Every child has the right to a standard of living that is good enough to meet their physical, social and mental needs. Governments must help families who cannot afford to provide this Article 28 Every child has the right to an education. Primary education must be free. Secondary education must be available for every child. Discipline in schools must respect children’s dignity. Richer countries must help poorer countries achieve this. Article 29 Education must develop every child’s personality, talents and abilities to the full. It must encourage the child’s respect for human rights, as well as respect for their parents, their own and other cultures, and the environment. Article 31 Every child has the right to relax, play and take part in a wide range of cultural and artistic activities. Article 32 Governments must protect children from work that is dangerous or might harm their health or education. Article 33 Governments must protect children from the use of illegal drugs. Article 34 Governments must protect children from sexual abuse and exploitation. Article 35 Governments must ensure that children are not abducted or sold. Article 36 Governments must protect children from all other forms of bad treatment. Article 37 No child shall be tortured or suffer other cruel treatment or punishment. A child should be arrested or put in prison only as a last resort and then for the shortest possible time. Children must not be in a prison with adults. Children who are locked up must be able to keep in contact with their family. Article 38 Governments must do everything they can to protect and care for children affected by war. Governments must not allow children under the age of 15 to take part in war or join the armed forces. Article 39 Children neglected, abused, exploited, tortured or who are victims of war must receive special help to help them recover their health, dignity and self-respect. Article 40 A child accused or guilty of breaking the law must be treated with dignity and respect. They have the right to help from a lawyer and a fair trial that takes account of their age or situation. The child’s privacy must be respected at all times. 116
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 24 August 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Resource Plans and Connect Reporting 2022/2023 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide the Committee with draft copies of the Resource Plans for 2022/2023 together with an indication of how the Council Plan, Connect, will be reported in the 2022/2023 financial year [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [] (1) that the draft Resource Plans 2022/2023, prepared in line with revised corporate Guidance and attached as Appendix 1 to this report, be approved; (2) that the reporting intention in relation to Connect, shown at Table 2, be noted; and (3) that the Resource Plans 2022/2023 be referred to individual Resource Committees for noting and performance monitoring at Q2 and Q4. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. This report presents the draft suite of Resource Plans 2022/2023, developed in line with the approved format and updated to take account of the new Council Plan Connect 2022 to 2027. The report also provides an indication of how the Council Plan, Connect, will be reported in the 2022/2023 financial year. 4. Resource Planning process 2022/2023 4.1. The draft Resource Plans for 2022/2023 were prepared prior to the local government elections in May, in line with corporate Resource Planning guidance and a Resource Plan template. Following the election and subsequent approval of the new Council Plan on 15 June 2022, the draft Resource Plans have been reviewed and updated to take account of the new Priorities and Outcomes within Connect 2022 to 2027. 4.2. As part of the Resource Planning process, Resources undertake a horizon-scanning and situational-awareness exercise covering Social Change, Legislation and Policies; Areas for Improvement, including LGBF, customer views and external inspection results; and other triggers for action such as top risks. 4.3. From this exercise, a maximum of ten areas are selected for inclusion and development in the Resource Plans. The key areas are shown in table 1 below and are provided to supply Committee with an overview of the most significant Resource Plan issues identified for 2022/2023. 8 117
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TTable 1: Key areas of focus in draft Resource Plans 2022/2023 Community and Enterprise Resources • COVID-19 Response and Recovery • Sustainable Development and Climate Change • Economic Development and Renewal • Fair, Healthy and Sustainable Food System • Circular Economy • Glasgow City Region City Deal • UK Government Levelling Up and Shared Prosperity Funding • Health and Wellbeing • Legislative and Policy Changes Education Resources • COVID-19 recovery and renewal • Health and wellbeing for learning • Equity • Curriculum, learning, teaching and assessment • Digital learning and inclusion • Climate change and sustainability • Communication and engagement Finance and Corporate Resources • Covid 19 response and recovery • Deliver effective employability services to support economic recovery • Financial Strategy • Develop a programme of service reviews supporting service recovery • Involving Our Communities • Strategic digital developments • Oracle replacement • Embed Equalities and Workforce Planning in Recovery Process • Renewing corporate planning • Community Wealth Building Housing and Technical Resources • COVID-19 - Response and Recovery • Housing to 2040 • Financial Considerations • Preventing and Alleviating Homelessness • Continuing to improve the supply and availability of housing • Provision of Services to Gypsy/Travellers • Health and Social Care • Development of Integrated Housing and Property Management System • Health and Safety • Asset Management and Decarbonisation Social Work Resources • Challenges and service demand • COVID-19 Continued Response and Recovery • Transformation and service improvement programme • Delivering the strategic commissioning plan intentions • Statutory requirements • National Care Service 4.4. Covid 19 response and recovery continues to feature in all Resource Plans. Sustainability and climate change also features strongly, as does tackling inequalities and achieving equity in the aftermath of COVID-19. Other topics which feature across 118
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a number of Plans include service transformation and efficiencies, health and wellbeing, and engagement with communities. 5. Resource Plans – objectives, measures and the link to Connect 5.1. Resources have used the six Connect outcomes to generate their own Resource outcomes, supported by a range of actions and measures. Recognising that the council continually aims to improve and ensure effective and efficient use of resources, additional actions and measures have been developed under the heading Delivering the Plan and achieving Best Value. 5.2. Table 2 below shows the number of measures from each Resource Plan selected to be reported against Connect. The figures for 2022/2023 are based on the draft Resource Plans included at Appendix 1 - final numbers may vary following internal verifications and cross-checks. TTable 2: Number of measures from Resource Plans reported against Connect 2020/2021 to 2022/2023 (draft) Number of measures 2020/2021 2021/2022 2022/2023 Community and Enterprise 45 48 26 Education 24 47 65 Finance and Corporate 48 46 46 Housing and Technical 76 66 59 Social Work 37 38 38 TOTAL (Resource Plans) 230 245 234 Council Plan, Connect 89 108 69 (Note – figures correct per draft Resource Plans as at July 2022; the final number of measures may vary following internal verifications and cross-checks.) 6. Next steps 6.1. The draft Resource Plans have been updated to reflect the priorities and outcomes within the new Council Plan Connect 2022 to 2027. 6.2. Committee is asked to approve the suite of Resource Plans 2022/2023, and to agree that they be taken to the next available Resource Committee for monitoring at Q2 and Q4. 7. Employee Implications 7.1. There are no direct employee implications. 8. Financial Implications 8.1. There are no direct financial implications. 9. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 9.1. There are no direct climate change, sustainability and natural environment implications arising from this report. 10. Other Implications 10.1. Considering the detail of the report and identifying actions as appropriate contribute towards effective risk management. 119
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11. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 11.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy and therefore no impact assessment is required. 11.2. Consultation was undertaken internally with Resources through the annual Resource Planning process and associated guidance. Paul Manning Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 22 July 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes We will work to recover, progress and improve 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:- Tom Little, Head of Communications and Strategy Ext: 4904 (Tel: 01698.454904) E-mail: Tom.Little@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 120
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Appendix 1 Draft Resource Plans – see separate Resource Plan documents 121
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1 Community and Enterprise Resource Plan 2022-23 8 123
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2 Section Contents Page 1.0 Introduction 3 2.0 Key areas of focus for the year ahead 4 3.0 Resource outcomes 7 4.0 Measures and actions 9 5.0 Resourcing the plan 15 124
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3 Section One – Introduction I am pleased to introduce our Resource Plan for 2022-23 which sets out our intended outcomes and priorities for the coming year. This is the main annual business planning document for the resource. It reflects the council’s key priorities as set out in the Council Plan ‘Connect’ and provides an overview of the resource’s main areas of activity. Following a recent restructure of services, our resource now comprises the following four service areas – facilities, waste and grounds services; roads, transportation and fleet services; planning and regulatory services; and enterprise and sustainable development. The resource employs 3,250 people who together provide a wide range of services for local communities, including: • delivering key services within schools and council premises, including cleaning, catering, receptionist, janitorial, concierge, and crossing patrol services • keeping our streets clean and maintaining and developing public parks, open spaces, tree stock, fixed play areas, sports fields, golf courses, allotments, and food growing opportunities • collecting and disposing of waste and encouraging recycling • managing and maintaining the councils’ cemeteries and crematorium, providing bereavement services, and ensuring the provision of burial ground • maintaining our roads and transportation network to support safe and effective transport, and promoting active travel • procuring and managing the council’s vehicle fleet, including refuse collection, roads maintenance, street sweeping and passenger transport • providing planning and building standard services which guide and control physical development and land use in the area, ensure the health and safety of persons in or about buildings, ensure the conservation of energy and the achievement of sustainable development • protecting public health through the delivery of environmental health services • providing trading standards to protect consumers and communities • promoting economic development and delivering support for local businesses • supporting town centres and physical regeneration • leading the council in developing and promoting sustainability, supporting the transition to a net zero carbon economy, and addressing climate change, and • leading the council in promoting and developing a fair, healthy, and sustainable food system The resource also has a significant role to play in managing the relationship between the council and South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture (SLLC). SLLC deliver leisure and cultural services on behalf of the council and promote the health and wellbeing of South Lanarkshire residents through libraries, cultural venues, museum, arts centres, indoor and outdoor sports and leisure centres, community halls and country parks. The Resource Plan is an important element of the councils’ performance management arrangements and is complemented by the details of individual service plans and other key business plans and strategies. David Booth Executive Director Community and Enterprise Resources 125
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4 Section Two – Key areas of focus for the year ahead 2.0. Overview The resource has identified the main challenges, risks and new developments which will have significant impact on the delivery of services in the coming year. These are outlined briefly below. 2.1. Covid-19 Response and Recovery During the past two years, the council has had to respond to the global pandemic, ensuring that essential services continue to be delivered safely. Many different arrangements have had to be made and, in some instances, the resource has had to change the way its services were delivered or take on additional commitments that proved necessary because of Covid-19. The focus now has shifted more towards recovery and renewal. For example, our partners in South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture Ltd will continue to work hard during 2022-23 to rebuild the SLLC customer base, following a period of prolonged closure for many of its facilities. Furthermore, new agile working arrangements which were implemented in response to Covid-19 will, in some cases, become embedded as the new ‘norm’ across a number of service areas. 2.2. Sustainable Development and Climate Change The council acknowledges the serious and immediate threat of climate change and is committed to accelerating the pace of action in response to the climate emergency and in Scotland’s transition to a net-zero and climate resilient society and economy. It is expected that, as a public body, the council leads by example and uses its role to influence area-wide climate change action and sustainability. Key areas of focus for 2022-23 include: • The launch of the council’s new Sustainable Development and Climate Change Strategy (2022-27). • Roll out of the new Litter Strategy (2022 – 2027), which has a particular emphasis on prevention. • Continuing to create the conditions for the decarbonisation of the council’s fleet. • Enabling greater use of public transport by working with partners to improve public transport infrastructure. • Encouraging active travel by extending our network of cycle routes. • Developing planning policy to ensure targets to reduce carbon emissions are met and to secure positive effects for biodiversity. • Implementing changes to the building regulations to improve the energy performance of buildings 2.3. Economic Development and Renewal Economic recovery from the pandemic will incorporate the principles of community wealth building and be framed around three key themes of sustainable development: People, Place and Business, or social, physical, and economic regeneration. These themes align council and pan-Lanarkshire activity with local, national and regional strategies, delivering the collaborative approach required to achieve sustainable and inclusive economic growth which is focused on a green recovery for South Lanarkshire. 2.4. Fair, Healthy and Sustainable Food System The council is committed to contributing to the improvement of the quality of life of everyone in South Lanarkshire through the development of a Good Food Council; where food is celebrated, supports healthy life and wellbeing, is affordable and accessible to all, encourages a fair and inclusive food economy, has limited impacts on the environment and climate change, and promotes animal welfare. The Good Food Strategy (2020-2025) which is aligned with the national priority to make 126
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5 Scotland a Good Food Nation, provides a framework for actions to progress towards this vision. Community and Enterprise Resources has a key role in monitoring and implementing the strategy together with other resources and in collaboration with partners and third sector organisations. 2.5. Circular Economy At the time of writing, the Scottish Government is currently consulting on proposals for a Route Map to deliver a circular economy in Scotland (‘Delivering Scotland’s circular economy: A Route Map to 2025 and beyond), and on proposals for legislation in a Circular Economy Bill. The proposed Route Map will set out how we will reach 2025 waste and recycling targets and achieve a long term goal of net zero by 2045. The outcome of this consultation will influence the decisions the council makes in over the next 5-10 years. 2.6. Glasgow City Region City Deal As part of the City Deal, the resource is leading the delivery of three major transportation projects being undertaken to boost South Lanarkshire’s access to the rest of Scotland. The Cathkin Relief Road in Rutherglen / Cambuslang is complete and the Greenhills Road project in East Kilbride substantially complete and open. Proposals in relation to Stewartfield Way are being developed through the preparation of the outline business case. The council is also leading another City Deal project (the Community Growth Areas) in six key locations within South Lanarkshire: Newton, East Kilbride, Hamilton, Larkhall, Carluke and Ferniegair. This involves promoting private sector house building (up to 9,000 new homes, including affordable housing) and supporting the development of new schools and community facilities. 2.7. UK Government Levelling Up and Shared Prosperity Funding Following the UK withdrawal from the European Union, the UK Government have outlined proposals to replace EU funding with national funds to address structural and economic imbalances and to aid the public and private sector in delivering transformational change in communities. These are competitive funding streams with criteria and details still emerging. Funding Officers within the Economic Development Service will work with council services and external partners to develop a programme of eligible investment projects to form the basis of funding bids aimed at achieving improved economic and community outcomes and to maximise funding secured for council and community planning partners’ strategic community projects. 2.8. Health and Wellbeing This is a cross-cutting theme across Community and Enterprise Resources and covers a wide range of activities, from promoting healthy eating (via the Good Food Strategy and the provision of school meals), to the positive contribution that our partners SLLC make in ensuring inclusive access to sport, leisure and culture across our communities. Access to good quality greenspace and safe and accessible active travel routes are also a key priority for the resource, encouraging physical exercise and improving the wellbeing of our communities. 2.9. Legislative and Policy Changes New and revised legislation will also impact on the work of the resource during 2022-23, including: • Climate Change Act (2019) - commits Scotland to net-zero greenhouse gas emissions by 2045, with interim targets of 75% by 2030, 90% by 2040 (against 1990 baseline). The Scottish Government also has an ambition to be carbon neutral by 2040. During COP26, almost 200 countries agreed to the Glasgow Climate Pact which requests that all countries revisit and strengthen the 2030 targets contained within their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs) to align with the Paris Agreement temperature goal in the coming year. All countries reaffirmed the Paris Agreement goal of limiting the increase in the global average temperature to well 127
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6 below 2°C above pre-industrial levels and pursuing efforts to limit it to 1.5 °C and agreed to a provision calling for a phase-down of coal power and a phase-out of “inefficient” fossil fuel subsidies. The Glasgow Pact calls for a doubling of finance to support developing countries in adapting to the impacts of climate change and building resilience. Other deals were agreed outside the Glasgow Climate Pact and included 137 countries agreeing to halt and reverse forest loss and land degradation by 2030, 103 countries agreeing to limit methane emissions by 30 per cent by 2030, compared to 2020 levels and other agreements on zero emission vehicles, a just transition away from coal and private finance. • The Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 – key outcomes include achieving sustainable development and empowering communities. The Act aims to give people a greater say in the future of their area through the development of Local Place Plans. It also places a new statutory duty on local authorities to prepare an open space strategy and changes to the way in which local authorities’ Local Development Plans are prepared. • Building (Scotland) Regulations – to be updated in 2022 to improve the emissions and energy performance of buildings. • Transport (Scotland) Act 2019 - designed to help make Scotland’s transport network cleaner, smarter and more accessible. It provides local transport authorities with powers to establish and operate municipal bus companies and for local authorities to manage vehicle emissions via the establishment of Low Emission Zones. The Act requires the production of a national strategy in relation to transport and this has been published. Emerging themes from the new National Transport Strategy include economic growth; carbon; equality; health/active travel. A balance will need to be struck between driving inclusive economic growth while achieving zero carbon ambitions. Another key provision of the Act is to prohibit the parking of vehicles on pavements, prohibit double parking and prohibit parking adjacent to dropped footways and to provide local authorities with powers to enforce these prohibitions. This provision will have significant employee and financial resourcing issues and timescales and details of how this part of the Act will be implemented are awaited. • Deposit Return Scheme (2020) – introduces a deposit return scheme for single-use drinks containers, to help improve quality and quantity of recycling, reduce litter and achieve our climate change targets. This is being implemented in August 2023. • New National Litter Strategy: ‘Towards a litter free Scotland’ – is due to be published in 2022 and will support and help to enforce the council’s own Litter Strategy. • New National Biodiversity Strategy – is proposed for 2022 and will impact on the council’s Biodiversity Strategy and Biodiversity Duty Implementation Plan. • Free School Meals Roll Out - the Scottish Government is committed to rolling out universal free school meals to all pupils, however, the introduction of free school meals for pupils in P6 and P7 has been delayed. • EU Food Imports - phased implementation of checks on EU food imports commenced in 2021 and includes pre-notification for all high-risk food and feed. To assist with the delivery of the border operating model for EU imports, Food Standards Scotland (FSS) is working with infrastructure providers to ensure facilities are available for conducting import controls in Scotland, including working with port health authorities to increase capacity and capability. FSS has indicated new Border Control Points in Scotland will not be ready and operational until 2023 and this could require inland (point of destination) import controls. The central location and good transport links of South Lanarkshire is likely to mean the council will be asked to carry out import controls. It is not possible to quantify the potential increase in workload at this time and could lead to a reprioritisation of work during 2022-23. 128
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7 Section Three – Resource outcomes 3.1. Resource Outcomes Community and Enterprise Resources has established the following Resource Outcomes to support the delivery of Connect Outcomes in 2022-23. Connect Outcomes Resource Outcomes Communities and Environment • High-quality streets, parks and other public areas ensures South Lanarkshire is a place where people want to live, work, visit and invest • Communities are encouraged and supported to reduce, re-use and recycle their waste • The council addresses climate change by reducing carbon emissions, protecting our natural environment, adapting to the impacts of climate change, and acting sustainably • The council supports and promotes a fairer, healthier, and more sustainable food system • All roads, footways, cycle routes, bridges and associated infrastructure are safe and fit for purpose • Road and transportation infrastructure supports new development, enables use of public transport and encourages active travel Education and Learning • No resource outcomes for this priority Health and Wellbeing • Public health is safeguarded through an effective environmental regulation and enforcement service • All school and nursery children have access to nutritious school meals • All residents have the opportunity to access cultural, leisure and outdoor recreational activities to help improve their wellbeing and quality of life Children and Young People • No resource outcomes for this priority Housing and Land • Vacant, derelict and contaminated land is brought back into productive use Our Economy • Our economy is fair, inclusive, sustainable and low carbon, with thriving town and neighbourhood centres which provide a focal point for local communities • South Lanarkshire is an attractive place to start, grow and locate a business • Physical development and land use in the area is enabled, guided and controlled to help facilitate economic growth • Consumers and communities are protected through an effective trading standards service 129
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8 3.2. Delivering the Plan and achieving Best Value In working towards the six outcomes, the council aims to continually improve and ensure effective and efficient use of resources, and our business will be conducted with integrity, transparency and will operate to the highest standards. Community and Enterprise Resources has established the following resource outcomes to support Delivering the Plan and achieving Best Value. Delivering the Plan and achieving Best Value • Customers experience high quality and improving council services • The council demonstrates high standards of governance and sound financial stewardship • The workforce has the skills, flexibility and capacity to deliver the council’s priorities • Digital and ICT services meet the needs of the council and its customers 130
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9 Section Four – Measures and actions 4.0. Performance measures and action plan This section of the Resource Plan is divided into two parts: part (a) sets out our main performance measures against our outcomes; and part (b) describes the key actions we will take in the coming year to respond to the challenges ahead and improve services and outcomes. 4.a. How we will measure our performance The impact of Covid continues to have an effect on performance for some services. The table below shows our key performance measures, with data for the last 2 years and the target for 2022-23. To provide additional context for the targets, an indication of pre-Covid performance is provided within the notes column where possible. The impact of the pandemic may mean that some targets are below the level of performance seen pre-Covid. Resource Outcome: High-quality streets, parks and other public areas ensures South Lanarkshire is a place where people want to live, work, visit and invest Measure 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Target Links Service Notes 1. Percentage of streets found to be acceptable during LEAMS survey (Locally set target) 94.1% Not yet available (LGBF Data for 2021-22 due January 2023) >94.1% 01.09 Facilities, Waste and Grounds Local Environmental Audit & Management System. 2. Land Audit Management System grounds maintenance score (Locally set target) 72.0 71.3 72.0 C 01.09 Facilities, Waste and Grounds This score is based on 6 surveys per year. Resource Outcome: Communities are encouraged and supported to reduce, re-use and recycle their waste Measure 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Target Links Service Notes 3. Percentage of total household waste that is recycled in 2022 (Locally set target) 40.5% (2020) 41.5% (2021) 50% C 01.14 Facilities, Waste and Grounds Reported per calendar year. 4. Percentage of household waste sent to landfill in 2022 (Locally set target) 9.71% (2020) 8.66% (2021) <10% 01.06 Facilities, Waste and Grounds Reported per calendar year. Target figure has been reduced for 2022-23, from <15% to <10% 131
