Agenda Document Pack - Performance and Review Scrutiny Forum - 29/11/2022
South Lanarkshire Council · 29 November 2022
Back to Performance and Review Scrutiny Forum — 29 November 2022 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
Page 1
Council Offices, Almada Street Hamilton, ML3 0AA Monday, 21 November 2022 Dear Councillor Performance and Review Scrutiny Forum The Members listed below are requested to attend a meeting of the above Forum to be held as follows:- Date: Tuesday, 29 November 2022 Time: 14:00 Venue: Hybrid - Council Chamber, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton, ML3 0AA The business to be considered at the meeting is listed overleaf. Yours sincerely Cleland Sneddon Chief Executive Members Joe Fagan (Chair), Gerry Convery (Depute Chair), John Anderson, Maureen Chalmers, Maureen Devlin, Richard Lockhart, Katy Loudon, Davie McLachlan, Kirsten Robb, John Ross Substitutes Andrea Cowan, Gladys Ferguson-Miller, Martin Hose, Eileen Logan, Margaret B Walker 1
Page 2
BUSINESS 1 Declaration of Interests 2 Minutes of Previous Meeting Minutes of the meeting of the Performance and Review Scrutiny Forum held on 16 August 2022 submitted for approval as a correct record. (Copy attached) 3 - 8 Item(s) for Consideration 3 Council Plan Connect 2022/2027 - Quarter 2 Progress Report 2022/2023 Report dated 16 November 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 9 - 34 4 Resource Plans - Red and Amber Results at Quarter 2, 2022/2023 Report dated 14 November 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 35 - 42 5 Audit Scotland Report - Local Government in Scotland Overview 2022 Report dated 16 November 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 43 - 60 6 Best Value Assurance Reports (BVAR) Published by the Accounts Commission Report dated 17 October 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 61 - 70 Urgent Business 7 Urgent Business Any other items of business which the Chair decides are urgent. For further information, please contact:- Clerk Name: Stuart McLeod Clerk Telephone: 07385 370 117 Clerk Email: stuart.mcleod@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 2
Page 3
PERFORMANCE AND REVIEW SCRUTINY FORUM Minutes of meeting held via Confero and in the Council Chamber, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton on 16 August 2022 Chair: Councillor Joe Fagan Councillors Present: Councillor Gerry Convery (Depute), Councillor Andrea Cowan (substitute for Councillor Maureen Chalmers), Councillor Maureen Devlin, Councillor Katy Loudon, Councillor Davie McLachlan, Councillor Kirsten Robb Councillors’ Apologies: Councillor John Anderson, Councillor Maureen Chalmers, Councillor Richard Lockhart, Councillor John Ross Attending: Chief Executive’s Service C Sneddon, Chief Executive Community and Enterprise Resources T Finn, Planning and Building Standards Manager (Headquarters); C Park, Head of Roads, Transportation and Fleet Services Education Resources D Dickson, Education Operations Manager Finance and Corporate Resources P Manning, Executive Director; S Somerville, Administration Manager; T Little, Head of Communications and Strategy; K McLeod, Administration Assistant; S McLeod, Administration Officer; N Reid, Improvement and Community Planning Manager; M Gordon, Administration Assistant Health and Social Care/Social Work Resources I Beattie, Head of Health and Social Care (Hamilton and Clydesdale) 1 Declaration of Interests No interests were declared. 2 Council Plan Connect 2017 to 2022 - Quarter 4 Progress Report 2021/2022 A report dated 1 August 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the progress of ‘Connect’, the Council Plan 2017 to 2022, at the Quarter 4 Stage of 2021/2022. ‘Connect’ detailed the Council’s vision, values, ambitions and objectives to be delivered in the 5 year period of the Plan. Progress made on key objectives was summarised in the report. Of the 108 measures nominated for reporting against the Plan:- 16 projects had been completed 73 had met their timescale or target as per expectations 11 had minor slippage against timescale or minor shortfall against target 2 had major slippage against timescale or major shortfall against target 6 were contextual or would be reported on at a later stage 2 3
Page 4
A summary of the key achievements against each of the 4 ‘Connect’ priorities was contained in the report and the ‘Connect’ Performance Report for Quarter 4, 2021/2022, covering the period to the end of March 2022, was attached as Appendix 1 to the report. To aid scrutiny, a further analysis had been introduced, with any measures that had changed status between Quarters 2 and 4 being highlighted and an explanation provided for the change of status. Of the 108 measures, 27 had changed status between Quarters 2 and 4 with 9 measures showing a decline in performance, mainly due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and 18 measures showing an improvement in performance. A list of those measures was attached as Appendix 2 to the report. Officers responded to members’ questions on various aspects of the report. The Forum decided: (1) that the ‘Connect’ Quarter 4 Progress Report 2021/2022, summarised in the report and attached as Appendix 1 to the report, be noted; (2) that the summary of the Council’s key achievements against each of the 4 ‘Connect’ priorities, for the period 1 April 2021 to 31 March 2022, be noted; and (3) that the additional scrutiny of changes in measure status between Quarter 2 and Quarter 4, summarised in the report and attached as Appendix 2 to the report, be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 17 August 2021 (Paragraph 4)] Councillor McLachlan joined the meeting after this item of business 3 Local Government Benchmarking Framework 2020/2021 Results and Action Plan A report dated 27 June 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the Scottish Local Government Benchmarking (LGBF) results for 2020/2021. The LGBF compared spend/cost, performance and customer satisfaction results over several years and between similar councils. It comprised a number of performance indicators across a range of services. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the Council had been forced to suspend or reduce a number of services in order to comply with government advice. In addition, the Council had been required to redirect resources to deliver vital new services to support individuals, communities and businesses and there had been an inevitable impact on performance in some areas. Information on the Council’s LGBF data and results for 2020/2021, together with comparative data for 2019/2020 and 2018/2019, was provided in Appendix 1 to the report. This information also showed whether the Council’s performance in 2020/2021 had improved, remained the same or declined compared to the previous year and how the Council’s performance compared with the Scottish average. The impact of the COVID-19 pandemic had affected data collection for some indicators, notably in education, details of which were provided in the report. 4
Page 5
Although the LGBF results were available for all councils in Scotland and could be used to construct league tables, the Local Government Improvement Service (LGIS) cautioned against this approach and emphasised that the purpose of the data was to open discussion about performance and improvement in the context of specific services whilst taking account of geography, demographics and local council priorities. It was, therefore, important to pay attention to the narrative against each indicator when forming a judgement on what the performance meant in a South Lanarkshire context. At a local level, each council was required to publish its results at the same time as the publication of the national results by the LGIS. The LGIS would continue to:- review and develop indicators hold benchmarking events where local authorities could share good practice Officers responded to members’ questions on various aspects of the report. On a point raised regarding whether visits to leisure facilities referred only to physical visits or included virtual visits, officers undertook to provide the information requested to the members. The Forum decided: (1) that the importance of viewing LGBF measures in the local context, as detailed in the report, be noted; (2) that the results, narrative, actions and family group analysis identified following scrutiny of the results for 2020/2021 be noted; (3) that it be noted that the Council’s LGBF results and explanatory narrative for 2020/2021 had been published on the Council’s website, to coincide with the publication of the national results by the Local Government Improvement Service; and (4) that the developments and events being undertaken by the Local Government Improvement Service/LGBF Board be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 18 May 2021 (Paragraph 3)] 4 Local Government Benchmarking Framework Update A report dated 21 July 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted providing an update on engagement with the Local Government Improvement Service (LGIS) regarding the Local Government Benchmarking Framework (LGBF) and its future use. Following the update provided to this Forum at its meeting held on 26 October 2021, in December 2021, the LGIS provided a bespoke analysis of LGBF indicators for the Council, structured around the emerging key themes contained in the new Council Plan for 2022 to 2027. The aim of the analysis had been to look at the LGBF indicators more thematically and strategically. Resources had been asked to review the LGIS analysis in tandem with work on the new Council Plan for 2022 to 2027 and consider which LGBF indicators added value and would be the best candidates for inclusion in a subset of indicators for future reporting. The resultant draft suite of indicators, attached at Appendix 1 to the report, identified 33 of the 95 LGBF indicators for inclusion within the reporting arrangements for the Council Plan. Discussions with the LGIS had also highlighted the importance of how and when progress against the indicators was reported and identified barriers to using the LGBF for effective scrutiny, enquiry and learning which were detailed in the report. 5
Page 6
This suggested that a best practice approach placed an emphasis on considering LGBF indicators in a more integrated and thematic way alongside other performance reporting. This would enable the LGBF to be seen in an appropriate context alongside or in the course of strategic decision-making and scrutiny. Consequently, the draft strategic suite of LGBF indicators, included at Appendix 1 to the report, would form part of the reporting arrangements for the new Council Plan for 2022 to 2027 and would appear alongside other measures relevant to the achievement of the 6 outcomes contained in the Plan. To complement the reporting of this draft strategic suite of LGBF indicators, additional work would be undertaken to map the LGBF indicators across the Council’s reporting arrangements to identify where LGBF might be included within other reporting streams where there would be more context and other indicators. The aim of this exercise would be to find a “home” for the LGBF indicators in the Council’s routine reporting so that they could be reported in the most suitable context and alongside other appropriate information and narrative content. As part of this exercise, the Public Performance Reports (PPRs) on the Council’s website would be reviewed to identify where LGBF indicators could usefully be included. The PPRs were updated annually and were provided as part of the Council’s commitment to balanced and accessible performance reporting as required by Best Value legislation. This would enhance the visibility and relevance of the LGBF in the Council’s public performance reporting. The conclusion of this work with the LGIS would ensure that the Council’s LGBF indicators were embedded across its reporting arrangements, with a strategic focus on those indicators which were most relevant to the Council’s priorities, strengthening opportunities to scrutinise the LGBF and enhance its role in the Council’s public performance reporting. Further work would be undertaken with the LGIS and a report would be submitted to a future meeting of the Forum after the conclusion of this work to:- refine and finalise the draft strategic suite of indicators for use in conjunction with the reporting of the new Council Plan for 2022 to 2027 investigate routes by which LGBF indicators could be embedded into routine reporting by mapping indicators to potential reporting routes The Forum decided: (1) that the engagement with the LGIS on the use of the LGBF be noted; (2) that the draft suite of indicators aligned with Council Plan outcomes, as detailed in the report and attached as Appendix 1 to the report, be noted; (3) that it be noted that further work would be undertaken to map LGBF indicators to reporting routes which placed them in an appropriate setting and scrutiny context; and (4) that it be noted that a report on the conclusion of this work with the LGIS would be submitted to a future meeting of the Forum. [Reference: Minutes of 26 October 2021 (Paragraph 3)] 6
Page 7
5 Annual Performance Spotlights 2021/2022 A report dated 12 July 2022 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the Annual Performance Spotlights for 2021/2022. At its meeting on 4 September 2018, the Forum had considered a report which set out plans to review the Annual Performance Report (APR) element of the Council’s public performance reporting (PPR) approach. Consequently, a new approach had been developed which replaced the APR document with Annual Performance Spotlights (APS). The APS provided “bite sized” web content performance information for each objective contained in ‘Connect’, the Council Plan, together with the theme Delivering the Plan and Achieving Best Value. Each APS consisted of:- a case study a selection of infographics links to other related material The infographics contained in the 2021/2022 APS were attached as Appendix 1 to the report. In response to points raised by the Accounts Commission in the Council’s Best Value Assurance Report (BVAR) 2019, the 2021/2022 APS had been improved by:- including, for each infographic, trend information with a clear indication as to whether performance had improved and if the target had been met providing a link, directly below the infographic on the website, to supporting data, further reports or more detailed information A suite of public performance reports, focusing on key areas of Council business, would continue to be prepared to complement the APS. The format of the APS would be reviewed on an ongoing basis to ensure the documents kept pace with public expectations, Audit Scotland’s requirements in respect of public performance reporting, continuous improvement and Best Value, the Accounts Commission’s Direction 2021 and the Council Plan for 2022 to 2027. The APS for 2021/2022 would become live on the Council’s website in September 2022, significantly in advance of the statutory deadline of 31 March 2023. The Forum decided: that the report and the content of the Annual Performance Spotlights 2021/2022 be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 17 August 2021 (Paragraph 3)] 6 Urgent Business There were no items of urgent business. 7
Page 8
8
Page 9
Report Agenda Item Report to: Performance and Review Scrutiny Forum Date of Meeting: 29 November 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Council Plan Connect 2022/2027: Quarter 2 Progress Report 2022/2023 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] • provide the Council Plan Connect Quarter 2 Progress Report 2022-23, for the period 1 April 2022 to 30 September 2022 [1purpose] 2. Recommendations 2.1. The Forum is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [] (1) that the Connect Quarter 2 Progress Report 2022-23 summarised at paragraph 4.5. and attached as Appendix 1 of this report, be noted; (2) that the key achievements, as detailed in paragraph 4.6. and 4.7. of this report be noted; and (3) that the additional scrutiny of reporting the updated status of those measures identified as ‘report later’ as at Quarter 4 2021-22 as summarised at paragraph 4.8. of this report, be noted. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. The Council Plan Connect covering the period 2022-27 was approved by South Lanarkshire Council at its meeting on 15 June 2022. The Plan sets out the Council’s vision, values, priorities and outcomes for the five year period. 3.2. As part of the performance reporting arrangements introduced in 2007, it was agreed that progress reports on the Council Plan would be provided at the mid-year point (Quarter 2) and at the end of the financial year (Quarter 4). 3.3. As the Forum is aware, from March 2020 onwards at times, the Council was forced to suspend or reduce a number of services that could not be continued in full due to the Covid pandemic. The Council was also obliged to redirect resources so that it could deliver vital new services and supports for individuals, communities, and businesses. Despite the return of services through the Council’s Recovery Plan there is a Covid legacy in terms of a residual impact on some services and a significant build-up of demand, as a result of which there remains an inevitable impact on performance in some areas. 4. Quarter 2 Progress 2022-23 4.1. The Council Plan offers flexibility, both at the Resource level and from one year to the next, in the choice of actions and measures required to deliver the Council’s priorities. Alongside this flexibility, however, comes the requirement to ensure that the golden thread from Council Plan to Resource Plan remains unbroken. 3 9
Page 10
