Agenda Document Pack - Executive Committee - 21/09/2022
South Lanarkshire Council · 21 September 2022
Back to Executive Committee — 21 September 2022 and its agenda
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Council Offices, Almada Street Hamilton, ML3 0AA Tuesday, 13 September 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, 21 September 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 24 August 2022 submitted for approval as a correct record. (Copy attached) 5 - 16 Monitoring Item(s) 3 Revenue Budget Monitoring for Period 5 - 1 April to 12 August 2022 Report dated 22 August 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 17 - 22 4 Capital Programme 2022/2023 Update and Monitoring for Period 5 – 1 April 2022 to 12 August 2022 Report dated 31 August 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 23 - 30 5 Additional Funding from Scottish Government and Other External Sources Report dated 25 August 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 31 - 34 Item(s) for Decision 6 Recommendations Referred by Finance and Corporate Resources Committee-Treasury Management Activity Report 2021/2022, Prudential Code Indicators and Annual Investment Report Report dated 7 September 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 35 - 38 7 Secondary School Estate - Future Capacity Issues Report dated 2 September 2022 by the Executive Director (Education Resources). (Copy attached) 39 - 46 8 Proposal for a New Social, Emotional and Behavioural Needs (SEBN) Secondary School Building (Kear School) Report dated 31 August 2022 by the Executive Director (Education Resources). (Copy attached) 47 - 54 9 Outcome of the Consultation to Realign the Catchment of Newton Farm and Hallside Primary Schools and to Alter the Secondary School Report dated 31 August 2022 by the Executive Director (Education Resources). (Copy attached) 55 - 60 10 New Deal for Employees Report dated 7 August 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 61 - 74 11 Budget Strategy – 2023/2024 Update and Longer-Term Financial Outlook Report dated 6 September 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 75 - 82 2
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12 Cost of Living Supports Report dated 6 September 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 83 - 90 Item(s) for Noting 13 Council Complaints Report SPSO Annual Overview 2021/2022 Report dated 24 August 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 91 - 102 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 Confero and in the Council Chamber, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton on 24 August 2022 Chair: Councillor Joe Fagan (ex officio) Councillors Present: Councillor Alex Allison, Councillor John Anderson, Councillor Walter Brogan (substitute for Councillor Andy Carmichael), Councillor Robert Brown, Councillor Ross Clark, Councillor Gerry Convery (Depute), Councillor Margaret Cooper, Councillor Andrea Cowan, Councillor Margaret Cowie (substitute for Councillor Mo Razzaq), Councillor Maureen Devlin, Councillor Gladys Ferguson-Miller, Councillor Lynsey Hamilton, Councillor Mark Horsham, Councillor Eileen Logan, Councillor Katy Loudon, Councillor Hugh Macdonald, Councillor Ian McAllan, Councillor Catherine McClymont, Councillor Kenny McCreary, Councillor Lesley McDonald, Councillor Mark McGeever, Councillor Davie McLachlan, Councillor Richard Nelson, Councillor Kirsten Robb, Councillor Dr Ali Salamati (substitute for Councillor John Ross), Councillor David Shearer, Councillor Margaret B Walker Councillors' Apologies: Councillor Andy Carmichael, Councillor Maureen Chalmers, Councillor Mo Razzaq, Councillor John Ross Attending: Chief Executive’s Service C Sneddon, Chief Executive Community and Enterprise Resources D Booth, Executive Director Education Resources T McDaid, Executive Director Finance and Corporate Resources P Manning, Executive Director; T Little, Head of Communications and Strategy; G McCann, Head of Administration and Legal Services; P MacRae, Administration Adviser; K McLeod, Administration Assistant; K McVeigh, Head of Personnel Services; 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 The following interests were declared:- Councillor(s) Item(s) Nature of Interest(s) Allison and McClymont Land and Property Transfers and Disposals Known to the owners of 21 Couthally Terrace, Carnwath 2 Minutes of Previous Meeting The minutes of the meeting of the Executive Committee held on 29 June 2022 were submitted for approval as a correct record. 2 5
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The Committee decided: that the minutes be approved as a correct record. 3 Revenue Budget Monitoring for Period 4 - 1 April to 15 July 2022 A report dated 25 July 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 to 15 July 2022. At 15 July 2022, the position on the General Fund Revenue Account was an underspend of £0.362 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 a small overspend of £0.045 million. The Housing Revenue Account showed a breakeven position at 15 July 2022, as detailed in Appendix 2 to the report. Officers responded to members’ questions on various aspects of the report. The Committee decided: (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, detailed in section 4 and Appendix 1 of the report, be noted; and (2) that the breakeven position on the Housing Revenue Account at 15 July 2022, detailed in section 5 and Appendix 2 of the report, be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 29 June 2022 (Paragraph 2)] 4 Capital Programme 2022/2023 Update and Monitoring Period 4 - 1 April to 15 July 2022 A report dated 3 August 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted providing an update on progress on the General Fund Capital Programme and the Housing Capital Programme for the period 1 April to 15 July 2022. At its meeting on 29 June 2022, the Committee had approved a General Fund Capital Programme for 2022/2023 totalling £99.534 million. A revised programme of £98.093 million was now anticipated which included proposed adjustments to the programme totalling a net decrease of £1.441 million. Those were detailed in Appendix 1 to the report. The programme included a budget allocation for the following 3 significant projects where the level of spend in year had still to be confirmed:- Clyde Bridge Larkhall Leisure Centre Levelling Up Fund match funding At 15 July 2022, £8.176 million had been spent on the General Fund Capital Programme, a slight overspend of £0.080 million, and actual funding received to 15 July 2022 totalled £71.677 million. The programme spend and funding for the General Fund for the period was detailed in appendices 2 and 3 to the report. 6
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The Housing Capital Programme 2022/2023, approved by the Executive Committee at its meeting on 29 June 2022, totalled £52.230 million. Details of the position of the programme at 15 July 2022 were provided in Appendix 4 to the report. The adjustments to the Housing Programme were detailed at sections 5.1 and 5.2 of the report. As a result of those adjustments, a revised programme of £66.361 million was proposed. Programmed funding for the year also amounted to £66.361 million and funding sources were detailed in Appendix 4 to the report. At 15 July 2022, expenditure on the Housing Capital Programme amounted to £11.339 million and actual funding received to 15 July 2022 totalled £11.339 million. The Committee decided: (1) that the Period 4 position at 15 July 2022 of the General Fund Capital Programme, as detailed at appendices 1 to 3 to the report, and the Housing Capital Programme, as detailed in Appendix 4 to the report, be noted; (2) that the adjustments to the General Fund programme, as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report, and the Housing Capital Programme, as detailed in the report at sections 5.1 and 5.2, be approved; and (3) that the revised programmes be monitored by the Financial Resources Scrutiny Forum. [Reference: Minutes of 29 June 2022 (Paragraph 5)] 5 Additional Funding from Scottish Government and Other External Sources A report dated 25 July 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on additional funding, totalling £2.902 million, which had been made available to the Council by the Scottish Government and other external sources. The funding had been allocated as follows:- Capital Funding Resource 2022/2023 (£m) Housing and Technical 2.902 Total 2.902 The Committee decided: that the report be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 29 June 2022 (Paragraph 6)] 6 South Lanarkshire Council Response to the Pre-Budget Scrutiny Call for Views A report dated 16 August 2022 by the Chief Executive was submitted on 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 prebudget scrutiny process. The 8 questions on which the Finance and Public Administration Committee had asked for views were detailed in the report and the Council’s response to those questions was attached as Appendix 1 to the report. The response emphasised the unprecedented financial pressures faced by local government and made the point that any further reductions in budgets would have severe implications for councils’ ability to deliver services. This, in turn, would impact on the ability of councils to support Scottish Government priorities and the achievement of national outcomes. 7
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Key points within the Council’s response were highlighted in the report including:- reduction of funding for councils in real terms impact of inflation on council services impact of the reduction of funding on the role of local authorities in delivering national outcomes requirement of any financial settlement to recognise the key role played by councils in providing assistance to those struggling to meet the costs of living requirement for councils to have flexibility across their budgets There followed a discussion during which a number of matters were raised for inclusion in the Council’s response to the Call for Views as follows:- financial pressures being faced by local authorities and the requirement for adequate funding, without which there would be a long term, worsening impact on council services the further and projected increases in inflation adding to the pressures faced by local authorities the funding model for local government and its impact on councils’ ability to deliver in terms of national outcomes and services generally The deadline for the Call for Views was 19 August 2022. To meet this deadline, the Council’s response had been submitted to the Scottish Government on the understanding that further views agreed at the meeting of the Executive Committee would be incorporated as an addendum to the substantive response. The Committee decided: (1) that the Council’s response to the Call for Views, attached as Appendix 1 of the report, be approved; and (2) that the further comments agreed by the Executive Committee be forwarded to the Scottish Government for consideration along with the response previously provided. 7 Local Child Poverty Action Report A report dated 15 July 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the local work undertaken to address child poverty and the draft Local Child Poverty Action Report. The Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017 introduced a new requirement for local authorities and each relevant Health Board to prepare Local Child Poverty Action Reports (LCPAR) as soon as reasonably practicable after the end of each reporting year. This commenced in June 2019. The report required to contain any measures taken in the local authority area during the reporting year and planned measures for the year ahead. Those were organised around the following 3 drivers:- cost of living income from benefits income from employment Actions were identified using local data, the lived experience of families and the expertise of partnership staff. 8
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The Poverty and Inequality Commission had been tasked by the Scottish Government to provide feedback on all the local action reports. Feedback on the South Lanarkshire LCPAR had been positive. In addition, the South Lanarkshire LCPAR had been used as an example of good practice for other local authorities and health boards. The LCPAR provided background information, a progress report on South Lanarkshire activity and an action plan organised in relation to the 3 child poverty drivers. Throughout the last year, partners had worked with the Improvement Service to take a fresh approach to identifying local areas for improvement. This work had been supported by the Council’s Corporate Management Team, and, in particular, the Director of Health and Social Care. The main priorities for the forthcoming year were detailed in the report, with an emphasis on improvement areas such as routine enquiry, parental employability and cost of living issues. Given the challenges identified in producing a yearly plan, it was proposed that a 3 year strategy be created in 2023, with an annual update report on progress being provided. There followed a full discussion during which officers responded to members’ questions and undertook to submit a further report to a future meeting of the Committee on assistance which could be provided to facilitate access to the labour market. The Committee decided: (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, attached as Appendix 1 to the 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 noted. [Reference: Minutes of 25 August 2021 (Paragraph 7)] 8 Resource Plans and Connect Reporting 2022/2023 A report dated 22 July 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the 2022/2023 Resource Plans. The draft Resource Plans for 2022/2023 had been prepared prior to the local government elections in May 2022, 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 had been reviewed and updated to take account of the new Priorities and Outcomes within Connect 2022 to 2027. In preparing the 2022/2023 Plans, Resources had undertaken a horizon scanning and situational awareness exercise covering:- social change, legislation and policies areas for improvement, including the Local Government Benchmarking Framework (LGBF) customer views and external inspection results other triggers for action such as top risks From that exercise, a maximum of 10 areas had been selected for inclusion and development in each Resource Plan and those were detailed in the report. The draft Resource Plans 2022/2023 were attached as Appendix 1 to the report. 9
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Resources had used the 6 Connect outcomes to generate their own Resource outcomes, supported by a range of actions and measures. Additional actions and measures had also been developed under the heading Delivering the Plan and Achieving Best Value. Details were given on the number of measures from each Resource Plan selected to be reported against Connect If approved by the Committee, the 2022/2023 draft Resource Plans would be submitted to each individual Resource Committee for noting and subsequent monitoring. Officers responded to members’ questions on various aspects of the report. The Committee decided: (1) that the draft Resource Plans 2022/2023, prepared in line with revised corporate guidance and attached at Appendix 1 to the report, be approved; (2) that the reporting intention in relation to Connect, shown at Table 2 in the report, be noted; and (3) that the Resource Plans 2022/2023 be referred to individual Resource Committees for noting and performance monitoring at Quarter 2 and Quarter 4. [Reference: Minutes of 28 April 2021 (Paragraph 6) and Minutes of South Lanarkshire Council of 15 June 2022 (Paragraph 3)] In terms of Standing Order No 14, the Chair adjourned the meeting at 11.55am for a 15 minute period. The meeting reconvened at 12.10pm 9 Electric Vehicle (EV) Infrastructure Proposed Tariffs A report dated 3 August 2022 by the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) was submitted:- providing an update on the status of the Electric Vehicle Charging Infrastructure Network proposing the introduction of tariffs setting out potential future opportunities for a more commercial approach The Scottish Government had pledged to phase out the need for new petrol and diesel cars and vans across Scotland by 2032. To date, free electric charging had been offered to incentivise car owners to move to electric vehicles, however, given the planned ban on fossil fuel car sales, a free fuel subsidy incentive would no longer be necessary. Details were given on:- current Electric Vehicle (EV) infrastructure numbers across South Lanarkshire electricity costs associated with the EV charge points for the last 3 years and projected electricity costs tariff models current public sector tariffs regulation of bays Of the 3 main options for tariffs for EV charging points, namely, fixed rate, costs only and fixed rate plus costs, it was considered that the costs only option, where customers were charged a rate based on the number of units of electricity consumed, offered the most equitable and flexible charging model for the user and the Council. 10
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There followed a full discussion, during which officers responded to members’ questions on various aspects of the report, including potential uses for a new EV Infrastructure sinking fund. Councillor Fagan, seconded by Councillor Convery, moved the recommendations contained in the report. Councillor Anderson, seconded by Councillor Clark, moved as an amendment that recommendation 2 of the report be amended to read “agree that tariffs will be set initially and will track the market, increasing energy and other costs and that delegated authority be given to the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources), in consultation with the Group Leaders, to undertake a cost analysis and bring back total tariff costs to a future meeting of the Committee.” On a vote being taken electronically, 9 members voted for the amendment and 18 for the motion which was declared carried. The Committee decided: (1) that the current and future costs, assumptions and plans associated with operating the public electric vehicle (EV) and charge points in South Lanarkshire, including future commercial opportunities, be approved; and (2) that tariffs be set initially and 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. 10 Land and Property Transfers and Disposals A report dated 28 July 2022 by the Executive Director (Housing and Technical Resources) was submitted on proposed actions in respect of land and property transactions. The recommendations had been made in terms of agreed procedures for dealing with surplus land and property. The Committee decided: that the land and property, as detailed in Appendix A to the report, be declared surplus to Council requirements. Councillors Allison and McClymont, having declared an interest in this item, withdrew from the meeting during its consideration 11 Appointment of Food Champion A report dated 20 July 2022 by the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) was submitted on the appointment of an elected member as the Council’s Food Champion. It was considered that the appointment of an elected member as Food Champion for South Lanarkshire would help to:- guarantee that food was a priority given the current food challenges directly affecting local communities represent the Council’s position and influence the political agenda in a 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 aimed at improving governance around food Details were given on the proposed role and activities of the Food Champion. It was proposed that Councillor Ross Gowland be appointed as Food Champion for South Lanarkshire. 11
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If the appointment was approved, an induction programme would be prepared for the Food Champion to:- support their development and understanding of the benefit of an integrated approach to food assist in developing knowledge about the local food challenges and opportunities allow them to gain further knowledge of the local and national policy context Following discussion, Councillor Fagan, seconded by Councillor Convery, moved the recommendations contained in the report. Councillor Anderson, seconded by Councillor Clark, moved as an amendment that there be no elected member appointment to the role of Food Champion. On a vote being taken electronically, 9 members voted for the amendment and 18 for the motion which was declared carried. The Committee decided: (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 approved; and (3) that the next steps, as set out in paragraph 7 of the report, be approved. 12 Response to the National Care Service Bill – Parliamentary Call for Evidence A report dated 12 August 2022 by the Chief Executive was submitted providing an update on the National Care Service Bill, published on 31 May 2022 by the Scottish Government, and the subsequent Call for Evidence by the Scottish Parliamentary Committee on Health, Social Care and Sport. Points raised in the Council’s response to the Scottish Government’s consultation on the National Care Service, which was consistent with the detailed responses agreed unanimously by all council leaders at the Convention of Scottish Local Authorities (COSLA) and by the Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE), were summarised in the report. The National Care Service Bill provided for:- powers for Ministers to establish and dissolve local and special care boards; and decide on membership 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 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 would benefit; how much it would cost and how it would 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. Those areas were noted as not previously having been covered by the Independent Review of Adult Social Care (IRASC) and a decision would be taken following the gathering of further evidence by a research group established by the Scottish Government. Any such proposals would require to be laid before Parliament alongside any related Regulations 12
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Details were given on the provisional key target milestones for the NCS Bill. Officers had worked closely with COSLA, and with a wide range of professional associations in considering the provisions and implications of the Bill. From that work, a response was being prepared to the Parliamentary Committee Call for Evidence and the key points, which would be highlighted in the response, were detailed in Section 5 of the report. COSLA leaders would debate the joint response to the Call for Evidence at a meeting to be held on 26 August 2022. Officers responded to members’ questions on various aspects of the report. The Committee decided: (1) that the publication of the National Care Service Bill be noted; (2) that it be noted that officers had contributed to the development of a consolidated response from COSLA and a wide range of professional associations which would be presented to the COSLA Leaders’ meeting on 26 August 2022; (3) that the key concerns, as highlighted in section 5 of the 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 approved through COSLA Leaders. [Reference: Minutes of 29 June 2022 (Paragraph 10)] 13 Representation on Outside Organisations A report dated 16 August 2022 by the Chief Executive was submitted providing an update on:- member representation on outside organisations and partnership bodies member representation on the Board of the David Livingstone Trust a change in membership of the Licensing Division 1 (Clydesdale), Joint Consultative Forum and Employee Issues Forum 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 At its meeting on 18 May 2022, the Council agreed its representation on certain statutory joint boards and outside bodies. Since that meeting:- an update had been reported to the Council meeting held on 15 June 2020 the Executive Committee, at its meeting on 29 June 2022, had authorised the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leaders of the relevant political groups, to confirm nominations in respect of the remaining vacancies The agreed nominations were detailed in Appendix 1 to the report. The Head of Administration and Legal Services also advised that the SNP Group had indicated that Councillor Donnelly would be its representative to the National Association of Councillors. 13
