Agenda Document Pack - Finance and Corporate Resources Committee - 22/05/2024
South Lanarkshire Council · 22 May 2024
Back to Finance and Corporate Resources Committee — 22 May 2024 and its agenda
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Council Offices, Almada Street Hamilton, ML3 0AA Tuesday, 14 May 2024 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, 22 May 2024 Time: 14:00 Venue: Hybrid - Committee Room 1, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton, ML3 0AA The business to be considered at the meeting is listed overleaf. Yours sincerely Paul Manning Chief Executive Members Lesley McDonald (Chair), Walter Brogan (Depute Chair), Celine Handibode (Depute Chair), Joe Fagan (ex officio), Alex Allison, Mathew Buchanan, Andy Carmichael, Maureen Chalmers, Margaret Cooper, Andrea Cowan, Maureen Devlin, Mary Donnelly, Grant Ferguson, Gladys Ferguson-Miller, Graeme Horne, Martin Hose, Katy Loudon, Hugh Macdonald, Catherine McClymont, Elaine McDougall, Mark McGeever, Richard Nelson, Mo Razzaq, John Ross, Graham Scott, Kirsty Williams Substitutes John Bradley, Archie Buchanan, Colin Dewar, Ross Gowland, Gavin Keatt, Susan Kerr, Ross Lambie, Martin Lennon, Richard Lockhart, Carol Nugent, Norman Rae, 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 6 March 2024 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 29 February, 16 and 17 April 2024 submitted for approval as a correct record. (Copies attached) 11 - 16 4 Minutes of the Recruitment Committee Minutes of the meeting of the Recruitment Committee held on 8 March 2024 submitted for approval as a correct record. (Copy attached) 17 - 18 Monitoring Item(s) 5 Revenue Budget Monitoring 2023/2024 – Finance and Corporate Resources Report dated 25 April 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 19 - 28 6 Capital Budget Monitoring 2023/2024 - Finance and Corporate Resources Report dated 29 April 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 29 - 32 7 Finance and Corporate Resources – Workforce Monitoring – January to March 2024 Report dated 11 April 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 33 - 40 8 Council-wide Workforce Monitoring - January to March 2024 Report dated 11 April 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 41 - 62 Item(s) for Decision 9 Revenue Collection and Approval for Write Offs Report dated 1 May 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 63 - 68 10 Finance and Corporate Resource Plan 2024/2025 Report dated 8 April 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 69 - 86 11 2024/2025 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Asset Management Plan Report dated 30 April 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 87 - 108 2
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12 Common Good Update Report Report dated 24 April 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 109 - 112 13 Safety at Sports Grounds Report dated 3 May 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 113 - 118 Item(s) for Noting 14 Review of Procurement Strategy for 2024/2025 Report dated 19 April 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 119 - 144 15 Early Retirement Voluntary Severance and Switch 2 1 October 2023 - 31 March 2024 Report dated 16 April 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 145 - 150 16 Notification of Contracts Awarded 1 October 2023 to 31 March 2024 Report dated 25 April 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 151 - 156 Urgent Business 17 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 6 March 2024 Chair: Councillor Walter Brogan (Depute) Councillors Present: Councillor Alex Allison, Councillor Mathew Buchanan, Councillor Andy Carmichael, Councillor Maureen Chalmers, Councillor Andrea Cowan, Councillor Maureen Devlin, Councillor Mary Donnelly, Councillor Grant Ferguson, Councillor Gladys Ferguson-Miller, Councillor Graeme Horne, Councillor Martin Hose, Councillor Ross Gowland (substitute for Councillor Lesley McDonald), Councillor Katy Loudon, Councillor Hugh Macdonald, Councillor Catherine McClymont, Councillor Elaine McDougall, Councillor Mark McGeever, Councillor Richard Nelson, Councillor Mo Razzaq, Councillor John Ross, Councillor Graham Scott, Councillor Kirsty Williams Councillors' Apologies: Councillor Margaret Cooper, Councillor Joe Fagan (ex officio), Councillor Celine Handibode (Depute), Councillor Lesley McDonald (Chair) Chief Executive’s Service P Manning, Chief Executive Finance and Corporate Resources 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; E McPake, Human Resources Business Manager; J Taylor, Head of Finance (Strategy) 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 6 December 2023 were submitted for approval as a correct record. The Committee decided: that the minutes be approved as a correct record. 3 Minutes of the Appeals Panel The minutes of the meetings of the Appeals Panel held on 30 November and 20 December 2023, 17, 22, 23, 30 January and 8 February 2024 were submitted for approval as a correct record. Officers responded to a member’s question in relation to the number of recent meetings of the Appeals Panel. The Committee decided: that the minutes be approved as a correct record. 4 Minutes of Recruitment Committee The minutes of the meeting of the Recruitment Committee held on 29 November 2023 were submitted for approval as a correct record. 2 5
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The Committee decided: that the minutes be approved as a correct record. 5 Revenue Budget Monitoring 2023/2024 – Finance and Corporate Resources A report dated 15 January 2024 by the Head of Finance (Strategy) was submitted comparing the actual expenditure for the period 1 April to 28 December 2023 for Finance and Corporate Resources. As at 28 December 2023, there was an overspend of £0.179 million against the phased budget, as detailed in Appendix A to the report. Following the probable outturn exercise, the forecast to 31 March 2024 was an overspend of £0.216 million. There were no proposed transfers to reserves. Virements were proposed to realign budgets and those movements were detailed in the appendices to the report Following a question from a member, officers gave an undertaking to provide members with a breakdown of the employability programmes contributing to the overspend in relation to Personnel Services, payments to contractors. The Committee decided: (1) that the overspend of £0.179 million, as detailed in Appendix A of the report, be noted; (2) that the forecast to 31 March 2024 of an overspend of £0.216 million be noted; and (3) that the proposed budget virements, as detailed in the appendices to the report, be approved. [Reference: Minutes of 6 December 2023 (Paragraph 5)] 6 Capital Budget Monitoring 2023/2024 - Finance and Corporate Resources A report dated 14 February 2024 by the Head of Finance (Strategy) was submitted advising of progress on Finance and Corporate Resources’ capital programme for 2023/2024 and summarising the expenditure position at 28 December 2023. The Finance and Corporate Resources’ capital programme for 2023/2024 was £5.333 million. Anticipated spend to date was £2.319 million and spend to 28 December 2023 totalled £2.269 million. This represented an underspend of £0.050 million, mainly due to timing. The projected outturn for 2023/2024 was £5.000 million, an underspend of £0.333 million. This was mainly due to the anticipated timing of spend on IT infrastructure projects which required spend in 2024/2025 rather than 2023/2024. Funding for those projects would carry forward into next financial year. The Committee decided: (1) that the Finance and Corporate Resources’ capital programme of £5.333 million, and expenditure to date of £2.269 million, be noted; and (2) that the projected outturn of £5.000 million be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 6 December 2023 (Paragraph 6)] 6
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7 Finance and Corporate Resources – Workforce Monitoring – October to December 2023 A report dated 1 February 2024 by the Chief Executive was submitted on the following employee information for Finance and Corporate Resources for the period October to December 2023:- 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 9 December 2023 Following a question from a member, officers undertook to provide an analysis of exit interviews, with respect to reasons for leaving. The Committee decided: that the report be noted [Reference: Minutes of 6 December 2023 (Paragraph 7)] 8 Council-wide Workforce Monitoring – October to December 2023 A report dated 1 February 2024 by the Chief Executive was submitted on the following Council- wide employee information for the period October to December 2023:- 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 9 December 2023 Officers:- responded to members’ questions on various aspects of the report undertook to provide, if possible, an analysis of the disabled applicants whose disability was autism undertook to provide timescales on when the report on the Veterans Strategy would be available undertook to look into members’ concerns regarding the disparities around figures in relation to appointments to posts for disabled, BAME groups and veterans in comparison to the general population The Committee decided: that the report be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 6 December 2023 (Paragraph 8)] 9 Treasury Management Activity – Quarter 3 A report dated 9 February 2024 by the Head of Finance (Strategy) was submitted on the third quarter review of Treasury Management activity for 2023/2024. 7
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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 6 December 2023 (Paragraph 9)] 10 Revenue Collection and Approval of Write-Offs A report dated 16 February 2024 by the Chief Executive was submitted on:- collection performance for the financial year 2023/2024 to 31 January 2023 on revenue income which comprised Council Tax, non-domestic rates, sundry debts and arrears performance in the Business Rates Incentivisation Scheme (BRIS) the write-off of irrecoverable Council Tax, non-domestic rates, Business Improvement District (BID) levy, sundry debt and Housing Rent and associated charges Details were provided on current collection targets. The Council was ahead of target but behind comparable performance from 2022/2023 in respect of Council Tax and non-domestic rates. In respect of Sundry Debt, the Council was ahead of target and ahead of comparable performance from 2022/2023. In terms of arrears collection targets, the Council was ahead of target but behind comparable performance from 2022/2023 in respect of Council Tax and non-domestic rates. In respect of sundry debt, the Council was behind target in both collection and comparable performance from 2022/2023. As previously advised to Committee, the BRIS scheme had been suspended due to the impact of Covid-19 from 2020/2021 to 2022/2023. The Scottish Government had advised of the re- instatement of the scheme and provided provisional targets for 2023/2024 and 2024/2025 of 1.20% and 1.10% respectively. Year to date performance was 1%, with the position being closely monitored to the end of the financial year. It was proposed that the following debts be written off:- irrecoverable Council Tax accounts from 1993/1994 to 2023/2024 to the value of £367,627.63 relating primarily to prescribed debt, sequestrations and estates of the deceased irrecoverable non-domestic rates from 2021/2022 to 2023/2024 to the value of £308,194.95 relating primarily to debtors in liquidation, those who had ceased trading or had been sequestrated BID levies totalling £3,649.55 administered by the Council on behalf of Hamilton, Carluke and Lanark BID companies sundry debts to a value of £476,867.06 former tenant rent arrears totalling £2,230,448.51 (including bulk write-off for 2018/2019 and 2019/2020) and factoring arrears of £340.26 The Committee decided: (1) that the Council’s performance in the collection of revenues be noted; 8