4.2. The reporting framework for the Council Plan identifies key measures within Resource Plans which are taken and combined in a Connect report to provide a balanced picture of council performance against Connect outcomes. 4.3. A total of 234 measures have been identified from the 2022-23 Resource Plans. Of those, 66 (28%) have been nominated as key strategic measures for reporting progress against Connect. 4.4. Progress to date against all measures is contained in the Connect Quarter 2 Performance Report 2022-23, attached as Appendix 1. This report has been produced from the Council’s performance management reporting system IMPROVe, and uses a traffic light format with the following definitions to give a status report on each measure:- Status Definition Blue Project complete Green The timescale or target has been met as per expectations Amber There has been minor slippage against timescale or minor shortfall against target Red There has been major slippage against timescale or major shortfall against target Report later The information is not yet available to allow us to say whether the target has been reached or not. This will be reported when available Contextual Included for ‘information only’, to set performance information in context 4.5. To ensure adequate scrutiny of performance across all Resources, individual Resource Committees receive details of all ‘red’ measures relating to that Resource including management actions, where applicable. In addition, the Forum may consider those measures across all Resource Plans reporting a ‘red’ and/or ‘amber’ status. The overall summary of Connect progress to date is as follows and performance should be considered in the context of the impact of responding to Covid 19:- Status Measures Statistical Project Total % Blue N/A 2 2 3% Green 18 28 46 70% Amber 3 3 6 9% Red 1 0 1 1% Report later/Contextual 10 1 11 17% Totals 32 34 66 100 % (Data correct as at 13 October 2022) 4.6. Progress for the period ending Quarter 2, 2022-23 on each of the six Connect Outcomes and the related achievements has been summarised in the following tables:- 10
Page 11
4.6.1. Connect Outcome Communities and Environment Number of measures Blue Green Amber Red Report later Total 1 8 1 1 2 13 Achievements The Roads, Transportation and Fleet Service was successful in winning the award for ‘Most Effective in Road Safety, Traffic Management and Enforcement’ at the Scottish Transport Awards which were held at the Radisson Blu Hotel in Glasgow on 29 September 2022. A comprehensive five year Litter Strategy for South Lanarkshire was approved by the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee in August 2022. The Strategy outlines how the Council, its partners, and the wider community can tackle the issues. The new Sustainable Development and Climate Change Strategy was approved by the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee in June 2022. The Strategy was prepared following extensive public engagement and builds on the successes of the previous strategy. The mission statement of the new Strategy is: Our Future is Now: building a sustainable, climate resilient and net-zero South Lanarkshire together, in a fair and inclusive way On 13 July 2022, Justice Services participated in an Adult Support and Protection World Café Event with a variety of care homes. This included a presentation on Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA) procedures as they relate to care homes, with a particular focus on Environmental Risk Assessments to enhance knowledge of care home workers to risk assess service users, subject to MAPPA, who require residential care. It also involved a Q&A with care home staff. 4.6.2. Connect Outcome Education and Learning Number of measures Blue Green Amber Red Report later Total 1 0 0 0 4 5 Achievements Scottish Education Awards 2022: The Making a Difference (Primary) Award was won by Netherburn Primary School. The award is for a primary school, or other establishment, (e.g. special school or all-through school), that can demonstrate its effectiveness in transforming the life chances of the children and young people which it serves. Scotland’s Enterprising Schools Awards 2002: The Most Enterprising School Awards was won by Strathaven Academy. Awarded in response to the great work being done across the entire school to celebrate enterprise and ensure that enterprise is becoming embedded into the curriculum as standard. Developing Literacy: 770 people attended two family orientated events at Lanark Loch and Overtoun Park, Rutherglen to mark this year’s International Literacy Day – Transforming Literacy Learning Spaces. The adult literacy team provided a range of literacy-based learning activities to help support adults and children’s learning. 4.6.3. Connect Outcome Health and Wellbeing Number of measures Blue Green Amber Red Report later Total 0 12 0 0 1 13 Achievements The annual progress report which summarises all the actions taken in terms of air quality has been submitted to Scottish Government and positive responses have been received from Scottish Government and SEPA. The Air Quality Action Plan measures are ongoing including Eco Stars, Walkcycle4air, Love to Ride 11
Page 12
South Lanarkshire, engine idling campaign works, vehicle emission testing and Beat the Street East Kilbride. Care Facilities Modernisation Programme: Work is progressing well on our new care campus in Blantyre, 19 out of the 20 technology enabled properties are now occupied with the last property being handed over mid-October due to further adaptations being made. New governance arrangements between South Lanarkshire Council and South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture Ltd were approved at the South Lanarkshire Council meeting on 15 June 2022. Nurturing mental health: the power of positive relationships conference in September provided schools with a range of supports that are available to them in terms of Mental Health guidance and resources designed to help young people. 4.6.4. Connect Outcome Children and Young People Number of measures Blue Green Amber Red Report later Total 0 3 0 0 2 5 Achievements Corporate Parenting: A dedicated young person’s service has been established for young people in conflict with the law who are aged 12-18 years. This service promotes age-appropriate responses and child centred responses for children who may pose a risk of harm to others. A pan-Lanarkshire pilot targeting young people who are jointly reported to be retained within the children’s hearing service where possible is commencing in November 2022. Scottish Education Awards 2022: South Lanarkshire Council Education Resources won the Community Learning and Development Award for the Mobilize Music Project run by our Youth Family and Community Learning Service. The award recognises and celebrates the integral contribution of CLD to improving the educational outcomes and life chances of our children and young people. GTCS - Excellence in Professional Learning Award for Schools and Learning Communities: Larkhall Academy and St Andrew’s and St Bride’s High School achieved the General Teaching for Scotland, Excellence in Professional Learning Award and Quality Mark status. This award celebrates and recognises schools and learning communities that support and lead professional learning which has a significant and sustained impact on teachers, classroom practice and learners. 4.6.5. Connect Outcome Housing and Land Number of measures Blue Green Amber Red Report later Total 0 10 2 0 2 14 Achievements In June 2022 work with residents of the Council’s Gypsy/Traveller sites was recognised at a national level with the award of the Municipal Journals “Innovation in Building Diversity and Inclusion Award” The draft Local Housing Strategy 2022-27 was developed in conjunction with partners, with consultation running through to the end of October 2022. 4.6.6. Connect Outcome Our Economy Number of measures Blue Green Amber Red Report later Total 0 8 3 0 0 11 Achievements The first face-to-face ‘Lanarkshire Women in Business’ event was held in June 2022, with more than 70 local businesses attending the event at the Strathaven 12
Page 13
Hotel. A follow up event was held at the Excelsior Stadium in August 2022. Lanarkshire Women in Business events are targeted to aspiring and existing business women as well as those working in business seeking personal and professional development. The Blantyre Town Centre Strategy and Action Plan was approved at Community and Enterprise Resources Committee on 4 October 2022. 4.7. In addition to working towards the six Connect Outcomes, the Council will continually aim to improve and ensure effective and efficient use of resources, and that business will be conducted with integrity and transparency and will operate to the highest standards. In order to monitor and report progress against these values, Resource Outcomes have also been identified, under the heading Delivering the Plan and achieving Best Value. Progress on this and the related achievements have been summarised in the following table:- Delivering the Plan and achieving Best Value Number of measures Blue Green Amber Red Report later Total 0 5 0 0 0 5 Achievements Contract negotiations are now complete in relation to the Social Care Case Management system, with Liquidlogic being awarded the contract. The project is now progressing to the implementation stage and a Project Plan has been established and presented to the Project Review Board. To date, all milestones remain on track. Upgraded Audio Visual systems within the Council Chambers. Refreshed network equipment across the schools’ estate During the period 1 April to 30 September 2022, Council employees completed 59,196 eLearning modules. In the same period, 3,751 employees attended 665 classroom-based events, and 1,053 employees attended 112 virtual online events. 4.8. Report later/contextual Measures in the quarterly progress reports which are not red, amber or green can be assigned a status of ‘report later’ or ‘contextual’. Of the 6 measures identified in these categories at Quarter 4 2021-22, 4 are contextual measures, for which figures were provided in the Q4 report. One indicator is part of the Local Government Benchmarking Framework (LGBF) suite, for which the 2021-22 results will not be published until February 2023. The final measure relates to the 3 year business survival rate – the Office of National Statistics publish this and the most recent results relate to 2017-20. No further action is required. 5. Employee Implications 5.1. The priorities noted within the Council Plan inform the Resource Plans and in turn the Performance Appraisal process for individual employees. 6. Financial Implications 6.1. Provision for meeting the Council Plan’s outcomes is reflected in both the Revenue and Capital budgets, and longer term, within the framework of the Council’s approved Financial Strategy. 7. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 7.1. There are no climate change, sustainability or environmental implications arising from this report 13
Page 14
8. Other Implications 8.1. A significant element of the delivery of the outcomes in the Community Plan 2022 to 2032 will come through the achievement of the actions contained within Connect. 9. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 9.1. Equality Impact Assessments will be undertaken in line with the various actions within Connect as appropriate. 9.2. Many of the priorities, outcomes and actions detailed within the plan reflect ongoing work programmes implemented to address local and national priorities. Extensive consultation, therefore, has already taken place in relation to a significant proportion of the priorities, outcomes and actions outlined in the plan. Paul Manning Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 16 November 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes The Council Plan 2022-27 reflects the overarching vision of South Lanarkshire Council and details its values, priorities and outcomes, including links to the Community Planning Partnership Previous References Performance and Review Scrutiny Forum 16 August 2022 - Connect Quarter 4 Progress Report 2021-22 List of Background Papers Council Plan Connect 2022-27: approved by South Lanarkshire Council on 15 June 2022 Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Tom Little, Head of Communications and Strategy Ext: 4904 (Phone: 01698 454904) E-mail: tom.little@southlanarkshire.gov.uk Performance: www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk/performance 14
Page 15
IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on 13 Oct 12:25 Quarter 2 : April 2022 - September 2022 (This represents the cumulative position to September 2022) Performance Report 2022-23 South Lanarkshire Council Connect 3 15
Page 16
IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on 13 Oct 12:25 Summary - number of measures green, amber and red under each Council Plan Outcome / Theme Council Outcome / Theme Green Amber Red Report later / Contextual Total Communities and Environment 1 1 1 2 5 Education and Learning 0 0 0 4 4 Health and Wellbeing 8 0 0 1 9 Children and Young People 2 0 0 2 4 Housing and Land 3 1 0 1 5 Our Economy 3 1 0 0 4 Delivering the plan and achieving best value 1 0 0 0 1 Total 18 3 1 10 32 Page 1 16
Page 17
IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators Communities and Environment Performance Indicators Comments/ Progress Status 2020/21 2021/222019/20Target To Date -------- Last 3 Years ------------------- This Year ----------- Make an annual saving from using recycled items as opposed to new through the joint store The cumulative total for recycled equipment for Period 1 to 6 (excluding stairlift and tracking) was: No of items - 941 Cost of items - £64,216 Value of items - £161,485 Since April 2022 there has been a saving for the Council of £97,269 to meet annual saving target of £175,000. The P6 data for stairlift and tracking is unavailable at this time, however updates will be made as soon as this information available. Green 175,000 97,269 ------ ------ 267,296 Land Audit Management System grounds maintenance score LAMS measures the quality of grounds maintenance based on surveys which are completed throughout the year. Taking the scores to date (68, 73, 72 and 71), our current overall score is 71. This is slightly below target, however we still have one additional inspection to carry out. Amber 72.0 71.0 72.0 72.0 71.3 Percentage of our road network that should be considered for maintenance treatment This figure is derived from the Society of Chief Officers of Transportation in Scotland (SCOTS) Road Condition Index (RCI) survey which is undertaken each year. The target figure of 29.7% is based on the results for the period 2020-22. The RCI for 2021-23 will be published in January 2023. Report Later 29.7% ------ 30.3% 30.6% 29.7% Page 2 17
Page 18
IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators Communities and Environment Performance Indicators Comments/ Progress Status 2020/21 2021/222019/20Target To Date -------- Last 3 Years ------------------- This Year ----------- Reduction in the council’s carbon emissions achieved by March 2023 (buildings, waste, street lighting, transport) The results for financial year 2022-23 will be reported in July 2023. The results for financial year 2021-22 were calculated and reported to CMT in August 2022. It was reported that the council's carbon emissions reduced by 17% compared with baseline year 2019-20. This is partly due to the continued service disruption throughout the year due to Covid, reductions in national carbon conversion factors and reduced amounts of household waste going to landfill. Report Later 5.0% ------ 44.0% 19.0% 17.0% Percentage of total household waste that is recycled in 2022 Measure is reported per calendar year. The figure for quarter two (April to June 2022) was 45.07%. This equates to 40.28% for the year to date (2022). This is below the 2021 figure of 41.50%, and remains below the target figure of 50.00%. Higher residual waste tonnages collected at the kerbside due to Covid-19 and home-working, high residual waste content in bulk uplifts (black bag waste accepted), and more non-recyclable waste being disposed of in Household Waste Recycling Centres, are all factors that need to be taken into account when understanding the household waste recycling performance. A new contract is now in place for bulky waste (from 1 April 2022), and this has increased the amount of bulky waste being recycled. Previous contract only managed approximately 15%. The first 3 months of the new contract have seen 50% of this waste recycled. Red 50.00% 40.28% 46.40% 40.50% 41.50% Education and Learning Performance Indicators Comments/ Progress Status 2020/21 2021/222019/20Target To Date -------- Last 3 Years ------------------- This Year ----------- Improve the attendance of children and young people at primary school Report to be provided at Quarter 4. Report Later 90.0% ------ 94.9% 94.3% 94.6% Improve the attendance of children and young people at secondary school Report to be provided at Quarter 4. Report Later 88.0% ------ 91.4% 91.0% 90.5% Page 3 18
Page 19
IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators Education and Learning Performance Indicators Comments/ Progress Status 2020/21 2021/222019/20Target To Date -------- Last 3 Years ------------------- This Year ----------- Percentage of pupils entering positive destinations Report to be provided at Quarter 4. Report Later 95.7% ------ 95.7% 94.8% 96.2% Percentage gap between pupils from the least and most deprived areas entering positive destinations Report to be provided at Quarter 4. Report Later 5.8% ------ 2.7% 4.3% 6.4% Health and Wellbeing Performance Indicators Comments/ Progress Status 2020/21 2021/222019/20Target To Date -------- Last 3 Years ------------------- This Year ----------- No of households currently waiting for adaptations to their home Target achieved. Green 0 0 0 0 0 % of approved applications for adaptations completed in year (SSHC) All adaptations were approved, this measure is demand led. Green 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% 100.00% % of standard adaptations to council houses within agreed appointment times Target achieved. Green 90.0% 96.2% 85.6% 92.4% 98.3% % of new build that meets needs of older people To be reported at year end. Report Later ------ ------ ------ ------ 20.0% Percentage of clients first seen within two working days of a DTTO commencing In quarter 2 there was 1 Drug Treatment and Testing Order commenced, which was seen within two working days of the DTTO commencing. To date 100% (5 out of 5) of clients were first seen within two working days of a DTTO commencing. Green 95.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Percentage of drug/alcohol clients starting treatment/ psychological intervention within three weeks of referral In quarter 2 there were 133 referrals, 129 (97%) of these referrals started their treatment within 3 weeks of referral. To date there have been 270 referrals made to the service with 252 (93%) of cases, have started their treatment within 3 weeks of referral. Green 90% 93% 94% 97% 96% Page 4 19