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For a number of years, the Council’s Provost had been an honorary member on the Board of the David Livingstone Trust. Provost Cooper would become an honorary member on the Board, with the Depute Provost substituting as necessary. The Provost’s appointment would be formally confirmed at the Board’s next Annual General Meeting on 29 August 2022. Scotland Excel had advised that, at the meeting of the Joint Committee held on 17 June 2022, it was agreed that the Council would have continued membership of the Executive Sub-Committee until this was reviewed in either December 2022 or June 2023. The Council was entitled to appoint only 1 of its 2 representatives on Scotland Excel to the Executive Sub-Committee. Councillor Brogan would be the Council’s representative on the Scotland Excel Executive Sub-Committee. 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. In view of the timescales involved, this request had been approved in terms of Standing Order No 37(c) by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources), in consultation with the Chair and an ex officio member. On 15 August 2022, a request had been received from the Depute Leader and Business Manager of the Scottish Conservative 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 the Employee Issues Forum respectively. The Committee decided: (1) that the updated representation on certain outside organisations and partnership bodies, as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report, and the appointment of Councillor Donnelly as the SNP Group’s representative to the National Association of Councillors be noted; (2) that it be noted that the Provost was 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 was the Council’s representative on the Scotland Excel Executive Sub-Committee; (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 of the report, be approved; and (5) that the 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 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. 14 Item of Urgent Business – Industrial Action In terms of Standing Order No 4(c), the Chair authorised consideration of the following item of urgent business. Councillor Loudon, having referred to the proposed industrial action on 6 to 8 September 2022 affecting schools and early years establishments, asked that details of affected schools and early years establishments be circulated to elected members, parents and carers as soon as possible. Officers undertook to provide this information. 14
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Councillor Fagan referred to the financial position faced by the Council, the importance of unity in local government and the erosion of pay for local government workers in real terms. He expressed the view that a concerted Scotland wide approach, involving local government, trade unions and central government was required to resolve this issue. The Committee decided: that the position be noted. 15
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 21 September 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Revenue Budget Monitoring for Period 5 - 1 April to 12 August 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 12 August 2022 [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- (1) that the underspend of £0.259 million on the General Fund Revenue Account at 12 August 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 12 August 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 12 August 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 12 August 2022 As at 12 August 2022, the position on the General Services budget is a net underspend of £0.259 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 £0.050 million. 4.2. Inflationary / Budget Pressures 4.2.1. As detailed in the last report, the Council is facing exceptional cost increases across a number of areas. Non-recurring funding from reserves is being used in the current year to help manage these pressures. The situation will continue to be monitored and any further updates brought to future meetings, as required. 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 (£1.9 million) which reflects the impact of 3 17
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difficulties in recruiting staff across a number of areas. This is an increase of £0.4 million from period 4. 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 we also have to take into account the broader financial position in services including experiencing higher costs elsewhere, as well as the pressure of future savings requirements and a currently unresolved pay award. However, through analysis carried out over the past 4 weeks, it is anticipated that by the end of the financial year, the net available underspend in Employee Costs is expected to run to between £0.500 million and £0.600 million. 4.3.4. The proposals contained the report entitled “New Deal for Employees” which appears later in the agenda, if approved, will reduce the residual underspend in Employee Costs by between £0.500 million and £0.600 million. The position across Resource employee costs will continue to be monitored. An update will be included in the regular reports to Committee. 4.3.5. Adults and Older People: As previously reported, 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 12 August 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. 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 (section 4.2.1). There are also emerging underspends in employee costs (section 4.3.1) which will help offset increasing inflationary pressures. 18
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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) 22 August 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 12 August 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 19
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Appendix 1a SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Period Ended 12 August 2022 (No.5) Committee Annual Budget Annual Forecast Transfers Annual Forecast Variance Transfers Budget Proportion To 12/08/22 Actual to Period 5 12/08/22 Variance to 12/08/22 Departments: £m £m £m £m £m £m Community and Enterprise Resources 122.629 122.629 0.000 41.871 41.921 (0.050) over Facilities, Waste and Grounds 72.466 72.466 0.000 20.782 20.713 0.069 under Leisure and Culture Services 21.088 21.088 0.000 10.685 10.685 0.000 - Planning and Regulatory Services 5.012 5.012 0.000 1.500 1.105 0.395 under Enterprise and Sustainable Development 7.173 7.173 0.000 1.207 1.209 (0.002) over Roads, Transportation and Fleet 16.890 16.890 0.000 7.697 8.209 (0.512) over Education Resources 386.173 386.173 0.000 137.289 137.289 0.000 - Education 386.173 386.173 0.000 137.289 137.289 0.000 - Finance and Corporate Resources 41.826 41.826 0.000 21.362 21.362 0.000 over Finance Services - Strategy 2.023 2.023 0.000 1.202 1.192 0.010 under Finance Services - Transactions 18.852 18.852 0.000 8.566 8.488 0.078 under Audit and Compliance Services 0.355 0.355 0.000 0.197 0.197 0.000 - Information Technology Services 5.095 5.095 0.000 5.083 5.368 (0.285) over Communications and Strategy Services 3.043 3.043 0.000 0.897 0.917 (0.020) over Administration and Licensing Services 4.113 4.113 0.000 2.010 2.073 (0.063) over Personnel Services 8.345 8.345 0.000 3.407 3.127 0.280 under Housing and Technical Resources 17.342 17.342 0.000 7.257 7.257 0.000 - Housing Services 8.481 8.481 0.000 3.632 3.620 0.012 under Property Services 8.861 8.861 0.000 3.625 3.637 (0.012) over Social Work Resources 211.377 211.377 0.000 73.547 73.238 0.309 under Performance and Support Services 6.500 6.500 0.000 2.049 1.882 0.167 under Children and Families 38.808 38.808 0.000 14.340 14.578 (0.238) over Adults and Older People 165.201 165.201 0.000 56.740 56.392 0.348 under Justice and Substance Misuse 0.868 0.868 0.000 0.418 0.386 0.032 under Joint Boards 2.152 2.152 0.000 0.876 0.876 0.000 - 781.499 781.499 0.000 282.202 281.943 0.259 under Committee Annual Budget Annual Forecast Transfers Annual Forecast Variance Transfers Budget Proportion to 12/08/22 Actual to Period 5 12/08/22 Variance to 12/08/22 £m £m £m £m £m £m Service Departments Total 781.499 781.499 0.000 282.202 281.943 0.259 under CFCR 0.514 0.514 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 - Loan Charges 35.111 35.111 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 - Corporate Items 31.833 31.833 0.000 0.033 0.033 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 868.077 868.077 0.000 282.235 281.976 0.259 under Council Tax 167.437 167.437 0.000 59.799 59.799 0.000 - Less: Council Tax Reduction Scheme (23.263) (23.263) 0.000 (8.308) (8.308) 0.000 - Net Council Tax 144.174 144.174 0.000 51.491 51.491 0.000 - General Revenue Grant 236.298 236.298 0.000 84.392 84.392 0.000 - Non-Domestic Rates 422.591 422.591 0.000 150.925 150.925 0.000 - Transfer from Reserves 65.014 65.014 0.000 65.014 65.014 0.000 - Total Income 868.077 868.077 0.000 351.822 351.822 0.000 - Net Expenditure / (Income) 0.000 0.000 0.000 (69.587) (69.846) 0.259 under 20
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Appendix 1b SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Period Ended 12 August 2022 (No.5) Budget Category Annual Budget Annual Forecast Annual Forecast Variance Budget Proportion To 12/08/22 Actual to Period 5 12/08/22 Variance to 12/08/22 Service Departments: £m £m £m £m £m £m Expenditure Employee Cost 580.654 580.654 0.000 195.322 193.328 1.994 under Property Costs 55.571 55.571 0.000 14.120 14.519 (0.399) over Supplies and Services 65.893 65.893 0.000 19.406 18.040 1.366 under Transport Costs 45.427 45.427 0.000 13.152 13.759 (0.607) over Administration Costs 14.345 14.345 0.000 4.958 5.082 (0.124) over Payments to Other Bodies 83.661 83.661 0.000 30.569 30.861 (0.292) over Payments to Contractors 231.716 231.716 0.000 72.927 73.123 (0.196) over Transfer Payments 6.671 6.671 0.000 3.667 3.682 (0.015) over Housing Benefits 65.107 65.107 0.000 21.082 21.082 0.000 - Financing Charges (controllable) 2.134 2.134 0.000 0.843 0.912 (0.069) over Total 1,151.179 1,151.179 0.000 376.046 374.388 1.658 under Service Departments Total 1,151.179 1,151.179 0.000 376.046 374.388 1.658 under CFCR 0.514 0.514 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 - Loan Charges 35.111 35.111 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 - Corporate Items 31.833 31.833 0.000 0.033 0.033 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 1,237.757 1,237.757 0.000 376.079 374.421 1.658 under Income Housing Benefit Subsidy 60.158 64.158 0.000 19.008 19.008 0.000 - Other Income 309.522 309.522 0.000 74.836 73.437 (1.399) under rec Council Tax (Net of Council Tax Reduction Scheme) 144.174 144.174 0.000 51.491 51.491 0.000 - General Revenue Grant 236.298 236.298 0.000 84.392 84.392 0.000 - Non-Domestic Rates 422.591 422.591 0.000 150.925 150.925 0.000 - Transfer from Reserves 65.014 65.014 0.000 65.014 65.014 0.000 - Total Income 1,237.757 1,237.757 0.000 445.666 444.267 (1.399) under rec Net Expenditure / (Income) 0.000 0.000 0.000 (69.587) (69.846) 0.259 under 21
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Appendix 2 SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Period Ended 12 August 2022 (No.5) Housing Revenue Account Annual Budget Forecast for Year Annual Forecast Variance Budget Proportion to 12/08/22 Actual to Period 5 12/08/22 Variance to 12/08/22 % Note £m £m £m £m £m £m Employee Costs 13.914 13.914 0.000 4.727 4.678 0.049 under 1.0% 1 Property Costs 46.906 46.906 0.000 19.728 19.718 0.010 under 0.1% Supplies & Services 0.609 0.609 0.000 0.139 0.137 0.002 under 1.4% Transport & Plant 0.195 0.195 0.000 0.058 0.032 0.026 under 44.8% Administration Costs 5.644 5.644 0.000 1.373 1.376 (0.003) over (0.2%) Payments to Other Bodies 3.030 3.030 0.000 0.752 0.752 0.000 - 0.0% Payments to Contractors 0.100 0.100 0.000 0.040 0.049 (0.009) over (22.5%) Transfer Payments 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 0.000 - n/a Financing Charges 26.050 26.050 0.000 16.160 16.146 0.014 under 0.1% Total Controllable Expenditure 96.448 96.448 0.000 42.977 42.888 0.089 under 0.2% Total Controllable Income (112.000) (112.000) 0.000 (37.203) (37.208) 0.005 over recovered 0.0% Transfer to/(from) Balance Sheet (2.773) (2.773) 0.000 (1.155) (1.061) (0.094) under recovered (8.1%) 2 Net Controllable Expenditure (18.325) (18.325) 0.000 4.619 4.619 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 4.619 4.619 0.000 - 0.0% Variance Explanations 1. Employee Costs The underspend is due to higher than anticipated staff turnover to date. 2. Income The net combined underspend to date allows for a lower than anticipated transfer from reserves. 22
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 21 September 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Capital Programme 2022/2023 Update and Monitoring for Period 5 – 1 April 2022 to 12 August 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 12 August 2022 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Executive Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- (1) that the Period 5 position (ended 12 August 2022) of the General Fund Capital Programme itemised at appendices 1 to 3 and the Housing Capital Programme at Appendix 4, be noted; (2) that the adjustments to the General Fund programme, listed at Appendix 1, 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 12 August 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 Executive Committee on 24 August 2022 was £98.093 million. A revised programme of £97.057 million is now anticipated. This includes adjustments to the programme totalling a net decrease of £1.036 million which are proposed in Appendix 1. 4.2. The main reason for this reduction is the profiling adjustment, proposed by Education Resources, reflecting a review of the anticipated timing of spend on the Clyde Terrace Nursery project. The site start was delayed from mid-May to early August as we awaited the completion of utilities work by Scottish Power Energy Network (SPEN). The project is still scheduled to complete in July 2023. 4 23
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4.3. As reported last period, the programme included allocations for 3 significant projects where the level of spend in year had still to be confirmed. The projects and their budgets were noted as Clyde Bridge (£6.5 million), Larkhall Leisure Centre (£9 million) and Levelling Up Fund Match Funding (£1.8 million). 4.4. Since then, the Larkhall Leisure Centre project has been augmented by an allocation of £0.550 million from the Place Based Investment Fund budget in 2022/2023, allocated by the Community and Enterprise Resources Committee on 9 August 2022. This takes the project’s total allocation to £9.550 million. The Place Based Investment Fund budget requires to be spent this financial year. 4.5. In relation to the Clyde Bridge project, the contract is currently out to tender with a return date of mid-September 2022. It is envisaged the contract will be awarded late October / early November 2022 with works expected to commence on site thereafter. The profile of spend will be updated thereafter. 4.6. Period 5 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 £97.057 million. 4.7. Budget for the period is £14.274 million and spend to the 12 August 2022 is £14.420 million, an overspend of £0.146 million. 4.8. Actual funding received to 12 August 2022 is £72.796 million. 4.9. Relevant officers will continue to closely monitor the generation of all income including receipts. 5. Housing Capital Programme 5.1. 2022/23 Budget: Appendix 4 summarises the position on the Housing programme as at 12 August 2022. The revised capital programme for the year was £66.361 million, as approved by the Executive Committee on 24 August 2022. 5.2. Programmed funding for the year also totals £66.361 million. The funding sources are also detailed in Appendix 4. 5.3. Period 5 Position: Budget for the period is £16.139 million and spend to 12 August 2022 amounts to £16.150 million. 5.4. As at 12 August 2022, £16.150 million of funding had been received. 5.5. 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. 24
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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 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) 31 August 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Previous References Executive Committee, 24 August 2022 List of Background Papers Capital Ledger prints to 12 August 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 25
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APPENDIX 1 SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL CAPITAL EXPENDITURE 2022/2023 GENERAL SERVICES PROGRAMME FOR PERIOD 1 APRIL 2022 TO 12 AUGUST 2022 Proposed Adjustments Community and Enterprise Resources Nature Restoration Fund Approval is sought to increase the 2022/2023 Capital Programme by £0.146m. This will be funded by a contribution from the Climate Challenge South Lanarkshire Investment funding within the Council’s Revenue budget, and will be spent on improving biodiversity, access and education within local nature reserves including Holmhills, Jocks Burn, Hamilton Low Parks, Bothwell/Blantyre/Uddingston. This funding will augment the Scottish Government’s Nature Restoration funding (£0.188m) which is already included in the 2022/2023 Capital Programme, to give a total programme of works in 2022/2023 of £0.334m. £0.146m South Lanarkshire Lifestyles - Eastfield - Floodlighting Approval is sought to increase the 2022/23 Capital Programme by £0.054m to upgrade the floodlights at the recently renovated and re-configured pitches within South Lanarkshire Lifestyles – Eastfield, Cambuslang. This will be funded by developers’ contributions from the Cambuslang area. £0.054m Synthetic & Grass Pitches - Hamilton Palace Grounds Sports Pitches The 2022/2023 Capital Programme already includes an allocation (£0.260m) to renovate and re-configure the existing pitches at Hamilton Palace Sports Ground. Developer contributions totalling £0.041m from the Hamilton Area, have been identified to augment the existing budget allocation. Approval is sought to increase the 2022/2023 Capital Programme by £0.041m. £0.041m Leadhills Village Active Travel Improvements Funding of £0.050m has been awarded by Strathclyde Passenger Transport to undertake active travel improvements within the village of Leadhills. The project will deliver reallocation of carriageway space to provide walking, wheeling and cycling provision and the introduction of a 20mph limit throughout the village. Approval is sought to increase the 2022/23 Capital programme by £0.050m. £0.050m Place Based Investment Fund / Larkhall Leisure Centre The Community and Enterprise capital programme holds the budget for the Place Based Investment Fund. At the recent Community and Enterprise Resources Committee (9 August 2022), an allocation of £0.550 million was made from the Place Based Investment Fund to the Larkhall Leisure Centre project. This takes the Leisure Centre project’s total budget to £9.550 million. (£0.550m) £0.550m Education Resources Early Years 1,140 Hours - Clyde Terrace, Bothwell Completion of the new nursery at Clyde Terrance in Bothwell is still anticipated for the new school term commencing in August 2023. However, now that the project has commenced on site, the profile of spend has been revised and funding/budget (£1.500m) 26
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requires to be moved into 2023/2024. Approval is sought to move £1.500m into the 2023/24 Capital programme. Housing and Technical Resources Central Energy Efficiency Fund (CEEF) The CEEF is a revolving fund. The fund is used to pay for energy efficiency projects each financial year. The fund is then replenished by savings achieved from these projects across an agreed payback period for each project. A new wave of projects is included in the capital programme each financial year. Approval is sought to add energy efficiency projects totalling £0.173m into the 2022/23 Capital Programme. Projects to be carried out include LED Lighting in Council Chambers, Headquarters and James Aiton Primary School as well as various industrial estates including: Cathcart Court, Kilcreggan Court, Larkhall Castlehill and Craigie Court. Furthermore, additional solar photovoltaic panels and battery system will be installed at the new Jackton Primary School, East Kilbride. These works will be funded from the CEEF Fund. £0.173m TOTAL ADJUSTMENTS (£1.036m) 27
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APPENDIX 2 SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL CAPITAL EXPENDITURE 2022/2023 GENERAL FUND PROGRAMME FOR PERIOD 1 APRIL 2022 TO 12 AUGUST 2022 £m Total Budget (Executive Committee – 24 August 2022) 98.093 Proposed Adjustments – Period 5 (1.036) Total Revised Budget 97.057 2022/23 Budget Period 5 Proposed Adjustments Revised 2022/23 Budget Resource £m £m £m Community & Enterprise 64.249 0.291 64.540 Education 16.133 (1.500) 14.633 Finance & Corporate 3.695 3.695 Housing & Technical 8.313 0.173 8.486 Social Work 3.903 3.903 Other Match Funding 1.800 1.800 TOTAL CAPITAL PROGRAMME 98.093 (1.036) 97.057 28
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APPENDIX 3 SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL CAPITAL EXPENDITURE 2022/2023 GENERAL FUND PROGRAMME FOR PERIOD 1 APRIL 2022 TO 12 AUGUST 2022 2022/23 Original Estimate inc C/F 2022/23 Revised Budget 2022/23 Budget to 12/08/22 2022/23 Actual to 12/08/22 Expenditure £m £m £m £m General Fund Programme 95.232 97.057 14.274 14.420 Income 2022/23 Budget 2022/23 Revised Budget 2022/23 Actual To 12/08/22 £m £m £m Prudential Borrowing 55.416 49.845 49.845 Developers Contributions 6.552 7.440 5.696 Partners (Including High Blantyre Construction, SPT, Sustrans, and CARES) 1.745 3.800 1.452 Scottish Government: - Capital Grant 22.424 22.908 7.761 - Cycling, Walking and Safer Routes 2.154 2.887 0.000 - Vacant and Derelict Land 1.820 1.820 1.083 - 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 0.844 Specific Reserves 0.534 1.207 1.207 Revenue Contribution 0.031 0.514 0.514 TOTAL FUNDING 95.232 97.057 72.796 29
