Agenda Document Pack - Finance and Corporate Resources Committee - 26/03/2025
South Lanarkshire Council · 26 March 2025
Back to Finance and Corporate Resources Committee — 26 March 2025 and its agenda
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Council Offices, Almada Street Hamilton, ML3 0AA Tuesday, 18 March 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, 26 March 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, Ross Lambie, Katy Loudon, Hugh Macdonald, Catherine McClymont, Elaine McDougall, Mark McGeever, Mo Razzaq, John Ross, Graham Scott, Kirsty Williams Substitutes Archie Buchanan, Colin Dewar, Ross Gowland, Gavin Keatt, Susan Kerr, Martin Lennon, Richard Lockhart, Richard Nelson, Richard Nelson, 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 29 January 2025 submitted for approval as a correct record. (Copy attached) 5 - 10 3 Minutes of Meeting of Appeals Panel Minutes of the meeting of the Appeals Panel held on 22 January 2025 submitted for approval as a correct record. (Copy attached) 11 - 12 Monitoring Item(s) 4 Revenue Budget Monitoring 2024/2025 - Finance and Corporate Resources Report dated 26 February 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 13 - 24 5 Capital Budget Monitoring 2024/2025 - Finance and Corporate Resources Report dated 24 February 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 25 - 28 6 Finance and Corporate Resources – Workforce Monitoring – December 2024 and January 2025 Report dated 3 March 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 29 - 36 7 Council-wide Workforce Monitoring - December 2024 to January 2025 Report dated 7 March 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 37 - 56 Item(s) for Decision 8 Revenue Collection and Approval for Write Offs Report dated 3 March 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 57 - 62 9 Consultation on Universal Credit - Mitigation of the Two-Child Limit Report dated 4 March 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 63 - 68 10 Finance and Public Administration Committee - Call for Views on the Scottish Budget Process in Practice Report dated 4 March 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 69 - 76 Item(s) for Noting 11 Consultation on Financial Considerations that Women Face When Leaving an Abusive Relationship Report dated 3 March 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 77 - 84 2
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12 Mental Health Moratorium Regulations - Consultation Report dated 3 March 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 85 - 98 13 Response to Consultation on the Public Sector Equality Duty Report dated 20 February 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 99 - 102 Urgent Business 14 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 Confero and in Committee Room 1, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton on 29 January 2025 Chair: Councillor Lesley McDonald Councillors Present: Councillor Alex Allison, Councillor Walter Brogan (Depute), Councillor Mathew Buchanan, Councillor Andy Carmichael, Councillor Andrea Cowan, Councillor Maureen Devlin, Councillor Colin Dewar (substitute for Councillor Maureen Chalmers), Councillor Mary Donnelly, Councillor Grant Ferguson, Councillor Gladys Ferguson-Miller, Councillor Celine Handibode, Councillor Graeme Horne, Councillor Martin Hose, Councillor Katy Loudon, Councillor Hugh Macdonald, Councillor Catherine McClymont, Councillor Mark McGeever, Councillor Mo Razzaq, Councillor John Ross, Councillor Graham Scott, Councillor Kirsty Williams Councillors' Apologies: Councillor Maureen Chalmers, Councillor Margaret Cooper, Councillor Joe Fagan (ex officio), Councillor Elaine McDougall, Councillor Richard Nelson Finance and Corporate Resources J Taylor, Executive Director; C Fergusson, Head of Finance (Transactions); M Husband, Head of IT Services; S Jessup, Administration Assistant; T Little, Head of Communications and Strategy; C Lyon, Administration Officer; M Milne, Head of Personnel Services; L O’Hagan, Head of Finance (Strategy); I Strachan, Head of Administration and Legal Services 1 Declaration of Interests No interests were declared. 2 Minutes of Previous Meeting The minutes of the meeting of the Finance and Corporate Resources Committee held on 30 October 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 6 January 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted comparing the actual expenditure for the period 1 April to 1 November 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 1 November 2024, the projected outturn position for the Resource was a breakeven position. The Resource breakeven position assumed a proposed transfer to reserves at year end in relation to an anticipated underspend of £0.106 million on grants to voluntary organisations which was included as part of the savings reported to the Executive Committee on 13 November 2024. 2 5
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Virements were proposed to realign budgets, and those movements were detailed in the appendices to 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 30 October 2024 (Paragraph 3) and Minutes of the Executive Committee of 13 November 2024 (Paragraph 8)] 4 Capital Budget Monitoring 2024/2025 - Finance and Corporate Resources A report dated 6 January 2025 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 1 November 2024. The revised capital programme for 2024/2025 was £3.086 million, as approved by the Executive Committee on 26 June 2024. The forecast for the financial year was £3.086 million and spend to date was £2.619 million. The Committee decided: that the Finance and Corporate Resources’ capital programme of £3.086 million, and expenditure to date of £2.619 million, be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 30 October 2024 (Paragraph 4)] 5 Finance and Corporate Resources - Workforce Monitoring – October and November 2024 A report dated 8 January 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the following employee information for Finance and Corporate Resources for the period October and November 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 14 September 2024 The Committee decided: that the report be noted [Reference: Minutes of 30 October 2024 (Paragraph 5)] 6
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6 Council-wide Workforce Monitoring – October and November 2024 A report dated 8 January 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the following Council-wide employee information for the period October and November 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 14 September 2024 Following a request at the previous meeting of this Committee, the Head of Personnel Services advised that she would circulate the 5 Year trend information in relation to BAME applicants to all members of the Committee. She also advised that she planned to reinstate the focus groups in this respect. Following a request from a member, the Head of Personnel Services undertook to provide the same information in respect of veterans as had been provided for BAME applicants. The Committee decided: that the report be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 30 October 2024 (Paragraph 6)] 7 Treasury Management Activity - 2024/2025 Third Quarter Review A report dated 6 January 2025 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 30 October 2024 (Paragraph 7)] 8 Finance and Corporate Resource Plan – Quarter 2 Progress Report 2024/2025 A report dated 10 December 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the Finance and Corporate Resource Plan Quarter 2 Progress Report 2024/2025 for the period 1 April 2024 to 30 September 2024. Details were provided on:- progress made against all Resource Plan measures, as detailed in Appendix 2 to the report key achievements made by the Resource to date, as detailed in section 5.3 of the report areas for improvement and associated management actions, as detailed in section 5.4 of the report 7
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The Committee decided: (1) that the Finance and Corporate Resource Plan Quarter 2 Progress report for 2024/2025, as detailed in Appendix 2 to the report, be noted; (2) that the key achievements made by the Resource to date, as detailed in paragraph 5.3 of the report, be noted; and (3) that the areas for improvement and associated management actions, as detailed in paragraph 5.4. to the report, be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 22 May 2024 (Paragraph 10)] 9 Revenue Collection and Approval for Write-Offs A report dated 8 January 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on:- collection performance for the financial year 2024/2025 to 30 November 2024 on revenue income which comprised Council Tax, non-domestic rates, sundry debts and arrears performance in the Non Domestic Rates Incentivisation Scheme (NDRIS) 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 and Sundry Debt. 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 December 2024 was 0.76%. The tax base required to achieve further growth of 0.14% during the last quarter of the financial year to secure additional income under the scheme. It was proposed that the following debts be written off:- irrecoverable Council Tax accounts from 1993/1994 to 2024/2025 to the value of £137,887.68 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 £362,563.33 relating primarily to debtors in liquidation, those who had ceased trading or had been sequestrated 8
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BID levies totalling £1,794.44 administered by the Council on behalf of Hamilton, Carluke and Lanark BID companies sundry debts to a value of £20,759.45 former tenant rent arrears totalling £960,143.89 (including bulk write-off for 2024/2025 for temporary accommodation), factoring arrears of £2,838.29 and housing benefit overpayments of £12,582.11 Officers undertook to provide Councillor Allison with the figures for outstanding debt in respect of all write-off streams that could come forward in the future. 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 Non Domestic 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 £137,887.68 Non Domestic Rates from 2022/2023 to 2024/2025 totalling £362,563.33 BID levies totalling £1,794.44 sundry debts to a value of £20,759.45 house rent and associated charges totalling £975,564.29 [Reference: Minutes of 30 October 2024 (Paragraph 10)] 10 Consultation on a Proposal to Increase Scottish Social Services Council Registration Fees A report dated 8 January 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on a consultation by the Scottish Social Services Council (SSSC) on the proposal to increase registration fees. SSSC registration fees had last been reviewed and increased in 2017. As a result of feedback from that consultation, it had been agreed that a longer term plan for increasing fees incrementally would be put in place. This consultation was due to start in 2020 but had been delayed due to the Covid-19 pandemic. The consultation sought views on proposals to increase SSSC registration fees and ran for a period of 12 weeks from 30 September to 23 December 2024. The Council’s response had been submitted on 23 December 2024. The SSSC would consider responses and decide on any increase which would then go to the Minister to consider. If an increase was approved, fees would be likely to increase from 1 April 2025. Details of the proposed increase in fees was provided in paragraph 4.3 of the report. In preparing the response to the consultation, views had been sought from Personnel Services, Education Resources and Social Work Resources. The Council’s response to each aspect of the consultation was attached at Appendix 1 to the report and included that the Council was concerned that any fee increase could 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. The Committee decided: that the Council response submitted to the Scottish Social Services Council on 23 December 2024 be noted. 9
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11 Early Retirement, Voluntary Severance and Switch 2 A report dated 25 November 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the activity related to early retirements, voluntary severances, re-employment of early retirees and re-deployments during the period 1 April to 30 September 2024 The Committee decided: that the report be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 22 May 2024 (Paragraph 15)] 12 Notification of Contracts Awarded 1 April to 30 September 2024 A report dated 4 December 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on contracts awarded by Finance and Corporate Resources during the period 1 April to 30 September 2024. In terms of Standing Oder Nos 21.8 and 22.5 of the Standing Orders on Contracts, Resources were required to notify the relevant Committee of contracts awarded. Details of the contracts awarded by Finance and Corporate Resources were provided in the appendix to the report. The Committee decided: that the report be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 22 May 2024 (Paragraph 16)] 13 Urgent Business There were no items of urgent business. 10
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APPEALS PANEL Minutes of meeting held in Committee Room 5, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton on 22 January 2025 Chair: Councillor Lesley McDonald Councillors Present: Councillor Poppy Corbett, Councillor Bert Thomson Attending: Finance and Corporate Resources E McPake, HR Business Manager; L Hamilton, Administration Officer 1 Declaration of Interests No interests were declared. 2 Urgent Business There were no items of urgent business. 3 Exclusion of Press and Public The Panel decided: that, in terms of Section 50A(4) of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, the press and public be excluded from the meeting for the next item of business on the grounds that it was likely that there would be disclosure of exempt information in terms of Paragraph 1 of Part I of Schedule 7A of the Act. 4 Appeal Against Demotion The Panel considered an appeal (Ref 8/24) by an employee against their demotion. The appellant was present and represented by a trade union representative. The Council was represented by a Personnel Adviser. The Council called a witness and the appellant’s representative called the appellant. All parties were heard in relation to the appeal and then withdrew from the meeting. The Panel decided: that the grounds of the appeal had not been substantiated and the appeal be not upheld. 3 11
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 26 March 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 24 January 2025 [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 fourth 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 24 January 2025 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. Probable Outturn: Following the Council’s formal Probable Outturn exercise, the Resource is forecasting a breakeven position after approved transfers to reserves of £0.856 million. This position is outline in Appendices C-I. 4 13
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5.3. Financial Position as at 24 January 2025: As at 24 January 2025, the Resource’s projected outturn position for 2024/2025 is an underspend of £0.856 million before approved transfers to reserves (Appendix B). 5.4. The transfers to Reserves approved at the Executive Committee (12 February 2025) total £0.856 million and relate to £0.750 million for Scottish Welfare Funding which will be carried forward for use in 2025/2026 and an underspend of £0.106 million in the Grants to Voluntary Organisations budget which is being set aside to support the use of reserves to delay the implementation of the 2024/2025 Budget Saving, as per the recently agreed Budget Amendment (Council, 26 February 2025). After these transfers, the Resources outturn is breakeven. 5.5. 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) 26 February 2025 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, Effective, Efficient and Transparent Previous References Finance and Corporate Resources Committee, 29 January 2025 Executive Committee, 12 February 2025 South Lanarkshire Council, 26 February 2025 14
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List of Background Papers Financial ledger and budget monitoring results to 24 January 2025. 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 15
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Appendix A SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Finance & Corporate Resources Committee: Period Ended 24 January 2025 (No.11) Revenue Budget Monitoring Report – Service Analysis Service Analysis Revised Annual Budget (£000) Projected Outturn (£000) Projected Outturn Variance (£000) % YTD Actual (£000) Strategy 2,014 2,027 (13) (0.65%) 2,697 Transactions 18,700 18,080 620 3.32% 14,098 Audit 338 301 37 10.95% 367 Information Technology 7,534 7,439 95 1.26% 12,694 Communications and Strategy 2,710 2,546 164 6.05% 2,341 Administration, Legal, Licensing and Registration 4,164 4,006 158 3.79% 3,760 Personnel 6,325 6,530 (205) (3.24%) 5,712 Net Controllable Exp. 41,785 40,929 856 21.48% 41,669 Service Heading Explanation for significant projected outturn variances Strategy No significant projected outturn variances to report. (Appendix C). Transactions Before Transfers to Reserves, there is an overall net underspend position or the Service (Appendix D). There are projected overspends in Supplies and Services from contract renewals for Financial Software Packages, and in 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. In addition, there is an anticipated underspend in Property Costs from additional funding provided for the Scottish Welfare Fund. Due to the timing of this funding being awarded, an element of this will be carried forward as a Transfer to Reserves for use next financial year (section 5.4). After the Transfer to Reserves, the Service is showing an overspend of (£0.130) million. Audit No significant projected outturn variances to report. (Appendix E). Information Technology There is 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 is less than budgeted telephony contract costs anticipated during the financial year. (Appendix F). Communications and Strategy There is an anticipated underspend in Employee Costs due to the level of turnover during the financial year. (Appendix G). Administration, Legal, Licensing and Registration The Service is showing a projected underspend before Transfers to Reserves. There is an anticipated underspend in Payments to Other Bodies due to less than budgeted spend on the Grants budget. A Transfer to Reserves has been approved (section 5.4) which results in an underspend of £0.052 million. (Appendix H). Personnel There is an anticipated overspend in Employee Costs due to a lower than budgeted level of turnover during the financial year. There is also 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. These are partially offset by an anticipated underspend in Payments to Other Bodies relating to lower than anticipated legal costs in the financial year. (Appendix I). 16