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(2) that the current position in respect of the Business Rates Incentivisation Scheme be noted; and (3) that the write-off of the following irrecoverable debts be approved:- Council Tax debt from 1993/1994 to 2023/2024 to the value of £367,627.63 Non Domestic Rates from 2021/2022 to 2023/2024 totalling £308,194.95 BID levies totalling £3,649.55 sundry debts to a value of £476,867.06 house rent and associated charges totalling £2,230,788.77 [Reference: Minutes of 6 December 2023 (Paragraph 11)] 11 Communications and Strategy Services A report dated 14 February 2024 by the Chief Executive was submitted proposing a change of management lines for Communications and Strategy Services. Communications and Strategy Services was currently part of Finance and Corporate Resources, alongside Administration and Legal, Finance (Strategy), Finance (Transactions), IT and Personnel services. As with all Finance and Corporate Resources’ services, Communications and Strategy provided a range of key corporate services in support of all Resources and had 51 Full Time Equivalent employees. It was proposed that Communications and Strategy Services should become part of the Office of the Chief Executive, with management lines changing accordingly in that the Head of Communications and Strategy would report directly to the Chief Executive. All conditions and working arrangements would remain unchanged. The model of an Office of the Chief Executive, which included direct management of a small number of core corporate services across communications and strategy-type services, was used successfully at other large Scottish local authorities. Feedback from colleagues in those councils suggested that the arrangements could assist quick decision-making and also lend additional authority to the output from such services. It was, therefore, proposed that the entire Communications and Strategy Services move from Finance and Corporate Resources to the Office of the Chief Executive. The Chief Executive would manage the service directly, but current reporting arrangements relating to finance and personnel matters would remain as via the Finance and Corporate Resources Committee. The Committee decided: that the changes to the management lines for Communications and Strategy Services, as outlined in paragraph 4.4, of the report be approved. 12 Finance and Corporate Resource Plan Quarter 2 Progress Report 2023/2024 A report dated 6 February 2024 by the Chief Executive was submitted on the Finance and Corporate Resource Plan Quarter 2 Progress Report 2023/2024, for the period 1 April 2023 to 30 September 2023. The Resource Plan measures were rated using a traffic light system of red, amber or green as well as blue (BRAG) which indicated that an action had been completed. 9
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Details were provided on:- progress made against all Resource Plan measures, as detailed in the Quarter 2 progress report, attached as Appendix 2 to the report key achievements made by the Resource to date, as detailed in paragraph 5.3 of the report The report noted that there were no measures classified as red and, therefore, no areas for improvement and associated management actions for the Resource. There were no measures identified as ‘report later’ or ‘contextual’, so no further action or analysis was required. Officers responded to a member’s question on an aspect of the report. The Committee decided: (1) that the Finance and Corporate Resource Plan Quarter 2 progress report 2023/2024, as summarised in paragraph 5.2 and attached as Appendix 2 of this report, be noted; (2) that the key achievements made by the Resource to date, as detailed in paragraph 5.3 of the report, be noted; and (3) that it be noted that there were no areas identified for improvement, as detailed in paragraph 5.4 of the report. [Reference: Minutes of 3 May 2023 (Paragraph 12)] 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 29 February 2024 Chair: Councillor Lesley McDonald Councillors Present: Councillor Andy Carmichael, Councillor Ross Clark Attending: Finance and Corporate Resources T Slater, Administration Adviser; E Maxwell, HR Business Manager 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 Dismissal The Panel considered an appeal (Ref 1/24) by an employee against their dismissal. 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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APPEALS PANEL Minutes of meeting held in Committee Room 2, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton on 16 April 2024 Chair: Councillor Walter Brogan Councillors Present: Councillor Ralph Barker, Councillor Geri Gray Attending: Finance and Corporate Resources E Maxwell, Personnel Adviser; E-A McGonigle, 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 Dismissal The Panel considered an appeal (Ref 2/24) by an employee against their dismissal. The appellant was present and represented by a trade union representative. The Council was represented by a Personnel Adviser. The Council and the appellant’s representative called witnesses. 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 been substantiated in part and the appeal be upheld to the extent that:- the dismissal be replaced by a period of unpaid absence from the date of dismissal until 16 April 2024 the appellant be issued with a final written warning the appellant be demoted to an appropriate post, determined by the Resource, with no supervisory responsibility 3 13
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APPEALS PANEL Minutes of meeting held in Committee Room 5, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton on 17 April 2024 Chair: Councillor Lesley McDonald Councillors Present: Councillor Hugh Macdonald, Councillor Catherine McClymont Attending: Finance and Corporate Resources E Maxwell, HR Business Manager; T Slater, Administration Adviser 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 Dismissal The Panel considered an appeal (Ref 3/24) by an employee against their dismissal. The appellant was present and represented themselves. The Council was represented by a Personnel Adviser. The Council called a witness. 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 15
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RECRUITMENT COMMITTEE Minutes of meeting held in Committee Room 2, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton on 8 March 2024 Chair: Councillor Joe Fagan Councillors Present: Councillor Alex Allison, Councillor Robert Brown, Councillor Maureen Chalmers, Councillor Gerry Convery (Depute), Councillor John Ross Attending: Chief Executive’s Service P Manning, Chief Executive Finance and Corporate Resources S McLeod, Administration Officer; E McPake, Human Resources Business Partner (Education and Social Work Resources) 1 Declaration of Interests No interests were declared. 2 Minutes of Previous Meetings The minutes of the meetings of the Recruitment Committee held on 7 December 2023, 31 January 2024 and 27 February 2024 were submitted for approval as a correct record. The Committee decided: that the minutes be approved as a correct record. 3 Urgent Business There were no items of urgent business. 4 Exclusion of Press and Public The Committee 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. 5 Post of Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) The Committee proceeded to interview 2 candidates for the post of Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). One applicant, who had been selected for interview, had since withdrawn their application. 4 17
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The Committee decided: that J Taylor, Head of Finance Services (Strategy), South Lanarkshire Council be appointed to the post of Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). [Reference: Minutes of 7 December 2023 (Paragraph 4), 31 January 2024 (Paragraph 4) and 27 February 2024 (Paragraph 4)] 18
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 22 May 2024 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Revenue Budget Monitoring 2023/2024 – Finance and Corporate Resources 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [p provide information on the actual expenditure measured against the revenue budget for the period 1 April 2023 to 23 February 2024 for Finance and Corporate Resources [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the overspend of £0.210 million on the Finance and Corporate Resources’ revenue budget to date, as detailed in Appendix A of the report, be noted; (2) that the forecast overspend of £0.216 million to 31 March 2024, also detailed in Appendix A of the report, be noted; and (3) that the proposed budget virements be approved. 3. Background 3.1. The report details the financial position for Finance and Corporate Resources on Appendix A, along with variance explanations in Appendices B-H as appropriate. 4. Employee Implications 4.1. None. 5. Financial Implications 5.1. Probable Outturn: Following the Council’s formal Probable Outturn exercise, the Resource is forecasting an overspend of £0.216 million. The Resource has no proposed transfers to reserves at this point. This will be confirmed at the year-end. 5.2. Financial Position as at 23 February 2024: As at 23 February 2024, the Resource is showing an overspend of £0.210 million, as detailed in Appendix A. 5.3. Virements are proposed to realign budgets. This has been detailed in Appendices C and F. 6. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 6.1. There are no implications for climate change, sustainability or the environment in terms of the information contained in this report. 5 19
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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. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 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) 25 April 2024 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, Effective, Efficient and Transparent Previous References Finance and Corporate Resources Committee, 6 March 2024 List of Background Papers Financial ledger and budget monitoring results to 23 February 2024 Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact: Lorraine O’Hagan, Finance Manager (Strategy) Ext: 2601 (Tel: 01698 452601) E-mail: lorraine.o’hagan@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 20
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Appendix A SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Finance and Corporate Resources Committee: Period Ended 23 February 2024 (No.12) Finance and Corporate Resources Summary Annual Budget Forecast for Year Annual Forecast Variance Budget Proportion 23/02/24 Actual 23/02/24 Variance 23/02/24 % Variance 23/02/24 Note £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 Budget Category Employee Costs 39,610 38,305 1,305 35,051 33,785 1,266 under 3.6% Property Costs 4,260 4,474 (214) 3,619 3,811 (192) over (5.3%) Supplies & Services 7,359 7,685 (326) 6,743 7,052 (309) over (4.6%) Transport & Plant 70 69 1 50 53 (3) over (6.0%) Administration Costs 8,271 8,693 (422) 6,858 7,238 (380) over (5.5%) Payments to Other Bodies 7,224 8,002 (778) 5,393 6,179 (786) over (14.6%) Payments to Contractors 307 328 (21) 305 325 (20) over (6.6%) Transfer Payments 65,650 62,923 2,727 60,891 58,554 2,337 under 3.8% Financing Charges 1,216 1,293 (77) 737 833 (96) over (13.0%) Total Controllable Exp. 133,967 131,772 2,195 119,647 117,830 1,817 under 1.5% Total Controllable Inc. (88,331) (85,920) (2,411) (71,230) (69,203) (2,027) under recovered 2.8% Net Controllable Exp. 45,636 45,852 (216) 48,417 48,627 (210) over (0.4%) Variance Explanations Variance explanations are shown in Appendices B to H as appropriate. Budget Virements Virements are noted in Appendices C and F 21
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Appendix B SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Finance and Corporate Resources Committee: Period Ended 23 February 2024 (No.12) Finance – Strategy Services Annual Budget Forecast for Year Annual Forecast Variance Budget Proportion 23/02/24 Actual 23/02/24 Variance 23/02/24 % Variance 23/02/24 Note £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 Budget Category Employee Costs 3,227 3,077 150 2,841 2,685 156 under 5.5% 1 Property Costs 0 0 0 0 0 0 - n/a Supplies & Services 19 17 2 4 7 (3) over (75.0%) Transport & Plant 0 0 0 0 0 0 - n/a Administration Costs 110 118 (8) 97 106 (9) over (9.3%) Payments to Other Bodies 516 607 (91) 250 339 (89) over (35.6%) 2 Payments to Contractors 22 26 (4) 22 25 (3) over (13.6%) Transfer Payments 0 0 0 0 0 0 - n/a Financing Charges 16 22 (6) 14 22 (8) - (57.1%) Total Controllable Exp. 3,910 3,867 43 3,228 3,184 44 under 1.4% Total Controllable Inc. (1,604) (1,595) (9) (64) (64) - - 0.0% Net Controllable Exp. 2,306 2,272 34 3,164 3,120 44 under 1.4% Variance Explanations 1. Employee Costs The underspend reflects the turnover of staff to date, with any vacant posts being considered in line with service requirements. 2. Payments to Other Bodies The overspend reflects the uplift in external audit fees. Budget Virements None. 22
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Appendix C SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Finance and Corporate Resources Committee: Period Ended 23 February 2024 (No.12) Finance – Transactions Services Annual Budget Forecast for Year Annual Forecast Variance Budget Proportion 23/02/24 Actual 23/02/24 Variance 23/02/24 % Variance 23/02/24 Note £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 Budget Category Employee Costs 13,662 13,366 296 12,032 11,802 230 under 1.9% 1 Property Costs 4,177 4,374 (197) 3,556 3,729 (173) over (4.9%) 2 Supplies & Services 845 944 (99) 709 784 (75) over (10.6%) Transport & Plant 5 3 2 1 0 1 under 100.0% Administration Costs 2,008 2,118 (110) 1,708 1,816 (108) over (6.3%) 3, a Payments to Other Bodies 2,752 2,776 (24) 2,481 2,502 (21) over (0.8%) b, c Payments to Contractors 237 253 (16) 235 244 (9) over (3.8%) Transfer Payments 65,650 62,923 2,727 60,891 58,554 2,337 under 3.8% 4 Financing Charges 142 170 (28) 43 54 (11) over (25.6%) Total Controllable Exp. 89,478 86,927 2,551 81,656 79,485 2,171 under 2.7% Total Controllable Inc. (68,556) (65,824) (2,732) (63,450) (61,132) (2,318) under recovered 3.7% 4 Net Controllable Exp. 20,922 21,103 (181) 18,206 18,353 (147) over (0.8%) Variance Explanations 1. Employee Costs The underspend is due to vacant posts within the Service which are being recruited in line with Service requirements. 2. Property Costs The overspend reflects greater than budgeted spend on Non-Domestic Rates Empty Property Relief. 3. Administration Costs The overspend reflects additional postage costs required for service delivery; and Graduate training costs which are offset by Employee Cost underspends. 4. Transfer Payments / Income The underspend in Transfer Payments reflects the demand-led spend on Rent Allowance and Rent Rebates, and is offset by an under-recovery of Income. Budget Virements a. Transfer from Reserves to fund payment of Energy Vouchers: Net Effect £0.336m: Administration Costs £0.336m. b. Transfer from Reserves to fund repayment of Energy Bill Support Scheme monies: Net Effect £0.999m: Payments to Other Bodies £0.999m. c. Transfer from Reserves to fund repayment of Alternative Fuel Payment monies: Net Effect £0.137m: Payments to Other Bodies £0.137m. 23