Page 20
IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators Health and Wellbeing Performance Indicators Comments/ Progress Status 2020/21 2021/222019/20Target To Date -------- Last 3 Years ------------------- This Year ----------- Percentage of Criminal Justice Social Work reports submitted to Court by the due date In quarter 2 98% (432 out of 441) of Criminal Justice Social Work Reports were submitted to the court by the due date. To date 98% (793 out of 807) of Criminal Justice Social Work reports were submitted to Court by their due date. Green 95.0% 98.0% 98.0% 97.0% 99.0% Percentage of statutory supervising officer visits completed within timescale for local authority welfare guardianship orders To date there were a total of 118 local authority welfare guardianship visits due with 93% (110) being completed on time. In quarter 2, there were a total of 61 local authority welfare guardianship visits due with 92% (56) being completed on time. Green 90% 93% 93% 93% 94% Percentage of statutory supervising officer visits completed within timescale for private welfare guardianship orders To date there were a total of 1281 private welfare guardianship visits due with 93% (1185) being completed on time. In quarter 2, there were a total of 702 private welfare guardianship visits due with 91% (638) being completed on time. Green 90% 93% 86% 94% 95% Children and Young People Performance Indicators Comments/ Progress Status 2020/21 2021/222019/20Target To Date -------- Last 3 Years ------------------- This Year ----------- Percentage of reports submitted to the Children’s Reporter within agreed timescales In quarter 2, 68% (52 out of 76) reports were submitted to the Scottish Children's Reporters Administration within agreed timescale. Staff sickness absence has resulted in SCRA reports having to be re-allocated. Reduced numbers of experienced staff and vacancies within the service is impacting on workstreams such as SCRA deadlines as other areas of work such as CP must be prioritised. To date, 75% (141 out of 187) reports have been submitted within timescales. Green 75.0% 75.0% 71.0% 88.0% 82.0% Report the number of young carers supported by Action for Children on a quarterly basis to Senior Management Team At time of recording the Q2 report (July – September) from Action for Children was in preparation, data will be provided once this is available. Report Later ------ ------ ------ ------ 2,021 Page 5 20
Page 21
IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators Children and Young People Performance Indicators Comments/ Progress Status 2020/21 2021/222019/20Target To Date -------- Last 3 Years ------------------- This Year ----------- Reduce the gap for positive destination outcomes for care experienced young people Report to be provided at Quarter 4. Report Later 6.2% ------ 4.1% 9.1% 6.2% Percentage of our looked after children and young people accommodated in residential placements As at September 2022, 784 children are looked after, 82 (10%) of these children are looked after in a residential setting including local authority houses, secure accommodation and residential schools. This position has been consistent since 1 April 2021. Green 10.0% 10.0% ------ ------ 10.0% Housing and Land Performance Indicators Comments/ Progress Status 2020/21 2021/222019/20Target To Date -------- Last 3 Years ------------------- This Year ----------- % of lets to Urgent housing (UH) need households Target achieved. Green 55.0% 55.6% 51.4% 61.1% 53.5% % of new tenancies sustained for more than a year for all lets (SSHC) Positively, performance is above target and anticipated this will continue over the remainder of the year. Green 88.00% 93.20% 90.08% 91.90% 93.40% % of Housing Options interventions where Homelessness prevented Performance currently below target but is anticipated to improve as the year progresses. Amber 70.0% 65.5% ------ ------ 73.5% % of response repairs completed on time Target achieved. Green 90.0% 99.3% 96.0% 97.7% 99.1% % of council dwellings that are Energy Efficiency Standard for Social Housing 2 (EESSH2) To be reported at year end. Report Later ------ ------ 93.39% 93.88% 98.64% Our Economy Performance Indicators Comments/ Progress Status 2020/21 2021/222019/20Target To Date -------- Last 3 Years ------------------- This Year ----------- Number of unemployed people supported via council-operated employability programmes This is Q1 new engagements April to June 2022. Employability Reporting is quarterly in arrears Green 1,200 442 1,322 1,348 1,934 Page 6 21
Page 22
IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan Performance Indicators Our Economy Performance Indicators Comments/ Progress Status 2020/21 2021/222019/20Target To Date -------- Last 3 Years ------------------- This Year ----------- Number of unemployed people accessing further Council Wide or training Numbers are lower than expected, however overall target will be met with expected increased levels reported in the next quarter update. This is for Q1 performance April to June. Employability reports quarterly in arrears. Amber 200 people 13 people 568 people 211 people 219 people Number of jobs created or sustained per annum as a direct result of Economic Development intervention 325 jobs created. This includes jobs created and safeguarded on projects that have been awarded a Business Recovery and Growth Grant. On target to achieve by year end. Green 500 325 943 ------ 1,095 Number of unemployed people gaining sustainable employment This is Q1 job entries. Employability reporting is quarterly in arrears. Green 600 86 713 410 1,146 Delivering the plan and achieving best value Performance Indicators Comments/ Progress Status 2020/21 2021/222019/20Target To Date -------- Last 3 Years ------------------- This Year ----------- Factoring collection rate It is important to note that the collection target is 75% by year end. It is a progressive target and the collection rate will increase each quarter. At the end of quarter 2 we are around where we would expect to be YTD with two quarters to go. Green 75.00% 48.30% 78.10% 74.06% 73.00% Page 7 22
Page 23
Summary - number of measures complete, green, amber and red under each Council Plan Outcome / Theme Council Outcome / Theme Complete Green Amber Red Report later Total Communities and Environment 1 7 0 0 0 8 Education and Learning 1 0 0 0 0 1 Health and Wellbeing 0 4 0 0 0 4 Children and Young People 0 1 0 0 0 1 Housing and Land 0 7 1 0 1 9 Our Economy 0 5 2 0 0 7 Delivering the plan and achieving best value 0 4 0 0 0 4 Total 2 28 3 0 1 34 Page 8 23
Page 24
IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures Communities and Environment Action Measures Comments/ Progress Status Implement the improvement actions from the South Lanarkshire Community Learning and Development Plan 2021-2024 in line with the CLD Regulations and Strategic Guidance to improve outcomes for local communities Implement the improvement actions of the South Lanarkshire Community Learning and Development Plan 2021-2024 to improve outcomes for local communities South Lanarkshire’s Community Learning & Development Plan was published in October 2021 by the CLD Partnership that comprises a range of partner organisations including South Lanarkshire Council, third sector, further and higher education, and agencies such as SDS, DWP and Health Improvement. Although led and coordinated through the local authority this is very much a partnership plan. Partners are progressing well in relation to the 6 priorities: Access to Learning, Health and Well-being, Progression, Employability, Community Influence, and Workforce Development. An agreed data set has been developed and partners are currently being supported in how to compile this information or use current data sets that they routinely compile to feed into the outcomes for the plan. An interim report will be written in November 2022 that will outline impacts and outcomes, key strengths, and areas for improvement moving forward. Green Increase routes for communities to participate in decision Monitor and develop the bespoke locality planning partnership in each of the four localities Two partnerships established, chairs in place and chairs have joined the CPP Board. Two partnerships in development, and dialogue happening with the groups who will be invited to join them. Green making and priority setting Develop a comprehensive set of neighbourhood planning structures across all identified priority communities in South Lanarkshire Stakeholder groups in place in all communities with current neighhourhood plans. Green Page 9 24
Page 25
IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures Communities and Environment Action Measures Comments/ Progress Status Support communities and Resources in the roll out of a 1% mainstream participatory budgeting process Support given to resources for PB in roads and street cleaning services. Support given to communities to engage. Green Community Safety priorities including relevant parts of the SLCP are achieved The Resource will administer a review of the safer South Lanarkshire Board and associated structure during 2022/23. This will aim to ensure reporting requirements around police and fire scrutiny, anti-social behaviour and community justice remain appropriate alongside links to revised community planning priorities A review of the Safer South Lanarkshire Board is currently underway as a result a similar review of the Community Planning Partnership and publication of a new 10-year Community Plan. An overview of the existing structure, representation, and arrangements was presented at the first meeting of the new Board in September 2022. It is proposed that the Board focuses on three key statutory functions: scrutiny of police and fire services, including review of performance against local police and fire plans; reporting and monitoring of council and police statutory duties relating to anti-social behaviour; and reporting of community justice activity. Board members will be consulted on their views of the proposal, and a draft Terms of Reference will be issued to Board members. Green Lead by example and influence area-wide climate change and sustainability action Finalise the new Sustainable Development and Climate Change Strategy (2022-27) for approval alongside the new Council Plan in June 2022 The new Sustainable Development and Climate Change Strategy (2022-27) has been finalised and was approved at Full Council in June 2022. It was also noted at the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee in August 2022. Complete Page 10 25
Page 26
IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures Communities and Environment Action Measures Comments/ Progress Status Develop new Litter Strategy (2022-27) to promote the new Code of Practice on Litter and Refuse (COPLAR), with particular emphasis on prevention Develop final Litter Strategy for approval by Climate Change and Sustainability Committee in September 2022 The Litter Strategy was approved by the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee on 31 August 2022. The document is currently with design to develop the front cover for an accessible Open Document Text version, along with the design work for a print version. The Litter Strategy will be launched at the end of October and will be accessible on the SLC website and promoted on social media and via the press. Green Page 11 26
Page 27
IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures Communities and Environment Action Measures Comments/ Progress Status Develop Climate Change and Sustainability Plan to support educational settings Empower the involvement of children and young people in schools and through the Young People’s Forum to help shape and influence Council outcomes in the climate strategy The Youth Forum for Climate Change and Sustainability have been working towards the Conference of Schools 1 event, Hamilton Palace Sports Grounds 11 - 13 October 2022. Representatives from South Lanarkshire primary schools have been invited to attend this event with a total of 540 primary children over the 3 days. The event will involve the youth forum members delivering a series of 5 workshops based around their TIERS- Travelling, Influencing, Eating, 3Rs (Reduce, Reuse, Recycle) and Shopping. As well as the youth forum children who are delivering the workshops, South Lanarkshire staff, Keep Scotland Beautiful and TEDxGlasgow will attend to help support the work within the TIERS and the activities being delivered. Students and staff attending the will be asked to complete a short evaluation after the event. After the event, a form will be shared with the young people and staff who attended the workshops asking them to make a pledge- this can be shared further within schools. There will also be a resource shared with all primary school head teachers providing an overview of the speeches, presentation, activities and events that have taken place at COS1. This resource contains teaching resources for schools to use to encourage and further embed the teaching and learning for climate change and sustainability within their schools. Green Page 12 27
Page 28
IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures Education and Learning Action Measures Comments/ Progress Status Ensure effective delivery of tackling poverty policy and raise awareness of the priorities contained in the Local Child Poverty Action Report (LCPAR) across all partner organisations Produce and publish a refreshed Local Child Poverty Action Report and summary by June 2022 to increase awareness among partners A new Local Child Poverty Action Report has been completed and published. A copy has been sent to our Scottish Government/improvement Service contacts. An ODT version has been produced for uploading to web pages as per accessibility guidelines. The newly published report contains evidence of good practice and impact across South Lanarkshire, a focus on our improvement work to improve outcomes for families at risk of experiencing poverty and a revised set of priorities for the next reporting cycle. The report also contains a section on agreed improvement areas and plans to develop activity around them with children and families. Complete Health and Wellbeing Action Measures Comments/ Progress Status Implement Government Strategies relating to mental health, additional support needs, physical, sensory and learning disability Provide annual reports to Senior Management Team and Social Work Committee on progress of implementation of national strategies A report is being prepared for Senior Management Team regarding range of national strategies, for example: The See Hear Strategic Working Group workplan and group membership is currently under review. An engagement event, with support providers for our community of sensory impaired individuals and their carers, is in the early planning stages for Spring 2023. Green Page 13 28
Page 29
IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures Health and Wellbeing Action Measures Comments/ Progress Status Monitor vulnerable adults referrals/activity Produce quarterly Adult Protection report for Adult Protection Committee and Chief Officers Group to monitor ASP activity Quarterly reports have been produced for the Adult Protection Committee and Chief Officers Group monitoring ASP activity. In Quarter 2 the Resource worked with a number of service users as a result of Adult Support and Protection (ASP) issues. There were 852 ASP inquiries, with 384 investigations started in the period and 8 protection plans being progressed. Green Ensure effective contribution to health and social care outcomes contained within the Strategic Commissioning Plan Implementation of agreed housing actions within SCP3 to be progressed throughout the duration of the SCP3 SCP3 now published with two strategic intentions relating to housing and homelessness, work continues to progress operational directions for the implementation of routine enquiry and priority access to health services for homeless households. Green Support the implementation of the IJB Directions which focus on the shifting the balance of care Provide progress reports to the IJB in relation to the Directions in quarter 2 and 4. A review of the strategic directions was undertaken and presented to the IJB at its meeting on 25th January 2022 and 27 directions were agreed with 8 directions being removed as they had been completed with those remaining being current. The IJB approved the Strategic Commissioning Plan 2022 - 2025 at its meeting on 29 March 2022 and provided an update report on the directions to South Lanarkshire Council and NHS Lanarkshire in place from 1 April 2022. This included a proposal for an additional direction which was approved, namely, NHS Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire Council to work alongside the IJB as Anchor Organisations to address inequalities and improve the wellbeing of South Lanarkshire communities. Green Page 14 29
Page 30
IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures Children and Young People Action Measures Comments/ Progress Status Evaluate the impact of Early Learning and Childcare 1140 hours for 2-3 year olds Ensure that the uptake of 1140 hours for 2-3 year olds by families who meet the eligibility criteria is maximised Education Resources continues to provide the full delivery of places for eligible children in line with Scottish Government funding allocation and has strong links with Health and Social Work colleagues to promote the early access to quality nursery provision. Our website also provides parents with a range of information regarding entitlement along with links to support access to a range of benefits. The authority promotes opportunities for parents from low-income households who are not eligible for 1140 hours funded Early Learning and Childcare to apply for the SLC programme for exemption to nursery fees. Green Housing and Land Action Measures Comments/ Progress Status Development and implement Local Housing Strategy for 2022-2027 Local Housing Strategy developed, consulted and approved by Executive Committee November 2022 The Local Housing Strategy 2022-27 consultative draft has been developed and published online, with the consultation period running to 30th October 2022. A calendar of consultation events with key stakeholders is underway, including with tenants and residents, and there is the option of an online survey for people to share their views. The updated draft will be ready for approval by the Executive Committee in November 2022. Green Page 15 30
Page 31
IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures Housing and Land Action Measures Comments/ Progress Status Improve access to settled accommodation for homeless households Rapid Rehousing Transition Plan delivered Third annual review of the RRTP was submitted to the Scottish Government on 30 June 2022, five key priority objectives continue to be a focus of the plan with 96% of indicators either on target or anticipated to meet target by the conclusion of the plan. Green Ensure that Sheltered housing services are compliant with Care Inspectorate Inspection standards Complete quality assurance checks to monitor and ensure compliance with care inspectorate standards. Each of the 34 sheltered housing complexes will be checked during 2022/23 with findings of completed checks reported on a quarterly basis Quality assurance checks routinly undertaken across complexes with high compliance rates Green Work with Gypsy/Traveller residents to develop and implement a programme of site improvement Site Investment Masterplans reviewed in consultation with residents and planned improvement works for progression during 2022 and current works completed by 31 March 2023 Work continues to be progressed on both South Lanarkshire sites to improve facilities and amenities available to residents. These works are being taken forward in conjunction with site residents, who have jointly developed site masterplans that highlight key projects they wish to see take place. This includes the delivery of a new community facility at Shawlands Crescent in Larkhall. Officially opened in August 2022 the facility was co-designed by residents and aims to provide a safe, accessible space for them to socialise as well as a place for housing, education and health teams to host services. In addition, a range of other projects are being taken forward to ensure the sites continue to meet legislative compliance and standards with completion of recent fire safety improvements anticipated by November 2022. Green Increase supply of housing suitable for older people All properties that are suitable, as identified at the void stage, will be converted to Amenity standard Unassigned Increase the number of new affordable homes Total new/additional affordable homes delivered per SHIP and reported to Housing and Technical Resources Committee 59 properties delivered across SLC in second quarter. Hamilton Division - 28 New build, 4 buy backs East Kilbride Division - 21 new build, 6 buy backs Green Page 16 31
Page 32
IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures Housing and Land Action Measures Comments/ Progress Status Physical regeneration work in priority areas Work with partners to bring 15 Long Term empty homes into use by March 2023 8 homes brought back in to use up to the end of quarter 2. Green Project Management of Schools Projects and General Services Projects The General Services Programme spend will be achieved for the financial year Spend to Period 6 £20,218,213.33. Revised 2022/23 Budget £95,814,610. Green Improve energy efficiency stock to help address fuel poverty Deliver investment projects to increase energy efficiency of housing stock during 2022/23 Site start for External Wall insulation projects has been delayed due to Ecological Survey results. Revised processes for ECO4 programme to be approved shortly. Amber Our Economy Action Measures Comments/ Progress Status Support and nurture growth in the Tourism sector, taking advantage of South Lanarkshire's natural environment, heritage, and culture Launch new South Lanarkshire Tourism Strategy by October 2022, and work with partners and stakeholders to implement the subsequent South Lanarkshire Tourism Action Plan Finalised strategy to be presented to Community and Enterprise Resources Committee in December 2022, and arrangements are in place for action plan to be implemented. Amber Page 17 32
Page 33
IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures Our Economy Action Measures Comments/ Progress Status Deliver an economic development strategy to capitalise on our economic strengths, tackle weaknesses and create a flourishing, green, dynamic and equitable place for all Consult on the draft Economic Strategy (2022-27) during Summer 2022, and present the final Strategy for Committee approval by October 2022 The final community consultation exercise was completed on 26 September 2022. Results are being collated and the final strategy will be presented to Community and Enterprise Resources Committee in December 2022. Amber Deliver effective Employability Services to support Economic Recovery Deliver the Young Persons Guarantee Programme. A guarantee to young people aged 16-24 to support and progress them into fair work opportunities, training or further education and volunteering We continue to deliver support to young people aged 16-24 with Key Workers supporting them on their journey towards sustainable work. The young people engaged having multiple barriers to employment and require longer intensive employability support Green Kickstart Programme – support DWP flag ship programme as the largest employer in the area providing fair work opportunities for 50 young people to work within the council in various occupations South Lanarkshire Council won an employer award for this UK govt funded programme. Of the Kickstart trainees who started, 19 have been successful in securing either a longer term or permanent post within the Council before their Kickstart opportunity came to an end. 1 trainee secured a similar role with a different employer, and 4 have exited the programme upon completion to pursue opportunities elsewhere. We currently have 19 trainees still on their Kickstart journey and we expect to see the majority of them progressing into Council jobs. Green Support Modern Apprentices to enter fair work opportunities within the Council ranging from care, admin and craft occupations We support a range of MA's in Care, Digital/IT, Construction and Business Administration. The programme is on target with 32 starts to date Green Page 18 33
Page 34
IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Thursday 13 October 2022 Council Plan actions and measures Our Economy Action Measures Comments/ Progress Status Deliver targeted recruitment programmes to support the local jobs market addressing skills shortages such as HGV Drivers, Personal Carers, Customer Service etc We currently have 12 trainees progressing through HGV training and tests including wraparound employability support and will be extending the scope to support PCV opportunities. Green Deliver targeted employer recruitment incentives to support those aged 25 plus enter and sustain fair work opportunities and support parents and families with complex barriers to employment The employer engagement function continues to support businesses with recruitment incentives to support clients with multiple barriers to employment and help parents and families most in need. A dedicated Money Matters member of staff is now providing in work better off financial support and advice including helping the most vulnerable families within our communities as the cost-of-living crisis looms, rising interest rates and energy and food bills remain stuck at historic highs Green Delivering the plan and achieving best value Action Measures Comments/ Progress Status Adjust the Council Workforce Plan to match the changed environment Resource Workforce Plans updated taking account recovery from COVID and set out requirements moving forward. These will be used to configure the Council Workforce Plan and will reported to Committees by September 2022 Workforce Plans as described have been presented to committee. Green Take forward IT strategic developments Complete procurement exercise to identify partner to meet SLC Digital Connectivity requirements On course to achieve Green Complete first phase of migration to Oracle Cloud Fusion system by February 2023 On course to achieve Green Ensure monitoring, compliance and control of externally purchased services Produce annual report to Senior Management Team on the quality of care provided by externally purchased services A report being prepared for Senior Management Team regarding externally commissioned registered care services. Green Page 19 34
Page 35
Report Agenda Item Report to: Performance and Review Scrutiny Forum Date of Meeting: 29 November 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Resource Plans - Red and Amber Results at Quarter 2, 2022/2023 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide the Performance and Review Scrutiny Forum with summary information on performance measures where Resource Plan results at Quarter 2, 2022/2023 were recorded as either red or amber 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Forum is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- (1) that the detail relating to red and amber results be noted; and (2) that remedial action or mitigation be noted. 3. Background 3.1. In May 2011, the Forum noted proposals to report summary performance information where Quarter 2 Resource Plan results were recorded as being either red or amber. This approach enables a more targeted response to performance reporting than providing reports on all Connect and Resource Plan measures. The definition relating to red and amber status is as follows:- Status Definition Red There has been major slippage against timescale or major shortfall against target Amber There has been minor slippage against timescale or minor shortfall against target 3.2. The information included within this report and Appendix 1 is a summary of the red and amber results from the Quarter 2 progress reports which will be reported to individual Resource Committees. The information in respect of red and amber measures is presented to the Forum to enable more detailed consideration and scrutiny, as appropriate. 3.3. In addition to working towards the six Connect Outcomes, the Council will continually aim to improve and ensure effective and efficient use of resources, and that business will be conducted with integrity and transparency and will operate to the highest standards. In order to monitor and report progress against these values, Resource outcomes have also been identified, under the theme Delivering the Plan and achieving Best Value. 4 35
Page 36
3.4. As the Forum is aware, from March 2020 onwards at times the Council was forced to suspend or reduce a number of services that could not be continued in full due to the Covid pandemic. The Council was also obliged to redirect resources so that it could deliver vital new services and supports for individuals, communities and businesses. Despite the return of services through the Council’s Recovery Plan, there is a Covid legacy in terms of a residual impact on some services and a significant build-up of demand, as a result of which there remains an inevitable impact on performance in some areas. 4. Quarter 2 2022/2023 Red and Amber Results 4.1. In 2022/2023 there are 234 measures across all Resources under the six Connect Outcomes, and the theme Delivering the Plan and achieving Best Value. The majority of these (216 or 92%) were reported as blue/green/report later at Quarter 2, with the remaining 18 measures reported as red or amber. 4.2. Appendix 1 includes details of red and amber performance results across all Resources. Table 1 below provides a summary of the results by Resource over the last three years. Table 1 – Red and amber performance results by Resource Resource Red Amber Total 20/21 21/22 22/23 20/21 21/22 22/23 20/21 21/22 22/23 Community and Enterprise - - 1 9 3 7 9 3 8 Education - - - 4 2 2 4 2 2 Finance and Corporate - - 1 2 3 2 2 3 3 Housing and Technical 1 - 2 3 2 1 4 2 3 Social Work 2 - - - 2 2 2 2 2 Total 3 0 4 18 12 14 21 12 18 4.3. There has been an increase in the number of red/amber status measures reported in comparison to the previous year. This is due in part to a continuing, comprehensive review of measures and targets which has resulted in greater clarity in the measures, which facilitates assigning the most appropriate status. 4.4. Table 2 below shows the results by Outcome/theme. Table 2 – Analysis per Outcome/theme: 2022/2023 (as at 7 October 2022) Connect Outcome/theme Red Amber Total Communities and environment 1 6 7 Education and learning - 1 1 Health and wellbeing - - - Children and young people - - - Housing and land - 1 1 Our economy - 3 3 Delivering the plan and achieving Best Value 3 3 6 Total 4 14 18 36
Page 37
4.5. A detailed explanation on progress to date is included in Appendix 1 grouped per Outcome. These explanations provide details surrounding the circumstances which have given rise to the red or amber status, including unforeseen changes in timescales or circumstances, or work being underway but not yet complete. Progress updates provide revised timescales for completion and management action, where relevant. 5. Next Steps 5.1. The Forum is asked to note the detail included within Appendix 1. 6. Employee Implications 6.1. The Outcomes noted in the Council Plan will inform the Resource Plans and in turn the Performance Appraisal process for individual employees. 7. Financial Implications 7.1. Provision for meeting the Council Plan’s Outcomes is reflected in both the Revenue and Capital budgets, and longer term, within the framework of the Council’s approved Financial Strategy. 8. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 8.1. Any Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental implications relating to this report have been considered as part of the Resource Planning process. 9. Other Implications 9.1. In respect of risk, the detail of this report will provide the Forum with targeted performance information on a timely basis to allow it to adequately perform its scrutiny role. 10. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 10.1. Equality Impact Assessments will be undertaken in line with the various actions in Connect, as appropriate. 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. Many of the Outcomes and actions detailed within Connect and the Resource Plans reflect ongoing work programmes implemented to address local and national priorities. Extensive consultation, therefore, has already taken place in relation to a significant proportion of the outcomes and actions outlined in the Plan. Paul Manning Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 14 November 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Ambitious, self-aware and improving Previous References Report to Performance and Review Scrutiny Forum 31 May 2011: Performance and Review Scrutiny Forum - Performance Reporting Arrangements List of Background Papers None 37
Page 38
Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Tom Little, Head of Communications and Strategy Ext: 4904 (Tel: 01698 454904) E-mail: tom.little@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 38
Page 39
Appendix 1 Resource Plans Quarter 2 Red and Amber Results 2022/2023 Connect Outcome - Communities and environment 2022-23 Last 3 years Statistical Measure Comments/Progress Status Target To date 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 Percentage of streets found to be acceptable during LEAMS survey Community and Enterprise Resources (CER) The LEAMS survey has now been replaced by the Litter Monitoring System (LMS). This is a statutory requirement and involves external validation by Keep Scotland Beautiful. The external validation for reporting period 1 was 87.6%. We are currently carrying out the second inspection which will be reported later. The final LEAMS score for 2021-22 will be reported as part of the Local Government Benchmarking Framework (LGBF) in early 2023. Amber 94.1% 87.6% 94.8% 94.1% ---- Land Audit Management System (LAMS) grounds maintenance score CER LAMS measures the quality of grounds maintenance based on surveys which are completed throughout the year. Taking the scores to date (68, 73, 72 and 71), our current overall score is 71. This is slightly below target, however, we still have one additional inspection to carry out Amber 72 71 72 72 71.3 Percentage of total household waste that is recycled in 2022 CER Measure is reported per calendar year. The figure for quarter two (April to June 2022) was 45.07%. This equates to 40.28% for the year to date (2022). This is below the 2021 figure (44.5%), and remains below the target figure of 50%. Higher residual waste tonnages collected at the kerbside due to Covid-19 and home- working, high residual waste content in bulk uplifts (black bag waste accepted), and more non-recyclable waste being disposed of in Household Waste Recycling Centres, are all factors that need to be taken into account when understanding the household waste recycling performance. A new contract is now in place for bulky waste (from 1 April 2022), and this has increased the amount of bulky waste being recycled. Previous contract only managed approximately 15%. The first 3 months of the new contract have seen 50% of this waste recycled. Red 50.00% 40.28% 46.40% 40.50% 41.50% 4 39