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10 Resource Outcome: The council addresses climate change by reducing carbon emissions, protecting our natural environment, adapting to the impacts of climate change, and acting sustainably Measure 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Target Links Service Notes 5. Reduction in the council’s carbon emissions achieved by March 2023 (buildings, waste, street lighting, transport) (Locally set target) 19.0% Not yet available – expected July 2022 A further 5% reduction on 2019-20 baseline year C 01.13 Enterprise and Sustainable Development Carbon emissions during 2020-21 and 2021-22 have been largely affected by Covid-19 restrictions, and so 2019-20 continues to be used as the baseline. Resource Outcome: All roads, footways and bridges and associated infrastructure are safe and fit for purpose Measure 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Target Links Service Notes 6. Percentage of our road network that should be considered for maintenance treatment (Locally set target) 30.6% 29.7% <29.7% C 01.10 Roads, Transportation and Fleet Figure is derived from the Road Condition Index (RCI) survey. 7. Number of road casualties in South Lanarkshire during 2022 (Locally set target) 317 (2020) 252 (2021 provisional) <432 01.10 Roads, Transportation and Fleet Reported per calendar year. Target is the 2019 pre-Covid level, as travel restrictions are likely to have influenced the number of accidents and casualties occurring on the road network during 2020 and 2021. Resource Outcome: Public health is safeguarded through an effective environmental regulation and enforcement service Measure 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Target Links Service Notes 8. Broad compliance with food law statutory requirements secured in premises (Locally set target) 90.0% 93.0% >85.0% 03.04 Planning and Regulatory Services Target for 2022-23 remains below the baseline to account for a new scoring system being introduced by Foods Standards Scotland 132
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11 Resource Outcome: South Lanarkshire is an attractive place to start, grow and locate a business Measure 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Target Links Service Notes 9. Number of jobs created or sustained as a direct result of Economic Development intervention (Locally set target) No data available due to Covid-19 activity 1,095 500 C 06.08 Enterprise and Sustainable Development 2021-22 figure was inflated due to safeguarding jobs in response Covid-19. Amendments to the Business Gateway contract and increased SLC promotional activity bring cause for optimism for 2022-23, and so the target has been increased from 350 to 500. 10. Number of new South Lanarkshire business starts supported by Business Gateway (Locally set target) N/A N/A 500 06.08 Enterprise and Sustainable Development This is a new measure for 2022-23. Target is 50% of Business Gateway pan- Lanarkshire contract target Resource Outcome: Physical development and land use in the area is enabled, guided and controlled to help facilitate economic growth Measure 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Target Links Service Notes 11. Percentage of all planning applications approved (Locally set target) 96.2% 97.1% 95% 07.01 Planning and Regulatory Services The rolling target of 95% provides the service with scope to refuse applications (only where the proposal does not comply with policy) 133
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12 4.b. What actions we will take in 2022-23 Resource Outcome: High-quality streets, parks and other public areas ensures South Lanarkshire is a place where people want to live, work, visit and invest Action Milestones/steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 1. Develop new Litter Strategy (2022 – 2027) to promote the new Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse (COPLAR), with particular emphasis on prevention Develop final Litter Strategy for approval by Climate Change and Sustainability Committee in September 2022 C 01.09 Facilities, Waste and Grounds 2. Prepare an Open Space Strategy in partnership with Glasgow and Clyde Valley Green Network Partnership and other council services. Strategy will contain standards on access to and quality of open spaces. Report on draft Open Space Strategy to Planning Committee in March 2023 01.09 Planning and Regulatory Services Resource Outcome: The council addresses climate change by reducing carbon emissions, protecting our natural environment, adapting to the impacts of climate change, and acting sustainably Action Milestones/steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 3. Lead by example and influence area-wide climate change and sustainability action Finalise the new Sustainable Development and Climate Change Strategy (2022-2027) for approval alongside the new Council Plan in June 2022 C 01.08 Enterprise and Sustainable Development Implement year one of the Sustainable Development and Climate Change Strategy (2022-2027) Action Plan, and report progress at quarter two and quarter four to Climate Change and Sustainability Committee 01.08 Enterprise and Sustainable Development 4. Deliver the £2m Climate Emergency Fund by March 2024 Report on progress and impact of the funding to date to the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee in March 2023 01.08 Enterprise and Sustainable Development 5. Protect, enhance and respect South Lanarkshire’s natural environment Develop a new Biodiversity Implementation Plan for (2023-2027) for approval by Climate Change and Sustainability Committee by March 2023 01.02 Facilities, Waste and Grounds 134
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13 Resource Outcome: The council supports and promotes a fairer, healthier, and more sustainable food system Action Milestones/steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 6. Develop a sustainable food system to overcome social, health, economic and environmental issues related to food Implement year three of the Good Food Strategy (2020-2025) Action Plan and report progress at quarter two and quarter four to the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee 01.11 Enterprise and Sustainable Development 7. Deliver the £0.3m Food Strategy Support Fund by March 2024 Report on progress and impact of the funding to date to the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee in March 2023 01.11 Enterprise and Sustainable Development Resource Outcome: Road and transportation infrastructure supports new development, enables use of public transport and encourages active travel Action Milestones/steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 8. Provide road and transportation infrastructure improvements to support new developments including those undertaken as part of the City Deal Develop the outline business case for the Stewartfield Way Sustainable Transport Capacity Enhancement Project and associated supporting technical assessments / designs by Spring 2023 01.10 Roads, Transportation and Fleet Resource Outcome: Our economy is fair, inclusive, sustainable and low carbon, with thriving town and neighbourhood centres which provide a focal point for local communities Action Milestones/steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 9. Deliver an economic development strategy to capitalise on our economic strengths, tackle weaknesses and create a flourishing, green, dynamic and equitable place for all Consult on the draft Economic Strategy (2022-2027) during Summer 2022, and present the final Strategy for Committee approval by October 2022 C 06.08 Enterprise and Sustainable Development 10. Undertake a rolling programme of review of the existing Town Centre Strategies and Action Plans on a 5 yearly cycle recognising the evolving trends in our town centres and market conditions Finalise Blantyre Town Centre Strategy and action plan following public consultation and seek formal adoption of the plan in October 2022 06.04 Enterprise and Sustainable Development Report on the Hamilton Town Centre Strategy by December 2022, which will update on delivery of the approved action plan and develop future actions and strategies 06.04 Enterprise and Sustainable Development 11. Support and nurture growth in the Tourism sector, taking advantage of South Lanarkshire’s natural environment, heritage, and culture Launch new South Lanarkshire Tourism Strategy by October 2022, and work with partners and stakeholders to implement the subsequent South Lanarkshire Tourism Action Plan. C 06.06 Enterprise and Sustainable Development 135
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14 Resource Outcome: The council demonstrates high standards of governance and sound financial stewardship Action Milestones/steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 12. Modernise Governance arrangements between SLC & SLLC Develop new governance arrangements for approval by the Council in June 2022 07.02 South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture (SLLC) 13. Develop a new five-year strategy for South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture Ltd Develop new strategy for noting by the Council in August 2022 07.02 South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture (SLLC) 136
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15 Section Five – Resourcing the Plan 5.0. Introduction In this section we consider the resources needed to implement our plan, including funding and staffing. 5.1. Revenue Budget 2022-23 The resource has a Net Revenue Budget of £138.542 million for 2022-23. The table below allocates this budget across the services: NET Budget by Service 2022-23 Detail £ million % Facilities, Waste, and Grounds 70.236 51 Roads, Transportation and Fleet 28.157 20 Planning and Regulatory Services 5.052 4 Enterprise and Sustainable Development 7.043 5 Facilities, Waste, and Grounds 28.054 20 Total 138.542 100 5.2. Capital Budget 2022-23 The following capital budget of £46.901 million is allocated to the resource for 2022-23: Capital Programme 2022-23 Service £ million Facilities, Waste, and Grounds 11.101 Roads, Transportation and Fleet 21.651 Planning and Regulatory Services - Enterprise and Sustainable Development 14.149 Total 46.901 137
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16 5.3. Resource Employees Community and Enterprise Resources has 3,250 employees as at June 2022. We support these employees to deliver their duties through a range of policies, including personal appraisal and a robust training framework. The number of employees by service is as follows: Service Number of employees Facilities, Waste, and Grounds 2,736 Roads, Transportation and Fleet 338 Planning and Regulatory Services 92 Enterprise and Sustainable Development 84 Total 3,250 138
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Education Resources Final Draft (05/07/22) Education Resource Plan 2022/2023 8 139
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Section Contents Page 1.0 Introduction 1 2.0 Key areas of focus for the year ahead 3 3.0 Resource outcomes 5 4.0 Measures and actions 6 5.0 Resourcing the Plan 17 140
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1 Section One – Introduction I am pleased to introduce our Resource Plan for 2022-23 which sets out our intended objectives and priorities for the coming year. This Resource Plan has been prepared in the context of the COVID- 19 pandemic and the measures the council has taken to minimise its spread and support communities. The long-term impact on the council and its services, including the financial impact, will not be fully understood for some time. However, all Resources have prepared Recovery Plans which will continue to be developed in parallel with their Resource Plan. This is the main planning document for Education Resources and all of its employees. It reflects the council’s key priorities set out in the council plan. The plan demonstrates our commitment to deliver on the priorities set by the council and on its vision, ‘improve the lives and prospects of everyone in South Lanarkshire’, as well as the need to take forward the priorities set out by the Scottish Government through the National Improvement Framework. We will also ensure that Strategic Equity Funding is used to deliver targeted activities, approaches or resources which are clearly additional to universal local improvement plans in line with the (Scottish Attainment Challenge Framework for Recovery and Accelerating Progress) and our own Equity Strategy. The last two years have been challenging for everyone and the work undertaken by our schools and educational settings has been exceptional. We all hope we are now moving into a less turbulent period. I am pleased to be able to introduce our updated strategy, at the heart of which is our values of fairness, empathy and the commitment to make a difference to the lives of all learners. Within this strategy, we also wish to renew our commitment to Inspire learners, Transform learning and Strengthen our partnerships. Our values, purpose and priorities are the building blocks for this Resource Plan, as well as our service plans and school improvements plans. This enables all of us to have a shared and clear purpose in our efforts to achieve better outcomes for children, young people and families. More widely we have set out priorities which have been influenced and shaped following extensive consultation and engagement with stakeholders, including the views of children and young people. Not unsurprisingly, we have introduced a new priority to reflect our commitment to support climate change and sustainability. This is a priority that many groups within our community asked us to include and featured in conversations with children and young people. We have set out the updated priorities on our ‘strategy on a page’ which is highlighted in this plan. Throughout the year, we will also take account of the recommendations from the influential reports on Scottish education from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) and the follow up review from Professor Ken Muir on Education Reform. We will continue to build on the many opportunities through our involvement with the West Partnership Regional Improvement Collaborative. Increasing numbers of staff and pupils have benefitted from the activities on offer. For example, thousands of our pupils have accessed West Online schools (West OS) to support their revision for SQA exams and a many staff have participated in professional learning opportunities to strengthen their classroom practice. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff for their commitment and dedication in continuing to adapt to the ever-changing landscape in the knowledge that we are all working together in our nurseries, schools and services to ensure our learners have the opportunity to thrive and that our communities flourish. Tony McDaid Executive Director Education Resources 141
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2 Our ‘strategy on a page’ We have set out below, our priorities for all schools, educational settings and services in what we call ‘our strategy on a page’. Our aim is to inspire all learners, transform their learning experiences and strengthen the partnerships we have with parents/carers and families and agencies and services who support the learning and wellbeing of children and young people. Inspire/Transform/Strengthen #itsSLC 142
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3 Section Two – Key areas of focus for the year ahead 2.0. Overview In our Resource Plan we have set out a range of performance measures and things we plan to do under the objectives we have set out in ‘our strategy on a page’. It relies on practitioners being empowered to make decisions that best suit their learners, and leaders being supported to navigate the challenges ahead. It is important that equity, excellence and empowerment continue to be the driving vision for everyone and these are set out in more detail in the National Improvement Framework. We have set out below our key areas of focus for the year ahead: 2.1. Covid-19 recovery and renewal • Continue to share and implement Scottish Government and NHS Public Health Covid-19 guidance 2.2 Health and wellbeing for learning • Extend the roll-out of training on the Attachment Strategy across council staff to promote inclusive, safe and caring environments for all • Support care experienced young people to achieve positive learning outcomes and positive destinations in line with the aspirations of The Promise, Scotland • Improve attendance rates in primary, secondary and ASN schools • Promote children’s rights in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child 2.3 Equity • Assess the improvement actions in the Equity Strategy designed to close the poverty related attainment gap and address poverty factors which impact on families • Ensure Strategic Equity Funding is used to deliver targeted activities, approaches or resources which are clearly additional to universal local improvement plans in line with the (Scottish Attainment Challenge Framework for Recovery and Accelerating Progress) • Contribute to the ambitions and drivers of the South Lanarkshire Child Poverty Action Plan 2.4 Curriculum, learning, teaching and assessment • Improve attendance in primary, secondary and Additional Support Needs schools • Raise attainment in literacy and numeracy in senior phase qualifications • Develop literacy, numeracy and outdoor learning training in early learning and childcare settings • Increase the qualifications and skills of young people through targeted programmes • Assess how well the curriculum design principles are being used to support learning and achievement • Strengthen our learning networks; that enable collaboration, encourage connectedness, and help practitioners at all levels, and develop leadership capacity • Implement the recommendations of national reviews including the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) review of Curriculum for Excellence 2.5 Digital learning and inclusion • Support the ongoing use of digital learning to meet the needs of individual learners and to improve learner outcomes • Use digital technology to engage with communities and young people 2.6 Climate change and sustainability • Implement agreed climate change actions across Education Resources • Empower children and young people to influence and shape activities that will help reduce our carbon footprint in schools, educational settings and communities 143
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4 • Empower learners to shape and influence action on climate change and sustainability through the youth forum 2.7 Communication and engagement • Undertake in the national parental survey to create baseline data to assess improvement activity • Engage with children, young people and other stakeholders on shaping and influencing the priorities and improvement plans for Education Resources • Support parents/carers and family members to continue to be regularly engaged in communications with their child’s school and educators • Use the feedback from just under 1200 school leaders/staff and over 8900 children and young people to help inform the actions we will take to recover from the impact of the pandemic. 144
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5 Section Three – Resource Outcomes 3.1. Resource/outcomes Education Resources has established the following Resource Outcomes to support the delivery of the Council Plan - Connect Outcomes. Connect Outcome Resource Outcomes Communities and Environment • Empower learners to shape and influence actions on climate change and sustainability Education and Learning • Provide a rich and stimulating curriculum that helps raise standards in literacy and numeracy • Support children and young people to develop their skills for learning, life and work • Ensure inclusion, equity and equality are at the heart of what we do • Improved attendance at school • Improved positive destinations Health and Wellbeing • Improve health and wellbeing to enable children and families to flourish • Ensure inclusion, equity and equality are at the heart of what we do Children and Young People • Improve health and wellbeing to enable children and families to flourish • Ensure inclusion, equity and equality are at the heart of what we do • Provide a rich and stimulating curriculum that helps raise standards in literacy and numeracy • Support children and young people to develop their skills for learning, life and work • Empower learners to shape and influence actions on climate change and sustainability • Improve learning outcomes and positive destinations for care experienced young people • Support parents/carers and family members to continue to be regularly engaged in communications with their child’s school Housing and Land N/A 145
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6 Connect Outcome Resource Outcomes Our Economy N/A 3.2. Delivering the Plan and achieving Best Value In working towards the six outcomes, the council aims to continually improve and ensure effective and efficient use of resources, and our business will be conducted with integrity, transparency and will operate to the highest standards. 146
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7 Section Four – Measures and actions 4.0. Performance measures and action plan This section of the Resource Plan is divided into two parts: part (a) sets out our main performance measures against our outcomes; and part (b) describes the key actions we will take in the coming year to respond to the challenges ahead and improve services and outcomes. In 2022-23 we still need to be flexible and agile as outlined in our COVID-19 recovery plan and our measures and actions will be subject to review and change in light of this, as well as being influenced by the national reforms of the education system. 4.a. How we will measure our performance The impact of Covid continues to have a significant effect on performance for schools and services. For this reason, a number of annual targets have been adjusted accordingly and may sit below the baseline level established in previous years. In most cases, the baselines below refer to the financial year 2019-20. Resource Outcome: Improve health and wellbeing to enable children and families to flourish Measure Baseline Annual target Links Service Notes 1. Improve the attendance of children and young people at primary school 94.6% 90.0% C02.04 CQIS Target reflects the continuing influence of Covid-19 during school session 2021-22 2. Improve the attendance of children and young people at secondary school 90.5% 88.0% C02.04 CQIS Target reflects the continuing influence of Covid-19 during school session 2021-22 3. Increase the number of education establishments completing attachment strategy training 126 148 03.03 EPS 4. Increase the uptake of Breakfast Clubs by 5% with a focus on children entitled to free school meals 5,582 5,861 02.02 SS 5. Increase the number of learners who experience a residential / adventure activity provided through an approved licensed provider annually 7,500 5,000 03.03 OP Target reflects the continuing recovery from Covid-19 147
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8 Resource Outcome: Ensure inclusion, equity and equality are at the heart of what we do Measure Baseline Annual target Links Service Notes 6. Percentage of pupils gaining 1 awards at SCQF Level 5 or better 86.5% 87.5% 02.03 CQIS (SP) 7. Percentage gap between pupils from least and most deprived areas gaining 1 awards at SCQF Level 5 or better -20.6% -19.4% 02.02 CQIS (SP) 8. Percentage of pupils gaining 1 awards at SCQF Level 6 or better 65.6% 67.0% 02.03 CQIS (SP) 9. Percentage gap between pupils from least and most deprived areas gaining 1 awards at SCQF Level 6 or better -40.8% -37.8% 02.02 CQIS (SP) 10. Reduce the gap for positive destination outcomes for care experienced young people -9.1 -6.2 C04.06 Inclusion The target is the gap between care experience school leavers and the overall total who are in positive destinations 11. Increase number of learners engaging in either online or face-to-face English as a Second or Other Language classes 123 130 02.02 YFCL 12. Increase the number of learners achieving nationally recognised awards 622 655 04.02 YFCL Resource Outcome: Provide a rich and stimulating curriculum that helps raise standards in literacy and numeracy Measure Baseline Annual target Links Service Notes 13. Percentage of P1, P4 and P7 pupils attaining the appropriate Curriculum for Excellence level 71.7 71.7 02.03 CQIS (BGE) Target reflects the continuing influence of Covid-19 during school session 2021-22 148
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9 for their stage or better in Literacy 14. Percentage gap between P1, P4 and P7 pupils from the least and most deprived areas attaining the appropriate Curriculum for Excellence level for their stage or better in Literacy -22.3% -22.3% 02.03 CQIS (BGE) Target reflects the continuing influence of Covid-19 during school session 2021-22 15. Percentage of P1, P4 and P7 pupils attaining the appropriate Curriculum for Excellence level for their stage or better in Numeracy 78.3% 78.3% 02.03 CQIS (BGE) Target reflects the continuing influence of Covid-19 during school session 2021-22 16. Percentage gap between P1, P4 and P7 pupils from the least and most deprived areas attaining the appropriate Curriculum for Excellence level for their stage or better in Numeracy -17.3% -17.3% 02.03 CQIS (BGE) Target reflects the continuing influence of Covid-19 during school session 2021-22 17. Percentage gap between the attendance of the least and most deprived children and young people at primary school -4.0% -6.0% 02.04 CQIS Target reflects the continuing influence of Covid-19 during school session 2021-22 18. Percentage gap between the attendance of the least and most deprived children and young people at secondary school -6.4% -9.2% 02.04 CQIS Target reflects the continuing influence of Covid-19 during school session 2021-22 149
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10 Resource Outcome: Support children and young people to develop their skills for learning, life and work Measure Baseline Annual target Links Service Notes 19. Percentage of pupils entering positive destinations 95.7% 95.7% C02.05 CQIS 20. Percentage gap between pupils from the least and most deprived areas entering positive destinations -5.8% -5.8% C02.05 CQIS 21. Provide up to 400 Foundation Apprenticeship opportunities at Level 6 to young people in the senior phase 400 400 04.02 CQIS (YE) 22. Provide up to 150 Foundation Apprenticeship opportunities at at Level 4/5 to young people in the senior phase 150 150 04.02 CQIS (YE) 23. Increase the percentage of schools with a Parent Council/Group to strengthen partnership working 95% 96% 04.01 OP Resource Outcome: Empower learners to shape and influence action on climate change and sustainability Measure Baseline Annual target Links Service Notes 24. Encourage schools to achieve eco school status 70 80 01.12 SService 150
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11 4.b. What actions will we take in 2022-23? Resource Outcome: Improve health and wellbeing to enable children and families to flourish Action Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 1. Develop the Health and Wellbeing Curriculum Strategy to support schools to consider the recovery improvement agenda Implement the Health and Wellbeing Curriculum Strategy to support schools to develop their strategy and report on outcomes for learners 03.03 CQIS 2. Evaluate the impact of Early Learning and Childcare 1140 hours for 2-3 year olds Ensure that the uptake of 1140 hours for 2-3 year olds by families who meet the eligibility criteria is maximised C04.03 ELC 3. Ensure effective delivery of tackling poverty policy and raise awareness of the priorities contained in the Local Child Poverty Action Report (LCPAR) across all partner organisations Produce and publish a refreshed Local Child Poverty Action Report and summary by June 2022 to increase awareness among partners C02.02 IES (CS) 4. Embed attachment- informed practice across education through the alignment of the attachment strategy and nurture practice Implement the outcomes from the nurture review to improve health and wellbeing of children and young people 03.03 EPS Implement practice guidance within educational establishments to embed attachment informed practice to improve health and wellbeing of children and young people 03.03 EPS 5. Support planning for individual children and young people with mental health needs Establish a multi-agency writing group to produce Practitioner Guidance to support the implementation of the 2018 ‘Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Pathway’ 03.03 EPS 6. Implement the development of the community mental health initiative to ensure that up to date and evidence based advice is Implement new family wellbeing services and peer support services to improve the mental health of children and young people 03.03 EPS 151