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Appendix D SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Finance and Corporate Resources Committee: Period Ended 23 February 2024 (No.12) Audit Services Annual Budget Forecast for Year Annual Forecast Variance Budget Proportion 23/02/24 Actual 23/02/24 Variance 23/02/24 % Variance 23/02/24 Note £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 Budget Category Employee Costs 665 682 (17) 587 606 (19) over (3.2%) 1 Property Costs 0 0 0 0 0 0 - n/a Supplies & Services 7 7 0 0 1 (1) over n/a Transport & Plant 0 0 0 0 0 0 - n/a Administration Costs 6 6 0 4 4 0 - 0.0% Payments to Other Bodies 1 0 1 0 0 0 - n/a Payments to Contractors 0 0 0 0 0 0 - n/a Transfer Payments 0 0 0 0 0 0 - n/a Financing Charges 4 4 0 0 0 0 - n/a Total Controllable Exp. 683 699 (16) 591 611 (20) over (3.4%) Total Controllable Inc. (272) (282) 10 (54) (54) 0 - 0.0% Net Controllable Exp. 411 417 (6) 537 557 (20) over (3.7%) Variance Explanations 1. Employee Costs The overspend reflects a lower than anticipated turnover achieved to date. Budget Virements None. 24
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Appendix E SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Finance and Corporate Resources Committee: Period Ended 23 February 2024 (No.12) Information Technology Services Annual Budget Forecast for Year Annual Forecast Variance Budget Proportion 23/02/24 Actual 23/02/24 Variance 23/02/24 % Variance 23/02/24 Note £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 Budget Category Employee Costs 5,533 5,497 36 4,873 4,831 42 under 0.9% Property Costs 0 0 0 0 0 0 - n/a Supplies & Services 5,519 5,686 (167) 5,371 5,538 (167) over (3.1%) 1 Transport & Plant 4 4 0 1 1 0 - n/a Administration Costs 1,604 1,603 1 1,267 1,269 (2) over (0.2%) Payments to Other Bodies 0 0 0 0 0 0 - n/a Payments to Contractors 0 0 0 0 0 0 - n/a Transfer Payments 0 0 0 0 0 0 - n/a Financing Charges 631 634 (3) 344 421 (77) over (22.4%) Total Controllable Exp. 13,291 13,423 (133) 11,856 12,060 (204) over (1.7%) Total Controllable Inc. (7,749) (7,882) 133 (1,923) (2,032) 109 over recovered (5.7%) 1 Net Controllable Exp. 5,542 5,542 0 9,933 10,028 (95) over (1.0%) Variance Explanations 1. Supplies & Services / Income The overspend reflects the increased costs of IT services, which is offset by an over-recovery of income via recharge to Resources. Budget Virements None. 25
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Appendix F SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Finance and Corporate Resources Committee: Period Ended 23 February 2024 (No.12) Personnel Services Annual Budget Forecast for Year Annual Forecast Variance Budget Proportion 23/02/24 Actual 23/02/24 Variance 23/02/24 % Variance 23/02/24 Note £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 Budget Category Employee Costs 9,919 9,036 883 8,900 7,996 904 under 10.2% 1,a Property Costs 65 95 (30) 48 78 (30) over (62.5%) Supplies & Services 196 196 0 81 91 (10) over (12.3%) Transport & Plant 15 10 5 7 7 0 - (0.0%) Administration Costs 1,070 1,322 (252) 926 1,162 (236) over (25.5%) 2,a Payments to Other Bodies 2,348 3,052 (704) 1,165 1,186 (701) over (60.2%) 3,a Payments to Contractors 48 49 (1) 48 56 (8) over (16.7%) Transfer Payments 0 0 0 0 0 0 - n/a Financing Charges 40 44 (4) 5 5 0 - 0.0% Total Controllable Exp. 13,701 13,804 (103) 11,180 11,261 (81) over (0.7%) Total Controllable Inc. (4,782) (5,042) 260 (2,149) (2,389) 240 over recovered (11.2%) 2,a Net Controllable Exp. 8,919 8,762 157 9,031 8,872 159 under 1.8% Variance Explanations 1. Employee Costs The underspend reflects savings made in advance of the next financial year, and the level of turnover within the Service to date, with recruitment being considered in line with Service requirements. 2. Administration Costs / Income The overspend in Administration Costs reflects the level of recruitment costs and medical expenses incurred to date, which is offset by an over- recovery of income via recharges to Resources. 3. Payments to Other Bodies The overspend relates to spend on Employability projects. This overspend is being managed within the overall Service position and is not recurring beyond 2023/2024. Budget Virements a. Minor realignment to reflect service delivery: Net Effect £0.000m: Employee Costs £0.048m, Administration Costs £0.071m, Payments to Other Bodies £0.043m, Payments to Contractors £0.023m, Income (£0.185m). 26
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Appendix G SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Finance and Corporate Resources Committee: Period Ended 23 February 2024 (No.12) Administration, Legal and Licensing Services Annual Budget Forecast for Year Annual Forecast Variance Budget Proportion 23/02/24 Actual 23/02/24 Variance 23/02/24 % Variance 23/02/24 Note £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 Budget Category Employee Costs 3,985 4,098 (113) 3,510 3,630 (120) over (3.4%) 1 Property Costs 18 5 13 15 4 11 under 73.3% Supplies & Services 120 177 (57) 53 96 (43) over (81.1%) Transport & Plant 14 15 (1) 13 14 (1) over (7.7%) Administration Costs 2,331 2,387 (56) 2,026 2,050 (24) over (1.2%) Payments to Other Bodies 727 625 102 617 537 80 under 13.0% 2 Payments to Contractors 0 0 0 0 0 0 - n/a Transfer Payments 0 0 0 0 0 0 - n/a Financing Charges 32 67 (35) 11 11 0 - 0.0% Total Controllable Exp. 7,227 7,374 (147) 6,245 6,342 (97) over (1.6%) Total Controllable Inc. (2,717) (2,644) (73) (1,619) (1,567) (52) under recovered 3.2% Net Controllable Exp. 4,510 4,730 (220) 4,626 4,775 (149) over (3.2%) Variance Explanations 1. Employee Costs The overspend reflects a lower than anticipated turnover achieved to date. 2. Payments to Other Bodies The underspend relates to less than budgeted spend on Admin Grants. Budget Virements None. 27
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Appendix H SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Revenue Budget Monitoring Report Finance and Corporate Resources Committee: Period Ended 23 February 2024 (No.12) Communications and Strategy Services Annual Budget Forecast for Year Annual Forecast Variance Budget Proportion 23/02/24 Actual 23/02/24 Variance 23/02/24 % Variance 23/02/24 Note £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 Budget Category Employee Costs 2,619 2,549 70 2,308 2,235 73 under 3.2% 1 Property Costs 0 0 0 0 0 0 - n/a Supplies & Services 653 658 (5) 525 535 (10) over (1.9%) Transport & Plant 32 37 (5) 28 31 (3) over (10.7%) Administration Costs 1,142 1,139 3 830 831 (1) over (0.1%) Payments to Other Bodies 880 942 (62) 880 935 (55) over (6.6%) Payments to Contractors 0 0 0 0 0 0 - n/a Transfer Payments 0 0 0 0 0 0 - n/a Financing Charges 351 352 (1) 320 320 0 - 0.0% Total Controllable Exp. 5,677 5,677 0 4,891 4,887 4 under (0.1%) Total Controllable Inc. (2,651) (2,651) 0 (1,971) (1,965) (6) under recovered 0.3% Net Controllable Exp. 3,026 3,026 0 2,920 2,922 (2) over (0.1%) Variance Explanations 1. Employee Costs The underspend reflects the level of turnover within the Service to date, with recruitment being considered in line with Service requirements. Budget Virements None. 28
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 22 May 2024 Report by: Executive Director of Finance Subject: Capital Budget Monitoring 2023/2024 - 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 2023 to 23 February 2024 [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the Finance and Corporate Resources capital programme of £5.333 million, and expenditure to date of £4.391 million, be noted; and (2) that the projected outturn of £5 million be noted. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. This is the fifth capital monitoring report presented to the Finance and Corporate Resources Committee for the financial year 2023/2024. 3.2. As noted in the last capital monitoring report presented to this Committee (6 March 2024), the budget for Finance and Corporate Resources for financial year 2023/2024 was £5.333 million. There has been no change to this budget since this last update to the March 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. 2023/2024 Budget As detailed in Section 3.2, the 2023/2024 capital programme for Finance and Corporate Resources is £5.333 million. 6 29
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5.2. 2023/2024 Outturn As reported previously to this Committee, the predicted spend position for this financial year for Finance and Corporate Resources suggested an outturn of £5 million, an underspend of £0.333 million. The majority of the variance is due to the timing of spend on IT Infrastructure projects resulting in budget required in 2024/2025 rather than 2023/2024. Funding for these projects will carry forward into next financial year. 5.3. The year-end position is currently being finalised and this will be included in the report to the Executive Committee on the 26 June 2024. The final position for the Finance and Corporate Resources programme will be reported to the next Committee on 21 August 2024. 5.4. Period 12 Position Anticipated spend to date was £4.451 million and spend to 23 February 2024 amounts to £4.391 million, resulting in Finance and Corporate Resources being £0.060 million behind programme. This reflects the timing of spend on the IT Infrastructure project. 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. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 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) 29 April 2024 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, Effective, Efficient and Transparent Previous References Finance and Corporate Resources Committee, 6 March 2024 List of Background Papers Financial ledger to 23 February 2024 30
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Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact: Lorraine O’Hagan, Finance Manager (Strategy) Ext: 2601 (Tel: 01698 452601) E-mail: lorraine.o’hagan@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 31
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Appendix A South Lanarkshire Council Capital Expenditure 2023-2024 Finance and Corporate Resources Programme For Period 1 April 2023 – 23 February 2024 Finance and Corporate Resources Total Original Budget £000 Budget Adjustments £000 Slippage £000 Total Budget £000 Budget to Date £000 Actual Expenditure £000 Information Technology Services 5,333 - - 5,333 4,451 4,391 TOTAL 5,333 - - 5,333 4,451 4,391 32
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 22 May 2024 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Finance and Corporate Resources – Workforce Monitoring – January to March 2024 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide employment information for January to March 2024 relating to Finance and Corporate Resources [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the following employment information for January to March 2024 relating to Finance and Corporate Resources be noted:- attendance statistics occupational health accident/incident statistics discipline, grievance and Dignity at Work cases analysis of leavers and exit interviews staffing watch as at 9 March 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 January to March 2024. 4. Monitoring Statistics 4.1. Attendance Statistics (Appendix 1) Information on absence statistics is analysed for the month of March 2024 for Finance and Corporate Resources. The Resource absence figure for March 2024 was 2.6%, this figure has decreased by 0.9% when compared to last month and is 3.7% lower than the Council-wide figure. Compared to March 2023, the Resource absence figure has decreased by 1.2%. Based on the absence figures at March 2024 and annual trends, the annual average absence for the Resource for 2023/2024 is 3.5%, compared to a Council-wide average figure of 5.4%. 7 33
