Agenda Document Pack - Finance and Corporate Resources Committee - 29/01/2025
South Lanarkshire Council · 29 January 2025
Back to Finance and Corporate Resources Committee — 29 January 2025 and its agenda
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Council Offices, Almada Street Hamilton, ML3 0AA Tuesday, 21 January 2025 Dear Councillor Finance and Corporate Resources Committee The Members listed below are requested to attend a meeting of the above Committee to be held as follows:- Date: Wednesday, 29 January 2025 Time: 14:00 Venue: Hybrid - Committee Room 1, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton, ML3 0AA The business to be considered at the meeting is listed overleaf. Yours sincerely Paul Manning Chief Executive Members Lesley McDonald (Chair), Walter Brogan (Depute Chair), Celine Handibode (Depute Chair), Joe Fagan (ex officio), Alex Allison, Mathew Buchanan, Andy Carmichael, Maureen Chalmers, Margaret Cooper, Andrea Cowan, Maureen Devlin, Mary Donnelly, Grant Ferguson, Gladys Ferguson-Miller, Graeme Horne, Martin Hose, Katy Loudon, Hugh Macdonald, Catherine McClymont, Elaine McDougall, Mark McGeever, Richard Nelson, Mo Razzaq, John Ross, Graham Scott, Kirsty Williams Substitutes Archie Buchanan, Colin Dewar, Ross Gowland, Gavin Keatt, Susan Kerr, Ross Lambie, Martin Lennon, Richard Lockhart, Carol Nugent, Norman Rae, Helen Toner, David Watson 1
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BUSINESS 1 Declaration of Interests 2 Minutes of Previous Meeting Minutes of the meeting of the Finance and Corporate Resources Committee held on 30 October 2024 submitted for approval as a correct record. (Copy attached) 5 - 12 Monitoring Item(s) 3 Revenue Budget Monitoring 2024/2025 - Finance and Corporate Resources Report dated 6 January 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 13 - 24 4 Capital Budget Monitoring 2024/2025 - Finance and Corporate Resources Report dated 6 January 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 25 - 28 5 Finance and Corporate Resources – Workforce Monitoring – October and November 2024 Report dated 8 January 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 29 - 36 6 Council-wide Workforce Monitoring – October and November 2024 Report dated 8 January 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 37 - 58 7 Treasury Management Activity – 2024/2025 Third Quarter Review Report dated 6 January 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 59 - 66 8 Finance and Corporate Resource Plan - Quarter 2 Progress Report 2024/2025 Report dated 10 December 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 67 - 82 Item(s) for Decision 9 Revenue Collection and Approval for Write Offs Report dated 8 January 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 83 - 88 Item(s) for Noting 10 Consultation on a Proposal to Increase Scottish Social Services Council Registration Fees Report dated 8 January 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 89 - 94 11 Early Retirement, Voluntary Severance and Switch 2 Report dated 25 November 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 95 - 98 2
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12 Notification of Contracts Awarded 1 April to 30 September 2024 Report dated 4 December 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 99 - 104 Urgent Business 13 Urgent Business Any other items of business which the Chair decides are urgent. For further information, please contact:- Clerk Name: Carol Lyon Clerk Telephone: 07385370065 Clerk Email: carol.lyon@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 3
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FINANCE AND CORPORATE RESOURCES COMMITTEE Minutes of meeting held via MS Teams and in Committee Room 1, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton on 30 October 2024 Chair: Councillor Lesley McDonald Councillors Present: Councillor Alex Allison, Councillor Walter Brogan (Depute), Councillor Mathew Buchanan, Councillor Andy Carmichael, Councillor Maureen Chalmers, Councillor Andrea Cowan, Councillor Maureen Devlin, Councillor Colin Dewar (substitute for Councillor Mary Donnelly), Councillor Grant Ferguson, Councillor Gladys Ferguson-Miller, Councillor Celine Handibode (Depute), Councillor Graeme Horne, Councillor Martin Hose, Councillor Katy Loudon, Councillor Hugh Macdonald, Councillor Catherine McClymont, Councillor Elaine McDougall, Councillor Mark McGeever, Councillor Richard Nelson, Councillor Mo Razzaq, Councillor John Ross, Councillor Graham Scott, Councillor Kirsty Williams Councillors' Apologies: Councillor Margaret Cooper, Councillor Mary Donnelly, Councillor Joe Fagan (ex officio) Finance and Corporate Resources J Taylor, Executive Director; K Archer, Personnel Adviser; C Fergusson, Head of Finance (Transactions); M Husband, Head of IT Services; C Lyon, Administration Officer; E McPake, HR Business Manager; L O’Hagan, Head of Finance (Strategy); I Strachan, Head of Administration and Legal Services; L Wyllie, Administration Assistant 1 Declaration of Interests The following interest was declared:- Councillor(s) Item(s) Nature of Interest(s) Loudon Scottish Public Pensions Agency Consultation on the Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme Member of the Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme 2 Minutes of Previous Meeting The minutes of the meeting of the Finance and Corporate Resources Committee held on 21 August 2024 were submitted for approval as a correct record. The Committee decided: that the minutes be approved as a correct record. 3 Revenue Budget Monitoring 2024/2025 - Finance and Corporate Resources A report dated 2 October 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted comparing the actual expenditure for the period 1 April to 9 August 2024 and providing a forecast for the year to 31 March 2025 for Finance and Corporate Resources. A Service Analysis Statement, which outlined key highlights by Service for the Resource, was provided at Appendix A to the report. The detailed financial position, with variance explanations by budget category, was provided at Appendix B to the report. As at 9 August 2024, the projected outturn position for the Resource was a breakeven position. 2 5
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Virements were proposed to realign budgets and those movements were detailed in the appendices to the report. Officers responded to a member’s question on the report. The Committee decided: (1) that the forecast to 31 March 2025 of a breakeven position, as detailed in Appendix B of the report, be noted; and (2) that the proposed budget virements, as detailed in the appendices to the report, be approved. [Reference: Minutes of 21 August 2024 (Paragraph 6)] 4 Capital Budget Monitoring 2024/2025 - Finance and Corporate Resources A report dated 2 October 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted advising of progress on Finance and Corporate Resources’ capital programme for 2024/2025 and summarising the expenditure position at 9 August 2024. The revised capital programme for 2024/2025 was £3.086 million, as approved by the Executive Committee on 7 August 2024. The forecast for the financial year was £3.086 million and spend to date was £1.073 million. The Committee decided: that the Finance and Corporate Resources’ capital programme of £3.086 million, and expenditure to date of £1.073 million, be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 21 August 2024 (Paragraph 8)] 5 Finance and Corporate Resources - Workforce Monitoring – July to September 2024 A report dated 10 October 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the following employee information for Finance and Corporate Resources for the period July to September 2024:- attendance statistics occupational health statistics accident/incident statistics disciplinary hearings, grievances and Dignity at Work cases analysis of leavers and exit interviews staffing watch as at 11 June 2024 The Committee decided: that the report be noted [Reference: Minutes of 21 August 2024 (Paragraph 9)] 6
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6 Council-wide Workforce Monitoring – July to September 2024 A report dated 10 October 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the following Council-wide employee information for the period July to September 2024:- attendance statistics occupational health statistics accident/incident statistics disciplinary hearings, grievances and Dignity at Work cases analysis of leavers and exit interviews recruitment monitoring staffing watch as at 11 June 2024 Officers:- responded to members’ questions on various aspects of the report undertook to provide information with regards to the occupational health figures and the significant increases in August noted members’ concerns and undertook to provide further analysis and information on work ongoing in relation to the fall in numbers of applicants for BAME and veterans compared to last year and also in success rates The Committee decided: that the report be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 21 August 2024 (Paragraph 10)] Councillor McGeever entered the meeting during consideration of the above item of business 7 Treasury Management Activity - 2024/2025 Second Quarter Review A report dated 3 October 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the second quarter review of Treasury Management activity for 2024/2025. Details were given on:- market performance management of risk debt management and borrowing strategy next quarter investment plans investment activity treasury management indicators The Committee decided: that the report be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 21 August 2024 (Paragraph 11)] 8 Prudential Indicators, Treasury Management Activity and Annual Investment Report 2023/2024 A report dated 8 October 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the:- Treasury Management Activity and Prudential Code indicators for 2023/2024 proposed Annual Investment Report for 2023/2024 7
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The Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) Code of Practice for Treasury Management required the Council to prepare an annual report on its Treasury Management activities. The CIPFA Prudential Code required councils to prepare a series of financial indicators that demonstrated affordability, prudence and sustainability with regard to capital financing decisions. The Council’s Capital Programme included, within its funding package, planned borrowing. The Prudential Code provided a framework to assist the management of the financial implications and helped to demonstrate that borrowing was both affordable and prudent. The Council’s Treasury Management Activity Report for 2023/2024 and the Treasury Management and Prudential Code Indicators for 2023/2024 were attached as appendices 1 and 2, respectively, to the report. In terms of the Local Government Investments (Scotland) Regulations 2010, the Council was required to prepare an Annual Investment Strategy prior to the start of each financial year and an Annual Investment Report after the financial year end. Both documents required to be approved by the Council. The Annual Investment Strategy for 2023/2024 had covered the following areas:- permitted investments risk management borrowing in advance The Annual Investment Report, attached as Appendix 3 to the report, detailed the Council’s activity in each of those 3 areas for 2023/2024 and Appendix 4 detailed the permitted investments that the Council had approved for the financial year 2023/2024. No borrowing in advance was taken during 2023/2024. The Committee decided: (1) that the Treasury Management Activity Report for 2023/2024 and the 2023/2024 Treasury Management and Prudential Code Indicators be noted and referred to the Executive Committee for noting; and (2) that the 2023/2024 Annual Investment Report be endorsed and referred to the Executive Committee for endorsement prior to submission to the Council for formal approval in line with The Local Government Investments (Scotland) Regulations 2010. 9 Scottish Public Pensions Agency Consultation on the Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme A report dated 10 October 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the Scottish Public Pensions Agency Consultation on the Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme. The Scottish Teachers’ Pension Scheme (STPS) continued to be an integral part of the remuneration package for teachers in Scotland and offered the security of a guaranteed income in every year or retirement for its members. Membership of the scheme was provided for individuals employed by a participating employer, predominantly in a teaching role. Participating employers included local authorities, colleges, universities, independent and special schools. 8
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The consultation document sought views on proposals to prospectively amend the eligibility criteria for membership of the STPS and aimed to provide clarity on who could be a member of the scheme. The consultation was for a period of 12 weeks, from 23 August to 15 November 2024. In preparing the Council’s proposed response, views had been sought from Personnel Services and Education Resources. The key areas covered in the proposed response were detailed in Section 4.2 of the report and the full proposed response was detailed in Appendix 1 to the report. The Committee decided: (1) that the report be noted; (2) that the proposed response, detailed at Appendix 1 of the report, be approved; and (3) that this report be submitted to Education Resources Committee for noting. Councillor Loudon, having declared an interest in the above item of business, left the meeting during its consideration 10 Revenue Collection and Approval for Write-Offs A report dated 30 September 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on:- collection performance for the financial year 2024/2025 to 30 September 2024 on revenue income which comprised Council Tax, non-domestic rates, sundry debts and arrears performance in the Business Rates Incentivisation Scheme (BRIS) the write-off of irrecoverable Council Tax, non-domestic rates, Business Improvement District (BID) levy, sundry debt and Housing Rent and associated charges Details were provided on current collection targets. The Council was ahead of both target and comparable performance from 2023/2024 in respect of Council Tax. In respect of Sundry Debt, the Council was equal to target and ahead of comparable performance from 2023/2024. In respect of non-domestic rates, the Council was equal to target and behind to comparable performance from 2023/2024. In terms of arrears collection targets, the Council was ahead of both target and comparable performance from 2023/2024 in respect of Council Tax and non-domestic rates. In relation to sundry debt, the Council was behind target and also comparable performance for 2023/2024. The Non Domestic Rates Incentivisation Scheme (NDRIS), formerly known as the Business Rates Incentivisation Scheme (BRIS), was a Scottish Government initiative to incentivise growth of the local business tax base, with a view to increasing NDR income yields. The Scottish Government set annual targets for growth (buoyancy) and councils which achieved their target retained 50% of the additional income generated above the target. The provisional annual buoyancy target for South Lanarkshire Council in 2024/2025 had been set by the Scottish Government at 0.9%. Performance against the NDRIS target would be reported to Committee on a quarterly basis. Buoyancy to the end of September 2024 was 0.65%. The tax base required to achieve further growth of 0.25% during the remaining 2 quarters of the financial year to secure additional income under the scheme. 9
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It was proposed that the following debts be written off:- irrecoverable Council Tax accounts from 1993/1994 to 2024/2025 to the value of £1,578,812.29 (including bulk write-off for 2000/2001) relating primarily to prescribed debt, sequestrations and estates of the deceased irrecoverable non-domestic rates from 2022/2023 to 2024/2025 to the value of £418,405.04 relating primarily to debtors in liquidation, those who had ceased trading or had been sequestrated BID levies totalling £2,859.91 administered by the Council on behalf of Hamilton, Carluke and Lanark BID companies sundry debts to a value of £26,631.90 former tenant rent arrears totalling £1,263,801.71 (including bulk write-off for 2022/2023 and 2023/2024 for temporary accommodation), factoring arrears of £751.22 and housing benefit overpayments of £16,793.97 Officers responded to a member’s question on the report. The Committee decided: (1) that the Council’s performance in the collection of revenues be noted; (2) that the current position in respect of the Business Rates Incentivisation Scheme be noted; and (3) that the write-off of the following irrecoverable debts be approved:- Council Tax debt from 1993/1994 to 2024/2025 to the value of £1,578,812.29 Non Domestic Rates from 2022/2023 to 2024/2025 totalling £418,405.04 BID levies totalling £2,859.91 sundry debts to a value of £26,631.90 house rent and associated charges totalling £1,281,346.90 [Reference: Minutes of 21 August 2024 (Paragraph 13)] 11 Reserves Strategy A report dated 2 October 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the Council’s Reserves Strategy. A report to the Executive Committee on 26 June 2024 on the 2025/2026 to 2027/2028 Revenue Budget Strategy, noted that it was good practice to have a Reserves Strategy. Councils could hold reserves for a number of reasons. Some reserves were earmarked for identified expenditure which would, or might occur, over the short, medium or long term. In addition to those reserves, there were Uncommitted Reserves which helped to manage unforeseen circumstances. Details of the Council’s Reserves and their balance at the end of 2023/2024 were detailed in Section 4 of the report. The Council’s Reserves, their purpose, and also a proposed strategy was provided in Section 5 of the report. The Council’s Reserves at the end of 2023/2024, and a profile of anticipated use across the coming years, was detailed in Appendix 1 of the report. The main movements reflected the use of Reserves in the Council’s Revenue Budget Strategy, relating to the use of Reserves established following the implementation of the Service Concession arrangements and from the reduced pension contributions. 10
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The table in Appendix 1 showed that all Reserves were committed, except the Unearmarked/Uncommitted General Fund balance of £13.043 million. The Committee decided: [ (1) that the detail on the Reserves and their balance at the end of 2023/2024, as detailed in Section 4 of the report, be noted; (2) that the Strategy proposed for each Reserve, as detailed in Section 5 of the report, be noted; and (3) that the planned use of Reserves across the coming years, as detailed in Section 6 and Appendix 1 of the report, be noted. [Reference: Minutes of the Executive Committee of 26 June 2024 (Paragraph 13)] 12 Annual Procurement Report – 2023/2024 A report dated 9 October 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the Annual Procurement Report for 2023/2024. The Procurement (Scotland) Reform Act 2014 required contracting authorities to prepare and publish an Annual Procurement Report on their regulated procurement activities. The Act stated that the Report must include information under the following headings:- regulated procurement activity procurement strategy community wealth building and community benefits sustainable procurement and supported businesses future planning other information A summary of procurement activity was provided in the report and the Council’s Annual Procurement Report for 2023/2024 was attached as Appendix 1 to the report. The Committee decided: that the Annual Procurement Report for 2023/2024 be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 27 September 2023 (Paragraph 11)] 13 Update of the Finance and Corporate Resources’ Risk Register and Risk Control Plan A report dated 8 October 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the Risk Register and Risk Control Actions for Finance and Corporate Resources. The Resource had followed Council guidance in developing, monitoring and updating its Risk Control Register on an ongoing basis. The Register had been developed to ensure that the Resource:- was fully aware of the main risks was able to prioritise those risks had controls in place to eliminate or minimise the impact of the risk 11