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12 provided to parents and carers 7. Deliver counselling in line with the framework provided to authorities by the Scottish Government Empower schools to access counselling services to pupils over the age of 10 03.03 EPS Resource Outcome: Ensure inclusion, equity and equality are at the heart of what we do Action Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 8. Progress the Morgan Review improvement action plan to improve and effectively deliver additional support for learning for children and young people Establish a reference group to ensure the improvement action plan recommendations are taken forward collaboratively, building on existing policy and practice in inclusive education 04.04 IES 9. Ensure all Early Learning and Childcare establishments engage in GIRFEC agenda Deliver multi-agency training to Early Learning and Childcare staff to meet the needs of the highest priority children 04.04 ELC 10. Evaluate the effectiveness of delivering the Tackling Poverty programme in 4 Early Learning and Childcare establishments In line with Tackling Poverty Programme, ensure targeted support for children aged 2-3 years across the 4 stand-alone nurseries to achieve better outcomes for children 02.02 ELC 11. Raise awareness of the priorities within the Children’s Services Plan across all partner organisations Produce a Children’s Service Plan annual report by August 2022 to help shape and influence the improvement actions required by partners 03.03 IES (CS) 12. Raise awareness of the implications of the Children’s Rights Bill across the children’s services workforce Produce a Children’s Rights Report for the Children’s Services Strategy Group incorporating actions to support the United Nations Convention of the Rights for the Child (UNCRC) by June 2022 02.02 IES (CS) 12.Take forward the review of the Primary and Secondary estate Implement the building improvement programme to support pupils with additional support needs within mainstream accommodation 02.02 SM 152
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13 to meet developing needs for children with Additional Support Needs 13. Provide opportunities for learners to be actively engaged in shaping the Youth Strategy and improvement actions Engage young people in the roll-out of the improvement actions in the Youth Strategy for 2022-2025 and to use their feedback to achieve better outcomes for their communities 02.02 YFCL 14. Implement the improvement actions from the South Lanarkshire Community Learning and Development Plan 2021-2024 in line with the CLD Regulations and Strategic Guidance to improve outcomes for local communities Implement the improvement actions of the South Lanarkshire Community Learning and Development Plan 2021- 2024 to improve outcomes for local communities C01.01 YFCL Resource Outcome: Provide a rich and stimulating curriculum that helps raise standards in literacy and numeracy Action Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 15. Implement National Improvement Framework priorities by ensuring that every child achieves the highest standards in literacy and numeracy Implement the Literacy Strategy to support schools to develop their literacy curriculum and report on outcomes for learners 02.01 CQIS Implement the Numeracy Strategy to support schools to develop their numeracy curriculum and report on outcomes for learners 02.01 CQIS 16. Close the equity gap and improve learner outcomes Develop an Equity Strategy including Strategic Equity Funding and use this to support schools to develop their equity plans to recover from impact of Covid-19 lockdown 02.02 CQIS 17. Develop Digital learning and Inclusion Implement the Digital Recovery Strategy to support online learning to improve outcomes for learners and maximise opportunities through the West On-line partnership 04.02 CQIS 153
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14 18. Develop professional networks as a vehicle to extend leadership learning opportunities for employees Evaluate existing professional networks and use the outcomes to expand leadership capacity across the Resource 07.03 CQIS 19. Evaluate the Learning, Teaching and Assessment Recovery Strategy Implement the outcomes from the Learning, Teaching and Assessment evaluation to improve outcomes for learners 02.01 CQIS 20. Develop the school improvement strategy to support schools to consider the recovery improvement agenda Implement the Improvement Strategy to support schools to develop their improvement strategy and report on outcomes for learners 02.01 CQIS 21. Take forward the National Improvement Framework priorities by ensuring that every child achieves the highest standards in literacy and numeracy in Early Learning and Childcare Deliver training on literacy, for all Early Learning and Childcare establishments to ensure improved outcomes for children 02.01 ELC Deliver training on numeracy, for all Early Learning and Childcare establishments to ensure improved outcomes for children 02.01 ELC Deliver health and wellbeing training for all Early Learning and Childcare establishments to ensure improved outcomes for children 03.03 ELC 22. Provide support for Speech, Language and Communication in Early Learning and Childcare Deliver a programme of support and targeted training to all Early Learning and Childcare establishments for speech, language & communication 04.03 ELC 23. Provide support for parental engagement in Early Learning and Childcare Deliver a programme of support and targeted training to all Early Learning and Childcare establishments to build parental capacity to support children’s learning 04.03 ELC 24. Promote and celebrate the achievement of young people Deliver an achievement award ceremony to celebrate children’s success by June 2023 02.02 OP Resource Outcome: Support children and young people to develop their skills for learning, life and work Action Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 25. Support young people to Develop the range of skills based qualifications accessible to learners in 04.02 CQIS 154
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15 develop their skills to achieve positive outcomes schools 26. Support young people to progress to positive destinations Provide one to one support for targeted young people in the last 6 months of school through the Aspire programme 02.05 CQIS (YE) 27. Provide opportunities for young people to participate in work-based learning opportunities in the senior phase Deliver Foundation Apprenticeship and Gradu8 programmes in partnership with South Lanarkshire College, New College Lanarkshire and Glasgow Kelvin College to improve the skills and employment opportunities for young people 04.02 CQIS (YE) 28. Support care experienced young people aged 16-24 to develop their skills and experiences to achieve sustained positive destinations Deliver the Modern Apprenticeship promise for care experienced young people to improve their skills and achieve a positive destination 04.06 CQIS (YE) 29. Implement the national Parental Involvement and Engagement survey Implement the national survey of parents and use the feedback to identify improvement actions and share good practice with schools and establishments 04.01 OP 30. Implement the national Parental Involvement and Engagement strategy Deliver an annual parents’ conference by June 2023 to engage further on our priorities to help improve outcomes for learners 04.01 OP 31. Support young people to gain nationally recognised awards through Youth Family and Community Learning programmes Provide learner focussed pathways for young people to receive accreditation through national awards 04.02 YFCL Resource Outcome: Empower learners to shape and influence action on climate change and sustainability Action Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 32. Develop Climate Change and Sustainability Plan to support educational settings Provide guidance and support to empower primary schools to develop their science curriculum 02.01 CQIS Empower the involvement of children and young people in schools and through the Young People’s Forum to help shape and influence Council outcomes in the C01.12 CQIS 155
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16 climate strategy Undertake waste audit in secondary schools to identify if any improvements to processes 01.12 SServices Organise a pupil led COP conference involving primary, secondary and ASN schools 01.12 SServices Support air quality projects and work to promote active, sustainable travel to schools 01.12 SServices CQIS (BGE) - Curriculum and Quality Improvement Service (Broad General Education) CQIS (SP) - Curriculum and Quality Improvement Service (Senior Phase) CQIS (YE) - Curriculum and Quality Improvement Service (Youth Employment) ELC - Early Learning and Childcare Service EPS - Educational Psychology Service IES - Inclusive Education Service IES (CS) - Inclusive Education Service Children’s Services OP - Operations Service SM - Schools Modernisation Service SServices - Support Services YFCL - Youth, Family and Community Learning 156
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17 Section Five – Resourcing the Plan 5.0 Introduction In this section we consider the resources needed to implement our Plan, including funding and staffing. 5.1. Revenue Budget 2022-23 The Resource has a Net Revenue Budget of £371.551 million for 2022-23. The table below allocates this budget across the services: NET Budget by Service 2022-23 Detail £ million % Central admin 2.047 0.55% CQIS 1.711 0.46% Directorate 0.708 0.19% Early Years 30.587 8.23% Inclusion 1.025 0.28% Learning Community 3.389 0.91% Operations 0.167 0.04% Primary Schools 131.141 35.30% Psychological Services 2.190 0.59% School Modernisation 37.975 10.22% Secondary Schools 129.108 34.75% Special School 22.353 6.02% Support Services 1.777 0.48% YFCL 6.053 1.63% Youth Employability 1.320 0.33% Total £371.551 100.0 157
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18 5.2. Capital Budget 2022-23 The following capital budget of £13.368 million is allocated to the Resource for 2022-23 Capital Programme 2022-23 Project £ million Accommodation Pressures 2.293 Growth and Capacities 0.382 City Deal projects 4.368 Early Years 1140 hours 3.145 ICT 3.180 Total 13.368 5.3. Resource Employees Education Resources has 7,423 employees as at 30 November 2021. We support these employees to deliver their duties through a range of policies including personal appraisal and a robust training framework. The number of employees by type is as follows: Employee Type Number of employees Teaching staff 4,045 Local Government staff 3,378 Total 7,423 158
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Finance and Corporate Resources Finance and Corporate Resource Plan 2022-23 8 159
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Section Contents 1.0 Introduction 2.0 Key areas of focus for the year ahead 3.0 Resource outcomes 4.0 Measures and actions 5.0 Resourcing the Plan 160
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Section One – Introduction I am pleased to introduce our Resource Plan for 2022-23 which sets out outcomes and priorities for the coming year. The five services within Finance and Corporate Resources help to ensure that the council operates successfully in an increasingly complex and challenging environment, and although diverse, each service is essential to the running of the council and the delivery of its vision, values and priorities. Administration and Legal Services provides essential support for the core democratic and governance arrangements of the council as well as providing a full range of legal advice and support, managing electoral events and licensing and registration services to the public. Communications and Strategy provides accurate, timely information for employees and residents. The service is responsible for the council's publications, its websites, intranet and social media. It also co-ordinates all Media enquiries. The service incorporates the Research and Improvement Unit as well as the Community Engagement Team, which provides support to the Community Planning Board, and provides a single interface for community engagement including neighbourhood planning. Finance Services provides sound financial stewardship to ensure the council’s priorities are effectively funded and expenditure, including procurement, is appropriately monitored, controlled and reported. Finance Services is split between transactional activities including payables, procurement, risk management and insurance, revenues and benefits, customer services and development and money matters advice; and Strategy which includes budget strategy, budget monitoring and providing financial support to all Resources. Information Technology Services supports all council services through the maintenance of over 5,000 computers and servers running over 200 business applications across council Resources. This delivery is supported by council wide networks covering telephone, printing, mail and internet technologies. Personnel Services is responsible for delivery of the full spectrum of personnel policies and practices across the council. This includes employee learning and organisational development; consultation; and supporting unemployed people into jobs, training or further education. The service also manages payroll, health, safety and wellbeing and is responsible for the co-ordination and implementation of equality and diversity legislation, good practice, and advancing equality for all. The Resource is also responsible for Audit and Compliance Services, which provides assurance on the effectiveness of the council’s risk management, control and governance arrangements, as well as ensuring compliance with European grant award requirements. Paul Manning Executive Director Finance and Corporate Resources 161
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Section Two – Key areas of focus for the year ahead 2.0. Overview The Resource has identified the main challenges, risks and new developments which will have significant impact on the delivery of services in the coming year. These are outlined briefly below. 2.1. Covid 19- response and recovery Through the initial period of 2020-21, the Council responded to the Global Pandemic, ensuring that essential services could safely be delivered, and the most vulnerable members of our community were safe. The Council now moves onto the period where we return to full service delivery, where appropriate, and recover from the period of service disruption. This will include new ways of working. Finance and Corporate Resources will provide core support for services as they look to return to full capacity. This includes providing key financial advice, as well as the necessary advice and support around the workforce and their safety. The Resource will also support our Elected Members, ensuring their meetings run effectively, and they are provided with information to allow decisions to be taken on shaping service delivery going forwards. Covid19 has had a significant effect on the financial position of many families and therefore front-line services for communities and people are expected to continue to provide valuable support as the effects of the pandemic carry forward into 2022-23 this includes the provision of financial advice and support to resident. 2.2. Deliver effective Employability Services to support Economic Recovery Covid19 has had a significant impact on the economy and as a result there has been a substantial increase in unemployment. There are new groups of unemployed people seeking support, different from those groups the original employability programmes were designed for. Service delivery now needs to be redesigned to be delivered in a Covid19 safe way, with a move away from face to face support. In addition, programmes will have to address new need in addition to offering enhanced assistance to those traditionally supported in this area. Opportunities for employment and work placements are likely to be significantly reduced, so creative approaches to the provision of occupational experiences and effective use of funding streams to maximise support are required. The current economic picture is mixed, with some areas of the economy struggling to fill vacancies and others recovering more slowly. The impact of Brexit is also having an effect on the supply of skilled and qualified labour. The council is working closely with its partners to make effective use of funding streams to support those most in need of employability support, and to develop programmes which meet demands and anticipated workforce and labour market shortages. 2.3. Financial Strategy The Resource leads on financial planning and reporting for the Council. Over recent years, the challenges for Local Government finance have continued, around balancing pressures of meeting additional demand and costs of delivering services. A key part of the financial management process is the development of Financial Strategies, developing financial plans which deliver the council’s visions, values and priorities, while recognising and responding to financial constraints. Financial strategies are prepared annually and approved by members leading to the final approval of annual budgets. This process includes consideration and approval of efficiency and savings options and considers requirements for investment. One of the key features for future strategies will be the output from our programme of Transformational Reviews, which is covered at section 2.4. The strategic approach to financial planning also includes planning for Capital programmes of work. 162
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The costs of responding to, and recovering from, the Covid19 pandemic added pressures to the council’s budgets in 2020-21 and is expected to do so into 2022-23 and beyond. 2.4. Develop a programme of Service Reviews supporting Service Recovery In Service recovery plans, change is explicit, and this needs to be reflected in the guidance to support our revised Transformational Review programme. It is important that managers and leaders are equipped to lead transformation, and that review and improvement processes are adopted and welcomed. Through the recovery process, there is the opportunity to shape Council services which are responsive, flexible and fit for purpose in our new environment. A transparent process which is understood by all involved, the early involvement of those affected, and honest evaluation of options will be key features of our approach. 2.5. Involving Our Communities Working alongside our communities to create and deliver new council and Community plans has given people in South Lanarkshire a stronger voice in what matters to them and how we should shape our services going forward. We want to maintain the momentum around this work by continuing to develop sustainable structures which involve local people effectively in influencing decisions which have an impact upon them and their lives and supporting them to take positive action themselves to improve outcomes. Our ambition is that all communities in South Lanarkshire have the opportunity to identify their local priorities and can see these reflected in the way we engage and work with them. Supporting community groups to represent the views of their neighbours and to work together to address issues that matter to them will be a key feature of the delivery of our new plans. 2.6. Strategic digital developments The Council is investing heavily in digital technologies to improve the delivery of services to citizens, streamline and standardise business processes, and improve collaboration and partnership working (for example Health and Social Care Partnership - HSCP). This investment is targeted on delivering significant productivity improvements and cost savings. Information Technology (IT) has a major part to play in digital transformation by implementing and supporting new technologies at pace and at scale. IT projects will continue to be prioritised based upon need, business case and alignment with Council Priorities. Partnerships with Local Government Digital Office, NHS Lanarkshire, Scottish Government and key suppliers will be leveraged to share best practices and accelerate rollout and adoption of new digital solutions. IT will continue to maintain high levels of availability of IT estate and high levels of support to officers and elected members. Key IT activities will include completing the rollout of agile working for council staff, replacement of legacy business applications (for example Housing & Property, Social Work) and the rollout of digital connectivity solutions to support digital inclusion. 2.7. Oracle replacement As part of the council’s transformation of services, the current Oracle system (People Connect/HRMS, FMS) will be migrated to Fusion, Oracle’s cloud based solution. Oracle Fusion will provide a modern platform for all HR, Payroll and Finance functions and benefit users across the whole council. In addition to delivering significant improvements to business processes, the new system will support agile working, employee self-service and engagement as well as greater levels 163
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of automation and improved management information. Finance processes will be streamlined with improved spend control. This migration project will involve a major investment both in terms of finance and staff time and will provide a platform for future service improvements and efficiencies. 2.8. Embed Equalities and Workforce Planning in Recovery Process Current research and analysis of data indicates that Covid19 is likely to adversely impact specific groups in our society more than others. Our Equality Impact Assessment (EQIA) has identified similar issues, namely the disproportionate effect on older people, women, children and people with disabilities, and people from Black and Minority ethnic backgrounds. In addition, the full socio-economic impact of lockdown as a result of Covid19 has not yet become apparent, although it is anticipated that there will be greater impact on those with low skills, low incomes as well as those who are 16-24 years of age and those who are over 50 years of age. There have been significant changes to our own council’s ways of working and how the workforce carries out service delivery. Increasing use of technology and working from home options have changed service delivery operations and how teams work together. Consultation with service users, members of the public and employees is needed in order to ensure that performance is maintained, and people’s priority needs are met. Flexibility in our approach to work and employees will be needed to accommodate the possibility of further local lockdowns, increased savings requirements, and the need to be efficient and responsive without creating disadvantage. Our recovery plans need to take account of both fair work and fair service delivery to our communities. The Council published its Mainstreaming Equalities Report in 2021, to meet its statutory requirements setting out our performance in relation to the Public Sector Equalities Duties and our plans for the future. These plans include a focus on our recruitment and retention practices, our support for groups who are digitally excluded, and have been impacted adversely by Covid19. New programmes to support employment and training opportunities for care experienced young people, those young people with additional support needs, and those with disabilities, are underway. 2.9. Renewing corporate planning Post-Covid, there is a need to look afresh at the council’s strategic planning and reporting, to ensure that key plans are focused on the topics that matter most. The new Council Plan which will come into effect in 2022 will be closely aligned to the new Community Plan, with both documents articulating a common vision and set of outcomes to be achieved over the next 5 years. Work will be undertaken in 2022-23 to review guidance, templates and performance reporting arrangements to support the new vision and priorities set out in the Council and Community Plans and on preparations for the new Council following the Local Government Election in May 2022. Key preparations will include a review of procedural documentation and the decision-making structure, arrangements for members induction and training, members ICT provision and the first statutory meeting of the Council. 2.10. Community Wealth Building Community Wealth Building (CWB) is an alternative approach to traditional economic development, which seeks to develop resilient, inclusive local economies, with more local employment and a larger and more diverse business base. There is growing interest in CWB across the UK and especially in Scotland, where it has been endorsed by the Scottish Government as an important plank of how Scotland can deliver on its wellbeing economy aspirations. Finance and Corporate Resources will lead on the implementation of our Community Wealth Building strategy, working with Elected Members, partners and stakeholders to realise the ambitions of the strategy through 2022 and beyond. 164
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Section Three – Resource Outcomes 3.1. Resource Outcomes Finance and Corporate Resources has established the following Resource outcomes to support the delivery of Connect Outcomes in 2022-23. Connect Outcomes Resource Outcomes Communities and Environment • Individuals and communities in South Lanarkshire are engaged and able to participate in decision-making processes Education and Learning • No Resource Objectives for this Outcome Health and Wellbeing • No Resource Objectives for this Outcome Children and Young People • No Resource Objectives for this Outcome Housing and Land • No Resource Objectives for this Outcome Our Economy • A people-centred approach to recovery is implemented to help individuals, communities, businesses and the social and third sector thrive 3.2. Delivering the Plan and achieving Best Value In working towards the six Outcomes, the council aims to continually improve and ensure effective and efficient use of resources, and our business will be conducted with integrity, transparency and will operate to the highest standards. Finance and Corporate Resources has established the following Resource outcomes to support Delivering the Plan and achieving Best Value. Delivering the Plan and achieving Best Value • The council demonstrates high standards of governance and sound financial stewardship • Customers experience high quality and improving council services • The workforce has the skills, flexibility and capacity to deliver the council’s priorities • Digital and ICT services meet the needs of the council and its customers 165
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Section Four – Measures and actions 4.0. Performance measures and action plan This section of the Resource Plan is divided into two parts: part (a) sets out our main performance measures against our outcomes; and part (b) describes the key actions we will take in the coming year to respond to the challenges ahead and improve services and outcomes. 4.a. How we will measure our performance The impact of Covid19 continues to have a significant effect on performance for some services. For this reason, a number of annual targets have been adjusted accordingly and may sit below the baseline level established in previous years. In most cases, the baselines below refer to the financial year 2019-20. Resource Outcome: A people-centred approach to recovery is implemented to help individuals, communities, businesses and the social and third sector thrive. Measure Baseline Annual Target Links Service Notes 1. Number of unemployed people supported via council-operated employability programmes (local target) 1,322 people 1,200 people C06.01 Personnel 2. Number of unemployed people gaining sustainable employment (local target) 713 people 600 people C06.13 Personnel 3. Number of unemployed people accessing further education or training (local target) 568 people 200 people C06.02 Personnel Resource Outcome: The council demonstrates high standards of governance and sound financial stewardship Measure Baseline Annual Target Links Service Notes 4. Pay invoices within the target of 28 days (local target) _ 90% 07.02 LGBF Finance (Trans) 5. Percentage of income due from Council Tax received by the end of the year - in year (incl water) (local target) 95.36% 95.5% 07.02 Finance (Trans) 6. % of Non-Domestic rates income achieved (local target) 98.6% 97.5% 07.02 Finance (Trans) 7. Sundry Income collection (local target) 98% 97% 07.02 Finance (Trans) 8. Liquor licensing processing target - 97% within service targets (local target) 99% 97% 07.01 Admin and Legal This year’s targets are realistic, based 9. Registration processing 99% 97% 07.01 Admin and 166