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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, 62 referrals were made this period. This represents a decrease of 15 when compared with the same period last year. 4.3. Accident/Incident Statistics There was 1 accident/incident recorded within the Resource this period, this figure remains unchanged when compared to the same period last year. 4.4. Discipline, Grievance and Dignity at Work (Appendix 2) During the period, no disciplinary hearings were held within the Resource. This figure has decreased by 1 when compared to the same period last year. No appeals were heard by the Appeals Panel, this figure has decreased by 1 when compared to the same period last year. No appeals panels were pending. No grievance hearings were raised within the Resource, this figure remains unchanged when compared to the same period last year. No Dignity at Work complaints were raised within the Resource, this figure remains unchanged when compared to the same period last year. 4.5. Analysis of Leavers (Appendix 2) There was a total of 8 leavers in the Resource this period eligible for an exit interview, a decrease of 9 when compared with the same period last year. 6 exit interviews were conducted in this period, an increase of 1 when compared to the same period last year. 4.6. When processing an employee termination, managers were asked to identify whether they intended to replace the employee who had left the Council. If they indicated that they did not intend to replace the employee, they were asked to select from the following options:- plan to hold for savings fill on a fixed term basis pending savings transfer budget to another post end of fixed term post 4.7. Appendix 2a provides a breakdown of vacant posts and whether these are being replaced or held for savings. In the period January to March 2024, 22 employees (14.24 FTE) in total left employment and managers indicated that all 22 posts (14.24 FTE) were being replaced. 5. Update on Armed Forces Strategy and Action Plan 5.1 The Council are currently drafting an Armed Forces Strategy and Action Plan and as part of this it will include the Council working on the requirements to achieve Gold Award status in the future. This will be completed and will be reported to Executive Committee in June 2024. 34
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6. Staffing Watch 6.1. There has been a decrease of 14 in the number of employees in post from 9 December 2023 to 9 March 2024. 7. Employee Implications 7.1. There are no implications for employees arising from the information presented in this report. 8. Financial Implications 8.1. All financial implications are accommodated within existing budgets. 9. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 9.1. There are no Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications in terms of the information contained within this report. 10. Other Implications 10.1. There are no implications for sustainability or risk in terms of the information contained within this report. 11. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 11.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy and therefore no impact assessment is required. 11.2. 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) 11 April 2024 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 – 6 March 2024 List of Background Papers Monitoring information provided by Finance and Corporate Resources Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact: - Eileen McPake, HR Business Manager Ext: 4647 (Tel: 01698 454647) E-mail: Eileen.McPake@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 35
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2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 % % % % % % % % % % % % April 2.6 2.8 3.6 April 0.0 0.0 0.0 April 2.6 2.8 3.6 April 4.3 5.6 5.1 May 3.3 3.2 3.9 May 0.0 0.0 0.0 May 3.3 3.2 3.9 May 4.9 5.4 5.1 June 3.5 4.0 4.2 June 0.0 0.0 0.0 June 3.5 4.0 4.2 June 4.7 5.3 4.7 July 3.3 3.9 3.5 July 0.0 0.0 0.0 July 3.3 3.9 3.5 July 4.0 4.6 3.8 August 3.6 4.1 3.8 August 0.0 0.0 0.0 August 3.6 4.1 3.8 August 4.7 4.4 4.1 September 4.0 3.6 3.9 September 0.0 0.0 0.0 September 4.0 3.6 3.9 September 6.4 5.4 5.3 October 3.6 3.8 3.2 October 0.0 0.0 0.0 October 3.6 3.8 3.2 October 6.3 5.8 5.1 November 4.3 3.4 3.5 November 0.0 0.0 0.0 November 4.3 3.4 3.5 November 6.9 6.5 6.2 December 3.8 4.3 3.3 December 0.0 0.0 0.0 December 3.8 4.3 3.3 December 6.9 7.0 6.6 January 3.8 4.3 2.8 January 0.0 0.0 0.0 January 3.8 4.3 2.8 January 7.0 5.8 6.1 February 3.4 3.8 3.5 February 0.0 0.0 0.0 February 3.4 3.8 3.5 February 6.6 5.9 6.4 March 3.4 3.8 2.6 March 0.0 0.0 0.0 March 3.4 3.8 2.6 March 7.9 6.4 6.3 Annual Average 3.6 3.8 3.5 Annual Average 0.0 0.0 0.0 Annual Average 3.6 3.8 3.5 Annual Average 5.9 5.7 5.4 879 0 879 16065 Manual Workers No of Employees at 31 March 2024 Resource Total No of Employees at 31 March 2024 Appendix 1 Absence Trends - 2021/2022, 2022/2023 & 2023/2024 Finance and Corporate Resources No of Employees at 31 March 2024 No of Employees at 31 March 2024 APT&C Council Wide 36
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Jan - Mar Jan - Mar 2023 2024 MEDICAL EXAMINATIONS Number of Employees Attending EMPLOYEE COUNSELLING SERVICE Total Number of Referrals PHYSIOTHERAPY SERVICE Total Number of Referrals REFERRALS TO EMPLOYEE SUPPORT OFFICER 21 24 REFERRALS TO COGNITIVE BEHAVIOUR THERAPY 0 0 TOTAL 77 62 Jan - Mar Jan - Mar 2023 2024 Minor 1 1 Total Accidents/Incidents 1 1 Jan - Mar Jan - Mar 2023 2024 Total Number of Hearings 1 0 Total Number of Appeals 1 0 Time Taken to Convene Hearing October - January to March 2024 0-3 Weeks 4-6 Weeks Over 6 Weeks 0 0 0 Jan - Mar Jan - Mar 2023 2024 Number of Grievances 0 0 Jan - Mar Jan - Mar 2023 2024 Number of Incidents 0 0 Jan - Mar Jan - Mar 2023 2024 Career Advancement 3 2 Child Caring / Caring Responsibilities 0 1 Moving outwith area 0 1 Personal Reasons 0 1 Poor relationship with managers / colleagues 0 1 Travelling difficulties 1 0 Other 1 0 Number of Exit Interviews conducted 5 6 Total Number of Leavers Eligible for Exit Interview 17 8 Percentage of interviews conducted 29% 75% Appendix 2 22 11 0 0 FINANCE & CORPORATE RESOURCES 34 27 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. ***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 circumstance. ANALYSIS OF REASONS FOR LEAVING ****Physical violent incidents are included in the "Specified" figures, where applicable, to provide the "Total Specified" figures. ****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 RECORD OF DIGNITY AT WORK 37
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FTE H/C FTE H/C Terminations/Leavers 14.24 22 67.48 87 Being replaced 14.24 22 62.08 81 Filling on a temporary basis 0.00 0 1.00 1 Plan to transfer this budget to another post 0.00 0 0.00 0 End of fixed term contract 0.00 0 0.00 0 Held pending service Review 0.00 0 3.40 4 Plan to remove for savings 0.00 0 1.00 1 Appendix 2a Reason Cumulative totalJanuary to March 2024 38
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As at 9 March 2024 Total Number of Employees F/T P/T F/T P/T 192 15 387 222 Chief Officer Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Fixed SCP Teacher TOTAL 6.00 97.71 353.48 210.14 52.78 23.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 743.11 As at 9 December 2023 Total Number of Employees F/T P/T F/T P/T 192 14 399 225 Chief Officer Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Fixed SCP Teacher TOTAL 8.00 104.29 350.02 216.67 53.28 21.30 0.00 0.00 0.00 753.56 Appendix 3 JOINT STAFFING WATCH RETURN FINANCE AND CORPORATE RESOURCES *Full - Time Equivalent No of Employees Salary Bands 816 MALE FEMALE TOTAL *Full - Time Equivalent No of Employees Salary Bands MALE FEMALE TOTAL 830 39
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 22 May 2024 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Council-wide Workforce Monitoring – January to March 2024 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide employment information relating to the Council for the period January to March 2024 [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the following employment information for the period January to March 2024 relating to the Council be noted:- attendance statistics occupational health accident/incident statistics discipline, grievance and Dignity at Work cases analysis of leavers and exit interviews recruitment monitoring staffing watch as at 9 March 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 January to March 2024. 4. Attendance Statistics 4.1. Information on absence statistics for the Council and each Resource, as analysed for March 2024, is provided in Appendices 1 to 8. Points to note are:- The Council’s absence rate for March 2024, shown in Appendix 1, is 6.3%, which represents a decrease of 0.1% when compared with last month and the figure has decreased by 0.1% when compared to March 2023. When compared to March 2023, the APT&C absence rate has increased by 0.1%, the teachers’ figure has decreased by 0.5% and the manual workers’ figure has decreased by 0.2%. Based on annual trends and the absence rate to March 2024, the average absence rate for the Council for the financial year 2023/2024 is 5.4%. 8 41
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In comparison to March 2023 (Appendix 8):- Psychological and musculoskeletal conditions are the main reasons for absence Total days lost due to psychological conditions have decreased by 186 days Total days lost due to musculoskeletal conditions have decreased by 577days Total days lost due to respiratory conditions have decreased by 662 days Total days lost due to stomach, bowel, blood and metabolic disorders have increased by 392 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 January to March 2024 is provided in Appendix 9. during the period there were 512 employees referred for a medical examination, an increase of 143 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 568 employees attended physiotherapy treatment, showing an increase of 14 when compared to the same period last year. Of the 568 employees referred, 72% remained at work whilst undertaking treatment during this period 551 employees were referred to the Employee Support Officer, showing an increase of 60 when compared with the same period last year. Of the referrals made this period, 86% related to personal reasons 233 employees were referred to the PAM Assist counselling service this period, showing an increase of 52 when compared with the same period last year. All the referrals made this period were from management and none were made directly by employees. Personal reasons accounted for 24% of the referrals made, 28% were for work related reasons and 48% was for other reasons 11 employees were referred for Cognitive Behavioural Therapy this period, an increase of 2 when compared to the same period last year 6. Accidents/Incidents 6.1. The accident/incident report for January to March 2024 is contained in Appendix 10. the number of accidents/incidents recorded was 645, this figure has increased by 88 from the same period last year there was 1 specified injury recorded, this figure has decreased by 1 from the same period last year there were 633 minor accidents/incidents, this figure has increased by 89 from the same period last year there were 2 accidents resulting in an absence lasting over 3 days during the period, this figure remains unchanged from the same period last year there were 9 accidents resulting in an absence lasting over 7 days during the period, this figure remains unchanged from the same period last year 42
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7. Discipline, Grievance, Dignity at Work Hearings and Mediation Referrals 7.1. Information on Disciplinary, Grievance Hearings, Dignity at Work and Mediation Referrals for January to March 2024 is contained in Appendices 11, 12a and 12b. in total, 46 disciplinary hearings were held across Resources within the Council, this figure has decreased by 20 when compared to the same period last year action was taken in 40 of these cases. No appeals were raised against the outcomes our target is to convene disciplinary hearings within 6 weeks, 87% of hearings met this target during the period, 6 appeals were heard by the Appeals Panel, of which 1 was upheld in part and 5 were not upheld. One appeals panel was withdrawn at the end of March, 3 Appeals Panels were pending during the period, 3 grievance cases were raised during the period, no Dignity at Work cases 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 January to March 2024 is contained in Appendix 13. Exit interviews are conducted with employees who leave voluntarily. Labour Turnover Using information compiled from Resources and Staffing Watch information as at 9 March 2024, the Council’s turnover figure for January to March 2024 is as follows:- 172 leavers eligible for exit interviews/14,969 employees in post = Labour Turnover of 1.1%. Based on the figure at March 2024, the annual labour turnover figure for the financial year 2023/2024 for the Council is 4.7%. 8.2. Analysis of Leavers and Exit Interviews:- there were a total of 172 employees leaving the Council that were eligible for an exit interview, a decrease of 3 when compared with the same period last year there were a total of 54 exit interviews conducted which is a decrease of 9 when compared with same period last year 8.3. When processing an employee termination, managers are asked to identify whether they intend to replace the employee who had left the Council. If they indicate that they do not intend to replace the employee, they are asked to select from four options:- plan to hold for savings fill on a fixed term basis pending savings transfer budget to another post end of fixed term contract 43