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APPENDIX 4 SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL CAPITAL EXPENDITURE 2022/2023 HOUSING PROGRAMME FOR PERIOD 1 APRIL 2022 TO 12 AUGUST 2022 2022/23 Original Budget 2022/23 Revised Budget 2022/23 Budget to 12/08/22 2022/23 Actual to 12/08/22 £m £m £m £m Expenditure 2022/2023 Budget Incl. adjustment from 2021/2022 52.230 66.361 16.139 16.150 2022/23 Original Budget 2022/23 Revised Budget 2022/23 Actual to 12/08/22 £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 16.143 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 16.150 30
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 21 September 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 (24 August 2022) [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the additional funding totalling £0.347 million, as detailed at Appendix 1 of the report, be noted. [1recs] 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 revenue funding of £0.347 million has been identified for 2022/2023. There is no additional capital funding to note. Total funding identified is £0.347 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. 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. 5 31
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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 August 2022 Link(s) to Council Vision/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, Effective, Efficient and Transparent Previous References Executive Committee, 24 August 2022 List of Background Papers Additional Funding Reports:- 21 July 2022 to 24 August 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 32
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Appendix 1 Additional Revenue Funding Resource Description 2022/2023 £m 2023/2024 £m Total £m Method Community and Enterprise Local Air Quality Management Grant 2022/23 0.116 - 0.116 Scottish Government Community and Enterprise Air Quality Action Planning Grant 2022/23 0.231 - 0.231 Scottish Government TOTAL REVENUE FUNDING 0.347 - 0.347 33
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 21 September 2022 Report by: Chief Executive Subject: Recommendations Referred by Finance and Corporate Resources Committee - Treasury Management Activity Report 2021/2022, Prudential Code Indicators and Annual Investment Report 2021/2022 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] request approval of the following recommendations referred to this Committee by the Finance and Corporate Resources Committee of 7 September 2022:- that the Treasury Management Activity Report for 2021/2022 and the 2021/2022 Treasury Management and Prudential Code Indicators be noted that the Council’s Annual Investment Report for 2021/2022 be endorsed and referred to the Council for formal approval [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the recommendation of the Finance and Corporate Resources Committee of 7 September 2022 in relation to the Treasury Management Activity Report for 2021/2022 and the 2021/2022 Treasury Management and Prudential Code Indicators be noted; and (2) that the recommendation of the Finance and Corporate Resources Committee of 7 September 2022 in relation to the Annual Investment Report for 2020/2021 be endorsed and referred to the Council for formal approval. [1recs] 3. Recommendation Referred by Finance and Corporate Resources Committee of 7 September 2022 – Treasury Management Activity for 2021/2022 and 2021/2022 Treasury Management and Prudential Code Indicators and Annual Investment Report 2021/2022 – Extract of Minute 3.1. A report dated 16 August 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the:- Treasury Management Activity and Prudential Code indicators for 2021/2022 proposed Annual Investment Strategy for 2021/2022 6 35
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The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) Code of Practice for Treasury Management required the Council to prepare an annual report on its Treasury Management activities. The CIPFA Prudential Code required councils to prepare a series of financial indicators that demonstrated affordability, prudence and sustainability with regard to capital financing decisions. The Council’s Capital Programme included, within its funding package, planned borrowing. The Prudential Code provided a framework to assist the management of the financial implications and helped to demonstrate that borrowing was both affordable and prudent. The Council’s Treasury Management Activity Report for 2021/2022 and the Treasury Management and Prudential Code Indicators for 2021/2022 were attached as appendices 1 and 2, respectively, to the report. In terms of the Local Government Investments (Scotland) Regulations 2010, the Council was required to prepare an Annual Investment Strategy prior to the start of each financial year and an Annual Investment Report after the financial year end. Both documents required to be approved by the Council. The Annual Investment Strategy for 2021/2022 had covered the following areas:- permitted investments risk management borrowing in advance The Annual Investment Report, attached as Appendix 3 to the report, detailed the Council’s activity in each of those 3 areas for 2021/2022 and Appendix 4 detailed the permitted investments that the Council had approved for the financial year 2021/2022. No borrowing in advance was taken during 2021/2022. The Committee decided: (1) that the Treasury Management Activity Report for 2021/2022 and the 2021/2022 Treasury Management and Prudential Code Indicators be noted and referred to the Executive Committee for noting; and (2) that the 2021/2022 Annual Investment Report be endorsed and referred to the Executive Committee for endorsement prior to submission to the Council for formal approval in line with The Local Government Investments (Scotland) Regulations 2010. 4. Employee Implications 4.1. All employee implications were highlighted as part of the original reports to Resource Committee. 5. Financial Implications 5.1. All financial implications were highlighted as part of the original reports to Resource Committee. 36
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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. Any risks or other implications were highlighted as part of the original reports to the Resource Committee. 8. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 8.1. Equality impact assessment and consultation arrangements were highlighted as part of the original reports to the Resource Committees. 8.2. There is no requirement to carry out an Equality Impact Assessment or consultation in terms of the proposals contained in this report. Cleland Sneddon Chief Executive 7 September 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Previous References ♦ Finance and Corporate Resources Committee of 7 September 2022 (Paragraph 10) List of Background Papers Individual report to Resource Committee ..\..\..\Finance and Corporate Resources\Finance and Corporate Resources Committee\220907\Prudential Indicators Treasury Management Activity and Annual Investment Report 20212022 (003).doc 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 37
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 21 September 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Education Resources) Subject: Secondary School Estate - Future Capacity Issues 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide an update on current secondary school pupil forecast numbers and the implications on accommodation requirements for the secondary school estate [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) approve the 4 secondary school building works programme necessary to manage pupil growth (paragraph 4.1); (2) note that the priority of the 2 Learning Estate Investment Project funding bids is firstly secondary schools’ expansion and secondly new SEBN Kear School; and (3) note the need to review the financial position in the wider context of the capital programme in January 2023 should the LEIP funding bid and City Deal Change Control procedures be unsuccessful. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. Table 1 below shows that secondary school pupil numbers are predicted to rise reflecting both the level of numbers transferring from the primary sector and the level of significant housing expansion within South Lanarkshire, primarily in the Community Growth Areas (CGA) of Newton, Hamilton, East Kilbride and Larkhall, but also in other major housing areas such as Cambuslang, Strathaven and Ferniegair. Table 1: Pupil Number Predictions School Year 2021 Actual 2022 Estimate 2023 Estimate 2024 Estimate 2025 Estimate 2026 Estimate 2021- 2026 Estimate Growth Estimate Add’l Pupils post 2028 from New Housing Pupil Nos. 20,160 20,745 21,343 21,549 21,613 21,785 +1,625 +8% 1,277 3.2. The growth is not evenly spread throughout the secondary estate and Appendix 1 shows the 4 secondary schools projected to experience accommodation pressures. It has, therefore, been necessary to review our capacity requirements, making use of all 7 39
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potential external funding sources, while avoiding Council borrowing, if possible, given its limited availability. 4. Planning Requirements for Building Works 4.1. The Table 2 below summarises the 4 secondary schools where it will be neccesary to take action to increase the pupil capacity. Figures show the existing school capacity, pupil number forecasts, and new school capacity after building works have taken place. Table 2: School capacity and forecast pupil numbers School Capacity Pupils 2028 Pupils under(+) / over(-) capacity Add’l Pupils post 2028 New Capacity after Works Calderside 1,438 1,345 +93 203 1,553 Holy Cross 1,377 1,524 -147 30 1,607 St. A & St. B 1,515 1,710 -195 37 1,744 Uddingston 1,339 1,696 -357 39 Site Constraint Uddingston with PRRs* 1,339 1,524 -185 39 1,507 PRRs* is with the application of placing request refusals together with building works. Any pupil changes which may arise from the Newton Farm/Hallside consultation are not reflected in Uddingston Grammar figures above and would not take fuller affect until 2030 and beyond. 4.2. Sections 5 to 8 of the report provide some information on physical requirements for the 4 secondary schools requiring works in the short term. 5. Calderside Academy 5.1. From Appendix 1 it can be seen that the school will remain under Planning Capacity by approximately 100 pupils until 2028, however, part of the requirement is to expand ASN accommodation from August 2022. This will initially involve utilising available mainstream capacity within the school, which will temporarily reduce the Planning Capacity by around 100 pupils. 5.2. The specification is for 8 additional classrooms and a multi purpose area, together with ancillary and other associated space. 5.3. There is estimated pupil growth of 203 post 2028 as a result of the Hamilton Community Growth Area. The proposal is to undertake construction for additional support needs pupils (ASN), which would allow the mainstream classrooms being utilised for ASN to then revert to mainstream accommodation. 5.4. There is no opportunity for catchment realignment as the nearest non denominational school, Hamilton Grammar, is already operating close to its capacity. 6. Holy Cross High School 6.1. From Appendix 1 it can be seen that the school is already managing higher pupil numbers than the Planning Capacity. By 2028, it is expected that the school will be 147 over capacity, with an estimated further 30 pupils generated from new housing post 2028. The proposal is to expand the school by constructing a separate teaching block close to the existing school building. 40
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6.2. There is no opportunity for catchment realignment as the nearest denominational school, St. John Ogilvie High is already operating close to its capacity. Placing requests application levels are actively monitored and considered each year. 7. St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High School 7.1. From Appendix 1 it can be seen that the school is already managing higher pupil numbers than the Planning Capacity. By 2028 it is expected that the school will be 195 over capacity with an estimated further 37 pupils generated from new housing post 2028. The project objective will be to create additional classrooms and associated accommodation in a separate building close to the existing building. 7.2. There is no opportunity for catchment realignment as St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High School is the only denominational school in the East Kilbride area. Placing requests application levels are actively monitored and considered each year. 8. Uddingston Grammar School 8.1. From Appendix 1, it can be seen that the school will, year on year, exceed its Planning Capacity figure of 1,339 until 2028 when it will be 357 over capacity with an estimated further 39 pupils generated from new housing post 2028. 8.2. Due to the constricted school site, it will not be possible to provide this level of accommodation by wholly utilising a new build option, although a smaller scale extension to the rear of the existing building is planned. Appropriate management of Placing Request applications, particularly from other councils, should see a reduction in pupil numbers from an estimated 357 over capacity in 2028 to 185 over capacity in 2028, with an estimated further 39 pupils from new housing post 2028. 8.3. Working with the School Management Team, a number of internal alterations have been identified which could assist in creating more teaching space for the school. Phase 1 of these works was completed in summer 2022 and it is proposed that further internal adaptation works will take place in summer 2023. The extension would then take place following this. 8.4. Any pupil changes which may arise from the Newton Farm/Hallside consultation are not reflected in Uddingston Grammar School figures and would not take fuller affect until 2030 and beyond. 9. Remaining Secondary Schools – Medium Term Requirements 9.1. Ongoing monitoring of forecast pupil numbers across the rest of the secondary school estate will continue on an annual basis. There will be some developer contributions available to assist in undertaking physical works to improve capacity, if required. 10. Procurement Options for Building Works in the 4 Secondary Schools 10.1. A review of procurement options has concluded that the Best Value option is to construct the expansions of the 4 secondary schools through a Partnership approach utilising the existing PPP contract. There will be some legal and technical costs which will be incorporated within the estimated capital costs. 11. Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP) 11.1. The Scottish Government has called on local authorities to prepare bids for the LEIP (Phase 3) Programme. The overall funding available across Scotland is £275m, up to 50% funding is available and projects require to be completed within 5 years, i.e. by December 2027. The application submission deadline is 31 October 2022, and the 41
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full list of projects to be funded through LEIP is scheduled to be announced in December 2022. 11.2. Secondary School expansion meets the LEIP funding criteria, which makes specific reference to the ‘Suitability’ of accommodation and capacity issues caused by housing growth and economic development. Note that the proposed secondary school bid contains only 2 of the 4 projects, Holy Cross High and St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High Schools. The reason for this is that is that it is considered that it would be extremely difficult to meet the sustainability targets in an extension project to maximise LEIP funding. 11.3. Councils have been advised to prioritise bids as the amount of funding available may be insufficient to meet demand. A separate report presented to the Executive Committee proposing construction of a new building for Kear School is also to be funded partly via LEIP. However, as additional accommodation is required to allow for pupil growth in the secondary schools, the secondary schools expansion bid would be identified as first priority. The estimate costs for the 2 schools (Holy Cross and St Andrew’s and St Bride’s) is £14 million with potential LEIP funding of £7 million. 12. Financial Implications – Capital 12.1. The total high-level budget estimate for the 4 secondary schools is £22.8 million. This estimate is subject to detailed design and tender. 12.2. The funding package is made up of a number of funding streams: City Deal Grant as part of the overall City Deal Programme, Developer Contributions and an assumption in respect of LEIP funding as there is the opportunity to bid for these monies. This is shown in Table 3. Table 3: Spend and Funding Sources Estimate Budget Required City Deal and Developer Contributions LEIP Funding Bid Total Potential Income 4 Secondary School Projects £22.8m £15.8m £7.0m £22.8m 12.3. It is noted that there is a risk in terms of when the developer contributions will be received. In addition, there is a risk that these income streams which are dependent on the house-building market, will be impacted by the current economic conditions, and developments will not progress as planned. 12.4. There is also a further risk if the LEIP bid is unsuccessful, and / or there is any slippage in receipt of the earmarked developer contributions. Should the LEIP funding bid and the City Deal Change Control procedures be unsuccessful, there will be a need to review the financial position in the wider context of the capital programme in January 2023. 12.5. The timing of the estimated annual expenditure and income means that, in 2025/2026, there is a shortfall in funding of £600,000. The timing of the receipt of developer contributions will depend on house building activity. If the timing of developer contributions means a temporary shortfall in funding, then the Council will have to borrow to manage this on a cash-flow basis. It will be repaid the following year. The expenditure and income profile, as well as the cost of borrowing, is shown in Table 4. 42
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Table 4: Profile of Spend / Income and Cost of Borrowing 4 Secondary Schools 21/22 Actual 22/23 Est. 23/24 Est. 24/25 Est. 25/26 Est. 26/27 Est. Total Est. Total Expenditure - £0.9m £1.2m £9.0m £11.7m - £22.8m Income: City Deal - £0.5m £0.8m £4.6m £2.9m - £8.8m Dev. Contributions £1.4m £0.8m £0.8m £0.3m £3.1m £0.6m £7.0m LEIP Funding Bid - - - £2.3m £4.7m - £7.0m Total Income £1.4m £1.3m £1.6m £7.2m £10.7m £0.6m £22.8m Cumulative Surplus/(Deficit) £1.4m £1.8m £2.2m £0.4m (£0.6m) - - Cost of Borrowing - - - - £0.02m - £0.02m 12.6. Table 4 above shows a minor cost of borrowing based on the assued profile of expenditure and income of £20,000. 13. Financial Implications – Revenue 13.1. There will be increased property costs such as property rates, utilities and additional fixed facilities services (cleaning, janitorial and catering). This has been estimated using the existing costs of similar sized schools. 13.2. There will also be additional annual revenue costs associated with an extension to the PPP contract under the budget line for the unitary charge. This will be subject to annual RPI as is consistent with the existing contract. 13.3. The table below summarises the required total estimated property related costs split between property running costs and PPP charges. These property costs will not be incurred until after project completions, currently targeted between August 2025 and January 2026, and require to be incorporated into Council budget planning. Table 5: Estimated Revenue Costs 4 Secondary Schools Estimated Annual Increased Property Revenue Costs Total Property Running Costs £0.447m Total PPP associated charges £0.241m TOTAL £0.688m 43
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13.4. The costs in Table 5 do not include any costs associated with additional teacher requirements. (see section 14.1 below) 14. Employee Implications 14.1. For the 4 mainstream secondary schools, the standard teacher staffing formulae, which is dependent primarily on pupil numbers, will be applied annually as pupil growth occurs. An element of additional School Support Assistants will likely be required. This will have an implication as to annual revenue costs. These costs are not included within this report as increased staffing implications due to pupil growth is monitored separately for the whole education sector, regardless of whether physical building works are required. 15. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 15.1. Any projects undertaken will meet all South Lanarkshire Council requirements with respect to Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental implications. 16. Other Implications 16.1. Risk implications are considered in section 12 of the report. 17. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 17.1. None. Tony McDaid Executive Director (Education Resources) 2 September 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Our children and young people thrive Inspiring learners, transforming learning, strengthening partnerships Support children and young people to develop their skills for learning, life and work. 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:- Vance Sinclair, Partnership Development Manager Ext: 2065 (Tel: 01698 452065) E-mail: vance.sinclair@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 44
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Appendix 1 Secondary School Planning Capacity 2021 2022 2023 2024 2025 2026 2027 2028 Diff from Planning Capacity Under(+), Over (-) Addn'l pupils post 2028 from New Hsg Action Required Calderside Academy 1,438 1,297 1,282 1,330 1,326 1,315 1,342 1,329 1,345 93 203 Holy Cross High School 1,377 1,408 1,427 1,477 1,504 1,521 1,533 1,514 1,524 -147 30 St Andrew's and St Bride's High School 1,515 1,552 1,653 1,711 1,769 1,746 1,756 1,748 1,710 -195 37 Uddingston Grammar School 1,339 1,265 1,355 1,409 1,458 1,558 1,631 1,691 1,696 -357 39 Includes 3 year average Placing Request adjustment and housing projections 45
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 21 September 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Education Resources) Subject: Proposal for a New Social, Emotional and Behavioural Needs (SEBN) Secondary School Building (Kear School) 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide information relating to the proposal for a new social, emotional and behavioural needs (SEBN) secondary school building (Kear School) [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) approve, in principle, the proposal to establish a new SEBN secondary school building to replace Kear School; (2) approve the proposed site preference of Stonehouse; (3) note the requirement to undertake a statutory public consultation; (4) note the intention to fund 50% of the project via a bid into the Scottish Government’s Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP) with the remaining funding via developer contributions; and (5) note that should the LEIP funding bid be unsuccessful, the project would not progress at this time. A further review may take place within the context of the wider capital programme in future years. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. Over the last 15 years, South Lanarkshire Council has invested over £1.2 billion in its Schools Modernisation Programme. At the end of 2019, all nursery, primary, secondary and additional support needs (ASN) educational establishments were either rebuilt or had undergone a major refurbishment. 3.2. The Kear School building was initially constructed as a temporary decant facility for primary school pupils during the Schools Modernisation Programme. It is a 3-storey building of a modular construction type and was physically moved to the current site after use as a decant facility for primary schools under reconstruction. 3.3. A strategic Council priority is working to reduce inequality, and a key driver involves supporting children and young people to thrive, irrespective of their need. The area of SEBN has seen changes to legislation and increasing demand, as well as a greater understanding of the most appropriate environment required to provide effective support. In this respect, Education Resources has recently reviewed its estate for the provision of SEBN in both the primary and secondary school sectors. 8 47