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target - 97% within service targets (local target) Legal on the service’s experience, anticipated workload and desire to drive continuous improvements 10. Citizenship processing target - 97% within service targets (local target) 100% 97% 07.01 Admin and Legal 11. Complaints processing target - 97% within service targets (local target) 100% 97% 07.01 Admin and Legal Resource Outcome: Customers experience high quality and improving council services Measure Baseline Annual Target Links Service Notes 12. Customer Service Centre - % of calls answered (local target) 90% 07.01 Finance (Trans) 13. Customer Service Centre – average queue time (local target) 2 minutes 07.01 Finance (Trans) 14. Benefits administration – average processing times for new Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction claims (local target) 15 days 14 days 07.01 Finance (Trans) 15. Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction – accuracy of processing (local target) 94.4% 93.5% 07.01 LGBF Finance (Trans) 16. Scottish Welfare Fund – average processing times for Crisis Grants (National target) 2 days 07.01 Finance (Trans) 17. Scottish Welfare Fund – average processing times for Community Care grants (National target) 15 days 07.01 Finance (Trans) 4.b. What actions we will take Resource Outcome: Individuals and communities in South Lanarkshire are engaged and able to participate in decision-making processes Action Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 1. Increase routes for communities to participate in decision making and priority setting Monitor and develop the bespoke locality planning partnership in each of the four localities C01.01 Community Engagement Team Develop a comprehensive set of neighbourhood planning structures across all identified priority communities in South Lanarkshire C01.01 Community Engagement Team Support communities and Resources in the roll out of a 1% mainstream participatory budgeting process C01.01 Community Engagement Team 167
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Resource Outcome: A people-centred approach to recovery is implemented to help individuals, communities, businesses and the social and third sector thrive. Action Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 2. Progress the Community Wealth Building (CWB) strategy for South Lanarkshire Implement a programme of development sessions for the CWB Commission to widen the scope of the strategy by March 2023. 06.05 Comms and Strategy Establish a monitoring and reporting framework for the CWB action plan by the end of April 2022. 3. Deliver effective Employability Services to support Economic Recovery Deliver the Young Persons Guarantee Programme. A guarantee to young people aged 16-24 to support and progress them into fair work opportunities, training or further education and volunteering. C06.10 Personnel Kickstart Programme – support DWP flag ship programme as the largest employer in the area providing fair work opportunities for 50 young people to work within the council in various occupations. C06.10 Support Modern Apprentices to enter fair work opportunities within the council ranging from care, admin and craft occupations. C06.10 Deliver targeted recruitment programmes to support the local jobs market addressing skills shortages such as HGV Drivers, Personal Carers, Customer Service etc. C06.10 Deliver targeted employer recruitment incentives to support those aged 25 plus enter and sustain fair work opportunities and support parents and families with complex barriers to employment. C06.10 Resource Outcome: The council demonstrates high standards of governance and sound financial stewardship Action Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 4. Lead financial planning and reporting for the council Financial Strategy to be agreed by June 2022 07.02 Finance (Strategy) Budget proposals to be considered by members by December 2022 07.02 Finance (Strategy) Budget agreed by March 2023 07.02 Finance (Strategy) Capital programme for 2023-24 to be agreed by March 2023 07.02 Finance (Strategy) 5. Compliance with internal audit standards Undertake an external assessment of Internal Audit to provide assurance that the function continues to operate in compliance with the Public Sector Internal Audit Standards. 07.02 Internal Audit Resource Outcome: Customers experience high quality and improving council services Action Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 6. Monitor the progress of transformation projects through reporting framework to CMT Evidence of reporting to CMT of progress of all transformational projects 07.01 Personnel 168
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Resource Outcome: Customers experience high quality and improving council services Action Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 7. Deliver more convenient and accessible forms of customer contact Increase the availability and use of online forms and streamline customer contact processes 07.01 Finance (Trans) New digital contact methods will be explored to improve contact channels 07.01 Finance (Trans) Relaunch myaccount to promote customer self- service options for a range of Council Tax activity such as viewing account balance, making payments, and applying for discounts and exemptions 07.01 Finance (Trans) 8. Lead on the renewal of strategic planning and work to further align the Council Plan with the Community Plan Finalise the new Community Partnership Plan (CPP) by June 2022 07.01 Comms and Strategy Promote the new CPP plan across South Lanarkshire throughout 2022 Develop a comprehensive monitoring process for CPP actions Submit new Council Plan for approval by July 2022. Resource Outcome: Digital and ICT services meet the needs of the council and its customers Action Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 9. Take forward IT strategic developments Migrate to new Integrated Housing and Property Management system by November 2022 07.04 IT Implement approved actions from Year 3 of the SLC Digital Inclusion Strategy to support most deprived citizens to access benefits of being online 07.04 IT Complete procurement exercise to identify partner to meet SLC Digital Connectivity requirements C07.04 IT Develop and deliver training plan to upskill IT staff in new technologies 07.04 IT Complete first phase of migration to Oracle Cloud Fusion system by February 2023 C07.04 IT Resource Outcome: The workforce has the skills, flexibility and capacity to deliver the council’s Priorities Action Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 10. Adjust the Council Workforce Plan to match the changed environment Resource Workforce Plans updated taking account recovery from COVID and set out requirements moving forward. These will be used to configure the Council Workforce Plan and will reported to Committees by September 2022 C07.03 Personnel 169
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Section Five – Resourcing the Plan 5.0. Introduction In this section we consider the resources needed to implement our plan, including funding and staffing. 5.1. Revenue Budget 2022-23 The Resource has a Net Revenue Budget of £41.029 million for 2022-23. The table below allocates this budget across the services: NET Budget by Service 2022-23 Detail £ million % Finance Services (Transactions) 18.747 45.7 Finance Services (Strategy) 2.023 4.9 Information Technology Services 5.095 12.4 Administration and Legal Services 4.113 10.0 Communications and Strategy (inc Community and Engagement and Central Research) 3.473 8.5 Personnel Services 7.223 17.6 Audit and Compliance 0.355 0.9 Total 41.029 100 5.2. Capital Budget 2022-23 The following capital budget of £2.444 million is allocated to the Resource for 2022-23: Capital Programme 2022-23 Project £ million IT Infrastructure – Business As Usual 0.450 Digital Transformation Review Fund 0.200 Oracle Fusion 1.794 Total 2.444 170
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5.3. Resource Employees Finance and Corporate Resources has 938 employees as at March 2022. We support these employees to deliver their duties through a range of policies including personal appraisal and a robust training framework. Service Number of employees Finance Services (Transactions) 381 Finance Services (Strategy) 60 Information Technology Services 114 Administration and Legal Services 100 Communications and Strategy 42 Personnel Services 227 Other (Audit and Compliance) 14 Total 938 171
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Housing and Technical Resources Housing and Technical Resource Plan 2022-23 8 173
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Section Contents Page 1.0 Introduction 1 2.0 Key areas of focus for the year ahead 2 3.0 Resource outcomes 5 4.0 Measures and actions 6 5.0 Resourcing Plan 16 174
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1 Section One – Introduction I am pleased to introduce our Resource Plan for 2022-23 which sets out our intended outcomes and priorities for the coming year. This is the main annual business planning document for the Resource. It reflects the council’s key priorities as set out in the Council Plan ‘Connect’ and provides an overview of the Resource’s main areas of activity. This plan demonstrates our clear commitment to deliver on the priorities set out in ‘Connect’ and the vision, “To Improve the Lives and Prospects of Everyone in South Lanarkshire”. There are two Services within Housing and Technical Resources which help to ensure that the council operates successfully in an increasingly complex and challenging environment, and although diverse, each service is essential to the running of the council and the delivery of its vision, values and priorities. Housing Services is the fourth largest social landlord in Scotland and is responsible for providing a comprehensive housing management service, managing 25,012 homes, including 34 Sheltered Housing complexes and two sites and services for the Gypsy /Traveller community. We provide a homelessness and housing support service, working to prevent and alleviate homelessness; support independent living; improve levels of tenancy sustainment and support vulnerable households in our communities, including refugees. The Service also provides both strategic and support functions across the Resource, contributing to the Council and national agenda, including community safety and the development and delivery of additional affordable homes. Property Services is responsible for managing the council’s portfolio of properties and land and is split between three services, Building Services, Assets and Estates and Consultancy Services. These services have a wide range of responsibilities including working with all other Resources to develop, design, procure and, in many cases deliver property construction/improvement projects. The Service undertakes maintenance works across the property portfolio, including the out of hours repairs service and carries out legislative compliance works including electrical testing and gas safety checks. The Service also manages properties for sale and lease and provides strategic support to the Resource and the council for energy efficiency and the sustainability agenda. This Resource Plan has been prepared in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures the council continues to take to minimise its spread, deal with its effects and to support communities. The long-term impact on the council and its services, including the financial impact, will not be fully understood for some time. However, all Resources have response plans which will continue to be developed in parallel with the Resource Plans. Daniel Lowe Executive Director Housing and Technical Resources 175
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2 Section Two – Key areas of focus for the year ahead 2.0. Overview The Resource has identified the main challenges, risks and new developments which will have significant impact on the delivery of services in the coming year. These are outlined briefly below. 2.1. COVID-19 - Response and Recovery The Resource will continue to give priority to ensuring services are delivered to address ongoing and emerging challenges presented by COVID-19. Our priority will be placed upon ensuring effective delivery of critical and statutory services, taking full account of the continuing or emerging issues which are faced by customers, employees and our Services stemming from COVID-19. This also includes continued implementation of revised service and working arrangements which have been put in place to deliver services in the context of the public health crisis, that have been identified as being both efficient and effective and suitable for permanent implementation. It is important to recognise that our planning is informed by, and dependent on, guidance issued by the Scottish Government and therefore our approach will be subject to continual review and change. 2.2. Housing to 2040 Published in early 2021, the Scottish Government’s Housing to 2040 publication identified significant policy changes planned for the housing sector over the next 20 years. This includes a target of delivering 110,000 additional affordable homes, the introduction of a Rented Sector Strategy, including proposals to introduce new legislation aimed at aligning standards within both the private and social rented sectors, new housing quality standards and accelerated energy efficiency targets. The Resource will continue to monitor progress in relation to all aspects of this document, working with housing, health and homelessness partners across South Lanarkshire to meet any new requirements. 2.3. Financial Considerations In order to continue to maintain, invest and meet legislative requirements for council housing and services, maximising rental income and minimising arrears will continue to be a priority for the Resource. However, we recognise that the ongoing situation will be having a significant impact to the financial capacity or security of many. It is therefore our intention to continue to set affordable rents and provide advice and assistance where necessary to support our tenants and customers, while contributing to the wider tackling poverty agenda. 2.4. Preventing and Alleviating Homelessness The year ahead is expected to be a pivotal year for homelessness in South Lanarkshire and the Resource will continue to ensure that services are developed and delivered to meet requirements. We will work closely with our partners to address emerging issues and the priorities identified in the South Lanarkshire Rapid Re-housing Transition Plan 2019- 24. We will continue to review our supply of temporary & supported accommodation to ensure it is suitable and meets demand and need. We will also continue with our approach in delivering our Housing Options service with a focus on homeless prevention to support and assist people who are homeless or at risk of becoming so and to ensure access to settled accommodation and support services for homeless households. The Resource will continue to work in partnership and seek to further develop person centred housing and support packages for vulnerable households, including continued joint working with corporate parenting partners, strengthening our pathway planning approach, and Women’s Aid South Lanarkshire and East Renfrewshire to further develop responses to domestic abuse. This approach links to wider objectives of the South Lanarkshire Gender Based Violence Partnership and takes account of Chartered Institute of Housing 176
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3 and Women’s Aid guidance and recent changes in legislation namely the implementation of the Domestic Abuse Protection (Scotland) Act 2021. The Resource will also continue to implement the aims and objectives of the SHORE (Sustainable Housing on Release for Everyone) standards, working with partners to prevent homelessness and stop the cycle of reoffending contributing to community safety. 2.5. Continuing to improve the supply and availability of housing The Resource will continue to deliver on its Home+ programme to increase the supply of council homes through the building of new homes and purchasing existing ones from the open market. In addition, by working with RSL partners, the Resource will also continue to meet housing needs by letting houses efficiently, effectively and fairly. 2.6. Provision of Services to Gypsy/Travellers The Resource currently operates two Gypsy/Traveller sites comprising a total of 24 pitches. The Resource will continue to work closely with residents to implement a co- produced investment masterplan for both sites which includes a range of investment activities including; pitch expansions, upgrades to amenity buildings and continuing to implement measures to improve fire safety on sites. In addition, the Resource is working with both the Scottish Government and CoSLA to contribute to the implementation of the national ‘Improving the lives of Gypsy/Traveller’s’ action plan published in 2019. This includes aligning the current local investment priorities and service provision with the national outcomes contained within the plan. 2.7. Health and Social Care With the approval of the third Strategic Commissioning Plan, The Resource will continue to contribute to the planning and delivery of services provided through the Health and Social Care partnership and ensure effective alignment in relation to strategic planning for housing and homelessness. 2.8. Development of Integrated Housing and Property Management System The development and implementation of the new integrated housing and property management system will remain a key priority for the Resource during 2022/23. This will progress in tandem with ensuring effective operation of existing systems to meet statutory and regulatory requirements and further digitisation of services that will enhance our interactions with customers and tackle digital inclusion. 2.9. Health and Safety Health and Safety legislation and regulations will remain a key area for the Resource to maximise efforts to reduce accidents and comply with all current and emerging health and safety legislation for Council buildings and Housing, developing and promoting a safe environment for employees and customers. 2.10. Asset Management and Decarbonisation The Resource will continue to manage the property and land assets as well as the commercial portfolio of the council, ensuring it continues to meet requirements in terms of scale, location, condition, suitability and corporate image. Corporate Standards will be reviewed to ensure they are kept in a good condition, well maintained, well used and energy and cost efficient. In relation to Council Housing, a key priority will be to ensure provision of well maintained, appropriate quality housing which meets the need of existing and future tenants. The 2022/23 Housing Capital Programme reflects the level of investment required to continue to maintain the Scottish Housing Quality Standard and to increase the proportion of homes that meet the second phase of the Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing by December 2032 (EESSH2). 177
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4 Through the introduction of the proposed New Build Heat Standard, the Scottish Government will require all new domestic buildings to be installed with a decarbonised heating source and will not be able to be connected to the existing gas network. Although the proposed introduction for the new standard is not until 2024, significant planning will be required to meet this new requirement. This includes changes to suppliers and procurement routes, as well as training and restructuring existing services. As decarbonised heating sources are also currently more expensive to run than traditional heating sources, consideration will also need to be given to how the installation and maintenance costs are met, as well as ensuring the homes remain affordable for tenants to live in. The full impacts of the United Kingdom’s exit from the European Union continue to be a source of great uncertainty. The potential consequences for the Resource include rising demands on housing services, the availability and costs of building materials, supplies and services and possible skills shortages across the construction sector. The Resource will continue to monitor the potential impact of the withdrawal process on service delivery as the year progresses. 178
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5 Section Three – Resource outcomes 3.1. Resource Outcomes The Resource has established the following outcomes to support the delivery of Connect Outcomes in 2022-23. Connect Outcomes Resource Outcomes Communities and Environment • Work with communities to create safe, strong sustainable places Health and Wellbeing • Support people to live active and independent lives • Help people to continue to live within their homes and communities through integrated community health and social care services Children and Young People • Improve the health and wellbeing of children, young people and families Housing and Land • Support people to access and sustain housing which meets their needs through our Integrated Housing Options service • Provide a comprehensive range of services to help prevent and alleviate homelessness including the provision of suitable temporary and supported accommodation • Continue to deliver an affordable housing programme to meet needs • Manage the council’s portfolio of properties and land • Ensure our repairs service continues to meet the needs of customers • More energy efficient council homes • Continue to engage and work with tenants and other customers to design our services • Provide high quality services to our service to our tenants, including those who live in sheltered housing and residents at our Gypsy / Travellers sites 3.2. Delivering the Plan and achieving Best Value In working towards the six Outcomes, the council aims to continually improve and ensure effective and efficient use of resources, and our business will be conducted with integrity, transparency and will operate to the highest standards. The Resource has established the following outcomes which specifically aim to support delivery of the plan and achieving best value. Delivering the Plan and achieving Best Value Resource Outcomes • Digital and ICT services meet the needs of its customer • Customers experience high quality and improving council services • The council demonstrates high standards of governance and sound financial stewardship • The workforce has the skills, flexibility and capacity to deliver the council’s outcomes 179
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6 Section Four – Measures and actions 4.0. Performance measures and action plan This section of the Resource Plan is divided into two parts: part (a) sets out our main performance measures against our outcomes; and part (b) describes the key actions we will take in the coming year to respond to the challenges ahead and improve services and outcomes. 4.a. How we will measure our performance The impact of Covid continues to have a significant effect on performance for some services. The table below shows our key performance measures, with data for the last 2 years and the target for 2022-23. To provide additional context for the targets, an indication of pre-Covid performance is provided in the notes column where possible. The impact of Covid may mean that some targets are below the level of performance seen pre-Covid, however they represent an improving picture from the levels seen in the Covid period. Resource Outcome: Support people to access and sustain housing which meets their needs through our Integrated Housing Option Service Measure 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Target Links Service Notes 1. % of lets to Urgent housing (UH) need households (locally set target) 61.1% 56.59% 60% C05.01 Housing The target is set at 60% to ensure progress is made towards the priorities and targets set within RRTP. Target approved by HTR Committee on 8/12/21 as part of Local Letting Plan Report. 2019-20 – 51.4%. 2. % of new tenancies sustained for more than a year for all lets (locally set target) 91.9% 93.4% 88% C05.01 SSHC Housing As anticipated and consistent with social landlords across Scotland tenancy sustainment has been higher during the pandemic, however, it is anticipated that this will decline. 2019-20 – 90.1%. 3. Average time taken to re- let empty properties (locally set target) 21 days 21.51 days 26 days SSHC Housing Performance against this Charter measure is consistently good and SLC remains one of the top performing councils in void management. Average Relet times have fluctuated during the pandemic, but void repairs were prioritised during restrictions and the approach to letting changed, with a focus on lets to homeless households, those with an urgent medical need, to support hospital discharge and lets to new build. The proposed target is considered challenging but realistic as it is anticipated that re-let times will rise due to continued disruption to supplies, 180
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7 materials and the workforce, delays with contractors and utilities, and, following a return to a more normal letting environment, including letting of longer-term voids. 2019-20 – 22 days. 4. % of rent due in the year that was lost due to voids (Operational void rent loss) (locally set target) 0.42% 0.6% 0.53% TBC SSHC Housing This target is set utilising current data on void repair and letting performance and protecting the position for the coming year. It is anticipated that the rent loss will increase as longer-term voids are returned to lettable condition. 2019-20 – 0.49%. 5. % of total void rent loss (locally set target) 1.22% 1.53% 1.35% TBC SSHC Housing 2019-20 – 1.35%. 6. % of tenancy offers refused during the year (N/A)h 24.7% 16.6% N/A SSHC Housing This is a contextual indicator as refusals are driven by the applicant and can vary significantly depending on size/availability/location of housing This indicator is required for the Scottish Housing Regulator charter return and is used to benchmark against all other Scottish LA’s.This indicator is required for the Scottish Housing Regulator charter return and is used to benchmark against all other Scottish LA’s. 2019-20 – 30.8%. Resource Outcome: Provide a comprehensive range of services to help prevent and alleviate homelessness including the provision of suitable and temporary and supported accommodation Measure 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Target Links Service Notes 7. % of homeless households advised of outcome of assessment within 28 days (locally set target) 99.8% 99.6% 98.0% SG 05.02 Housing Performance against this SG measure is good. However, to comply with legislation and statutory guidance, some investigations into homelessness (e.g. where Lost Contact is the outcome or for particularly complex cases), the 28 day timescale may be exceeded. Lost contact decisions should be made 28 days after the last contact with the individual so often these 181
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8 decisions will go beyond the 28 days. Hence a realistic but still challenging target slightly below 100% is proposed. 2019-20 – 99.8%. 8. Average length of time in temporary accommodati on (locally set target) 102 days TBC 120 days SG Housing Performance against this measure in 20/21 was impacted by the higher level of cases in temporary accommodation for shorter periods, linked directly to the Covid 19 pandemic. The target has been set, taking account of the continued uncertainty in relation to turnover/ availability of permanent housing solutions and the demand for homelessness services, although it is expected that the timescale in temporary accommodation will increase, in line with previous years. 2019-20 – 102 days. 9. % of households provided with temporary accommodati on (nationally set target) 100% 100% 100% SG Housing 2019-20 – 100%. 10. % of temporary accommodati on offers refused (locally set target) 6.84% TBC 6.00% SG Housing 2019-20 – 6.24%. 11. Number of times we did not meet our obligation to provide suitable accommodati on (nationally set target) 0 0 0 SG Housing 2019-20 – 0. 12. % of Housing Options interventions where Homelessnes s prevented 78.73% 73.48% 70% C05.02 Housing 2019-20 – 63.3%. 182