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8.4. Appendix 13a provides information relating to vacant posts and whether these are being replaced or held for savings. From January to March 2024, 435 employees (327.29 FTE) left employment. Managers indicated that 354 posts (256.95 FTE) would be replaced, 4 posts (3.36 FTE) were being filled on a temporary basis, 59 posts (54.11 FTE) were due to the end of fixed term contracts, 16 posts (11.27 FTE) were being left vacant pending savings or service reviews and 2 posts (1.60 FTE) are planning to be removed for savings. 9. Recruitment Monitoring 9.1. Information on Recruitment Monitoring for January to March 2024 is contained within Appendix 14. From an analysis of Equal Opportunities Monitoring Forms, the main points to note are:- overall, 2653 applications and 2591 completed Equal Opportunities Monitoring Forms were received of those applicants who declared themselves as disabled (89), 51 were shortleeted for interview and 10 were appointed. of those applicants of a black/ethnic minority background (385), 77 were shortleeted for interview and 11 were appointed. of those applicants who are veterans (33), 15 were shortleeted for interview and no one was appointed. 10. Staffing Watch 10.1 There has been a decrease of 204 in the number of employees in post from 9 December 2023 to 9 March 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. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 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. 44
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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) 11 April 2024 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 – 6 March 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 45
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2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 % % % % % % % % % % % % April 4.1 5.2 5.2 April 2.5 2.7 2.8 April 6.2 8.8 7.0 April 4.3 5.6 5.1 May 4.7 5.0 5.1 May 3.2 3.6 3.2 May 6.7 7.6 6.2 May 4.9 5.4 5.1 June 4.4 5.0 4.9 June 2.6 2.6 2.2 June 7.0 8.1 6.5 June 4.7 5.3 4.7 July 4.1 4.5 4.0 July 1.1 1.4 1.1 July 6.3 7.4 5.8 July 4.0 4.6 3.8 August 4.6 4.3 4.2 August 2.0 1.4 1.3 August 7.3 7.4 6.2 August 4.7 4.4 4.1 September 6.1 5.2 5.2 September 4.4 2.8 2.9 September 8.5 8.0 7.6 September 6.4 5.4 5.3 October 6.0 5.7 5.2 October 4.1 3.4 2.7 October 8.7 8.1 7.1 October 6.3 5.8 5.1 November 6.5 6.3 6.1 November 5.6 4.7 4.3 November 8.7 8.6 8.1 November 6.9 6.5 6.2 December 6.2 6.7 6.7 December 6.1 5.3 4.8 December 8.8 8.9 7.8 December 6.9 7.0 6.6 January 6.7 5.2 5.8 January 3.9 4.3 4.8 January 10.1 8.0 7.8 January 7.0 5.8 6.1 February 6.5 5.7 6.3 February 3.7 4.1 4.9 February 9.5 7.9 8.0 February 6.6 5.9 6.4 March 8.0 6.2 6.3 March 4.3 4.6 4.1 March 11.3 8.3 8.1 March 7.9 6.4 6.3 Annual Average 5.7 5.4 5.4 Annual Average 3.6 3.4 3.3 Annual Average 8.3 8.1 7.2 Annual Average 5.9 5.7 5.4 7673 3983 4409 16065No of Employees at 31 March 2024 Appendix 1 Absence Trends - 2021/2022, 2022/2023 & 2023/2024 Council Wide APT&C Teachers No of Employees at 31 March 2024 No of Employees at 31 March 2024 Manual Workers Council Wide No of Employees at 31 March 2024 46
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2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 % % % % % % % % % % % % April 2.3 4.4 3.6 April 5.7 7.3 6.3 April 5.2 6.9 6.0 April 4.3 5.6 5.1 May 2.7 3.9 3.7 May 6.4 6.8 6.3 May 5.9 6.3 5.9 May 4.9 5.4 5.1 June 2.8 3.5 4.3 June 6.6 7.2 5.9 June 6.0 6.7 5.7 June 4.7 5.3 4.7 July 2.9 3.9 2.3 July 5.3 5.9 4.6 July 4.9 5.6 4.3 July 4.0 4.6 3.8 August 2.9 3.4 3.0 August 6.4 6.6 5.2 August 5.9 6.1 4.9 August 4.7 4.4 4.1 September 3.4 3.1 2.5 September 8.2 7.9 7.1 September 7.5 7.1 6.4 September 6.4 5.4 5.3 October 3.8 5.1 2.0 October 7.9 7.5 7.0 October 7.3 7.1 6.3 October 6.3 5.8 5.1 November 3.5 4.2 2.6 November 8.0 8.3 8.1 November 7.3 7.7 7.3 November 6.9 6.5 6.2 December 4.2 3.7 3.0 December 8.0 8.8 7.5 December 7.4 8.0 6.8 December 6.9 7.0 6.6 January 3.6 2.6 3.6 January 9.6 7.4 7.4 January 8.6 6.7 6.9 January 7.0 5.8 6.1 February 4.4 3.6 4.0 February 9.5 7.4 7.8 February 8.7 6.9 7.2 February 6.6 5.9 6.4 March 6.0 3.9 3.2 March 11.0 7.9 7.9 March 10.2 7.3 7.2 March 7.9 6.4 6.3 Annual Average 3.5 3.8 3.2 Annual Average 7.7 7.4 6.8 Annual Average 7.1 6.9 6.2 Annual Average 5.9 5.7 5.4 527 2805 3332 16065 Appendix 2 Absence Trends - 2021/2022, 2022/2023 & 2023/2024 Community and Enterprise Resources APT&C Council WideManual Workers Resource Total No of Employees at 31 March 2024 No of Employees at 31 March 2024 No of Employees at 31 March 2024 No of Employees at 31 March 2024 47
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2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 % % % % % % % % % % % % April 4.8 5.5 5.0 April 2.5 2.7 2.8 April 3.5 4.0 3.8 April 4.3 5.6 5.1 May 5.7 5.5 5.4 May 3.2 3.6 3.2 May 4.4 4.5 4.2 May 4.9 5.4 5.1 June 4.7 5.1 4.8 June 2.6 2.6 2.2 June 3.5 3.7 3.4 June 4.7 5.3 4.7 July 3.4 3.8 3.4 July 1.1 1.4 1.1 July 2.1 2.5 2.2 July 4.0 4.6 3.8 August 3.8 3.6 4.0 August 2.0 1.4 1.3 August 2.8 2.4 2.5 August 4.7 4.4 4.1 September 6.4 5.8 5.9 September 4.4 2.8 2.9 September 5.3 4.1 4.3 September 6.4 5.4 5.3 October 6.6 6.5 5.5 October 4.1 3.4 2.7 October 5.2 4.8 4.0 October 6.3 5.8 5.1 November 8.0 7.9 7.1 November 5.6 4.7 4.3 November 6.7 6.2 5.6 November 6.9 6.5 6.2 December 8.0 8.5 8.1 December 6.1 5.3 4.8 December 7.0 6.8 6.3 December 6.9 7.0 6.6 January 8.1 6.1 6.6 January 3.9 4.3 4.8 January 5.8 5.1 5.6 January 7.0 5.8 6.1 February 7.2 6.8 7.2 February 3.7 4.1 4.9 February 5.3 5.4 6.0 February 6.6 5.9 6.4 March 9.5 7.0 7.5 March 4.3 4.6 4.1 March 6.7 5.7 5.7 March 7.9 6.4 6.3 Annual Average 6.4 6.0 5.9 Annual Average 3.6 3.4 3.3 Annual Average 4.9 4.6 4.5 Annual Average 5.9 5.7 5.4 3542 3983 7525 16065No of Employees at 31 March 2024 No of Employees at 31 March 2024 No of Employees at 31 March 2024 No of Employees at 31 March 2024 Appendix 3 Absence Trends - 2021/2022, 2022/2023 & 2023/2024 Education Resources Council WideAPT&C Teachers Resource Total 48
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2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 % % % % % % % % % % % % April 2.6 2.8 3.6 April 0.0 0.0 0.0 April 2.6 2.8 3.6 April 4.3 5.6 5.1 May 3.3 3.2 3.9 May 0.0 0.0 0.0 May 3.3 3.2 3.9 May 4.9 5.4 5.1 June 3.5 4.0 4.2 June 0.0 0.0 0.0 June 3.5 4.0 4.2 June 4.7 5.3 4.7 July 3.3 3.9 3.5 July 0.0 0.0 0.0 July 3.3 3.9 3.5 July 4.0 4.6 3.8 August 3.6 4.1 3.8 August 0.0 0.0 0.0 August 3.6 4.1 3.8 August 4.7 4.4 4.1 September 4.0 3.6 3.9 September 0.0 0.0 0.0 September 4.0 3.6 3.9 September 6.4 5.4 5.3 October 3.6 3.8 3.2 October 0.0 0.0 0.0 October 3.6 3.8 3.2 October 6.3 5.8 5.1 November 4.3 3.4 3.5 November 0.0 0.0 0.0 November 4.3 3.4 3.5 November 6.9 6.5 6.2 December 3.8 4.3 3.3 December 0.0 0.0 0.0 December 3.8 4.3 3.3 December 6.9 7.0 6.6 January 3.8 4.3 2.8 January 0.0 0.0 0.0 January 3.8 4.3 2.8 January 7.0 5.8 6.1 February 3.4 3.8 3.5 February 0.0 0.0 0.0 February 3.4 3.8 3.5 February 6.6 5.9 6.4 March 3.4 3.8 2.6 March 0.0 0.0 0.0 March 3.4 3.8 2.6 March 7.9 6.4 6.3 Annual Average 3.6 3.8 3.5 Annual Average 0.0 0.0 0.0 Annual Average 3.6 3.8 3.5 Annual Average 5.9 5.7 5.4 879 0 879 16065 Manual Workers No of Employees at 31 March 2024 Resource Total No of Employees at 31 March 2024 Appendix 4 Absence Trends - 2021/2022, 2022/2023 & 2023/2024 Finance and Corporate Resources No of Employees at 31 March 2024 No of Employees at 31 March 2024 APT&C Council Wide 49
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2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 % % % % % % % % % % % % April 3.2 5.5 5.7 April 3.6 10.6 6.9 April 3.3 7.6 6.2 April 4.3 5.6 5.1 May 2.9 4.5 4.9 May 4.2 8.1 6.1 May 3.4 6.0 5.4 May 4.9 5.4 5.1 June 3.5 4.9 5.4 June 6.2 8.5 6.8 June 4.6 6.4 6.0 June 4.7 5.3 4.7 July 4.0 5.5 5.0 July 5.7 8.9 8.1 July 4.7 6.9 6.2 July 4.0 4.6 3.8 August 4.9 4.7 5.1 August 7.9 7.1 8.5 August 6.2 5.7 6.4 August 4.7 4.4 4.1 September 5.8 4.5 4.7 September 8.1 6.3 7.8 September 6.8 5.2 6.0 September 6.4 5.4 5.3 October 5.2 4.3 4.9 October 9.0 7.8 5.2 October 6.8 5.8 5.0 October 6.3 5.8 5.1 November 5.7 4.6 4.8 November 9.2 7.8 6.7 November 7.2 5.9 5.6 November 6.9 6.5 6.2 December 4.6 4.4 5.1 December 9.5 7.2 7.4 December 6.7 5.6 6.0 December 6.9 7.0 6.6 January 5.2 4.5 4.4 January 8.8 5.5 6.0 January 6.7 4.9 5.0 January 7.0 5.8 6.1 February 6.4 4.4 5.2 February 8.5 6.2 6.3 February 7.3 5.1 5.6 February 6.6 5.9 6.4 March 7.8 5.3 5.3 March 10.7 6.8 7.2 March 9.0 5.9 6.1 March 7.9 6.4 6.3 Annual Average 4.9 4.8 5.0 Annual Average 7.6 7.6 6.9 Annual Average 6.1 5.9 5.8 Annual Average 5.9 5.7 5.4 875 565 1440 16065No of Employees at 31 March 2024No of Employees at 31 March 2024 No of Employees at 31 March 2024 No of Employees at 31 March 2024 Appendix 5 Housing & Technical Resources Resource Total Absence Trends - 2021/2022, 2022/2023 & 2023/2024 APT&C Manual Workers Council Wide 50
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2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 2021 / 2022 2022 / 2023 2023 / 2024 % % % % % % % % % % % % April 4.5 6.2 6.5 April 9.6 12.6 9.4 April 6.2 8.3 7.4 April 4.3 5.6 5.1 May 5.0 5.7 5.8 May 9.3 10.1 8.4 May 6.5 7.1 6.6 May 4.9 5.4 5.1 June 3.9 5.9 5.5 June 7.6 11.3 8.6 June 5.2 7.6 6.5 June 4.7 5.3 4.7 July 6.1 6.0 5.4 July 10.3 11.8 8.8 July 7.5 7.9 6.5 July 4.0 4.6 3.8 August 7.3 6.0 4.8 August 10.2 10.8 8.6 August 8.2 7.5 6.0 August 4.7 4.4 4.1 September 7.6 5.9 5.6 September 10.3 9.6 9.3 September 8.5 7.1 6.8 September 6.4 5.4 5.3 October 6.9 5.8 6.5 October 11.3 10.4 8.5 October 8.4 7.3 7.1 October 6.3 5.8 5.1 November 6.2 6.0 7.3 November 10.8 10.4 9.0 November 7.7 7.4 7.8 November 6.9 6.5 6.2 December 5.5 6.4 7.4 December 11.1 10.6 9.5 December 7.3 7.7 8.1 December 6.9 7.0 6.6 January 7.4 5.2 7.0 January 13.0 12.0 10.3 January 9.2 7.4 8.1 January 7.0 5.8 6.1 February 7.5 5.8 7.0 February 10.1 11.0 9.9 February 8.3 7.5 7.9 February 6.6 5.9 6.4 March 8.0 7.0 7.1 March 12.8 10.9 9.4 March 9.5 8.2 7.9 March 7.9 6.4 6.3 Annual Average 6.3 6.0 6.3 Annual Average 10.5 11.0 9.1 Annual Average 7.7 7.6 7.2 Annual Average 5.9 5.7 5.4 1850 1039 2889 16065No of Employees at 31 March 2024 No of Employees at 31 March 2024 No of Employees at 31 March 2024 No of Employees at 31 March 2024 Appendix 6 Absence Trends - 2021/2022, 2022/2023 & 2023/2024 Social Work Resources APT&C Council WideResource TotalManual Workers 51
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Appendix 7 Absence by long and short term From: 1 January 2024 to 31 March 2024 Community and Enterprise 3332 2.6 4.3 6.9 2.5 4.7 7.2 2.6 4.6 7.2 Education 7525 2.2 3.4 5.6 2.3 3.7 6.0 2.0 3.7 5.7 Finance and Corporate 879 1.3 1.5 2.8 1.9 1.6 3.5 1.0 1.6 2.6 Housing & Technical 1440 1.4 3.6 5.0 2.2 3.4 5.6 2.1 4.0 6.1 Social Work 2889 2.4 5.7 8.1 2.6 5.3 7.9 2.7 5.2 7.9 Council Overall for January 2024 to March 2024 16065 2.2 3.9 6.1 2.3 4.1 6.4 2.2 4.1 6.3 Resource No of employees January 2024 Total Short Term % Total Long Term % Resource Total Absence % Resource Total Absence % February 2024 Total Short Term % Total Long Term % March 2024 Total Short Term % Total Long Term % Resource Total Absence % 52
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From : 1 March 2024 - 31 March 2024 Total WDL % Total WDL % Total WDL % Total WDL % Total WDL % Musculoskeletal 1278 26 1046 12 66 15 364 21 696 17 3450 18 Psychological 1374 28 3213 38 168 39 642 37 1560 39 6957 35 Stomach, Bowel, Blood, Metabolic Disorders 594 12 969 11 31 7 168 10 437 11 2199 11 Respiratory 578 12 1388 16 68 16 219 13 529 13 2782 14 Other Classification 1065 22 1923 23 99 23 329 19 816 20 4232 22 Total Days Lost By Resource 4889 100 8539 100 432 100 1722 100 4038 100 19620 100 Total Work Days Available From : 1 March 2023 - 31 March 2023 Total WDL % Total WDL % Total WDL % Total WDL % Total WDL % Musculoskeletal 1445 26 1116 12 132 18 551 30 783 18 4027 19 Psychological 1320 24 3405 37 312 43 489 27 1617 36 7143 33 Stomach, Bowel, Blood, Metabolic Disorders 410 8 891 10 40 5 208 11 258 6 1807 8 Respiratory 914 17 1512 17 92 13 235 13 691 16 3444 16 Other Classification 1375 25 2207 24 158 22 330 18 1099 25 5169 24 Total Days Lost By Resource 5464 100 9131 100 734 100 1813 100 4448 100 21590 100 Total Work Days Available *WDL = Work Days Lost 67903 148948 16594 Percentage Housing and Technical Resources Education Resources Finance and Corporate 28239 51296 Appendix 8 Attendance Monitoring Absence Classification Reasons Community and Enterprise Resources Social Work Resources Total WDL By Reason REASONS Community and Enterprise Resources Education Resources Finance and Corporate Housing and Technical Resources Social Work Resources 54099308001934916050174511 PercentageTotal WDL By Reason 53