Page 40
Percentage of offenders on CPO unpaid work requirement seen within five working days by their case Social Work Resources (SWR) In quarter 2, 70% (83 out of 119) of offenders had their induction within 5 working days. To date 72% (197 out of 272) of offenders had their induction within timescale. Amber 75.0% 72.0% 77.0% 57.0% 68.0% Percentage of people starting their placement within seven days of a CPO unpaid work SWR In quarter 2, 68% (81 out of 119) people started their placement within 7 days. To date 70% (191 out of 272) of people commenced their placement within timescale. Amber 75.0% 70.0% 77.0% 47.0% 65.0% 2022-23 Project Measure Comments/Progress Status Report on draft Open Space Strategy to Planning Committee in March 2023 CER There has been a further delay with Scottish Government's programme for issuing the Open Space Strategy (OSS) Regulations and Guidance. It will not be possible to make progress on the Council’s OSS until these are available. It is unlikely that a report to March 2023 committee is feasible in these circumstances Amber Develop a new Biodiversity Implementation Plan for (2023- 27) for approval by Climate Change and Sustainability Committee by March 2023 CER Currently progressing the recruitment of a new Biodiversity Officer, and this will be a priority for this financial year Amber Connect Outcome - Education and learning 2022-23 Last 3 years Statistical Measure Comments/Progress Status Target To date 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 Provide up to 400 Foundation Apprenticeship (FA) opportunities at Level 6 to young people in the senior phase Education Resources (EDR) There were over 400 opportunities offered, however, only 273 pupils took up an FA offer this year. A key factor to the lower number of FA starts this year is as a result of legacy impact of Covid 19. The FA team were unable to attend School Career option choice sessions to engage with pupils and parents to promote and market the programme effectively. Furthermore, additional critical events such as Depute Head Teacher (DHT) development day and targeted school management team visits were not possible due to the Covid 19 restrictions during 2020-21. In addition, the Glasgow Consortium delivering foundation apprenticeships withdrew the offer of some frameworks which reduced the overall number of opportunities for South Lanarkshire Amber 400.0 322.0 ------ ------ ------ 40
Page 41
Connect Outcome - Health and wellbeing - No red/amber measures at Quarter 2 Connect Outcome - Children and young people - No red/amber measures at Quarter 2 Connect Outcome - Housing and land 2022-23 Project Measure Comments/Progress Status During 2022-23, reduce the overall homelessness caseload from 900 to 850 and reduce long term homelessness caseload by 10% Housing and Technical Resources (HTR) Overall positive achievement of reaching a level of 765 cases in March 2022 - there is concern that levels are rising sharply in the first quarter of 2022-23 and there is a danger of not meeting this target by March 2023. Amber Connect Outcome - Our economy 2022-23 Last 3 years Statistical Measure Comments/Progress Status Target To date 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 Number of unemployed people accessing further education or training Finance and Corporate Resources (FCR) Numbers are lower than expected, however, overall target will be met with expected increased levels reported in the next quarter update. This is for Q1 performance April to June. Employability reports quarterly in arrears. Amber 200 people 13 people 568 people 211 people 219 people 2022-23 Project Measure Comments/Progress Status Consult on the draft Economic Strategy (2022-27) during Summer 2022, and present the final Strategy for Committee approval by October 2022 CER The final community consultation exercise was completed on 26 September 2022. Results are being collated and the final strategy will be presented to Community and Enterprise Resources Committee in December 2022. Amber Launch new South Lanarkshire Tourism Strategy by October 2022, and work with partners and stakeholders to implement the subsequent South Lanarkshire Tourism Action Plan CER Finalised strategy to be presented to Community and Enterprise Resources Committee in December 2022, and arrangements are in place for action plan to be implemented Amber 41
Page 42
Delivering the plan and achieving Best Value 2022-23 Last 3 years Statistical Measure Comments/Progress Status Target To date 2019-20 2020-21 2021-22 Customer Service Centre – average queue time FCR Slight slippage in target. Currently sitting at 153 seconds. Target is 120. The service continues with recruitment to increase performance from the current level, to ensure target is met. Amber 120 153 94 93 158 Average time in working days for a full response at Stage 1 HTR Although performance is below annual target at end of quarter 2, work continues to ensure overall target achieved. Red 5 9 4 5 5 2022-23 Project Measure Comments/Progress Status Evaluate existing professional networks and use the outcomes to expand leadership capacity across the Resource EDR West Partnership (WP) have offered opportunities for Head Teachers (HT) to facilitate on the Thinking about Headship programme - two Head Teachers have secured a place on the WP Executive Coaching programme. South Lanarkshire Council leadership programmes for aspiring Principal Teachers and Depute HTs both start in September. Amber Migrate to new Integrated Housing and Property Management system by November FCR Due to COVID and other technical reasons, the project has experienced delays and is to be rescheduled for implementation in October 2023. Red Continue with phased implementation of new IT system HTR Discussions ongoing with supplier on the revised delivery timeline of October 2023 and gaps in current business functionality requirements. Red Develop a new 5 year strategy for South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture (SLLC) in August 2022 CER The strategy has been submitted to the Council for noting at a future Committee meeting and will be launched by SLLC in Autumn 22 Amber 42
Page 43
Report Agenda Item Report to: Performance and Review Scrutiny Forum Date of Meeting: 29 November 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Audit Scotland Report: Local Government in Scotland Overview 2022 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide the Forum with a summary of the Audit Scotland Report ‘Local Government in Scotland: Overview 2022’ published in June 2022 [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Forum is asked to note the following recommendation(s):- [] (1) that the key messages and recommendations within the report be noted. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. In June 2022, Audit Scotland published the above report on behalf of the Accounts Commission. This ‘overview’ report is prepared each year and covers key areas of current and future activity relative to local government and an opinion on how these are or should be managed. 3.2. The latest Local Government Overview (LGO) is the second in a series of reports reflecting on the evolving and long-term nature of the impact of Covid-19. The 2021 report considered the initial response phase of the pandemic from March 2020 to February 2021, while the present report (2022) looks at the second year of the pandemic from March 2021 to February 2022. 3.3. The latest report builds on last year’s LGO and assesses:- the ongoing impact of Covid-19 and councils’ progress towards recovery and renewal how councils are positioned to address long-term priorities including climate change, inequality and public service reform how effectively council leadership is managing recovery and renewal. 3.4. This report provides a summary of the Local Government in Scotland Overview document along with a council position in relation to the recommendations within the LGO. 3.5. To accompany the LGO, the Accounts Commission has prepared a checklist of questions for Elected Members to consider, attached at appendix 1 to this report. The questions cover much the same ground as the recommendations within the Overview. 5 43
Page 44
4. Key Messages 4.1. The report contains six key messages:- Councils have had a very difficult year. Alongside the ongoing response to the pandemic, councils have faced challenges in recovering services, dealing with increased demand and backlogs, and meeting community needs and expectations. This has taken place against a backdrop of long-standing pressures such as increased demand from an ageing population and rising poverty. The challenging context means collaborative leadership is more important than ever. Councils are operating in a difficult and uncertain strategic context and face longer-term financial pressures, a lack of certainty and flexibility over long-term funding, and the prospect of major service reforms. This challenging context needs local government leaders skilled in effective strategic thinking, decision-making and collaborative working, and able to learn lessons from new ways of working. Collaborative leadership is more important than ever as councils work with partners, communities, and citizens to support recovery and improve outcomes. Pressure on the local government workforce continues. Councils are continuing to experience high absence levels. Impacts on staff wellbeing and skills shortages, particularly in front-line workers, have also been noted. A resilient workforce is critical to the ongoing response to Covid-19 and the recovery of services. Workforce plans will need to be updated, considering lessons learned from new ways of working. Wellbeing support for the workforce must also continue. The impact of the pandemic and service disruption have been felt most strongly by those already experiencing inequality. Councils have worked hard and adapted to maintain service delivery but not all services are back at pre- pandemic levels so those most in need of support are still being affected. Councils must evaluate these impacts so that recovery and renewal supports those most affected and addresses inequalities. Recovery and renewal should also reflect the wider ambitions of the public service reform agenda. The early response showed what could be achieved by working closely with communities and the voluntary sector. This momentum may be lost if communities and the voluntary sector are not involved in shaping recovery. Flexible governance and decision-making structures will be needed, as will opportunities for more local participation. Improvements are needed in data availability, tools and skills to support performance monitoring, strategic decision-making and planning service improvements. Data has been important in guiding the response to the pandemic but there are key areas where a lack of data could hamper recovery, such as unmet needs, service demands and backlogs. Data is a key tool in tackling inequality but there are gaps in equality data, particularly at a local level. 5. Key Themes and Messages 5.1. The report is structured around three main themes on which progress towards recovery and renewal depends:- Responding to the external environment Organising the council Meeting local needs 44
Page 45
5.2. Responding to the external environment:- Councils have to respond to a large and complex programme of reform, including social care reform, and the impacts of departure from the EU. The impact of the pandemic sits against a backdrop of long-standing and growing demographic pressures and a growing cost of living crisis that will affect demand for council services. Climate change is recognised by councils as an urgent issue. They have committed to taking action to achieve net zero, but clearer plans are needed to achieve it. Challenges for councils include uncertainty over funding and continuing demands arising from Covid. This uncertain and challenging context needs effective strategic thinking, decision-making and collaborative working from local government leaders. It also needs a resilient workforce, and a culture that promotes collaboration, innovation and wellbeing. 5.3. Organising the council – leading recovery and renewal:- Leaders in local government face a challenging context. As they plan for recovery and renewal it will be important that they collaborate with their partners and communities. This will need skilled leadership, learning lessons from the pandemic and working to make the best use of resources to improve outcomes. Councils prepared recovery plans in response to the pandemic, and leaders are now starting to plan and set out their vision and strategy as their councils navigate the uncertainties and challenges they face. There are good examples of councils showing leadership in tackling long- standing structural issues through new place-based initiatives such as community wealth building. Collaborative leadership skills have been important during the response phase and need to be maintained to meet the complex challenges ahead. Changes and turnover in senior officer and political leadership present a risk to councils’ capacity to maintain momentum and drive forward recovery. As governance structures are re-established, better information is needed on service recovery to support scrutiny and inform decision-making. Councils recognise that they have an opportunity to learn lessons from the new ways of working and approaches to service delivery that have been put in place in response to the pandemic. Data has been important in guiding the response to the pandemic. But improvements are needed in data availability, tools and skills to support performance monitoring, strategic decision-making and planning service improvements. 5.4. Organising the council – managing resources:- Councils’ finances have been significantly affected by Covid-19. The long-term funding position remains uncertain, with significant challenges ahead as councils continue to manage and respond to the impact of the pandemic on their services, finances, and communities. Covid-19 significantly impacted on many aspects of councils’ finances in 2020/2021 Funding to local government has been reduced in real terms since 2013/2014. The rest of the Scottish Government budget has seen an increase in funding over the same period. 45
Page 46
The ongoing absence of a multi-year financial settlement creates uncertainty for councils at a time when effective and robust financial management is crucial. Councils now need to review longer-term financial plans as Covid-19 uncertainty diminishes. They should ensure that financial plans are clearly linked to overarching recovery strategies. As Covid-19 funding ends, councils will need to adapt and make difficult decisions to maintain financial sustainability. While COSLA and the Scottish Government continue to discuss the extent of ring-fencing in the local government budget, it is clear that spending on priority areas has increased while other areas of the local government budget have faced spending cuts. Covid-19 has impacted on capital projects and volatility in capital funding allocations could affect councils’ recovery and investment plans. 5.5. Organising the council – managing the workforce:- Pressure on the local government workforce continues, with high absence levels, impacts on wellbeing, particularly for front-line workers, and skills shortages in key areas. A resilient workforce is critical to the ongoing response to Covid-19 and the recovery of services. Councils will need to update workforce plans, learn lessons from new ways of working put in place, and provide wellbeing support for their staff. The second year of the pandemic continues to have a negative impact on the workforce and staff wellbeing. Councils are facing skills shortages and recruitment difficulties in key areas, and the pandemic has made workforce planning both more difficult and more necessary. However, Councils have adopted new ways of working with good results. 5.6. The report’s recommendations in respect of “organising the council” are shown below, with an assessment of the council’s position and any action considered necessary. Recommendation South Lanarkshire Council position and action proposed if required Councils together with their partners and communities should revise their strategic plans, including Local Outcomes Improvement Plans to realign priorities and provide a roadmap for recovery and renewal. They should also consider how this contributes to the national recovery strategy set out by the Scottish Government. In 2021/2022 the Council and the Community Planning Partnership (CPP) reviewed their strategic plans, with the council developing a new 5-year strategic Plan, Connect 2022-27, while the CPP refreshed the Community Plan (Local Outcomes Improvement Plan). Both plans are built around a shared vision to improve the lives and prospects of everyone in South Lanarkshire. Both plans align actions to a common set of key themes and outcomes, with People, Progress and Planet forming the core priorities for both Plans. This places recovery and renewal at the heart of what we do, by putting people first and working together towards a sustainable future in sustainable places. 46
Page 47