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The risks were scored in accordance with the Council’s scoring mechanism which scored risks based on likelihood and impact of risk. This resulted in risks being scored between 1 to 25 (low to high). Risks scored 15 to 25 were considered to be very high risks and those scored 8 to 12 were considered high risks. Very high and high risks were monitored closely. The central Risk Management team annually reviewed Resource compliance with the Risk Management Strategy. The outcome of the 2023/2024 review identified that Finance and Corporate Resources had achieved 100% compliance. The top risks identified for the Resource, that is those that were residually scored as being very high and high, were attached in Appendix 1 to the report. The main changes to the Risk Register were summarised in paragraph 5.5 of the report. A comparison of the 2024 and 2023 Resource Risk Registers was detailed in Appendix 2 to the report. This appendix also detailed changes in risk descriptions. 8 actions were due for completion during 2023/2024 and 6 had been completed. One action had been delayed and carried forward to the 2024/2025 risk control plan. The other action had been part completed, and the outstanding part carried forward to the 2024/2025 risk control plan. 1 risk control action was due for delivery by the end of June 2024 and had been completed on time. There were currently 14 risk actions due for completion during the remainder of 2024/2025. Outstanding actions to mitigate the risks would be progressed by relevant officers. Within Finance and Corporate Resources, 2 partnerships had been identified. One of those, the Community Planning Partnership (CPP), had been assessed as high risk and the remaining partnership, the Clyde Valley Learning Partnership, had been assessed as low risk. Appropriate risk management arrangements were in place for the CPP, with regular reports on its risk register and action plan presented to the CPP Board. To comply with best practice, a review of the Risk Management Strategy had been undertaken this year by the Risk Management team, with input from the Council’s Risk Sponsors. The main revisions to the Strategy were detailed in paragraph 12.2 of the report, with a summary of the Strategy in paragraph 12.3 of the report. The revised Strategy would take effect from 1 April 2025, to allow the final round of 2024/2025 risk reporting to be completed using the existing scoring and tolerance guidance. The Committee decided: (1) that the content of the Finance and Corporate Resources’ Risk Register, following review, as detailed in Appendix 1 to the report, be noted; and (2) that it be noted that the outstanding risk control actions would be progressed by relevant officers. [Reference: Minutes of 6 December 2023 (Paragraph 15)] 14 Urgent Business There were no items of urgent business. 12
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 29 January 2025 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Revenue Budget Monitoring 2024/2025 - Finance and Corporate Resources 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [p advise Committee of the forecast for the year to 31 March 2025 for Finance and Corporate Resources, and the actual spend position for the period 1 April 2024 to 1 November 2024 [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the projected breakeven position on the 2024/2025 revenue budget for Finance and Corporate Resources, as detailed in Appendix B of the report, be noted; and (2) that the proposed budget virements be approved. 3. Background 3.1. This is the third revenue budget monitoring report presented to the Finance and Corporate Resources Committee for the financial year 2024/2025. 3.2. The report details the financial position for Finance and Corporate Resources. Appendix A provides the service analysis statement, outlining key highlights by Service for the Resource and Appendix B provides the detailed financial position with variance explanations by budget category. Any variance explanations and proposed budget virements are shown, where relevant, in Appendices C to I. 3.3. This report reflects the actual spend to 1 November 2024 within the Resource budget and the expected outturn forecast on expenditure and income at this date. 4. Employee Implications 4.1. None. 5. Financial Implications 5.1. Appendix A is the service analysis statement and will outline the key projected outturn variances by Service for the Resource. 5.2. As at 1 November 2024, the Resource’s projected outturn position for 2024/2025 is breakeven (Appendix B). 3 13
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5.3. The Resource breakeven position assumes a proposed transfer to reserves at year end in relation to an anticipated underspend of £0.106 million on grants to voluntary organisations within Administration, Legal, Licensing and Registration Services. This was included as part of saving FCR01 – Voluntary Grants, Community Grants, Gala Grants and Civic Hospitality in the 2025/2026 Revenue Budget Gap and Savings report to Executive Committee on 13 November 2024. 5.4. Virements are proposed to realign budgets across budget categories and with other Resources. These movements have been detailed in Appendices C-I, where relevant. 6. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 6.1. There are no implications for climate change, sustainability, or the environment in terms of the information contained in this report. 7. Other Implications 7.1. The main risk associated with the Council’s Revenue Budget is that there is an overspend. The risk has been assessed as low given the detailed budget management applied across the Resources. The risk is managed through four weekly Budget Monitoring Meetings at which any variance is analysed. In addition, the probable outturn exercise ensures early warning for corrective action to be taken where appropriate. 8. Integrated Impact Assessment and Consultation Requirements 8.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function, or strategy and therefore no impact assessment is required. 8.2. There is also no requirement to undertake any consultation in terms of the information contained in the report. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 6 January 2024 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, Effective, Efficient and Transparent Previous References Executive Committee, 13 November 2024 Finance and Corporate Resources Committee, 30 October 2024 List of Background Papers Financial ledger and budget monitoring results to 1 November 2024. Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact: Lorraine O’Hagan, Head of Finance (Strategy) Ext: 5637 (Tel: 01698 455637) E-mail: lorraine.o’hagan@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 14
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Appendix A SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Finance & Corporate Resources Committee: Period Ended 1 November 2024 (No.8) Revenue Budget Monitoring Report – Service Analysis Service Analysis Revised Annual Budget (£000) Projected Outturn (£000) Projected Outturn Variance (£000) % YTD Actual (£000) Strategy 1,851 1,884 (33) (1.78%) 1,870 Transactions 17,684 17,699 (15) (0.08%) 11,162 Audit 318 304 14 4.40% 313 Information Technology 6,852 6,852 0 0.00% 9,680 Communications and Strategy 2,584 2,505 79 3.06% 1,679 Administration, Legal, Licensing and Registration 4,048 4,059 (11) (0.27%) 2,679 Personnel 6,238 6,272 (34) (0.55%) 3,995 Net Controllable Exp. 39,575 39,575 0 0.00% 31,378 Service Heading Explanation for significant projected outturn variances Strategy There is an anticipated overspend in Employee Costs due to a lower than budgeted level of turnover during the financial year. This is partially offset by an anticipated over recovery of income from higher recharges to Funds, reflecting increased employee costs and overheads incurred. (See Appendix C). Transactions There is an anticipated overspend in Employee Costs due to a lower than budgeted level of turnover during the financial year. In addition, there are projected overspends in Supplies and Services, from contract renewals for Financial Software Packages, and Administration Costs, due to higher than budgeted postage costs for Council Tax billing. These are partially offset by an anticipated over recovery of income reflecting additional commission received from Scottish Water and Non-Domestic Rates income. (See Appendix D). Audit No significant projected outturn variances to report. (See Appendix E). Information Technology There is an anticipated overspend in Employee Costs due to a lower than budgeted level of turnover during the financial year. There is also an anticipated overspend in Supplies and Services due to greater than budgeted IT subscription, licensing and contract costs which are partially offset by an over recovery of income. In addition, there less than budgeted telephony contract costs anticipated during the financial year. (See Appendix F). Communications and Strategy There is an anticipated underspend in Employee Costs due to the level of turnover during the financial year. (See Appendix G). Administration, Legal, Licensing and Registration There is an anticipated overspend in Employee Costs due to a lower than budgeted level of turnover during the financial year. This is being managed within the overall Service budget. (See Appendix H). Personnel There is an anticipated underspend in Payments to Other Bodies relating to lower than anticipated legal costs in the financial year. This is partially offset by a projected overspend in Financing Charges due to higher than budgeted IT equipment leasing costs. In addition, there is an anticipated under recovery of income relating to lower than budgeted income from third party settlements. (See Appendix I). 15
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Appendix B SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Finance & Corporate Resources Committee: Period Ended 1 November 2024 (No.8) Finance & Corporate Resources Summary Budget Category Revised Annual Budget Projected Outturn Projected Outturn Variance Over/ Under % Variance YTD Actual Note £000 £000 £000 £000 Employee Costs 32,322 32,464 (142) over (0.44%) 18,074 Property Costs 3,716 3,736 (20) over (0.54%) 976 Supplies & Services 7,744 7,925 (181) over (2.34%) 6,396 Transport & Plant 34 27 7 under 20.59% 8 Administration Costs 7,701 7,726 (25) over (0.32%) 4,432 Payments to Other Bodies 4,040 3,976 64 under 1.58% 2,755 Payments to Contractors 271 271 0 - 0.00% 55 Transfer Payments 65,934 65,934 0 - 0.00% 34,644 Financing Charges 1,211 1,237 (26) over (2.15%) 1,158 Total Controllable Exp. 122,973 123,296 (323) over (0.26%) 68,498 Total Controllable Inc. (84,098) (84,421) 323 over recovered 0.38% (37,120) Net Controllable Exp. 38,875 38,875 0 - 0.00% 31,378 Variance Explanations Variance explanations are shown in Appendices C to I as appropriate. Budget Virements Budget Virements are noted in Appendices C to I as appropriate. 16
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Appendix C South Lanarkshire Council Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Finance & Corporate Resources Committee: Period Ended 1 November 2024 (No.8) Finance – Strategy Services Budget Category Revised Annual Budget Projected Outturn Projected Outturn Variance Over/ Under % Variance YTD Actual Note £000 £000 £000 £000 Employee Costs 2,729 2,781 (52) over (1.91%) 1,552 1 Property Costs 0 0 0 - 0.00% 0 Supplies & Services 15 14 1 under 6.67% 10 Transport & Plant 0 0 0 - 0.00% 0 Administration Costs 115 114 1 under 0.87% 4 Payments to Other Bodies 600 603 (3) over (0.50%) 329 Payments to Contractors 16 16 0 - 0.00% 10 Transfer Payments 0 0 0 - 0.00% 0 Financing Charges 19 19 0 - 0.00% 2 Total Controllable Exp. 3,494 3,547 (53) over (1.52%) 1,907 Total Controllable Inc. (1,643) (1,663) 20 over recovered 1.22% (37) 2 Net Controllable Exp. 1,851 1,884 (33) over (1.78%) 1,870 Variance Explanations 1. The anticipated overspend in Employee Costs is due to a lower than budgeted level of turnover during the financial year. 2. The projected over recovery of income reflects a higher than budgeted recharge to Funds reflecting the level of employee costs and overheads incurred. Budget Virements None. 17
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Appendix D South Lanarkshire Council Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Finance & Corporate Resources Committee: Period Ended 1 November 2024 (No.8) Finance – Transactions Services Budget Category Revised Annual Budget Projected Outturn Projected Outturn Variance Over/ Under % Variance YTD Actual Note £000 £000 £000 £000 Employee Costs 12,083 12,146 (63) over (0.52%) 6,717 1 Property Costs 3,710 3,730 (20) over (0.54%) 953 a Supplies & Services 778 872 (94) over (12.08%) 841 2, a Transport & Plant 4 4 0 - 0.00% 0 Administration Costs 1,326 1,424 (98) over (7.39%) 819 3, a, b Payments to Other Bodies 1,500 1,500 0 - 0.00% 925 Payments to Contractors 255 255 0 - 0.00% 41 Transfer Payments 65,934 65,934 0 - 0.00% 34,644 a Financing Charges 105 96 9 under 8.57% 4 Total Controllable Exp. 85,695 85,961 (266) over (0.31%) 44,944 Total Controllable Inc. (68,711) (68,962) 251 over recovered 0.37% (33,782) 4, a Net Controllable Exp. 16,984 16,999 (15) over (0.09%) 11,162 Variance Explanations 1. The anticipated overspend in Employee Costs is due to a lower than budgeted level of turnover during the financial year. 2. The projected overspend reflects increased costs for two contract renewals for Civica financial software packages. 3. The anticipated overspend in Administration Costs is due to higher than budgeted postage costs for Council Tax billing. 4. The projected over recovery of income reflects additional commission received from Scottish Water for the collection of water and sewerage and Non-Domestic Rates statutory additions income. Budget Virements a. Budget realignment to reflect service delivery. Net Effect £0.000m: Property Costs (£0.150m); Supplies & Services £0.300m; Administration Costs (£1.084m); Transfer Payments £0.646m and Income £0.288m. b. Transfer from Reserves to fund payment of Energy Vouchers: Net Effect £0.119m: Administration Costs £0.119m. 18
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Appendix E South Lanarkshire Council Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Finance & Corporate Resources Committee: Period Ended 1 November 2024 (No.8) Audit Services Budget Category Revised Annual Budget Projected Outturn Projected Outturn Variance Over/ Under % Variance YTD Actual Note £000 £000 £000 £000 Employee Costs 468 456 12 under 2.56% 318 Property Costs 0 0 0 - 0.00% 0 Supplies & Services 7 4 3 under 42.86% 1 Transport & Plant 0 0 0 - 0.00% 0 Administration Costs 6 7 (1) over (16.67%) 1 Payments to Other Bodies 0 0 0 - 0.00% 0 Payments to Contractors 0 0 0 - 0.00% 0 Transfer Payments 0 0 0 - 0.00% 0 Financing Charges 4 4 0 - 0.00% 0 Total Controllable Exp. 485 471 14 under 2.89% 320 Total Controllable Inc. (167) (167) 0 - 0.00% (7) Net Controllable Exp. 318 304 14 under 4.40% 313 Variance Explanations None. Budget Virements None. 19
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Appendix F South Lanarkshire Council Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Finance & Corporate Resources Committee: Period Ended 1 November 2024 (No.8) Information Technology Services Budget Category Revised Annual Budget Projected Outturn Projected Outturn Variance Over/ Under % Variance YTD Actual Note £000 £000 £000 £000 Employee Costs 5,023 5,064 (41) over (0.82%) 2,929 1 Property Costs 0 0 0 - 0.00% 0 Supplies & Services 6,052 6,150 (98) over (1.62%) 5,148 2 Transport & Plant 4 3 1 under 25.00% 0 Administration Costs 1,591 1,532 59 under 3.71% 1,178 3 Payments to Other Bodies 0 0 0 - 0.00% 0 Payments to Contractors 0 0 0 - 0.00% 0 Transfer Payments 0 0 0 - 0.00% 0 Financing Charges 631 634 (3) over (0.48%) 975 Total Controllable Exp. 13,301 13,383 (82) over (0.62%) 10,230 Total Controllable Inc. (6,449) (6,531) 82 over recovered 1.27% (550) 4 Net Controllable Exp. 6,852 6,852 0 - 0.00% 9,680 Variance Explanations 1. The anticipated overspend in Employee Costs is due to a lower than budgeted level of turnover during the financial year. 2. The anticipated overspend in Supplies and Services is due to greater than budgeted IT subscription, licensing and contract costs which are partially offset by an over recovery of income (see 4 below). 3. The projected underspend reflects less than budgeted telephony contract costs during the financial year. 4. The projected over recovery of income reflects greater than budgeted level of recharges during the financial year which partially offsets the increased IT costs above. Budget Virements None. 20
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Appendix G South Lanarkshire Council Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Finance & Corporate Resources Committee: Period Ended 1 November 2024 (No.8) Communications and Strategy Services Budget Category Revised Annual Budget Projected Outturn Projected Outturn Variance Over/ Under % Variance YTD Actual Note Employee Costs 2,146 2,067 79 under 3.68% 1,134 1 Property Costs 0 0 0 - 0.00% 1 Supplies & Services 648 648 0 - 0.00% 245 Transport & Plant 4 4 0 - 0.00% 2 Administration Costs 1,102 1,102 0 - 0.00% 458 Payments to Other Bodies 978 978 0 - 0.00% 842 Payments to Contractors 0 0 0 - 0.00% 4 Transfer Payments 0 0 0 - 0.00% 0 Financing Charges 351 351 0 - 0.00% 170 Total Controllable Exp. 5,229 5,150 79 under 1.51% 2,856 Total Controllable Inc. (2,645) (2,645) 0 - 0.00% (1,177) Net Controllable Exp. 2,584 2,505 79 under 3.06% 1,679 Variance Explanations 1. The underspend in Employee Costs is due to the anticipated level of turnover during the year. Budget Virements None. 21
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Appendix H South Lanarkshire Council Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Finance & Corporate Resources Committee: Period Ended 1 November 2024 (No.8) Administration, Legal, Licensing and Registration Budget Category Revised Annual Budget Projected Outturn Projected Outturn Variance Over/ Under % Variance YTD Actual Note £000 £000 £000 £000 Employee Costs 3,474 3,541 (67) over (1.93%) 1,974 1, a Property Costs 6 6 0 - 0.00% 4 Supplies & Services 140 116 24 under 17.14% 64 Transport & Plant 13 13 0 - 0.00% 6 Administration Costs 2,356 2,330 26 under 1.10% 1,331 Payments to Other Bodies 678 678 0 - 0.00% 473 Payments to Contractors 0 0 0 - 0.00% 0 Transfer Payments 0 0 0 - 0.00% 0 Financing Charges 65 66 (1) over (1.54%) 6 Total Controllable Exp. 6,732 6,750 (18) over (0.27%) 3,858 Total Controllable Inc. (2,684) (2,691) 7 over recovered 0.26% (1,179) a Net Controllable Exp. 4,048 4,059 (11) over (0.27%) 2,679 Variance Explanations 1. The anticipated overspend in Employee Costs is due to a lower than budgeted level of turnover during the financial year. Budget Virements a. Budget realignment to reflect licensing and registration income. Net Effect £0.000m: Employee Costs £0.146m and Income (£0.146m). 22
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Appendix I South Lanarkshire Council Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Finance & Corporate Resources Committee: Period Ended 1 November 2024 (No.8) Personnel Budget Category Revised Annual Budget Projected Outturn Projected Outturn Variance Over/ Under % Variance YTD Actual Note £000 £000 £000 £000 Employee Costs 6,399 6,409 (10) over (0.16%) 3,450 Property Costs 0 0 0 - 0.00% 18 Supplies & Services 104 121 (17) over (16.35%) 87 Transport & Plant 9 3 6 under 66.67% 0 Administration Costs 1,205 1,217 (12) over (1.00%) 641 Payments to Other Bodies 284 217 67 under 23.59% 186 1 Payments to Contractors 0 0 0 - 0.00% 0 Transfer Payments 0 0 0 - 0.00% 0 Financing Charges 36 67 (31) over (86.11%) 1 2 Total Controllable Exp. 8,037 8,034 3 under 0.04% 4,383 Total Controllable Inc. (1,799) (1,762) (37) under recovered (2.06%) (388) 3 Net Controllable Exp. 6,238 6,272 (34) over (0.55%) 3,995 Variance Explanations 1. The projected underspend mainly relates to lower than budgeted legal costs in the financial year. 2. The projected overspend in is due to higher than budgeted costs for IT equipment leasing. 3. The anticipated under recovery of income mainly relates to lower than budgeted income from third party settlements. Budget Virements None. 23