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Appendix 9 Teachers Others 149 72 81 11 63 136 100 35 51 22 49 112 Jan - Mar 2023 Jan - Mar 2024 Jan - Mar 2023 Jan - Mar 2024 Jan - Mar 2023 Jan - Mar 2024 129 142 87 121 0 0 91 79 234 238 4 4 114 118 21 24 0 0 34 27 28 41 0 0 54 72 121 127 Social Work 1 2 132 130 491 551 Not Disclosed 4 5 554 568 Total 9 11 M S M S M S M S M S M S Total (Jan - Mar 2024) 66 0 0 0 55 0 38 0 74 0 233 0 Total (Jan - Mar 2023) 29 0 0 0 128 0 10 0 14 0 181 0 Total 233 181 M = MANAGEMENT REFERRAL S = SELF REFERRAL Occupational Health Reports Total Social Work Resource Community and Enterprise Education (Teachers) Education (Others) Total Resource Community and Enterprise Education Finance and Corporate Education Social Work Housing and Technical Resource Community and Enterprise Total Finance and Corporate Housing and Technical 369 No of Employees Referred To Employee Support Officer Total (Jan - Mar 2024) 512 Total (Jan - Mar 2023) Finance and Corporate Housing and Technical Total Referrals (Jan - Mar 2024) From: 1 January - 31 March 2024 comparison with 1 January - 31 March 2023 Medical Referrals Community and Enterprise Education Finance and Corporate Housing & Technical Social Work Totals Total Referrals (Jan - Mar 2023) No of Employees Referred For Cognitive Behavioural Therapy Analysis of Counselling Referrals by Cause Reason Work Stress Addiction Personal Anxiety/ Depression Bereavement No of Employees Referred For Physiotherapy 54
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2023 2024 2023 2024 2023 2024 2023 2024 2023 2024 2023 2024 Specified Injury 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 Violent Incident: Physical 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total Specified Injury* 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 1 0 2 1 Over 7-day 7 7 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 8 9 Violent Incident: Physical 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Violent Incident: Verbal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total Over 7-day** 7 7 1 2 0 0 0 0 1 0 9 9 Over 3-day 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 2 Violent Incident: Physical 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Violent Incident: Verbal 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total Over 3-day** 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1 1 2 2 Minor 25 18 32 39 1 1 8 4 25 22 91 84 Near Miss 7 7 3 5 0 0 2 0 0 1 12 13 Violent Incident: Physical 4 14 376 437 0 0 0 0 23 24 403 475 Violent Incident: Verbal 1 3 25 52 0 0 1 0 11 6 38 61 Total Minor*** 37 42 436 533 1 1 11 4 59 53 544 633 Total Accidents/Incidents 45 51 438 535 1 1 11 4 62 54 557 645 *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. *** A minor injury is an injury not covered by " Over 7-day", "Over 3-day" or "Specified". Finance and Corporate Housing & Tech Analysis of Accidents/ Incidents Comparison Cause of Accidents/ Incidents to employees Appendix 10 Social Work TOTALCommunity and Enterprise Education From: 1 January - 31 March 2024 comparison with 1 January - 31 March 2023 55
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APT&C Manual / Craft Teachers Total APT&C Manual / Craft Teachers Total Community and Enterprise 0 23 N/A 23 0 1 N/A 1 0 22 N/A 22 14 5 4 83% 23 Education 5 6 2 13 2 2 1 5 3 4 1 8 9 3 1 92% 13 Housing and Technical 1 1 N/A 2 0 0 N/A 0 1 1 N/A 2 1 1 0 100% 2 Social Work 0 8 N/A 8 0 0 N/A 0 0 8 N/A 8 5 2 1 88% 8 Total (Jan - Mar 2024) 6 38 2 46 2 3 1 6 4 35 1 40 29 11 6 87% 46 Total (Jan - Mar 2023) 9 54 3 66 1 5 1 7 8 49 2 59 21 32 13 80% 66 APT&C Manual/ Craft Teachers Total APT&C Manual/ Craft Teachers Total APT&C Manual/ Craft Teachers Total Total (Jan - Mar 2024) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total (Jan - Mar 2023) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 *Resources nil responses are not included in figures Appeal's Panel From: 1 January - 31 March 2024 Appeal's Panel Total 1 Not Upheld Total Appeals Pending Withdrawn 5 Resource Resource Action Taken Upheld Upheld in Part Manual/ Craft Outcome of Disciplinary Hearings Manual/ Craft 1 Upheld APT&C Upheld in Part Teachers % Held within 6 Weeks No of Appeals No Action APT&C 4-6 6+3Teachers Total No of Disciplinary Hearings 360 Appendix 11 Outcome of Appeals Not Upheld From: 1 January - 31 March 2024 comparison with 1 January - 31 March 2023 Appeals pending to date Record of Disciplinary Hearings No of weeks to convene Disciplinary Hearing Total 56
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Appendix 12a Record of Grievances From: 1 January - 31 March 2024 comparison with 1 January - 31 March 2023 Grievances No of Grievances No Resolved at Stage 1 No Resolved at Stage 2 No Resolved at Stage 3 Still in Process Total (Jan - Mar 2024) 3 1 0 0 2 Total (Jan - Mar 2023) 0 0 0 0 0 Dignity at Work Dignity at Work No of Incidents No Resolved at Informal Stage No Resolved at Formal Stage No of Appeals Appeals in Process Still in Process Total (Jan - Mar 2024) 0 0 0 0 0 0 Total (Jan - Mar 2023) 4 2 2 0 0 0 From: 1 January - 31 March 2024 comparison with 1 January - 31 March 2023 57
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Appendix 12b Referrals for Workplace Mediation Workplace Mediation Jan-24 Feb-24 Mar-24 No of Referrals 1 0 0 *No of Successful Cases 0 0 0 *No of Unsuccessful Cases 0 0 0 No of cases unsuitable for mediation 0 1 0 Workplace Mediation Jan-23 Feb-23 Mar-23 No of Referrals 0 0 0 *No of Successful Cases 0 0 0 *No of Unsuccessful Cases 0 0 0 No of cases unsuitable for mediation 0 0 0 As at March 2024 *successful/unsuccessful case outcomes may be shown outwith the month they were referred. 58
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Appendix 13 From 1 January - 31 March 2024 Reason for leaving Community and Enterprise Education Finance and Corporate Housing & Technical Social Work Total % Career Advancement 0 11 2 7 4 24 44% Personal Reasons 1 3 1 0 2 7 13% Disatisfaction with terms and conditions 3 1 0 1 0 5 9% Moving outwith area 0 1 1 2 1 5 9% Poor relationship with managers / colleagues 2 1 1 1 0 5 9% Child Caring / Caring Responsibilities 0 0 1 0 1 2 4% Further Education 0 0 0 0 1 1 2% Travelling difficulties 0 1 0 0 0 1 2% Other 2 1 0 0 1 4 7% Number of exit interviews conducted 8 19 6 11 10 54 Total no. of leavers per Resource eligible for an exit interview 50 60 8 15 39 172 % of leavers interviewed 16% 32% 75% 73% 26% 31% From 1 January - 31 March 2023 Number of exit interviews conducted 10 28 5 6 14 63 Total no. of leavers per Resource eligible for an exit interview 37 71 17 13 37 175 % of leavers interviewed 27% 39% 29% 46% 38% 36% * Note these totals include temporary employees Analysis of leavers and exit interviews 59
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Resource Total FTE* Total H/C** FTE H/C FTE H/C FTE H/C FTE H/C FTE H/C FTE H/C Community & Enterprise 138.41 193.00 83.43 134.00 1.36 2.00 0.00 0.00 51.16 53.00 2.46 4.00 0.00 0.00 Education 98.93 123.00 89.83 112.00 2.00 2.00 0.00 0.00 2.00 2.00 5.10 7.00 0.00 0.00 Finance & Corporate 14.24 22.00 14.24 22.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Housing & Technical 23.66 28.00 23.06 27.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.60 1.00 Social Work 52.05 69.00 46.39 59.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.95 4.00 3.71 5.00 1.00 1.00 Total 327.29 435 256.95 354 3.36 4 0.00 0 54.11 59 11.27 16 1.60 2 Cumulative Grand Total 1270.47 1754 1157.24 1587 10.92 44 0.95 1 67.12 78 29.11 37 5.13 7 Appendix 13a January to March 2024 Number of leavers Replace Employee Filling on a temp basis Plan to transfer this budget to another post End of fixed term post Leave vacant pending savings or service review Plan to remove for savings 60
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Appendix 14 Applied Interviewed Appointed % of Applicants interviewed % of Applicants appointed % of Interviewees appointed 2591 890 281 34% 11% 32% 797 254 71 32% 9% 28% 1791 612 196 34% 11% 32% 89 51 10 57% 11% 20% 1879 622 194 33% 10% 31% 693 238 72 34% 10% 30% 2162 782 254 36% 12% 32% 385 77 11 20% 3% 14% 33 15 0 45% 0% 0% Applied Interviewed Appointed % of Applicants interviewed % of Applicants appointed % of Interviewees appointed 1285 566 173 44% 13% 31% 470 192 44 41% 9% 23% 779 352 96 45% 12% 27% 43 27 4 63% 9% 15% 927 380 107 41% 12% 28% 323 150 35 46% 11% 23% 1109 498 135 45% 12% 27% 133 31 2 23% 2% 6% 36 17 1 47% 3% 6% Total Number of appointments: 325 Total No of Veteran applicants Total No of applicants aged over 50 Total No of Female Applicants Gender / Disability / Age Total EO Forms Received Gender / Disability / Age *Black/Ethnic Minority applicants includes Mixed, Asian, Black and other backgrounds. Total No of White applicants Total No of Black/Ethnic minority applicants* Recruitment Monitoring Analysis of Gender, Disability, Ethnicity and Age From : 1 January - 31 March 2024 From : 1 January - 31 March 2023 384 Total Number of applications received: Total EO Forms Received Total No of White applicants Total No of Black/Ethnic minority applicants* Total No of Male Applicants Total No of Female Applicants Total No of Disabled Applicants Total No of applicants aged under 50 2653 Total Number of Equal Opportunities Monitoring forms received: 2591 Total Number of posts recruited for: *Black/Ethnic Minority applicants includes Mixed, Asian, Black and other backgrounds. Total Number of Equal Opportunities Monitoring forms received: 1285 Total No of applicants aged over 50 Total Number of posts recruited for: Total No of Veteran applicants Total Number of appointments: 183 Total Number of applications received: 1366 Total No of Male Applicants Total No of Disabled Applicants Total No of applicants aged under 50 346 61
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Resource Total F/T P/T F/T P/T Total Chief Officer Grade 1 Grade 2 Grade 3 Grade 4 Grade 5 Grade 6 Fixed SCP Teacher Community & Enterprise Resources 2993 1112 273 198 1410 2074.37 5.00 1412.35 348.58 244.59 43.55 15.30 0.00 5.00 0.00 Education - Others 3311 128 101 661 2421 2416.53 4.96 1179.23 962.79 146.09 46.00 10.60 0.00 62.06 4.80 Education - Teachers 3880 696 80 2181 923 3492.85 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.00 0.00 6.60 3485.25 Finance & Corporate Resources 816 192 15 387 222 743.11 6.00 97.71 353.48 210.14 52.78 23.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Housing & Technical 1273 787 24 330 132 1213.09 3.00 188.11 630.82 352.56 29.60 9.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Social Work Resources 2696 202 203 994 1297 2359.33 3.00 327.92 1441.30 496.46 56.30 34.35 0.00 0.00 0.00 8806.43 (excluding Teachers) Total All Staff 14969 3117 696 4751 6405 12299.28 21.96 3205.32 3736.97 1449.84 228.23 93.25 0.00 73.66 3490.05 Resource 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 3114 1222 269 202 1421 2188.21 5.00 1514.30 359.98 244.18 44.05 15.70 0.00 5.00 0.00 Education - Others 3309 125 96 668 2420 2415.94 4.00 1184.67 959.54 143.27 46.00 11.00 0.00 62.66 4.80 Education - Teachers 3915 698 81 2217 919 3528.45 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 1.00 0.00 6.60 3520.85 Finance & Corporate Resources 830 192 14 399 225 753.56 8.00 104.29 350.02 216.67 53.28 21.30 0.00 0.00 0.00 Housing & Technical 1278 791 24 330 133 1217.72 3.00 200.18 619.36 355.58 29.60 10.00 0.00 0.00 0.00 Social Work Resources 2727 200 210 1001 1316 2386.18 3.00 333.37 1458.96 525.30 31.80 33.75 0.00 0.00 0.00 8961.61 (excluding Teachers) Total All Staff 15173 3228 694 4817 6434 12490.06 23.00 3336.81 3747.86 1485.00 204.73 92.75 0.00 74.26 3525.65 Analysis by Resource Total Number of Employees Full-Time Equivalent Male Female Salary BandTotal QUARTERLYJOINT STAFFING WATCH RETURN : NUMBER EMPLOYED ON 9 MARCH 2024 Analysis by Resource QUARTERLYJOINT STAFFING WATCH RETURN : NUMBER EMPLOYED ON 9 DECEMBER 2023 Appendix 15 Total Number of Employees Full-Time Equivalent Male Female Salary Band 62
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 22 May 2024 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 2023/2024 to 31 March 2024 advise Committee of the position regarding the Business Rates Incentivisation Scheme (BRIS) for financial year 2023/2024 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 BRIS be noted; and (3) that write offs for the following be approved:- Council Tax £2,196,799.14 Non-Domestic Rates £301,452.77 BID Levy £8,918.69 Sundry Debt £499,862.15 Housing Rent and associated charges £244,667.08 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 2023/2024. 4.2. The annual Council Tax collection target for 2023/2024 was set at 95.2%. A Council Tax collection rate of 95.7% was achieved, ahead of target by 0.5% but behind comparable performance in 2022/2023 by 1.07%. It should be noted that due to the Scottish Government’s Cost of Living Award being allocated as an up-front cash payment at the beginning of 2022/2023, a comparison with 2023/2024 is not on a like-for-like basis. 9 63