Elected members and senior managers need to work together to drive change, make decisions and deliver recovery and renewal. As well as regular dialogue taking place between the Chief Executive and political group leaders, and Executive Directors and their Resource Committee chairs, members awareness sessions and briefing notes are issued so that decision making on plans, strategies and policies and other decisions to deliver recovery and renewal are informed by advice and assistance from senior managers. Councils should consider the leadership skills needed for now and in future. This includes clear succession planning arrangements and a structured programme of induction for new elected members. Refreshed workforce plans, including leadership and succession planning are complete. Plans are going through the committee cycle post recess. Induction programme for elected members in place. Councils’ governance arrangements should ensure that their elected members have sufficient information to support the scrutiny and decision- making needed for recovery and renewal Regular meetings are held with the Administration political group leaders, members awareness sessions are arranged and briefings are issued to all members as appropriate. Committee reports are sufficiently detailed to inform members and include employee, financial, and risk implications. Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) and Fairer Scotland Duty impact assessments are carried out, as appropriate, and are available for members information. Executive Committee reports are made available to all members and members are encouraged to submit questions in advance of committees if they require further information on any item on the agenda to aid scrutiny and inform decision making. Councils need to clearly set out how they are evaluating new service models and learning lessons from the response to Covid-19 The Council has a programme of transformational reviews, including learning from required service changes through Covid. Councils should have a clear plan for developing the use of data in their councils, this includes data skills, data standards and data tools. The Council’s Digital Strategy, approved in June 2022, describes how improved use of data across the Council will facilitate service improvement, efficiencies and digital inclusion. A critical aspect of this strategy is the requirement to upgrade council systems and deliver a data infrastructure which will enhance data quality, availability and security. This, in turn, will enable standard tools such as self-service, management reporting and analytics to be rolled out. The strategy also notes that, to successfully digitally transform, a programme of upskilling of staff will be required. 47
Page 48
Councils must ensure that financial plans and overarching recovery strategies and actions are clearly aligned, including funding to deliver on their duty to address inequalities. The Council received a report in June on the budget position with a fuller strategy to follow. The position in relation to spend on Covid was reported to Committees throughout 2021/2022. Councils must have clear plans for management of reserves The Council’s accounts provide details of the reserves held by the Council and the reasons for these. Financial strategies also provide an update on the strategy for reserves. Councils should update their workforce plans to build on lessons learned, address skills gaps and build a resilient workforce for the future. This will include monitoring the wellbeing of the workforce, and the effectiveness of health and wellbeing initiatives. Refreshed workforce plans, including lessons learnt are complete. Plans are going through the committee cycle post recess. Wellbeing is monitored and refreshed initiatives in place following evaluation. 5.7. Meeting local needs - impact of Covid-19 on services and inequality:- The Covid-19 pandemic continues to affect council service delivery, but a lack of clarity on demand, unmet need, and service backlogs makes the full extent of the effect unclear. Councils have worked hard and adapted to maintain delivery of key services. Digital delivery has expanded but brings with it the risk – for some – of increased digital exclusion. The extent to which councils have assessed and can evidence the impact that Covid-19 related service changes and disruption have had on different groups and citizens in their local areas is unclear. The impact of the pandemic and service disruption has been felt most strongly by those communities and citizens already experiencing inequalities. While councils recognise the disproportionate impact the pandemic has had on different groups, they need to learn lessons from taking early action and assess the impact of service disruption to address longer-term impacts. Some councils are using lessons learned from the pandemic to improve how they tackle vulnerability and inequality. Data is a key tool in tackling inequality but there are gaps in equality data, particularly at a local level. 5.8. Meeting local needs - collaboration and communities:- Collaboration has enabled new relationships and more effective ways of working but communities and local partners need to be more involved in recovery. There is limited evidence of direct community input driving recovery actions and more needs to be done. Voluntary sector organisations are facing pressures that could threaten their ability to deliver services to vulnerable people who rely on them. Councils worked well with their community planning partners in the response phase, but they need clearer plans for the future. 5.9. The report’s recommendations in respect of “meeting local needs” are shown below, with an assessment of the council’s position and any action considered necessary. 48
Page 49
Recommendation South Lanarkshire Council’s position and action proposed if required While some progress has been made in improving the use of data in decision-making, councils need to have a clear sense of where increased demand and service backlogs exist so that they can identify areas of high risk and direct resources accordingly. This information also needs to be more transparent and publicly available. The Council produces a range of data about South Lanarkshire and the communities within it. Data can be obtained at a local level and analysis of socio-economic statistics including deprivation (SIMD) are publicly available to view via maps, tables and charts on the council’s website. Council services utilise a wide range of service metrics and performance information to monitor demand and performance levels. Many of these are publicly available through performance reports on the Resource Plans and through the Public Performance Reporting pages on the Council’s website. A key priority for councils’ recovery and renewal is assessing the impact of the pandemic and service disruption on the most vulnerable and learning from this to inform how they support those most affected and address inequalities. This will need better local data to improve understanding. The Council is keeping abreast of current research to ensure its response is timely and effective. The changing labour market/employability needs and possible methods of addressing these are examples of using local data to improve understanding and supports. Where councils plan to continue with the changes made to services during the pandemic, they need to conduct impact assessments and consult the community. With the expansion of digital services, councils need to assess and mitigate the impacts of digital exclusion. Since prior to the pandemic, the Council has established a Digital Inclusion Sub- Group chaired by the Head of IT. The group has representatives from all Council Resources, South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture and 3rd sector organisations providing services to citizens in South Lanarkshire. The sub- group’s remit is to identify and mitigate causes of digital exclusion, including lack of access to the internet, lack of skills or financial factors. Funding has been allocated for devices for vulnerable citizens and to provide public wi-fi in neighbourhood planning areas. The sub- group also provides input to the Council’s digital strategy to ensure that, as new technologies are introduced, consideration is given to ensure that people are not digitally excluded. Equality Impact Assessments underpin key decisions and consultation takes place regularly. Digital exclusion is being addressed in a number of ways, with devices distributed through programmes in Education and Employability 49
Page 50
Councils need to ensure that partnership working forged in the pandemic with their communities, partners and the voluntary sector remains in place. They also need to learn what made it work and harness this to transform future engagement. The momentum and energy from communities may be lost if public bodies don’t capitalise on what has been achieved. The Council has worked to maintain the networks which were developed throughout covid, supporting communities to work together and helping them access resources to do so where needed. The development of Community Partnerships is helping to accelerate this work, and our Third Sector Interface (TSI) is developing locality groupings of third sector organisations. A new Volunteering Strategy is in development and due for completion soon, which will help to support communities and the voluntary sector to continue to work in partnership with the public sector by identifying and removing barriers and offering assistance where needed. 6. Employee Implications 6.1. There are no direct employee implications. 7. Financial Implications 7.1. There are no direct financial implications. 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. Considering the detail of the report and identifying actions as appropriate contribute towards effective risk management. 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 no requirement for consultation on the content of the report. Paul Manning Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 16 November 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes • Ambitious, self-aware and improving Previous References • None List of Background Papers • Audit Scotland Report ‘Local Government in Scotland: Overview 2021’ 50
Page 51
Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Tom Little, Head of Communications and Strategy Ext: 4904 (Tel: 01698 454904) E-mail: Tom.Little@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 51
Page 52
52
Page 53
Local Government in Scotland Overview 2022 Questions for Elected Members Questions for elected members to consider Sample answer Leadership – planning, strategy and improvement Does my council have clear plans for recovery and renewal, that outline: • what it needs to do in the short, medium, and longer term • the outcomes it will achieve • and the investment needed? • Each Resource has a Response and Recovery plan that outlines short, medium and long-term plans and linked to Resource and Service plans. • Each plan takes full account of the continuing or emerging issues which are faced by customers, employees and our services stemming from COVID- 19. • We continue to look at what else is happening in Scotland, the UK and further afield, to be guided by good practice, legislation and policy relevant to our activities as well as internal and external pressures that affect the Council with the aim of continuing to provide the best services and value for money. Our approach is informed by, and dependent on, guidance issued by the Scottish Government and therefore subject to continual review and change. Is my council together with our partners, reviewing and aligning strategic plans and priorities (including Local Outcome Improvement Plans) to deliver recovery and renewal? Has it consulted with communities on these priorities? • The council has approved a new Council Plan for the period 2022-27 which was developed in tandem with the Community Planning Partnership’s (CPP) work on their refreshed Community Plan (LOIP) for the period 2022-32. • Both plans were developed through extensive engagement, dialogue and consultation with communities across South Lanarkshire, involving over 3,500 local residents commenting on their priorities, and aligned to existing community led plans. • Both plans share a common vision to improve the lives and prospects of everyone in South Lanarkshire. • The focus for both Plans is on 3 key areas: People, Progress and Planet. These put sustainable, people- centred recovery and renewal at the core of the strategic plans for both the Council and the CPP • Partners are aligning their strategic plans to the vision and key themes. Do recovery plans for my council consider key themes, including: • New ways of working • Inequalities • Education recovery • Economic recovery • Climate emergency • Health and wellbeing – community and workforce • Resources continue to deliver a wide range of services with a key focus on continued Pandemic recovery as well as tackling poverty, deprivation, inequality and measures to help mitigate the effects of rising costs are reflected in Resource and Service plans which link to the Council’s Connect Plan. 5 53
Page 54
Has my council considered the Scottish Government National Recovery Plan and Programme for Government as part of the refresh of its strategic plans and recovery plans? • The Council’s new Council Plan and its refreshed economic strategy take into account the Programme for Government and the National Recovery Plan within the strategic policy context. • Following publication of the Programme for Government in September each year, reports are presented to Executive Committee in November, detailing how the Programme for Government will be taken into account through the work of the Council, including within the annual Resource Plans and relevant strategies. Does my council have clear plans for restarting paused, closed, or reduced services and dealing with any service backlogs caused by the pandemic? • Yes, all Resources have the Response and Recovery plans with status update reports that highlight paused, closed or reduced services and actions being taken to address backlogs. Do I know how my council is learning lessons from the pandemic response and evaluating new service models to inform improvement and drive recovery and renewal? Am I assured my council is building on innovations made during the pandemic: • Supporting vulnerable groups • Working in partnership • Faster decision-making • Delivering services differently – eg digital • Working differently – remote and hybrid • The Response and recovery plans include continued implementation of revised service and working arrangements which have been put in place to deliver services, that have been identified as being both efficient and effective and suitable for permanent implementation. • These are linked to both Resource and service planning. Do I know how well my council uses data and what plans it has to develop data skills, data standards, and data tools? • The Council’s Digital Strategy, approved in June 2022, describes how improved use of data across the council will facilitate service improvement, efficiencies and digital inclusion. A critical aspect of this strategy is the requirement to upgrade council systems and deliver a data infrastructure which will enhance data quality, availability and security. This, in turn, will enable standard tools such as self-service, management reporting and analytics to be rolled out. The strategy also notes that, to successfully digitally transform, a programme of upskilling of staff will be required. Leadership – skills Is my council clear on what leadership skills are needed to drive forward recovery and renewal, and are there arrangements in place to deliver these? • Refreshed workforce plans, including leadership and succession planning are complete. Plans are going through the committee cycle post recess. • Induction programme for elected members in place. 54
Page 55
Am I aware what succession planning arrangements and leadership development arrangements are in place for the council management team? Am I satisfied these are appropriate? As above Do I have access to training and learning materials that meet my needs as an elected member? Have I taken up available opportunities that will assist me in being effective in my role? • Elected Members can access a wide range of training and learning materials, including Learn Online courses, Elected Members’ briefings, and practical guides to safety, computing and IT topics. Between March 2020 and summer 2022, 78 training/awareness sessions were held with 1,157 attendances and a programme of training events is in place until March 2023 covering topics such as Climate Literacy, social media, and awareness training on use of new technology in the Council Chamber. Governance Do I have access to clear, timely, and sufficiently detailed information that allows me to carry out my governance and scrutiny role? Yes as follows: • Committee Chairs have regular 1 to 1s with Resource Executive Directors • Chairs and Deputes receive advance copies of agendas and reports and attend agenda meetings with Resource Executive Directors and senior officers at least 7 days before agendas are issued for committee meetings, at which they have the opportunity to ask questions. • All agendas and reports issued 5 working days in advance of Committee meetings to allow members time to digest information and ask questions to inform decision making at meetings • Executive Committee agendas and reports issued to all Council elected members, who then may submit questions on any report on the agenda for response • Standing Order 19 gives members an opportunity to ask a chairperson about any relevant business not on the committee agenda. The question must be submitted to the Chief Executive 10 clear days before the meetings. • Committee members may ask the chairperson a question about any matter on the agenda without giving prior notice. • All committee meetings etc livestreamed • Regular Members Briefings on topics of interest issued • Programme of Members Awareness Sessions held on high profile issues to allow members to be briefed and ask questions in advance of committees at which they will be asked to make decisions e.g Budget, National Care Service • Councillor Case Management System introduced for use by elected members to send questions to Officers, response times etc monitored 55