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9 (locally set target) Resource Outcome: Ensure our repairs service continues to meet the needs of customers Measure 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Target Links Service Notes 13. % of response repairs completed on time (nationally set target) 97.7% 99.1% 90% SSHC C05.16 Property This target is a statutory requirement for the Scottish Housing Regulator. We can also have a local target based on previous years performance and report on this (either internally or as a Resource Plan target) whilst reporting performance to the SHR against their target separately. 2019-20 – 96.0%. 14. Average length of time to complete emergency repair (contracted target) 3 hours 25 minutes 4 hours 24 minutes 24 hours (contract ed target) SSHC Property This target is a contractual arrangement that has been agreed in conjunction with tenant representatives and is a Charter requirement of the Scottish Housing Regulator. 2019-20 – 3 hours 44 minutes. 15. Average length of time to complete non- emergency repair (contracted target) 13.07 days 11.76 days 28 days (contract ed target) SSHC LGBF Property 2019-20 – 14.19 days. 16. % of reactive repairs completed first time right (nationally set target) 99.95% 99.76% 90% SSHC Property This target is a statutory requirement for the Scottish Housing Regulator. 2019-20 – 99.91%. 17. % of repairs appointment kept (nationally set target) 94.18% 94% 90% SHN Property This target is a statutory requirement for benchmarking returns. 2019-20 – 94%. 18. Number of times we did not, meet our obligation to complete the annual gas safety check by annual anniversary date (nationally set target) 411 439 All applianc es to have a valid gas safety check certificat e in place by 31/3/23 SSHC Property 2019-20 – 7 times. 183
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10 19. % of tenant satisfaction with repairs or maintenance in year (locally set target) 90% 91% 90% SSHC Property This target is to maintain performance at 90% and is a regulatory requirement for the Scottish Housing Regulator. 2019-20 – 93%. Resource Outcome: More energy efficient homes Measure 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Target Links Service Notes 20. % of council stock meeting the SHQS (locally set target) 93.5% 78.32% 90% SSHC Property 2019-20 – 93.2%. 21. % of council dwellings that are Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing 2 (EESSH2) (locally set target) 4.8% 6.48% 10% C05.17 Property 2019-20 – 4.8%. Resource Outcome: Work with communities to create safe, strong and sustainable places Measure 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Target Links Service Notes 22. % of Anti- Social Behaviour cases resolved in the year (locally set target) 95.2% 94.3% 90% SSHC Housing Whilst performance in 20/21 was very high, as expected there has been an increase in volume of ASB cases and a projected drop in performance is anticipated. The Target remains challenging. 2019-20 – 98%. Resource Outcome: Support people to live active and independent lives Measure 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Target Links Service Notes 23. Number of adaptations completed in Council homes (locally set target) 476 933 100% of requests received 03.01 Property Performance in this area is demand led - numbers are contextual - and can vary significantly from year to year. We have updated the target to 100% of adaptations received. 2019-20 – 848. 24. Number of households currently 0 0 0 C03.01 Property 2019-20 – 0. 184
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11 waiting for adaptations to their home (locally set target) 25. % of approved applications for adaptations completed in year (locally set target) 100% 100% 100% C03.01 SSHC Property 2019-20 – 100%. 26. Average time (working days) to complete applications (nationally set target) 28 days 23.49 days 28 days SSHC Property This target is a contractual arrangement as well as a statutory requirement for the Scottish Housing Regulator. 2019-20 – 24.8 days. 27. % of standard adaptations to council houses within agreed appointment times (nationally set target) 92.4% 98.3% 90.0% C03.01 Property This target is a contractual arrangement as well as a statutory requirement for the Scottish Housing Regulator. 2019-20 – 85.6% 28. % of new build that meets needs of older people (locally set target) 27% 20% N/A C03.01 Housing/ Property No amenity target set. Numbers determined by demand and allocated as per policy. 2019-20 – N/A. Resource Outcome: Delivering the Plan and achieving best value Measure 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Target Links Service Notes 29. % of Stage 1 complaints responded to in full (locally set target) 93% 91% 100% SSHC Housing/ Property 2019-20 – 97.4%. 30. Average time in working days for a full response at Stage 1 (locally set target) 5 days 5 days 5 days SSHC Housing/ Property 2019-20 – 4 days. 185
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12 31. % of Stage 2 complaints responded to in full (locally set target) 91% 100% 100% SSHC Housing/ Property 2019-20 – 96.8%. 32. Average time in working days for a full response at Stage 2 (locally set target) 14 days 15 days 20 days SSHC Housing/ Property 2019-20 – 17 days. 33. Rent collected as a % of rent due in the year (locally set target) 97.4% 98.3% 98.76% SSHC Housing 2019/20 performance baseline represented the last year prior to the pandemic. Although this target has yet to be finalised, It is anticipated that the pandemic and the period of economic recovery will continue to have an adverse impact on the ability to collect rent. 2019-20 – 99.7%. 34. Gross rent arrears (current and former tenants) as a % of rent due for the year (locally set target) 8.26% 8.91% 9% LGBF SSHC Housing 2019/20 performance baseline represented the last year prior to the pandemic. Although this target has yet to be finalised, It is anticipated that the pandemic and the period of economic recovery will continue to have an adverse impact on the gross rent arrears position. 2019-20 – 7.05%. 35. Factoring collection rate (locally set target) 74.1% 73% 75% C07.02 Property 2019-20 – 78.1%. 4.b. What actions we will take in 2022-23 Resource Outcome: Continue to deliver an affordable housing programme to meet needs Action Milestones/Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 1. Increase the number of new affordable homes Total new/additional affordable homes delivered per SHIP and reported to H&TR Committee. C05.10 Housing/ Property 2. Physical regeneration work in priority areas Remaining properties (Phase 3 of the masterplan) for regeneration at Whitlawburn complete by end of March 2023. 05.10 Housing/ Property Work with partners to bring 15 Long Term empty homes into use by March 2023. C05.10 Housing/ Property 186
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13 3. Increase supply of housing suitable for older people All properties that are suitable, as identified at the void stage, will be converted to Amenity standard. During the period of the SHIP 2022-2027, a total of 569 specialist provision properties are forecast to be delivered across both SLC and RSL sites. C05.10 Housing/ Property Resource Outcome: Support people to access and sustain housing which meets their needs through our Integrated Housing Option Service Action Milestones/Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 4. Understand the financial security of our customers Provide a programme of support to our customers including – • The offer of tailored support to 100% of tenants who go on to receive Universal Credit. As part of rent setting process - • Complete analysis of the affordability of our rents by December 2022. Consult with tenants regarding proposed rent levels by December 2022. 05.01 Housing 5. Development and implement Local Housing Strategy for 2022-27 Local Housing Strategy developed, consulted and approved by Executive Committee in November 2022. C05.01 Housing A Housing Needs and Demand Assessment completed by August 2022. 05.01 Housing Resource Outcome: Provide a comprehensive range of services to help prevent and alleviate homelessness including the provision of suitable and temporary and supported accommodation Action Milestones/Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 6. Improve access to settled accommodation for homeless households Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan delivered including - Implement Housing First approach, provide suitable accommodation and support for up to 40 individuals with complex needs by 2022/23. Increase settled accommodation by converting 20 to 30 temporary accommodation units to Scottish Secure Tenancies during 2022/23. During 2022/23, reduce the overall homelessness caseload from 900 to 750 and reduce long term homelessness caseload from 35 to 25. Reduce and maintain repeat instances of homelessness to below 4.5% of all cases during 2022/23 (RRTP aim is <3% over life of plan). C05.02 Housing Resource Outcome: Work with communities to create safe, strong sustainable places Action Milestones/Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 7. Community Safety priorities including relevant parts of the SLCP are achieved The Resource will administer a review of the Safer South Lanarkshire Board and associated structure during 2022/23. This will aim to ensure reporting requirements around police and fire scrutiny, anti-social behaviour and community justice remain appropriate alongside links to revised community planning priorities. C01.01 Housing 187
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14 Resource Outcome: Continue to engage and work with tenants and other customers to design our services Action Milestones/Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 8. Develop and implement Customer Involvement Strategy Customer Involvement Strategy to be developed, consulted, and approved by Housing and Technical Resources Committee by August 2023. 05.12 Housing 9. Ensure effective involvement with tenants and other customer groups Annual Scrutiny Programme 2022/23 developed June 2022 and implemented by March 2023. Customer Engagement Programme agreed with tenant representatives by August 2022. C05.12 Housing 10.Service development is informed by understanding our customer satisfaction levels of key service areas Customer Satisfaction Programme developed and approved by July 2022. Results are reviewed quarterly, and any improvement activities are identified and incorporated into service and resource planning cycles. SSHC Housing/ Property Resource Outcome: Provide high quality services to our service to our tenants, including those who live in sheltered housing and residents at our Gypsy / Travellers sites Action Milestones/Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 11.Work with Gypsy/Traveller residents to develop and implement a programme of site improvement Site Investment Masterplans reviewed in consultation with residents and planned improvement works for progression during 2022 and current works completed by 31 March 2023. C05.03 Housing 12.Ensure that Sheltered housing services are compliant with Care Inspectorate inspection standards Complete Quality assurance checks to monitor and ensure compliance with care inspectorate standards. Each of the 34 sheltered housing complexes will be checked during 2022/23 with findings of completed checks reported on a quarterly basis. C05.03 Housing Resource Outcome: More energy efficient council homes Action Milestones/Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 13. Improve energy efficiency stock to help address fuel poverty Deliver investment projects to increase energy efficiency of housing stock during 2022/23. C05.17 Property Resource Outcome: Manage the council’s portfolio of properties and land Action Milestones/Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 14. Project Management of Schools Projects and General Services Projects The General Services Programme spend will be achieved for the financial year. C05.11 Property Two new nursery projects to be completed during 2022/23 at Skylark, Larkhall and Clyde Terrace, Bothwell. 05.11 Property 188
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15 Resource Outcome: Improve the health and wellbeing of children, young people and families Action Milestones/Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 15. Contribute to effective joint working to protect and promote the wellbeing of children, young people and adults 100% of households identified as at risk are referred to appropriate statutory agencies. 04.04 Housing/ Property Deliver key actions detailed in the Local Child Poverty Action Report during 2022/23 within the following areas: • Reducing the costs of housing for families including energy costs; • Investment to increase new affordable housing supply; • Preventing and reducing homelessness for households, including families with children and young people 04.04 Housing Implement the SHORE (Sustainable Housing on Release for Everyone) standards, by providing appropriate support to 100% of individuals leaving prison with identified housing need. 04.04 Housing 100% of young people moving on from care offered housing options appointment, and of those requiring Housing Service assistance, 100% supported to move onto suitable and sustainable housing via a personal housing pathway plan. 04.04 Housing Resource Outcome: Help people to continue to live within their homes and communities through integrated community health and social care services Action Milestones/Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 16. Ensure effective contribution to health and social care outcomes contained within the Strategic Commissioning Plan Implementation of agreed housing actions within SCP3 to be progressed throughout the duration of the SCP3. C03.08 Housing Resource Outcome: Delivering the plan and achieving best value Action Steps we have taken to deliver our actions Links Service 17. Ensure effective management of all Resource budgets and Business Plans Overall budgetary target achieved by March 2023. 07.02 Housing/ Property 18. Progress the council’s Digital Strategy within the Resource Replacement Integrated Housing Management and Property System developed and implemented during 2022/23. 07.04 Housing/ Property 189
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16 Section Five – Resourcing the Plan 5.0. Introduction In this section we consider the resources needed to implement our plan, including funding and staffing. 5.1. Revenue Budget 2022-23 The Resource has a Net Revenue Budget of £13,175 for 2022-23. The table below allocates this budget across the services: NET Budget by Service 2022-23 Detail £ million % Housing Services 8,481 64% Property Services 4,694 36% Total 13,175 100% 5.2. Capital Budget 2022-23 The following capital budget of £52.23 million is allocated to the Resource for 2022-23: Capital Programme 2022-23 Project £ million Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Capital (new projects) 52.23 Total 52.23 5.3. Resource Employees The Resource has 1442 employees as at March 2022. We support these employees to deliver their duties through a range of policies including personal appraisal and a robust training framework. The number of employees (per headcount) by service is as follows: Service Number of employees Housing Services 471 Property Services 971 Total 1442 190
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Social Work Resources Social Work Resource Plan 2022-23 8 191
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Section Contents Page 1.0 Introduction 3 2.0 Key areas of focus for the year ahead 5 3.0 Resource Outcomes 8 4.0 Measures and actions 10 5.0 Resourcing the Plan 15 192
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Section One – Introduction I am pleased to introduce our Resource Plan for 2022-23 which sets out our intended outcomes and priorities for the coming year. This is the main annual business planning document for the Resource. It reflects the council’s key priorities as set out in the Council Plan ‘Connect’ and provides an overview of the Resource’s main areas of activity. Social Work Resources promotes social welfare and provides effective care and support to meet the needs of vulnerable people in South Lanarkshire. We are committed to providing responsive and accessible services, with defined standards for service provision and to supporting local people to maximise their potential, maintain their independence and improve outcomes. We support and protect children, young people, adults and older people and their carers, as well as supporting adults in communities involved with the Criminal Justice System. The Resource is one of the key partners within the South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership. There is a statutory requirement for the council to appoint a professionally qualified Chief Social Work Officer (CSWO) who must be registered with the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC). The role of the CSWO is to provide professional advice and guidance to the local authority, elected members and officers in the provision of Social Work services, whether commissioned or directly provided. A copy of the CSWO Report is available to download from the council website. Resource activities include assessment, specialist assessment and support, provision of targeted services for vulnerable children, young people and adults and their carers. Service provision includes care at home; support services, day, respite and residential services; supervision and monitoring in the protection of vulnerable children and adults; and working with those who are subject to requirements within justice and mental health legislation. There are three service areas within Social Work Resources which ensure that the Council delivers its statutory duties and functions across four localities. Service provision continues to be adapted during the pandemic to keep service users and staff safe. Adult and Older People Services Adult and Older People Services work with other council resources as well as partners in health, and the voluntary and independent sector. Staff fulfil duties under the law and the Mental Health (Care and Treatment) (Scotland) Act 2003 and Adults with Incapacity (Scotland) Act 2000 play an important role in guiding how some services are delivered. Older people services provide support in different ways. Assessment and care management services assess the care needs of service users and their carers and help plan services to meet those needs. Care at home services and day care services provide a range of support designed to help people remain as independent as possible within the community. Care home care is available for individuals who need support in such a setting on a short or long-term basis. Social Work also fund a wide range of commissioned services provided by the independent, voluntary, and private sector. Children and Justice Services Children’s services provide support and care for children, young people, and their families so that, wherever possible, young people can remain with their own families in their own communities. This is undertaken through a range of services from locality social work teams, Family Centre’s, Autism support through the Autism Support Coordination Hub (ARCH), residential and community respite for children affected by disability, intensive family support in the community, Throughcare and After care support for care experienced young people, Kinship Care and provision of registered fostering and adoption services. We work to provide family support to promote the welfare and development of children, young people, and their families. Social Work Resources has a duty to protect children. Whilst this is a shared responsibility with other agencies and the community, Social Work has joint 193
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lead responsibility with the Police to investigate allegations of child abuse which is carried out in the framework of jointly agreed child protection procedures. Justice staff work within the context of The Community Justice (Scotland) Act 2016 which places duties on statutory partners who have a key role to play in improving community justice outcomes to provide services that enable people to participate effectively in response to the problems and consequences of crime. Services are offered in courts, local offices, and specialised teams to people referred by the courts, prisons, and other agencies. The service works with victims and perpetrators of domestic abuse and gender-based violence. It also hosts the Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) as a pan Lanarkshire resource working with High-Risk offenders and Registered Sex Offenders. The unpaid work service provides a range of opportunities to carry out community payback orders contributing positively to community projects. We work with offenders to reduce criminal behaviour and promote community safety. This is done by helping prisoners resettle following a period in prison, addressing responsibility for offending, providing programmes that offer realistic alternatives and raising awareness about how offending affects victims. Performance and Support Services Performance and Support Services include business support functions and links with: IT; Procurement; Finance; Personnel; Workforce Planning; Corporate Governance; Information Governance; and Asset Management. Administration Services providing effective administration and communication support to all the service areas across the Resource. A dedicated team provide services and support in the areas of performance reporting, statutory planning, inspection, regulation, risk management, complaints, Scottish Government returns, statutory performance indicators, demographic profiles and trends, and management information requests as required. The PPE (Personal Protective Equipment) Hub developed since first lockdown, is now a service area currently with Performance and Support. This Resource Plan has been prepared in the context of the COVID-19 pandemic and the measures the council has taken to minimise its spread, deal with its effects and support communities. The long-term impact on the council and its services, including the financial impact, will not be fully understood for some time. However, all Resources have prepared response plans which continue to be developed in parallel with the Resource Plans. In taking forward this plan it is incumbent on us to apply what we have learned over the last two years to ensure that we develop supports and services which are fit for purpose, sustainable and address the needs of vulnerable people across all our communities. Soumen Sengupta Director of Health and Social Care Social Work Resources 194
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Section Two – Key areas of focus for the year ahead 2. Overview The Resource has identified the main challenges, risks and new developments which will have significant impact on the delivery of services in the coming year. These are outlined briefly below. 2.1 Challenges and service demand There are specific challenges to the Resource in relation to the demand for service provision. These have been evident across the whole of health and social care and are interconnected and include: • An increasing ageing population (this is most pronounced in the 75+ age group). As people advance in age their need for health and social care services increases. Aligned to this is that the healthy life expectancy for people in South Lanarkshire is lower and people will spend a higher proportion of their lives in poor health. These factors increase the demand for services. • Many factors combine together to affect the health and wellbeing of individuals and communities. Whether people are healthy or not, is determined by their social and economic circumstances and the wider environment all of which contribute to health inequalities. The pandemic is accentuating these inequalities and service provision will continue to be targeted at the most vulnerable in our communities. People are experiencing financial hardship. Social Work Resources, the Health and Social Care Partnership and other partners will have a role to play in tackling these inequalities. • People have been unable to access routine services or procedures which will have a longer-term impact resulting in an increased demand for social care and health services. For example, there has been an increase in the average size of care at home packages and the number of people with multiple long-term conditions is increasing. The long-term consequences of delayed treatment, illnesses not identified and loss of progress in health improvement are still not fully understood • Carers have been unable to have a break from caring, they have taken on more responsibility as traditional building-based services have had to develop workarounds within COVID guidelines. • There has been a 4% rise in the number of children looked after from 2019 - 2021 (from 725 to 752) • The number of care experienced young people exercising their right to ‘stay put’ as part of the continuing care requirements that has seen an increase in young people remaining in care placements up to age 21 with resource and financial implications • Dementia prevalence rates were 8 per 1,000 of the population in 2012/13 and projected to 9.7 per 1,000 of the population for 2020/21 • There has been a 7% decrease from 2019/20 – 2021/22 in the number of people on guardianship orders (from 988 to 916), with the number of statutory visits to be undertaken remaining stable (from 2556 to 2563) • Increased adult support and protection activity from 2020/21 – 2021/22 with an 11% increase (from 1144 to 1273) in the number of adult protection investigations to support vulnerable adults. • There has been significant work undertaken to address the impact of COVID across Social Work services. The courts system, and locality Justice Social Work teams have experienced an increase in the volume of court report requests. • Unpaid work was suspended during significant periods of the pandemic leading to a backlog of unpaid work hours in the region of 40,000 hours at one point. The back log is being monitored nationally and work is being undertaken to address it. 195
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• Residential, Day Services and Care at Home continue to adapt to meet the increased requirements of infection prevention and control measures, testing and higher levels of lost staff days due to COVID. • Recruitment and retention to the social care workforce for both qualified and paraprofessional roles continue to be challenging alongside an existing ageing workforce with competing pressures on the labour market. 2.2 COVID - 19 Continued Response and Recovery As the council continues to respond to the global pandemic Social Work Resources priority remains protecting vulnerable children, young people, and adults in our communities by ensuring the effective delivery of critical services compliant with statutory legislation. While services have continued to be delivered to those assessed as most at risk with our focus on public protection, we have started to remobilise some services where it is safe to do so with the appropriate safe systems of work and infection control measures in place. All working arrangements are reviewed on an ongoing basis as recovery takes place. Social Work services have continued to be delivered within our statutory framework. Temporary amendments for adult and child care assessments under The Coronavirus Act 2020 (The Act) were made available. The Acts have provided powers and measures which have helped to protect the public, maintain essential public services and support the economy in the face of the unprecedented and ongoing public health and economic challenges created by the pandemic. This includes protections for individuals in areas such as housing, measures to support the ongoing operation of the justice system, and support for public bodies in their response to coronavirus (COVID-19) such as adjustments to deadlines for reports and assessments. As a resource we utilised the amendments under the Act to ensure we continued to put service user needs at the centre. The Act also allowed for the emergency early release of prisoners sentenced to 18 months or less with 90 days or less of their sentence to serve if necessary. Those released are not subject to supervision and are offered support on a voluntary basis. Care at home services, residential childcare services and residential older people’s care continue to be delivered with additional requirements and levels of scrutiny. The Personal Protection Equipment (PPE) hub continues to distribute equipment to staff internally within Social Work, Education and Corporate Resources and to externally commissioned services, as well as to carers. Other services continue to be delivered with minimal cover arrangements to reduce footfall, or through agile means such as money matters advice, administration services, strategy, planning and performance, children, justice, court services and adult and older people assessment and care management. The model of delivery for day services for older people is now being delivered as a blended model, that is, both outreach and centre based. A Change Fund totalling £5.924m has been established by the South Lanarkshire Integration Joint Board to create additional capacity to progress the recovery and remobilisation of services, including maintaining and expanding, where appropriate, the new ways of working which have developed in response to the Covid-19 pandemic. The Change Fund duration will be up to three years. This approach will ensure the recurring funding of £300 million nationally which was announced on 5 October 2021 is directed effectively to maximum effect to provide longer term improvement in service capacity across health and social care systems. There is already a degree of precedent for such an approach, with two-year recovery timelines already set for Children and Adult Mental Health Services and Psychological Therapies. The establishment of the Change Funds will also support a joint approach to service development across Lanarkshire, as appropriate, which will be beneficial for South 196