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3.4. Specialist Secondary educational provision for children and young people with SEBN is currently delivered across the following sites:- Kear School, Blantyre – provision for up to 60 pupils Plus, Area Base Locations with provision for 12FTE places in each geographical location of South Lanarkshire:- St. Andrew’s and St. Bride’s High School, (East Kilbride) Calderside Academy, (Hamilton) Cathkin High School, (Rutherglen/Cambuslang) Carluke Lifestyles, (Clydesdale) 3.5. The learners within Kear campus can be identified as some of the most vulnerable within the authority. They are likely to suffer from varying levels of anxiety and sensory issues, an inability to regulate behaviour, oppositional and demand avoidance disorders, and have limited coping strategies which may lead them to engage in violent and unsafe behaviour when distressed. 3.6. Those attending Kear campus have complex additional support needs that cannot be met with the mainstream school model for varied and individual reasons. They are identified as requiring Stage 3 interventions (of the Staged Intervention process), that is, they require support from outwith a mainstream school but remain within a Council setting. Learners tend to move from mainstream learning to the Locality Bases or to Kear School if their needs cannot be met within a traditional educational model. This enables a more flexible and individualised response to be delivered to meet their individual learning, social, emotional and behavioural needs. 3.7. Learners who do not respond positively to placement in Kear School may be accommodated within day education or residential placements supported by independent partner agencies or agencies outwith education (Stage 4 of the Staged Intervention process). 4. Current position 4.1. The current Kear secondary school building does not provide a satisfactory environment for the delivery of education for SEBN secondary school pupils. It has fundamental limitations in its design, layout and specification in relation to provision of a positive learning environment for vulnerable young people. The building currently has a ‘C’ rating for Suitability and is the only South Lanarkshire Secondary School which does not have either an ‘A’ or ‘B’ rating. This provides a fundamental disadvantage to our most vulnerable children. 4.2. The building presents the following challenges:- Inadequate sound proofing throughout the building contributes to distractions across the learning environment. The multi storey nature and design does not lend itself to safe, effective and efficient movement around the building and supervision of learning spaces. As a result, although the provision could accommodate around 60 pupils, at any one time this is restricted to around 25. The fabric of the building is not resilient and where damage occurs resulting in an unsightly environment, there is an inevitable detrimental impact on the ethos and culture of the school. 48
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Outdoor space is limited with resultant impact on the breadth of curriculum offered. Evidence shows that natural, outdoor space can reduce distress and promote wellbeing in children and young people who have experienced trauma. Internal accommodation is limited in terms of flexibility of purpose: there are limited specialist teaching areas to enable delivery of a curriculum that will engage, inspire and promote aspirations and there are no facilities to enable parental and community partnerships to be extended and nurtured. Some of our young people currently educated externally could potentially return to the new provision. 4.3. The Council has invested significant amounts of funding into adaptations and reactive maintenance in order to make the building suitable for its educational role. However, the design and construction of the building is fundamentally unsuitable for its use. 5. Options Appraisal 5.1. Status Quo Those who attend Kear campus have demonstrated that their complex needs cannot be met within the mainstream school model, that they often engage in unsafe behaviour when distressed and are identified as requiring Stage 3 specialist interventions (one level from external educational placement). As described above, continuing our educational provision in the existing campus, which is not robust enough in its fabric and design and not does not match with expectations that all children and young people have access to a rich and stimulating curriculum, is not a long-term option if the Council is to meet the needs of SEBN secondary school age pupils. 5.2. Improve the Fabric of the Existing Building Over the years, significant amounts of money have been spent in repairs to the fabric of the building. More is required and is eating into a significant amount of the overall repairs and maintenance budget which is intended for all schools in South Lanarkshire. With the recognition that the needs and behaviours of the young people are becoming increasingly complex, it is viewed that using this building for Kear secondary school pupils is not a long-term option if the Council is to meet the needs of SEBN secondary school age pupils. Outdoor space would remain inadequate. 5.3. Acquire Another Building Any existing building would require to be adapted to suit the specific learning environment, must be robust enough to withstand physical damage, with the ability to manage safe and secure pupil movement during the day. Also, the importance of adequate outside space for mental health and wellbeing, physical activity and other outdoor learning was identified as a priority. On enquiring with Estates colleagues about alternatives, there has been nothing suitable identified within the Council portfolio which meets the requirements. 5.4. Design and build a New Kear Secondary School Building Suitable for the Young People in Attendance This is the preferred option to ensure Kear School will achieve a rating of ‘A’ for Suitability and become a sector leading secondary school provision. A new design and build project would provide better facilities to enhance learning opportunities and curriculum choice, much improved external space for mental health and wellbeing and other types of outdoor learning, and a more robust physical environment. 49
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6. Proposal for a New Build SEBN Kear School 6.1. The proposal is to design and build a new provision on a more suitable site which could accommodate 60 pupils. Preliminary investigations identified a number of potential sites listed below:- (i) Former Ridgepark School site, Lanark (ii) Former Garden Centre site at Chatelherault Country Park, Ferniegair (iii) Dalton site, Cambuslang (iv) Blaes Pitch at Peter Brownlie Park, Cambuslang (v) Union Street, Stonehouse (vi) Westwoodhill pitches, East Kilbride 6.2. The Union Street site in Stonehouse has been identified as the most appropriate site out of those listed above for the development of a new SEBN school. Any transfer to this potential new site would require a statutory public consultation. 6.3. Given Kear School has no specific catchment, the formal consultation would include all parents, carers and pupils across South Lanarkshire, and the local community of Stonehouse, with expected enhanced interest from the community closest to the potential site. The purpose would be to gauge their views on the site, and to allow proper consideration of the suitability of the site prior to the Council making any decision. This process could take around 6 to 8 months to complete. 6.4. The timing of a new Kear secondary school building would have to be confirmed following the confirmation of LEIP funding and the outcome of the statutory public consultation due to the relocation of the school. 7. Feasibility Study 7.1. In Autumn 2019, a feasibility study to identify the unique requirements of SEBN Secondary Education was commissioned. Consultants (Space Strategies) were appointed to:- Articulate the education and learning aims, priorities and ambition for the new school. Translate the vision into a series of spatial constructs which can support the priorities articulated for future learning. Provide a Space Budget which reflects the ambition for the school within a bench marked efficient, effective and affordable envelope of space. Develop a concept design for the preferred site. 7.2. In terms of consultation, an inclusive approach was adopted with a variety of stakeholders including students, staff directly connected to Kear and other supporting specialists. The key strategic outcomes were identified as follows:- provide a safe, nurturing and inclusive space promote understanding and de-stigmatise SEBN provision encourage engagement, attendance and build positive relationships and positive destinations promote outdoor learning provide integrated community facilities 50
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7.3. Determining the number of teaching spaces required within the SEBN sector is more fluid, complex and less predictable than in the mainstream sector for the following reasons:- The teacher to learner ratio (1:6 for this sector) is in some instances not achievable due to the needs of learners, peer to peer dynamics and need to cater for different stages/levels of ability. 1:1 learner to staff ratios can be required for particular learners. Personalised learning programmes and timetables can result in subjects being delivered in small groups. Learners can transition to Kear secondary school at multiple points throughout the school year as a result of Partnership Planning meetings. 7.4.. A high priority for the new school will be to encourage wider community use and participation, both during school hours and outwith school hours. This facility will assist the Council in achieving this objective. Key accommodation for community use during school hours include:- café hair and beauty skills space allotment and gardens Outwith school hours the full range of school accommodation can be made available for community use including Nurture, Meeting Space, Performance/Assembly, Sports and English Language Teaching Work Space. 8. Other Implications 8.1. The new provision would be able to accommodate 60 learners in a safer, nurturing and inclusive environment and be able to offer an appropriate curriculum to suit learner needs. Current staffing levels can accommodate a roll of 60 learners. 9. Financial Implications 9.1. Capital Funding Construction costs for this new facility are estimated to be £14 million. Given the general limited availability of Council funding, it is proposed that costs would be met from a mixture of developer contributions and the submission of a bid to the Scottish Government’s Learning Estate Investment Programme (LEIP). 9.2. Funding submissions for LEIP require to be made by 31 October 2022 and can provide up to 50% of the funding required for any project subject to meeting specific criteria. Scottish Government Ministers will confirm funding decisions by the end of December 2022. As noted in the previous paper to Committee on Secondary School expansion proposals, those projects are viewed as the priority 1 bid, and take precedence over the Kear replacement facility. As such, if the LEIP bid for the Kear replacement facility was unsuccessful, then the project would not progress at this time. A further review may take place within the context of the wider capital programme in future years. 9.3. Table 1 shows the estimated costs and also the funding sources for the project. 51
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Table 1: Estimate Cost and Funding Sources 9.4. It is noted that there is a risk in terms of when the developer contributions will be received. This risk is increased by the dependency on the house-building market, whether developments have started and potential impact of the wider current economic conditions which could cause a reduction in the monies available for the project. 9.5. If, in December 2022 the LEIP bid is successful, the Council would reassess any changes in the likelihood of developer contributions over the coming years before committing to this project. 9.6. The timing of the estimated annual expenditure and income means that there are funding shortfalls across the project timeframe (£3.4 million in 2024/2025, rising to £4.7 million in 2025/2026 and then reducing to £3.7 million in 2026/2027). This is shown in Table 2. The timing of receipt of developer contributions will depend on house building activity. The in-year shortfalls mean that the Council will have to borrow to manage this on a cash-flow basis, with the borrowing repaid in future years once the developer contributions are received. The expenditure and income profile, as well as the cost of borrowing, is shown below. Table 2: Profile of Spend / Income and Cost of Borrowing New Kear School 23/24 Est. 24/25 Est. 25/26 Est. 26/27 Est. 27/28 - 30/31 Est. Total Est. Expenditure £1.2m £9.2m £3.6m - - £14.0m Income: Developer Contributions - - £2.3m £1.0m £3.7m £7.0m LEIP Funding bid £1.2m £5.8m - - - £7.0m Total Income £1.2m £5.8m £2.3m £1.0m £3.7m £14.0m Cumulative Surplus/(Deficit) - (£3.4m) (£4.7m) (£3.7m) - - Cost of Borrowing £0.10m £0.14m £0.11m - £0.35m 9.7. Table 2 shows that there is a cost of borrowing of £0.350 million attached to the forward funding of this project. This position will be updated once the funding sources are confirmed. Any cost of borrowing would have to be met from within this project budget Estimate Budget Developer Contributions LEIP Funding Bid Total Income New Kear School £14m £7.0m £7.0m £14.0m 52
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9.8. Revenue Funding There will be revenue consequences in the form of associated property costs, however, it is envisaged that these would be funded by the tranfer of budget already allocated for the running costs of the existing Kear School building. No additional staffing would be required beyond that already in place. 10. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 10.1. It is our aim that the new proposed school will not only deliver an efficient, high quality, flexible teaching space suitable for SEBN secondary education, but will also deliver an affordable and sustainable designed campus in line with the Scottish Government’s Learning Estate Investment Programme priorities, as follows:- Suitability Condition Rating ‘A’ Net Zero Emissions Healthier Living Environments Infrastructure Technologies Job Creation 10.2. The design will also require to target meeting Council parameters including a Green Profile Rating of minimum 'Very Good', standards on CO2 emission levels and the use of low and zero-carbon technologies. It is the ambition that this new school is designed maximising natural resources for light, heat and ventilation, where possible, and achieve a high energy efficiency certification based on the design, before any introduction of renewable energy sources. It is hoped that the new school will have no reliance on fossil fuels as part of the Council’s transition to net zero. 10.3. The inclusion of natural environment solutions into the design of the building and surrounding area - green infrastructure, allotments and gardens and outdoor learning space - will provide many co-benefits including climate adaptation measures, carbon sequestration, improved biodiversity, air quality and the health and wellbeing of pupils and staff. 10.4. The external environment would include:- Allotments for Education and Community Use Active Play and Outside Learning Opportunities Enhancement of local existing Biodiversity 11. Other Implications 11.1. The timing of this project would be confirmed following the confirmation of LEIP funding and the outcome of any public consultation due to the relocation of the school. 11.2 Risk implications are referred to in paragraph 9.4 of the report 12. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 12.1. As this does not involve a change to a new policy there is no need for an Equality Impact Assessment. There will be a statutory consultation to canvass opinion of stakeholders on the location of the site. Tony McDaid Executive Director (Education Resources) 31 August 2022 53
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Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes We will work to put people first and reduce inequality We will work towards a sustainable future in sustainable places Inspiring learners, transforming learning, strengthening partnerships Previous References None List of Background Papers None Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Lynn Sherry, Head of Education (Support Services and School Estate) Ext: 5620 (Tel: 01698 455620) E-mail: Lynn Sherry@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 54
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 21 September 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Education Resources) Subject: Outcome of the Consultation to Realign the Catchment of Newton Farm and Hallside Primary Schools and to Alter the Secondary School Those pupils in the Rezoned Area would Attend from Uddingston Grammar School to Cathkin High School 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- provide information on the outcome of the consultation undertaken on the above proposal seek approval from the Executive Committee to implement the recommendation of the outcome report from the statutory consultation undertaken [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) agree to implement the proposed catchment realignment of Newton Farm and Hallside Primary Schools, including altering the secondary school those pupils in the rezoned area would attend from Uddingston Grammar School to Cathkin High School; and (2) agree that:- (i) any current catchment child attending Newton Farm Primary School during school session 2022/2023 and living in the proposed rezoned area for Hallside Primary School will have the right to remain at Newton Farm Primary School (ii) these pupils will then be offered the option of attending either Uddingston Grammar School or Cathkin High School regardless of any catchment change (iii) thereafter, any further younger siblings enrolling in P1 in respect of school sessions August 2023 through to August 2028 will have the option to enrol at Newton Farm Primary School and have the right to attend Uddingston Grammar School. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. A statutory consultation was carried out on the proposal to realign the catchment areas of Newton Farm and Hallside Primary Schools. The purpose was to balance pupil numbers more effectively within the two schools and to alter the Secondary School which pupils in the rezoned area would attend from Uddingston Grammar School to Cathkin High School. 9 55
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3.2. The consultation was undertaken in accordance with the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010. The consultation commenced on 25 October 2021, which included 2 on-line public meetings, and closed on 6 December 2021. 4. Summary of Responses 4.1. In total, 950 letters were delivered to affected residents and notification given to the parents/carers and pupils of the affected schools, 857 primary pupils and 2,290 secondary pupils. In addition, all associated primary schools and local nurseries were given notification of the consultation as well as other statutory consultees. In this context, the number of respondents to the proposal was low. Education Scotland also recognised in their report that the response rate by parents/carers was low. 4.2. 225 responses were received via online survey and email. Responses Number % In favour of the proposal 89 39.5% Not in favour of the proposal 114 50.7% Undecided 22 9.8% 4.3 In addition to the responses received via email and online form, a change.org petition against the proposal was submitted containing 246 signatures. It was noted that this change.org petition commenced prior to the go live date of the actual consultation, incorrectly stated that the consultation had already been proposed and agreed, presented limited information and did not provide a link to the full consultation proposal document. Later social media posts encouraged the completion of both the Council’s response form and the change.org petition. 4.4 The Council could not establish whether the signatories responded based on the limited information presented within the petition rather than the formal consultation proposal document and whether there were duplicate signatories to those who issued a response via the formal consultation process and, therefore, did not include it as a formal response. 4.5. The Council reviewed the 225 responses received, with the main recurring points raised being: The need for a new High School within the Cambuslang area (28 respondents) Concerns regarding the breaking up of what is regarded as the Newton Farm community (32 respondents) Attending a different primary or secondary school to siblings (18 respondents) The environmental impact of any change (14 respondents) 4.6 Further information is contained within section 8 of the consultation outcome document and a full list of all responses is contained within the appendix 6 of the consultation outcome document. 4.7 In respect of a new high school in the Cambuslang area, information provided explains that the increased pupil numbers expected can be reduced by giving priority to catchment pupils over placing requests from other local authorities. Thereafter, the estimate of an excess of 258 secondary aged pupils is considered to be too small to warrant building a new secondary school and can be managed by undertaking smaller 56