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4.3. Council Tax performance is now 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 for 2023/2024 when Scottish Water debts are removed is 96.3%. 4.4. A Non-Domestic Rates (NDR) collection target of 97.0% was set for 2023/2024. A NDR collection of 97.8% was achieved, ahead of target by 0.8% and equal to comparable performance in 2022/2023. 4.5. The 2023/2024 annual target for Sundry Debt collection was set at 97.0%. A Sundry Debt collection of 96.9% was achieved, behind target by 0.1% and behind comparable performance in 2022/23 by 1.4%. Sundry Debt collection was behind target in 2023/2024 due to outstanding high value accounts totalling £0.963 million. These high value accounts were paid in April 2024. 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 2023/2024 arrears annual target for Council Tax was set at £3.000 million, with collection of £3.388 million, ahead of target by £0.388 million (12.9%) but behind comparable performance in 2022/2023 by £0.563 million. 5.3. The 2023/2024 arrears target for NDR was set at £2.000 million, with collection of £2.512 million, ahead of target by £0.512 million (25.6%) but behind comparable performance in 2022/2023 by £0.913 million. 5.4. The 2023/2024 arrears target for Sundry Debt was set at £9.519m, with collection of £9.536m, ahead of target by £0.017m (0.2%) and behind comparable performance in 2022/23 by 2.2%. 6. Business Rates Incentivisation Scheme 6.1. The Business Rates Incentivisation Scheme (BRIS) 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. Following suspension of the scheme for 2020/2021, 2021/2022 and 2022/2023 due to the impact of Covid-19, the Scottish Government has re-instated the scheme from 2023/2024 with the buoyancy target set for South Lanarkshire Council being 0.9%. 6.4. Buoyancy for 2023/2024 was 1.5%. The tax base has therefore exceeded the final target by 0.6%, which should result in the securing of additional income under the scheme of approximately £0.339 million in relation to 2023/2024. Scottish Government will confirm the value before payment is made to the Council and this can take some time based on previous experience. 64
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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. 7.2. The proposed write off of Council Tax accounts dating from 1993/1994 to 2023/2024 totals £2,196,799.14, relating mainly to prescribed debt, sequestrations and estates of the deceased. This includes the bulk write off of prescribed debt for financial year 1998/1999. 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 £301,452.77. 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 £8,918.69, 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 £499,862.15. 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 £201,349.17, factoring arrears of £203.68 and Housing Benefit Overpayments of £43,114.23. 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. 12. Equalities Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 12.1. There is no requirement to carry out an impact assessment in terms of the proposals within this report. 12.2. There is no requirement to undertake any consultation in relation to the content of this report. 65
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Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 1 May 2024 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Ambitious, self-aware and improving Previous References Finance and Corporate Resources Committee - 6 March 2024 List of Background Papers System Reports from Council Tax, Non-Domestic Rates, Sundry Debt and Academy Housing Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Craig Fergusson, Head of Finance (Transactions) Ext: 4951 (Tel: 01698 454951) E-mail: craig.fergusson@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 66
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Appendix 1 SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL REVENUES COLLECTION FOR PERIOD ENDING 31 MARCH 2024 Annual Budget Cash Target Actual Variance % Variance Budget to 31/03/24 to 31/03/24 to 31/03/24 to Notes £000's £000's £000's £000's annual budget FINANCIAL YEAR 2023/2024 Council Tax 153,838 153,838 154,647 809 over 0.5% Non-Domestic Rates 358,484 358,484 361,362 2,878 over 0.8% Sundry Debt 117,120 117,120 116,956 (164) under -0.1% ARREARS Council Tax 3,000 3,000 3,388 388 over 12.9% Non-Domestic Rates 2,000 2,000 2,512 512 over 25.6% Sundry Debt 9,519 9,519 9,536 17 over 0.2% 67
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Appendix 2 BREAKDOWN OF PROPOSED SUNDRY DEBT WRITE-OFF Resource Service No. of Accounts Value (£) Housing & Technical Estates 21 9,860.37 H&T General 8 3,485.59 Rechargeable Repairs / Capital Repairs 408 163,114.65 Social Work Non-Residential Services 134 19,807.05 Residential Services 28 178,524.91 Alert Community Alarm Service 737 39,854.41 Social Work General / Direct Payments 24 19,429.34 Community and Enterprise Care of Gardens / Roads 48 15,208.43 Finance & Corporate Housing Benefit Overpayments / Salary Overpayment 31 50,577.40 Total 1,439 499,862.15 68
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 22 May 2024 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Finance and Corporate Resource Plan 2024/2025 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] present the Finance and Corporate Resource Plan 2024/2025 for approval and note the monitoring arrangements [1purpose] 2. Recommendations 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [ (1) that the Resource Plan 2024/2025, attached as Appendix 1, be approved; (2) that the Resource Plan 202420/25 be uploaded onto the Council’s website following consideration by this Committee; (3) following Committee approval, all Resource Plans will be presented to Executive Committee on 26 June 2024, for noting; and (4) that Progress Reports on the Resource Plan 2024/2025 be provided at Quarter 2 and Quarter 4 to future meetings of this Committee. 3. Background 3.1. The Resource Plans for 2024/2025 were prepared in line with the corporate Resource Planning guidance. 3.2. The Resource Plan is a key element of the council’s performance management arrangements. It provides details of the context within which the Resource operates and establishes actions and measures for the year ahead based on the priorities and outcomes set out in the Council Plan Connect 2022 to 2027. 3.3. Performance management is a keystone of Best Value and ensures that the Council can demonstrate sound governance arrangements. The Resource Plan is one part of the Council’s framework for planning and budgeting and demonstrates how this leads to effective front line service delivery. 3.4. As part of this framework, the Resource Plan reflects the aspirations of the Council Plan and the Community Plan as well as being complemented by the details of individual Service, Business and other Plans. Ultimately, these details are included in the key work objectives of individual officers. This demonstrates the ‘Golden Thread’ of performance management which ensures a clear understanding of the Council’s vision, values, priorities and outcomes at all levels. 10 69
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3.5. The current format for performance reporting has been established since 2007 and is used for Executive Directors’ reports to the Chief Executive, Resource Management Teams, Resource Committees and the Performance and Review Scrutiny Forum. The focus has been on reporting progress on Council outcomes, statutory performance indicators, other key performance measures and high level Resource outcomes. Progress reports are provided at Quarter 2 and Quarter 4 to this Committee. 3.6. In preparing the Plan, account has also been taken of the need to ensure a robust response to Risk Management and Control. Risks associated with delivery of the actions in this Resource Plan have been identified and evaluated and are listed in the Resource Risk Register. Where necessary, controls or further actions to mitigate these risks have been agreed. Such actions are tracked through the Resource Risk Control Plan which is kept under review by the Risk Sponsor for the Resource. 3.7. Following approval at individual Resource Committees, all Resource Plans will be presented, as a pack, to Executive Committee on 26 June 2024, for noting. 4. Resource Plan 2024/2025 4.1. The Resource Plan 2024/2025 is attached as Appendix 1 and is structured around the following headings:- 1. Introduction 2. Key areas for the year ahead 3. Resource outcomes 4. Measures and actions 5. Resourcing the Plan 4.2. Resource Outcomes 2024/2025 The Resource has established a number of outcomes to support the delivery of the Connect Outcomes in 2024/2025. To support these outcomes, the Resource has developed performance measures in an action plan which is set out in section 4 of the Resource Plan. Key or strategic measures will be included in the Council Pan Connect Progress Reports 2024/2025, with the rest being monitored and reported at Resource level. 4.3. Monitoring and reporting As part of the performance management arrangements, the Committee will receive a mid-year update of progress on the measures in the Resource Plan covering the period 1 April 2024 to 30 September 2024 (Quarter 2) as well as an end of year progress report covering the full year 1 April 2024 to 31 March 2025 (Quarter 4). 5. Employee Implications 5.1. The outcomes noted within the Resource Plan will inform the Service Action Plans, where applicable and, in turn, the Performance Appraisal process for individual employees. 6. Financial Implications 6.1. The outcomes within the Resource Plan are reflected in the respective Resource Revenue and Capital budgets and, longer term, within the framework of the Council’s approved Financial Strategy. 70
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7. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 7.1. There are no climate change or environmental implications as a result of this report. 7.2. The Council acknowledges the serious and immediate threat of climate change and is committed to accelerating the pace of action in response to the climate emergency and in Scotland’s transition to a net-zero and climate resilient society and economy. All Resource Plans have recognised sustainable development and climate change as a key area of focus for 2024/2025. 8. Other Implications 8.1. Resource Plan actions are assessed as part of the Resource’s risk management arrangements and relevant issues have been added to the Resource Risk Register. 9. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 9.1. Many of the actions detailed within the Resource Plan reflect ongoing strategies and policies which will be or have been the subject of consultation and equality impact assessment. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 8 April 2024 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes The Resource Plan has been structured upon the Vision, Values, Priorities and Outcomes in the Council Plan Connect 2022 to 2027 Previous References None List of Background Papers Council Plan 2022-2027 Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Tom Little (Head of Communications and Strategy) Ext: 4904 (Tel: 01698 454904) E-mail: tom.little@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 71
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Contents Section Contents 1.0 Introduction 2.0 Key areas of focus for the year ahead 3.0 Resource outcomes 4.0 Measures and actions 5.0 Resourcing the plan 74
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Section One – Introduction I am pleased to introduce our Resource Plan for 2024-25 which sets out outcomes and priorities for the coming year. The four services within Finance and Corporate Resources help to ensure that the council operates successfully in an increasingly complex and challenging environment, and although diverse, each service is essential to the running of the council and the delivery of its vision, values and priorities. Administration and Legal Services provides essential support for the core democratic and governance arrangements of the council as well as providing a full range of legal advice and support, managing electoral events and licensing and registration services to the public. Finance Services provides sound financial stewardship to ensure the council’s priorities are effectively funded and expenditure, including procurement, is appropriately monitored, controlled and reported. Finance Services is split between transactional activities including payables, procurement, risk management and insurance, benefits, customer services and money matters advice; and Strategy which includes budget strategy, budget monitoring and providing financial support to all Resources. Information Technology Services supports all council services through the maintenance of over 5,000 computers and servers running over 200 business applications across council Resources. This delivery is supported by council wide networks covering telephone, printing, mail and internet technologies. Personnel Services is responsible for the delivery of the personnel provision within the Council and covers, providing information and support to employees and the implementation of personnel policies. This includes personnel, payroll, employee learning and organisational development; complaints and consultation; delivery of training, further education and apprenticeships, health, safety and wellbeing. And is responsible for the co-ordination and implementation of equality and human rights legislation, good practice, and supporting and promoting diversity, equity and inclusion for all. The Resource is also responsible for Internal Audit, which provides assurance on the effectiveness of the council’s risk management, control and governance arrangements. Communications and Strategy (which is now part of the Chief Executive’s Office) provides a range of key corporate services in support of all Resources as well as accurate, timely information for employees and residents. The service is responsible for the council's publications, its websites, intranet and social media. It also co-ordinates all Media enquiries. The service incorporates the Resilience team, the Research and Improvement Unit as well as the Community Engagement Team, which provides support to the Community Planning Board, and provides a single interface for community engagement including neighbourhood planning. Jackie Taylor Executive Director of Finance and Corporate Resources 75