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 29 January 2025 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Capital Budget Monitoring 2024/2025 - Finance and Corporate Resources 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide information on the progress of the capital programme for Finance and Corporate Resources for the period 1 April 2024 to 1 November 2024 [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the Finance and Corporate Resources capital programme of £3.086 million, and forecast expenditure of £3.086 million, be noted. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. This is the third capital monitoring report presented to the Finance and Corporate Resources Committee for the financial year 2024/2025. Further reports will follow throughout the year. 3.2. The budget of £3.086 million for Finance and Corporate Resources is based on the overall Capital Programme for 2024/2025, as approved by the Executive Committee on 26 June 2024. There has been no change to this budget since the last report to this Committee. 3.3. The report details the financial position for Finance and Corporate Resources in Appendix A. 4. Employee Implications 4.1. There are no employee implications as a result of this report. 5. Financial Implications 5.1. 2024/2025 Budget As detailed in Section 3.2, the revised capital programme for Finance and Corporate Resources for 2024/2025 is £3.086 million. 5.2. 2024/2025 Forecast Appendix A shows a forecast for the financial year of £3.086 million. For information, actual expenditure to 1 November 2024 is £2.619 million. 4 25
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6. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 6.1. There are no implications for climate change, sustainability or the environment in terms of the information contained in this report. 7. Other Implications 7.1. The main risk associated with the Council’s Capital Programme is that there is an overspend. The risk has been assessed as low given the detailed project management plans prepared and monitored for each project. The risk of overspend is managed through four weekly Investment Management Meetings. 8. Integrated Impact Assessment and Consultation Requirements 8.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy and therefore no impact assessment is required. 8.2. There is also no requirement to undertake any consultation in terms of the information contained in the report. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 6 January 2025 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, Effective, Efficient and Transparent Previous References Finance and Corporate Resources Committee, 30 October 2024 List of Background Papers Financial ledger to 1 November 2024 Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact: Graham Booth, Finance Manager (Strategy) Ext: 2699 (Tel: 01698 452699) E-mail: graham.booth@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 26
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Appendix A South Lanarkshire Council Capital Expenditure 2024-2025 Finance and Corporate Resources Programme For Period 1 April 2024 – 1 November 2024 Finance and Corporate Resources Total Original Budget £000 Budget Adjustments £000 Slippage £000 Total Budget £000 Forecast Spend £000 Forecast Variance £000 Actual Expenditure £000 Information Technology Services 3,086 - - 3,086 3,086 - 2,619 TOTAL 3,086 - - 3,086 3,086 - 2,619 27
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 29 January 2025 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Finance and Corporate Resources – Workforce Monitoring – October and November 2024 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide employment information for October and November 2024 relating to Finance and Corporate Resources [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the following employment information for October and November 2024 relating to Finance and Corporate Resources be noted:- attendance statistics occupational health accident/incident statistics discipline, grievance and Dignity at Work cases analysis of leavers and exit interviews staffing watch as at 14 September 2024 [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. As part of the Council’s performance management arrangements, regular workforce monitoring reports are submitted to Committee. This report for Finance and Corporate Resources provides information on the position for October and November 2024. 4. Monitoring Statistics 4.1. Attendance Statistics (Appendix 1) Information on absence statistics is analysed for the month of November 2024 for Finance and Corporate Resources. The Resource absence figure for November 2024 was 4.6%, this figure has increased by 1.4% when compared to the previous month and is 2.3% lower than the Council-wide figure. Compared to November 2023, the Resource absence figure has increased by 1.1%. Based on the absence figures at November 2024 and annual trends, the annual average absence for the Resource for 2024/2025 is 3.2%, compared to a Council- wide average figure of 5.7%. 5 29
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Managers follow the procedures outlined in the Maximising Attendance Policy to support employees to remain at work, or to return to work after a sickness absence. There are comprehensive employee supports in place and additionally, Personnel Services work in close partnership with line managers and Resource Management Teams on a case management basis to ensure that appropriate actions are taken. 4.2. Occupational Health (Appendix 2) In terms of referrals to occupational health, which include medical examinations and physiotherapy, overall, 35 referrals were made this period. This represents a decrease of 10 when compared with the same period last year. 4.3. Accident/Incident Statistics There were no accidents/incidents recorded within the Resource this period. 4.4. Discipline, Grievance and Dignity at Work (Appendix 2) During the period, 1 disciplinary hearing was held within the Resource. This figure has remained the same when compared to the same period last year. No appeals were heard by the Appeals Panel, this figure has also remained the same when compared to last year and no appeals panels were pending. No grievance or Dignity at Work complaints were raised within the Resource, these figures remain unchanged when compared to the same period last year. 4.5. Analysis of Leavers (Appendix 2a) There were a total of 5 leavers this period eligible for an exit interview. This figure has decreased by 4, when compared with the same period last year. 1 exit interview was conducted in this period, this figure has remained the same when compared to the same period last year. 5. Staffing Watch (Appendix 3) 5.1. There has been an increase of 50 employees in post from 11 June 2024 to 14 September 2024. 6. Employee Implications 6.1. There are no implications for employees arising from the information presented in this report. 7. Financial Implications 7.1. All financial implications are accommodated within existing budgets. 8. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 8.1. There are no Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications in terms of the information contained within this report. 9. Other Implications 9.1. There are no implications for sustainability or risk in terms of the information contained within this report. 10. Integrated Impact Assessment and Consultation Requirements 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. 30
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10.2. There was no requirement to undertake any consultation in terms of the information contained in this report. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 8 January 2025 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Fair, open and sustainable Ambitious, self aware and improving Excellent employer Focused on people and their needs Working with and respecting others Previous References Finance and Corporate Resources – 30 October 2024 List of Background Papers Monitoring information provided by Finance and Corporate Resources Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact: - Eileen McPake, HR Business Manager Ext: 4647 (Tel: 01698 454647) E-mail: Eileen.McPake@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 31
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2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 % % % % % % % % % % % % April 2.8 3.6 2.8 April 0.0 0.0 0.0 April 2.8 3.6 2.8 April 5.6 5.1 5.2 May 3.2 3.9 3.2 May 0.0 0.0 0.0 May 3.2 3.9 3.2 May 5.4 5.1 5.3 June 4.0 4.2 3.2 June 0.0 0.0 0.0 June 4.0 4.2 3.2 June 5.3 4.7 5.2 July 3.9 3.5 3.5 July 0.0 0.0 0.0 July 3.9 3.5 3.5 July 4.6 3.8 4.1 August 4.1 3.8 2.6 August 0.0 0.0 0.0 August 4.1 3.8 2.6 August 4.4 4.1 4.7 September 3.6 3.9 3.2 September 0.0 0.0 0.0 September 3.6 3.9 3.2 September 5.4 5.3 6.1 October 3.8 3.2 3.2 October 0.0 0.0 0.0 October 3.8 3.2 3.2 October 5.8 5.1 6.0 November 3.4 3.5 4.6 November 0.0 0.0 0.0 November 3.4 3.5 4.6 November 6.5 6.2 6.9 December 4.3 3.3 December 0.0 0.0 December 4.3 3.3 December 7.0 6.6 January 4.3 2.8 January 0.0 0.0 January 4.3 2.8 January 5.8 6.1 February 3.8 3.5 February 0.0 0.0 February 3.8 3.5 February 5.9 6.4 March 3.8 2.6 March 0.0 0.0 March 3.8 2.6 March 6.4 6.3 Annual Average 3.8 3.5 3.2 Annual Average 0.0 0.0 0.0 Annual Average 3.8 3.5 3.2 Annual Average 5.7 5.4 5.7 Average Apr-Nov 3.6 3.7 3.3 Average Apr-Nov 0.0 0.0 0.0 Average Apr-Nov 3.6 3.7 3.3 Average Apr-Nov 5.4 4.9 5.4 824 0 824 15836 Council WideManual Workers No of Employees at 30 November 2024 Resource Total No of Employees at 30 November 2024 Appendix 1 Absence Trends - 2022/2023, 2023/2024 & 2024/2025 Finance and Corporate Resources No of Employees at 30 November 2024 No of Employees at 30 November 2024 APT&C 32
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Oct - Nov Oct - Nov 2023 2024 MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS Number of Employees Attending EMPLOYEE COUNSELLING SERVICE Total Number of Referrals PHYSIOTHERAPY SERVICE Total Number of Referrals REFERRALS TO EMPLOYEE SUPPORT OFFICER 15 17 REFERRALS TO COGNITIVE BEHAVIOUR THERAPY 0 0 TOTAL 45 35 Oct - Nov Oct - Nov 2023 2024 Specified Injuries* 0 0 Over 7 day absences 0 0 Over 3 day absences** 0 0 Minor 0 0 Near Miss *** 0 0 Violent Incident: Physical**** 1 0 Violent Incident: Verbal***** 0 0 Total Accidents/Incidents 1 0 Oct - Nov Oct - Nov 2023 2024 Total Number of Hearings 1 1 Time Taken to Convene Hearing October - Oct to Nov 2024 0-3 Weeks 4-6 Weeks Over 6 Weeks 0 0 0 Oct - Nov Oct - Nov 2023 2024 Number of Grievances 0 0 Oct - Nov Oct - Nov 2023 2024 Number of Incidents 0 0 RECORD OF DIGNITY AT WORK ****Physical violent incidents are included in the "Specified" figures, where applicable, to provide the ****Physical violent incidents and ***** Verbal Violent Incidents are included in the "Over 3-day or Over 7- day" figures, where applicable, to provide the "Total Over 3-day or Over 7-day" figures. ****Physical Violent Incidents and ***** Verbal Violent Incidents are included in the "Minor" figures, where applicable, to provide the "Total Minor" figures. RECORD OF DISCIPLINARY HEARINGS RECORD OF GRIEVANCE HEARINGS ***Near Miss - Any unexpected, unplanned occurrence (except Dangerous Occurrences) that does not lead to injury of persons, damage to property, plant or equipment but may have done so in different Appendix 2 FINANCE AND CORPORATE RESOURCES 8 7 2 0 20 11 CAUSE OF ACCIDENTS/INCIDENTS *A Specified Injury is any fracture (other than to the fingers, thumbs or toes), amputation, loss of sight, serious burns, crushing injury, scalping, loss of consciousness caused by asphyxiation/ head injury, a chemical or hot metal burn to the eye or penetrating injury as defined by the HSE. **Over 3 day / over 7day absence is an injury sustained outwith specified injury category that results in a period of absence of absence as defined by the HSE. 33
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Oct - Nov Oct - Nov 2023 2024 Career Advancement 1 1 Number of Exit Interviews conducted 1 1 Total Number of Leavers Eligible for Exit Interview 9 5 Percentage of interviews conducted 11% 20% ANALYSIS OF REASONS FOR LEAVING Appendix 2a FINANCE AND CORPORATE RESOURCES 34
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As at 14 September 2024 Total Number of Employees F/T P/T F/T P/T 183 24 366 249 Chief Officer Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Fixed SCP Teacher TOTAL 8.00 93.90 341.81 210.36 53.96 22.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 730.03 As at 11 June 2024 Total Number of Employees F/T P/T F/T P/T 183 14 364 211 Chief Officer Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Fixed SCP Teacher TOTAL 8.00 90.61 326.03 202.14 51.72 23.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 701.50 Appendix 3 JOINT STAFFING WATCH RETURN FINANCE AND CORPORATE RESOURCES *Full - Time Equivalent No of Employees Salary Bands 822 MALE FEMALE TOTAL *Full - Time Equivalent No of Employees Salary Bands MALE FEMALE TOTAL 772 35
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 29 January 2025 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Council-wide Workforce Monitoring – October and November 2024 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide employment information relating to the Council for the period October and November 2024 [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the following employment information for the period October and November 2024 relating to the Council be noted:- attendance statistics occupational health accident/incident statistics discipline, grievance and Dignity at Work cases analysis of leavers and exit interviews recruitment monitoring staffing watch as at 14 September 2024 [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. As part of the Council’s performance management arrangements, regular workforce monitoring reports are submitted to the Committee. This report for the Council provides information on the position for the period October and November 2024. 4. Attendance Statistics 4.1. Information on absence statistics for the Council and each Resource, as analysed for November 2024, is provided in Appendices 1 to 8. Points to note are:- The Council’s absence rate for November 2024, shown in Appendix 1, is 6.9%, which represents an increase of 0.9% when compared with last month and the figure has increased by 0.7% when compared to November 2023. When compared to November 2023, the APT&C absence rate has increased by 0.9%, the teachers’ figure has increased by 0.7% and the manual workers’ figure has increased by 0.3%. Based on annual trends and the absence rate to November 2024, the average absence rate for the Council for the financial year 2024/2025 is 5.7%. 6 37
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In comparison to November 2023 (Appendix 8):- Psychological and musculoskeletal conditions are the main reasons for absence Total days lost due to psychological conditions have decreased by 507 days Total days lost due to musculoskeletal conditions have increased by 294 days Total days lost due to respiratory conditions have decreased by 501 days Total days lost due to stomach, bowel, blood and metabolic disorders have increased by 522 days Managers follow the procedures outlined in the Maximising Attendance Policy to support employees to remain at work, or to return to work after a sickness absence. There are comprehensive employee supports in place and additionally, Personnel Services work in close partnership with line managers and Resource Management Teams on a case management basis to ensure that appropriate actions are taken. 5. Occupational Health 5.1. Information on Occupational Health for the period October and November 2024 is provided in Appendix 9. during the period there were 303 employees referred for a medical examination, an increase of 80 when compared to the same period last year. Both musculoskeletal and psychological conditions continue to be the main reason for medical referrals a total of 369 employees attended physiotherapy treatment, showing a decrease of 1 when compared to the same period last year. Of the 369 employees referred, 75% remained at work whilst undertaking treatment during this period 383 employees were referred to the Employee Support Officer, showing a decrease of 6 when compared with the same period last year. Of the referrals made this period, 85% related to personal reasons 143 employees were referred to the PAM Assist counselling service this period, showing an increase of 5 when compared with the same period last year. All the referrals made this period were made directly by employees. Personal reasons accounted for 0% of the referrals made, 18% were for work related reasons and 82% was for other reasons 8 employees were referred for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy this period, an increase of 5 when compared to the same period last year 6. Accidents/Incidents 6.1. The accident/incident reported for October and November 2024 is contained in Appendix 10. the number of accidents/incidents recorded was 221 of those, 103 have been investigated and categorised 118 are still in process of being investigated of those investigated, no specified injuries were recorded of those investigated there were 98 minor accidents/incidents of those investigated there was 1 accident resulting in an absence lasting over 3 days during the period of those investigated there were 4 accidents resulting in an absence lasting over 7 days during the period 38
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7. Discipline, Grievance, Dignity at Work Hearings and Mediation Referrals 7.1. Information on Disciplinary, Grievance Hearings, Dignity at Work and Mediation Referrals for October and November 2024 is contained in Appendices 11, 12a and 12b. in total, 39 disciplinary hearings were held and concluded across Resources within the Council, this figure has increased by 19 when compared to the same period last year action was taken in 34 of these cases. No appeals were raised against the outcomes during the period our target is to convene disciplinary hearings within 6 weeks, 44% of hearings met this target during the period, no appeals were heard by the Appeals Panel at the end of November, 1 Appeals Panel was pending during the period, 6 grievance complaints were raised during the period, 4 Dignity at Work complaints were raised during the period, 1 referral for mediation was submitted which was deemed suitable 8. Analysis of Leavers and Exit Interviews 8.1. Information on the number of leavers and exit interviews for the period October and November 2024 is contained in Appendix 13. Exit interviews are conducted with employees who leave voluntarily. Labour Turnover Using information compiled from Resources and Staffing Watch information as at 14 September 2024, the Council’s turnover figure for October and November 2024 is as follows:- 107 leavers eligible for exit interviews/15,726 employees in post = Labour Turnover of 0.7%. Based on the figure at November 2024, the annual labour turnover figure for the financial year 2024/2025 for the Council is 4.1%. 8.2. Analysis of Leavers and Exit Interviews there were a total of 107 employees leaving the Council that were eligible for an exit interview, a decrease of 12 when compared with the same period last year there were a total of 32 exit interviews conducted which remains unchanged when compared with same period last year 9. Recruitment Monitoring 9.1. Information on Recruitment Monitoring for October and November 2024 is contained within Appendix 14. From an analysis of Equal Opportunities Monitoring Forms, the main points to note are:- overall, 3,465 applications and 3,448 completed Equal Opportunities Monitoring Forms were received of those applicants who declared themselves as disabled (91), 46 were shortleeted for interview and 9 were appointed 39