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Lanarkshire HSCP, North Lanarkshire HSCP and Acute Services. In consultation with SLC, NHS Lanarkshire and North Lanarkshire HSCP, detailed plans are being developed to progress the ongoing response to, and recovery from, the Covid-19 pandemic. The HSCPs will continue to work to understand the impact of the changes that have been made or experienced by services during the pandemic. Pressures, gaps and opportunities that have or will emerge will continue to be identified to ensure an appropriate and effective response is implemented timeously. The Change Fund will support transformation by enabling the development of new models of service whilst all services continue to manage current pressures and demand particularly during critical periods. 2.3 Transformation and service improvement programme The Blantyre Care Facility and Technology Enabled Properties (TEPs), part of the care facilities modernisation programme, is progressing well. The final 12 TEPs will be allocated to service users by the end of July 2022, with the care facility being operational by November 2022. Feedback from the existing service users who moved into the properties late January/early February is very favourable. Work is progressing well with the TEC Zone within the care facility which is being designed in collaboration with Glasgow Science Centre and will showcase how technology enabled care can be used to support people to live well, safely and independently at home. Progress continues with the care and support service review, implementation of the mental health strategy, care at home services improvement programme, and adult and older peoples’ day services review. A review of how equipment is provided for occupational therapy services will be undertaken. 2.4 Delivering the strategic commissioning plan intentions Following a public engagement programme, the Strategic Commissioning Plan 2022 – 2025 has been approved by the South Lanarkshire Integration Joint Board. Social Work Resources, a key partner of the Health and Social Care Partnership, will deliver the Strategic Commissioning Plan intentions through the directions issued by South Lanarkshire Integration Joint Board. 2.5 Statutory requirements The statutory framework for social work services is contained in a raft of different pieces of legislation. Principal among these is the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 which places a duty on all local authorities to “promote social welfare”. The Resource is responsible for 39 registered care services and must comply with Care Inspectorate regulation and inspection. Social Work and other partners are providing an enhanced system of assurance for the safety and wellbeing of service users, carers and staff through a range of clinical and professional oversight groups as a result of COVID. Within residential settings, a new Quality Improvement Infection Control Care Inspection audit framework, with increased scrutiny and expectation of full compliance is now embedded in practice and audited regularly via care home assurance visits. Social Work has a statutory duty to provide care and protection to the most vulnerable people across South Lanarkshire. An Inspection of Services for Children in Need of Care and Protection was undertaken in 2019 and the improvement plan has continued to progress ensuring all pertinent areas identified within the inspection report are addressed. 197
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An inspection of Adult Support and Protection will be carried out by the Care Inspectorate in collaboration with Her Majesties’ Inspectorate of Constabulary Scotland (HMICS) and Healthcare Improvement Scotland (HIS) during 2021/22. The purpose of the joint inspection is to seek assurance that adults at risk of harm in South Lanarkshire are supported and protected by existing national and local adult support and protection arrangements. Also, an inspection by the Care Inspectorate will be undertaken in 2022 for Justice Services and partners targeting diversion from prosecution in our communities to divert people from entering the criminal justice system. An interim central operational management structure for Community Mental Health and Addictions (CAReS) Services in South Lanarkshire is in place to progress an implementation plan that will facilitate the transfer of Adult and Older Adults CMHT’s and locality Psychological Therapies teams to South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care partnership. The Independent Care Review reached the final stage of its root and branch review of the care system in 2020. The review produced the key report named The Promise. https://www.carereview.scot/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/The-Promise.pdf The Promise sets out an overall view of what the new approach to supporting children, young people and families should be. The Promise and delivery of the five priority areas and key milestones for 21-24 namely: ➢ The right to a childhood ➢ Whole family support ➢ Supporting the workforce ➢ Planning ➢ Building capacity A Champions Board has now been established in the resource to listen to the voice of those who are care experienced as well as a Community Planning Partnership Promise Board to drive forward the work of The Promise. 2.6 National Care Service The Scottish Government issued “A National Care Service for Scotland – Consultation,” on 9th August 2021 seeking the views of the public, groups, and organisations on the creation of a community health and social care service that supports people of all ages. The consultation followed on from the Independent Review of Adult Social Care report (Feeley report) which was commissioned by the Scottish Government to recommend improvements to adult social care in Scotland in terms of the outcomes achieved by and with people who use services, their carers and families, and the experience of people who work in adult social care. The consultation closed in November 2021 and set out proposals wider than those recommended in the Feeley report, namely, a service for society as a whole in Scotland and not only for adult and older people. The proposals explore a significant cultural and system change that will require primary legislation to progress. The Scottish Government have advised that following consideration of responses received, draft legislation will be presented to Scottish Parliament by summer 2022. They have indicated that this legislation will be complex and likely to take a year to scrutinise. The Scottish Government have indicated that a National care Service will be in place by the end of their parliamentary term in 2026. The proposals contained within the consultation have major implications for local authorities, social work, health and social care partnerships, integration joint boards, and providers of health and social care services. These will be considered as more detail emerges. 198
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Section Three – Resource Outcomes 3.1. Resource Outcomes Social Work Resources has established the following Resource outcomes to support the delivery of Connect outcomes in 2022-23. Connect Outcomes Resource Outcomes Communities and Environment • Social Work Resources embeds sustainable development across services • Community Justice Outcome Improvement Plan is progressed • Disadvantaged people/groups are provided with access to timely support and interventions • For those who have committed offences safely and effectively support them to reintegrate into the community and realise their potential for the benefits of all • Strengthen engagement with service users and carers Education and Learning Health and Wellbeing • Deliver better health and social care outcomes for all • Promote good mental health and wellbeing • Promote, choice, control and flexibility in social care • Continue to support carers good health and wellbeing alongside their caring role • Care and protect vulnerable adults Children and Young People • Care and protect vulnerable children and young people Housing and Land Our Economy 3.2. Delivering the Plan and achieving Best Value In working towards the six outcomes, the council aims to continually improve and ensure effective and efficient use of resources, and our business will be conducted with integrity, transparency and will operate to the highest standards. Social Work Resources has established the following Resource outcomes to support Delivering the Plan and achieving Best Value. Delivering the Plan and achieving Best Value Resource Outcomes • Deliver and communicate the Council Plan and ensure high standards of governance 199
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• Develop improvement activity and promote scrutiny • Improve the skills, flexibility and capacity of the workforce • Promote equality and the well-being of staff Section Four – Measures and actions 4.0 Performance measures and action plan This section of the Resource Plan is divided into two parts: part (a) sets out our main performance measures against our outcomes; and part (b) describes the key actions we will take in the coming year to respond to the challenges ahead and improve services and outcomes. 4.a. How we will measure our performance The impact of Covid continues to have a significant effect on performance for some services. The table below shows our key performance measures, with data for the last 2 years and the target for 2022-23. To provide additional context for the targets, an indication of pre-Covid performance is provided in the note’s column where possible. The impact of Covid may mean that some targets are below the level of performance seen pre-Covid, however they represent an improving picture from the levels seen in the Covid period. Resource Outcome: Social Work Resources embeds sustainable development across services Measure 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Target Links Service Notes 1. Make an annual saving from using recycled items as opposed to new through the joint store £240k £267 £175k C01.06 Performance and Support Resource Outcome: Community Justice Outcome Improvement Plan is progressed Measure 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Target Links Service Notes 2. Percentage of clients first seen within two working days of a DTTO commencing 100% 100% 95% C03.02 Children and Justice Resource Outcome: Disadvantaged people/groups are provided with access to timely support and interventions Measure 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Target Links Service Notes 3. Percentage of drug/alcohol clients starting treatment/ psychological intervention within three weeks of referral 97% 96% 90% C03.02 Adult and Older People 200
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Resource Outcome: For those who have committed offences safely and effectively support them to reintegrate into the community and realise their potential for the benefits of all Measure 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Target Links Service Notes 4. Percentage of offenders on CPO unpaid work requirement seen within five working days by their case manager 57% 68% 75% 03.02 Children and Justice Pre-Covid 77%. 5. Percentage of people starting their placement within seven days of a CPO unpaid work 47% 65% 75% 03.02 Children and Justice Pre-Covid 79% 6. Percentage of Criminal Justice Social Work reports submitted to Court by the due date 97% 99% 95% C03.02 Children and Justice Resource Outcome: Care and protect vulnerable children and young people Measure 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Target Links Service Notes 7. Percentage of parental attendance at initial Child Protection case conferences 83% 89% 85% 04.05 Children and Justice 8. Percentage of Child Protection Investigations completed that progress to Case Conference 50% 73% 60% 04.07 Children and Justice 9. Percentage of children seen by a supervising officer within 15 days 70% 94% 75% 03.04 Children and Justice Pre-Covid 90% 10.Percentage of reports submitted to the Children’s Reporter within agreed timescales 88% 82% 75% C03.04 Children and Justice 11.Percentage of our looked after children and young people accommodated in residential placements. 8% 10% 10% C04.08 Children and Justice Shift the balance of care, with more young people looked after in their community and decrease use of residential placements. 12.Report the number of young carers supported by Action for Children on a quarterly basis to n/a 2,021 2,000 C04.04 Children and Justice Measure introduced 2021-22. 201
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Senior Management Team. Resource Outcome: Care and protect vulnerable adults Measure 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Target Links Service Notes 13. Percentage of statutory supervising officer visits completed within timescale for local authority welfare guardianship orders 93% 94% 90% C03.04 Adult and Older People 14. Percentage of statutory supervising officer visits completed within timescale for private welfare guardianship orders 94% 95% 90% C03.04 Adult and Older People Resource Outcome: Deliver better health and social care outcomes for all Measure 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Target Links Service Notes 15. Percentage of telecare installations completed by Care and Repair within agreed timescales n/a n/a 95% 03.08 Adult and Older People Measure introduced 2022-23. Timescale is 3 days for urgent and 10 days for standard cases. Resource Outcome: Continue to support carers good health and wellbeing alongside their caring role Measure 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Target Links Service Notes 16. Number of new carers supported by the commissioned carer support from Lanarkshire Carers n/a TBC 800 03.02 Performance and Support Measure introduced 2021-22. Resource Outcome: Promote, choice, control and flexibility in social care Measure 2020-21 2021-22 2022-23 Target Links Service Notes 17.Percentage of personalised outcomes being achieved through service users reviewed support plans n/a 76% 75% 03.02 Adult and Older People Measure introduced 2021-22. 4.b.What actions we will take in 2022-23 Resource Outcome: Community Justice Outcome Improvement Plan is progressed Action Milestones/Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 202
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1. Embed the national model for Community Justice with our CJ partners in South Lanarkshire Report on the priorities set out within the new CJ Outcome Improvement Plan 2022-2025 by March 2023 03.02 Children and Justice Resource Outcome: For those who have committed offences safely and effectively support them to reintegrate into the community and realise their potential for the benefits of all Action Milestones/Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 2. Improve management of all offenders including high risk offenders Provide training to increase awareness and knowledge of MAPPA to develop partnership-working arrangements with Adult and Older People Services by March 2023 03.02 Children and Justice Resource Outcome: Care and protect vulnerable adults Action Milestones/Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 3. Improve outcomes for people living in their own homes and communities Produce six monthly updates to Senior Management Team on Quality Assurance activity in quarter 2 and 4 03.08 Adult and Older People 4. Monitor vulnerable adults’ referrals/activity Produce quarterly report for Adult Protection Committee and Chief Officers Group to monitor ASP activity and performance C03.04 Adult and Older People Resource Outcome: Deliver better health and social care outcomes for all Action Milestones/Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 5. Implement the actions detailed within the Health and Social Care Delivery Plan Report against trajectories for the six areas identified in the Health and Social Care Delivery Plan: Emergency Admissions; Unscheduled Care Bed Days; Accident and Emergency Attendances; Delayed Discharge Bed Days; End of Life Care; Balance of Care to the IJB, Performance and Audit Sub Committee and Social Work Resource Committee in quarter 2 and 4. 03.04 Performance and Support 6. Support the implementation of the Integration Joint Board Directions which focus on shifting the balance of care. Provide progress reports to the IJB in relation to the Directions in quarter 2 and 4. C03.08 Performance and Support 7. Extend the range and choice of day opportunities for older people. Report to Social Work Committee on the progress of the Day Care Review within the lifecycle of this Resource Plan 03.07 Adult and Older People 8. Implement Government Strategies relating to mental health, additional Provide annual reports to Senior Management Team and Social Work C03.01 Performance and Support 203
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support needs, physical, sensory and learning disability. Committee on progress of implementation of national strategies 9. Progress South Lanarkshire’s care facilities Modernisation Programme Provide a quarterly update to Senior Management team on the progress of the Blantyre Care Campus development including the Care Facility and Technology Enabled Properties in quarter 2 and 4. 01.04 Adult and Older People 10. Prepare for the Analogue to Digital Migration for Assistive Technology Complete telecare asset audit, including testing of all peripheral technology by July 2022. 01.04 Adult and Older People Provide a quarterly update to Senior Management Team on findings from the Telecare Quarterly Benchmarking submission and agree relevant actions for 2023/24 01.04 Adult and Older People 11. Put Home First Model in place to support people to maximise their independence, safe and timely hospital discharge and avoid unnecessary hospital admission. Develop project plan for implementation by June 2022 03.08 Adult and Older People Develop measurement plan which tracks progress and implementation of Home First Model by September 2022 Undertake phased recruitment of staffing to embed the model across the HSCP by January 2023 Resource Outcome: Strengthen engagement with service users and carers Action Milestones/Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 12. Continue to support the culture where consultation and participation is part of the planning, development and delivery of all our services. Provide a quarterly update to Senior Management Team on service user response to the participation methods used and report on the outcomes of engagement activity, to ensure stakeholder views are available in the decision-making process. 01.05 Performance and Support Resource Outcome: Deliver and communicate the Council Plan and ensure high standards of governance Action Milestones/Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 13. Ensure that high standards of governance are being exercised. Report to the Senior Management Team on the review of the Risk Register every 6 months and report to Social Work Committee annually C07.02 Performance and Support 14. Ensure monitoring, compliance and control of externally purchased services Produce annual report to Senior Management Team on the quality of care provided by externally purchased services C06.09 Performance and Support 15. Chief Social Work Officer will continue to provide professional advice and guidance to Chief Social Work Officer to provide an annual report on key challenges, developments and improvements across Social Work as well as 07.02 Performance and Support 204
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the Council in accordance with legislative duties reporting on service quality and performance including delivery of statutory functions by September 2022 Resource Outcome: Develop improvement activity and promote scrutiny Action Milestones/Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 16. Implement effective Best Value management arrangements to ensure continuous improvement and efficient and effective service delivery Submit all Scottish Government Performance Annual Reports within timescale C07.02 Performance and Support 17. Progress the procurement and implementation of the new Social Care Case Management System by 2023/24. Complete the relevant steps in procurement and implementation and report progress to the Project Review Board throughout project delivery 07.04 Performance and Support Resource Outcome: Social Work Resources embeds sustainable development across services Action Milestones/Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 18. Contribute to a fair, healthy and sustainable food system Provide an annual update to Senior Management Team and identify potential opportunities for sourcing more local produce through the procurement process, identify small food growing pilots within Social Work establishments and services to promote alternative growing opportunities 01.11 Performance and Support Section Five – Resourcing the Plan 5.0. Introduction In this section we consider the resources needed to implement our plan, including funding and staffing. This section will be finalised once budgets have been agreed for 2022-23. 5.1. Revenue Budget 2022-23 The Resource has a Net Revenue Budget of £212 million for 2022-23. The table below allocates this budget across the services: NET Budget by Service 2022-23 Detail £ million % Performance and Support Services 8.400 4.0 Adult and Older People 166.872 78.7 Children and Families 35.894 16.9 Justice and Substance Misuse 0.860 0.4 205
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Total 212 5.2. Capital Budget 2022-23 The following capital budget of £5.363 million is allocated to the Resource for 2022-23: 5.3. Resource Employees Social Work Resources has 2899 employees as of March 2022. We support these employees to deliver their duties through a range of policies including personal appraisal and a robust training framework. The number of employees (per headcount) by service is as follows: Service Number of employees Adult and Older Peoples Services 2107 Children and Justice Services 557 Performance and Support 235 Total 2899 Capital Programme 2022-23 Project £ million Care Facilities 2.702 Other 2.661 Total 5.363 206
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 24 August 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) Subject: Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure Proposed Tariffs 1. Purpose of this Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- provide an update on the status of the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Network, propose the introduction of tariffs, and set out potential future opportunities for a more commercial approach 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- (1) agree the information in this report relating to the current and future costs, assumptions and plans associated with operating the public electric vehicle (EV) charge points in South Lanarkshire including future commercial opportunities; and (2) agree that tariffs will be set initially and will track the market, increasing energy, and other costs with delegated authority given to the Executive Director, Community and Enterprise Resources to set the initial tariff and make any necessary ongoing tariff amendments. 3. Background / Current Status 3.1. The Scottish Government has pledged to phase out the need for new petrol and diesel cars and vans across Scotland by 2032. The National Transport Strategy 2 Delivery Plan and Climate Change Update as published in December 2020 contains several specific proposals to deliver these commitments. UK Government has pledged to end the sale of new petrol and diesel cars (excluding some hybrids) from 2030. Whilst, to date, free electric charging has been offered to incentivise car owners to move to electric vehicles, the ban on fossil fuel car sales means a free fuel subsidy incentive will no longer be necessary. 3.2. There are several different funding programmes available to help increase the adoption of electric vehicles and the development of an appropriate EV charging infrastructure network to support this growth. None of these programmes preclude the introduction of tariffs. 3.3. The Electric Vehicle Infrastructure Fund (EVIF) has replaced the Local Authority Installation Programme (LAIP) and is an annual funding programme which further develops EV charging network so that EV drivers can confidently travel throughout Scotland, across both urban and rural locations. The programme is funded by the Scottish Government and administered by Transport Scotland. 9 207
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3.4. In 2022/2023, £60,000 has also been made available from this fund to support planning for future delivery of public EV charging infrastructure. The necessary strategy / development work associated with this is progressing and part of this funding is expected to be pooled together with City Region partners to continue progress on a wider regional strategy. The EVIF has been developed to encourage investment in the provision of electric vehicle charging infrastructure. 3.5. The public charge points across South Lanarkshire are included within the Charge Place Scotland network. Charge Place Scotland is Scotland’s national Electric Vehicle (EV) charging network and is a well-known and established brand owned and developed by the Scottish Government / Transport Scotland. 4. Current Public EV Infrastructure 4.1. Current EV infrastructure numbers across South Lanarkshire are summarised in the below table with those in brackets representing additional installations in progress. Dual Outlet Standard (7kW) Charge Points Dual Outlet Fast (22kW) Charge Points Dual Outlet Rapid (50kW) Charge Points Total 58 39 (4) 36 (2) 133 (6) 4.2. The existing EV Network has been funded through Scottish Government grants, which also included funding for an initial 5-year maintenance period. The last few years saw the network grow significantly with the delivery of the PACE partner project with Transport Scotland, Scottish Power Energy Networks (SPEN) and North Lanarkshire and we continue to explore ambitious plans through the Levelling Up funding programme. 4.3. During the early phases of implementation of EV charge points there was an initial expectation by Transport Scotland that there would be no tariff for users of the EV chargers. This provided initial help to support a wider uptake of electric vehicles. At present, the Council (through Community and Enterprise Resources) pays for energy consumed by all users although there is no defined budget allocation. This includes private sector businesses, Council fleet and any other public sector partners, however it is not presently possible to provide a split of this information and internal Council recharges require to be considered 4.4. Electricity costs associated with the EV charge points for the last 3 years demonstrating ongoing additional growth have been: - 2018/2019 - £38,039 2019/2020 - £43,731 2020/2021 - £51,470 2021/2022 - £275,676 4.5. The most recent charge point installation was completed in November 2021. Since that time there has been 71,290 charging sessions within South Lanarkshire with a total energy consumption of 1,552,636 kWh. This represents the usage over a full 6- month period from November 2021 through to the end of April 2022. 74% of the electricity drawn was from our rapid (50kW) charge points. 4.6. In the 6-month period from the end of January 2021 through to the end of July 2021 there were 7,808 charging sessions within South Lanarkshire with a total energy 208