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Appendix B SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Finance & Corporate Resources Committee: Period Ended 24 January 2025 (No.11) Finance & Corporate Resources Summary 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. Budget Category Revised Annual Budget Projected Outturn Projected Outturn Variance Over/ Under % Variance YTD Actual Note £000 £000 £000 £000 Employee Costs 33,649 33,567 82 under 0.24% 26,607 Property Costs 4,959 4,243 716 under 14.44% 1,256 Supplies & Services 7,801 8,055 (254) over (3.26%) 7,684 Transport & Plant 37 26 11 under 29.73% 9 Administration Costs 7,728 7,711 17 under 0.22% 6,005 Payments to Other Bodies 4,091 3,941 150 under 3.67% 3,098 Payments to Contractors 253 287 (34) over (13.44%) 285 Transfer Payments 65,934 60,661 5,273 under 8.00% 47,756 Financing Charges 1,404 1,445 (41) over (2.92%) 1,096 Total Controllable Exp. 125,856 119,936 5,920 under 4.70% 93,796 Total Controllable Inc. (84,071) (79,007) (5,064) under recovered (6.02%) (52,127) Net Controllable Exp. 41,785 40,929 856 under 2.05% 41,669 Transfer to Reserves 0 856 (856) Position after Transfer to Reserves 41,785 41,785 0 - 0.00% 17
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Appendix C South Lanarkshire Council Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Finance & Corporate Resources Committee: Period Ended 24 January 2025 (No.11) 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 2,855 2,866 (11) over (0.39%) 2,285 a, b, c Property Costs 0 0 0 - 0.00% 0 Supplies & Services 14 18 (4) over (28.57%) 6 Transport & Plant 0 0 0 - 0.00% 0 Administration Costs 114 118 (4) over (3.51%) 100 Payments to Other Bodies 637 640 (3) over (0.47%) 327 c Payments to Contractors 16 26 (10) over (62.50%) 24 Transfer Payments 0 0 0 - 0.00% 0 Financing Charges 20 21 (1) over (5.00%) 3 Total Controllable Exp. 3,656 3,689 (33) over (0.90%) 2,745 Total Controllable Inc. (1,642) (1,662) 20 over recovered 1.22% (48) Net Controllable Exp. 2,014 2,027 (13) over (0.65%) 2,697 Transfer to Reserves 0 0 0 Position after Transfer to Reserves 2,014 2,027 (13) over (0.65%) Variance Explanations None. Budget Virements a. Transfer from corporate items in relation to 2024/2025 pay award. Net Effect £0.092m: Employee Costs £0.092m. b. Transfer to IT Services in relation to transfer of employees. Net Effect (£0.046m): Employee Costs (£0.046m). c. Transfer from corporate items in relation to Audit Fee. Net Effect £0.117m: Employee Costs £0.080m, Payments to Other Bodies £0.037m. 18
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Appendix D South Lanarkshire Council Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Finance & Corporate Resources Committee: Period Ended 24 January 2025 (No.11) 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 12,472 12,388 84 under 0.67% 9,817 1, a, b Property Costs 4,953 4,228 725 under 14.64% 1,219 2, c Supplies & Services 778 867 (89) over (11.44%) 851 3 Transport & Plant 4 3 1 under 25.00% 0 Administration Costs 1,399 1,525 (126) over (9.01%) 1,193 4 Payments to Other Bodies 1,500 1,517 (17) over (1.13%) 1,157 Payments to Contractors 237 261 (24) over (10.13%) 261 Transfer Payments 65,934 60,661 5,273 under 8.00% 47,756 5 Financing Charges 105 113 (8) over (7.62%) 6 Total Controllable Exp. 87,382 81,563 5,819 under 6.66% 62,283 Total Controllable Inc. (68,682) (63,483) (5,199) under recovered (7.57%) (48,185) 6 Net Controllable Exp. 18,700 18,080 620 under 3.32% 14,098 Transfer to Reserves 0 750 (750) i Position after Transfer to Reserves 18,700 18,830 (130) over (0.69%) Variance Explanations 1. The underspend in Employee Costs is due to a greater than anticipated level of turnover during the financial year. 2. The projected underspend is due to additional funding provided for the Scottish Welfare Fund. Due to the timing of this funding being awarded, an element of this will be carried forward for use next financial year – shown as a Transfer to Reserves (refer i below). 3. The projected overspend reflects increased costs for two contract renewals for Civica financial software packages. 4. The anticipated overspend in Administration Costs is due to higher than budgeted postage costs for Council Tax billing. 5. The projected underspend in this line reflects the demand-led spend on Rent Allowance and Rent Rebates and is offset by an under-recovery of Income (refer 6 below). 6. The projected under recovery is offset by the demand-led underspend in Transfer Payments (refer 5 above). Budget Virements a. Transfer from corporate items in relation to 2024/2025 pay award. Net Effect £0.486m: Employee Costs £0.486m. b. Transfer to IT Services in relation to employee moves. Net Effect (£0.087m): Employee Costs (£0.087m). c. Establish budget to reflect General Revenue Grant funding in relation to Scottish Welfare Fund. Net Effect £1.243m: Property Costs £1.243m. Transfer to Reserves i. Scottish Welfare Fund - This funding forms part of the 2024/2025 revenue grant redeterminations and will be carried forward for use in 2025/2026 (£0.750m). 19
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Appendix E South Lanarkshire Council Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Finance & Corporate Resources Committee: Period Ended 24 January 2025 (No.11) Audit Services Budget Category Revised Annual Budget Projected Outturn Projected Outturn Variance Over/ Under % Variance YTD Actual Note £000 £000 £000 £000 Employee Costs 488 455 33 under 6.76% 370 a Property Costs 0 0 0 - 0.00% 0 Supplies & Services 7 5 2 under 28.57% 1 Transport & Plant 0 0 0 - 0.00% 0 Administration Costs 6 4 2 under 33.33% 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 4 4 0 - 0.00% 0 Total Controllable Exp. 505 468 37 under 7.33% 374 Total Controllable Inc. (167) (167) 0 - 0.00% (7) Net Controllable Exp. 338 301 37 under 10.95% 367 Transfer to Reserves 0 0 0 Position after Transfer to Reserves 338 301 37 under 10.95% Variance Explanations None. Budget Virements a. Transfer from corporate items in relation to 2024/2025 pay award. Net Effect £0.020m: Employee Costs £0.020m. 20
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Appendix F South Lanarkshire Council Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Finance & Corporate Resources Committee: Period Ended 24 January 2025 (No.11) 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 5,513 5,505 8 under 0.15% 4,363 a, b Property Costs 0 0 0 - 0.00% 0 Supplies & Services 6,052 6,205 (153) over (2.53%) 6,206 1 Transport & Plant 4 2 2 under 50.00% 1 Administration Costs 1,591 1,488 103 under 6.47% 1,447 2 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 823 826 (3) over (0.36%) 826 c Total Controllable Exp. 13,983 14,026 (43) over (0.31%) 12,843 Total Controllable Inc. (6,449) (6,587) 138 over recovered 2.14% (149) 3 Net Controllable Exp. 7,534 7,439 95 under 1.26% 12,694 Transfer to Reserves 0 0 0 Position after Transfer to Reserves 7,534 7,439 95 under 1.26% Variance Explanations 1. 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 3 below). 2. The projected underspend reflects less than budgeted telephony contract costs during the financial year. 3. 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 (refer 1.). Budget Virements a. Transfer from corporate items in relation to 2024/2025 pay award. Net Effect £0.175m: Employee Costs £0.175m. b. Transfer from other Services in relation to employee moves. Net Effect £0.315m: Employee Costs £0.315m. c. Transfer from reserves in relation to leasing of IT Equipment. Net Effect £0.192m: Financing Charges £0.192m. 21
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Appendix G South Lanarkshire Council Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Finance & Corporate Resources Committee: Period Ended 24 January 2025 (No.11) Communications and Strategy Services Budget Category Revised Annual Budget Projected Outturn Projected Outturn Variance Over/ Under % Variance YTD Actual Note Employee Costs 2,257 2,163 94 under 4.16% 1,702 1, a Property Costs 0 0 0 - 0.00% 0 Supplies & Services 668 653 15 under 2.25% 388 Transport & Plant 7 4 3 under 42.86% 2 Administration Costs 1,080 1,078 2 under 0.19% 682 Payments to Other Bodies 992 992 0 - 0.00% 971 Payments to Contractors 0 0 0 - 0.00% 0 Transfer Payments 0 0 0 - 0.00% 0 Financing Charges 351 348 3 under 0.85% 251 Total Controllable Exp. 5,355 5,238 117 under 2.18% 3,996 Total Controllable Inc. (2,645) (2,692) 47 over recovered 1.78% (1,655) 2 Net Controllable Exp. 2,710 2,546 164 under 6.05% 2,341 Transfer to Reserves 0 0 0 Position after Transfer to Reserves 2,710 2,546 164 under 6.05% Variance Explanations 1. The underspend in Employee Costs is due to the anticipated level of turnover during the year. 2. The projected over recovery is due to level of work anticipated within the print room during the financial year. Budget Virements a. Transfer from corporate items in relation to 2024/2025 pay award. Net Effect £0.083m: Employee Costs £0.083m. 22
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Appendix H South Lanarkshire Council Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Finance & Corporate Resources Committee: Period Ended 24 January 2025 (No.11) 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 3,594 3,610 (16) over (0.45%) 2,909 1, a Property Costs 6 5 1 under 16.67% 4 Supplies & Services 161 147 14 under 8.70% 123 Transport & Plant 13 15 (2) over (15.38%) 6 Administration Costs 2,333 2,276 57 under 2.44% 1,767 Payments to Other Bodies 678 572 106 under 15.63% 485 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%) 8 Total Controllable Exp. 6,850 6,691 159 under 2.32% 5,302 Total Controllable Inc. (2,686) (2,685) (1) under recovered (0.04%) (1,542) 2 Net Controllable Exp. 4,164 4,006 158 under 3.79% 3,760 Transfer to Reserves 0 106 (106) i Position after Transfer to Reserves 4,164 4,112 52 under 1.25% 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 is due to higher than budgeted income relating to Landlord Registration applications. Budget Virements a. Transfer from corporate items in relation to 2024/2025 pay award. Net Effect £0.116m: Employee Costs £0.116m. Transfer to Reserves i. Grants to Voluntary Organisations - An underspend on the Grants budget has been set aside to support the delay in the implementation of the Grants saving as agreed at Council (26 February 2025). 23
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Appendix I South Lanarkshire Council Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Finance & Corporate Resources Committee: Period Ended 24 January 2025 (No.11) Personnel Budget Category Revised Annual Budget Projected Outturn Projected Outturn Variance Over/ Under % Variance YTD Actual Note £000 £000 £000 £000 Employee Costs 6,470 6,580 (110) over (1.70%) 5,161 1, a, b Property Costs 0 10 (10) over 0.00% 10 Supplies & Services 121 160 (39) over (32.23%) 109 Transport & Plant 9 2 7 under 77.78% 0 Administration Costs 1,205 1,222 (17) over (1.41%) 813 Payments to Other Bodies 284 220 64 under 22.54% 158 2 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%) 2 Total Controllable Exp. 8,125 8,261 (136) over (1.67%) 6,253 Total Controllable Inc. (1,800) (1,731) (69) under recovered (3.83%) (541) 3 Net Controllable Exp. 6,325 6,530 (205) over (3.24%) 5,712 Transfer to Reserves 0 0 0 Position after Transfer to Reserves 6,325 6,530 (205) over (3.24%) 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 underspend relates to lower than budgeted legal costs in the financial year. 3. The anticipated under recovery of income mainly relates to lower than budgeted income from third party settlements. Budget Virements a. Transfer from corporate items in relation to 2024/2025 pay award. Net Effect £0.237m: Employee Costs £0.237m. b. Transfer to IT Services in relation to employee moves. Net Effect (£0.182m): Employee Costs (£0.182m). 24
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 26 March 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 24 January 2025 [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 £2.678 million, be noted. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. This is the fourth capital monitoring report presented to the Finance and Corporate Resources Committee for the financial year 2024/2025. A final report will be provided following financial year-end. 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 is £3.086 million. 5.2. 2024/2025 Forecast Appendix A shows a forecast for the financial year of £2.678 million. This forecast underspend reflects the timing of spend across this year and into the new financial year, and results in budget required in 2025/2026 rather than 2024/2025. Funding for projects remaining underspent at the financial year end will be carried forward to 5 25
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allow the projects to be completed in 2025/2026. As at 24 January 2025, work continues to clarify the predicted spend position for the programme for the remainder of this financial year. Officers will continue to work to maximise spend in 2024/2025. 5.3. For information, actual expenditure to 24 January 2025 is £2.468 million. 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) 24 February 2025 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, Effective, Efficient and Transparent Previous References Finance and Corporate Resources Committee, 29 January 2025 List of Background Papers Financial ledger to 24 January 2025 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 – 24 January 2025 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 2,678 408 2,468 TOTAL 3,086 - - 3,086 2,678 408 2,468 27
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 26 March 2025 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Finance and Corporate Resources – Workforce Monitoring – December 2024 and January 2025 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide employment information for December 2024 to January 2025 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 December 2024 to January 2025 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 December 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 December 2024 to January 2025. 4. Monitoring Statistics 4.1. Attendance Statistics (Appendix 1) Information on absence statistics is analysed for the month of January 2025 for Finance and Corporate Resources. The Resource absence figure for January 2025 was 3.7%, this figure has decreased by 0.7% when compared to the previous month and is 3.0% lower than the Council- wide figure. Compared to January 2024, the Resource absence figure has increased by 0.9%. Based on the absence figures at January 2025 and annual trends, the annual average absence for the Resource for 2024/2025 is 3.4%, compared to a Council- wide average figure of 5.8%. 6 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 an increase of 5 when compared with the same period last year. 4.3. Accident/Incident Statistics There were 3 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 increased by 1 when compared to the same period last year. No appeals were heard by either the Resource or 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 2 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 this period, this figure has reduced by 2 when compared to the same period last year. 5. Staffing Watch (Appendix 3) 5.1. There has been a decrease of 1 employee in post from 14 September 2024 to 14 December 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) 3 March 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 – 29 January 2025 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 4.4 December 0.0 0.0 0.0 December 4.3 3.3 4.4 December 7.0 6.6 7.0 January 4.3 2.8 3.7 January 0.0 0.0 0.0 January 4.3 2.8 3.7 January 5.8 6.1 6.7 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 3.4 Annual Average 0.0 0.0 0.0 Annual Average 3.8 3.5 3.4 Annual Average 5.7 5.4 5.8 Average Apr-Jan 3.7 3.6 3.4 Average Apr-Jan 0.0 0.0 0.0 Average Apr-Jan 3.7 3.6 3.4 Average Apr-Jan 5.6 5.2 5.7 818 0 818 15713 Manual Workers No of Employees at 31 January 2025 Resource Total No of Employees at 31 January 2025 Appendix 1 Absence Trends - 2022/2023, 2023/2024 & 2024/2025 Finance and Corporate Resources No of Employees at 31 January 2025 No of Employees at 31 January 2025 APT&C Council Wide 32
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Dec - Jan Dec - Jan 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS Number of Employees Attending EMPLOYEE COUNSELLING SERVICE Total Number of Referrals PHYSIOTHERAPY SERVICE Total Number of Referrals REFERRALS TO EMPLOYEE SUPPORT OFFICER 11 10 REFERRALS TO COGNITIVE BEHAVIOUR THERAPY 0 0 TOTAL 30 35 Dec - Jan Dec - Jan 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 Specified Injuries* 0 0 Over 7 day absences 0 0 Over 3 day absences** 0 0 Minor 10 3 Near Miss *** 0 0 Violent Incident: Physical**** 0 0 Violent Incident: Verbal***** 0 0 Total Accidents/Incidents 10 3 Dec - Jan Dec - Jan 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 Total Number of Hearings 0 1 Total Number of Appeals 0 0 Appeals Pending 0 0 Time Taken to Convene Hearing October - Dec 2024 to Jan 2025 0-3 Weeks 4-6 Weeks Over 6 Weeks 0 0 1 Dec - Jan Dec - Jan 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 Number of Grievances 0 0 Number Resolved at Stage 1 0 0 Number Resolved at Stage 2 0 0 Number Resolved at Stage 3 0 0 Still in Progress 0 0 Dec - Jan Dec - Jan 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 Number of Incidents 0 0 Number Resolved at Informal Stage 0 0 Number Resolved at Formal Stage 0 0 Number of Appeals 0 0 Appeals in Process 0 0 Still in Process 0 0 ***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 9 9 0 6 10 10 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. 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 33