Page 56
Do I have a clear picture of where my council is in terms of recovery and renewal: • what new service demand, unmet needs, and what backlogs exist? • what changes to services have taken place and what impact assessments have been carried out for changes that have continued or are proposed? • We continually review services to ensure they meet the needs of service users which includes recovery and renewal, looking at emerging service demand as well as areas for improvement or further service changes with the aim of continuously improving how we do things. • Resources continue to undertake Equality Impact and Fairer Scotland Duty assessments against new or revised policies and strategies as a means of mitigating inequalities. • Over the course of the last 2 and half years, it has been widely recognised that the Covid-19 pandemic has had a disproportionate impact upon vulnerable and disadvantaged individuals and groups within communities. While the majority of restrictions have eased, the impact on these customer groups continues to be a particular focus going forward given the emerging cost of living crisis. • We have a monitoring and performance framework which is continually scrutinised at all levels which links to Resource and Service plans and is aligned to the council plan – Connect. Am I satisfied that the governance arrangements in place in my council offer sufficient transparency and opportunities for public participation? Yes as demonstrated by: • All Committee agendas, reports and minutes published on the Committee Information Page, Council website • All Committee meetings etc recorded and livestreamed • Public consultations held on relevant areas e.g Budget, Council and Community Plan, South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan, Neighbourhood Plans, Planning and Licensing Policies, Health and Social Care Strategic Commissioning Plan among others • Community Councils are statutory consultees for Planning and Licensing applications • Planning and licensing applications published on planning portal and council website • Neighbour notification for Planning and Licensing applications giving opportunities to object . • Opt in list to receive marches and parades notifications • Participatory Budgeting • School consultations regarding catchment areas or school siting • Annual accounts and governance statement published on the Council website. Do I understand what my responsibilities are when serving on external bodies (eg, ALEOs) and joint boards or committees? • Induction training provided for all members • Role specific training provided to ALEO members (South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture, Integrated Joint Boards, Lanarkshire Valuation Joint Board and Seemis 56
Page 57
• Role specific training provided on roles and duties of charitable trustees Am I familiar with the Councillors Code of Conduct for elected members? • Councillors Code of Conduct, associated guidance and Standard Commission Advice Notes issued to all elected members. • Number of training sessions held on the Code of Conduct to which all members invited. • Standard Commission newsletters issued to all elected members • Members encouraged to contact Chief Executive or Monitoring Officer for advice on interpretation/application of the Code to particular circumstances • All of above also applies to Model Code of Conduct and Members of Integration Joint Board. Finance Am I clear about the financial challenges facing the council and how they are being managed? • Officers provide 4-weekly monitoring reports to the Council’s Executive Committee detailing the current year position and highlighting any financial issues arising and how they can be managed. This keeps members informed of the current financial position. • The Council received a budget strategy report for 2023/2024 in June 2022, with further updates in September and November 2022. These further updates also included information on the Budget Gap for future years, which allowed members to see the scale of the financial challenges moving forward. • The November paper also included information on accounting for Service Concessions, and the use of the benefit arising. This advised members of how they could manage/reduce the Budget Gap in the coming years. Has my council developed longer term financial plans that clearly link to recovery plans? • The Council’s 2022/2023 budget includes the residual impact of the pandemic, with funding carried forward to manage the costs. Any permanent repercussions are built into the longer term financial strategy including the higher than average inflation hikes in utilities and pay. • The Council has a programme of transformational reviews, including learning from required service changes through Covid. The financial benefit from these reviews is assisting in the longer term financial strategy. Does my council have clear and robust plans in place for the management of reserves? • The Council’s accounts provides details of the reserves held by the Council and the reasons for holding these sums. • Financial strategies also provide an update on the strategy for reserves. 57
Page 58
Workforce Does my council have detailed corporate and service workforce planning in place? Have these plans been updated to reflect the impact of Covid-19? Do these include plans for managing impact of pandemic on staff wellbeing • Refreshed workforce plans, including leadership and succession planning are complete. Plans are going through the committee cycle post recess. • Induction programme for elected members in place. Does my council understand any specific areas of skills shortages that risk delivery of its objectives? Eg social care, facilities management • Refreshed workforce plans, including leadership and succession planning are complete. Plans are going through the committee cycle post recess. • Induction programme for elected members in place. Meeting local needs Does my council understand the changing demographic profile, poverty levels, and cost of living increases in our council area and how this will impact on demand for council services? • The council monitors a range of demographic and socio-economic indicators for South Lanarkshire, including poverty and cost-of-living indicators. • Fact-sheets were prepared to inform the development of the new Council Plan and the Community Plan. • Key facts about South Lanarkshire can be accessed through the council’s website and statistical profiles for small areas (data zones, communities, wards) can be generated via an online tool. • These data sources are used extensively by Resources in planning and delivering services. Does my council have data and an understanding at a local level of the impact of the pandemic on different groups, in particular how inequalities have been exacerbated? • The Council is keeping abreast of current research to ensure our response is timely and effective. The changing labour market/employability needs and possible methods of addressing these are examples of using local data to improve understanding and supports. Does my council have plans in place to address these unequal impacts? • Equality Impact Assessments underpin key decisions and consultation takes place regularly. • Putting people first and tackling inequality is one of the priorities within the Council Plan 2022-27 and this is translated into specific actions at Resource level through the annual Resource Planning process. Does my council have plans in place to address key priorities and areas of reform, including social care and climate change? • The Council Plan articulates the Council’s priorities (People, Progress and Planet) and what it will do to improve outcomes that matter to the people of South Lanarkshire. Key areas of reform are taken into consideration through the annual Resource Planning process, which identifies the actions Resources will take in the coming year to progress the aims of the Council Plan and respond to changes in the external environment. • Action on climate change is embedded within the Council Plan and fully articulated in the Council’s Sustainable Development and Climate Change Strategy 2022-27. 58
Page 59
Community empowerment and collaboration How well is my council involving communities and citizens in driving recovery plans and reshaping services? What needs to improve? • The Council is leading on the development of community led plans, and community (locality) partnerships on behalf of the community planning partnership, to support the redesign of service delivery for the Council and partners. These groups allow for greater connection with communities, accountability by partners and scrutiny of progress being made. Work is under way to identify how services can be planned and delivered at locality level. This is an area of work which is progressing at pace, but engagement across South Lanarkshire can still be strengthened and more communities encouraged to become involved in planning. How well is my council collaborating with local partners, including the third sector in planning, and delivering services? • Through the Community Planning Partnership, the Council collaborates robustly with local partners from the public, private and third sectors on the planning and delivery of services. Work is also under way through the Community Wealth Building strategy to engage partners, in particular from the third sector, in planning and designing services that support the inclusive economy and plural ownership. 59
Page 60
60
Page 61
Report Agenda Item Report to: Performance and Review Scrutiny Forum Date of Meeting: 29 November 2022 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Best Value Assurance Reports (BVAR) Published by the Accounts Commission 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] ⧫ provide an overview of the recent BVAR reports published by the Accounts Commission [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Forum is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] that the contents of the report be noted. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. South Lanarkshire Council was audited by Audit Scotland in October and November 2018, with the final report being published by the Accounts Commission on 28 March 2019. 3.2. South Lanarkshire Council considered the BVAR at its meeting on 26 June 2019. An action plan was presented to Council for approval, addressing each of the BVAR recommendations. 3.3. On 19 September 2019, the Forum agreed to consider summaries of BVAR reports as they are published by the Accounts Commission, in order to place the South Lanarkshire audit in context and keep members informed about noteworthy Best Value developments elsewhere. 3.4. This report summarises the key themes and recommendations from BVARs published since the last meeting of the Performance and Review Scrutiny Forum, namely:- ⧫ Angus Council (published 5 July 2022) ⧫ Falkirk Council (published 13 January 2022) ⧫ Shetland Council (published 25 August 2022) ⧫ Comhairle nan Eilean Siar (published 29 September 2022) 6 61
Page 62
4. Summary of Key Messages and Recommendations 4.1. The key messages for Angus Council are:- ⧫ The council has demonstrated a good pace of improvement since the last Best Value report in 2016. It has reshaped services and is an organisation that is focused on its priorities, working well with partners and keen to learn from good practice. ⧫ The council and its partners have a clear vision for Angus. There is strong partnership working and collaboration. Partners across Angus worked well together to deliver services to those most in need during the Covid-19 pandemic. The council is looking to learn from others how to engage effectively with communities on the service redesign required. ⧫ The pandemic has increased existing inequalities, hitting the most disadvantaged groups hardest. Reducing inequality is a priority for the council and it is engaged in a range of local projects to provide support and increase opportunities for its most disadvantaged citizens. ⧫ The leader of the council and chief executive provide effective leadership. Officers and members have constructive working relationships. Effective arrangements are in place to support decision-making and public scrutiny. Elected members have worked together to make difficult decisions to deliver financial sustainability. ⧫ Angus Council has effective financial management and medium-term financial planning but has yet to fully develop its long-term financial plan. The council has delivered significant financial savings in recent years through its Change Programme, including comprehensive service reviews. Now increasing financial pressures mean even more radical change is required to the range and scale of services and how they are delivered. ⧫ Annual performance reports are used to inform elected members and the public of progress against council priorities. These reports are improving year on year, but performance reporting needs to be more frequent to help drive improvement. Clearer links between performance data and the impact of improvement actions is also necessary. ⧫ Progress in embedding a council-wide performance management framework to drive improvement activity has been slow. Covid-19 disrupted progress. Further change is needed if the council is to realise its ambition to be a performance-led council. ⧫ The council’s performance has improved or been maintained across three of the four key priority areas within its Council Plan. But in its priority area of the local economy, where many indicators do not have performance information available, there were already challenging performance issues before March 2020. ⧫ The Local Government Benchmarking Framework indicators for 2021/22 show a mixed picture, with good performance in areas such as waste management alongside the need for improvement in the key area of housing. The proportion of indicators in the top quartile is the highest since 2016/17. ⧫ Across the majority of areas the people of Angus are more satisfied with their council services than the Scottish average. ⧫ The Angus Health and Social Care Partnership is a key partner for the delivery of health and social care services. Good progress has been made in shifting care from hospitals to community and home-based care settings, but changes in the demand for care and recruitment challenges are resulting in unmet need. New models of service delivery are being introduced, but further change is needed to ensure services remain financially sustainable 62
Page 63
4.2 The recommendations for Angus Council are that:- ⧫ The council and Angus Health and Social Care Partnership (AHSCP) must develop and deliver significant savings plans over the next few years to secure financial sustainability. This will require changes to the range and scope of services being delivered. ⧫ The council needs to work better and more meaningfully with communities to engage with them to identify needs and opportunities and implement service changes that deliver the required savings. ⧫ The council should complete its implementation of the Performance Led Council programme (PLED) which will improve the use of performance information and better demonstrate the impact of improvement actions. ⧫ The council should introduce its partially developed long-term financial planning framework. 4.3 The key messages for Falkirk Council are:- ⧫ In its last Best Value report in 2018, the Accounts Commission said that the council would need strong leadership to make the necessary step change in its pace of improvement. Since then, the council has taken a range of actions to improve leadership and develop an improvement culture. However, elected members and the corporate management team have not yet demonstrated the collective leadership required to drive the change necessary to deliver the council’s priorities. The council has made insufficient progress on key aspects of Best Value, including improving financial sustainability, performance management and reporting, community empowerment and equalities. It has only recently begun to take forward developments in these important areas. ⧫ The council established its Council of the Future (COTF) programme for transforming the way it works in 2017, but it has still to make a significant impact on services and savings. After commissioning a review from an external consultant in 2020, senior officers have recently implemented substantial changes to how they manage the transformation programme. But the pace and depth of the transformation programme need to be significantly improved ⧫ The council has a medium-term financial plan, but this does not identify how it will address the full extent of its projected £70 million funding gap over the next five years. Elected members typically opt to use reserves to balance annual budgets rather than taking more difficult decisions within savings options proposed by officers. This is not sustainable. ⧫ While the council has appropriate governance arrangements and good working relationships between senior officers and elected members across the political parties, significant delays in elected members taking some key decisions are impacting on the council’s pace of change. Elected members need to make difficult decisions quickly about the future shape of services and show better collective leadership with the corporate management team to deliver the necessary change. We expect all members to work together, and with officers, to fulfil the council’s duty of Best Value. ⧫ The council performs well in several key services, and performance continues to improve. Moreover, it is actively working to address areas in which performance is poorer. In 2019/20, its performance in 60 per cent of published Local Government Benchmarking Framework (LGBF) indicators was above the national average. The people of the Falkirk Council area are, however, less satisfied with the council’s performance and services than in other areas of Scotland. Previously highlighted weaknesses in the performance information reported to the public and to committees for effective scrutiny have recently begun to be addressed. 63