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consumption of 110,591 kWh. This recent increase therefore demonstrates a fourteen-fold increase in usage. 4.7. The gradual increase in electricity costs since 2018/19 is due to increased demand as EV ownership has increased. The significant increase in electricity costs between 2020/2021 and 2021/2022 is due to the overall increase in the cost of electricity and significant increased usage which has also been influenced by the introduction of an additional 80 dual outlet charge points installed as part of Project Pace. 4.8. Given the wider strategic commitments to decarbonise the transport network in line with Climate Change targets this will see an ongoing expansion of the public EV charging network. The costs associated with operating and maintaining the charge points will continue to increase. Whilst the initial provision of this electricity at no cost will have aided the initial transition to EV use, continuing to cover the costs of the electricity consumed along with ongoing maintenance costs has created an unsustainable pressure on Council budgets. 4.9. Given the planned ban on the sale of petrol / diesel vehicles, it will also not be necessary to incentivise drivers, by way of free electricity, to transition to electric vehicles. 4.10. Projected electricity costs for 2022/2023 could be in the region of £715,000. This is based on usage over a full 6-month period from November 2021 through to the end of April 2022 and doubled to represent a full 12-month period. The following graph provides an indication of the growing demand across our network; as noted above this cost is unbudgeted and unsustainable. 5. Tariff Models / Commercialisation 5.1. The aim of a tariff model is to move towards a point where the growing EV network and infrastructure is financially sustainable and, as a minimum, covers the costs of the charging opportunity provided to the users of EVs. This would include electricity, maintenance, and where necessary expansion, and replacement costs. 5.2. Discussions have taken place with partner organisations including Transport Scotland (TS) regarding implementing a cost recovery model. A move towards charging is being encouraged with TS confirming that future funding support is likely to be conditional on a tariff regime / strategy. 209
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5.3. TS also confirmed that Councils have an important role in continuing to create the conditions to attract private sector investment and that the introduction of tariffs for the use of public charge points should be set at an appropriate level. Tariffs will need to recover whole life cost of owning, operating, and replacing charge points and to enable business models that will be supported through the EVIF. The approach to tariffs should be identified as part of any Strategy and Expansion Plans. 5.4. Transport Scotland has been working with the Scottish Futures Trust (SFT) to review financing and delivery models in which future investment in Scotland’s public EV charging network can be provided. This work has shown that whilst it is necessary to ensure the availability of public EV charging infrastructure continues to grow ahead of demand, there is a need to transition away from the current model to accelerate greater private investment models in Scotland. 5.5. Transport Scotland are encouraging ‘mixed-economy’ approaches to enable the private sector to assume greater responsibility for installation, operation and maintenance of public EV charge points as well as accepting revenue risk. This could be achieved, for example, through five-to-ten-year concession-type agreements with Councils and other public sector partners. The Council also has its own ambitions to develop this approach including the potential for Arm’s Length External Organisation (ALEOs) or shared partnerships with private sector. 5.6. To facilitate this approach, it is recommended that a tariff be set at such a level that it does not undercut the private sector which would discourage future investment and allows the Council to compete with and remain competitive with the private sector, potentially levering in further investment or partnership arrangements. 5.7. By way of background, Fastned, a European rapid charging company, has opened its latest EV charging station in the Palace Grounds Retail Park in Hamilton, South Lanarkshire. This facility is the first within South Lanarkshire to have ultra-rapid charge points that have the capacity to add up to 186 miles (300km) of range to all electric vehicles (EVs) in 15 minutes. 6. Current Public Sector Tariffs 6.1. A review of tariffs applied across other Councils and the private sector has been undertaken and this demonstrates a complex and varied picture. It is understood that Glasgow City Council will be proposing tariffs during 2022/2023. Locations and tariffs can be viewed at https://chargeplacescotland.org/live-map 6.2. There are 3 main options for tariffs for EV charge points: Option A - Fixed Rate: A single rate is applied regardless of amount of electricity consumed Option B - Costs Only: Customers are charged a rate based on the number of units of electricity consumed, which could have a minimum charge and encompass all costs. Option C - Fixed Rate Plus Costs: A fixed rate is applied to use the charge point and customers are also charged per unit of electricity consumed 6.3. After considering the available cost recovery options, it is recommended that Option B offers the most equitable and flexible charging model for the user and the Council. Incorporating all costs to the Council (energy, maintenance, administrative and management) into the cost per unit of electricity consumed allows for full cost 210
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recovery to be borne equally by all customers based on actual usage. Transport Scotland support this tariff model. 6.4. Under this current model, the per energy unit cost to the customer will consider the following elements: Cost of energy Cost of maintenance Cost of transaction (CPS administrative and management cost) Employee Costs Cost of capital (where not fully funded by external grant). 6.5. The majority of capital investment costs to date have been provided by Transport Scotland funding grants including for the upgrading of previous EV chargers. At the proper time upgrades and replacement costs will fall to the Council and this has been included in the model. Such capital investment is not expected to continue with a move to a more commercially driven expansion expected to emerge. In the short term though the expansion of the network will be funded through continuing government grants, but that will not continue indefinitely. 6.6. Annual maintenance costs are presently covered by agreements and warranties for a period of 5 years from the date of installation. This effectively reduces the maintenance costs to zero until the 5year periods run out, and to date the maintenance cost for the first installations has been zero. 6.7. The warranties for seven of the existing charge points are due to expire in December 2022. Thirty-seven warranties are due to expire in 2024 and the remaining 95 in 2025/2026. As we develop our commercial approach and, as existing warranties expire, there could be scope to deliver this type of annual maintenance ‘in house’ not only for South Lanarkshire, but for other Councils, business, and partners. 6.8. Implementing a cost recovery model introduces additional transactional costs for administration and management. When a tariff is applied to charge points, Charge Place Scotland, the ‘back office’ will collect the revenue generated and forward this to the host (in this case the Council) on a quarterly basis, minus fees. This ‘back office’ in the future may be a further area that the Council could consider delivering itself. 6.9. The City Region consideration of EV tariffs has discussed the potential of a benchmark cost to use 7/22kW charge points being comparable to the costs of charging at home. The intent is to ensure that those without off-street parking and the ability to install a home charge point are not disadvantaged. However, to keep this cost low, the costs to use the 50kW charge points would need to subsidise the use of the 7/22kW units which has the potential to compromise the commercial setting of tariffs. 6.10. The tariff for the use of 50kW charge points will therefore be set at a level to compete with and remain competitive with the private sector, potentially levering in further investment. It also acknowledges increasing use of rapid chargers by the private sector (e.g., delivery / courier firms, taxi operators). 211
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6.11. Tariffs will be set at the time of implementation by the Executive Director, Community and Enterprise Resources, and will be introduced as soon possible should the Executive Committee approve the recommendations. 6.12. The initial tariff for the use of 7/22kW charge points will consider the comparable cost to charge at home and the tariff for the use of 50kW charge points will be comparable to existing private sector charge points. 6.13. The tariffs will initially be devised to ensure the recovery of costs associated with the operation and management of the EV charger network in South Lanarkshire and to assist in managing wider cost pressures being experienced across Council services and to contribute to a new EV Infrastructure sinking fund. 6.14. The tariffs will be set initially and reviewed / tracked regularly throughout the year in line with market changes, as the wider cost of electricity fluctuates and to ensure that the tariffs realistically track costs being incurred. 7. Regulation of Bays 7.1. Bay blocking, which is the behaviour of drivers of electric vehicles using charging bays when not charging or remaining in the bay once charging is complete is becoming an increasing problem. 7.2. To ensure that charge points are available to all those that need them it is therefore proposed that a restriction of 1-hour maximum stay be applied to rapid charging facilities. The maximum stay for 7/22kW charging points requires to be greater as the time to charge a vehicle can vary greatly using these charge points. 7.3. The introduction of a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) to limit the time permitted to stay in a charging bay and to include an overstay fee in the tariff will be progressed in the usual TRO manner. 8 Employee Implications 8.1. There are presently no employee implications associated with the proposals to introduce tariffs, however this will remain under review as we continue to progress and develop our EV commercial or expansion programmes. 9. Financial Implications 9.1. Based on similar demands over the last six months the total annual income projection based on the tariff range detailed above is expected to provide a sustainable financial model going forward and would cover the costs of the charging opportunity provided to the users of EVs. This would include electricity, maintenance, and where necessary expansion, and replacement costs. 9.2. It should also be noted that demand per charge point remains uncertain, as does the cost associated with electricity. The introduction of tariffs is expected to discourage use of our network to an extent and this may affect the level of income expected, in the short term at least. 9.3. A large-scale replacement / refurbishment programme will be required in the future. Such costs will continue to be considered as part of the tariff setting and ongoing review exercise. The creation of a sinking fund to allow a replacement investment programme to be funded is also proposed. Once demand is clearer and tariffs are 212
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established there could also be scope to expand the network using tariff generated income, complementing, in the short term, any continuing external funding sources. 10 Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 10.1. There are no significant implications in terms of climate change, sustainability and environmental implications associated with this report, however, the delivery of a sustainable financial model for the provision of EV charging infrastructure will encourage greater uptake in terms of low carbon vehicles and contribute to the Council’s climate change and wider sustainability ambitions. 11 Other Implications 11.1. There are no other significant implications as result of the contents of this report. 12. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 12.1. A screening determination was completed in relation to the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) which confirmed there is no need for a separate SEA for these proposals. 12.2. An equality impact assessment (EQIA) has been undertaken during the development of the proposals to identify and mitigate any negative impacts and seek opportunities to promote equality. 12.3. The assessment is that the proposals do not have any adverse impact on any of the protected characteristics groups. 12.4. No formal consultation is proposed in relation to this proposal, however, the process of implementing tariffs requires notice to be provided to Charge Place Scotland to begin the process of driver notification both electronically to existing members and physically with signage to be applied to EV charge points. Advanced notices will also be erected at EV charge points. Local press and social media channels will also be used to promote the intent to introduce a tariff for charging. Davie Booth Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) 3 August 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Values Focused on people and their needs 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 213
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Outcomes Good quality, suitable and sustainable places to live Thriving business, fair jobs and vibrant town centres Caring, connected, sustainable communities 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: - Colin Park Head of Roads, Transportation and Fleet Services Tel: 01698 454484 E-mail: Colin.Park@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 214
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 24 August 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Housing and Technical Resources) Subject: Land and Property Transfers and Disposals 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- advise the Executive Committee of the actions required in respect of land and property transactions [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- (1) that the land and property as detailed in Appendix A be declared surplus to Council requirements. 3. Background 3.1. Transactions where there is a requirement to declare land surplus to enable negotiations for minor or adjoining sales to progress are detailed on Appendix A. 3.2. These transactions are only included in the report after successful consultation with the Holding Resource(s) and Planning. 4. Minor Disposals 4.1. The schedule shown within Appendix A identifies proposed transactions where the holding Resource and Planning have agreed to the release of minor areas of land for disposal. 4.2. The Committee is asked to approve the recommendation that these areas of land are declared surplus to the Council requirements in order that the Estates Section can conclude negotiations for their disposal. 6. Employee Implications 6.1. There are no employee implications arising from this report. 7. Financial Implications 7.1. The minor disposals will generate capital receipts for the Housing Revenue Account and General Services account respectively. 8. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 8.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy which impacts on the natural environment, climate change or sustainability. 10 215
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9. Other Implications 9.1. There is a low risk that the capital receipts anticipated, as a result of declaring properties surplus, may not be realised if, for reasons outwith the Council’s control, the purchasers choose not to proceed with the transactions. However, the procedures and consultations described in Sections 3 of this report have been implemented to minimise this risk. 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 Consultation was undertaken with Planning, Roads, Community, and Housing Services. Daniel Lowe Executive Director (Housing and Technical Resources) 28 July 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Previous References None List of Background Papers Plans of the land and property referred to in this report Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Joanne Forbes, Head of Property Services Ext: 4073 (Tel: 01698 454073) E-mail: joanne.forbes@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 216
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APPENDIX A DECLARE SURPLUS Area Description Holding Account Proposal Value Banding 80 sq m 1 Spey Wynd, Larkhall Housing Garden Ground 4 87 sq m 21 Couthally Terrace, Carnwath Housing Garden Ground 4 60 sq m 40 Quarryknowe, Rutherglen Housing Garden Ground 4 115 sq m 3 Mull, East Kilbride Community & Enterprise Resources Garden Ground/Potential Extension 4 52 sq m 59 Cedar Place, East Kilbride Community & Enterprise Resources Garden Ground/Driveway 4 123 sq m Whitemoss Cottage, Whitemoss Grove, East Kilbride Community & Enterprise Resources Garden Ground/ Garage 4 Value Bands 1 – over £1 million 2 – £500,000 to £999,999 3 – £100,000 to £499,999 4 – less than £100,000 217
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 24 August 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) Subject: Appointment of Food Champion 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] consider and approve an elected member appointment as the Council’s Food Champion agree the role outline of the Food Champion and the next steps following appointment [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that Councillor Gowland be appointed as the Council’s Food Champion; (2) that the role for the Food Champion, as set out in paragraph 5 of the report be agreed; and (3) the next steps, as set out in paragraph 7 of the report, be agreed. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. On 4 December 2019, the Executive Committee approved the Good Food Strategy which covers a five year period from 2020 to 2025. 3.2. The vision of the strategy is to contribute to the improvement of the quality of life of everyone in South Lanarkshire through the development of a Good Food Council where food is celebrated, supports healthy life and wellbeing, is affordable and accessible to all, encourages a fair and inclusive food economy, has limited impacts on the environment and climate change, and promotes animal welfare. 3.3. Since the approval of the Good Food Strategy, the socio-economic context and broader health context have strongly evolved with COVID-19, Brexit and the current cost of living crisis. This has impacted access to food for consumers in the Council’s area as well as local food and drink producers and manufacturers. Access to healthy and low-cost food has been identified as a priority during the consultations for the formulation of the Council and community plans. 3.4. The policy context is also changing rapidly to respond to these new challenges with the development of the following plans and regulations: Good Food Nation Bill; Local Food Plan for Everyone; Ending the Need for Food Banks: a draft national plan; Land Reform in a Net Zero Nation; and the Restrictions on food and drink high in fat, sugar, or salt. 11 219
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3.5. Engagement with local food stakeholders and partnership working have also evolved since the approval of the Good Food Strategy with the creation of new food groups such as, the Good Food Forum, the Food Growing Group, the Fairtrade Steering Group, Lanarkshire Larder and the Sustainable Food Procurement Group. 3.6. Improving governance around food is also part of the key themes of the Good Food Strategy with the objective to ensure that an increasing number of stakeholders can influence or contribute to the development of a Good Food Council through higher engagement and participation and to enhance accountability of the food stakeholders. Two objectives under the Good Food Governance theme are included in the strategy:- Objective 11: Engage with, build on and support the various local food initiatives and encourage collaboration and partnership Objective 12: Ensure that healthy, sustainable, fair food is embedded in local policies, increase policy coherence and guarantee that food has a high profile across the council by connecting with partners. 3.7. To ensure good governance and accountability in the implementation of the Good Food Strategy, key food development and progress on the implementation are reported to the Climate Change and Sustainable Development Committee given the links between the food strategy and the Sustainable Development agenda. Moreover, food initiatives and projects are also discussed at the Climate Change and Sustainable Development Steering Group which is led by key Council officers. The Sustainable Food Procurement Group is a Project Review Group developed to progress the agenda of this steering group. 4. Rationale for the Nomination of a Local Food Champion 4.1. The nomination of a Food Champion for South Lanarkshire would help to:- guarantee that food is a priority given the current food challenges directly affecting local communities as shown by statistics and the recent engagement with local communities represent the Council’s position and influence the political agenda in this fast- changing national policy context facilitate and increase connections among the increasing number of stakeholders involved in local food policy actions and initiatives deliver the Good Food Strategy objectives aiming at improving governance around food 5. Role and activities of the Food Champion 5.1. The role of the Food Champion for South Lanarkshire would be to:- Represent. They will act as an ambassador, at local and national levels, representing the Council’s position and vision in relation to food. They will help to raise the profile of local food initiatives and actions. Promote. They will advocate Good Food as defined in the Good Food Strategy by taking into account all aspects of food from farm to fork. They will encourage the transition towards a healthier, fairer, and more sustainable food system. 220
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Influence. They will provide guidance on the implementation of the Good Food Strategy and action plans to address access to food; food supply chain security; local food growth and positive nutrition. Connect. They will help create more links with the community so that an increasing number of people, including food stakeholders, can influence and participate to the development of a Good Food Council through higher engagement and participation in local policy decisions and initiatives. Facilitate. They will help to increase connections between the different food stakeholders whether they are from the public, third or private sectors and will contribute to foster links between the different local food groups and forum. 5.2. To do this, the Food Champion will undertake the following activities:- keep informed of the progress in the implementation of the Good Food Strategy (annual action plans), key local initiatives (minutes of the different local food groups) and the national political agenda ensure that actions of the Good Food Strategy are taken forward with a specific scrutiny on the definition and implementation of the Good Food action plan and participate in the Climate Change and Sustainability Committees represent the Council’s views and positions in relation to food security in consultation with relevant Council officers when required participate and contribute to meetings of the different food groups and networks depending on agenda and needs maintain energy and enthusiasm with local food stakeholders and provide effective leadership 6. Nomination of the Council’s Food Champion 6.1. It is proposed that Councillor Ross Gowland be appointed as Food Champion for South Lanarkshire. 7. Next steps 7.1. Once the Food Champion has been appointed, officers will prepare an induction programme to support their development and understanding of the benefit of an integrated approach to food, learning about the local food challenges and opportunities including current actions and initiatives, meeting key actors of the local food systems, and getting a better knowledge of the local and national policy context. 7.2. If agreed, the appointment of the Food Champion will also be communicated to the public with the help of Corporate Communications. 8. Employee Implications 8.1. There are no specific employee implications. However, the Policy Officer for Food Development is expected to liaise on a regular basis with the Food Champion. Other relevant Council officers will also liaise with the Food Champion on an ad hoc basis as required. 9. Financial Implications 9.1. There are no financial implications arising from the proposals in this paper. 221
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10. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 10.1. The Food Champion, by taking into account all the aspects of the food systems from farm to fork and encouraging the transition towards a more sustainable food system will help to achieve the objectives of the Climate Change and Sustainability Strategy. 11. Other Implications 11.1. There are no other implications. 12. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 12.1. No Equality Impact Assessment or consultations are required in this case. David Booth Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) 20 July 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 Our children and young people thrive 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 Previous References Executive Committee 4 December 2019 - Good Food Strategy List of Background Papers None Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Hélène Gourichon (Policy Officer for Food Development) Policy Officer for Food Development E-mail: helene.gourichon@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 222
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 24 August 2022 Report by: Chief Executive Subject: Response to the National Care Service Bill – Parliamentary Call for Evidence 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] update members on the publication of the National Care Service Bill on 31 May 2022 by the Scottish Government and the subsequent call for evidence by Scottish Parliamentary Committee on Health, Social Care and Sport. Members will note the work being undertaken collaboratively by COSLA and a wide range of professional associations involving senior staff from South Lanarkshire Council to produce a response to the Parliamentary Committee [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- (1) that the publication of the National Care Service Bill be noted; (2) that officers have contributed to the development of a consolidated response from COSLA and a wide range of professional associations which is due to be presented to the COSLA Leaders’ meeting on 26 August 2022 be noted; (3) that the key concerns as highlighted in section 5 of this report and the significant implications for the Council arising from the potential transfer of accountability for adult social work/care services and future transfer of children’s and justice social work/care services be noted; and (4) that a copy of the consolidated response be shared with elected members once agreed through COSLA Leaders be agreed. 1recs] 3. Background 3.1. On 1 September 2020 the First Minister announced that there would be an Independent Review of Adult Social Care (IRASC) in Scotland as part of the Programme for Government. The Review was chaired by Derek Feeley, a former Scottish Government Director General for Health and Social Care and Chief Executive of NHS Scotland. 3.2. The IRASC published its findings on 3 February 2021. The core remit of the review was to "recommend improvements to adult social care in Scotland" and, following a steer from Ministers to consider it, the review recommended that a National Care 12 223
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Service (NCS) should be “established in statute along with, on an equal footing, NHS Scotland, with both bodies reporting to Scottish Ministers.” 3.3. Following on from the Scottish Parliamentary election, on 9 August 2021, the Scottish Government launched a consultation on the NCS. Described as the single most significant review of care in a generation, the consultation spanned a wide range of the topics that went beyond the original remit of the IRASC, including:- Improving care for people National Care Service Scope of the National Care Service Community Health and Social Care Boards Commissioning of Services Regulation Valuing people who work in social care 3.4. The response to the consultation agreed unanimously by South Lanarkshire Council was consistent with the detailed responses agreed unanimously by all Council Leaders at COSLA and by the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE) amongst a number of similar submissions by professional associations. At the time, this Council shared concerns with COSLA that the proposals were drafted without any engagement with local government and have serious implications for local authorities, endangering the principles of localism and the ability of local people to be engaged in democratic decisions about how their local services are delivered. The proposals run contrary to the principles of localism and subsidiarity as highlighted by the Local Governance Review co-chaired between COSLA and the Scottish Government during 2019/2020. 3.5. Summary of South Lanarkshire Council’s response to the NCS Consultation. 3.6. By way of a quick reminder, the Council’s response to the consultation highlighted the following points:- The detail of information contained in the consultation was inadequate to support respondents to understand the context and relationship to the development of the current model of care. Specifically, it failed to reference the chronic underfunding of social care in Scotland requiring the application of strict eligibility criteria and assessment processes to ration who receives support and increasingly those who don’t. This rationing of care is the basis of the negative experiences of the care system articulated by those engaged in the IRASC process. The format of the consultation restricted respondents to a series of tick box answers from restricted options and concern was raised that this was designed to elicit support for a single model of NCS as presented in the paper as the only alternative offered was the retention of the current model with its restrictions and negative outcomes. The Council, COSLA and a number of professional associations, therefore, all submitted a much more detailed narrative response, however, the analysis of responses published by the Scottish Government used a simple numeric to demonstrate percentage support for their direction of travel and did not address the issues highlighted in the responses. As such the COSLA response representing the views of leaders from the 32 local authorities in Scotland that hold the statutory duties for social care and have a local democratic mandate in their own right was given the same weighting as a response from an individual service user or provider organisation. 224