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Dec - Jan Dec - Jan 2023 / 2024 2024 / 2025 Career Advancement 5 2 Personal Reasons 1 Total Number of Leavers Eligible for Exit Interview 6 2 Number of Exit Interviews conducted 3 1 Percentage of interviews conducted 50% 50% ANALYSIS OF REASONS FOR LEAVING Appendix 2a FINANCE AND CORPORATE RESOURCES 34
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As at 14 December 2024 Total Number of Employees F/T P/T F/T P/T 183 24 365 249 Chief Officer Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Fixed SCP Teacher TOTAL 8.00 92.08 340.45 210.38 55.05 22.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 727.96 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 *Full - Time Equivalent No of Employees Salary Bands MALE FEMALE TOTAL 822 Appendix 3 JOINT STAFFING WATCH RETURN FINANCE AND CORPORATE RESOURCES *Full - Time Equivalent No of Employees Salary Bands 821 MALE FEMALE TOTAL 35
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 26 March 2025 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Council-wide Workforce Monitoring – December 2024 to January 2025 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide employment information relating to the Council for the period December 2024 to January 2025 [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 December 2024 to January 2025 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 December 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 December 2024 to January 2025. 4. Attendance Statistics 4.1. Information on absence statistics for the Council and each Resource, as analysed for January 2025, is provided in Appendices 1 to 8. Points to note are:- The Council’s absence rate for January 2025, shown in Appendix 1, is 6.7%, which represents an decrease of 0.3% when compared with last month and the figure has increased by 0.6% when compared to January 2024. When compared to January 2024, the APT&C absence rate has increased by 1.0%, the teachers’ figure has increased by 0.1% and the manual workers’ figure has increased by 0.5%. Based on annual trends and the absence rate to January 2025, the average absence rate for the Council for the financial year 2024/2025 is 5.7%. 7 37
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In comparison to January 2024 (Appendix 8):- Psychological, musculoskeletal and respiratory conditions are the main reasons for absence Total days lost due to psychological conditions have increased by 155 days Total days lost due to musculoskeletal conditions have decreased by 440days Total days lost due to respiratory conditions have increased by 351 days Total days lost due to stomach, bowel, blood and metabolic disorders have increased by 358 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 December 2024 to January 2025 is provided in Appendix 9. during the period there were 304 employees referred for a medical examination, an increase of 34 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 301 employees attended physiotherapy treatment, showing a increase of 16 when compared to the same period last year. Of the 301 employees referred, 66% remained at work whilst undertaking treatment during this period 361 employees were referred to the Employee Support Officer, showing a increase of 36 when compared with the same period last year. Of the referrals made this period, 90% related to personal reasons 62 employees were referred to the PAM Assist counselling service this period, showing an decrease of 33 when compared with the same period last year. All the referrals made this period were made directly by employees. Work related referrals accounted for 15% and 85% were for personal/other reasons 3 employees were referred for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy this period, a decrease of 9 when compared to the same period last year 6. Accidents/Incidents 6.1. The accident/incident reported for December 2024 to January 2025 is contained in Appendix 10. the total number of accidents/incidents recorded was 170, 53 of these have been investigated and categorised and 117 are still in the process of being investigated of those investigated, no specified injuries were recorded of those investigated there were 52 minor accidents/incidents of those investigated no accident resulted in an absence lasting over 3 days of those investigated, 1 accident resulted in an absence lasting over 7 days 7. Discipline, Grievance, Dignity at Work Hearings and Mediation Referrals 7.1. Information on Disciplinary, Grievance Hearings, Dignity at Work and Mediation Referrals for December 2024 to January 2025 is contained in Appendices 11, 12a and 12b. 38
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in total, 41 disciplinary hearings were held and concluded across Resources within the Council, this figure has increased by 27 when compared to the same period last year action was taken in 39 of these cases and 3 appeals were raised against the outcomes our target is to convene disciplinary hearings within 6 weeks, 68% of hearings met this target during the period, 1 appeal was heard by the Appeals Panel and 1 is pending a date being scheduled during the period, 1 grievance and 7 Dignity at Work complaints were raised during the period, 1 referral for mediation was submitted 8. Analysis of Leavers and Exit Interviews 8.1. Information on the number of leavers and exit interviews for the period December 2024 to January 2025 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 December 2024, the Council’s turnover figure for December to January 2025 is as follows:- 75 leavers eligible for exit interviews/15,716 employees in post = Labour Turnover of 0.5%. Based on the figure at January 2024, the annual labour turnover figure for the financial year 2024/2025 for the Council is 3,8%. 8.2. Analysis of Leavers and Exit Interviews there were a total of 75 employees leaving the Council that were eligible for an exit interview, a decrease of 32 when compared with the same period last year there were a total of 8 exit interviews conducted which is a decrease of 33 when compared with same period last year 9. Recruitment Monitoring 9.1. Information on Recruitment Monitoring for December 2024 to January 2025 is contained within Appendix 14. From an analysis of Equal Opportunities Monitoring Forms, the main points to note are:- 3,784 applications and 3,317 completed Equal Opportunities Monitoring Forms were received of those applicants who declared themselves as disabled (531), 197 were shortleeted for interview and 37 were appointed of those applicants of a black/ethnic minority background (362), 106 were shortleeted for interview and 9 were appointed Of those applicants who are veterans (37), 20 were shortleeted for interview and 5 were appointed Point to note: Appendix 14. The increase is a result of a sweep up exercise to conclude all recruitment on the previous recruitment system which was being decommissioned as a result of the launch of Oracle Fusion 39
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10. Staffing Watch 10.1 There has been an decrease of 10 in the number of employees in post from 14 September 2024 to 14 December 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) 7 March 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 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 40
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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 7.1 December 5.3 4.8 5.4 December 8.9 7.8 8.5 December 7.0 6.6 7.0 January 5.2 5.8 6.8 January 4.3 4.8 4.9 January 8.0 7.8 8.3 January 5.8 6.1 6.7 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 5.9 Annual Average 3.4 3.3 3.6 Annual Average 8.1 7.2 7.7 Annual Average 5.7 5.4 5.8 Average Apr-Jan 5.3 5.2 5.8 Average Apr-Jan 3.2 3.0 3.4 Average Apr-Jan 8.1 7.0 7.7 Average Apr-Jan 5.6 5.2 5.7 7286 4027 4400 15713 Council Wide No of Employees at 31 January 2025 No of Employees at 31 January 2025 Appendix 1 Absence Trends - 2022/2023, 2023/2024 & 2024/2025 Council Wide APT&C Teachers No of Employees at 31 January 2025 No of Employees at 31 January 2025 Manual Workers 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 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 3.8 December 8.8 7.5 8.1 December 8.0 6.8 7.4 December 7.0 6.6 7.0 January 2.6 3.6 3.9 January 7.4 7.4 7.8 January 6.7 6.9 7.2 January 5.8 6.1 6.7 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 3.7 Annual Average 7.4 6.8 7.1 Annual Average 6.9 6.2 6.5 Annual Average 5.7 5.4 5.8 Average Apr-Jan 3.8 3.1 3.7 Average Apr-Jan 7.4 6.5 6.9 Average Apr-Jan 6.8 6.1 6.4 Average Apr-Jan 5.6 5.2 5.7 587 2828 3415 15713 Manual Workers Resource Total No of Employees at 31 January 2025 No of Employees at 31 January 2025 No of Employees at 31 January 2025 No of Employees at 31 January 2025 Appendix 2 Absence Trends - 2022/2023, 2023/2024 & 2024/2025 Community and Enterprise Resources APT&C Council Wide 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 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 8.6 December 5.3 4.8 5.4 December 6.8 6.3 6.8 December 7.0 6.6 7.0 January 6.1 6.6 8.0 January 4.3 4.8 4.9 January 5.1 5.6 6.3 January 5.8 6.1 6.7 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 6.4 Annual Average 3.4 3.3 3.6 Annual Average 4.6 4.5 4.9 Annual Average 5.7 5.4 5.8 Average Apr-Jan 5.8 5.6 6.2 Average Apr-Jan 3.2 3.0 3.4 Average Apr-Jan 4.4 4.2 4.7 Average Apr-Jan 5.6 5.2 5.7 3244 4027 7271 15713 Appendix 3 Absence Trends - 2022/2023, 2023/2024 & 2024/2025 Education Resources Council WideAPT&C Teachers Resource Total No of Employees at 31 January 2025 No of Employees at 31 January 2025 No of Employees at 31 January 2025 No of Employees at 31 January 2025 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 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 4.4 December 0.0 0.0 0.0 December 4.3 3.3 4.4 December 7.0 6.6 7.0 January 4.3 2.8 3.7 January 0.0 0.0 0.0 January 4.3 2.8 3.7 January 5.8 6.1 6.7 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 3.4 Annual Average 0.0 0.0 0.0 Annual Average 3.8 3.5 3.4 Annual Average 5.7 5.4 5.8 Average Apr-Jan 3.7 3.6 3.4 Average Apr-Jan 0.0 0.0 0.0 Average Apr-Jan 3.7 3.6 3.4 Average Apr-Jan 5.6 5.2 5.7 818 0 818 15713 Manual Workers No of Employees at 31 January 2025 Resource Total No of Employees at 31 January 2025 Appendix 4 Absence Trends - 2022/2023, 2023/2024 & 2024/2025 Finance and Corporate Resources No of Employees at 31 January 2025 No of Employees at 31 January 2025 APT&C Council Wide 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 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 6.4 December 7.2 7.4 5.8 December 5.6 6.0 6.2 December 7.0 6.6 7.0 January 4.5 4.4 7.0 January 5.5 6.0 6.2 January 4.9 5.0 6.7 January 5.8 6.1 6.7 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 6.0 Annual Average 7.6 6.9 7.2 Annual Average 5.9 5.8 6.5 Annual Average 5.7 5.4 5.8 Average Apr-Jan 4.7 5.0 6.2 Average Apr-Jan 7.8 7.0 7.3 Average Apr-Jan 6.0 5.8 6.7 Average Apr-Jan 5.6 5.2 5.7 860 544 1404 15713 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 31 January 2025No of Employees at 31 January 2025 No of Employees at 31 January 2025 No of Employees at 31 January 2025 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 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 7.0 December 10.6 9.5 11.6 December 7.7 8.1 8.5 December 7.0 6.6 7.0 January 5.2 7.0 6.7 January 12.0 10.3 11.3 January 7.4 8.1 8.2 January 5.8 6.1 6.7 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 6.9 Annual Average 11.0 9.1 10.4 Annual Average 7.6 7.2 8.0 Annual Average 5.7 5.4 5.8 Average Apr-Jan 5.9 6.2 6.8 Average Apr-Jan 11.0 9.0 10.6 Average Apr-Jan 7.5 7.1 8.1 Average Apr-Jan 5.6 5.2 5.7 1777 1028 2805 15713 Appendix 6 Absence Trends - 2022/2023, 2023/2024 & 2024/2025 Social Work Resources APT&C Council WideResource TotalManual Workers No of Employees at 31 January 2025 No of Employees at 31 January 2025 No of Employees at 31 January 2025 No of Employees at 31 January 2025 46
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Appendix 7 Absence by long and short term From: 1 November 2024 to 31 January 2025 Community and Enterprise 3415 2.8 4.8 7.6 2.2 5.2 7.4 2.7 4.5 7.2 Education 7271 2.6 3.6 6.2 2.1 4.7 6.8 2.6 3.7 6.3 Finance and Corporate 818 2.3 2.3 4.6 1.8 2.6 4.4 1.5 2.2 3.7 Housing & Technical 1404 2.2 4.3 6.5 1.7 4.5 6.2 3.2 3.5 6.7 Social Work 2805 2.6 6.1 8.7 2.6 5.9 8.5 2.8 5.5 8.2 Council Overall for November 2024 to January 2025 15713 2.6 4.3 6.9 2.2 4.8 7.0 2.6 4.1 6.7 January 2025 Total Short Term % Total Long Term % Resource Total Absence % Resource No of employees Resource Total Absence % December 2024 Total Short Term % Total Long Term % November 2024 Total Short Term % Total Long Term % Resource Total Absence % 47
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From : 1 January 2025 - 31 January 2025 Total WDL % Total WDL % Total WDL % Total WDL % Total WDL % Musculoskeletal 1485 28 1197 13 58 10 485 26 805 19 4030 19 Psychological 1415 27 3596 39 215 36 486 26 1451 35 7163 34 Stomach, Bowel, Blood, Metabolic Disorders 591 11 804 9 51 9 194 10 395 10 2035 10 Respiratory 851 16 1762 19 177 30 395 21 859 21 4044 19 Other Classification 984 18 1917 21 92 16 336 18 639 15 3968 19 Total Days Lost By Resource 5326 100 9276 100 593 100 1896 100 4149 100 21240 100 Total Work Days Available From : 1 January 2024 - 31 January 2024 Total WDL % Total WDL % Total WDL % Total WDL % Total WDL % Musculoskeletal 1684 32 1452 16 82 17 377 24 875 20 4470 21 Psychological 1370 26 3209 35 168 34 569 37 1692 39 7008 34 Stomach, Bowel, Blood, Metabolic Disorders 397 8 751 8 14 3 132 8 383 9 1677 8 Respiratory 756 14 1956 21 85 17 264 17 632 14 3693 18 Other Classification 1047 20 1758 19 147 30 214 14 783 18 3949 19 Total Days Lost By Resource 5254 100 9126 100 496 100 1556 100 4365 100 20797 100 Total Work Days Available *WDL = Work Days Lost 74077 147854 16012 Social Work Resources 53999309481793916276476391 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 28332 50445 Appendix 8 Attendance Monitoring Absence Classification Reasons Community and Enterprise Resources Social Work Resources Total WDL By Reason 48
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Appendix 9 Teachers Others 16 5 14 0 9 25 15 13 11 4 12 26 2 2 1 0 3 3 3 2 2 0 1 3 2 1 0 1 0 2 2 1 0 0 1 2 3 5 11 1 2 1 2 0 0 0 0 2 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 19 10 19 2 14 22 66 39 60 9 43 87 80 36 41 9 31 73 Dec 23 - Jan 24 Dec 24-Jan 2025 Dec 23 - Jan 24 Dec 24-Jan 2025 Dec 23 - Jan 24 Dec 24-Jan 2025 86 83 67 69 0 0 48 38 151 175 3 0 49 66 11 10 0 0 10 10 15 25 2 0 34 38 81 82 Social Work 3 1 58 66 325 361 Not Disclosed 4 2 285 301 Total 12 3 Reason Dec 23 - Jan 24 Dec 24-Jan 25 Work Stress 19 9 Addicition 0 0 Personal 54 12 Anxiety/Depression 4 33 Bereavement 18 8 Total 95 62 Finance and Corporate Education Community and Enterprise Resource Housing and Technical Occupational Health Reports From: 1 Dec 2024 - 31 January 2025 comparison with 1 December 2023- 31 January 2024 Medical Referrals Community and Enterprise Education Finance and Corporate Housing & Technical Social Work Totals Musculoskeletal 69 Psychological 81 Cardiovascular 11 Stomach / Bowel / Blood / Metabolic 11 Respiratory 6 Cancer 6 Neurological & Endocrine 23 Gynaecological / Urological 4 Skin 1 Ear, Nose, Throat & Eye 6 Infectious Diseases 0 Non classified 86 Total (Dec 2024 -Jan 2025) 304 Total (Dec 2023 -Jan 2024) 270 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 49
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Dec 23 - Jan 24 Dec 24 - Jan- 25 Dec 23 - Jan 24 Dec 24 - Jan- 25 Dec 23 - Jan 24 Dec 24 - Jan- 25 Dec 23 - Jan 24 Dec 24 - Jan- 25 Dec 23 - Jan 24 Dec 24 - Jan- 25 Dec 23 - Jan 24 Dec 24 - Jan- 25 Specified Injury 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Specified Injury (Violence) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total Specified Injury* 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Over 7 Day 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 1 Over 7 Day (Violence) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total Over 7 Day** 4 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 0 4 1 Over 3 Day 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Over 3 Day (Violence) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total Over 3 Day** 1 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 2 0 Minor Injury 20 5 24 2 10 3 4 0 18 0 76 10 Near Miss 0 0 8 0 0 0 1 1 0 0 9 1 Violence (Physical) 2 3 248 29 0 0 0 0 4 2 254 34 Violence (Verbal) 1 1 27 2 0 0 0 1 6 3 34 7 Total Minor*** 23 9 307 33 10 3 5 2 28 5 373 52 Total Finalised 30 9 308 33 10 3 5 3 28 5 381 53 Accident 0 3 2 7 0 1 0 1 0 4 2 16 Incident 0 0 1 5 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 7 Violence (Physical) 0 0 8 83 0 0 0 0 1 1 9 84 Violence (Verbal) 0 0 1 7 0 0 0 0 0 2 1 9 Near Miss 0 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 Total to be investigated**** 0 3 12 103 0 1 0 1 1 9 13 117 Total Events/Month 30 12 320 136 10 4 5 4 29 14 394 170 ****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 December 2024 - 31 January 2025 comparison with 1 December 2023 - 31 January 2024 Accidents by Month of Occurrence Community and Enterprise Education Finance and Corporate Housing & Tech Social Work TOTAL **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 50