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adaptations works at Cathkin High School if required, financially assisted with developer contributions. 4.8 Education Resources already acknowledged that any change to catchment can be unsettling for families and had, therefore, built in an assumption that, for a period of time, younger siblings can continue to enrol at Newton Farm Primary School. Also, any current pupils at Newton Farm Primary School can continue to transition to Uddingston Grammar School. (See recommendation 2 in this report). 5. Education Scotland Report 5.1. HM Inspectors attended a public meeting and considered the written and oral submissions received during the consultation period. They also held virtual visits to Newton Farm Primary School and Hallside Primary School, including discussion with relevant consultees and discussions with the headteachers of Uddingston Grammar School and Cathkin High School. 5.2. They observed that, overall, the response rate from parents was low. 5.3. Stakeholders from Newton Farm Primary School recognised that the current situation where the use of the gym hall as a teaching area was limiting its use for wider celebrations and activities. Physical education required to be outdoors in varied weather conditions. All children, staff and parents were pleased that the extension to the building will resolve these issues. They were more mixed in their support for the council’s proposal to alter the schools’ catchment areas but are aware that future house building could add to the school roll in the future. 5.4. Parents welcomed the commitment to allow pupils to continue to attend their current school. They were also positive about the provision for siblings to attend the same school as their older brothers and sisters. 5.5. Education Scotland concluded that the proposal has potential educational benefits. The proposal will, if approved, support a more even distribution of children and young people in the affected schools in the future. They also concluded that the Council could provide more detail outlining its position with regard to the educational benefits, particularly in secondary schools, to support stakeholders in understanding better the issues. As a result, the rolls and capacities of the affected secondary schools are outlined in section 8.3.1 of the consultation outcome report and summarised in paragraph 4.7 of this report. 6 Employee Implications 6.1 Employee resources at each school would continue to be provided by means of existing staffing protocols and agreed management structures. 7 Financial Implications 7.1 The proposal demonstrates a Best Value approach to effectively managing the school estate and the Council’s property portfolio. 7.2 South Lanarkshire Council’s current policy on transport will still apply following any catchment change. 7.3 Developers’ contributions can assist with any future adaptation works necessary at Cathkin High School should the consultation proposal be approved. 57
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8 Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 8.1 Any proposals meet all South Lanarkshire Council requirements in respect to Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental. 9 Other Implications 9.1. There are no risk implications associated with this report. 10. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 10.1 Under the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010, any proposal to vary any of the admission arrangements for a school, including its catchment area, necessitates a statutory consultation. 10.2. There was no requirement to carry out an Equality Impact Assessment in terms of this report. Tony McDaid Executive Director (Education Resources) 31 August 2020 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes ♦ Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent ♦ Fair, open and sustainable ♦ Our children and young people thrive 58
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Previous References Consultation proposal document made available as part of the statutory consultation process. List of Background Papers Executive Committee 22 September 2021 Link to the outcome report Comments, complaints and consultations - South Lanarkshire Council Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Lynn Sherry, Head of Education (Support Services and School Estate) Ext: 5620 (Tel: 01698 455620) E-mail: Lynn.Sherry@southlnarkshire.gov.uk@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 59
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 21 September 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: New Deal for Employees 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] seek approval for changes proposed for employees which provide additional support, recognising the difficult circumstances employees are currently in [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the changes in terms and conditions to support families and individuals identified at Section 4 be approved; (2) that the Council approve the Right to Disconnect policy for employees; (3) that the Council agree to sign up to the Pregnancy Loss Pledge; (4) that, subject to no additional annual leave day being granted in 2022 through pay negotiations, a wellbeing day be allocated to employees in recognition of the difficult years experienced; and (5) that Services, together with the workforce, explore the options to benefit from a 4 day working week. 3. Background 3.1. The Head of Personnel Services was asked by the Administration to look at a number of areas across the conditions of service applicable to the workforce, with a view to seeking an improvement for employees operating in the current difficult circumstances. These centred around improving support for difficult personal circumstances and improving employee wellbeing in general. 4. Proposed Changes 4.1. In looking at the current arrangements and best practice, there are two suggested areas of change which are recommended to support families better:- Paternity Leave Support for Pregnancy and Loss 4.2. Paternity Leave The Employment Act 2002 introduced a statutory right to 2 weeks paid paternity leave on the birth of a child or placement of a child for adoption. This is in addition to the existing entitlement to unpaid parental leave. Paternity leave may be taken not just by the biological father, but by a partner if that person will have the main responsibility for the child’s upbringing, apart from any responsibility on the part of the mother. A cohabiting partner of either gender may apply for paternity leave. Those eligible for paternity leave currently receive:- 10 61
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one week at full normal pay 2nd week’s leave under the Statutory Paternity Leave and Statutory Paternity Pay provisions (currently £156.66) In accordance with the regulations, employers can reclaim 92% of the statutory paternity pay (SPP) paid to those employees for the 2-week period only. It is important that parents/carers can maximise the support time available at this special, but stressful, time in any families lives. The proposal would be to increase paid paternity leave to 4 weeks, to be taken consecutively. There may also be additional costs associated with backfill arrangements where this is required for particular posts. 4.3. Support for Pregnancy and Loss 4.3.1. Pregnancy Loss This can be a very difficult time for employees and one way of making support for them clear is by signing up to the Pregnancy Loss Pledge. The Pregnancy Loss Pledge is a campaign where employers can show their commitment in supporting staff through the distress of miscarriage. The pregnancy loss standard asks that employers agree to:- Encourage a supportive work environment where people feel able to discuss and disclose pregnancy and/or loss without fear of being disadvantaged or discriminated against Understand and implement the rules around pregnancy-related leave, ensuring staff feel able to take the time off they need Show empathy and understanding towards people and their partners experiencing pregnancy loss Implement a pregnancy loss policy or guidance, or ensure it is included in sickness, bereavement or other workplace policies – being mindful of the needs of partners too Encourage line managers to access in-house or external guidance on how to support someone experiencing pregnancy loss Support people back to work by being responsive to their needs and showing flexibility wherever possible The key areas of this pledge are about providing meaningful time off and support in relation to pregnancy loss. 4.3.2. Time Off The Council’s current provisions related to pregnancy loss are held within the Maternity Leave policy. The policy already provides employees who suffer pregnancy loss with paid leave. Prior to the 24th week of pregnancy, this is sick leave, and on or after the 25th week of pregnancy the employee will be entitled to maternity leave. An improvement to the current provision would be to introduce a section specifically on neo natal loss (the loss of a baby within the first 28 days after they are born). 62
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4.3.3. Support Managers are encouraged to support employees in any difficult and sensitive situation they may be experiencing. In line with this pledge, guidance with clear signposting can be provided to managers to assist them in supporting employees confidently. Being part of this pledge will also provide a communication platform to help take away any stigma or concern around pregnancy loss or pregnancy related issues. This would aim to strengthen the safe environment at work and encourage employees to talk about their situation (if they wish to) and be supported by their manager. 4.3.4. Pregnancy Loss Pledge Process The Council can make these improvements directly in our policies and leave schemes. Guidance will be created to provide more understanding and awareness of pregnancy loss and pregnancy related issues. The next steps would be to formally apply to request to join the pledge to the Miscarriage Association. On confirmation of the Council’s submission being accepted, the Council’s sign up to the Pregnancy Loss Pledge, leave improvements and support guidance would be circulated to employees and managers through the normal communication channels. The Miscarriage Association would also provide assistance with website or social media communications. 4.3.5. Additional Pregnancy Related Improvements The Council’s scheme of special leave provides guidance for pregnancy related appointments. Currently, employees can have reasonable time off with pay for fertility treatment and ante natal care. This provision could be extended to the partner, to provide clarity that these employees can accompany their partner for support in the following area. 4.3.6. Fertility Treatment If an employee is undergoing fertility treatment, where this cannot be supported by working flexibly by arrangement, paid leave will be granted for necessary related absences during one cycle of treatment. Where possible, appointments should be scheduled out with working hours. If an employee’s partner is undergoing fertility treatment, where this cannot be supported by working flexibly by arrangement, paid leave will be granted to attend related appointments during one cycle of treatment. This includes appointments where they accompany their partner for support, as well as those at which they are required to be present Should further treatment cycles be undertaken, where this cannot be supported by working flexibly by arrangement, it will be necessary for the employee to use annual leave or request unpaid leave to cover the above 4.3.7 Maternity Scheme Addition – Neonatal Leave Neonatal Leave is time off for parents of babies who are born prematurely, to cover the additional time their babies spend in hospital. When a premature baby is born, the parents are entitled to an additional week of paid leave for every week of maternity leave/adoption leave/shared parental leave that the premature baby spends in hospital. This will be from the date the baby is born up to the date the baby is discharged from full time hospital care or has reached the original due date (whichever is the earlier). Neonatal Leave will be taken at the 63
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end of the period of maternity leave, adoption leave or shared parental leave, to enable quality time to be spent with the baby. Father, partner or nominated care giver Those who are entitled to paternity leave will also receive an additional week’s paid leave for each week the baby spends in hospital up to a maximum of two weeks. This leave can be taken while the baby is in hospital or after they have been discharged. 5. Employee Wellbeing Difficult years have recently been experienced by employees and there are continuing pressures being experienced through the pandemic impact and the national workforce challenges which are having a known impact on recruitment and retention. In addition, the council continues to experience waves of COVID-19 related absence reflective of the rates of infection in the community. This can lead to sudden changes in arrangements and peaks in workload. This has been ongoing for 2.5 years now and nationally there is a known detrimental impact on individuals. There are three areas where the Council could support employees to maintain a healthy worklife balance. These include:- a Wellbeing thank you recognition day the provision of the Right to Disconnect consideration of a 4-day Working Week 5.1. Wellbeing Day The Council workforce has gone through a difficult couple of years dealing with the pandemic in both their work and personal lives. The whole workforce should receive recognition of the efforts they have made to deliver services in very difficult circumstances. The pandemic impact, coupled with the current pressures associated with the current cost of living crisis, has led to a decrease in levels of personal resilience. It is important that employees take some time to focus on their own wellbeing and the proposal here is that employees are allocated a one-off wellbeing day to do just that. It would also provide an opportunity for the council, as an employer, to thank the whole workforce for their efforts over the pandemic. This would be a day to focus on themselves, switch off and do something that would have a beneficial impact on their wellbeing and personal resilience. As part of the communication around this, suggestion for activities will be highlighted and employees encouraged to use the day for themselves. There is an additional day’s leave detailed as part of the current pay offer for Local Government employees. It is not clear whether the offer will be accepted yet, nor whether the additional day applies to 2022. Should the additional day, attached to the pay offer, be effective in 2023, the proposal here would be to allocate one day from the council for this year. If the additional day in the pay offer applies in 2022 this will substitute the day the council was planning to give. Either way, employees will be encouraged to make best use of the day as detailed above. In relation to the wellbeing day, costs for backfilling staff, where required, would be up to £500,000 on a one-off basis. 5.2. Right to Disconnect The Right to Disconnect first appeared in legislation in France in 2017, and other European countries have since followed suit. The legislation was developed following reports on the use of modern technology and the impact on individuals of 64
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feeling constantly connected. The pandemic has expanded the number of employees accessing work remotely and, as a result, there are instances of employees blurring the line between home and worklife in a way which is not conducive to good mental health and wellbeing. The Scottish Government Public Sector Pay Policy 2022 introduced an expectation for relevant employers to have meaningful discussions with employee representatives about introducing a Right to Disconnect, providing a balance between the opportunities new technology and ways of working bring, and the support required for employees to feel able to switch off from work. The draft policy is attached at Appendix 1 and sets out the proposed council approach. The policy also sets the Right to Disconnect within the context of other council supports and provides a platform for illustrating our competitive advantage in recruitment as a modern, forward-thinking organisation which cares about and supports the workforce. 5.3. 4 Day Working Week The Scottish Government Public Sector Pay Policy 2022 also asked employers to consider and take forward pilots in respect of the four-day working week. There are national pilots running which are due to conclude at the end of 2022. Those pilots are around a principle of 100% pay, for 80% of time, but maintaining 100% productivity. The pilots will report back on whether these have been successful and the impact of the change. The national pilots are focussed on areas where productivity can be increased to maintain the same output in less time. This is not possible in an environment where contact is scheduled. So, for example, a Home Carer who is scheduled to deliver 20 hours of care over 5 days cannot deliver the same hours of care while working 16 hours over 4 days. A condensed working week is a popular option amongst employees seeking flexible working and has a significant benefit in terms of employee wellbeing. A nine-day fortnight is the most frequently requested, working 70 hours over 9 working days rather than 10. The numbers taking advantage of this at present are reasonably small and are professional or office-based employees. The proposal here would be to encourage a creative look at the ability to extend a 4-day working week to other areas of the workforce rather than wait for individuals to request it. Delivery of service is key, but this would present groups of employees with options and would enable changes for the frontline workforce who, in the current circumstances, may not feel that this is an option they can apply for. There are clear benefits to individuals and organisations in adopting a 4 day week, where possible. The workforce is more rested, and this will have a positive impact on attendance. 6. Employee Implications 6.1. The proposals in this report are supportive of employees, helping them maintain a healthy work life balance and supporting them through difficult life events. In addition, they represent a clear signal that the council is a modern employer, who values and supports the workforce. This will assist in recruitment and retention, providing a competitive advantage in the current tight labour market. 65
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7. Financial Implications 7.1. There are additional financial implications arising from this report which are not provided for within existing budgets. In relation to the wellbeing day, costs for backfilling staff would be up to £500,000 on a one-off basis. It is projected that, by the year end, the underspend in employee costs (partly as a result of the challenges in recruiting at the moment as reported as part of the financial monitoring reports) will be sufficient to cover these costs. It should be noted that while this funding and the expenditure are on a one-off basis, in using it to cover these additional costs, it will not be available to support the broader financial position for the Council. There may also be some additional costs in relation to any backfill of posts taking the extra proposed paternity leave. These are not expected to be significant, however, these will be monitored and can also be covered within the projected underspend in employee costs. 8. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 8.1. There are no Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications arising from the information presented in this report. 9. Other Implications 9.1. There are no risk implications in terms of the information contained within this report. 10. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 10.1. An equality impact assessment has been carried out on the recommendations contained in this report. The proposals will have differential impact as the recommendations are intended to target specific sector(s) of the community. However, it is considered that this impact is justifiable, and the results of the assessment will be published on the Council website. 10.2. Consultation will take place with the Trade Unions on these proposals and broad support is anticipated. Paul Manning Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 7 August 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Fair, open and sustainable Ambitious, self-aware and improving Excellent employer Focused on people and their needs Working with and respecting others Previous References None 66
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List of Background Papers None Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact: - Kay McVeigh, Head of Personnel Services Ext: 4330 (Tel: 01698 454330) E-mail: kay.mcveigh@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 67
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Appendix 1 Finance and Corporate Resources Personnel Services Right to Disconnect Policy Prepared by: Finance and Corporate Resources, Personnel Services Date Published Version 1.0: 7 August 2022 68
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Right to disconnect policy 1. Policy statement The health and wellbeing of our employees is of the utmost importance to South Lanarkshire Council. The Council encourages and supports employees to prioritise their own wellbeing. Disconnecting from work is vital for an individual’s wellbeing, and to help them achieve a healthy and sustainable work-life balance. This refers to a period of time in which employees are expected to be conducting no work on behalf of the business, which includes being available for related communications such as receiving phone calls or emails. The right to disconnect means that every employee is entitled to switch off outside of their normal working hours and enjoy their free time away from work without being disturbed, unless there is an emergency or agreement to do so, for example while ‘on call’. To encourage and support our employees in balancing their working and personal lives whether they work traditional hours in the workplace, work remotely or flexibly the Council have adopted this right to disconnect policy. The right to disconnect policy forms part of the Council’s overall approach to attracting and retaining employees by being able to offer suitable working patterns which facilitate a better balance between work and life commitments. This policy demonstrates the Council’s commitment to fostering long term careers and promoting equality in the workplace. 2. Scope The scope of this policy is for all employees, whether employees are working remotely, in a fixed location, at home or are mobile. 3. Employer responsibilities The Council remains fully compliant with all statutory duties under employment working time legislation. We will always take steps to ensure that all employees, regardless of their place of work, are: • informed of what their normal working hours are expected to be • not asked to exceed a 48-hour working week • able to take relevant rest breaks and rest periods as specified in law/by contract • able to take annual leave as specified in law/by contract and not be asked to conduct work during this time. 4. Employee responsibilities The Council expects all employees to comply with the following in the course of their work. They must: 69