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The submission indicated that, whilst the council shares many of the ambitions of the IRASC and the frustrations with the current system as highlighted by the lived experience testimony of service users and carers, the response of structural change and transferring the accountabilities for social care away from local government is disproportionate and unnecessary. There was no evidence in the consultation document of a detailed risk assessment of the consequences of these actions on the delivery of care services, on service users/ carers or on councils themselves. Consequently, there was no evidence of how the negative consequences of the structural change could be mitigated or otherwise. Simply relocating these accountabilities alone will not drive improvement and the case for a structure first approach is not established. The consultation response highlighted that intensive work is required to develop an entitlements based model (sometimes referred to a human rights based model), what these entitlements actually would offer at different levels of need, what each tier of entitlement would cost per service user, how many people would be expected to access each tier and consequently how much more the new model would cost than current services. The same criticism was made of the lack of detail on the offer to meet the rights of unpaid carers to breaks and various other potential provisions in the proposals. The Council response highlighted a series of other uncertainties and ambiguities in the consultation document. These included clarity on implications for council social care and social work employees (TUPE, pension liabilities, harmonisation proposals for terms and conditions, equal pay/ value implications, impact on contractual matters, etc); clarity on the scope of NCS; implications on support services provided by the Council; implications for Council assets; implications for public protection etc. Nonetheless there is unquestionably a role for a national approach in some aspects of social work/ care and the consultation response summarised these areas under the following headings:- - Standards/ Assurance/ Performance Reporting and Scrutiny - Workforce Planning/ Fair Work/ Terms and Conditions/ Training and Development - Ethical Commissioning and Procurement - Complex and Specialist Care Commissioning - Improvement and Innovation - Development of the Single Health and Social Care Record and System Integrators - Use of Aggregate Data for System Level Planning and Policy Development The Council response set out views on a range of related themes raised by the consultation document and indicated key considerations that need to be addressed within the proposed legislation. 3.7. For newly elected members who were not in post when a number of awareness sessions were delivered on this topic or when the full response was debated and agreed by council, it is recommended that the full consultation response is read as many of the same concerns, uncertainties and ambiguities remain unaddressed in the published NCS Bill and associated memoranda. The full response can be accessed here (Consultation Report; Consultation Response ). 225
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4. Publication of the NCS Bill and Associated Parliamentary Process Timeline 4.1. The Bill presented to the Scottish Parliament is a framework piece of legislation that proposes to grant sweeping powers to Ministers, however, it is light on precise detail indicating that much of the detail will be developed in secondary legislation or through regulations prior to a full implementation by 2026. There are concerns at the extent of these powers and the fact that these would be granted prior to the full detail or implications being known. COSLA and SOLACE have also indicated that it is hugely disappointing that local authorities were not involved in the drafting of the Bill and were only sighted on the actual provisions the day before its publication. 4.2 In summary, the Bill provides for:- Powers for Ministers to establish (and dissolve) local and special care boards; decide on membership and of care boards and their remits. The establishment of a scheme and standards for sharing information to facilitate a national health and social care record. A charter of rights and responsibilities for social care, with a robust complaints and redress process. A power to transfer accountability for a range of services, including adult social care and social work services, to the Scottish Ministers, subject to Parliamentary approval. The introduction of an entitlements based (sometimes called human rights based) model for care support but no detail on what those entitlements would be; how many people will benefit; how much it costs and how it will be funded). There are some assumptions in a financial memorandum but no detail on how the costs are arrived at or real clarity on how they are to be funded. The right to breaks for unpaid carers and visiting rights for residents living in adult care homes. The potential future transfer of children’s social work/ care and justice social work services to the NCS. These areas are noted as not previously having been covered by the IRASC and that a decision will be taken following the gathering of further evidence by a research group established by the Scottish Government. Any such proposals will need to be laid before Parliament alongside any related Regulations. 4.3 The Bill is accompanied by the publication of a related Policy Memorandum, a Financial Memorandum, a Delegated Powers Memorandum, Explanatory Notes and Impact Assessment documents covering Equalities; Business and Regulatory; Child Rights and Wellbeing; Data Protection; Fairer Scotland Duty; and Island Communities. A full copy of the Bill and its associated Memoranda can be accessed at (https://www.parliament.scot/bills-and-laws/bills/national-care-service-scotland- bill/introduced 4.4 The Bill will go through the normal Parliamentary Scrutiny process and the current call for evidence by the Parliamentary Committees is part of that process. The key target milestones for the NCS Bill are understood to be provisionally:- June 2022 - Stage one committee scrutiny/ call for evidence January 2023 – Stage one completed March 2023 – Stage two completed May 2023 – Stage 3 completed July 2023 – Bill receives Royal Assent September 2023 – Earliest Commencement of the NCS Act September 2023 – Publication of Charter of Rights 226
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October 2023 – Earliest date for the publication of Scottish Statutory Instrument (SSI) February 2024 – Launch of Shadow NCS June 2024 – IJB Transition Plan Published November 2024 – Appointment of new Care Board Members 2026 – Full go live date for NCS Local Structures 5. Response to the Call for Evidence 5.1. Council officers have worked closely with colleagues in COSLA and with a range of professional bodies such as SOLACE, Social Work Scotland (SWS), SOLAR, CiPFA Directors of Finance, Health and Social Care Scotland, SPDS, and NHS Chief Executives in considering the provisions and implications of the Bill. Drawn from this work a response to the Parliamentary Committee Call for Evidence is being drawn up for submission by the deadline of 2 September 2022. Many of the concerns are consistent with those outlined in the response to the NCS consultation document summarised earlier in this paper and that appear to remain unaddressed or are as yet unclear. 5.2. The following key points will be highlighted in the response and are highlighted here:- There is no clear case set out to demonstrate that the structural and governance changes will improve the quality of care or support for carers. This specifically relates to the proposals to transfer accountability, budget, assets and staffing out of local authority control to Scottish Government Ministers to be discharged through local care boards. There are, however, undoubtedly a range of areas that will be benefit from national coordination – these are as set out in the original consultation responses from South Lanarkshire Council and the parallel responses from SOLACE and COSLA. The Bill lacks detail yet proposes to establish sweeping powers to Ministers who may later add detail through Regulation or secondary legislation. It is unacceptable that such significant change should be made to the scope and remit of local government without the detail being set out in full and a proper consideration be given to the risks and implications of the proposals. As a simple example, there is no clarity on how many care boards will be established, what area they will cover (e.g. co-terminus with current local authority boundaries; with existing health board territories or other) or number of elected members that will be nominated to sit on the board although it is suggested that their influence will be diminished as all board members will have the right to vote. Given the lack of detail it is difficult to assess whether the provisions meet the outcomes highlighted by the IRASC report. There is even less clarity on the case for the transfer of accountability for children and family social work services or justice social work services. The draft Bill suggests that research is being commissioned on both topics to assess the case for these inclusions, however, the Bill provides Ministers powers to make such change at any point. It is also not possible at this stage to properly assess the impact of the Bill’s proposals on other national priorities including public protection, community justice, alcohol and drugs, The Promise, GIRFEC, etc. The Bill also contains provisions to allow Ministers to transfer accountabilities away from Care Boards if they believe they are failing in their duties and place these with an unspecified other party. It is unclear what criteria would apply in such circumstances or to whom such and assignment of responsibility would be made. 227
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There is provision for the new care boards to compulsorily acquire land for the execution of its duties – these are rights currently held by Council’s and exercised through the Compulsory Purchase Order arrangements. The transfer of functions equally applies to those currently delegated to Health Boards and for both Council and health board functions there is a high degree of flexibility to be granted to Ministers to make future changes to what is delegated to eth care boards. There are provisions to enable the transfer of staff by regulation from local government to the new care boards although it is unclear whether this would be by a TUPE transfer or be done at all. Of key note, however, the Bill expressly notes that Minister may not transfer NHS staff which creates an immediate discrepancy and inequality. Similarly, the Bill has provisions for the transfer of property and liabilities, however, there is no clarity in relation to compensation (the assets belong to local government) for the value of the asset or how any residual debt is to be dealt with. The Bill makes provisions for amendments to the rights of carers but again it is unclear from the detail available what the offers will be, what the eligibility criteria will be, who and how many will benefit at what levels of provision and how much these changes will cost. It is intimated that much of this detail will be made by later Regulation, however, it is unacceptable that such significant legislative change would be made without this detail being available. The significant improvements that are needed in relation to adult social work/ care services cannot await legislative and structural change. Scottish local government have been working on the key areas identified in the jointly agreed COSLA/ Scottish Government Statement of Intent. This includes a focus on securing a Real Living Wage for all care workers; developing Minimum Standards Terms and Conditions; improving the Workforce Voice; working to remove charging for non-residential care services; applying Ethical Commissioning Principles; designing new criteria for and entitlements based model of care; improving the Voice of Lived Experience in care services; and improving the Support to Unpaid Carers. These areas of improvement will progress faster and with more impact if properly resourced and without the distraction of an unnecessary structural change. Although high level impact assessments (equalities; child rights and wellbeing; data protection; Fairer Scotland Duty; Islands Duty; and Business and Regulatory) have been published along with the Bill, remarkably the impact of these changes are almost unrecognised. The latter impact assessment notes that the Bill will impact on local authorities but that the impact will depend on details of the transfers of functions agreed by Ministers after the Act is passed. 6. Next Steps and Governance 6.1. COSLA Leaders have highlighted concerns over the lack of involvement of local authorities in the governance of the overall NCS programme and in particular that local authorities are being treated as simply a stakeholder to be provided information on completed proposals despite having a local elected democratic mandate and statutory responsibility for social work and social care services. Despite statements regarding co-production and commitments to the involvement of local government, the key work on the Bill has been unilaterally produced by civil servants and management consultants without the benefit of the detailed input of staff and managers from the sector. 6.2. At its meeting of 26 August 2022, it is understood that COSLA Leaders will debate the joint response to the Call for Evidence, and it is expected that a parity of esteem and equal influence in the governance of the NCS programme will be sought. At the 228
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time of writing this report, the outcome of the COSLA Leaders debate is not known, however, a verbal update may be available to Council when considering this item. 6.3. The Scottish Government has established a Strategic Programme Board (SPB) and has recently agreed to invite the Chief Executive of COSLA and the Vice Chair of SOLACE (currently the Chief Executive of South Lanarkshire Council) to attend. The SPB have developed a draft delivery roadmap for the National Care Service running from the current year through to the full implementation in 2026. The detail of this draft timeline has not been published and is currently embargoed, however, running in parallel with the parliamentary process for the NCS Bill, a number of organisational arrangements are being put in place including the establishment of shadow NCS teams and senior staff appointments. These arrangements also provide for the establishment of a “Social Covenant Group” which will be used to inform the process through a series of national conversations. 7. Employee Implications 7.1. There are significant potential implications for Council staff working in social work or social care services arising from the proposals as set out in the consultation document. This may include TUPE transfer to another employer, changes to terms and conditions and management arrangements. 7.2. The employee implications are not restricted to staff working in Social Work Resources, however, and the implications of the Bill will have an impact across every Resource in the Council. Some of these impacts may be direct such as for those working in support services directly linked to Social Work (e.g. Personnel Services, Payroll, Fleet Services, Finance Services, etc.), however, the potential loss of council functions and budget would have a consequence for the corporate overhead and administration of the Council and may indirectly lead to a loss of income or budget in every service area of the Council. The potential consequences of this legislation cannot be overstated, however, it is difficult to be precise regarding these impacts due to the lack of detail in publicised Bill. 7.3. The Council has continued to engage with our joint trade unions and professional associations and to share what information and detail we have received. We have an ongoing commitment to our employees to ensure that we provide detail as it is received and to support them despite the uncertainties in this process. 8. Financial Implications 8.1. There are significant potential financial implications for the council arising from the proposals set out in the consultation document. As noted above, the financial consequences for the Council go far beyond the potential transfer of budget relating to the direct provision of social work/care services and have a potential significant consequence for a wide range of other services and for the corporate council as a whole. 9. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 9.1. There are no direct climate change, sustainability and natural environment implications arising from this report. 10. Other Implications 10.1. Considering the detail of the report and identifying actions as appropriate contribute towards effective risk management. There are very significant risks to local government arising from the proposals set out in the NCS Bill. 229
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11. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 11.1. 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 Council impact assessment is required at this stage. As noted in the report, there are very high levels impact assessments which have been published alongside the NCS Bill, however, these are lacking detail due to the uncertainties within the Bill document. Cleland Sneddon Chief Executive 12 August 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Caring, connected, sustainable communities People live the healthiest lives possible Our children and young people thrive Good quality, suitable and sustainable places to live Previous References Executive Committee meeting 3 November 2021 List of Background Papers Note the previous consultation response contained in the above paper dated 3 November 2021 Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Cleland Sneddon, Chief Executive Ext: 4208 (Tel: 01698 454208) E-mail: cleland.sneddon@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 230
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 24 August 2022 Report by: Chief Executive Subject: Representation on Outside Organisations and Amendments to Representation on Committees/Forums and Outside Organisations 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide an update on member representation on outside organisations and partnership bodies advise of member representation on the Board of the David Livingstone Trust advise of a change in membership of the Licensing Division 1 (Clydesdale), Joint Consultative Forum and Employee Issue Forum advise on action taken, in terms of Standing Order No 37(c), because of the timescales involved, by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources), in consultation with the Chair and an ex officio member, for amendments to the Council’s representation on the Education Appeals Committee and on Strathclyde Partnership for Transport [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the updated representation on certain outside organisations and partnership bodies, as detailed in Appendix 1, be noted; (2) that it be noted that the Provost is the Council’s honorary member on the Board of the David Livingstone Trust (with the Depute Provost substituting as necessary); (3) that it be noted that Councillor Brogan is the Council’s representative on the Scotland Excel Executive Sub-Committee; and (4) that the change to the Conservative Group’s membership of the Licensing Division 1 (Clydesdale), Joint Consultative Forum and Employee Issues Forum, as detailed at paragraph 5.3, be approved; and (5) that the action taken, in terms of Standing Order No 37c, because of the timescales involved, by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources), in consultation with the Chair and an ex officio member, for Councillor Horsham to replace Councillor Chalmers on Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and for Councillor Horsham to replace Councillor Bradley on the Education Appeals Committee be noted. 3 Background 3. 1 The Council, at its meeting on 18 May 2022, approved its representation on certain statutory joint boards and outside bodies. A report which provided an update on arrangements that were delegated to the Chief Executive to finalise was submitted to 13 231
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the Council on 15 June 2022. A further report to consider representation on a number of other bodies was submitted to the Executive Committee on 29 June 2022 at which time, in respect of the remaining vacancies, delegated authority was given to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leaders of the relevant Groups, to confirm nominations. 4 Representation on Statutory Bodies and Other External Organisations 4.1 Details of the nominations which have been confirmed under delegated authority since the meeting of the Executive Committee on 29 June 2022 are marked in bold in Appendix 1 attached to the report. 4.2. For a number of years, the Council’s Provost has been an honorary member on the Board of the David Livingstone Trust. Provost Cooper will now become an honorary member on the Board (with the Depute Provost substituting as necessary). The Provost’s appointment will be formally confirmed at the Board’s next Annual General Meeting on 29 August 2022. 4.3. Scotland Excel have advised that, at the meeting of the Joint Committee held on 17 June 2022, it was agreed that this Council would have continued membership of the Executive Sub-Committee until this is next reviewed in either December 2022 or June 2023. The Council is entitled to appoint only 1 of its 2 representatives on Scotland Excel to the Executive Sub-Committee. Councillor Brogan is the Council’s representative on the Scotland Excel Executive Sub-Committee. 5 Amendments to Representations on Committees/Forums and Outside Organisations 5.1 On 11 July 2022, a request was received from the Business Manager of the SNP Group that Councillor Horsham replace Councillor Chalmers as a member of Strathclyde Partnership for Transport and that Councillor Horsham replace Councillor Bradley as a member of the Education Appeals Committee 5.2 To facilitate the request and allow the continuation of Council business, in terms of Standing Order No 37(c), the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources), in consultation with the Chair and an ex officio member, approved the changes which are set out in the recommendations contained in paragraph 2.1 of the report. 5.3 On 15 August 2022, a request was received from the Depute Leader and Business Manager of the Scottish Conservatives and Unionist Group that Councillor Lockhart replace Councillor Corbett on Licensing Division 1 (Clydesdale) and that Councillor Nelson replace Councillor Lockhart as a member of the Joint Consultative Forum and Employee Issues Forum. 6. Employee Implications 6.1. None. 7. Financial Implications 7.1 None. 8. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 8.1. There are no climate change or environmental implications as a result of this report. 9. Other Implications 9.1. There are no issues in terms of risk arising from this report. 232
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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, therefore, no impact assessment is required. 10.2. Consultation on representation has taken place with the Leaders of the political and independent groups. Cleland Sneddon Chief Executive 16 August 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Previous References South Lanarkshire Council 18 May and 15 June 2022 Executive Committee 29 June 2022 List of Background Papers None Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Pauline MacRae, Administration Adviser Ext: 4108 (Tel: 01698 454108) E-mail:pauline.macrae@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 233
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Section 3 –Partnership Bodies and Others Appendix 1 Body No of Places Councillor Representation Clyde Gateway Urban Regeneration Company Limited 2 Robert Brown, Margaret Cowie Glasgow City Region Cabinet 1 (Leader) plus 1 substitute Councillor Fagan Councillor Convery (substitute) Routes to Work (South) Limited 1 To be confirmed Safer South Lanarkshire Board (Previously Community Safety Partnership) 5 Eileen Logan, Davie McLachlan Julia Marrs, Geri Gray Kenny McCreary South Lanarkshire Adoption and Fostering Panel 3 Lynsey Hamilton Cal Johnston-Dempsey Catherine McClymont Section 4 – Outside Bodies Organisation No of Places Councillor Representation Association for Public Service Excellence – Scottish Region: Building and Housing Services Group 1 Davie McLachlan Road and Lighting Services Group 1 To be confirmed Transport and Mechanical Services Group 1 To be confirmed Waste and Recycling Services Group 1 Mark McGeever Parks, Grounds and Street Services Group 1 Maureen Devlin Commercialisation Group 1 Joe Fagan Soft FM Service Group 1 Mark McGeever Renewables and Energy Efficiency Group 1 Davie McLachlan Business Gateway Steering Group 2 Joe Fagan Robert Brown Cambuslang and Rutherglen Sports Council 4 Margaret Cowie Robert Brown Andrea Cowan, Alistair Fulton Carluke Development Trust 2 Eileen Logan David Shearer Clydesdale International Twinning Association 2 Eileen Logan Ian McAllan 234
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Organisation No of Places Councillor Representation Clydesdale Sports Council 4 Ross Gowland Alex Allison Mark Horsham, Julia Marrs David Livingstone Trust (Board) 1 (Provost) Margaret Cooper East Kilbride Arts Council 3 Graham Scott Elaine McDougall Kirsten Robb East Kilbride Citizens’ Advice Bureau 1 Hugh Macdonald East Kilbride Fairtrade Group 2 Gladys Ferguson-Miller, Archie Buchanan East Kilbride Sports Council 4 David Watson 1 Labour Member (tbc) Hugh Macdonald, Ali Salamati Hagshawhill Windfarm Community Trust 3 (all Ward 4 Clydesdale South Members) Ross Gowland Mark Horsham Ross Lambie Hamilton Sports Council 4 Mark McGeever Gavin Keatt Helen Toner, Ross Clark Hamilton BID Limited 2 Davie McLachlan Colin Dewar Hamilton Citizens’ Advice Bureau 1 Celine Handibode Discover Lanark (Lanark BID) 2 Richard Lockhart Catherine McClymont Lanark Heritage Centre Trust 2 Catherine McClymont Julia Marrs Lanarkshire Educational Trust 3 Gavin Keatt, Eileen Logan, Catherine McClymont Lowland Reserve Forces and Cadets Association 1 Mark Horsham National Association of Councillors 2 Allan Falconer 1 SNP Member New Lanark Trust 1 Richard Lockhart Rural Development Trust 2 Ralph Barker David Shearer Scottish Parliament Cross Party Group on the Armed Forces and Veterans 1 Mark Horsham South Lanarkshire Sports Association for People with a Disability 4 David Watson Mo Razzaq Helen Toner, Grant Ferguson Supplier Development Programme (Board of Directors) 1 Mark McGeever Tarbrax Common and Village Hall Trust 1 Catherine McClymont The Levenseat Trust 1 Catherine McClymont Strathaven Town Group 2 Susan Kerr Margaret Cooper Business Loans Scotland (previously known as West of Scotland Loan Fund Limited) 1 Joe Fagan 235
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Organisation No of Places Councillor Representation West of Scotland Road Safety Forum 1 (Chair of Roads Safety Forum) plus 1 substitute To be confirmed 236