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APT&C Manual / Craft Teachers Total APT&C Manual / Craft Teachers Total Community and Enterprise 1 19 N/a 20 0 0 N/a 0 1 19 N/a 20 6 8 6 70% 20.7 Education 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0% 0 Finance and Corporate 1 0 N/a 1 0 0 N/a 0 1 0 N/a 1 0 0 1 0% 1 Housing and Technical 2 0 N/a 2 0 0 N/a 0 2 0 N/a 2 0 2 0 100% 2 Social Work 5 13 N/a 18 0 2 N/a 2 5 11 N/a 16 1 11 6 67% 18 Total (Dec 24 -Jan 25) 9 32 0 41 0 2 0 2 9 30 0 39 7 21 13 68% 41 Total (Dec 23 -Jan 24) 1 12 1 14 0 1 0 1 1 11 1 13 8 2 4 71% 14 APT&C Manual/ Craft Teachers Total APT&C Manual/ Craft Teachers Total APT&C Manual/ Craft Teachers Total Community and Enterprise 1 1 N/A 2 0 0 N/A 0 0 0 N/A 0 0 0 N/A 0 2 Education 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Finance and Corporate 0 0 N/A 0 0 0 N/A 0 0 0 N/A 0 0 0 N/A 0 0 Housing and Technical 0 0 N/A 0 0 0 N/A 0 0 0 N/A 0 0 0 N/A 0 0 Social Work 1 0 N/A 1 0 0 N/A 0 0 0 N/A 0 0 0 N/A 0 1 Total (Dec 24-Jan 2025) 2 1 0 3 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 3 Total (Dec 23-Jan 2024) 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 December 24 - 31 January 2025 Appeal's Panel Community and Enterprise Education Finance and Corporate Housing and Technical Social Work Total 10 Appendix 11 Outcome of Appeals Not Upheld From: 1 December 2024 - 31 January 2025 comparison with 1 December 2023 - 31 January 2024 Appeals pending to date Record of Disciplinary Hearings No of weeks to convene Disciplinary Hearing Total 1 1 0 0 0 0 % Held within 6 Weeks No of Appeals No Action APT&C 4-6 6+3Teachers Total No of Disciplinary Hearings Upheld APT&C 0 0 0 Upheld in Part 0 0 0 Teachers 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Resource Resource Action Taken Upheld Upheld in Part Manual/ Craft Outcome of Disciplinary Hearings Manual/ Craft 0 0 0 0 Withdrawn 0 0 0 10 Not Upheld Total Appeals Pending 1 1 0 0 00 51
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Appendix 12a Record of Grievances From: 1 December 2024 - 31 January 2025 comparison with 1 December 2023 - 31 January 2024 Grievances No of Grievances No Resolved at Stage 1 No Resolved at Stage 2 No Resolved at Stage 3 Still in Process Community and Enterprise 0 0 0 0 0 Education 0 0 0 0 0 Finance and Corporate 0 0 0 0 0 Housing and Technical 0 0 0 0 0 Social Work 1 0 1 0 0 Total (Dec 24 -Jan 25) 1 0 1 0 0 Total (Dec 23 -Jan 24) 1 0 1 0 0 Dignity at Work From: 1 December 2024 - 31 January 2025 comparison with 1 December 2023 - 31 January 2024 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 Community and Enterprise 2 0 0 0 0 2 Education 3 0 0 0 0 3 Finance and Corporate 0 0 0 0 0 0 Housing and Technical 1 0 0 0 0 1 Social Work 1 0 0 0 0 1 Total (Dec 24-Jan 25) 7 0 0 0 0 7 Total (Dec 23 - Jan 24) 0 0 0 0 0 0 52
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Appendix 12b Referrals for Workplace Mediation As at January 2025 Workplace Mediation Dec-24 Jan-25 No of Referrals 0 1 *No of Successful Cases 0 0 *No of Unsuccessful Cases 0 0 No of cases unsuitable for mediation 0 0 Workplace Mediation Dec-23 Jan-24 No of Referrals 0 1 *No of Successful Cases 0 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. 53
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Appendix 13 From 1 December 2024 - 31 January 2025 Reason for leaving Community and Enterprise Education Finance and Corporate Housing & Technical Social Work Total % Career Advancement 4 7 2 2 7 22 29% Child Caring / Caring Responsibilities 1 1 0 0 2 4 5% Disatisfaction with terms and conditions 1 0 0 0 0 1 1% Further Education 0 0 0 0 0 0 0% Moving outwith area 1 3 0 2 1 7 9% Other 6 15 0 0 4 25 33% Personal Reasons 7 5 0 2 1 15 20% Poor relationship with managers / colleagues 1 0 0 0 0 1 1% Travelling difficulties 0 0 0 0 0 0 0% Number of exit interviews conducted 2 4 1 1 0 8 Total no. of leavers per Resource eligible for an exit interview 21 31 2 6 15 75 % of leavers interviewed 10% 13% 50% 17% 0% 11% From 1 December 2023 - 31 January 2024 Number of exit interviews conducted 9 19 3 4 6 41 Total no. of leavers per Resource eligible for an exit interview 31 43 6 9 18 107 % of leavers interviewed 29% 44% 50% 44% 33% 38% * Note these totals include temporary employees Analysis of leavers and exit interviews 54
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Appendix 14 Applied Interviewed Appointed % of Applicants interviewed % of Applicants appointed % of Interviewees appointed 3317 1764 469 53% 14% 27% 813 384 100 47% 12% 26% 2421 958 216 40% 9% 23% 531 197 37 37% 7% 19% 2679 1139 251 43% 9% 22% 549 266 62 48% 11% 23% 2907 1651 608 57% 21% 37% 362 106 9 29% 2% 8% 37 20 5 54% 14% 25% Applied Interviewed Appointed % of Applicants interviewed % of Applicants appointed % of Interviewees appointed 1947 607 145 31% 7% 24% 714 234 50 33% 7% 21% 1230 351 82 29% 7% 23% 61 33 6 54% 10% 18% 1541 436 107 28% 7% 25% 399 144 24 36% 6% 17% 1719 543 130 32% 8% 24% 212 38 2 18% 1% 5% 24 9 0 38% 0% 0% Recruitment Monitoring Analysis of Gender, Disability, Ethnicity and Age From : 1 December 2024 - 31 January 2025 Total Number of applications received: 3784 Total Number of Equal Opportunities Monitoring forms received: 3317 Total Number of posts advertised: 122 Total Number of appointments: 493 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 December 2023 - 31 January 2024 Total Number of applications received: 1973 Total No of applicants aged under 50 Total Number of Equal Opportunities Monitoring forms received: 1947 Total Number of posts advertised: 133 Total Number of appointments: 152 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 55
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Appendix 15 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 3387 1206 378 240 1563 2428.85 5.00 1669.72 416.48 269.41 47.94 18.30 0.00 2.00 0.00 Education - Others 3208 99 94 574 2441 2484.97 5.00 1207.06 1072.71 138.64 48.60 11.00 0.00 1.96 0.00 Education - Teachers 4127 708 121 2174 1124 3641.95 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 3641.95 Finance & Corporate Resources 821 183 24 365 249 727.96 8.00 92.08 340.45 210.38 55.05 22.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Housing & Technical 1392 770 116 341 165 1282.49 3.00 195.37 680.22 359.41 33.49 9.00 0.00 2.00 0.00 Social Work Resources 2781 194 230 949 1408 2386.60 3.00 332.43 1453.91 474.98 85.77 35.51 0.00 1.00 0.00 9310.87 (excluding Teachers) Total All Staff 15716 3160 963 4643 6950 12952.82 24.00 3496.66 3963.77 1452.82 270.85 95.81 0.00 6.96 3641.95 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 Quarterly Joint Staffing Watch Return : Number Employed On 14 September 2024 Analysis by Resource Total Number of Employees Full-Time Equivalent Male Female Salary Band Quarterly Joint Staffing Watch Return : Number Employed On 14 December 2024 Analysis by Resource Total Number of Employees Full-Time Equivalent Male Female Salary Band 56
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 26 March 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 31 January 2025 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 £230,831.40 Non-Domestic Rates £386,014.73 BID Levy £6,000.00 Sundry Debt £410,430.23 Housing Rent and associated charges £61,720.86 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 94.51%, ahead of target by 0.12% and behind comparable performance in 2023/2024 by 0.05%. 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 31 January 2025 when Scottish Water debts are removed is 95.17%. 8 57
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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 92.9%, ahead of target by 0.1% and ahead of comparable performance in 2023/2024 by 0.7% 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 31 January 2025 was 97.8%, ahead of target by 0.3%.and ahead of comparable performance in 2023/2024 by 0.5%. 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 31 January 2025 of £3.337 million, ahead of target by £0.890 million (29.7%) and ahead of comparable performance in 2023/2024 by £0.509 million. 5.3. The 2024/2025 arrears target for NDR has been set at £2.000 million, with collection to 31 January 2025 of £3.225 million, ahead of target by £1.298 million (64.9%) and ahead of comparable performance in 2023/2024 by £0.992 million. 5.4. The 2024/2025 arrears target for Sundry Debt has been set at £10.153 million, with collection to 31 January 2025 of £7.966 million, behind target by £1.446 million and behind comparable performance in 2023/2024 by £0.897 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. 58
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7.2. The proposed write off of Council Tax accounts dating from 1993/1994 to 2024/2025 totals £230,831.40 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 £386,014.73. 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 £6,000.00, 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 £410,430.23. 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 £61,720.86. 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. 59
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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) 3 March 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 - 29 January 2025 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 60
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Appendix 1 SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL REVENUES COLLECTION FOR PERIOD ENDING 31 JANUARY 2025 Annual Budget Cash Target Actual Variance % Variance Budget to 31/01/25 to 31/01/25 to 31/01/25 to Notes £000's £000's £000's £000's annual budget FINANCIAL YEAR 2024/2025 Council Tax 156,673 154,852 155,047 195 over 0.12% Non-Domestic Rates 385,983 367,376 367,860 484 over 0.1% Sundry Debt 109,118 109,118 109,480 362 over 0.3% ARREARS Council Tax 3,000 2,447 3,337 890 over 29.7% Non-Domestic Rates 2,000 1,957 3,255 1,298 over 64.9% Sundry Debt 10,153 9,412 7,966 (1,446) under -14.2% 61
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Appendix 2 BREAKDOWN OF PROPOSED SUNDRY DEBT WRITE-OFF Resource Service No. of Accounts Value (£) Housing & Technical Factoring / H&T General 71 38,212.47 Rechargeable Repairs / Capital Repairs 796 286,020.08 Social Work Residential / Non-Residential / Social Work General 63 74,518.25 Community and Enterprise Roads / Bereavement 11 2,697.38 Finance & Corporate Housing Benefit Overpayments 13 8,982.05 Total 954 410,430.23 62
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 26 March 2025 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Consultation on Universal Credit - Mitigation of the Two-Child Limit 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- provide the Committee with the proposed response in relation to the Scottish Government’s consultation on Universal Credit – Mitigation of the Two-Child Limit 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- (1) that the consultation response provided at Appendix 1 be approved for submission to the Scottish Government. 3. Background 3.1. The consultation is by the Scottish Government Social Security Directorate and looks at how the Scottish Government can mitigate the effects of the Universal Credit Two- Child Cap in Scotland. The deadline for submitted responses is 18 April 2025. 3.2. Universal Credit is a UK benefit administered by the Department of Works and Pension and is available for people to apply for across the UK. It is a means tested benefit and is the only means tested benefit available that an individual or family can apply for when they are of working-age. Where an individual or family are responsible for a child, a Child Element is paid as part of their entitlement to Universal Credit. 3.3. However, the UK Government will only pay a Child Element for the first two children in a household where any subsequent children are born after the 6 April 2017, except in limited circumstances. 3.4. The exceptions are where the third or other subsequent child was part of a multiple birth (twins etc), the child is part of a non-parental caring agreement or born because of non-consensual conception. 3.5. It is known that in April 2024, 42,000 Scottish households with three or more children were receiving Universal Credit, and of these, 27,000 were in the scope of the Two- Child Cap due to having children born after the 6 April 2017. Allowing for exceptions, it understood 26,000 households in receipt of Universal Credit have had the Two-Child Cap applied. 9 63
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3.6. The Scottish Fiscal Commission (SFC) estimates in April 2024 there were 32,000 children in Scotland where there was no Universal Credit Child Element paid for them because of the Two-Child Cap. It is expected this number will increase as more children are born. 3.7. On 4 December 2024 the Scottish Government set out plans to mitigate the two-child cap in Scotland as part of the annual budget statement to the Scottish Parliament. The proposal is for a payment equal to the Universal Credit Child Element for each third and subsequent child impacted by the two-child cap – currently £287.92 each month, rising to £292.81 in April per child. 3.8. The SFC estimates that the mitigation will be paid to 42,000 children at a cost of £3,609 per child per year in 2026/2027 (equivalent to the UC child element payments for a year), rising to 49,000 children and £3,845 in 2029/2030. The forecast includes £3 million in 2026/2027, rising to £9 million in 2029/2030, for behavioural change: for example, families choosing to work fewer hours to remain eligible for UC, or parents choosing to receive a mitigation payment from the Scottish Government instead of applying to DWP for an exception. On this basis the SFC estimates the total cost of the policy for 2026/2027 at £155 million, increasing to £198 million in 2029/2030. 4. Response 4.1. In its response South Lanarkshire Council has noted:- that it supports the Scottish Government taking steps to mitigate the Two-Child Cap in Universal Credit, using section 79 of the Social Security Scotland Act 2016 through the creation of a stand-alone top-up benefit, administered and paid by Social Security Scotland data sharing between the Scottish and UK Government will be vital to ensure maximum uptake by identifying those who are in receipt of Universal Credit and affected by the Two-Child Cap any data sharing should be real time data to ensure benefits are paid timeously and where an underlying qualifying criterion is no longer met, any entitlement to the top-up benefit ceases. This will reduce the likelihood of unnecessary overpayments of the top-up benefit it is recognised, however, that there will be households who could be entitled to the top-up benefit who would not be in receipt of Universal Credit because of the current operation of the Two Child Cap rules. It will be vital these households are also identified so they also can benefit from any mitigation there should be a take-up campaign to ensure all those who should benefit, do so any take-up campaign should be a national campaign, but should also focus on local delivery, including promotion in nurseries, schools, jobcentres and other community venues where the top-up benefit is paid, but Universal Credit is not received, the top-up benefit should be treated as the equivalent of Universal Credit for the purposes of other Scottish Benefits where receipt of that benefit is a qualifying criterion the UK and Scottish Government should disregard any payment of the top-up benefit for the purposes of calculating any other entitlement to other means tested benefits it is also suggested it should be considered whether the top-up payment should be made available to the guardians of kinship children, who under current Universal Credit rules do not qualify for any Child Element in Universal Credit and where currently the responsibility for making any mitigating payment is the responsibility of local authorities 64
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4.2. The proposed response is attached to the report as appendix 1. 5. Financial Implications 5.1. There are no financial implications arising from the consultation response. 6. Employee Implications 6.1. There are no employee implications arising from the consultation response. 7. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 7.1. There are no climate change, sustainability and environmental implications arising from the consultation response. 8. Other Implications 8.1. There are no other implications arising from this report. 9. Integrated Impact Assessment and Consultation Requirements 9.1. This report does not include any recommendations in respect of Council policy, so no consultation or equality impact assessment is required. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 4 March 2025 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Focussed on people and their needs Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Previous References None List of Background Papers Consultation from the Scottish Government Social Security Directorate 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 65
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Appendix 1 South Lanarkshire Council Consultation on Universal Credit - Mitigation of the Two-Child Limit Consulting Body: Social Security Directorate, Scottish Government Response Date: 18 April 2025 1.Do you agree or disagree with the Scottish Government's assessment that Social Security Scotland should deliver payments to mitigate the two-child cap in Scotland? We agree with this proposal as it would be a positive step by the Scottish Government to support the estimated 26,000 families that are affected by the Two-Child Cap in Scotland. Our primary concern, however, would be that mitigated payments paid by the Scottish Government may interfere with other payments paid by the DWP. We also believe delivery of this payment should be simple and straight forward for families, and automatic if they are entitled to it and that is possible. Any steps to mitigate its effect on households with children would be welcomed. 2. Do you agree or disagree that to mitigate the Two-Child Benefit Cap the Scottish Government should use the powers at s79 to top-up Universal Credit? We would support section 79 (Power to Provide Top Up) of the Social Security (Scotland) Act 2016 being used to create a new top up benefit that could be used to mitigate the effects of the Two-Child Cap. The goal should be to maximise family income and avoid any disruption to their existing benefits. We believe, however, for this to be successful, the UK and Scottish Government must have effective data sharing agreements in place to ensure all those who are entitled to the top up benefit are receiving it and to ensure if the qualifying criteria for the top up benefit ceases to be met, this is communicated timeously to Social Security Scotland (SSS) to avoid any overpayments. We also believe there will be a problem in that there will be households who are not eligible to receive Universal Credit because of the current operation of the Two Child Cap rules. A non-qualifier due to these circumstances is not uncommon and we are not clear how they will be identified or notified if/that they are entitled to the top-up benefit. Where the top-up benefit is paid, but Universal Credit is not received, the top-up benefit should be treated as the equivalent of Universal Credit for the purposes of other Scottish Benefits where receipt of that benefit is a qualifying criterion. 3. Do you agree or disagree that payments to mitigate the Two-Child Cap should be disregarded as income by the UK Government? We fully support that UK and Scottish Governments should disregard payment of the top-up benefit for the purposes of calculating entitlement to other UK and Scottish benefits. Failure to do so will cause further financial hardship to families and be counterproductive in terms of the policy aims of the top-up benefit. 66