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of those applicants of a black/ethnic minority background (304), 80 were shortleeted for interview and 6 were appointed of those applicants who are veterans (21), 13 were shortleeted for interview and no was appointed 10. Staffing Watch 10.1. There has been an increase of 693 in the number of employees in post from 11 June 2024 to 14 September 2024. Details of the staffing watch are contained in Appendix 15. 11. Employee Implications 11.1. There are no implications for employees arising from the information presented in this report. 12. Financial Implications 12.1. All financial implications are accommodated within existing budgets. 13. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 13.1. There are no climate change, sustainability or environmental implications arising from the information presented in this report. 14. Other Implications 14.1. There are no implications for risk in terms of the information contained within this report. 15. Integrated Impact Assessment and Consultation Requirements 15.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy and therefore no impact assessment is required. 15.2. There was no requirement to undertake any consultation in terms of the information contained in this report. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 8 January 2025 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Fair, open and sustainable Ambitious, self-aware and improving Excellent employer Focused on people and their needs Working with and respecting others Previous References Finance and Corporate Resources Committee – 30 October 2024 List of Background Papers Monitoring information provided by Resources 40
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Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact: - Elaine Maxwell, HR Business Manager Ext: 4647 (Tel: 01698 454647) E-mail: Elaine.Maxwell@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 41
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2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 % % % % % % % % % % % % April 5.2 5.2 5.2 April 2.7 2.8 2.9 April 8.8 7.0 7.3 April 5.6 5.1 5.2 May 5.0 5.1 5.4 May 3.6 3.2 3.0 May 7.6 6.2 7.1 May 5.4 5.1 5.3 June 5.0 4.9 5.3 June 2.6 2.2 2.8 June 8.1 6.5 7.2 June 5.3 4.7 5.2 July 4.5 4.0 4.3 July 1.4 1.1 1.0 July 7.4 5.8 6.3 July 4.6 3.8 4.1 August 4.3 4.2 4.6 August 1.4 1.3 1.9 August 7.4 6.2 7.5 August 4.4 4.1 4.7 September 5.2 5.2 6.2 September 2.8 2.9 3.5 September 8.0 7.6 8.3 September 5.4 5.3 6.1 October 5.7 5.2 6.3 October 3.4 2.7 3.8 October 8.1 7.1 7.7 October 5.8 5.1 6.0 November 6.3 6.1 7.0 November 4.7 4.3 5.0 November 8.6 8.1 8.4 November 6.5 6.2 6.9 December 6.7 6.7 December 5.3 4.8 December 8.9 7.8 December 7.0 6.6 January 5.2 5.8 January 4.3 4.8 January 8.0 7.8 January 5.8 6.1 February 5.7 6.3 February 4.1 4.9 February 7.9 8.0 February 5.9 6.4 March 6.2 6.3 March 4.6 4.1 March 8.3 8.1 March 6.4 6.3 Annual Average 5.4 5.4 5.8 Annual Average 3.4 3.3 3.5 Annual Average 8.1 7.2 7.6 Annual Average 5.7 5.4 5.7 Average Apr-Nov 5.2 5.0 5.5 Average Apr-Nov 2.8 2.6 3.0 Average Apr-Nov 8.0 6.8 7.5 Average Apr-Nov 5.4 4.9 5.4 7360 4040 4436 15836 Council Wide No of Employees at 30 November 2024 No of Employees at 30 November 2024 Appendix 1 Absence Trends - 2022/2023, 2023/2024 & 2024/2025 Council Wide APT&C Teachers No of Employees at 30 November 2024 No of Employees at 30 November 2024 Manual Workers 42
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2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 % % % % % % % % % % % % April 4.4 3.6 3.2 April 7.3 6.3 6.8 April 6.9 6.0 6.3 April 5.6 5.1 5.2 May 3.9 3.7 3.1 May 6.8 6.3 6.3 May 6.3 5.9 5.9 May 5.4 5.1 5.3 June 3.5 4.3 4.1 June 7.2 5.9 6.4 June 6.7 5.7 6.0 June 5.3 4.7 5.2 July 3.9 2.3 3.8 July 5.9 4.6 4.5 July 5.6 4.3 4.4 July 4.6 3.8 4.1 August 3.4 3.0 3.4 August 6.6 5.2 6.2 August 6.1 4.9 5.7 August 4.4 4.1 4.7 September 3.1 2.5 3.8 September 7.9 7.1 7.5 September 7.1 6.4 6.9 September 5.4 5.3 6.1 October 5.1 2.0 4.2 October 7.5 7.0 7.2 October 7.1 6.3 6.7 October 5.8 5.1 6.0 November 4.2 2.6 3.6 November 8.3 8.1 8.3 November 7.7 7.3 7.6 November 6.5 6.2 6.9 December 3.7 3.0 December 8.8 7.5 December 8.0 6.8 December 7.0 6.6 January 2.6 3.6 January 7.4 7.4 January 6.7 6.9 January 5.8 6.1 February 3.6 4.0 February 7.4 7.8 February 6.9 7.2 February 5.9 6.4 March 3.9 3.2 March 7.9 7.9 March 7.3 7.2 March 6.4 6.3 Annual Average 3.8 3.2 3.6 Annual Average 7.4 6.8 7.0 Annual Average 6.9 6.2 6.5 Annual Average 5.7 5.4 5.7 Average Apr-Nov 3.9 3.0 3.7 Average Apr-Nov 7.2 6.3 6.7 Average Apr-Nov 6.7 5.9 6.2 Average Apr-Nov 5.4 4.9 5.4 587 2858 3445 15836 Manual Workers Resource Total No of Employees at 30 November 2024 No of Employees at 30 November 2024 No of Employees at 30 November 2024 No of Employees at 30 November 2024 Appendix 2 Absence Trends - 2022/2023, 2023/2024 & 2024/2025 Community and Enterprise Resources APT&C Council Wide 43
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2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 % % % % % % % % % % % % April 5.5 5.0 5.4 April 2.7 2.8 2.9 April 4.0 3.8 4.0 April 5.6 5.1 5.2 May 5.5 5.4 6.0 May 3.6 3.2 3.0 May 4.5 4.2 4.4 May 5.4 5.1 5.3 June 5.1 4.8 5.5 June 2.6 2.2 2.8 June 3.7 3.4 4.1 June 5.3 4.7 5.2 July 3.8 3.4 3.2 July 1.4 1.1 1.0 July 2.5 2.2 2.0 July 4.6 3.8 4.1 August 3.6 4.0 3.9 August 1.4 1.3 1.9 August 2.4 2.5 2.8 August 4.4 4.1 4.7 September 5.8 5.9 6.6 September 2.8 2.9 3.5 September 4.1 4.3 4.9 September 5.4 5.3 6.1 October 6.5 5.5 6.5 October 3.4 2.7 3.8 October 4.8 4.0 5.0 October 5.8 5.1 6.0 November 7.9 7.1 7.8 November 4.7 4.3 5.0 November 6.2 5.6 6.2 November 6.5 6.2 6.9 December 8.5 8.1 December 5.3 4.8 December 6.8 6.3 December 7.0 6.6 January 6.1 6.6 January 4.3 4.8 January 5.1 5.6 January 5.8 6.1 February 6.8 7.2 February 4.1 4.9 February 5.4 6.0 February 5.9 6.4 March 7.0 7.5 March 4.6 4.1 March 5.7 5.7 March 6.4 6.3 Annual Average 6.0 5.9 6.2 Annual Average 3.4 3.3 3.5 Annual Average 4.6 4.5 4.8 Annual Average 5.7 5.4 5.7 Average Apr-Nov 5.5 5.1 5.6 Average Apr-Nov 2.8 2.6 3.0 Average Apr-Nov 4.0 3.8 4.2 Average Apr-Nov 5.4 4.9 5.4 3276 4040 7316 15836 Appendix 3 Absence Trends - 2022/2023, 2023/2024 & 2024/2025 Education Resources Council WideAPT&C Teachers Resource Total No of Employees at 30 November 2024 No of Employees at 30 November 2024 No of Employees at 30 November 2024 No of Employees at 30 November 2024 44
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2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 % % % % % % % % % % % % April 2.8 3.6 2.8 April 0.0 0.0 0.0 April 2.8 3.6 2.8 April 5.6 5.1 5.2 May 3.2 3.9 3.2 May 0.0 0.0 0.0 May 3.2 3.9 3.2 May 5.4 5.1 5.3 June 4.0 4.2 3.2 June 0.0 0.0 0.0 June 4.0 4.2 3.2 June 5.3 4.7 5.2 July 3.9 3.5 3.5 July 0.0 0.0 0.0 July 3.9 3.5 3.5 July 4.6 3.8 4.1 August 4.1 3.8 2.6 August 0.0 0.0 0.0 August 4.1 3.8 2.6 August 4.4 4.1 4.7 September 3.6 3.9 3.2 September 0.0 0.0 0.0 September 3.6 3.9 3.2 September 5.4 5.3 6.1 October 3.8 3.2 3.2 October 0.0 0.0 0.0 October 3.8 3.2 3.2 October 5.8 5.1 6.0 November 3.4 3.5 4.6 November 0.0 0.0 0.0 November 3.4 3.5 4.6 November 6.5 6.2 6.9 December 4.3 3.3 December 0.0 0.0 December 4.3 3.3 December 7.0 6.6 January 4.3 2.8 January 0.0 0.0 January 4.3 2.8 January 5.8 6.1 February 3.8 3.5 February 0.0 0.0 February 3.8 3.5 February 5.9 6.4 March 3.8 2.6 March 0.0 0.0 March 3.8 2.6 March 6.4 6.3 Annual Average 3.8 3.5 3.2 Annual Average 0.0 0.0 0.0 Annual Average 3.8 3.5 3.2 Annual Average 5.7 5.4 5.7 Average Apr-Nov 3.6 3.7 3.3 Average Apr-Nov 0.0 0.0 0.0 Average Apr-Nov 3.6 3.7 3.3 Average Apr-Nov 5.4 4.9 5.4 824 0 824 15836 Council WideManual Workers No of Employees at 30 November 2024 Resource Total No of Employees at 30 November 2024 Appendix 4 Absence Trends - 2022/2023, 2023/2024 & 2024/2025 Finance and Corporate Resources No of Employees at 30 November 2024 No of Employees at 30 November 2024 APT&C 45
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2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 % % % % % % % % % % % % April 5.5 5.7 5.3 April 10.6 6.9 7.2 April 7.6 6.2 6.1 April 5.6 5.1 5.2 May 4.5 4.9 5.2 May 8.1 6.1 8.1 May 6.0 5.4 6.4 May 5.4 5.1 5.3 June 4.9 5.4 5.7 June 8.5 6.8 8.4 June 6.4 6.0 6.8 June 5.3 4.7 5.2 July 5.5 5.0 5.3 July 8.9 8.1 8.6 July 6.9 6.2 6.7 July 4.6 3.8 4.1 August 4.7 5.1 5.5 August 7.1 8.5 8.8 August 5.7 6.4 6.9 August 4.4 4.1 4.7 September 4.5 4.7 7.5 September 6.3 7.8 7.4 September 5.2 6.0 7.5 September 5.4 5.3 6.1 October 4.3 4.9 7.3 October 7.8 5.2 6.0 October 5.8 5.0 6.8 October 5.8 5.1 6.0 November 4.6 4.8 6.8 November 7.8 6.7 6.2 November 5.9 5.6 6.5 November 6.5 6.2 6.9 December 4.4 5.1 December 7.2 7.4 December 5.6 6.0 December 7.0 6.6 January 4.5 4.4 January 5.5 6.0 January 4.9 5.0 January 5.8 6.1 February 4.4 5.2 February 6.2 6.3 February 5.1 5.6 February 5.9 6.4 March 5.3 5.3 March 6.8 7.2 March 5.9 6.1 March 6.4 6.3 Annual Average 4.8 5.0 5.7 Annual Average 7.6 6.9 7.3 Annual Average 5.9 5.8 6.4 Annual Average 5.7 5.4 5.7 Average Apr-Nov 4.8 5.1 6.1 Average Apr-Nov 8.1 7.0 7.6 Average Apr-Nov 6.2 5.9 6.7 Average Apr-Nov 5.4 4.9 5.4 871 557 1428 15836 Appendix 5 Housing & Technical Resources Resource Total Absence Trends - 2022/2023, 2023/2024 & 2024/2025 APT&C Manual Workers Council Wide No of Employees at 30 November 2024No of Employees at 30 November 2024 No of Employees at 30 November 2024 No of Employees at 30 November 2024 46
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2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 % % % % % % % % % % % % April 6.2 6.5 6.5 April 12.6 9.4 8.8 April 8.3 7.4 7.3 April 5.6 5.1 5.2 May 5.7 5.8 5.8 May 10.1 8.4 9.5 May 7.1 6.6 7.0 May 5.4 5.1 5.3 June 5.9 5.5 6.0 June 11.3 8.6 9.2 June 7.6 6.5 7.0 June 5.3 4.7 5.2 July 6.0 5.4 6.5 July 11.8 8.8 11.2 July 7.9 6.5 8.0 July 4.6 3.8 4.1 August 6.0 4.8 6.9 August 10.8 8.6 11.4 August 7.5 6.0 8.4 August 4.4 4.1 4.7 September 5.9 5.6 7.2 September 9.6 9.3 12.0 September 7.1 6.8 8.8 September 5.4 5.3 6.1 October 5.8 6.5 7.5 October 10.4 8.5 11.0 October 7.3 7.1 8.6 October 5.8 5.1 6.0 November 6.0 7.3 8.1 November 10.4 9.0 10.0 November 7.4 7.8 8.7 November 6.5 6.2 6.9 December 6.4 7.4 December 10.6 9.5 December 7.7 8.1 December 7.0 6.6 January 5.2 7.0 January 12.0 10.3 January 7.4 8.1 January 5.8 6.1 February 5.8 7.0 February 11.0 9.9 February 7.5 7.9 February 5.9 6.4 March 7.0 7.1 March 10.9 9.4 March 8.2 7.9 March 6.4 6.3 Annual Average 6.0 6.3 Annual Average 11.0 9.1 Annual Average 7.6 7.2 Annual Average 5.7 5.4 Average Apr-Nov 5.9 5.9 6.8 Average Apr-Nov 10.9 8.8 10.4 Average Apr-Nov 7.5 6.8 8.0 Average Apr-Nov 5.4 4.9 5.4 1802 1021 2823 15836 Appendix 6 Absence Trends - 2022/2023, 2023/2024 & 2024/2025 Social Work Resources APT&C Council WideResource TotalManual Workers No of Employees at 30 November 2024 No of Employees at 30 November 2024 No of Employees at 30 November 2024 No of Employees at 30 November 2024 47
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Appendix 7 Absence by long and short term From: 1 September 2024 to 30 November 2024 Community and Enterprise 3445 2.3 4.6 6.9 2.1 4.6 6.7 2.8 4.8 7.6 Education 7316 2.0 2.9 4.9 1.6 3.4 5.0 2.6 3.6 6.2 Finance and Corporate 824 0.8 2.4 3.2 1.0 2.2 3.2 2.3 2.3 4.6 Housing & Technical 1428 2.1 5.4 7.5 1.9 4.9 6.8 2.2 4.3 6.5 Social Work 2823 2.0 6.8 8.8 2.7 5.9 8.6 2.6 6.1 8.7 Council Overall for September 2024 to November 2024 15836 2.0 4.1 6.1 1.9 4.1 6.0 2.6 4.3 6.9 September 2024 Total Short Term % Total Long Term % Resource Total Absence % November 2024 Total Short Term % Total Long Term % Resource Total Absence % Resource No of employees Resource Total Absence % October 2024 Total Short Term % Total Long Term % 48
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From : 1 November 2024 - 30 November 2024 Total WDL % Total WDL % Total WDL % Total WDL % Total WDL % Musculoskeletal 1536 30 1281 25 47 1 528 10 877 17 4269 21 Psychological 1229 24 3065 59 270 5 444 9 1714 33 6722 33 Stomach, Bowel, Blood, Metabolic Disorders 644 12 954 18 61 1 272 5 586 11 2517 12 Respiratory 634 12 1264 24 180 3 158 3 382 7 2618 13 Other Classification 1122 22 1940 38 120 2 305 6 606 12 4093 20 Total Days Lost By Resource 5165 100 8504 165 678 13 1707 33 4165 100 20219 100 Total Work Days Available From : 1 November 2023 - 30 November 2023 Total WDL % Total WDL % Total WDL % Total WDL % Total WDL % Musculoskeletal 1410 26 1161 13 125 21 450 27 829 20 3975 20 Psychological 1546 29 3282 38 249 41 537 32 1615 39 7229 36 Stomach, Bowel, Blood, Metabolic Disorders 480 9 871 10 50 8 180 11 414 10 1995 10 Respiratory 855 16 1472 17 55 9 273 16 464 11 3119 15 Other Classification 1044 20 1865 22 127 21 220 13 772 19 4028 20 Total Days Lost By Resource 5335 100 8651 100 606 100 1660 100 4094 100 20346 100 Total Work Days Available *WDL = Work Days Lost 68316 136122 14716 Social Work Resources 52265297591749215496273191 Percentage Housing and Technical Resources Education Resources PercentageTotal WDL By ReasonREASONS Community and Enterprise Resources Education Resources Finance and Corporate Housing and Technical Resources Finance and Corporate 26136 47820 Appendix 8 Attendance Monitoring Absence Classification Reasons Community and Enterprise Resources Social Work Resources Total WDL By Reason 49
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Appendix 9 Teachers Others 68 39 74 7 41 74 66 16 35 8 41 57 Oct-Nov 2023 Oct-Nov 2024 Oct-Nov 2023 Oct-Nov 2024 Oct-Nov 2023 Oct-Nov 2024 94 81 71 74 0 0 56 59 182 187 1 0 68 89 15 17 0 0 20 11 28 15 0 0 47 34 93 90 Social Work 0 3 85 95 389 383 Not Disclosed 2 5 370 369 Total 3 8 Reason Oct-Nov 2023 Oct-Nov 2024 Work Stress 26 26 Addicition 0 2 Personal 19 0 Anxiety/Depression 62 94 Bereavement 31 21 Total 138 143 Finance and Corporate Education Community and Enterprise Resource Housing and Technical Occupational Health Reports From: 1 October - 30 November 2024 comparison with 1 October - 30 November 2023 Medical Referrals Community and Enterprise Education Finance and Corporate Housing & Technical Social Work Totals Total (Oct-Nov 2024) 303 Total (Oct-Nov 2023) 223 No of Employees Referred For Physiotherapy No of Employees Referred To Employee Support Officer No of Employees Referred For Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Resource Resource Community and Enterprise Community and Enterprise Education (Teachers) Education Education (Others) Finance and Corporate Analysis of Counselling Referrals by Cause Total Finance and Corporate Housing and Technical Housing and Technical Social Work Social Work Total 50
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2023 2024 2023 2024 2023 2024 2023 2024 2023 2024 2023 2024 Specified Injury 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Specified Injury (Violence) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total Specified Injury* 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 Over 7 Day 2 1 0 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 3 4 Over 7 Day (Violence) 0 0 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Total Over 7 Day** 2 1 2 1 0 0 1 1 0 1 5 4 Over 3 Day 0 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 5 1 Over 3 Day (Violence) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total Over 3 Day** 0 0 2 1 0 0 1 0 2 0 5 1 Minor Injury 27 9 40 6 0 0 5 0 9 3 81 18 Near Miss 4 0 8 1 0 0 0 0 0 2 12 3 Violence (Physical) 3 10 289 60 1 0 0 0 11 1 304 71 Violence (Verbal) 3 0 43 4 0 0 1 1 0 1 47 6 Total Minor*** 37 19 380 71 1 0 6 1 20 7 444 98 Total Finalised 40 20 384 73 1 0 8 2 22 8 455 103 Accident 0 3 4 20 0 0 0 3 0 2 4 17 Incident 0 1 2 9 0 0 0 2 0 0 2 12 Violence (Physical) 0 0 19 59 0 0 0 0 0 2 19 61 Violence (Verbal) 0 0 2 14 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 14 Near Miss 0 1 1 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 3 Total to be investigated**** 0 5 28 104 0 0 0 5 0 4 28 118 Total Events/Month 40 25 412 177 1 0 8 7 22 12 483 221 **Over 3 Day /Over 7 Day absence relates to events outwith the specified injury category that resulted in an absence or inability to do normal work for more than 3/7 days (not including day of injury) ***A minor injury is an injury not covered by Over 7 day, Over 3 day or Specified ****In process relates to records not yet investigated/defined by managers *Specified Injury is any fracture (other than fingers/toes), amputation, loss or sight, serious burns, crushing injury, scalping, loss of consciousness caused by asphyxiation/head injury, a chemical or hot metal burn to the eye or penetrating injury as defined by the HSE Appendix 10 Analysis of Accidents / Incidents From: 1 October - 30 November 2024 comparison with 1 October - 30 November 2023 Accidents by Month of Occurrence Community and Enterprise Education Finance and Corporate Housing & Tech Social Work TOTAL 51
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APT&C Manual / Craft Teachers Total APT&C Manual / Craft Teachers Total Community and Enterprise 1 8 N/A 9 0 0 N/A 0 1 8 N/A 9 1 7 1 89% 9.89 Education 2 0 2 4 1 0 0 1 1 0 2 3 0 4 0 100% 4 Finance and Corporate 1 0 N/A 1 0 0 N/A 0 1 0 N/A 1 1 0 0 100% 1 Housing and Technical 4 15 N/A 19 0 4 N/A 4 4 11 N/A 15 0 1 18 6% 19 Social Work 4 2 N/A 6 0 0 N/A 0 4 2 N/A 6 0 3 3 50% 6 Total (Oct-Nov 2024) 12 25 2 39 1 4 0 5 11 21 2 34 2 15 22 44% 39 Total (Oct-Nov 2023) 5 14 1 20 0 1 0 1 5 13 1 19 14 4 1 90% 19 APT&C Manual/ Craft Teachers Total APT&C Manual/ Craft Teachers Total APT&C Manual/ Craft Teachers Total Total (Oct-Nov 2024) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total (Oct-Nov 2023) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 *Resources nil responses are not included in figures Appeal's Panel From: 1 October - 30 November 2024 Appeal's Panel Total 0 Not Upheld Total Appeals Pending 0 Withdrawn 0 Resource Resource Action Taken Upheld Upheld in Part Manual/ Craft Outcome of Disciplinary Hearings Manual/ Craft Upheld APT&C Upheld in Part Teachers % Held within 6 Weeks No of Appeals No Action APT&C 4-6 6+3Teachers Total No of Disciplinary Hearings 100 Appendix 11 Outcome of Appeals Not Upheld From: 1 October - 30 November 2024 comparison with 1 October - 30 November 2023 Appeals pending to date Record of Disciplinary Hearings No of weeks to convene Disciplinary Hearing Total 52
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Appendix 12a Record of Grievances From: 1 October - 30 November 2024 comparison with 1 October - 30 November 2023 Grievances No of Grievances No Resolved at Stage 1 No Resolved at Stage 2 No Resolved at Stage 3 Still in Process Total (Oct-Nov 2024) 6 0 0 0 6 Total (Oct-Nov 2023) 1 0 0 1 0 Dignity at Work From: 1 October - 30 November 2024 comparison with 1 October - 30 November 2023 Dignity at Work No of Incidents No Resolved at Informal Stage No Resolved at Formal Stage No of Appeals Appeals in Process Still in Process Total (Oct-Nov 2024) 4 0 0 0 0 4 Total (Oct-Nov 2023) 0 0 0 0 0 0 53
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Appendix 12b Referrals for Workplace Mediation As at November 2024 Workplace Mediation Oct-24 Nov-24 No of Referrals 1 0 *No of Successful Cases 0 0 *No of Unsuccessful Cases 0 0 No of cases unsuitable for mediation 0 1 Workplace Mediation Oct-23 Nov-23 No of Referrals 0 0 *No of Successful Cases 1 0 *No of Unsuccessful Cases 0 0 No of cases unsuitable for mediation 0 0 *successful/unsuccessful case outcomes may be shown outwith the month they were referred. 54
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Appendix 13 From 1 October - 30 November 2024 Reason for leaving Community and Enterprise Education Finance and Corporate Housing & Technical Social Work Total % Career Advancement 3 10 1 2 3 19 59% Personal Reasons 2 1 0 1 0 4 13% Moving outwith area 0 0 0 0 2 2 6% Travelling difficulties 0 0 0 0 1 1 3% Other 1 1 0 2 2 6 19% Number of exit interviews conducted 6 12 1 5 8 32 Total no. of leavers per Resource eligible for an exit interview 22 47 5 15 18 107 % of leavers interviewed 27% 26% 20% 33% 44% 30% From 1 October - 30 November 2023 Number of exit interviews conducted 9 10 1 2 10 32 Total no. of leavers per Resource eligible for an exit interview 29 34 9 15 32 119 % of leavers interviewed 31% 29% 11% 13% 31% 27% * Note these totals include temporary employees Analysis of leavers and exit interviews 55