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• ensure that they manage their own working time and consider their obligation as an employee, while at work, to take reasonable care to protect their health, safety and wellbeing; and that of their colleagues. • be mindful of colleagues’, customers’/clients’ working hours e.g., by not routinely emailing or calling outside normal working hours • notify their manager of any rest period or break to which they are entitled to and were not able to be available on a particular occasion, and the reason why • speak with their manager if they feel their workload is preventing them being able to take the rest breaks/periods they are entitled to. 5. Manager Responsibilities The Council expects all managers to support the right to disconnect policy and its employees by: • leading by example e.g., demonstrate behaviours that support the right to disconnect to employees. • encourage employees to disconnect e.g., reminders at team meetings, one to one meetings, or as part of a regular focus on employee wellbeing. • encourage employees to plan their annual leave. 6. Working hours Normal working hours are set out in individual employee’s contract of employment. As employees within the organisation work to different schedules, it is important to note all employees have the right to disconnect in the context of their own particular work pattern. Exception may be necessary where there is a requirement for an employee to be on call, standby and/or agreements for emergency situations. 7. Communications Where possible, e-mails should be checked or sent only during normal working hours. Due to differing/non-standard patterns of work in the organisation, some employees may send communications at times which are inopportune for other employees, e.g., weekends. The sender should give due consideration to the timing of their communication and potential for disturbance, and the recipient should understand that they will not be expected to respond until their working time recommences. Management do not expect employees to respond to social communications from colleagues outside of their working hours and it is entirely down to them if they choose to do so. Communications on social media platforms are not an acceptable means of contacting colleagues in relation to work matters. If a manager sends communications outside agreed working hours, unless business and operational needs dictate that an immediate response is required, a statement will be attached to out of hours emails tempering the expectation of an immediate response. Managers will have a supportive conversation with any team member they notice are sending emails at odd hours or logging in excessively – this may be a sign that they are 70
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finding it difficult to manage their workload or switch-off for other reasons. The manager and the employee can discuss if there is any assistance that could help the employee properly disconnect. 8. Meetings Employees respect people’s time by only inviting them to meetings where they play an active role and have something to contribute. This can help minimise unnecessary meetings and meeting fatigue. Employees will also not be expected to attend meetings if they fall outside their usual hours or during their usual rest break, such as at lunchtime. Employees should be mindful of and manage how much virtual communication they have each day, for example it may be necessary to block time in the diary to do other work. Another consideration in limiting screen time is (where possible and appropriate) consider having a ‘walk and talk’ meeting, whether that is in person with a colleague or by phone. Care should also be taken to avoid back to back meetings. On occasions where this cannot be avoided, ensure a 10 minute comfort break is in place and encourage the good practice to set meetings for 45 or 50 mins in an hour period to encourage breaks between meetings. 9. Disconnecting In order to respect the right of employees to enjoy a personal life, all employees have a right to switch off their mobile communications device(s) outside of their working hours. 10. Automatic emails Employees may receive an automated email if excessive flows of emails outside business hours are being sent from their email address. If employees receive such an email, they will be required to explain to their line manager the reasons for the volume of out-of-hours email correspondence. 11. Automatic replies Line managers will notify employees if they are authorised to put an automatic email response in place to auto-reply to emails received outside normal working hours and confirming that the emails will be reviewed the next morning or business day. The below are templates to use: • ‘My normal working hours are from X to Y. I will respond to you when I am back at work.’ • ‘I am currently working flexibly so while it suits me to send this email now, I do not expect a response or action outside your own working hours.’ 12. Work/life balance 71
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The Council is committed to ensuring that employees enjoy both a personal life and a professional life. If employees have any concerns in relation to their workload or the work patterns required by their role or their ability to maintain a reasonable work/life balance, they are required to contact their line manager to address the issue. 13. Wellbeing Employees working from home are encouraged to schedule post-work leisure activity, in order to create some separation from the end of their workday and the beginning of their personal time. Employees, including those engaging in flexible working arrangements or remote working, are reminded to switch off from work. Employees are also reminded to plan their annual leave in good time, to ensure they have appropriate rest breaks throughout the year. Where employees need further support for their wellbeing and would benefit from counselling/cognitive behavioural therapy services. Please see contact information to access this assistance below. 14. Grievances If any employee experiences difficulties in asserting their right to disconnect, they should first raise the matter with their line manager and seek to resolve the matter informally. If they cannot reach an agreement, they will need to raise a formal grievance in line with the procedures set out in our grievance process. 15. Links to other policies/documents: • Flexible Working Policy • Maximising Attendance Policy • Stress Risk Assessment 16. Further Sources of Wellbeing Support • All employees can access counselling through the Council’s Employee Assistance Provider, PAM Assist by calling 0800 882 4102. All calls are free, confidential and available 24 hours, 7 days a week throughout the year. When calling please confirm that you are an employee of South Lanarkshire Council and the Resource you work for i.e., Social Work, Finance and Corporate, Education, Community and Enterprise or Housing and Technical. • www.pamassist.co.uk Information available on a range of health matters. To access input username: SLC and password: SLC1 • The employee support team can signpost to other mental wellbeing supports. Contact: employeesupport@southlanarkshire.gov.uk or 01698 455 5021 72
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• The employee wellbeing team can signpost to various wellbeing supports Contact: employeewellbeing@southlanarkshire.gov.uk or 01698 454 638 73
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 21 September 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Budget Strategy – 2023/2024 Update and Longer-Term Financial Outlook 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to: provide members with an update on the Budget position for 2023/2024 and the Longer-Term Financial Outlook 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Council is asked to approve the following recommendation(s): (1) that the update to the Budget Strategy reflecting updated grant assumptions following the spending review publication, additional underspend from 2021/2022 and projected pay award impact, resulting in a revised budget gap of £24.726 million (section 5), be approved; (2) that the Longer-Term Financial Outlook (section 6), be noted; and (3) that that Summary and Next Steps (section 7), be noted. 3. Background 3.1. A report was presented to Council on 15 June 2022 detailing the 2023/2024 Revenue Budget. The report noted that a further Budget Strategy report would be brought back to members after the recess and that report would include a longer-term outlook. 3.2. This report will, therefore, provide the following:- a summary of the 2023/2024 Budget Strategy reported in June (section 4) an update on the June assumptions for 2023/2024 following the Spending Review, completion of financial year 2021/2022 and updated information on the 2022/2023 Pay Award (section 5) the longer-term outlook covering the years beyond 2023/2024 (section 6). 4. Financial Position for 2023/2024 (as at June 2022) 4.1. The report to Council in June covered the current estimates in relation to the budget gap for 2023/2024. The report showed a budget gap of £32.477 million. This was the result of estimations around grant levels, cost increases (including significant exceptional increases in areas like utilities and contract inflation), offset by some corporate solutions identified. This gap did not include any assumption around increasing Council Tax. 4.2. The June 2022 Council report referenced the Spending Review that had been published in late May. An update on the potential impact on the budget gap is included in section 5. 11 75
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4.3. Council agreed in June that options to meet the budget gap would be developed for members’ consideration and brought back to a future meeting. This process is ongoing. 5. Update on the 2023/2024 Revenue Budget Strategy 5.1. As noted in section 4.1, the Budget gap reported to Council in June was £32.477 million. Since then the 2021/2022 financial year-end has concluded, and information has been received on the Spending Review and the ability to change the accounting for Service Concessions. Information has also been received in relation to the 2022/2023 Pay Award. The potential impact of each of these is taken in turn. 5.2. Spending Review 2022: The 2023/2024 Budget Strategy (June 2022) included an assumed 1% (£5.000 million) reduction in Government Grant. The Scottish Government’s Spending Review was published on 31 May 2022 and has indicated the following:- The Spending Review maintains the national level of General Revenue Grant, Non-Domestic Rates Income and Specific Resource Grants between 2023/2024 and 2025/2026 (£5.000 million). The national £120 million added during the 2022/2023 Budget Bill process as a one-off injection, has now been baselined (£7.042 million). 5.3. The actual impact of the Spending Review will not be verified until we receive the Local Government Finance Settlement expected later in the financial year, however, based on the bullets in section 5.2, the Spending Review could potentially benefit the Council’s 2023/2024 Budget Strategy by £12.042 million. This is because we could remove the assumption of the 1% reduction of £5.000 million from the Budget Strategy for this and the next 3 years, and we can also assume the benefit of the Council’s share of the national £120 million which is now baselined (£7.042 million). Benefit to 2023/2024: £12.042 million 5.4. In addition, an amount of £100 million is added nationally in 2026/2027. This will impact on the Council’s Longer-Term and will potentially benefit the Council in 2026/2027 by an estimated £5.9 million in that year. 5.5. 2021/2022 Year End Outturn: The 2023/2024 Budget Strategy report in June utilised the estimated underspend at the end of 2021/2022 (£4.7 million) on a one-off basis. However, at the end of the year, the underspend realised was actually £6.109 million, an increase of £1.409 million. The June 2022 Committee agreed that this full amount be used to support the 2023/2024 Budget Strategy, benefitting the position on a one-off basis by the additional £1.409 million not previously included. This is temporary funding and the budget will require to be reinstated in 2024/2025. Benefit to 2023/2024: £1.409 million 5.6. 2022/2023 Pay Award: The latest pay offer from COSLA (August 2022) amounts to a pay award of 5% for financial year 2022/2023. While this relates to 2022/2023, and will have to be managed in that year, there will be an impact of this increase on a recurring basis into financial year 2023/2024. 5.7. The impact on the Council’s Budget Strategy of the Pay Award offer (of a 5% increase and the underpinning minimum uplifts for lower paid employees), is an increase of £5.7 million in financial year 2023/2024. This is after taking account of the Council’s 76
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estimated allocation of: the Scottish Government’s national pay funding offer of £140 million (which covers 1.5% of the pay offer) the estimated share of £120 million Government funding allocated per annum to cover the underpin levels (for 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 and then baselined into the Council’s General Revenue Grant). (Note that this funding is provided via capital resource from the Scottish Government, and how this is managed to pay for pay award will be subject to a future report) Cost to 2023/2024: £5.700 million 5.8. Taking these potential corporate solutions into account and allowing for the recurring impact of the increased 2022/2023 Pay Award, means that the Budget Gap in 2023/2024 reduces from £32.477 million to £24.726 million. This is shown in Table 1. Table 1 – Updated 2023/2024 Budget Strategy £m Budget Gap (as at June 2022) (section 4.1) 32.477 Less: - Removal of 1%, £5 million Reduction in Grant and 2022/2023 share of £120 million now Baselined (section 5.2) (12.042) - Additional 2021/20222 Underspend (section 5.5) (1.409) - Additional 2022/2023 Pay Award (section 5.6) 5.700 Revised Budget Gap / Savings Requirement 24.726 5.9. Council Tax: Members will be aware that a lever available to the Council in managing its overall budget position and any Budget Gap is the ability to increase Council Tax. Each 1% increase in Band D would generate successive amounts of £1.452 million. It should be noted that in arriving at the budget gap of circa £24.7 million no account has been taken of any potential increase in Council Tax. 5.10. Service Concessions: The budget gap of £24.7 million also assumes no benefit from the implementation of Service Concessions which was advised as being accessible to councils as part of the Spending Review announcement in late May 2022. The potential benefit from the Service Concessions agreement is achieved by better matching the costs of PPP schools to the expected useful lives of the schools and, therefore, repaying the cost of debt across a longer period of time. The guidance on Service Concessions has now been published and is being considered by officers with the implications being reported back to a future committee. 5.11. Inflation / Other issues: The Budget Strategy approved by Council in June 2022 included an increase for the core (normal) increase in inflation for two of the Council’s significant contract areas: PPP and Waste. The Budget Strategy also included an exceptional increase into 2023/2024 based on inflation predictions available at that time. However, recent information suggests that inflation may increase to even higher levels 5.12. The inflationary uplift on these contracts is set at February 2023. If inflation were to increase it would have a further impact on the Budget Strategy. Whilst increasing inflation rates have the capacity to increase the budget gap, there remains a period of 5 months before these increases are finalised and, therefore, we will continue to monitor inflation rates, assess the implications, and will report back in future budget reports. This may include a reassessment of the provision made for a pay award offer. 77
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Any further impact has not been included in the Budget Gap of £24.7 million noted in section 5.8. 5.13. Any other financial issues that emerge over the coming months will be reported back to a future meeting. 6. Longer-Term Financial Outlook 6.1. Budget Strategy papers previously presented to members have included a longer-term outlook on the Council’s Revenue Budget. 6.2. Appendix 1 shows an estimate of the budget gaps across the coming years (to 2027/2028). This reflects current assumptions on a number of areas including price increases and grant levels and also the impact of the use of Reserves generated by the previously agreed Loans Fund Review. It also includes the potential benefit from the Spending Review (detailed in sections 5.2 to 5.4) where we can now expect a flat cash position across the years, the mainlining of our share of the additional monies received in 2022/2023, and our share of a national increase in grant in 2026/2027. We will continue to review and develop the longer term outlook as issues emerge. 6.3. This outlook does not include the utilisation of any benefit from the change to accounting for Service Concessions (section 5.10) and will be updated as information around Service Concessions is confirmed. 7. Summary and Next Steps 7.1. Section 5 of this report updates the Budget Strategy presented in June, and based on the assumptions and estimates detailed, it potentially reduces the Budget Gap to £24.7 million (section 5.8). This position includes estimates for the impact of the Spending Review (section 5.2), the impact of the positive 2021/2022 year-end position (section 5.5) and the recurring cost of the increased pay award for 2022/2023 (sections 5.6/5.7). 7.2. As noted in sections 5.9 and 5.10, the budget gap of £24.7 million does not include the impact of a Council Tax increase or the potential benefit from the Service Concession implementation. 7.3. Sections 5.11/5.12 note the potential implication of a further increase to inflation. It will be a period of months before we know inflation rates affecting our major contracts, therefore, the position will continue to be monitored and an update brought back to members along with any further update to the budget projections. 7.4. It is proposed that options to meet the £24.7 million budget gap will be developed for members’ consideration and brought back to a future meeting. Officers are looking at a range of options including further work on service reviews, management and operational savings and income opportunities. Proposals will also include further potential corporate solutions including the level of reserves held. The use of Reserves would reduce the budget gap but only on a temporary basis. It is acknowledged that use of reserves is a short-term measure and will not remove the underlying need to make permanent savings. These options will also consider Service Concessions, as mentioned in section 5.10. 7.5. Some of the corporate solutions included in the Budget Strategy are temporary in nature. As such, they will have an impact on the following year’s Budget. Given the potential for impact on 2024/2025, it is proposed that any temporary solutions used in 2023/2024 be considered again once the Government Grant level is known later in financial year 2022/2023. 78
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8. Employee Implications 8.1. There are no direct employee implications from this report. 9. Financial Implications 9.1. The financial implications are summarised within the report. 10. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 10.1. There are no implications for climate change, sustainability or the environment in terms of the information contained in this report. 10.2. Climate Change targets will have an impact on the Council’s future financial strategies. This will be included in future Budget Strategy papers. 11. Other Implications 11.1. The review of financial resilience is a way of understanding the key financial risks to the Council. The financial strategy is the way in which the Council can manage a number of these key risks which directly impact on the money available to deliver Council outcomes. 11.2. We will continue to monitor and report on these resilience indicators as appropriate. 12. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 12.1. 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. 12.2. There is no requirement to undertake any consultation in terms of the information contained in this report. 12.3. However, as the process to identify savings continues, and with proposals to be presented to members later in the year, stakeholder consultation and equality impact assessments will be carried out. The results will be provided to members to inform their decision-making process. Paul Manning Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 6 September 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, Effective, Efficient and Transparent Previous References Council, 15 June 2022 List of Background Papers None 79
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Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact: Paul Manning, Executive Director, Finance and Corporate Resources Ext: 4530 (Tel: 01698 454530) E-mail : paul.manning@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 80
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Appendix 1 Longer-Term Outlook – Budget Gap Across Years Beyond 2023/2024 2024 / 2025 £m 2025 / 2026 £m 2026 / 2027 £m 2027 / 2028 £m Grant Reduction (1%) – Assumed Flat Cash - - - - Council Tax – Impact on Grant 1.360 1.360 1.360 1.360 Council Tax – increased Property Numbers (1.100) (1.100) (1.100) (1.100) Pay Award / Prices / Priorities 9.720 9.870 9.810 9.810 Temporary Solutions 0.230 1.885 - - Job Evaluation 1.800 - - - Interest on Loan Charges (due to Loans Fund Review) 0.500 0.200 - - Use of Reserves (14.000) - - - Reinstatement of Prior Year Use of Reserves 23.500 14.000 - - Pupil Growth / Teacher Numbers 1.000 1.000 1.000 1.000 Efficiencies Oracle Fusion (1.176) - - - Impact of Spending Review – Injection of national £120 million in 2026/2027 - - (5.868) - Insurance 0.600 - - - Waste (Replacement of use of the SWF) 1.400 - - - Reinstatement of Temporary Solutions from 2023/2224: • IJB Job Evaluation Monies • 2021/2022 Underspend • Timing of Borrowing 0.650 6.109 1.386 - - - - - - - - - Total (as at September 2022) 31.979 27.215 5.202 11.070 * For information, the Budget Gap excludes the impact of an increase in Council Tax Band D. 81