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4. Do you have any information you wish to share about any additional potential impacts of the proposed approach outlined in this consultation? Social Security Scotland (SSS) can only gain access to information of those affected by the cap from the Department of Works and Pensions (DWP). This involves data sharing. Data sharing between large organisations can be complex and challenging. The information the SSS receives from the DWP must be real-time information, to avoid potential wrongful payments. SSS should also ensure that effective take-up campaigns are run to ensure information on the top-up payment is made widely available. Such take-up campaigns should be operated nationally and at a local level, and include promotion in nurseries, schools, jobcentres and other community venues. As important as the data sharing is with the DWP, there will also be a risk, that over- reliance on this information will lead to people being missed, where they have no current entitlement to Universal Credit because of operation of the Two-Child Cap rules. We would also suggest it should be considered whether the top-up payment should be made available to the guardians of Kinship Children, who under current Universal Credit rules do not qualify for any Child Element and where the responsibility for making any mitigating payment is currently the responsibility of local authorities. 67
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 26 March 2025 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Finance and Public Administration Committee - Call for Views on the Scottish Budget Process in Practice 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [p advise of the Scottish Parliament Finance and Public Administration Committee’s call for views on the Scottish Budget Process in practice and the Council’s submitted response [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the content of the report and the Council’s response to the call for views on the Scottish Budget process in practice be noted; and (2) that the consultation response detailed in Appendix 1 be approved and submitted to the Scottish Government. 3. Background 3.1. The Finance and Public Administration Committee is carrying out a short, focussed inquiry on how the Scottish budget process has worked in practice, during the current parliamentary session (2021 to 2026). It aims to identify any improvements that can be made to the budget process, ahead of the next five-year session of Parliament. 3.2. The focus of the inquiry will be on the four core objectives that underpin the Scottish budget process:- to have greater influence on the formulation of the Scottish Government’s budget proposals; to improve transparency and raise public understanding and awareness of the budget; to respond effectively to new fiscal and wider policy challenges; to lead to better outputs and outcomes as measured against benchmarks and stated objectives. 3.3. A call for views was issued on 12 February 2025, asking for particular feedback on a number of areas by 26 March 2025. The specific questions and the Council’s response is summarised in section 4 of the report and the full response, which will be submitted prior to the deadline, is attached at Appendix 1. 10 69
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4. Call for Views 4.1. The call for views asked for comments in five parts as follows:- 1 Four Objectives to the Budget Process 2 Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) 3 Fiscal Sustainability Delivery Plan 4 Approach to Spending Reviews 5. Effectiveness 4.2. Officers from Finance and Corporate Resources have prepared a response to the call for views. The main points raised in the consultation response are as follows:- Part 1: Four Objectives to the Budget Process The Council welcomes the Scottish Government’s engagement with COSLA on this year’s budget and the commitment to continue to progress the positive work achieved to date. Improved transparency and engagement in the budget process are welcomed with acknowledgment from the Scottish Government of the continued financial challenges facing the Council. The Budget contained funding to manage some, but not all, policy challenges. One particular area of difficulty was Teacher Numbers where there was limited information being made available to councils in relation to the policy and what the expectation was around maintaining teacher numbers. There was (and remains) a distinct lack of clarity around mitigations to maintaining teacher numbers and this has a real impact on the Council both financially and operationally. One of the main issues here is around the lack of communication to councils around this, and a lack of understanding from the Scottish Government around how this impacts on councils. In addition, councils were not fully funded for the implications of the increase in National Insurance Contributions to be made by employers. It would be helpful if the Council were provided with a multi-year financial settlement. This would allow the Council to plan and budget more effectively for the medium and longer term and allow better collaboration with partners to develop long term plans to deliver better outcomes and address inequalities. Part 2: Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) Scotland’s public finances and services have come under significant pressure since the last Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) was published. The absence of up-to-date information on the fiscal position makes scrutiny more challenging and prolongs key decision-making processes. Consequently, this increases uncertainty for the Council in terms of its financial planning. A multi-year approach to financial planning will help the parliamentary committees as well as local government, by giving them a degree of certainty in relation to their funding, and the ability to plan strategically in relation to their policy intent. Part 3: Fiscal Sustainability Delivery Plan The Delivery Plan should ensure detailed involvement with stakeholders, including COSLA and local government, to ensure their plans and policy intent are deliverable and that any additional funding required to pursue those plans is added to the local government financial envelope. 70
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Part 4: Approach to Spending Reviews The Resource Spending review in 2022 included multi-year portfolio spending plans. However, inflationary pressures over the course of 2022/2023 changed expectations of spending and funding significantly. Scenario planning for a range of outcomes should be included in future spending reviews and would enhance the value of the exercise. Part 5: Effectiveness The full year budget process allows greater cognisance of the UK Government Budget timetable, within the plans for the Scottish Budget. The UK Government has stated plans to publish its next spending review in spring 2025 and that spending reviews will be conducted at least every two years in future. This should allow a more regular cycle for Scottish Government spending reviews and allow multi-year budget settlements to be set with greater confidence. The effectiveness of the Budget process could be enhanced by including multi- year financial settlements. This would allow the Council to better plan and budget effectively for the medium and longer term and allow more informed decision making due to having certainty regarding its main funding stream (Government Grant). The Council has an important role in delivering Scottish Government policy and contributing towards improved outcomes and decisions regarding our overall funding are a key part of the budget process. Annual performance and audit reports and financial returns will continue to support outcomes-based scrutiny to ensure value for money and to evidence that funding is being used to best effect to support the delivery of the desired outcomes. The process would also benefit from agreement on the message around funding provided to the Council, with fair and consistent reporting of the financial position – a realistic statement on what the Local Government Settlement actually means for councils. 5. Employee Implications 5.1. There are no employee implications in terms of the information contained in this report. 6. Financial Implications 6.1. There are no financial implications in terms of the information contained in this report. 7. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 7.1. There are no implications for climate change, sustainability, or the environment in terms of the information contained in this report. 8. Other Implications 8.1. There are no implications for sustainability in terms of the information contained in this report. 9. Integrated Impact Assessment and Consultation Requirements 9.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function, or strategy and therefore no impact assessment is required. 71
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9.2. 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) 4 March 2025 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, Effective, Efficient and Transparent Previous References None List of Background Papers Scottish Parliament Finance and Public Administration Committee Inquiry into the Scottish Budget Process in practice – Call for Views 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 72
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Appendix 1 Finance and Public Administration Committee Inquiry into the Scottish Budget Process in Practice Part 1: Four objectives to the budget process 1. To what extent have the following four objectives for the Scottish budget process been met this parliamentary session – please address each in turn: • greater influence on formulation of the Scottish Government’s budget proposals. • improved transparency and increased public understanding and awareness of the budget. • effective responses to new fiscal and wider policy challenges. • better outputs and outcomes as measured against benchmarks and stated objectives. The Council welcomes the Scottish Government’s engagement with COSLA on this year’s budget and the commitment to continue to progress the positive work achieved to date. Improved transparency and engagement on the budget process are welcomed with acknowledgment from the Scottish Government of the continued financial challenges facing the Council. Information flow during the process was appreciated, although full confirmation was not available until the Order was laid before Parliament in late February. The Budget contained funding to manage some, but not all, policy challenges. One particular area of difficulty was Teacher Numbers where there was limited information being made available to councils in relation to the policy and what the expectation was around maintaining teacher numbers. There was (and remains) a distinct lack of clarity around mitigations to maintaining teacher numbers and this has a real impact on the Council both financially and operationally. One of the main issues here is around the lack of communication to councils around this, and a lack of understanding from the Scottish Government around how this impacts on councils. In addition, councils were not fully funded for the implications of the increase in National Insurance Contributions to be made by employers. 2. Please set out any barriers to meeting the four core objectives of the budget process and suggestions as to how these might be overcome. It would be helpful if the Council were provided with a multi-year financial settlement. This would allow the Council to plan and budget more effectively for the medium and longer term and allow better collaboration with partners to develop long term plans to deliver better outcomes and address inequalities. Part 2: Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) The MTFS aims to focus on the longer-term sustainability of Scotland’s public finances and support a strategic approach to financial planning. The MTFS is expected to be published annually after the UK Spring Statement and at least four weeks before summer recess. 73
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3. To what extent does the MTFS support a more strategic approach to the Scottish Government’s financial planning? Scotland’s public finances and services have come under significant pressure since the last Medium-Term Financial Strategy (MTFS) was published. The absence of up- to-date information on the fiscal position makes scrutiny more challenging and prolongs key decision-making processes. Consequently, this increases uncertainty for the Council in terms of its financial planning. 4. How is the MTFS currently used by parliamentary committees and how might it be further developed to support effective scrutiny and a strategic approach to financial planning? The MTFS will set out the financial context after the UK Spring Statement each year and allow parliamentary committees to plan their pre-budget scrutiny in the Autumn, feeding into the Budget which comes towards the end of the year. As noted above, a multi-year approach to financial planning will help the parliamentary committees as well as local government, by giving them a degree of certainty in relation to their funding, and the ability to plan strategically in relation to their policy intent. Part 3: Fiscal Sustainability Delivery Plan The Scottish Government said it will publish a Fiscal Sustainability Delivery Plan alongside the MTFS 2025 for the first time. The government say this will support fiscal transparency and “stable ground” for longer- term financial planning. 5. What key areas should the Fiscal Sustainability Delivery Plan include to ensure it supports fiscal transparency and “stable ground” for longer-term financial planning? The Fiscal Sustainability Delivery Plan should be fully transparent about the scale of the risks to the affordability of public services and options for how the Scottish Government can manage them. The Delivery Plan should ensure detailed involvement with stakeholders, including Cosla and local government, to ensure their plans and policy intent are deliverable and that any additional funding required to pursue those plans is added to the local government financial envelope. 6. How should parliamentary scrutiny of this Plan, a new aspect of the budget process, operate? Parliamentary scrutiny of the plan should follow similar lines as the scrutiny of the MTFS. The Plan should contain key actions with delivery timescales, so that progress can be readily monitored. Part 4: Approach to spending reviews The Scottish Government is expected to carry out a spending review linked to the equivalent UK spending review. 74
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In advance, it is required to publish a framework document setting out the economic and political context, the criteria which will govern the assessment of budgets and the process and timetable for the spending review. 7. Learning from the practice of this parliamentary session, how should the Scottish Government approach future spending reviews? The Resource Spending review in 2022 included multi-year portfolio spending plans. However, inflationary pressures over the course of 2022/2023 changed expectations of spending and funding significantly. Scenario planning for a range of outcomes should be included in future spending reviews and would enhance the value of the exercise. Part 5: Effectiveness Weaknesses previously identified in the budget process include that it did “not take sufficient account of the interaction of the UK budget timetable with the Scottish budget timetable, and that parliamentary influence on the formulation of the budget has been limited”. 8. To what extent has the full year budget process addressed this weakness? Please set out the reasons for your response and any suggestions on how any remaining weaknesses could be better addressed. The full year budget process allows greater cognisance of the UK Government Budget timetable, within the plans for the Scottish Budget. The UK Government has stated plans to publish its next spending review in spring 2025 and that spending reviews will be conducted at least every two years in future. This should allow a more regular cycle for Scottish Government spending reviews and allow multi-year budget settlements to be set with greater confidence. 9. How effective is current public engagement in the budget process and are there any ways in which this can be improved? Budget documents are freely available and published on the Scottish Government website and the budget process is designed to encourage participation by the public about how the budget is spent. The Draft Budget Scrutiny Phase is a consultation, and interested parties have an opportunity to make their views known, either in writing or at consultation sessions. The Council has its own Budget Consultation process where response rates are increasing each year as the Council strives to make the consultation more accessible through a variety of media routes. 10. What adjustments do you consider are required to enhance the overall effectiveness of the budget process? The effectiveness of the Budget process could be enhanced by including multi-year financial settlements. This would allow the Council to better plan and budget effectively for the medium and longer term and allow more informed decision making due to having certainty regarding its main funding stream (Government Grant). 75