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Appendix 14 Applied Interviewed Appointed % of Applicants interviewed % of Applicants appointed % of Interviewees appointed 3448 2072 343 60% 10% 17% 954 342 95 36% 10% 28% 2474 771 245 31% 10% 32% 91 46 9 51% 10% 20% 3061 980 306 32% 10% 31% 358 127 31 35% 9% 24% 3112 1032 334 33% 11% 32% 304 80 6 26% 2% 8% 21 13 0 62% 0% 0% Applied Interviewed Appointed % of Applicants interviewed % of Applicants appointed % of Interviewees appointed 2487 766 172 31% 7% 22% 710 219 48 31% 7% 22% 1767 542 115 31% 7% 21% 80 46 5 58% 6% 11% 2049 628 134 31% 7% 21% 410 135 30 33% 7% 22% 2134 682 158 32% 7% 23% 317 73 4 23% 1% 5% 29 20 0 69% 0% 0% Recruitment Monitoring Analysis of Gender, Disability, Ethnicity and Age From : 1 October - 30 November 2024 Total Number of applications received: 3465 Total Number of Equal Opportunities Monitoring forms received: 3448 Total Number of posts advertised: 160 Total Number of appointments: 354 Gender / Disability / Age Total EO Forms Received Total No of Male Applicants Total No of Female Applicants Total No of Disabled Applicants Total No of applicants aged under 50 Total No of applicants aged over 50 Total No of White applicants Total No of Black/Ethnic minority applicants* Total No of Veteran applicants *Black/Ethnic Minority applicants includes Mixed, Asian, Black and other backgrounds. From : 1 October - 30 November 2023 Total Number of applications received: 2570 Total No of applicants aged under 50 Total Number of Equal Opportunities Monitoring forms received: 2487 Total Number of posts advertised: 281 Total Number of appointments: 198 Total No of applicants aged over 50 Total No of White applicants Total No of Black/Ethnic minority applicants* Total No of Veteran applicants *Black/Ethnic Minority applicants includes Mixed, Asian, Black and other backgrounds. Gender / Disability / Age Total EO Forms Received Total No of Male Applicants Total No of Female Applicants Total No of Disabled Applicants 56
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Resource Total F/T P/T F/T P/T Total Chief Officer Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Fixed SCP Teacher Community & Enterprise Resources 3439 1244 384 235 1576 2471.12 5.00 1711.95 415.46 269.47 48.94 18.30 0.00 2.00 0.00 Education - Others 3255 104 95 587 2469 2530.85 5.00 1240.13 1087.44 137.72 48.60 11.00 0.00 0.96 0.00 Education - Teachers 4034 711 114 2177 1032 3600.11 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3600.11 Finance & Corporate Resources 822 183 24 366 249 730.03 8.00 93.90 341.81 210.36 53.96 22.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Housing & Technical 1396 774 120 334 168 1284.40 3.00 196.94 674.12 365.25 33.09 10.00 0.00 2.00 0.00 Social Work Resources 2780 194 225 964 1397 2398.98 3.00 332.61 1455.57 508.52 64.77 33.51 0.00 1.00 0.00 9415.38 (excluding Teachers) Total All Staff 15726 3210 962 4663 6891 13015.49 24.00 3575.53 3974.40 1491.32 249.36 94.81 0.00 5.96 3600.11 Resource Total F/T P/T F/T P/T Total Chief Officer Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Fixed SCP Teacher Community & Enterprise Resources 3173 1237 275 233 1428 2245.16 5.00 1531.38 382.28 258.25 46.55 16.70 0.00 5.00 0.00 Education - Others 3246 117 103 613 2413 2352.33 5.00 1089.86 999.77 134.44 46.00 10.00 0.00 62.46 4.80 Education - Teachers 3885 691 80 2189 925 3498.55 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.00 0.00 4.60 3492.95 Finance & Corporate Resources 772 183 14 364 211 701.50 8.00 90.61 326.03 202.14 51.72 23.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Housing & Technical 1268 779 25 332 132 1208.19 3.00 193.51 631.52 341.56 29.60 9.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Social Work Resources 2689 195 207 988 1299 2354.75 3.00 323.31 1441.76 494.47 59.30 32.91 0.00 0.00 0.00 8861.93 (excluding Teachers) Total All Staff 15033 3202 704 4719 6408 12360.48 24.00 3228.67 3781.36 1430.86 233.17 92.61 0.00 72.06 3497.75 Male Female Salary Band Total Number of Employees Full-Time Equivalent Male Female Salary Band Analysis by Resource Quarterly Joint Staffing Watch Return : Number Employed On 14 September 2024 Analysis by Resource Quarterly Joint Staffing Watch Return : Number Employed On 11 June 2024 Appendix 15 Total Number of Employees Full-Time Equivalent 57
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 29 January 2025 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Treasury Management Activity – 2024/2025 Third Quarter Review 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide a third quarter review of Treasury Management Activity for 2024/2025 [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the contents of this report be noted. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1 In order to provide members with information on the Council’s Treasury Management activities, a quarterly report is presented to this Committee. This report covers the period 1 April 2024 to 31 December 2024. 4. Market Performance 4.1. At the time of writing the base rate was 4.75% and the Bank of England Asset Purchase Programme (commonly referred to as its policy of quantitative easing) was £655bn. The Council’s Treasury Management Advisers are predicting that the base rate will fall to 4.50% by March 2025. 5. Debt Management and Borrowing Strategy 5.1. The Council began the year with debt of £1,034.532 million with fixed rate loans from the Public Works Loans Board (PWLB) making up 97.25% of the debt. 5.2. Table 1 shows the movement in borrowing from 1 April 2024 to 31 December 2024. Table 1 – Movement in Borrowing to 31 December 2024 Balance as at 01/04/2024 £m New Borrowing £m Debt Maturing £m Debt Repaid £m Balance as at 31/12/2024 £m Increase/ Decrease in Borrowing £m Short Term Borrowing 53.770 52.000 (56.486) 0.00 49.284 (4.486) Long Term Borrowing 980.762 0.000 0.00 0.00 980.762 0.000 TOTAL BORROWING 1,034.532 52.000 (56.486) 0.00 1,030.046 (4.486) 7 59
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5.3. Short term borrowing reflects borrowing which will mature in the coming year, or where the debt can be recalled in the coming year. 5.4. In 2012/2013, HM Treasury introduced a “certainty rate” to enable eligible local authorities to access cheaper PWLB funding, with a 20 basis point (0.20%) reduction on the standard rate. South Lanarkshire Council has access to this reduced rate. 5.5. The Council has an expected funding requirement of £142.217 million for 2024/2025. 5.6. The Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources), under delegated powers, will continue to take the most appropriate form of borrowing depending on the prevailing interest rates at the time, taking into consideration the differential between investment earnings and debt costs that remains high. 5.7. No long term borrowing has been taken so far in the current financial year as interest rate forecasts show an expectation that rates will decrease over the next two to three years. Instead, short term borrowing has been taken to ensure that the Council has sufficient cash available to meet its Revenue and Capital expenditure requirements. 5.8. As shown in Table 1, total borrowing of £1,030.046m as at 31 December remains below both the Capital Financing Requirement and Authorised Limit for Debt for 2024/2025, as reported to and approved by South Lanarkshire Council on 21 February 2024. This is outlined further in Section 9. 6. Investment Activity 6.1. On a daily basis, the Treasury Management section within Finance and Corporate Resources manages the Council’s cash balances. These balances can result from day-to-day cash flow situations where income has been received before expenditure has taken place, and from the balances held in earmarked reserves for use at a later date. It is the responsibility of the section to manage these funds. The primary consideration when making deposits is the security of funds. Secondary to this, consideration is given to ensuring we have access to funds when necessary, and that these funds are working as well as they can for the Council. 6.2. The Prudential Indicators, Treasury Management Strategy and Annual Investment Strategy Report for 2024/2025 was approved by South Lanarkshire Council on 21 February 2024. This included details of permitted investments for the Council. 6.3. Prior to depositing funds with any bank or building society, checks are made with the Council’s treasury adviser, Link Asset Services, that the institution is considered safe and that any deposit conforms to their recommended time duration as determined by their Rating Methodology. This methodology uses credit ratings, rating watches and outlooks and credit default swap (CDS) prices to establish a suggested time duration for deposits. 6.4. Deposits made in the period 1 April 2024 to 31 December 2024 totalled £1,265.472 million. This is the cumulative deposits placed over this period. This is broken down per sector and institution in Table 2. 85.11% of these deposits were made with the UK Government through the Debt Management Office (DMO) deposit facility. 60
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6.5. In order to manage their cash flow over the short term, local authorities, as part of normal treasury management activity, will place money on deposit with other local authorities. Deposits placed with other local authorities account for 9.09% of deposits. The remaining 5.80% was placed in instant access call accounts with Bank of Scotland. Table 2 – Investment Activity 1 April 2024 to 31 December 2024 Counterparty Deposit Totals (£m) % of Total Deposits Average Interest Rate Deposits in UK Government Debt Management Account Deposit Facility 1,077.100 85.11% 5.02% Total Deposits in UK Government 1,077.100 85.11% 5.02% Deposits in UK Local Authorities 115.000 9.09% 5.12% Deposits in UK Banks and Building Societies: Bank of Scotland 73.372 5.80% 5.00% Total Deposits in UK Banks and Building Societies 73.372 5.80% 5.00% Total Deposits 01/04/2024 to 31/12/2024 1,265.472 100.00% 5.03% 6.6. The average interest rates achieved from the deposits are also shown in Table 2. Interest rates achievable for deposits have been decreasing since the base rate was first cut in August 2024. There is still a differential between these and the rates at which the Council can borrow. 6.7. Actual deposits as at 31 December 2024 totalled £30.446 million. 7. Management of Risk 7.1. It is recognised that no Treasury Management activity is without risk and practices are put in place in order to limit risk. As noted in section 6.2, the Treasury Management Strategy was approved in February 2024 and set a framework for Treasury Management activities in 2024/2025. It also set limits on debt and investments in order to mitigate risks. 7.2. The Annual Investment Strategy for 2024/2025, also approved in February 2024, included details on how risk would be managed for all permitted investments. This included criteria for placing deposits with the Debt Management Office (DMO), UK Local Authorities, Banks and Building Societies and Money Market Funds. 7.3. Part of the criteria for counterparties is meeting minimum credit ratings with the three main rating agencies. A credit rating evaluates the credit worthiness of an organisation. It is an evaluation made by a credit rating agency of the organisation’s ability to pay back the debt and the likelihood of default. 61
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7.4. Tables 3 to 5 show a breakdown of deposits with details of the credit ratings of banks and building societies used from 1 April 2024 to 31 December 2024. Deposits with the DMO are with the UK Government and so have a rating equivalent to the UK’s sovereign rating. Deposits with local authorities are considered to be of very high credit quality. Table 3 – Fitch Ratings Long Term Rating Short Term Rating Deposits Totals Percentage of Total Deposits Deposits with DMO / UK Government (AA-) 1,077.100m 85.11% Deposits with Local Authorities 115.000m 9.09% AA- F1+ 18.004m 1.42% A+ F1 55.368m 4.38% Total 1,265.472m 100.00% Table 4 – Moody’s Ratings Long Term Rating Short Term Rating Deposits Totals Percentage of Total Deposits Deposits with DMO / UK Government (Aa3) 1,077.100m 85.11% Deposits with Local Authorities 115.000m 9.09% A1 P-1 73.372m 5.80% Total 1,265.472m 100.00% Table 5 – Standard and Poor’s Ratings Long Term Rating Short Term Rating Deposits Totals Percentage of Total Deposits Deposits with DMO / UK Government (AA) 1,077.100m 85.11% Deposits with Local Authorities 115.000m 9.09% A+ A-1 73.372m 5.80% Total 1,265.472m 100.00% 7.5. The tables above show that 94.20% of deposits were made with counterparties of very high credit quality (DMO/UK Government and other local authorities). The remaining 5.80% were deposits in instant access accounts with Bank of Scotland. 7.6. The graph at Appendix 1 shows the duration of deposits made from 1 April 2024 to 31 December 2024. The graph shows that, since 1 April 2024, all deposits have been made for 1 year or less. The maximum maturity period of 113 days was for a deposit of £10.000 million to a local authority. 8. Next Quarter Investment Plans 8.1. The current investment framework will be continued in the next quarter. Deposits will continue to be placed with the institutions where their ratings are consistent with the Council’s approved criteria. Deposits will also continue to be placed with the DMO and UK local authorities. 8.2. Treasury Bills will be used when they return a higher yield than deposits in the DMO for the same, very low risk. 62
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8.3. We will continue to work with our Treasury Management Advisers, Link, to ensure we gain all information available on counterparties before any deposits are made. 9. Treasury Management Indicators 9.1. The purpose of these indicators is to contain the activity of the treasury function within certain limits, thereby managing risk and reducing the impact of an adverse movement in interest rates. However, if these are set to restrictive limits, they will impair the opportunities to reduce costs/improve performance. The indicators are detailed in sections 9.2 to 9.5. 9.2. Limits for External Debt: The operational and authorised limits for external debt for 2024/2025 were set in the Prudential Indicators, Treasury Management Strategy and Annual Investment Strategy 2024/2025 approved by South Lanarkshire Council on 21 February 2024. These are shown in Table 6, along with a column showing the difference between the actual debt level and the limits (headroom). Table 6 – Limits for External Debt Estimate as per 2024/25 Strategy Minimum Headroom to Limits in period Headroom as at 31/12/2024 £m £m £m Operational Limit for external debt 1,410.000 375.468 379.954 Authorised Limit for external debt 1,430.000 395.468 399.954 9.3. The indicator shows that we have not breached the operational and authorised limits to 31 December 2024. There has been a minimum level of headroom of £395.468 million between actual and authorised level for external debt in the period to 31 December 2024. 9.4. Limits on Maturity Structure: By setting limits on the maturity structure of borrowing, the exposure to large concentrations of debt needing to be replaced at the same time in the future at currently unknown rates can be limited. This effectively places a limit on exposure to longer term interest rate movement. This is shown in Table 7. Table 7 – Limits on Maturity Structure Maturity Structure of Borrowing Upper Limit Lower Limit Maximum for period to 31/12/24 Actuals as at 31/12/24 Under 12 months 30% 0% 5.20% 4.78% 12 months and 24 months 40% 0% 12.11% 11.62% 24 months and 5 years 50% 0% 3.92% 3.76% 5 years and 10 years 60% 0% 21.41% 20.54% 10 years and 20 years 60% 0% 19.13% 18.35% 20 years and 30 years 70% 0% 15.36% 14.73% 30 years and 40 years 80% 0% 27.33% 26.22% 40 years and 50 years 90% 0% 0.00% 0.00% 50 years and above 90% 0% 0.00% 0.00% 63
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9.5. The indicator shows that the upper limits for all maturity profiles have not been breached to 31 December 2024. 10. Employee Implications 10.1. There are no employee implications. 11. Financial Implications 11.1. The current rate of interest receivable remains relatively low but has increased over recent months. Any deposit interest received offsets Loan Charges made to the Council’s Revenue budget. 11.2. The costs of borrowing for capital expenditure have been built into the long-term Revenue Budget Strategy. 12. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 12.1. There are no implications for climate change or sustainability in terms of the information contained in this report. 12.2. There is also no requirement to carry out an environmental impact assessment in terms of the information contained within this report. 13. Other Implications (Including Environmental and Risk Issues) 13.1. Section 7 of this report provides details of how investment risk is managed. 14. Integrated Impact Assessment and Consultation Requirements 14.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy and, therefore, no impact assessment is required. 14.2. There is no requirement to carry out any consultation in terms of the information provided in this report. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 6 January 2025 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Previous References Prudential Indicators, Treasury Management Strategy and Annual Investment Strategy 2024/2025, South Lanarkshire Council, 21 February 2024 Treasury Management Activity – 2024/2025 Second Quarter Review, Finance and Corporate Resources Committee, 30 October 2024 List of Background Papers None 64
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Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact: Lorraine O’Hagan, Head of Finance Ext: 5637 (Tel: 01698 455637) E-mail: lorraine.o’hagan@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 65
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Appendix 1 66
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 29 January 2025 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Finance and Corporate Resource Plan: Quarter 2 Progress Report 2024/2025 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide the Finance and Corporate Resource Plan Quarter 2 Progress Report 2024/2025, for the period 1 April 2024 to 30 September 2024 e] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [ (1) that the Finance and Corporate Resource Plan Quarter 2 Progress Report 2024/2025 as summarised in paragraph 5.2. and attached as Appendix 2 of this report, be noted; (2) that the key achievements made by the Resource to date, as detailed in paragraph 5.3. of this report, be noted; and (3) that the areas for improvement and associated management actions as detailed in paragraph 5.4. of this report, be noted. 3. Background 3.1. The Finance and Corporate Resource Plan 2024/2025 was approved by this Committee on 22 May 2024 and sets out the outcomes, measures and actions to be managed and delivered by the Resource for the financial year 2024/2025. 3.2. The Resource Plan follows the agreed corporate structure and style. The Plan is a key element of the Council’s performance management arrangements and provides details of the context within which the Resource operates and establishes actions and measures for the year ahead based on the Outcomes set out in the Council Plan Connect 2022 to 2027. 4. Resource Outcomes 2024/2025 4.1. The Resource has established a number of outcomes to support the delivery of the Connect Outcomes in 2024/2025. These are detailed at Appendix 1. 5. Quarter 2 Progress Report 2024/2025 5.1. Progress against all Resource Plan measures is contained in the Quarter 2 Progress Report 2024/2025, attached as Appendix 2. 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:- 8 67