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 21 September 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Cost of Living Supports 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to: - [purpose] provide the Executive Committee with an overview of the support that is being provided from across the Council to households in South Lanarkshire significantly impacted by the cost-of-living crisis [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Executive Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s): - [recs]h (1) that the range of support being provided by the Council to households in response to the impact of the cost of living crisis is noted; (2) that the approach to the proposed write-off of school meal debt as outlined in section 6 is approved and agrees to refer the matter to Finance and Corporate Resources Committee for consideration; and (3) that it be noted that the Council remains prepared to provide further assistance to households should additional resources be provided by the Scottish Government. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. The energy costs paid by households have increased significantly over the past year. Nearly three quarters of households in Scotland were expected to be in fuel poverty by January 2023 according to a report by the University of York published on 8 August 2022. 3.2. In addition, businesses are charging more for their products as a result of the higher costs they face resulting in increased costs for households. 3.3. The consumer price index (a core measure of inflation) rose to 10.1% in July (as reported by Bank of England) indicating the rising prices households face for many essential goods and services. Given household income is not keeping pace with inflation, this will result in more pressure on household budgets. Rising interest rates will also increase the costs for many households. 3.4. Some measures have been put in place by the UK government this year to support households with most of it targeted to those on low incomes. This includes payments of £150 for those on disability benefits, £650 to those claiming means tested benefits, up to £300 cost of living payment for pensioners and a £400 discount on energy bills for most households. The Scottish Government continued with the Scottish Child Bridging Payment of £520 for 2022 and continued to introduce a number of other new 12 83
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and replacement benefits. Is also recently announced a rent freeze to March 2023 and an increase to the Scottish Child payment to £25 per week from £20 effective from 14 November. 3.5. The UK Government has recently announced a new Energy Price Guarantee that will ensure a typical household pays an average of £2,500 a year on their energy bill for the next two years, starting 1 October 2022. 3.6. It is recognised that both governments may put in place further support over the coming weeks and months. 3.7. The cost-of-living crisis is expected to result in many more households experiencing poverty. This will likely result in an increase in council tax and rent arrears, an increase in consumer debt and an increase in the use of prepaid energy meters. 3.8. While it is recognised the Council cannot fully remove the financial pressure on households, there are a range of actions being taken that will provide vital support. These are summarised in the following sections of the report covering both new and existing support. This includes the range of relevant actions being taken by the Council to support households following receipt of £4.685m from the Local Authority COVID Economic Recovery Fund (LACER Fund) as covered in the briefing to elected members in April 2022. 4. New Council Support for Households 4.1. Financial Wellbeing Support Fund 4.1.1. The Council is now operating a new fund designed to specifically support households experiencing financial hardship. Payments totalling £250 are made to eligible households, with support offered on accessing benefits and further specialist help (e.g., in managing debt). This fund is operated on a referral basis. Most referrals for the fund are received from Money Matters Advice Service and Housing Services. 4.1.2. Also, the council has a route for the Citizens Advice Bureaux to refer their clients for access to the financial support. Plans are also being developed to encourage referrals from NHS Community Link Workers who are based in GP surgeries. 4.1.3. £1.720m has been allocated to the fund to support households. This also includes provision for an additional two temporary Money Advisors to support the provision of advice to clients at a cost of £0.080m. 4.2. Energy Support 4.2.1. From 1 September, the Council will provide specific support for households on prepaid meters, a group considered especially vulnerable to rising energy prices. This will provide voucher payments of £49 per household and advice on energy use. The funding allocated to this support project is £0.850m. Referrals can be made from Money Matters Advice Service, Housing Services and Citizens Advice Bureaux. Referral pathways are also being developed with the Community Link Workers. 4.2.2. The Money Matters Advice Service has also employed two dedicated Energy Advisors at a cost of £0.075m to support households in managing their energy costs and consumption. 4.2.3. £0.050m is being used to support a Capped Meter Fund. This supports social rented tenants who are struggling to meet utility costs and where the gas meters can often be capped. The gas meters are capped as when the annual gas safety check is completed and there is no credit in the prepayment meter, it cannot be completed, and 84
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the service is disconnected. The Capped Meter Fund allows a limited provision of gas to be supplied to allow the meter to be uncapped and a gas safety check to be completed. The fund is being used to prevent households having no gas supply because it has been capped. 4.3. Education Advice Project 4.3.1. There are 2 FTE Family Wellbeing Assistants based in two schools (£0.065m) – Calderside Academy and Lanark Grammar. These two schools were selected following consideration of deprivation levels and provided one urban setting and one rural setting. 4.3.2. Working with school staff such as PT Pupil Support and Equity Leads, the main duties are to support families in accessing help, recording actions and outcomes of supports offered and to follow up on support for families. It is also important staff are visible around the school with parents/carers to help build relationships. 4.3.3. In all referrals or contact, the identification of crisis is the key priority (e.g., no funds, food or energy) and managed immediately by the completion of crisis grant application, referral to food banks or for emergency fuel vouchers. An assessment is then undertaken which identifies other support e.g., financial advice, benefits and welfare rights support. 4.4. Other Support 4.4.1. Digital Inclusion Funding of £0.120m has been supplied from the Digital Inclusion group to community facilities to improve Wi-Fi in community facilities. This is to help residents, particularly in high SIMD areas, access services digitally. Examples of the support that will be provided include provision of wi-fi in community centres and libraries within neighbourhood planning areas and sheltered housing complexes, and software that can read web content to users. 4.4.2. Lived Experience Funding The Council is also providing community partnerships with lived experience funding to focus on tackling poverty priorities. As well as their annual small grants programme of £500 each to allow local groups to feedback lived experience information to the Community Planning Partnership Board, a proposal will be presented by the Community Participation and Engagement team to the Board meeting on 14 September recommending an additional £5,500 of funding is distributed to the two established Community Partnerships in Cambuslang / Rutherglen and Clydesdale, to allow them to carry out a project each based on local priorities. This would be focused on a poverty related issue in each area and the information collected through the project will be fed back to the Board to be used in policy and planning by the partners collectively and individually. 4.4.3. Money Matters – Employability Advisor Money Matters Advice Service has recruited a designated Employability Adviser to take referrals from the Employability Service at a cost of £0.060m. This role has been created using one-year, temporary funding from the Employability Service, as research has shown that both debt and money management issues feature high in the barriers that prevent people from taking up employment. The Employability Service wishes to ensure all their clients will be offered a bespoke service that will assist them with benefits, debt and budgeting advice as part of their journey back into employment. 85
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5. Existing Council Support for Households 5.1. Money Matters Advice Service 5.1.1. The Council’s Money Matters Advice Service provides residents with free and confidential debt, welfare benefit and tax credit advice. The service can tailor advice to the circumstances of each client ensuring income is maximised, advice on the options that are available to help clients manage debt and can help challenge benefits decisions if claims have been refused. 5.1.2. Promotional material is being printed for distribution around libraries, elected member surgeries and foodbanks to promote the service provided and the contact routes into the service for support. 5.2. Scottish Welfare Fund 5.2.1. The Scottish Welfare Fund provides crisis and community care grants to residents. In 2022/23, an additional £1.345m was added to the budget from the LACER Fund to provide increased capacity to help more households in crisis. The total budget for the Scottish Welfare Fund covering both crisis and community care grants is £3.402m. 5.3. Support for Tenants 5.3.1. Housing staff continue to support tenants experiencing financial difficulties and rent arrears by early intervention and a person-centred approach focussed on supporting the tenant to find a resolution. In addition, all tenants who move on to Universal Credit are provided with support by the Rent Income Support Team which ensures they are receiving the correct housing costs and signpost to other sources of support and advice. 5.3.2. A Tenancy Sustainment Fund has also been established by the service which is targeted at tenants in rent arrears to assist them in sustaining their tenancy and ultimately preventing homeless. An additional £0.350m was added to the Tenancy Sustainment Fund for 2022/23 from the LACER Fund. The total budget for the fund is £0.750m and supports council tenants, RSL tenants and private sector tenants. 5.3.3. All officers have been made aware of the additional routes of financial support and advice available from the government, DWP, Energy Advice Scotland, utility suppliers and third sector. Training on Financial and Debt Awareness was rolled out to all housing officers dealing with rent in June 2022. 5.3.4. The service will make use of its Housing News publication which goes out to all tenants in the Autumn and also social media messaging to encourage tenants to talk with their Housing Officer about problems with their rent during this time. 5.4. Provision of Benefits 5.4.1. The Council also provides the following additional benefits to support low-income households:- Council tax reduction (£23.263m) Free school meal payments (£1.499m) School clothing grants (£1.944m) Discretionary housing payments (£0.845m) Housing benefit (£57m) 5.4.2 Council officers are working with a range of partners to ensure families access other entitlements. This includes working with families to ensure children aged two to three years of age who meet the eligibility criteria for free early learning and childcare are 86
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accessing a place. More recently, a focus has also been taken to increase the uptake of young people under 22 years of age applying for free travel. 6. School Meal Debt 6.1. The Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was asked by the Administration to bring forward proposals to write off school meal debt. The matter was also discussed at the meeting of the Finance and Corporate Resources committee on 7 September. The Council has put money aside at the end of the financial year 2021/22 to write off school meal debt. The position on amounts owed for school meals has been reviewed by colleagues in Education and Community and Enterprise Resources, in two parts. Firstly, amounts relating to P1 to P5 pupils who now receive Universal Free School Meals, children that have left school and amounts owing from before 2020/21. These amounts total £0.100m. 6.2. It is proposed that this school meals debt is taken forward for write-off. In line with the process for other debts, formal write-off of this debt would be made through a report to Finance and Corporate Resources Committee on “revenue collection and approval for debt write off”. It is proposed that this be done in November 2022. 6.3. On all remaining school meal debt, Education Resources are working with schools, to review amounts owed for school meals. This exercise is being done with the utmost sensitivity and will identify further cases where write-off of debt is appropriate. It is proposed that amounts identified between now and November will be added to the figure at 6.1 above, for write off at the November Finance and Corporate Resources Committee. This will continue as a rolling process and amounts identified after that point in time will be taken to the next available committee for write off. 6.4. There continues to be joint working within the Council by Community and Enterprise Resources providing the school meal service and Education Resources to support families and signpost all supports available. The Council continues to provide a school meal for all children who require one, even if they are unable to pay on the day. 7. Summary of Support 7.1. The council has in place a package of support to a value of £92m with nearly £3m from new measures in 2022/23 and £89m from existing budgets. It is stressed that the package of support may prove insufficient in the face of likely demand this winter for financial assistance. Funding constraints limit the support that can be provided by the Council. If further funding was provided by the government, then more support would be offered by the Council. 8. Employee Implications 8.1. The Financial Wellbeing Support Fund is being supported by a team comprising 7 FTE. 8.2. An additional 2 FTE Money Advisors, 2 FTE Energy Advisors and 1 FTE Employability Advisor have been recruited on a 12-month basis to supplement the resources available to the service. An additional 4 FTE have also been allocated to the Scottish Welfare Fund, also on a 12-month basis to support the provision of crisis and community care grants. 9. Financial Implications 9.1. The financial implications of providing the range of support described in the report are being met from existing budgets and from funding through the Council’s allocation of Local Authority COVID Economic Recovery Fund (LACER) from the Scottish Government. 87
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9.2. The table below summarises the full extent of the budget allocations covered within the report: Budget Value Comment New council support Financial Wellbeing Support Fund £1.720m Funded by LACER Energy Support £0.975m Funded by LACER Education Advice Project £0.065m Funded by LACER Digital Inclusion £0.120m Existing budget Lived Experience Funding £0.006m Subject to CPP approval Employability Advisor for Money Matters Advice £0.060m Employability funding TOTAL £2.946m Existing council support Scottish Welfare Fund £3.402m £1.345m funded by LACER Support for Tenants £0.750m £0.350m funded by LACER Council Tax Reduction Scheme £23.263m Existing budget Free School Meal Payments £1.499m Existing budget School clothing grants £1.944m Existing budget Discretionary Housing Payments £0.845m £0.100m funded by LACER Housing Benefit £57.000m Existing budget TOTAL £88.703m OVERALL TOTAL £91.649m 9.3. In addition to the above, £0.100m will be allocated to meet the costs of writing off school meal debt. 9.4. It may be necessary to re-allocate funding across the initiatives in the event there is significant unforeseen demand. The impact of the cost-of-living crisis is likely to continue well into 2023/24, therefore, in the event any of the LACER funded projects do not fully spend this year, the funds will be carried forward to support households into the next financial year. 9.5. In the event further funding is provided by government to councils to allow additional support to be put in place, it will be necessary to consider the ability of the Council to put in place any staffing resource that may be required given the recruitment pressures being experienced across many service areas. 10. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 10.1. There are no direct climate change, sustainability and natural environment implications arising from this report. 11. Other Implications 11.1. It is likely that the actions outlined in the report will not be sufficient to fully mitigate the worst effects of the cost-of-living crisis being experienced by many households. This reflects the scale and depth of the crisis and the need for significant input from other sectors such as government and the energy sector. 11.2. There is a risk the teams that support the actions within the report, particularly the Financial Wellbeing Support, Money Matters Advice Service and Scottish Welfare Fund experience significant pressure in the delivery of support because of the numbers of households that refer for assistance. Close monitoring of referrals and 88
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caseloads will identify peaks in demand and processes will be updated where possible to help mitigate any impact. 12. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 12.1. There is no requirement to equality impact assess the content of this briefing paper. Paul Manning Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 6 September 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent 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: - Craig Fergusson, Head of Finance (Transactions) Ext: 4951 (Tel: 01698 454951) E-mail: craig.fergusson@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 89
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Executive Committee Date of Meeting: 21 September 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Council Complaints Report: SPSO Annual Overview 2021/2022 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- provide a report on the performance of the Council’s handling of complaints received during the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 against the Scottish Public Services Ombudsman (SPSO) national indicators identify improvement activity as a result of the analysis of complaints (see 6.3 and Appendix 1 – indicator 8) provide customer feedback on complaint handling 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Executive Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- (1) that complaints performance and areas highlighted for improvement be noted. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. The Council is required to monitor and assess complaints handling performance to provide assurance in relation to how we have performed; to facilitate continuous improvement and to assist in benchmarking performance between local authorities. The performance indicators for the local authority model complaints handling procedure are the minimum requirements for a local authority to self-assess and report on performance, and to undertake benchmarking activities. 3.2. Compliance with the procedure is monitored by the SPSO. 4. Overview 4.1. The Corporate Management Team receive regular quarterly reports on Council complaints and an annual report is shared with elected members. We continue to work to improve our performance and learn from complaints to improve our services. 4.2. As reported previously, the SPSO introduced a suite of performance indicators which the Council is required to report against following the introduction of the new Complaints Handling Procedure. These are:- Indicator 1 - Complaints received per 1000 of population Indicator 2 - % of closed complaints at stages 1 and 2 Indicator 3 - % of complaints upheld, partially upheld and not upheld Indicator 4 - Average time in days to respond to Stage 1 and 2 complaints Indicator 5 - % responded to within timescales stages 1 and 2 13 91
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Indicator 6 - % of complaints where an extension is authorised at Stage 1 and 2 Indicator 7 - Learning from complaints Indicator 8 - Customer satisfaction 5. Indicator Performance 5.1. As per the 2011 census, South Lanarkshire currently has a population of just over 314,000 people and, as such, in the period April 2021 to March 2022, a total of 1110 complaints were dealt with. This means there were 3.54 complaints for every 1000 head of population compared to 2020/2021 where complaints were 2.22 per 1000 head of population. 5.2. The Complaints closed in this period are detailed by Resource at Appendix 1. The figures presented are shown as a percentage of all complaints recorded in the CRM, EDRMS, Flare, Confirm and Objective systems and, overall, they currently show that:- 78% of complaints received are closed at Stage 1, i.e. within 5 working days 10% are closed at Stage 2 i.e. within 20 working days 11% have been escalated from Stage 1 to Stage 2 and closed 5.3. Of the complaints received:- At Stage 1, 30% of complaints are upheld and 52% of complaints are not upheld. This represents a 7% decrease in upheld complaints at Stage 1 when compared with complaints processed in 2020/2021. At Stage 2, 18% of complaints are upheld and 90% of complaints are not upheld. This represents a 4% decrease in upheld complaints at Stage 2 when compared with complaints processed in 2020/2021. Of the complaints that were escalated from Stage 1 to Stage 2, 26% of complaints are upheld and 70% of complaints are not upheld. This represents a 5% increase in upheld escalated complaints when compared with complaints processed in 2020/2021. In terms of upheld complaints across the Resources, most Stage 1 complaints are upheld in Community and Enterprise Resources (36% of all Stage 1 complaints) and fewest were upheld in Education Resources (10% of all Stage 1 complaints). 5.4. Responding to complaints:- The Complaints Handling Procedure dictates that Stage 1 complaints are responded to within 5 working days, and Stage 2 within 20 working days. In South Lanarkshire, the average number of days taken to respond to complaints at a Council wide level for Stage 1 is 4.11 working days and for Stage 2 is 10.5 working days for the period 2021/2022. These working day statistics show an improvement in performance from the 2020/2021 results where the average working days to respond to Stage 1 was 5.37 and Stage 2 was 10.7. Stage 1 response times are within the recommended 5 working days timescale, with these response times being 4.11 working days. Stage 2 response times are well 92