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The process would also benefit from agreement on the message around funding provided to the Council, with fair and consistent reporting of the financial position – a realistic statement on what the Local Government Settlement actually means for councils. 11. Are any changes needed to the information, guidance and support provided to parliamentary committees to better support effective budget scrutiny? The Council has an important role in delivering Scottish Government policy and contributing towards improved outcomes and decisions regarding our overall funding are a key part of the budget process. Annual performance and audit reports and financial returns will continue to support outcomes-based scrutiny to ensure value for money and to evidence that funding is being used to best effect to support the delivery of the desired outcomes. 76
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Report Agenda Item To: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date: 26 March 2025 Prepared by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Consultation on Financial Considerations that Women Face When Leaving an Abusive Relationship 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of this report is to:- provide committee with the response provided to the consultation from the Social Justice and Social Security Committee of the Scottish Parliament on financial considerations that women face when leaving an abusive relationship 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- (1) that the consultation response provided to the Social Justice and Social Security Committee detailed in Appendix 1 be noted. 3. Background 3.1. The consultation by the Social Justice and Social Security Committee of the Scottish Parliament considering the financial implications that women face when leaving an abusive relationship, was launched on the 13 December 2024 and closed on the 20 February 2025. 3.2. Police Scotland recorded 61,934 incidents of domestic abuse in 2022/2023; their figures also recorded that more than 80% survivors of this abuse were female. Abuse can take different forms. Sometimes, women are hurt by economic abuse. This means an abuser restricts a person from getting, using, or keeping money. 3.3. In 2020, a domestic abuse organisation for women called Refuge found that more than 8 million adults in the UK have faced economic abuse. On average, survivors of economic abuse who find themselves in debt owing £3,272. 3.4. Women in abusive relationships may also struggle with the cost of living, which may prevent them leaving the relationship. In 2022, Women’s Aid reported that almost three-quarters of women living, and having financial links, with an abuser said the cost-of-living crisis made it hard for them to leave. 3.5. The Social Justice and Social Security Committee wants to learn more about:- the support local authorities give to women leaving abusive relationships how rules and practices related to the public sector and social security take account of the financial issues women can face when leaving abusive relationships 11 77
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how much information and advice is available from public bodies and charities 4. Response 4.1. In its response South Lanarkshire Council has noted:- the Scottish Government Equal Safe Strategy currently does not contain a section in it which focuses on economic and financial abuse against women, and this should be considered the current social security system does try to secure women who are in relationships an independent income, but this is not without challenges, particularly in relation to Alternative Payment Arrangements for Universal Credit and Child Benefit. There may be situations where women do not feel safe applying for Alternative Payment Arrangements if they are still living with the abusive partner, as this may worsen their situation. In relation to Child Benefit, where the abusive partner is contesting who has main responsibility for the child, to receive the payment, this may require HMRC Officers to investigate, which can take time local authorities currently do what they can to assist women who are in abusive relationships when it comes to public sector debt, but this can be dependent on them being aware of the woman’s situation access to justice can be a problem for women fleeing abuse and if they are not able to access Legal Aid solicitors, this can leave women powerless and allow the other party to use the law to continue to frustrate their ability to take control of their lives and move on local Authorities are limited as to what assistance they can provide people with no access to public funds, but do have some powers, under s12 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 an s22 of the Child (Scotland) Act 1995. They also can, through services like Money Matters Advice Service, provide other forms of support through charitable bodies, where that support does not constitute accessing public funds services like Money Matters Advice Service can provide advice and information to women whilst they are in abusive relationships as to what financial support, they will be able to access after leaving an abusive relationship and can assist them once they do to claim benefits and obtain control of benefits like Child Benefit Local Government have a statutory duty to provide advice and assistance to women in relation to their welfare as contained in s12 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 and s22 of the Child (Scotland) Act 1995. They also have a duty to house people who are homeless under s33 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 and to treat them as homeless where they have accommodation but are at risk of abuse under s24 of the Act. They also are the primary funders of advice in relation to Welfare Benefits and Money Advice in Scotland. Councils therefore have a significant role in ensuring an individual’s economic circumstances do not prevent them from leaving an abusive relationship 4.2. The Council’s response submitted on 20 February 2025 is attached as Appendix 1 to the report. 5. Financial Implications 5.1. There are no financial implications arising from the consultation response. 6. Employee Implications 6.1. There are no employee implications arising from the consultation response. 78
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7. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 7.1. There are no climate change, sustainability and environmental implications arising from the consultation response. 8. Other Implications 8.1. There are no other implications arising from this report. 9. Integrated Impact Assessment and Consultation Requirements 9.1. This report does not include any recommendations in respect of Council policy, so no consultation or equality impact assessment is required. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 3 March 2025 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Focussed on people and their needs Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Previous References None List of Background Papers Consultation by the Social Justice and Social Security Committee 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 79
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Appendix 1 South Lanarkshire Council Consultation on financial considerations when leaving an abusive relationship Consulting Body: Social Justice and Social Security Committee Response Date: 20 February 2025 1. To what extent do Scottish Government strategies such as Equally Safe give proper recognition to financial considerations when leaving an abusive relationship? The Scottish Government’s Equal Safe strategy recognises Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) to include coercive controlling behaviours and commercial sexual exploitation; however, it doesn’t directly recognise financial considerations. There is recognition that more women are likely to live in poverty than men and that VAWG sustains this. Poverty can be a factor in preventing women from accessing support for safety and wellbeing needs. Financial abuse can be used to control women which in turn puts them at further risk. Further consideration around this would be welcomed, this includes considering how women can overcome the challenges of joint Universal Credit claims, where only one partner is receiving all the funds. Women need to be more informed in relation to their right to apply for Alternative Payment Arrangements and have access to clear information on their rights in relation to benefits and housing. 2. How well do social security systems take account of domestic abuse? Do you have specific examples of social security rules and practices that need to change? The current social security system does partly recognise the need for women to have their own independent source of income in that it allows joint Universal Credit claims to be applied for an Alternative Payment Arrangement, where the payment is split. It also recognises that Child Benefit and Scottish Child Payment should be paid to the person who is normally responsible for the child most of the time. However, there can still be challenges with these arrangements. In the case of Alternative Payment Arrangements, many abused partners may be unwilling to apply for this when they are still in the arrangement, as they may believe to do so would be unsafe. Equally, in relation to Child Benefit and Scottish Child Benefit, disputes can arise as to who has the main responsibility for looking after the child. Although there are procedures in place for investigating and resolving these disputes, they can take time to resolve and in the meantime the parent with the child can be left without that source of funding. There also is no bespoke benefit available to someone who is fleeing an abusive relationship, and this can create financial obstacles for those that may wish to. 80
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3. When public bodies, for example local authorities and housing associations, are pursuing debt owed to them, to what extent do they take into account the way debt can arise as a result of being in or leaving an abusive relationship? Do you have specific examples of rules and practices that need to change? In relation to people in abusive relationships and where people no longer have control over their finances, it is not uncommon for the abusive partner to run up debt in their name. This can also be done to control someone and remove their ability to leave the relationship. This can be consumer debt, but also debt owed to local authorities, where they are both joint and several liable, such as in the case of council tax and rent arrears. Money Advice Services can support those trying to flee abusive relationships, by contacting their creditors and requesting debt write offs. They can also look at formal debt solutions that may allow people to repay their debts, such as the Debt Arrangement Scheme. Where repaying a debt would take an unreasonable amount of time or is unrealistic, they can also look at options like sequestration, but this can have a negative impact on an individuals’ credit rating and ability to obtain credit again in the future and can leave them financially excluded. Where appropriate and evidence can be provided of debt that has arisen as a result of being in or leaving an abusive relationship, it would be helpful if more creditors would consider debt write offs. Rent Arrears In relation to rent arrears, resorting to eviction is a last resort for local authorities. When a tenant falls into arrears local authorities make contact usually within the first four weeks. The process of contact and engagement continues to try and support tenants, provide advice and information and ensure income is maximised through referrals to services like South Lanarkshire Council’s Money Matters Advice Service, which can help avoid future debts from accruing. Domestic abuse victims, however, do not always let their Housing Officers know that they are suffering domestic abuse. Where a victim of domestic abuse indicates that their situation is contributing to their arrears, advice, support and income maximisation can be put in place. They can also be provided with advice in relation to housing options if this is something of interest to them. Council Tax The situation in relation to council tax is like that for rent arrears with a wide range of support in place to support individuals. Liable persons can be offered extended periods to repay and support from Scottish Welfare Fund and the Money Matters Advice Service. As couples are jointly and severally liable for council tax, there is also the ability to put the debt on hold for one party while recovery action takes place against the other. The use of diligence is a last resort. 81
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4. Do legal aid rules take sufficient account of the financial circumstances of women who have experienced domestic abuse? Do you have any specific examples of rules or practices which need to change? Legal Aid is a means tested benefit, which means it is not uncommon for one partner in a relationship to be able to access it, whilst the other cannot. It can also be difficult to find solicitors who are willing to take on Legal Aid work. This can make accessing justice difficult for those fleeing abusive relationships and can create financial and legal obstacles that prevent them from doing so. This can be a problem when one partner uses the law vexatiously and to continue the abuse, as the abused partner may struggle to challenge the conduct. This can be an issue in relation to the division and sale of homes, claims that someone has suffered a financial disadvantage because of a relationship; or, other examples we are aware of, in relation to enforcing pre-nuptial agreements and resolving disputes in relation to preventing access to children. 5. What are the particular barriers faced by those with No Recourse to Public Funds? And what can be done at a Scottish and local level to address these? Households with No Recourse to Public Funds are unable to access temporary accommodation or homelessness services. The Council’s Money Matters Advice Service can support households with No Recourse to Public Funds by providing information in relation to debt and can also provide access to other forms of support that do not constitute public funds, such as energy top up vouchers, grants and food bank referrals from charitable organisations. Local Authorities can also, in some circumstances, also support families with accommodation, advice and assistance through provisions contained in S12 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 and S22 payments of the Child (Scotland) Act 1995. 6. Does the advice and information available to women experiencing domestic abuse adequately deal with financial barriers? Advice Services such as those provided by the Council’s Money Matters Advice Service can help women experiencing domestic abuse by providing “What If?” Benefit checks that can give them the information they require on what benefits they would be entitled to once they leave the relationship. They can also give them assistance to apply for benefits once they have and support them to get control of benefits such as Child Benefit. They can also deal with any creditors they have and negotiate on their behalf and can apply for a Moratorium to give them “breathing space” from their creditors, whilst they receive advice on solutions. This could include seeking debt write offs and advising and assisting on other options such as the Debt Arrangement Scheme and Sequestration in relation to dealing with any historical debts from the relationship. They can also dispute liability for a debt where it has fraudulently been taken out by another party where there has been financial abuse, although this can be difficult as creditors may want evidence the abuse has occurred. 82
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7. To what extent is it the role of government to ensure that someone’s economic circumstances do not prevent them from leaving an abusive relationship? Local Government have a statutory duty to provide advice and assistance to women in relation to their welfare as contained in s12 of the Social Work (Scotland) Act 1968 and s22 of the Child (Scotland) Act 1995. They also have a duty to house people who are homeless under s33 of the Housing (Scotland) Act 1987 and to treat them as homeless where they have accommodation but are at risk of abuse under s24 of the Act. They also are the primary funders of advice in relation to Welfare Benefits and Money Advice in Scotland. They, therefore, have a significant role in ensuring someone’s economic circumstances do not prevent them from leaving an abusive relationship. 8. Please share any other comments that you have with us. None. 83