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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 5.2. Measures which are classified as ‘red’ are considered in detail at section 5.4. of this report. The overall summary of progress to date is set out in the table below. Status Measures Statistical Project Total % Blue N/A 1 1 3% Green 16 11 27 72% Amber 3 0 3 8% Red 1 1 2 6% Report later/Contextual 0 4 4 11% Totals 20 17 37 100% (Data correct as at 29 Nov 2024) 5.3. Key achievements to date for 2024/2025 are noted below:- 5.3.1. Connect Outcome Communities and Environment Resource Outcome Achievement Individuals and communities in South Lanarkshire are engaged and able to participate in decision- making processes The Community Wish List has continued to thrive, with 48 Community Wishes received from a range of community groups across South Lanarkshire. 10 Wishes have been answered, with a range of financial donations, goods and materials, Christmas decorations, and food items, totalling £11,690. To date this financial year, the project has totalled over £21,000. Connect Outcome Education and Learning Resource Outcome Achievement No Resource Outcomes for this Connect Outcome Connect Outcome: Health and Wellbeing Resource Outcome Achievement No Resource Outcomes for this Connect Outcome 68
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Connect Outcome: Children and Young People Resource Outcome Achievement No Resource Outcomes for this Connect Outcome Connect Outcome: Housing and Land Resource Outcome Achievement No Resource Outcomes for this Connect Outcome Connect Outcome Our Economy Resource Outcome Achievement No Resource Outcomes for this Connect Outcome 5.3.2. In addition to working towards these Outcomes, we recognise that 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. Delivering the Plan and achieving Best Value Resource Outcome Achievement Customers experience high quality and improving council services Nothing to report this Quarter The council demonstrates high standards of governance and sound financial stewardship Audited Accounts were produced and received a clean audit certificate. These were approved for signature by the Risk and Audit Scrutiny Committee before the submission date of 30 September 2024. The workforce has the skills, flexibility and capacity to deliver the council’s priorities. During the period 1 April 2024 – 30 September 2024, SLC employees completed 35,326 eLearning modules. In the same period, 3,675 employees attended 468 classroom- based events, and 624 employees attended 70 virtual online events. Digital and ICT service meet the needs of the council and its customers With assistance from the Local Government Improvement Service, the council developed an SLC-focused LGBF dashboard reflecting the council's strategic outcomes as set out in the Council Plan, Connect. Following presentation at the Performance and Review Scrutiny Forum (PRSF) on 28 May 2024, the dashboard was made available to the public via a link on the performance pages of the council's website. Oracle Fusion - HR and Payroll modules went live August 2024. 69
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5.4. Areas for improvement Measures that have been classified as ‘red’ (major slippage against timescale or shortfall against target) are noted below, together with the reason why and the management actions now being taken, where applicable. Delivering the plan and achieving Best Value Resource Outcome: Customers experience high quality and improving council services Measure Comments/Progress Action by Manager (where applicable) Money Matters Advice – to write off 20% of all debt dealt with by bankruptcy or creditor write offs This is a new reporting measure which was introduced in 2024-25. Performance to date has only reached 15.3%, short of the challenging 20% target. This is a new target set for 2024-25 with 20% based on the 23% that was achieved in 2022-23. The level of debt written off by creditors for clients is dependent on a variety of factors including the type of debt involved and the range of debt solutions available. Money Matters offer options on debt solutions to support the client and explain the implications of each, however the selection of any one solution is a decision for the client to take. Also, once a debt solution is selected, there can be a time delay between verifying the debt and a successful solution being implemented and this can also impact performance. Migrate to new Social Work Information system Positive progress has been made in the design, implementation and testing of the new system; however, data and test issues have been identified in key areas of the project which have resulted in significant pressures on the project plan. This has led to an unavoidable delay to the current planned implementation date and a project re- planning exercise is now taking place. Once the re-planning exercise concludes in October, a new implementation date will be proposed and agreed. Good progress continues to be made in the implementation and testing of the new system. There has been an increased use of functional resource to bolster capacity across the project, including an increased Steering Group and Project Board membership to further enhance stakeholder engagement. Following a comprehensive re-planning exercise that considered internal and external factors for a successfully go-live, such as year-end activities, a proposed revised go-live date of June 2025 has been agreed by the Project Review Board. 70
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5.5. Report later Measures in the quarterly progress reports which are not blue, red, amber or green can be assigned a status of ‘report later’ or ‘contextual’. A further analysis, introduced to aid scrutiny of performance, is to follow up the measures in these categories from the Quarter 4 2023/2024 report. There were no measures identified as ‘report later’ or ‘contextual’ in that report so no further action or analysis is required. 6. Employee Implications 6.1. The outcomes noted within the Resource Plan will inform the Service Action Plans, where applicable, and in turn the Performance Appraisal process for individual employees. 7. Financial Implications 7.1. The outcomes within the Resource Plan are reflected in the respective annual Resource 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. There are no climate change or environmental implications as a result of this report. 8.2. The Council acknowledges the serious and immediate threat of climate change and is committed to accelerating the pace of action in response to the climate emergency and in Scotland’s transition to a net-zero and climate resilient society and economy. All Resource Plans have recognised sustainable development and climate change as a key area of focus for 2024-25. 9. Other Implications 9.1. 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. 9.2. Resource Plan actions are assessed as part of the Resource’s risk management arrangements and relevant issues have been added to the Resource Risk Register. . 10. Integrated Impact Assessment and Consultation Requirements 10.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy and therefore no impact assessment is required. 10.2. There is also no requirement to undertake any consultation in terms of the information contained in this report. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 10 December 2024 Link(s) to Council Values/Outcomes/Priorities The Resource Plan has been structured upon the Vision, Values and Outcomes in the Council Plan Connect 2022 to 2027 71
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Previous References Finance and Corporate Resources Quarter 2 Progress Report 2023-24 List of Background Papers Council Plan Connect 2022 to 2027 – approved by the full Council on 15 June 2022 Finance and Corporate Resource Plan 2024/2025 – approved by Finance and Corporate Resources Committee on 22 May 2024 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 72
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Appendix 1 Finance and Corporate Resource Outcomes 2024-25 Connect Outcomes Resource Outcomes Communities and Environment • Individuals and communities in South Lanarkshire are engaged and able to participate in decision-making processes Education and Learning • No Resource Outcomes for this Connect Outcome Health and Wellbeing • No Resource Outcomes for this Connect Outcome Children and Young People • No Resource Outcomes for this Connect Outcome Housing and Land • No Resource Outcomes for this Connect Outcome Our Economy • No Resource Outcomes for this Connect Outcome Delivering the Plan and achieving Best Value • The council demonstrates high standards of governance and sound financial stewardship • Customers experience high quality and improving council services • The workforce has the skills, flexibility and capacity to deliver the council’s priorities • Digital and ICT services meet the needs of the council and its customers 73
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IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on 10 Dec 16:18 Quarter 2 : April 2024 - September 2024 South Lanarkshire Council Finance and Corporate Resources Resource Plan (This represents the cumulative position to September 2024) Performance Report 2024-25 8 75
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IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on 10 Dec 16:18 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 0 0 0 0 0 Education and Learning 0 0 0 0 0 Health and Wellbeing 0 0 0 0 0 Children and Young People 0 0 0 0 0 Housing and Land 0 0 0 0 0 Our Economy 0 0 0 0 0 Delivering the plan and achieving best value 16 3 1 0 20 Total 16 3 1 0 20 Page 1 76
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IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan Performance Indicators South Lanarkshire Council - Finance and Corporate Resources Delivering the plan and achieving best value The council demonstrates high standards of governance and sound financial stewardship Performance Indicators Comments/ Progress Status 2022/23 2023/242021/22Target To Date -------- Last 3 Years ------------------- This Year ----------- Pay invoices within the target of 28 days Payment of invoices continues to make steady progress since Oracle Fusion went live on 1 April: the Payables team continue to work closely with Resources to improve performance on invoice holds Amber 92.5% 91.0% 93.4% 91.7% 94.0% Percentage of income due from Council Tax received by the end of the year - in year (incl water) The annual Council Tax collection target for 2024/2025 has been set at 95.5%. Council Tax collection rate is currently 60.19%, ahead of target by 0.06% and ahead of comparable performance in 2023/24 by 0.07%. Green 95.50% 60.19% 95.54% 96.77% 95.70% % of Non Domestic rates income achieved Non Domestic rates collection is currently 48.7%, equal to the Q2 target. Green 97.5% 48.7% 97.5% 97.8% 97.8% Sundry Income collection To date, a collection rate of 97.5% has been achieved, equal to target. Green 97.5% 97.5% 98.1% 98.3% 96.9% Liquor licensing processing target - 97% within service targets Whilst the PI has not been met, performance has improved on a monthly basis, with July being 61%, August 84% and September 94%. We will continue to ensure that priority is given to urgent, time critical service requests. Amber 97.0% 79.0% 92.0% 96.0% 94.0% Registration processing target - 97.5% within service targets Whilst the PI target has not been met, performance has improved on a monthly basis, with July being 77%, August 77% and September 91%. We will continue to ensure that priority is given to urgent, time critical service requests. Amber 97.5% 89.0% 93.0% 99.0% 99.0% Citizenship processing target - 97.5% within service targets Target has been achieved Green 97.5% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Complaints processing target - 97.5% within service targets Target has been achieved Green 97.5% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% 100.0% Customers experience high quality and improving council services Performance Indicators Comments/ Progress Status 2022/23 2023/242021/22Target To Date -------- Last 3 Years ------------------- This Year ----------- Customer Service Centre - % of calls answered Target exceeded Green 90.00% 93.00% 93.00% 94.00% 91.00% Customer Service Centre – average queue time (in seconds) Target exceeded Green 300 212 158 134 252 Benefits administration – average processing times for new Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction claims Processing times for new claims is currently 10 days, 4 days under target with annual target of 14 days expected to be achieved. Green 14 days 10 days 13 days 12 days 11 days Benefits administration – average processing times for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction change in circumstances Processing times for change in circumstances is currently 3 days, 1 day under target with annual target of 4 days expected to be achieved. Green 4 days 3 days ------ ------ 2 days Page 2 77
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IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan Performance Indicators South Lanarkshire Council - Finance and Corporate Resources IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan Performance Indicators South Lanarkshire Council - Finance and Corporate Resources IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan Performance Indicators South Lanarkshire Council - Finance and Corporate Resources IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan Performance Indicators South Lanarkshire Council - Finance and Corporate Resources IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan Performance Indicators South Lanarkshire Council - Finance and Corporate Resources IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan Performance Indicators South Lanarkshire Council - 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Finance and Corporate Resources IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan Performance Indicators South Lanarkshire Council - Finance and Corporate Resources IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan Performance Indicators South Lanarkshire Council - Finance and Corporate Resources IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan Performance Indicators South Lanarkshire Council - Finance and Corporate Resources IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan Performance Indicators South Lanarkshire Council - Finance and Corporate Resources IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan Performance Indicators South Lanarkshire Council - Finance and Corporate Resources IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan Performance Indicators South Lanarkshire Council - Finance and Corporate Resources IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan Performance Indicators South Lanarkshire Council - Finance and Corporate Resources IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan Performance Indicators South Lanarkshire Council - Finance and Corporate Resources IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan Performance Indicators South Lanarkshire Council - Finance and Corporate Resources IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan Performance Indicators South Lanarkshire Council - Finance and Corporate Resources Delivering the plan and achieving best value Customers experience high quality and improving council services Performance Indicators Comments/ Progress Status 2022/23 2023/242021/22Target To Date -------- Last 3 Years ------------------- This Year ----------- Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction – accuracy of processing Accuracy performance is currently 95.3%, exceeding the target. Green 94.5% 95.3% 94.4% 97.1% 95.8% Scottish Welfare Fund – average processing times for Crisis Grants Processing times for Crisis Grants is currently equal to target. Green 2 days 2 days 2 days 2 days 2 days Scottish Welfare Fund – average processing times for Community Care grants Processing times for Community Care Grants is currently under target by 2 working days. Green 15 days 13 days 16 days 13 days 17 days Money Matters Advice – customer service - % cases responded to within 5 days of initial customer contact high percentage of client's continue to receive advice or emergency intervention at contact and where more expert advice required we are contacting within the 5 working day target. Response times remain on course to achieve this target. Green 95.00% 98.60% ------ ------ 98.00% Money Matter Advice – to write off 20% of all debt dealt with by bankruptcy or creditor write offs (New) This is a new target set for 2024-25 with 20% based on the 23% that was achieved in 2022-23. The level of debt written off by creditors for clients is dependent on a variety of factors including the type of debt involved and the range of debt solutions available. Money Matters offer options on debt solutions to support the client and explain the implications of each, however the selection of any one solution is a decision for the client to take. Also, once a debt solution is selected, there can be a time delay between verifying the debt and a successful solution being implemented and this can also impact performance. Red 20.0% 15.3% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Money Matters Advice – 85% of all claims for benefits to be successful (New) On target to achieve this by year end Green 85.0% 88.2% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Complete food and fuel bank referrals within 24 hours of request (New) Efforts to maintain this target remain high against increasing call volumes. Green 95.0% 99.2% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Make Financial Wellbeing Support Fund (FWSF) Cash First payments within 24 hours of request (New) On target to achieve by year end Green 95.0% 97.4% 0.0% 0.0% 0.0% Page 3 78
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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 0 5 0 0 0 5 Education and Learning 0 0 0 0 0 0 Health and Wellbeing 0 0 0 0 0 0 Children and Young People 0 0 0 0 0 0 Housing and Land 0 0 0 0 0 0 Our Economy 0 0 0 0 0 0 Delivering the plan and achieving best value 1 6 0 1 4 12 Total 1 11 0 1 4 17 Page 4 79
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IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan actions and measures South Lanarkshire Council - Finance and Corporate Resources Communities and Environment Individuals and communities in South Lanarkshire are engaged and able to participate in decision-making processes Action Measures Comments/ Progress Status Increase routes for communities to participate in decision making and priority setting Increase activity around our Place Based Participatory Budgeting programme in priority neighbourhoods Participatory budgeting (PB) activity has been undertaken in nine neighbourhood planning areas, leading to the investment of £160,000 from South Lanarkshire Council and the UK Governments Shared Prosperity fund. 8,359 residents took part in public votes allocating funds and investing in 49 community led projects. Green Increase the number of communities with their own community-led neighbourhood plans Nine neighbourhood plans are in place and being delivered upon. One new plan for Whitehills in East Kilbride is in development. Green Implement new approaches to community involvement in decision making such as a community Wishlist approach to community benefits The Community Wish List has continued to thrive, with 48 Community Wishes received from a range of community groups across South Lanarkshire. 10 Wishes have been answered, with a range of financial donations, goods and materials, Christmas decorations, and food items, totalling £11,690. to date this financial year, the project has totaled over £21,000. Green Take forward IT strategic developments Complete procurement exercise to identify partner to meet SLC Digital Connectivity requirements, including improved availability and affordability of broadband and 4G/5G mobile services across the council area Revised business case developed and under consideration. Green Develop action plan on Digital Inclusion as key stakeholder of the Digital Inclusion sub-group. Digital inclusion subgroup terms of reference revised and action plan agreed for 2024-25. Green Delivering the plan and achieving best value The council demonstrates high standards of governance and sound financial stewardship Action Measures Comments/ Progress Status Lead financial planning and reporting for the council Financial Strategy to be agreed by June 2024 The Council's Revenue Budget Strategy for 2025/2026 to 2027/2028 was approved by the Council's Executive Committee on 26 June 2024. This will be updated during the year as required. Green Budget proposals to be considered by members by December 2024 A Members' Seminar and Budget Strategy update to Executive Committee are scheduled for November where savings proposals will be presented for consideration. Report Later Page 5 80