Page 64
⧫ The council has not been effective in ensuring that equalities are embedded across the organisation. Following a review in 2019/20, the council is responding to several significant weaknesses including: the absence of a governance framework, the need for self-assessment, a focus on reviewing outcomes and improving reporting progress against its statutory requirements. ⧫ The council has decided to wind up the Falkirk Community Trust and bring sport, leisure and cultural services back in-house from April 2022. The council sees long- term benefits to this decision but the additional costs it will incur pose a significant risk to value for money unless the council takes difficult decisions quickly. The council has begun reducing total staffing costs to mitigate this risk. ⧫ The council has strong and positive working relationships with its community planning partners and these have supported an effective joint response to Covid-19 as well as important new developments, such as the Falkirk Investment Zone. However, the Community Planning Partnership (CPP) has not been able to demonstrate whether it is delivering positive outcomes for its communities. It is working to address this through reporting progress against its new Falkirk Plan, published in November 2021. It has also failed to develop locality plans, despite legislation requiring them to be complete more than four years ago. This is now being taken forward as a priority. ⧫ Recently there has been close joint working between the council, the Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) and NHS Forth Valley in responding to the Covid- 19 pandemic. This has improved the effectiveness of the Falkirk Integration Joint Board (IJB) and enabled it to make progress in shifting the balance of care. However, NHS Forth Valley has yet to fully integrate key services. This falls short of the expectations within legislation and reduces the IJB’s ability to achieve transformational change. ⧫ The council has made limited and slow progress in empowering its communities in response to the Community Empowerment Act 2015, but this is now a greater priority. It introduced community choices, a participatory budgeting scheme, during 2021. The council has also recently strengthened its capacity to work better with communities. This, together with the response to Covid-19, has resulted in a positive shift in its approach and culture in engaging and working with communities in the last two years. ⧫ The council responded well to the immediate challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, supporting and working with its communities, including using their views to develop a new vision and priorities for the recovery from Covid-19. It is aligning its plans, transformation programme, and performance reports around its three key priorities (Communities, Enterprise and Innovation) and has begun making good progress in improving its use of digital technology in line with its priority of becoming more innovative. 4.4 The recommendations for Falkirk Council are that:- ⧫ Elected members and senior officers need to work more constructively together to lead the council more effectively and decisively. All elected members need to recognise that they have a responsibility to deliver Best Value, and they need to work together, and take difficult decisions in a timelier manner to allow the council to progress with its agreed priorities. ⧫ It is crucial that the council makes far greater progress in delivering its transformation programme and in making savings, given the scale of the challenges it faces. To do this:- - as previously recommended in 2018, the council’s chief executive and senior officers need to lead the COTF programme more effectively - the council needs to adopt a multi-year approach to budgeting that supports transformational change 64
Page 65
- the council must ensure that all staff are fully engaged in the transformation programme, and that budget holders are clear on expectations to deliver the planned savings and are held to account - elected members need to be provided with better information more frequently about the status of the COTF projects, the savings delivered and projected savings to support better scrutiny ⧫ The council should continue to improve its approach to reporting performance to elected members and the public to support more effective scrutiny. To do this the council needs to:- - add more commentary to reports to explain how its performance compares with previous performance and other councils - add more commentary to its plans to explain how it will address areas of poorer performance ⧫ The council needs to better manage its capital programmes to deliver planned projects. ⧫ The council and its community planning partners need to improve how they manage and report their performance. To do this they need to:- - determine clear outcome milestones for the new Falkirk Plan - improve performance reporting to enable better scrutiny of performance and more focus on areas in which improvement is needed ⧫ The council and its community planning partners urgently need to develop and implement locality plans to allow them to better focus on the needs of local communities. ⧫ The council and its community planning partners need to embed their new approach to community engagement and empowerment. To do this they need to:- - make community engagement an integral part of service improvement and delivery - apply the lessons learned from effective engagement activity across all council services and CPP activities - focus on the timely delivery of the actions agreed and report on progress - clearly communicate the results of, and the council’s response to, community consultation - support community groups in the completion of asset transfers, participation requests and participatory budgeting initiatives ⧫ The council needs to ensure that it can deliver the benefits envisaged from bringing the services provided by the Falkirk Community Trust in-house by making the difficult decisions required to realise savings ⧫ The council should act to fully embed equalities across the council and comply with statutory requirements. 4.5 The key messages for Shetland Council are:- ⧫ The council has not yet demonstrated that it is meeting its Best Value duty in a number of important areas. Across its services and activities, the council can point to examples of good practice, but it has been slow to improve its plans for financial sustainability, its performance management and reporting, its transformation programme and aspects of its community engagement and empowerment. While there has been some very recent progress, the council’s prospects for making the changes needed are uncertain. The elected members need to increase their ambition, pace and focus to deliver in these important areas. ⧫ Shetland Islands Council faces specific challenges relating to the make-up and distribution of its population, its topography, workforce and the economy of the islands. The council’s strategic plan, Our Ambition, reflects these challenges and opportunities and sets a clear vision for the council and its communities. The plan’s aims are shared by partners. 65
Page 66
⧫ The council’s elected members and senior management have good working relationships, but they are not yet providing the strategic leadership needed to coordinate and drive forward plans. Financial plans, asset improvement plans and workforce plans are not clearly linked to the council’s priorities in Our Ambition. ⧫ The council’s services perform well, with national benchmarking data showing that performance improved in over half of the relevant indicators in the last five years. Shetland also has some of the highest service satisfaction scores in Scotland. Where service performance is weak, there are examples of the council taking action to improve. ⧫ The council’s own performance management and reporting systems and arrangements are not well developed and inconsistent, with a lack of performance indicators and targets. There have been some recent signs of improvement. ⧫ The council has long-term and medium-term financial plans in place, however, there is an estimated funding gap over the next five years of between £61.2 million and £142.1 million. There is no clear link to the council’s Change Programme, and therefore no clear plan of how the required savings will be made. The council is therefore unable to demonstrate that it is financially sustainable in the medium to long term. ⧫ The council has been slow to deliver on transformation with a lack of pace and urgency to move it forward. The Change Programme has been put in place but is piecemeal and lacks sufficient resources. ⧫ The council and its partners responded well to the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic. There is a good culture of the council and its partners working together – that includes between the council and the NHS, and with the private and voluntary sectors. The Community Planning Partnership is committed to reducing inequalities but outcomes for Shetland’s population are mixed. ⧫ The council has a good understanding of the communities it serves but is not engaging with communities in a systematic way. There was no consultation on Our Ambition or the budget. ⧫ The council is making good progress with implementing some aspects of the Community Empowerment Act, and is working with partners to support communities to become more resilient. Progress on implementing other aspects of the Act, such as the development of locality plans, has been slow. 4.6 The recommendations for Shetland Council are that:- ⧫ The council should improve performance management and reporting by:- - ensuring performance indicators are in place for plans and strategies at the time of their development - setting targets for its performance indicators as appropriate and in a timely manner - ensuring annual performance reporting is balanced, uses a mixture of qualitative and quantitative information (including recently agreed performance indicators) and clearly draws out areas for improvement and associated improvement actions - ensuring monitoring is in place for the council’s early intervention and prevention projects ⧫ Elected members should work with council management to set out how it will meet the estimated funding gap ⧫ The council should improve how it involves elected members in budget-setting. ⧫ The council needs to fully embed its Change Programme by:- - identifying, developing and aligning its supporting projects and activities - setting clear timescales - fully resourcing its work including the PMO Team ensuring there is a dedicated core hub for its work - creating a clear plan of how it will address savings identified in the MTFP 66
Page 67
⧫ The council should align all plans and strategies under Our Ambition to meet its priorities, specifically:- - workforce planning - the Asset Improvement Plan - financial planning - the Change Programme ⧫ In respect of community engagement, the council should:- - engage communities on key strategic plans and developments, including the council plan and annual budget - demonstrate how the results of community engagement exercises have fed into plans and services - ensure locality plans are in place. ⧫ In respect of impact assessments, the council should develop a consistent approach in carrying out EIAs. 4.7 The key messages for Comhairle nan Eilean Siar are:- Comhairle nan Eilean Siar has not yet demonstrated that it is meeting its Best Value duty in a number of important areas. It has implemented successful initiatives and shows good practice in community engagement and in supporting the local economy, but the pace of wider-scale change and improvement has been slow. The Comhairle’s prospects for achieving the improvements needed are currently uncertain and will be influenced by its ability to successfully manage its finances, workforce and leadership capacity. Elected members and the corporate management team work well together but need to provide stronger strategic direction and leadership. In doing so they should identify clear priorities and planned actions for achieving the change and improvement needed. The community planning partnership has an important oversight role and needs to renew its overall strategy and focus. The Comhairle does not have an effective medium or long-term financial strategy that links to transformation, workforce and asset planning. It has only partly realised its ambitious savings anticipated from service redesign. The Comhairle has had the largest decrease in funding in real terms of any Scottish local authority in recent years. In the absence of a detailed financial strategy, the Comhairle is not yet able to demonstrate that it will be able to meet the significant financial challenges it is facing over the medium to longer term. The Comhairle is a strong advocate for the Outer Hebrides and collaborates well with partners, national agencies and other rural and islands councils. The Islands Growth Deal sets a template for sustainable growth, building on the islands’ unique energy potential. Depopulation and difficulties recruiting staff are a critical challenge to sustaining services on the islands. The Comhairle should ensure it has the leadership capacity to fulfil its ambitious plans for the economy and repopulation. It is currently updating its workforce and organisational development plans. Service performance and public satisfaction with services has declined overall in the past five years. There are significant challenges in social care and tackling fuel poverty. The Comhairle performs well in education services and in supporting the local economy and it has a successful apprenticeship programme. The Comhairle together with its partners responded well to the Covid-19 pandemic. Elected members and officers need to have more focus on targeted performance management, improvement and self-evaluation. Public performance reporting needs to be more accessible and include progress with improving outcomes for the people of the islands. 67
Page 68
Social care services face specific recruitment and workload challenges. Funding and resourcing issues have led to uncertainty over the Comhairle and Integration Joint Board’s (IJB) delivery of a flagship health and social care facility. Elected members understand community issues. The Community Planning Partnership has local plans in place for areas of priority need. The Comhairle is making good progress with some aspects of the Community Empowerment Act and supports communities in making local spending decisions on the use of Crown Estate funding 4.8 The recommendations for Comhairle nan Eilean Siar are that:- The Comhairle should identify clear and specific overall priorities and actions for taking forward its vision. Elected members should ensure they provide strategic oversight and challenge to progress the Comhairle’s vision and priorities. The Comhairle should develop medium to long-term financial planning and strategic workforce and asset management planning. In developing capital projects, including its community hub proposals, the Comhairle should ensure projects are supported by robust business cases and that lessons are learned from the Goathill project in areas such as funding and resourcing. The Comhairle should improve its process for identifying and realising savings opportunities, including opportunities from cross-council and partnership working. It should ensure that opportunities for digital efficiencies are fully explored. The Comhairle and partners should develop the LOIP alongside a clear performance management framework to deliver achievable shared outcomes. The Comhairle should develop ongoing training opportunities for members and officers, including making equalities training mandatory for all staff and increasing members’ uptake of training. The Comhairle should develop and communicate its area working arrangements more clearly, building on the good practice already in place. The Comhairle should improve communications throughout the council, including communicating the Comhairle’s priorities. 5. Next Steps and Recommendations 5.1. All BVAR reports and recommendations are available on the Audit Scotland website. 5.2. Further reports will be brought to the Forum as these BVARs are published, to keep members informed on Best Value themes, topics and developments elsewhere in Scotland. 6. Employee Implications 6.1. There are no employee implications. 7. Financial Implications 7.1. There are no financial implications. 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. There are no risk implications as a result of this report. 68
Page 69
10. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 10.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy and therefore no impact assessment is required. 10.2. There was no requirement to undertake any consultation in terms of the information contained in the report. Paul Manning Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 17 October 2022 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Ambitious, self-aware and improving Previous References None List of Background Papers Angus Council BVAR published by the Accounts Commission on 5 July 2022 Falkirk Council BVAR published by the Accounts Commission on 13 January 2022 Shetland Council BVAR published by the Accounts Commission on 25 August 2022 Comhairle nan Eilean Siar BVAR published by the Accounts Commission on 29 September 2022 Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Neil Reid, Research and Improvement Manager, Finance and Corporate Resources Ext: 4618 (Tel: 01698 454618) Email: neil.reid@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 69
Page 70
70