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 26 March 2025 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Mental Health Moratorium Regulations - Consultation 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- provide Committee with the response provided to Scottish Government on the consultation on the Mental Health Moratorium Regulations 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- (1) that the consultation response provided to Scottish Government detailed in Appendix 1 be noted. 3. Background 3.1. The Bankruptcy and Diligence (Scotland) Act 2024 was passed by the Scottish Parliament on the 6 June 2024 and received Royal Assent on the 15 July 2024. 3.2. It introduced a framework that allows Scottish Ministers to make regulations that create a Mental Health Moratorium. This will allow those who are receiving compulsory mental health treatment, or the equivalent, to apply for a Moratorium that will provide them with protection from their creditors whilst their treatment continues. 3.3. Section 2 of the 2024 Act requires Scottish Ministers, prior to laying Regulations before the Scottish Parliament, to lay a proposed draft copy of the Regulations before the Parliament for 60 days. The Scottish Government also committed, during the passing of the Bill, to consult with stakeholders on any draft Regulations. 3.4. The consultation was launched on 9 of December 2024 with a closing date of 17 March 2025. 4. Mental Health Moratorium 4.1. The proposed Mental Health Moratorium is intended to provide protections for those who are receiving compulsory mental health treatment in an institution or the community (or receiving the equivalent treatment on a voluntary basis) from those they owe debt to. It is proposed the Moratorium will be administered by the Scottish Government agency the Accountant in Bankruptcy. 4.2. The proposed application process will involve the applicant being certified as meeting the mental health criteria and the debt criteria by a mental health professional. The mental health criteria requires that the person is receiving compulsory mental health treatment in an institution or in the community or the 12 85
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equivalent. The debt criteria require a person to have problem debts that are contributing to their mental health problem, are likely to result in it deteriorating and that the person’s recovery is being hindered by it, and they are not able to address their problem debts due to their mental health problems. 4.3. Applications for Mental Health Moratoriums will have to be made by Money Advisers. It is expected that this will be approved by Money Advisers for the purposes of the Bankruptcy (Scotland) Act 2016, which means Money Advisers employed by Citizen Advice Bureaux and Local Authorities (Money Matters Advice Service). The AIB receive the application and award the Moratorium and notify the Creditors. They will also monitor it and review it every six months to ensure the criteria is still met by contacting the Mental Health Professional. 4.4. Once a Mental Health Moratorium is approved, the effect of it will be to protect the applicant from any diligence, such as bank account and wage arrestments or being sequestrated for debts that they owed at the date they applied for the Moratorium. It is also proposed that it will stop creditors from applying interest, fees, penalties and charges to debts. 4.5. During the operation of the Mental Health Moratorium, the debtor will have to continue to pay their ongoing liabilities, such as utility bills, rent and council tax. The Mental Health Moratorium will continue in place for as long as the Mental Health Professional confirms that the debtor meets the Mental Health criteria. 4.6. Once the mental health criteria is no longer met, the Mental Health Moratorium will stop, but there will be a six-month recovery period for the applicant, where the protection will continue to allow the debtor to work with their Money Adviser to find a long-term solution to their problem debts. 5. Consultation Response 5.1. In preparing the response to the consultation, input was provided by Social Work, Housing Services, Benefits and Revenues Service and Money Matters Advice Service. The response provided is attached to the report as Appendix 1. 5.2. In the response, South Lanarkshire Council support in principle the idea of a Mental Health Moratorium that was introduced by the Bankruptcy and Diligence (Scotland) Act 2024. 5.3. However, it has expressed its concerns that the current level of protection that a Mental Health Moratorium will provide people will be less than a current Statutory/Standard Moratorium in relation to debts accrued after one is applied for. This is because, a current Statutory/Standard Moratorium provides blanket protection against all diligence for all debts for six months, regardless of when the debt was accrued, whereas the proposed Mental Health Moratorium will only provide protections against diligence executed for debts owed at the date the Moratorium is applied for. A Statutory/Standard Moratorium does not however, freeze interest and charges. 5.4. This may mean Money Advisers, from a best practice perspective, may take the view it would be more prudent to apply for a Statutory/Standard Moratorium until they can maximise an individual’s income and ensure that once they enter a Mental Health Moratorium, the person will not accrue further debts. 86
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5.5. This may delay the applicant benefiting from the freezing of interest, penalties, fees and charges that a Mental Health Moratorium offers and which a Statutory/Standard Moratorium does not. However, as a Mental Health Moratorium can be revoked if someone does not pay their ongoing liabilities, Money Advisers may be reluctant to use this solution until they can be sure that they can pay their ongoing liabilities and prefer instead to rely on the blanket protection provided by a Statutory/Standard Moratorium. 5.6. In its response, South Lanarkshire Council has suggested that it should be considered whether both Moratoriums could run in tandem for a six-month period to allow maximum protection and time for the Money Adviser to maximise the income of the debtor so they can pay their ongoing liabilities. 5.7. The response also advises that as the details of someone who has a Mental Health Moratorium will be published on a Register, this should not be publicly available due to the sensitive personal data it will hold (that they are receiving mental health treatment) and that those who wish to access the Register should have to satisfy the Accountant in Bankruptcy they have a legitimate interest in doing so. 5.8. Currently, the Scottish Government has stated it has no policy intention to extend the effects of a Moratorium will have so that it prevents evictions and home repossessions. Their reason for this position, is that current legislation requires a judge to only grant an eviction or repossession order if they believe it is reasonable to do so, which the Scottish Government believe is sufficient protection. 5.9. However, in the proposed response it is suggested that a Mental Health Moratorium should prevent evictions or repossessions for rent and mortgage arrears. Housing Services would not seek to evict a tenant for rent arrears should there be a Mental Health Moratorium in place, they would instead aim to work with the tenant and their money adviser to find an alternative solution. However, the concern is not all landlords and mortgage lenders may follow such good practice. 5.10. Often it is the threat of eviction or repossession, that leads to people abandoning their homes. This is then likely to lay the responsibility for housing these households with South Lanarkshire Council under the requirements of current homelessness legislation. 5.11. South Lanarkshire Council has also indicated its view that the protections should also extend to preventing disconnection of domestic gas and electricity supplies and the forced installation of prepayment meters for gas and electricity arrears. 5.12. South Lanarkshire Council has also indicated that while Housing Officers should not contact tenants in relation to rent arrears whilst a Mental Health Moratorium is in place, they should not be prevented from fulfilling other statutory duties under homeless, housing and anti-social behaviour legislation. 6. Financial Implications 6.1. There are no financial implications from the consultation response. 7. Employee Implications 7.1. There are no employee implications from the consultation response. 87
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8. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 8.1. There are no climate change, sustainability and environmental implications arising from the consultation response. 9. Other Implications 9.1. There are no other implications arising from this report. 10. Integrated Impact Assessment and Consultation Requirements 10.1. This report does not include any recommendations in respect of Council policy, so no consultation or equality impact assessment is required. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 3 March 2025 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Focussed on people and their needs Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Previous References None List of Background Papers Draft Mental Health Moratorium Regulations Consultation – Respondent Information Form 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 88
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Appendix 1 Mental Health Moratorium Consultation Respondent Information Form Please note this form must be completed and returned with your response. To find out how we handle your personal data, please see our privacy policy. Are you responding as an individual or an organisation? ☐ Individual ☒ Organisation Full name or organisation’s name South Lanarkshire Council Phone number 01698 454951 Address Finance and Corporate Resources South Lanarkshire Council Floor 12, Almada Street Hamilton Postcode ML3 0AA Email address craig.fergusson@southlanarkshire.gov.uk The Scottish Government would like your permission to publish your consultation response. Please indicate your publishing preference: Information for organisation: The option 'Publish response only (without name)’ is available for individual respondents only. If this option is selected, the organisation name will still be published. If you choose the option 'Do not publish response', your organisation name may still be listed as having responded to the consultation in, for example, the analysis report. ☐ Publish response with name ☒ Publish response only (without name) ☐ Do not publish response We will share your response internally with other Scottish Government policy teams who may be addressing the issues you discuss. They may wish to contact you again in the future, but we require your permission to do so. Are you content for Scottish Government to contact you again in relation to this consultation exercise? ☒ Yes ☐ No 89
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Consultation Questions Question 1. Do you agree with the proposed mental health eligibility criteria as listed above? ☒ Agree ☐ Disagree ☐ Neither agree nor disagree Please provide the reason for your response in the box below: We believe that it sufficient to cover over those who are subject to compulsory mental health treatment or the voluntary equivalent. Question 2. Do you agree with the proposed debt eligibility criteria as listed above? ☒ Agree ☐ Disagree ☐ Neither agree nor disagree Please provide the reason for your response in the box below: We agree that it is sufficient and broad enough to cover those who are not only struggling with problem debts, but those whose mental health recovery may be affected by their debts and accepts that they should also receive protection, whilst they seek further assistance. Question 3. Do you agree that an individual subject to a statutory debt solution should not be eligible for a Mental Health Moratorium? ☐ Agree ☒ Disagree ☐ Neither agree nor disagree Please provide the reason for your response in the box below: 90
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Our concern is that as most statutory debt solutions only cover debts owed up to the point when they enter the statutory debt solution, there may be debts that people accrue after they enter the solution, and this may be because the deterioration of their mental health has impacted on their ability to maintain their ongoing financial obligations. Where this is the case, we believe consideration must be given to whether these people would also benefit from a Mental Health Moratorium for new debt incurred after the formal debt solution has been entered into, to assist with their mental health recovery and also to possibly seek advice on whether it would be in their best interest to continue with their current Statutory Debt Solutions or transfer to another, where that is allowed, such as from the a Debt Payment Programme under the Debt Arrangement Scheme to a Sequestration; or a Trust Deed to Sequestration, where the agreement of the Trustee is required. Also, it may be that where the person is in a Protected Trust Deed, the correct solution may be for the Trustee to seek an early discharge for the debtor in the Trust Deed. Whilst these options are being considered we believe that the protection from a Mental Health Moratorium for new debts accrued after they entered their formal debt solution could be extremely beneficial for the person in debt. Question 4. Do you agree with the proposed definition of moratorium debt which would qualify to be protected in a Mental Health Moratorium (see regulation 3 in particular)? ☒ Agree ☐ Disagree ☐ Neither agree nor disagree Please provide the reason for your response in the box below: We agree in principle with the definition of debt for a Mental Health Moratorium, but believe it is not without problems, as it will only include debts owed up to the point the Mental Health Moratorium is applied for and, therefore, any debts incurred after that date will not be covered. This is different from a Statutory/Standard moratorium as this prevents diligence being executed for all debts throughout the moratorium period (6 months), whether they were owed prior to or after the moratorium is applied for. This is likely to mean that advisers may feel it is the best interests of the client to apply for a statutory moratorium first, to ensure that the client will not incur further liabilities, before applying for a Mental Health Moratorium. This may be to allow income maximisation to take place first, to ensure for example no further ongoing council tax or rent arrears are accrued. One solution may be to allow someone to apply for a Statutory and a Mental Health moratorium at the same time and to allow these to run in tandem. This would allow the person in debt the benefit of both solutions for the first six months, whilst they seek assistance. The issue is both types of Moratoriums do different things and work differently and both have advantages and disadvantages, so if one (the Mental Health Moratorium) has the effect of not providing the same protection as the other (Standard Moratorium) and revokes the other when applied for, this may delay an application for a Mental Health Moratorium, meaning the client doesn’t receive all the protections that are available. We believe solutions should be explored, as to how these two solutions interact with each 91
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Question 5. Do you agree with the proposed requirement for AiB to confirm the mental health eligibility criteria is continuing to be met? ☒ Agree ☐ Disagree ☐ Neither agree nor disagree Please provide the reason for your response in the box below: Yes. Due to the fact a Mental Health Moratorium will potentially last longer than a statutory moratorium, we feel there must be a requirement for the AIB to continue to monitor that the criteria for it is continuing to be met. Question 6. Do you agree with the proposed application process? ☒ Agree ☐ Disagree ☐ Neither agree nor disagree Please provide the reason for your response in the box below: We agree with the two-stage process: that a Mental Health Officer should certify that the mental health and Debt criteria have been met, as Money Advisers are not qualified to do this. We also believe that a Money Adviser is an essential part of the application process, as it clear that the client may still require advice after the application is made to maximise income and deal with rent and mortgage arrears, if evictions and repossessions will still be possible after a Moratorium is applied for. Question 7. Do you agree with the proposed process for the notification of the Mental Health Moratorium? ☒ Agree ☐ Disagree ☐ Neither agree nor disagree Please provide the reason for your response in the box below: 92
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We believe that the AIB should be responsible for this, as it may not be possible to gather all information on an applicant’s debts, especially if an applicant is being detained in an institution. The AIB, therefore, should be required to carry out a credit check and notify creditors and as a matter of practice notify the applicants local authority as there may be debts owed that are not reported on credit reports. Question 8. Do you agree with the proposed process for the registration of the Mental Health Moratorium? ☒ Agree ☐ Disagree ☐ Neither agree nor disagree Please provide the reason for your response in the box below: We do believe, however, the fact that someone is receiving compulsory mental health treatment or the equivalent, is sensitive personal information and, therefore, access to that information should not be made publicly available, but should only be made available to those that can show a legitimate interest for accessing it, such as creditors, Money Advisers, local authorities etc. Authorisation to access the register should be controlled by the Accountant in Bankruptcy Question 9. Do you agree with the proposed Mental Health Moratorium protections included in the current draft regulations? ☐ Agree ☒ Disagree ☐ Neither agree nor disagree Please provide the reason for your response in the box below The proposed protections are the equivalent those already provided for by Statutory Moratoriums and include the freezing of interest, fees, penalties and charges, which is the same as those provided by the Debt Arrangement Scheme. We are concerned it will, however, only cover debts owed up to the point that MH Moratorium is applied for and believe this would be inferior to the protections available to debtors that apply for a Statutory Moratorium, as this acts as a diligence stopper for all debts accrued before, but also during the Statutory Moratorium. We have suggested that it may be better that a Statutory Moratorium and a MH Moratorium could operate in tandem for the first six months, to allow money advisers to assist clients in preventing them from accruing further debts through income maximisation. Otherwise, we 93