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within the recommended 20 working days timescale of the Complaints Handling Procedures, with these responses being provided within 10.7 working days. 5.5. Overall, 74% of Stage 1 complaints are responded to within the 5 working day timescale. This represents maintenance of performance in comparison to complaints received in 2020/2021 where, again, 74% of complaints were dealt with within this timeframe. For Stage 2 complaints, 76% are dealt with within the 20-day timescale, and of the complaints escalated from Stage 1 to Stage 2, 81% are dealt within timescale. Resources are using extensions at Stage 1 with 101 complaints (9% of all Stage 1 complaints) having an extension agreed. With respect to Stage 2, 15 complaints (2% of all Stage 2 complaints) have had an extension agreed. Of note in the tables in Appendix 1 are indicators that Community and Enterprise Complaints are, on average, dealt with within 7 working days at Stage 1 and 15.75 working days at Stage 2. Community and Enterprise complaints escalated from Stage 1 to Stage 2 are dealt with in an average of 14.5 working days. Potential factors in failing to meet the 5 working day timescale may be attributed to issues where more detailed investigation of the complaint may be required. Some complaints can often be of a complex nature and, due to this complexity, would be likely to take longer than the 5-day timescale. Confidence in managers to recognise the likelihood of a need for more complex investigations and escalate complaints directly to Stage 2 should be encouraged at an early stage to allow the necessary time to investigate and respond to complaints. It is recommended that these results are cascaded to Resource Heads and to Resource Complaints Champions to formulate an action plan to continue to make improvements to the timescales involved in handling complaints, and to maintain employee awareness of the options available in the procedure for escalating complaints to the next stage where it is appropriate to do so. The figures presented in the Appendix 1 of this report show specific areas for improvement at Resource level, however, it should be noted that, where the majority of complaints are processed at Stage 2, performance is well within the timescales set out within the Complaints Handling Procedure. The lack of a single recording system by Resources continues to create an element of delay and is an area for improvement. The use of a single system could help reduce unnecessary delays. The ongoing introduction of the Objective file plan system across all Resources is expected to bring about a uniformity in terms of data recording and reporting as this rollout progresses. 5.6. It should be noted that Resources do have the opportunity to place more complaints directly to Stage 2 if it is appropriate rather than escalating from Stage 1 to Stage 2. There were 101 complaints this year that were escalated from Stage 1 to 2. In the 2020/2021 report this figure was 73. This represents an increase of 28 in escalated complaints over the last year. Managers should ensure that their employees are encouraged to progress more complex complaints directly to Stage 2 where the procedure gives adequate time to properly investigate and respond to these. 93
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The purpose of the 2-stage procedure is to handle complaints effectively at the first time of asking and not to give multiple attempts at resolving complaints. Where a complaint is further escalated to the SPSO, they are interested in whether, first and foremost, we have followed the procedure correctly and appropriately. 5.7. This is now the year 10th year of operating this Complaints Handling Procedure. Previous years reports from 2013/2014, 2014/2015, and 2015/2016 have indicated an average timescale of handling Stage 1 complaints of 5 working days, reducing to 4.9 working days in 2016/2017 and to 4.8 working days in 2017/2018. This further reduced in 2018/2019 to an average of 4.23 working days. In 2019/2020 the Stage 1 response average was 4.66 days and 2020/2021 saw a decline in this performance with a Stage 1 response average of 5.37 days. This year, the average timescale of handling Stage 1 complaints is 4.11 days. 5.8. As per the requirements of indicator 8, regular good practice examples from across Resources are highlighted on a quarterly basis and are published on the Complaints Performance pages of the Council website. 6. Customer Satisfaction 6.1. To meet the SPSO performance indicator 8 – Customer Satisfaction requirements we ask for feedback from customers who have used our complaints procedure. This gives us insight into how the customer feels about how we have handled their complaint and helps to inform service improvements. As in previous years, the survey has been conducted by email with all customers who agree to participate sent a link to the survey. This is in line with the complaints handling procedure. 6.2. 5 customers agreed to take part in the follow-up survey. The key points of note from the customer survey results are as follows:- 3 of the respondents knew that the Council had a complaints process, found it easy to make their complaint and said that they would be willing to use the process again 4 of the respondents felt that the explanation given on how the Council reached their decision was not full and clear and only 1 was satisfied with the response/explanation received Customers were asked to rate the following in terms of how employees dealt with their complaint Knowledge of Council employees = 1 Friendliness of Council employees = 2 How well Council employees understood the complaint = 2 7. SPSO Update - Child Friendly Complaints 7.1 SPSO is being funded by the Scottish Government to develop child-friendly complaints approaches and procedures as part of model complaints handling procedures, Ensuring children’s rights and needs are met by public service complaints procedures in Scotland. On 25 April 2022, the SPSO launched their 2 year project to develop and implement new guidance for public bodies within their jurisdiction. They hope to launch a formal consultation towards the end of 2022, with a view to laying the guidance before the Scottish Parliament and implementing the new guidance on 1 April 2023, aiming for compliance by 1 April 2024. 94
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8. Employee Implications 8.1. Employees are key to effective service delivery and in trying to resolve complaints. Training is available to all employees through a range of methods including full handbooks, quick guides, e-learning, and good practice. 9. Financial Implications 9.1. There are no additional financial implications arising from this report. 10. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 10.1 There are no climate change, sustainability or environmental implications associated with this report. 11. Other Implications 11.1. There is a risk of damage to the Council’s reputation. If complaints are not handled effectively, there can be an adverse effect on the public perception of the Council which can lead to a lack of trust in the services provided. 12. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 12.1. Council Resources have been consulted on the data required for this report. Customers are consulted on the process every quarter and the result of this consultation is shared through this report. 12.2. There is no requirement to carry out an equality impact assessment in relation to the proposals within this report. However, the learning from complaints is used to ensure Council services are accessible to all members of the community and, wherever possible, to prevent discrimination, harassment or victimisation from occurring. Paul Manning Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 24 August 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Fair, open and sustainable Ambitious, self-aware and improving Previous References None List of Background Papers Monitoring information provided by each Resource Complaints handling customer feedback report List of Appendices Appendix 1 – Scottish Public Services Ombudsman’s Performance indicators from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 95
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Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Gill Bhatti, Employee Development and Diversity Manager Ext: 5604 (Tel: 01698 455604) Email: gill.bhatti@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 96
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Appendix 1 SPSO performance indicators (KPIs) from 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022 Complaints closed at stage one and stage two as a percentage of all complaints closed (SPSO indicator 2). Actual numerical figure shown in brackets. Resource (total no. closed) % closed at Stage 1 % closed at Stage 2 % closed at Stage 2 - escalated from Stage 1 Community and Enterprise (322) 74% (240) 18% (58) 7% (24) Education (247) 72% (178) 14% (35) 14% (34) Finance and Corporate (137) 86% (121) 0% (0) 11% (16) Housing and Technical (208) 87% (180) 1% (3) 12% (25) Social Work (196) 79% (156) 7% (14) 13% (26) Total (1110) 80% (875) 8% (110) 11% (125) Complaints upheld/not upheld at each stage as a percentage of complaints closed in full at each stage (SPSO indicator 3). Actual numerical figure shown in brackets. Resource % upheld at Stage 1 % not upheld at Stage 1 % upheld at Stage 2 % not upheld at Stage 2 Community and Enterprise 36% (118) 31% (99) 3% (10) 14% (46) Education 10% (24) 51% (127) 2% (6) 13% (33) Finance and Corporate 18% (24) 61% (82) 0% (0) 0% (0) Housing and Technical 19% (40) 39% (81) 0% (1) 4% (9) Social Work 27% (54) 33% (65) 2% (3) 6% (11) Total 22% (260) 43% (454) 1% (20) 7% (99) Resource % of escalated complaints upheld % of escalated complaints not upheld Community and Enterprise 1% (3) 6% (20) Education 3% (8) 9% (23) Finance and Corporate 2% (3) 10% (13) Housing and Technical 1% (3) 10% (21) Social Work 8% (15) 6% (11) Total 3% (32) 8% (88) 97
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Average time in working days for a full response to complaints at each stage (working days) (SPSO indicator 4) Resource Stage 1 Stage 2 Escalated Community and Enterprise 7 15.75 14.5 Education 4.25 16 12.5 Finance and Corporate 1 0 5 Housing and Technical 5 3.5 14.75 Social Work 3.75 17.25 15.5 Total 4.11 10.50 12.43 Percentage of complaints at each stage which were closed in full within the set timescales of 5 and 20 working days (SPSO indicator 5). Actual numerical figure shown in brackets. Resource % (no.) Stage 1 within 5 % (no.) Stage 2 within 20 % (no.) Escalated within 20 Community and Enterprise 55% (133) 66% (38) 58% (14) Education 74% (132) 86% (30) 82% (28) Finance and Corporate 1% (107) 0% (0) 88% (14) Housing and Technical 74% (133) 100% (3) 92% (23) Social Work 89% (139) 93% (13) 85% (22) Total 74% (644) 76 % (84) 81% (101) Percentage of complaints at Stage 1 and 2 where an extension to the 5 or 20 working day timeline has been authorised (SPSO indicator 6). Actual numerical figure shown in brackets. Resource %/No. at Stage 1 %/No. at Stage 2 Community and Enterprise 38% (91) 0 Education 1% (1) 0 Finance and Corporate 0 0 Housing and Technical 2% (3) 56% (14) Social Work 4% (6) 4% (1) 98
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Statement outlining changes or improvements to services or procedures as a result of the consideration of complaints (SPSO indicator 8) Learning outcomes from complaints Complaints Performance - you said we did information The following information is provided by Resource complaints contacts each quarter for inclusion in Quarterly and Annual complaints monitoring reports. Community and Enterprise. Some customers had complained that double axel trailers from residential properties were not being given access to recycle centres. Following investigation of the complaints, we have reviewed the dimensions of the vehicles/ trailers allowed on the sites and have now removed the restrictions on double axel trailers; however, an overall size limit still applies. To summarise, trailers are allowed as long as the dimensions are a maximum of 1.8m x 1.2m A customer asked for a replacement large non-recyclable waste bin (360 litre black bin), and they had been provided with a standard 240 litre bin instead of the 360 litre one requested. The customer was unhappy that the replacement was not ‘like for like’. Grounds and Waste services explained that they are encouraging everyone to recycle as much as possible because it is one of the ways the council can help tackle climate change. They explained to the customer If all the recycling bins are used fully then it is likely there is no need for the capacity of a 360 litre non-recyclable waste bin and, therefore, the larger non- recyclable waste bins are not provided automatically. Where the service is satisfied that the household is fully using all recycling bins that have been provided, then a larger non- recyclable bin will be provided if this is appropriate to do so. The learning taken from the complaint is to ensure there is ongoing improved communication with customers and to ensure customers understand why we make this provision. A customer’s waste bin fell into the back of the refuse vehicle when it was being emptied and the refuse collection employees made no attempt to let the customer know that this had happened. When the customer contacted the service and spoke to a member of staff explaining what happened, they said staff member did not seem concerned and advised that the bin collection staff were not obliged to make customers aware if this happens, and that they would need to wait 5-12 weeks for a new bin. We investigated the matter and confirmed that the bin had indeed fallen into the back of the collection vehicle and confirmed that a replacement bin had since been delivered. We also advised the customer that some of our vehicles have now been fitted with in cab technology which can be used to report bins falling into the vehicle and crews have been asked to drop calling cards with key information directly to the resident in question if there are any collection problems. We have introduced a system in some of our vehicles that will let us know when a bin falls in and also improved our communication by informing customers when there are any collection problems through dropping in calling cards with key information. Contact centre employees have also been briefed on the procedures to ensure customers are provided with the correct information if they are calling. 99
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Customer receives the medical pull-out service as part of the Council's waste collection service and their bins are not being returned to the place that they have been collected from causing the resident difficulties in terms of putting the bin back themselves or having to navigate past the bin when accessing their property as the bin is causing an obstruction. Apologised to the resident affected and reminded the crew of the importance of returning the bin to the place that they have collected it from. When crews remember to return the bin to the place, they have collected it from they will be delivering an improved service as required by the resident. Education. School was not sending reports on children's progress to father of a child who does not reside with him. The school were advised of this and as a result the school has now updated their information and father will receive the relevant documents in future. This action will be replicated in the event it is required in future for pupils in a similar situation. Parents complained that their child was not provided with a place on school bus although they had applied for this, and the child is entitled to the place. A new transport School Transport system was implemented across 11 Local Authorities by Strathclyde Passenger Transport (SPT). This led to some delays in the service processing the application and how the service communicated with Parents for August 2021. The School Transport team are currently working alongside staff at SPT to resolve any issues and dealing with any complaints accordingly, and within the timescales of the procedure, to ensure all pupils who are entitled to school transport are provided with this. The School Transport team are reviewing our own processes in line with the new system to improve each of our processes and have a smooth implementation of transport provision for the new term for 2022 Parent made contact with the school in relation to their daughter’s name being changed at school as 'known as' without their consent. Apology given to the customer and staff were remined of the correct procedure to follow in cases such as this. Awareness of this is now part of induction process for relevant new staff. Parent stating that their child who attends an ASN base was not being challenged enough in certain subjects and requested an assessment on child's needs and abilities. Parent disappointed at not seeing appropriate teachers during parents evening. The school are issuing tasks at a higher, more personalised level. School offering tutoring for areas where child requires assistance either in school or after school. School will arrange for the teachers who were missed at parents evening to call the parent. Finance – Transactions. Customer was unhappy that their direct debit for council tax appeared to be cancelled. An error had been made in the setup as an incorrect procedure had been followed. Additional training has been carried out on the correct procedures with staff. It is expected that this error will not happen again in future as the procedures have been reissued and are also available online for staff to access. A customer had telephoned for update on a report they had made. The Officer was unable to make contact with the customer to provide update as the customer’s contact information had not been recorded. Customer was unhappy about this as they had provided all their information at time of the telephone call. We apologised to customer for the error and resultant delay in responding to their report. Training need was identified and provided with 100
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a reminder to all staff to ensure that all required customer information fields are completed at point of contact to prevent a similar occurrence of this complaint in the future. As a result of this, all required information to allow an Officer to contact customer with a progress report or a response will be recorded. Customer raised complaint as they had booked and paid for a service which did not arrive on the agreed date. The Transactions team Investigated and identified the issue. They spoke with customer to apologise and rearranged the service on a date and time that was suitable for them. As part of the complaint investigation, all staff have been reminded of the correct processes. It is expected that this error will not happen again in future as the procedures have been communicated and are also available online for staff to access. Customer was unhappy that service they had requested was delivered outwith the timescale provided at time of organising. Was also unhappy that no contact had been made to update and advise on delay. Apologised to customer and explained service had been delayed due to impact of covid on teams. Staff were briefed to advise customers that at this time service was experiencing some minor disruptions due to staff shortages and that current timescales maybe extended. Situation will return to normal once full team is available. Customers will be advised on possible impact on service delivery and any significant delay will be communicated to customers. Customer complained that they had been advised they could apply online for a birth certificate, and this would be sent via recorded delivery and in a hard backed protective envelope. Unfortunately, the Certificate arrived folded and by standard post. Staff have been reminded to be clear and correct with the information they provide to customers to avoid any future miscommunication and misunderstanding. We expect the service to improve by making sure customers are clear on information provided and take account of customer feedback where possible. Housing and Property Services. A customer was unhappy as they had been requesting a form to be issued to them for 4/5 months and they still received no response. Customer has been contacted and we have apologised that no one provided the form as requested. Staff have been reminded of Customer Care Standards and answering requests within standards. We continue to monitor complaints through Service/Management reports and regular meetings of complaint groups. A customer was unhappy with the length of time taken to complete a repair. The Repairs team apologised and advised the customer that the delay was due to waiting on part and would keep them updated on progress. We expect our service to get better by ensuring our customers are kept updated with progress when there are any delays in repairs being carried out. Customer complained that they were unhappy with repairs in their new tenancy that were still outstanding and awaiting action. As a result of the complaint, we now have processes in place to allow us to monitor the situation between Tenancy handover in void and maintenance programme to ensure repairs are carried out promptly. As a result of this we will improve our communications to ensure customers are kept up to date with delays to any repairs, and a more accurate timescale given to help manage the customer’s expectation. 101
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Customer unhappy with Anti-Social behaviour issues within Sheltered Housing Complex. ASB issues investigated, and evidence was founded, therefore, an initial warning was issued to Tenant. Sheltered Housing Team Leaders to reinforce that any complaints regarding ASB or breaches in tenancy conditions whether to Sheltered Housing Officer/Team Leader should be emailed or passed to Housing Officer for an ASB to be logged and investigation to take place. Social Work. Customer was unhappy with level of support and communication received in relation to their care. An apology was made, and appropriate supports are now in place with the family. Good communication is important within the Resource and the corporate standards employee guidance has been re-issued to staff to highlight the importance of effective communication. The correct process was highlighted to employees to ensure correct procedures are followed. Customer was unhappy that there was a delay in carrying out an assessment. Apology was given to the customer and the service agreed to set up a home visit to progress / review the support plan and identify supports / services as required. The importance of communication was highlighted to staff. To keep customers informed of any delays. It was also highlighted to workers the importance to ensure assessments are completed within the appropriate timescales. The customer was unhappy as assessments they had expected to be completed had not been done within the timescales advised. This led to the family feeling frustrated. An apology was given to the family and a meeting was arranged to discuss the issues. A plan was put in place to complete the assessments required, and frequent updates were provided to the family. The manager had a discussion with the team and reinforced the importance of highlighting areas where work may be delayed or may not meet agreed timescales. This will allow them as a team to consider how best to support workers to ensure that tasks are competed on time and keep good communication with customers.” Complainant was dissatisfied with the delays in getting the appropriate care package in place and unhappy with the level of communication provided. An apology was given to the family and a full investigation was carried out with the complainant points being responded too. The investigation found that communication was not as effective as it should have been, and the initial complaint was not answered fully. Learning points were noted, and complainant was advised of this. The learning will be shared with workers through supervision and discussed in team meetings to ensure future communication is effective and that complaint responses are addressed fully. 102