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IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan actions and measures South Lanarkshire Council - Finance and Corporate Resources IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan actions and measures South Lanarkshire Council - Finance and Corporate Resources IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan actions and measures South Lanarkshire Council - Finance and Corporate Resources IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan actions and measures South Lanarkshire Council - Finance and Corporate Resources IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan actions and measures South Lanarkshire Council - Finance and Corporate Resources IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan actions and measures South Lanarkshire Council - 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Finance and Corporate Resources IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan actions and measures South Lanarkshire Council - Finance and Corporate Resources IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan actions and measures South Lanarkshire Council - Finance and Corporate Resources IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan actions and measures South Lanarkshire Council - Finance and Corporate Resources IMPROVe - SLC Performance Management System Report printed on Tuesday 10 December 2024 Resource Plan actions and measures South Lanarkshire Council - Finance and Corporate Resources Delivering the plan and achieving best value The council demonstrates high standards of governance and sound financial stewardship Action Measures Comments/ Progress Status Budget agreed by March 2025 Work is ongoing to meet the Budget Setting deadline of March 2025. Report Later Capital programme for 2025-26 to be agreed by March 2025 Work has commenced on drafting a capital programme for 2025/2026, with a view to presenting this to members for approval by March 2025. Report Later Take forward IT strategic developments To further develop SLC’s approach to and engagement with the LGBF, create a be-spoke version of the Local Government Improvement Service LGBF dashboard to enhance the analysis and presentation of LGBF results. With assistance from the Improvement Service, the council developed an SLC-focused LGBF dashboard reflecting the council's strategic priorities as set out in the Council Plan, Connect. Following presentation at the PRSF on 28 May 2024, the dashboard was made available to the public via a link on the performance pages of the council's website. Complete Customers experience high quality and improving council services Action Measures Comments/ Progress Status Provide effective and responsive customer services Continuous improvement in the provision and uptake of digital customer contact options Improvement Group has not yet commenced Report Later Monitor the progress of transformation projects through reporting framework to CMT Report progress of transformational projects regularly to CMT Project has concluded the first cycle of transformational reviews through the CMT framework, to agree and deliver proposed savings to the 2025-26 Budget. The project remains ongoing, with further transformational reviews being reported on throughout 2024-25. Green Digital and ICT services meet the needs of the council and its customers Action Measures Comments/ Progress Status Take forward IT strategic developments Migrate to new Integrated Housing and Property Management system Project remains on track for go live early 2025. Green Page 6 81
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Green Migrate to new Social Work Information system Positive progress has been made in the design, implementation and testing of the new system, however data and test issues have been identified in key areas of the project which have resulted in significant pressures on the project plan. This has led to an unavoidable delay to the current planned implementation date and a project re-planning exercise is now taking place. Once the re-planning exercise concludes a new implementation date will be proposed and agreed. Red Migrate all analogue telephony services to technology to align with Ofcom 2025 switch off Project remains on track. Green Migrate to new Fusion platform, Oracle’s cloud-based Human Resources (HR) and Finance solution. HR and Payroll modules went live August 2024. Green Page 7 82
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 29 January 2025 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Revenue Collection and Approval for Write Offs 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- advise Committee of Revenue Collection performance for financial year 2024/2025 to 30 November 2024 advise Committee of the position regarding the Non Domestic Rates Incentivisation Scheme (NDRIS) for financial year 2024/2025 seek approval for write offs 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- (1) that performance in the collection of revenue be noted; (2) that the current position in respect of NDRIS be noted; and (3) that write offs for the following be approved:- Council Tax £137,887.68 Non-Domestic Rates £362,563.33 BID Levy £1,794.44 Sundry Debt £20,759.45 Housing Rent and associated charges £975,564.29 3. Background 3.1. Responsibility for the collection of Council Tax, Non-Domestic Rates (NDR) and Sundry Debt is the responsibility of Finance and Corporate Resources. This report and the attached appendix provide information on collection performance and proposals for write off. 4. Current Collection Performance 4.1. The first table in Appendix 1 presents the collection performance for Council Tax, NDR and Sundry Debts for financial year 2024/2025. 4.2. The annual Council Tax collection target for 2024/2025 has been set at 95.5%. Council Tax collection is currently 79.17%, ahead of target by 0.10% and ahead of comparable performance in 2023/2024 by 0.11%. 4.3. Council Tax performance is reported nationally on a line by line basis, which adjusts for the impact of Scottish Water billing and collection. For information, the equivalent level of Council Tax collection at 30 November 2024 when Scottish Water debts are removed is 79.69%. 9 83
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4.4. A Non-Domestic Rates (NDR) collection target of 97.5% has been set for 2024/2025. NDR collection is currently 66.6%, equal to target and behind comparable performance in 2023/2024 by 1.4%. The reduction in comparable performance is due to the profile of payments received in comparison with the same period last year. 4.5. The 2024/2025 annual target for Sundry Debt collection has been set at 97.5%. Sundry Debt collection to 30 November 2024 was 97.8%, ahead of target by 0.3%.and ahead of comparable performance in 2023/2024 by 0.7%. 5. Arrears Collection Performance 5.1. Arrears collection performance for Council Tax, NDR and Sundry Debt is presented in the second table of Appendix 1. 5.2. The 2024/2025 arrears annual target for Council Tax has been set at £3.000 million, with collection to 30 November 2024 of £2.857 million, ahead of target by £0.593 million (19.8%) and ahead of comparable performance in 2023/2024 by £0.621 million. 5.3. The 2024/2025 arrears target for NDR has been set at £2.000 million, with collection to 30 November 2024 of £3.052 million, ahead of target by £1.132 million (56.6%) and ahead of comparable performance in 2023/2024 by £1.082 million. 5.4. The 2024/2025 arrears target for Sundry Debt has been set at £10.153 million, with collection to 30 November 2024 of £7.563 million, behind target by £1.118 million and behind comparable performance in 2023/2024 by £0.962 million. 6. Non Domestic Rates Incentivisation Scheme 6.1. The Non Domestic Rates Incentivisation Scheme (NDRIS), formally known as the Business Rates Incentivisation Scheme is a Scottish Government initiative to incentivise growth of the local business tax base, with a view to increasing NDR income yields. 6.2. The Scottish Government sets annual targets for growth (buoyancy) and Councils who achieve their target retain 50% of the additional income generated above the target. The buoyancy target is a measure of the increase in the total rateable value of the non-domestic properties on the Valuation Roll (including certain categories of public undertakings). 6.3. The provisional annual buoyancy target for South Lanarkshire Council in 2024/2025 has been set by the Scottish Government at 0.9%. This is a measure of the increase in the total rateable value of the non-domestic properties on the Valuation Roll (including certain categories of public undertakings). 6.4. Performance against the NDRIS target will be reported to Committee on a quarterly basis. Buoyancy to the end of December 2024, was 0.76%. 6.5. The tax base must achieve growth of more than 0.14% during the last quarter of the financial year to secure additional income under the scheme. 7. Proposals for Write Off 7.1. Approval for write off of the following irrecoverable debts is requested from Committee. The Council has the power to write off accounts where the debtor is deceased, sequestrated, in liquidation or the debt is prescribed or where the debt is deemed uneconomical to pursue. 84
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7.2. The proposed write off of Council Tax accounts dating from 1993/1994 to 2024/2025 totals £137,887.68 relating mainly to prescribed debt, sequestrations and estates of the deceased. 7.3. The value of accounts currently marked for write off in the Non-Domestic Rates system from rating years 2022/2023 to 2024/2025 totals £362,563.33. These debts are deemed to be irrecoverable because the debtor is in liquidation, has ceased trading or has been sequestrated. 7.4. Approval is sought for the write off of Business Improvement District (BID) Levies totalling £1,794.44, administered by the Council on behalf of the Hamilton, Carluke and Lanark BID companies. There is no financial impact on the Council for these write offs. 7.5. Following consultation and agreement with Resources, the proposed write off of Sundry Debt totals £20,759.45. Appendix 2 provides a breakdown of the proposed write-off over categories. 7.6. Approval is sought for the write off of former tenant rent arrears of £960,143.89 (including bulk write offs for financial year 2024/2025 for temporary accommodation), factoring arrears of £2,838.29 and Housing Benefit Overpayments of £12,582.11. 7.7. A full list of all debts proposed for write off is held by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). 8. Employee Implications 8.1. None. 9. Financial Implications 9.1. Provision has been made for the financial impact of all write offs. 10. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 10.1. There are no direct climate change, sustainability and natural environment implications arising from this report. 11. Other Implications 11.1. The main risk associated with the Council’s revenue collection is a failure to monitor collection rates and take effective corrective action where required, resulting in a significant reduction in collection performance and Council funding. The risk is managed through monthly performance reporting and review of performance at monthly Senior Management Meetings. 11.2. There are no implications for sustainability in terms of the information contained in this report. 12. Integrated Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 12.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy and therefore no impact assessment is required. 85
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12.2. There is also no requirement to undertake any consultation in terms of the information contained in the report. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 8 January 2025 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Ambitious, self-aware and improving Previous References Finance and Corporate Resources Committee - 30 October 2024 List of Background Papers System Reports from Council Tax, Non-Domestic Rates, Sundry Debt and Academy Housing Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Craig Fergusson, Head of Finance (Transactions) Ext: 4951 (Tel: 01698 454951) E-mail: craig.fergusson@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 86
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Appendix 1 SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL REVENUES COLLECTION FOR PERIOD ENDING 30 NOVEMBER 2024 Annual Budget Cash Target Actual Variance % Variance Budget to 30/11/24 to 30/11/24 to 30/11/24 to Notes £000's £000's £000's £000's annual budget FINANCIAL YEAR 2024/2025 Council Tax 156,920 129,760 129,918 158 over 0.10% Non-Domestic Rates 387,085 264,409 264,267 (142) under 0.0% Sundry Debt 110,356 110,356 110,715 359 over 0.3% ARREARS Council Tax 3,000 2,264 2,857 593 over 19.8% Non-Domestic Rates 2,000 1,920 3,052 1,132 over 56.6% Sundry Debt 10,153 8,681 7,563 (1,118) under -11.0% 87
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Appendix 2 BREAKDOWN OF PROPOSED SUNDRY DEBT WRITE-OFF Resource Service No. of Accounts Value (£) Housing & Technical Estates 17 11,540.29 Social Work Residential / Non-Residential 3 2.627.22 Community and Enterprise Care of Gardens / Bereavement 2 519.47 Education Education General 9 2,862.26 Finance & Corporate Housing Benefit Overpayments / Buildings Insurance / Sundry Income 5 3,210.21 Total 36 20,759.45 88
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 29 January 2025 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Consultation on a Proposal to Increase Scottish Social Services Council Registration Fees 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of this report is to:- provide an update on the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) consultation on the proposal to increase registration fees provide an update on the Council’s response to the consultation 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to note the following recommendation(s):- (1) that the response submitted to the SSSC on 23 December 2024 as detailed in Appendix 1 be noted. 3. Background 3.1. The Scottish Government established the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) in 2001, as the regulator for the social work, social care and children and young people workforce in Scotland. The role of the SSSC is to protect the public by registering this workforce, setting standards for their practice, conduct, training and education and by supporting their professional development. Where people fall below the standards of practice and conduct, SSSC can investigate and take action. 3.2. SSSC registration is required for social workers, social work students and most roles in social care and children and young people services across Scotland. The Council currently has around 3,583 employees who require SSSC registration within Social Work Resources, Education Resources and Housing and Technical Resources. In line with the requirements, new employees must hold the appropriate qualification for their post and complete the registration process within 3 months of their appointment. Thereafter employees require to re-register every 3 to 5 years and complete an annual declaration. Failure to comply with the registration requirements results in employees being removed from the register. 3.3. As part of the 2022 SJC pay award, it was confirmed by CoSLA that SSSC fees would no longer be paid by employees who required this registration for their jobs, the fees would instead be covered by Scottish Government. On this basis there are no direct cost implications for the Council or its employees in relation to the proposal to incrementally increase the SSSC registration fees. However, this change will have an impact on private sector organisations and their employees who currently deliver services on behalf of the Council. The impact of this change could result in a 10 89
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barrier to a career in social care or early years (education), either within the Council or external partners, at a time when authorities are working to enhance routes into social care as a career and rely on partners to deliver services. 4. Consultation on the proposed changes to the fees 4.1. SSSC registration fees were last reviewed and increased in 2017. As a result of feedback from this consultation, it was agreed that a longer-term plan for increasing fees incrementally would be put in place; this consultation was due to start in 2020 but was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. 4.2. This consultation sought views on proposals to increase SSSC registration fees and ran for a period of 12 weeks commencing on 30 September 2024 to 23 December 2024. The SSSC will consider the responses and decide on any increase. Their decision will then go to the Minister to consider and if an increase is approved, fees are likely to increase from 1 April 2025. 4.3. The proposal stated that SSSC fees will increase by a small amount every year for 5 years, in line with the feedback from the 2016 consultation as shown in the table below. The consultation proposed an annual increase in fees ranging from a maximum of £8 for social workers, managers and care inspectorate inspectors through to £2 for social work students. With tax relief, the increase for basic rate taxpayer registered as a social worker or manager will be £6.40 per year. Role Current fee 2025-26 2026-27 2027-28 2028-29 2029-30 Social worker/manager (£8 annual increase) £85 £88 £96 £104 £112 £120 Supervisor/practitioner (£4 annual increase) £35 £39 £43 £47 £51 £55 Support worker (£3 annual increase) £25 £28 £31 £34 £37 £40 Social work student (£2 annual increase) £15 £17 £19 £21 £23 £25 5. South Lanarkshire Council Response 5.1. In preparing the response to the consultation, views were sought from across Personnel Services, Education Resources and Social Work Resources and the council’s response to each aspect of the consultation, is detailed in Appendix 1 and covers the key areas detailed below: The Council is concerned that any fees increase will have unintended consequences across a variety of sectors, such as recruiting and retaining entrants into social care and children’s services roles and the potential negative impact on private organisations delivering services on behalf of the Council. 6. Next Steps 6.1. The consultation was submitted by the closing date. The SSSC has advised that the consultation will aim to inform amendments to the fees structure which will be implemented from 1 April 2025. An update will be provided to Committee once this is known. 7. Employee implications 7.1. There are no employee implications associated with this report. 90
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8. Financial implications 8.1. There are no current financial implications associated with this report. 9. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 9.1. There are no climate change, sustainability or environment implications arising from this report. 9.2. This report does not currently introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function or policy. 10. Other Implications 10.1. There will be no direct impact to the Council, however, the fees increase is likely to have an adverse financial impact on the organisations delivering services on behalf of the Council. 11. Integrated Impact Assessments and Consultation Arrangements 11.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, and therefore no impact assessment is required. 11.2. The trade unions will be advised of this consultation at the at the next JTUC Executive meeting. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 8 January 2025 Links to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Fair, open and sustainable Improve life and prospects for everyone Ensuring inclusion, equity and equality Focused on people and their needs Working with and respecting others Excellent employer Previous References None List of Background Papers None Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Michelle Milne, Head of Personnel Services Ext:4330 (Tel: 01698 454330) E-mail: michelle.milne@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 91