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believe good practice may be that Money Advisers may delay applying for a Mental Health Moratorium until they are confident the client will not accrue further debts and instead rely on the protections provided by a Statutory Moratorium. Question 10. What are your views on how best to link the Mental Health Moratorium administrative processes and evictions procedures to ensure these work effectively together in practice? Please provide your views in the box below: We would not apply for an eviction for rent arrears during a Mental Health Moratorium (although they may do so for other reasons such as abandonment of the property or anti- social behaviour). They take the view to do so would possibly be viewed as unreasonable and would prefer the person receives advice and assistance to reduce the risk of homelessness. However, our concern is not all landlords and mortgage providers may take the same approach, and this may result in people losing their home, which would put a pressure on the local authority to re-house households under homelessness legislation. We are also concerned, that the threat of eviction through the serving of notices to quit and leave and the serving of calling up notices in the case of mortgages, often results in people abandoning their property and making themselves homeless, even if current protections in housing legislation means a Sheriff would not grant an eviction or repossession. We think it, therefore, is reasonable that a Mental Health Moratorium should stop evictions or repossessions for rent and mortgage arrears, but possibly still allow on other grounds (abandonment and anti-social behaviour). Question 11. Do you agree that protection against the installation of pre-payment meters and disconnection of gas or electricity supply should be one of the protections available under the Mental Health Moratorium? ☒ Agree ☐ Disagree ☐ Neither agree nor disagree Please provide the reason for your response in the box below: Yes, we do. This is particularly the case where someone has been detained in an institution, as during that time, even if they are not using gas or electricity at their home, they will still be accruing debt in the form of standard charges. This may mean that someone’s recovery may be threatened if they return home to a property where the gas and electricity has been disconnected. Ultimately, disconnection may also threaten the sustainability of someone’s tenancy and therefore their recovery and mental and physical well-being. 94
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Question 12. Do you agree with the proposed framework for the Mental Health Moratorium period? ☒ Agree ☐ Disagree ☐ Neither agree nor disagree Please provide the reason for your response in the box below: We acknowledge that there will be a six-month recovery period after the mental health criteria ends where people will continue to benefit from the MH Moratorium protections. We believe this is important as it will allow the person to seek advice and possibly a long-term debt solution once they are able to. We also feel it is appropriate that after the expiry of that recovery period, someone will not be able to use the Standard Statutory Moratorium procedure for 6 months. This is important as the Mental Health Moratorium will allow a 6- month recovery period for people to deal with their debts and if another Standard Moratorium can be applied for at the end of that period, this may delay people engaging with their Money Adviser and finding a solution. Question 13. Should an individual in a Mental Health Moratorium be subject to the following proposed obligations? (Please tick all applicable options) ☒ An obligation to pay a continuing liability ☐ An obligation to not obtain additional credit ☐ Some other obligation (please specify in the comment box below) ☐ No obligation at all Please provide the reason for your response in the box below: We believe that people should have to pay their continuing liabilities and that is why we believe that it is vital that people are not given the impression once they have entered a Mental Health Moratorium, they do not need to seek advice. People will still have to obtain income maximisation advice to avoid further debts accruing, particularly in relation to council tax, rent, mortgage and utility debts. In relation to whether someone should be able to obtain additional credit, this may be unavoidable and undesirable to prevent, as people may have to take out new phone contracts or also car or home insurance, most of which are funded by consumer credit agreements when the person chooses to pay by instalments, which is often the only way people can afford such products. Also, people may have to accrue debts to pay for essential home and car repairs and to pay other essentials such a funeral costs for family members. Possibly essential debt should be allowed but applicants should have to notify the money adviser who should report to the Accountant in Bankruptcy and a reason for it should be provided. 95
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Question 14. Do you agree with the proposed process for a creditor’s search? ☒ Agree ☐ Disagree ☐ Neither agree nor disagree Please provide the reason for your response(s) in the box below: Client consent will have to be obtained. We note, however, not all debts are reported to credit reference agencies, particularly those owed by local authorities. It will, therefore, be necessary to notify local authorities as a matter of course to allow them to identify debts and to allow them to know when to place recovery action on hold for someone who has entered a MH Moratorium. Question 15. Do you agree with the proposed consequences for creditors? ☒ Agree ☐ Disagree ☐ Neither agree nor disagree Please provide the reason for your response in the box below: Yes. If a moratorium doesn’t provide creditors with such restrictions on their ability to recover a debt, it will have no benefit for the applicant. As currently proposed it will prevent them from executing diligence to recover a debt or apply interest, fees, penalties and charges. We believe this is fair. We also believe it should stop evictions and repossession for rent and mortgage arrears. It is recognised that the council is also a creditor and there is the potential for recovery action around council tax and rents to be impacted. However, based on the information available on the low number of individuals who benefit from similar protections in England and Wales, it is not thought that the impact would be significant. This will have to be kept under review. Question 16. Do you agree with the proposed process for an individual to request a review of AiB’s decision to either not grant or to cancel a Mental Health Moratorium? ☒ Agree ☐ Disagree 96
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☐ Neither agree nor disagree Please provide the reason for your response in the box below: We believe this is fair to avoid abuse of the process. Question 17. Do you agree with the proposed process for a creditor to request a review of AiB’s decision to grant, or not cancel a Mental Health Moratorium? ☒ Agree ☐ Disagree ☐ Neither agree nor disagree Please provide the reason for your response(s) in the box below: As above, we agree that where a decision is made, a quick and inexpensive administrative process should be available to request that decision is reviewed by more senior management in the Accountant in Bankruptcy. Question 18. Do you agree with the proposed cancellation process? ☒ Agree ☐ Disagree ☐ Neither agree nor disagree Please provide the reason for your response in the box below: We agree where it is proposed a Moratorium should be cancelled, all interested parties should be notified and allowed to make representations before a final decision is made. Question 19. Do you agree with the proposed interaction between the Mental Health Moratorium and the standard moratorium? ☐ Agree ☒ Disagree 97
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☐ Neither agree nor disagree Please provide the reason for your response in the box below: We are concerned that the granting of a MH Moratorium would revoke a Statutory/Standard Moratorium. For the reasons above we think both could run in tandem and this would maximise the protection people would have. This is important as often it takes time to maximise income to prevent the person in debt accruing further debts, but whilst this is ongoing, they require the protection of the Statutory Moratorium for debts that they may still accrue after applying for a MH Moratorium. We think it should be considered that both should be allowed to run in tandem up to a maximum six-month period. Question 20. We would be grateful for any further comments you have about the Mental Health Moratorium which has not been raised in this consultation. Please provide comments in the box below: We agree with the principle of a MH Moratorium but believe the issue as to what it does has to be considered further. For the reasons above, we are concerned in relation to what debts Statutory/Standard Moratoriums provide protection from and those a MH Moratorium provide protection from. There are clearly circumstances where the benefits of a Statutory Moratorium may be better than those provided by a MH Moratorium, for a period at least. Also, in relation to evictions and repossessions, we have provided our reasons for why we believe a MH Moratorium should prevent evictions and repossession. It should be noted that many local authorities in Scotland are experiencing a homelessness crisis an if landlords and mortgage providers can threaten or make homeless vulnerable households where a MH Moratorium has been granted, this could add pressure to local authorities and other social landlords. It is our view including this protection would have a negligible effect on social landlords, as most would be keen to support and work with tenants in this situation and would not deem it reasonable to proceed with or continue with eviction action. We also believe it is important that a MH Moratorium does not prevent creditors from fulfilling any other statutory obligations they have, particularly in the case of landlords in terms of anti-social behaviour, complaints, repairs and under prevention of anti- homelessness legislation. This may mean they still have to contact the tenant. 98
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 26 March 2025 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Response to Consultation on the Public Sector Equality Duty 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] advise of a consultation by the Scottish Parliament Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee on the Public Sector Equality Duty [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the contents of the report be noted; and (2) that the requirements on the Council should this duty be implemented, as detailed in section 4.3 of the report be noted. 3. Background 3.1. On 7 February 2025, the Scottish Parliament Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee opened a consultation on the operation of the Public Sector Equality Duty in Scotland. 3.2. The consultation closed on 28 February 2025. 3.3. The Public Sector Equality Duty (PSED) is a legal requirement for public authorities in Scotland. Under the duty, public authorities must consider equality when carrying out their functions. The aims of the duty are to:- eliminate unlawful behaviour by ending discrimination, harassment, and victimisation advance equality of opportunity between people who have a protected characteristic and those who do not foster good relations between people who have a protected characteristic and those who do not 3.4. In addition to the general duty, the PSED regulations set out additional specific duties in Scotland, which have been in force since 2012. They were introduced in the Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012 (as amended). 3.5. The consultation notes that in 2018 the Scottish Government started to review the effectiveness of the Scottish-specific duties with the intention of revised regulations to come in to force by the end of April 2025. 13 99
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3.6. The consultation goes on to explain that a proposal for an inclusive communication regulation has been revised to ensure legislative competence and a new approach agreed. Scottish Government officials will be trained in better inclusive communication practices. Officials will also assess existing guidance and materials on inclusive communication. Ministers will be able to use their powers to draw listed public authorities' attention to these materials. 4. Proposal 4.1. The consultation advises that The Equalities, Human Rights and Civil Justice Committee is expected to work on this inquiry for three weeks from 4 March 2025, and will use the responses from the five questions in the consultation to form the basis of questions at the evidence sessions. The response from the Council to each question were as follows:- Question 1: To what extent do you think that listed public authorities understand the terms and the aims of the PSED in Scotland? The extent to which listed public authorities understand the terms and aims of the PSED may well be mixed. Public authorities have made positive progress in integrating the principles of the PSED into their operations, however there is likely to be elements of the PSED where understanding and implementation could be improved, therefore ongoing training and support is crucial to ensure that all local authorities fully grasp and achieve the aims of the PSED. Question 2: Is the PSED in Scotland delivering on its aims to improve outcomes for people with protected characteristics? We believe the PSED in Scotland is delivering on its aims to improve outcomes for people with protected characterises. This is evidenced through the mainstreaming report process. While notable progress in some areas has been made, for example, reducing gender pay gaps and enhancing accessibility, challenges remain in achieving consistent and widespread improvements across all protected characteristics. Question 3: Do you think the Scottish Government’s proposed reforms will assist listed authorities in embedding an equalities focus and in turn improve outcomes for people with protected characteristics? The Scottish Government's proposed reforms aim to strengthen the PSED framework and support listed authorities in embedding an equalities focus. By revising pay gap reporting to include ethnicity and disability and introducing new duties related to inclusive communication, these and other reforms, if effectively implemented, could significantly enhance public authorities' ability to address inequalities and improve outcomes for people with protected characteristics. Question 4: What are your views on the Scottish Government’s revised approach to assisting listed public authorities to embed inclusive communication? We welcome the Scottish Government’s revised approach to assisting listed public authorities to embed inclusive communication. We believe this approach is pragmatic and cognisant of the work already being done by public authorities to ensure that as many people as possible understand and are able to easily interact with public information. Accessibility is a core principle in all the council’s communications, whether direct or via the website or other channels, and we use a number of software tools as well as guidance to prepare and monitor this. The revised Scottish Government approach, to provide more information, guidance, tools 100
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and materials for use by public authorities would be a welcome addition to this. Where gaps are identified, any collective approach which might provide economies of scale would also be welcome. Question 5: How effective do you think the Equality and Human Rights Commission is at regulating public authorities’ performance against the PSED? The Equality and Human Rights Commission has been effective in promoting awareness and ensuring compliance with the PSED. The increased transparency benefits those impacted by the PSED, although there is always room for further improvement in regulatory practices. 4.2. Further to CMT approval on 20 February 2025 officers finalised and submitted the response prior to the consultation closing on 28 February 2025. 4.3 After consultation, should the Scottish Government proceed and implement these proposals, the Council would be required to:- review and update or introduce guidance/training for employees and managers on inclusive communications. A joint working approach with the Personnel, Legal and Communications team will be required as well as Resource Management Teams involvement to ensure the full Council needs are met the Duty would also need to be incorporated into the integrated impact assessment process 5. Employee Implications 5.1. There are no employee implications arising directly from this report. 6. Financial Implications 6.1. There are no financial implications arising directly from this report. 7. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 7.1. There are no climate change, sustainability and environmental implications arising directly from this report. 8. Other Implications 8.1. There are no other implications arising directly from this report. 9. Integrated Impact Assessment and Consultation Requirements 9.1. There is no requirement for an integrated impact assessment in respect of this report. There is neither a requirement for the Council to undertake a consultation in respect of this proposal from the Scottish Government. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 20 February 2025 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Focused on people and their needs Working with and respecting others Accountable, effective, efficient, and transparent Ambitious, self-aware and improving Fair, open and sustainable Excellent Employer 101
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Previous References None List of Background Papers None Contact for Further Information If you wish to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Tracy Ferguson (Learning, Organisational Development & Diversity Manager) Ext: 4715 (Tel: 01698 454715) Email: tracy.ferguson@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 102