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Appendix 1 South Lanarkshire Council full response to the SSSC consultation 1. To what extent do you agree that the proposed fee increase is reasonable? Please select on a scale of 1 to 5 where 1 is 'strongly disagree' and 5 is 'strongly agree'. 1 2 3 4 5 Response: The Council recognises that SSSC registration fees have not increased since 2017 and that incremental changes are proposed to limit the impact. It is also recognised that it is appropriate that arrangements are reviewed, however it is important that any new fee structure does not have unintended consequences. The wider care and education sectors also awaits confirmation of the proposed change to the fees and fee structure relating to PVG checks. Increasing SSSC fees within the same time window as this change is due to take effect is therefore likely to contribute to the pressures within an already stretched sector. These pressures include significant financial constraints as well as recruitment and retention issues as detailed below. Specific consideration should be actively taken to mitigate the impact of these issues. An increase to registration fees could: • Deter entrants into low paid social care and children’s services roles • Reduce the number of students in courses leading to qualifications in regulated professions where SSSC registration membership is required to undertake work placements as part of the course, resulting in a shortage of new entrants to these professions • Place the costs of safeguarding provisions on workers in lower paid jobs • Result in providers of commissioned services, particularly in social care and early years team, questioning whether their business remains sustainable and causing them to withdraw from the sector with consequential procurement and service delivery impacts for councils and/or health and social care partnerships • There is the potential that an increase in fees could been seen as a barrier to a career in social care for external partners, at a time when authorities are working to enhance routes into social care as a career • There is the potential that an increase in fees could been seen as a barrier to a career in Early Years. 2. Rather than one large increase we are proposing to raise the registration fees by increasing each fee by a small amount each year for five years from 1 April 2025/26 to 31 March 2030. For example, taking this approach would mean that the fee for support workers would go up by £3 per year for five years. Do you support increasing the fee by a small amount each year for five years? Yes No Response: Given the current financial challenges, the Council does not agree that costs should be increased, however we do acknowledge that the proposed incremental approach over a 5-year period supports the intention to limit the 92
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impact on individuals who require to register. It is also acknowledged that the sliding scale of costs is designed to limit the cost impact on the lowest paid workers in scope. 3. Do you have an alternative option you would like us to consider? Response: No 4. We are proposing to keep the differences between the fee levels for the different parts of the Register. We do this to take account of the different salaries between roles in this sector and so that those on lower salaries pay less. To what extent do you agree with this approach? Please select on a scale of 1 to 5, where 1 is 'strongly disagree' and 5 is 'strongly agree' 1 2 3 4 5 Response: The Council disagrees in principle that costs for SSSC registration should increase, however if the change goes ahead, we are supportive that the proposed approach is designed to limit the impact on the lowest paid workers. 5. What, if any, do you see as the main equality related issues that you feel could arise from the proposals set out in this consultation? Response: The proposals impact on the lower paid, such as young professionals who may be more likely to be at the start of their career. ,. If fees have an impact on the numbers working in these service areas, it could reduce the availability of health, care and education services and have a disproportionate impact on the most vulnerable members of society such as older adults, young people and children in addition to those with complex needs or a disability. 93
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 29 January 2025 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Early Retirement, Voluntary Severance and Switch 2 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] advise on activity related to early retirements, voluntary severances, re- employment of early retirees and re-deployments during the period 1 April 2024 to 30 September 2024 [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s): [recs] (1) that the early retirements, voluntary severances, re-employment of early retirees, and redeployment of employees on the Switch 2 register during the period 1 April 2024 to 30 September 2024 be noted. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. The Council analyses the number and associated costs of employees being released through early retirement and voluntary severance. This report provides information on the Council’s position for the 6-month period 1 April 2024 to 30 September 2024. 4. Current Position Early Retirements (Efficiency of the Service/Voluntary Redundancy) and Voluntary Severance 4.1. During the period, no early retirements on the grounds of efficiency of the service; voluntary redundancy or voluntary severance were granted. This represents no change compared to the previous 6-month period. 4.2. The re-employment of those who have been granted early retirement is monitored and approved centrally within Personnel Services. During the 6-month period, no requests for re-employment were made and this represents no change when compared to the previous 6-month period. 5. Early Retirements – Ill Health 5.1. The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) regulations allow for 2 tiers of ill health retirement in situations where the member’s ill-health or infirmity of mind or body renders them permanently incapable of discharging efficiently the duties of their current employment. Tier 1 relates to members with no reasonable prospect of obtaining gainful employment before their state pension age. Tier 2 relates to members with a reasonable prospect of obtaining gainful employment before their state pension age. 11 95
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5.2. The Scottish Teachers Pension Scheme (STPS) similarly has 2 levels of ill health retirement: total incapacity benefits and partial incapacity benefits. Total incapacity benefit relates to members who are permanently unable to teach and assessed as having their ability to carry out any work impaired by more than 90% and this is likely to be permanent in the future. Partial incapacity benefit relates to members who are permanently unable to teach but able to undertake other employment. 5.3. During the 6-month period, 27 of the 57 ill health retirement requests made, were granted under the provisions of tier 1 and tier 2 of the Local Government and Scottish Teachers’ Pension Schemes. Thirty applications resulted in no award being granted. 5.4. In terms of early retirement on the grounds of ill-health, there are no capitalisation costs to the Council. During the 6-month period, the following ill-health retirements were approved: Resource No. of Early Retirements on ill health grounds Community and Enterprise 10 Education/ Housing and Technical 5 Social Work 12 Total 27 5.5. During the period 1 April 2024 to 30 September 2024, the number of ill health retirements granted decreased by 19 compared to the same period last year. This decrease is due to the reduction of the number of employees with serious medical conditions who met the criteria for ill health retirement. 5.6. Annual Trend Analysis Annual Period 1/4/20- 31/3/21 1/4/21- 31/3/22 1/4/22- 31/3/23 1/4/2023- 31/3/24 1/4/2024- 30/9/24 No. of ill-health retirements 43 46 69 66 27* *Denotes 6-month period 5.7. Based on the ill health retirements awarded during the 6-month period, it is anticipated that the annual figure for 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 may be lower when compared with the same period last year. 6. Switch 2 6.1. Switch 2 is monitored and approved centrally within Personnel Services. During the 6-month period, 75 employees were redeployed to suitable alternative posts within the Council as follows:- Resource No. of employees No. of modern apprentices Total Council Wide 6 0 6 Social Work 67 2 69 TOTALS 73 2 75 96
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6.2. This is an increase of 58 when compared to the same period last year and all these employees have been placed into permanent roles. 6.3. Annual Trend Analysis Annual Period 1/4/20– 31/03/21 1/4/21– 31/03/22 1/4/22– 31/03/23 1/4/23- 31/3/24 1/4/24- 30/9/24 No. of Switch 2 matches 43 90 28 30 75* *Denotes 6-month period 6.4. Based on the number of redeployments during this 6-month period, the annual figure for 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 will increase compared to recent years. The increase in re-deployments relates primarily to the decommissioning of residential units within Adults and Older People Services. 7. Flexible Retirement 7.1. Phased retirement and winding down are options available to teachers in accordance with the STPS regulations. Flexible retirement is the option available to local government employees through the LGPS regulations. These options allow employees to access their pensions whilst they continue to work in a reduced capacity. In line with the Council’s flexible retirement policy, requests that result in a strain on the fund cost to the Council will not be granted. 7.2. Phased retirement, winding down and flexible retirement applications are approved and monitored centrally within Personnel Services. During the 6-month period, 71 requests were approved as detailed below with no cost to the Council. Resource No. of Flexible Retirements No. of Phased Retirements/ Winding Down Community and Enterprise 10 Education 13 19 Finance and Corporate 10 Housing and Technical 7 Social Work 12 Total 71 7.3. During the 6-month period, the average age of employees granted flexible retirement was 62 years, and this is unchanged when compared with the same period last year. 7.4. Flexible retirement refusals are monitored centrally within Personnel Services, Finance and Corporate Resources and no requests were declined during this period. 7.5. Annual Trend Analysis Annual Period 1/4/20 - 31/3/21 1/4/21- 31/3/22 1/4/22- 31/3/23 1/4/23- 31/3/24 1/4/24- 30/9/24 No. of Flexible Retirements 125 126 128 156 71* *Denotes 6-month period 97
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7.6. Based on the 71 requests received during the period, it is anticipated that the number of requests received from 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 are likely to decrease compared to the previous year. 8. Employee Implications 8.1. In respect of those employees refused ill-health retirement, incapability dismissals may have been considered. 9. Financial Implications 9.1. There were no leavers in the period 1 April 2024 to 30 September 2024 for which early retirement/severance costs were incurred. 10. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 10.1 There are no climate change, sustainability or environmental implications. 11. Other Implications 11.1. The early release of employees across the Council must be properly managed to minimise the risk of adversely impacting service levels through the loss of vital skills and experience. In accordance with agreed policies, the redeployment of employees through the Switch 2 process continues to be considered. 12. Integrated Impact Assessments and Consultation Arrangements 12.1 This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy and, therefore, no impact assessment is required. 12.2. All releases were in line with agreed policies and procedures therefore no further consultation was required. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 25 November 2024 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Excellent Employer Accountable, Effective, Efficient and Transparent Previous References Finance and Corporate Resources Committee 22 May 2024 List of Background Papers None Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact: - Danielle Lang, HR Business Manager (Operations) Ext: 4132 (Tel: 01698 454132) E-mail: Danielle.Lang@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 98
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 29 January 2025 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Notification of Contracts Awarded: 1 April to 30 September 2024 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide notification to Committee, in accordance with Standing Orders on Contracts, of contracts awarded by Finance and Corporate Resources during the period 1 April to 30 September 2024 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- (1) that details of the contracts awarded be noted. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. It is a requirement of Clauses 21.8 and 22.5 of the Standing Orders on Contracts that details of the acceptance of all tenders above £50,000 be reported retrospectively to the relevant Committee for noting, other than those under Clause 21.3 where the award is not the lowest in a price only tender, or costs exceed the approved financial provision. In these instances, a report is submitted to the appropriate Committee and subsequent authority to award is granted by that Committee. 4. Contract Awards 4.1. The details of contracts awarded for the period 1 April to 30 September 2024, on the basis of lowest offer and/or most economically advantageous offer submitted, is provided at Appendix 1. 5. Employee Implications 5.1. There are no employee implications arising from this report. 6. Financial Implications 6.1. Appropriate budget provision is in place for all contracts awarded. 7. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 7.1. There are no Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications arising from the information presented in this report. 12 99
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8. Other Implications 8.1. There are no direct risks or implications for sustainability in terms of the information contained in this report. 9. Integrated Impact Assessments and Consultation Arrangements 9.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy nor recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy and therefore, no impact assessment is required. 9.2. There is also no requirement to undertake any consultation in terms of the information contained in this report. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 4 December 2024 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Value: Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Previous Reference Finance and Corporate Resources Committee, 22 May 2024 List of Background Papers Standing Orders on Contracts Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Emma Smith, Corporate Procurement and Transactions Manager Ext: 5329 (Tel: 01698 455329) E-mail: emma.smith@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 100
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Appendix 1 Contracts Awarded by Finance and Corporate Resources over £50,000 in value Contract Reference Number Contract Description Provider name Value Start Date End Date Extension Date Award Date SLC/FC/23/025/A Supply and Delivery of Audio- Visual Equipment Learning Space Belfast Ltd, Irruptus Ltd T/A EIS, Mediascape Ltd, SSUK Ltd, AVMI Kinly Ltd £345,000 03-Apr-2024 02-Apr-2027 12-May- 2024 SLC/FC/23/028 Income Management System / Online Cashless Payments Civica UK Ltd £1,284,664 14-Sep-2024 13-Sep-2029 13-Sep-2031 13-Sep-2024 SLC/FC/23/033 Provision of a Shared Digital ARC Technology Solution Chubb Fire & Security Ltd £492,449 17-May-2024 16-May-2028 16-May-2029 19-May- 2024 SLC/FC/23/053 Supply and Delivery of Specialist Digital Paper Elliott Baxter & Company Ltd £280,000 10-Jun-2024 09-Jun-2027 09-Jun-2028 05-Jun-2024 SLC/FC/23/063 Council Tax Discount and Exemption Review Datatank Ltd £247,825 01-Apr-2024 31-Mar-2027 31-Mar-2029 17-Apr-2024 SLC/FC/23/094 Provision of Water and Waste Services Scottish Water Business Stream Ltd £14,000,000 01-Apr-2024 31-Mar-2027 31-Mar-2028 16-Apr-2024 SLC/FC/23/095 Software Solution for Grounds, Street Cleansing & Waste Services Computacenter (UK) Ltd £370,147 01-Oct-2024 30-Sep-2028 30-Sep-2029 29-Aug-2024 SLC/FC/23/103 Online Benefits Calculator Computacenter (UK) Ltd £66,477 01-Aug-2024 31-Jul-2026 31-Jul-2027 06-Sep-2024 SLC/FC/23/104 Provision of a Sundry Debtors System Civica UK Ltd £172,871 04-Aug-2024 03-Aug-2029 03-Aug-2034 24-Aug-2024 SLC/FC/23/111 Safety Management System including Auditing and Inspection Software Computacenter (UK) Ltd £141,654 19-Aug-2024 30-Sep-2029 14-Aug-2024 SLC/FC/23/114 Blue Badge Central Record and Badge Ordering Services Valtech Ltd £64,916 05-Aug-2024 04-Aug-2027 04-Aug-2029 16-Aug-2024 SLC/FC/23/118 Microsoft Enterprise Licensing Agreement Insight Direct (UK) Ltd £5,000,000 01-Jul-2024 30-Jun-2027 31-May- 2024 SLC/FC/23/126 Oracle - OCI IAM - Universal Credit Expansion Oracle Corporation UK Ltd £115,912 09-Apr-2024 17-May-2027 13-Apr-2024 SLC/FC/23/128 Desktop Client Devices HP Inc UK Limited £700,000 01-Sep-2023 31-Aug-2027 03-May- 2024 101
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SLC/FC/23/129 Mobile Client Devices HP Inc UK Limited £2,400,000 16-Aug-2021 15-Aug-2025 03-May- 2024 SLC/FC/24/025 Advice Pro Case Management Software - Money Matters Advanced Case Management Solutions £112,258 01-Oct-2023 30-Sep-2026 30-Sep-2027 24-Sep-2024 SLC/FC/24/027 Printing and Associated Services Multiple Suppliers £241,666 15-May-2024 31-Jul-2027 31-Jul-2028 15-May- 2024 SLC/FC/24/035 Oracle Fusion Implementation Oracle Corporation UK Ltd £73,658 25-Apr-2024 24-Oct-2024 03-May- 2024 SLC/FC/24/037 Technology Peripherals and Infrastructure Computacenter (UK) Ltd £558,000 10-Jun-2024 09-Jun-2026 09-Jun-2027 22-May- 2024 SLC/FC/24/042 Provision of Microsoft Support Services Softcat Plc £121,974 01-Jul-2024 30-Jun-2027 28-Jun-2024 SLC/FC/24/050 Support Services for Oracle Fusion Mastek Systems Company Ltd £600,000 09-Jul-2024 08-Jul-2026 08-Jul-2027 28-Jun-2024 SLC/FC/24/061 Recruitment Advertising and Public Information Notices Penna Plc £102,358 23-Sep-2024 22-Sep-2028 22-Sep-2029 16-Sep-2024 SLC/FC/24/064 Web Security Gateway Licences Computacenter (UK) Ltd £78,982 02-Oct-2024 01-Oct-2025 23-Sep-2024 SLC/PS/FINCOR/22/012 Provision of Access, Hand, Mobile and Small Plant Operators Training Framework Suppliers £480,000 17-Jun-2024 16-Jun-2028 25-Jun-2024 SLC/PS/FINCOR/22/158 SLC Website Hosting Jadu Creative Ltd £311,248 01-Apr-2024 31-Mar-2026 31-Mar-2027 28-Jun-2024 102
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Contract Extensions for contracts over £50,000 in value Contract Reference Number Contract Description Provider name Contract Value Ext value Start Date End Date Extension Date SLC/FC/23/064 Oracle Fusion Project Management Resource Pilcher Consulting Services Ltd £147,500 £60,000 06-Jun-2024 30-Nov-2024 29-May-2024 SLC/PS/FINCOR/20/003 Electronic Payment Services Allpay.Net Ltd £525,157 £125,697 01-Sep-2024 31-Aug-2025 30-Aug-2024 SLC/PS/FINCOR/20/171 Technical Managed Service Idox Software Ltd £175,000 £81,984 01-Jun-2024 31-May-2026 23-May-2024 SLC/PS/FINCOR/21/029 Support for NDL Integration Tool NDL Software Ltd £118,000 £62,000 03-Aug-2024 02-Aug-2026 16-Aug-2024 SLC/PS/FINCOR/21/089 Oracle Fusion SI partner – Hypercare: extension of timescale only Mastek Systems Company Ltd £5,324,005 Nil 28-Sep-2024 27-Dec-2024 26-Sep-2024 SLC/PS/FINCOR/23/012 Provision of Employee Physiotherapy Services Physicare £420,000 £210,000 08-Jun-2024 07-Jun-2025 01-Jun-2024 103
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