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Section Two – Key areas of focus for the year ahead 2.0. Overview The Resource has identified the main challenges, risks and new developments which will have significant impact on the delivery of services in the coming year. These are outlined briefly below. 2.1. Cost of living Crisis The UK is experiencing the worst cost-of-living crisis in 40 years. While all sectors of society are seeing prices rise the impacts are greatest for those on the lowest incomes. The council recognises the immense pressures being faced by households across South Lanarkshire, and acknowledges the additional demands on council services as a result. The council has in place a range of support which can help households manage scarce resources and services will continue to explore all avenues to support the most vulnerable in the year ahead. While doing all we can to support our communities in these difficult times, the council recognises that inflationary pressures will also present significant challenges for council services as budgets are increasingly squeezed by rising costs. 2.2. Financial Strategy The Resource leads on financial planning and reporting for the Council. Over recent years, the challenges for Local Government finance have continued, around balancing pressures of meeting additional demand and costs of delivering services. The challenges local authorities are facing are extraordinary. The impact of once in a generation inflationary increases has seen the budget gap faced by the council reach levels that mean that the council will have to reconsider how and what services we can deliver going forwards. A key part of the financial management process is the development of Financial Strategies, developing financial plans which deliver the council’s visions, values and priorities, while recognising and responding to financial constraints. Financial strategies are prepared annually and approved by members leading to the final approval of annual budgets. This process includes consideration and approval of efficiency and savings options and considers requirements for investment. In the current financial environment where we are experiencing inflation levels at unprecedented levels, the challenges around consideration and approval of savings options will be key. As has been the case in recent years, one of the key features for future strategies will be the output from our programme of Reviews (see section 2.9.) Looking at how we can continue to demonstrate Financial resilience and sustainable finances will be a focus. The strategic approach to financial planning also includes planning for Capital programmes of work. 2.3. Involving Our Communities Our Council and Community plans both reflect the priorities of our communities and connect to the neighbourhood plans created in smaller areas of South Lanarkshire. We will continue to progress delivery of these, developing appropriate ways to codesign services with local people. Our ambition is that all communities in South Lanarkshire have the opportunity to identify their local priorities and can see these reflected in the way we engage and work with them. Supporting community groups to represent the views of their neighbours and to work together to address issues that matter to them is the way we will progress this. 76
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We will work to develop opportunities for our community to take action themselves, including continuing to support community asset transfer, developing our communities access to community benefits and helping them to take action to improve sustainability. 2.4. Workforce Planning and People Strategy The council workforce plan outlines the challenges facing the council workforce, identifies the key strategic drivers and service demands on the horizon for the council and defines a set of actions that will develop and build on the existing workforce to meet council service demands. This ensures that the Council has the right people in the right place at the right time with sufficient employee resources to deliver services. Each Resource within the council reviews its workforce data to establish the challenges and opportunities that this presents and key themes and an action plan are developed to meet forecasted future workforce requirements. This is supported by a People Strategy which supports the ‘people’ elements of our workforce plans. South Lanarkshire Council and its employees are going through a period of unprecedented change which will impact on how we deliver services in the future. This includes the impact of Brexit and recovery from the Covid pandemic. 2.5. Oracle Fusion The Oracle system (People Connect/HRMS, FMS) is being migrated to Fusion, Oracle’s cloud-based Human Resources (HR) and Finance solution. This is a significant change programme affecting the whole workforce and work will focus on delivering significant improvements to processes, workflow, support agile working, employee self-service and engagement as well as greater levels of automation and improved management information. These efficiency improvements will be captured to support the council’s financial position. This change project will also provide a platform for continuing service improvements and efficiencies. 2.6. Strategic digital developments The Council is continuing to invest in digital technologies to improve the delivery of services to citizens, streamline and standardise business processes, and improve collaboration and partnership working (for example Health and Social Care Partnership - HSCP). This investment is targeted on delivering significant productivity improvements and cost savings. Information Technology (IT) has a major part to play in digital transformation by implementing and supporting new technologies at pace and at scale. IT projects will continue to be prioritised based upon need, business case and alignment with Council Priorities. Partnerships with Local Government Digital Office, NHS Lanarkshire, Scottish Government and key suppliers will be leveraged to share best practices and accelerate rollout and adoption of new digital solutions. IT will continue to maintain high levels of availability of IT estate and high levels of support to officers and elected members. Key IT activities will include the move from analogue to digital telephony in line with Ofcom’s national programme, replacement of key legacy business applications (for example Housing and Property, Social Work and Telecare alarm receiving) and the rollout of digital connectivity solutions to improve performance and security of internet access, deliver wider economic benefits through digital connectivity and support digital inclusion. 2.7. Sustainable Development and Climate Change The council acknowledges the serious and immediate threat of climate change and is committed to accelerating the pace of action in response to the climate emergency and in Scotland’s transition to a net-zero and climate resilient society and economy. It is expected that, as a public body, the council leads by example and uses its role to influence area-wide climate change action and sustainability. The Sustainable Development and Climate Change Strategy (2022-27) sets out how the council aims to develop sustainably and tackle climate change. 77
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The overall picture is one of clear aspirations and commitment, but residual risks scores reflect the challenges and remain very high corporately even despite the level of mitigations that are being put in place. Over time, how to fund will remain one of the most significant risks. 2.8. Continued Development of the Council Transformation Programme The Council has had a programme of transformation reviews over recent years, which have fed through to deliver outcomes in terms of savings, efficiencies and transformation programmes. Change has been the one constant in recent years and this is reflected in the guidance to support managers to deliver their transformational projects. It is important that managers and leaders are equipped to lead transformation, and that review and improvement processes are adopted and welcomed. Through the Covid recovery process and unprecedented budget challenges, there is the opportunity to shape Council services which are responsive, flexible and fit for the future. A transparent process which is understood by all involved, the early involvement of those affected, and honest evaluation of options are key features of our continued approach. 78
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Section Three – Resource Outcomes 3.1. Resource Outcomes Finance and Corporate Resources has established the following Resource outcomes to support the delivery of Connect Outcomes in 2024-25. Connect Outcomes Resource Outcomes Communities and Environment • Individuals and communities in South Lanarkshire are engaged and able to participate in decision-making processes Education and Learning • No Resource Outcomes for this Connect Outcome Health and Wellbeing • No Resource Outcomes for this Connect Outcome Children and Young People • No Resource Outcomes for this Connect Outcome Housing and Land • No Resource Outcomes for this Connect Outcome Our Economy • No Resource Outcomes for this Connect Outcome 3.2. Delivering the Plan and achieving Best Value In working towards the six Outcomes, the council aims to continually improve and ensure effective and efficient use of resources, and our business will be conducted with integrity, transparency and will operate to the highest standards. Finance and Corporate Resources has established the following Resource outcomes to support Delivering the Plan and achieving Best Value. Delivering the Plan and achieving Best Value • The council demonstrates high standards of governance and sound financial stewardship • Customers experience high quality and improving council services • The workforce has the skills, flexibility and capacity to deliver the council’s priorities • Digital and ICT services meet the needs of the council and its customers 79
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Section Four – Measures and actions 4.0. Performance measures and action plan This section of the Resource Plan is divided into two parts: part (a) sets out our main performance measures against our outcomes; and part (b) describes the key actions we will take in the coming year to respond to the challenges ahead and improve services and outcomes. 4.a. How we will measure our performance The impact of Covid19 continues to have an effect on performance for some services. The table below shows our key performance measures, with actual data last reported to Committee and the target for the last financial year and 2024-25. Additional context for the results/targets is provided within the notes column, where applicable. Resource Outcome: The council demonstrates high standards of governance and sound financial stewardship Measure 2022-23 Actual 2023-24 Target 2024-25 Target Links Service Notes 1. Pay invoices within the target of 28 days (local target) 91.7% 90.0% 92.5% 07.02 Finance (Trans) Target has increased 2. Percentage of income due from Council Tax received by the end of the year - in year (incl water) (local target) 96.8% 95.2% 95.5% C07.02 Finance (Trans) Improved target to reflect collection levels in 2023-24 to date. 3. % of Non- Domestic rates income achieved (local target) 97.8% 97.0% 97.5% 07.02 Finance (Trans) Improved target to reflect collection levels in 2023-24 to date. 4. Sundry Income collection (local target) 98.3% 97.0% 97.5% 07.02 Finance (Trans) Improved target to reflect collection levels in 2023-24 to date. 5. Liquor licensing processing target - 97% within service targets (local target) 96.0% 97% 97% 07.01 Admin and Legal This year’s target remains the same and is realistic, based on the service’s experience and workload. 80
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6. Registration processing target – 97.5% within service targets (local target) 99.0% 97% 97.5% 07.01 Admin and Legal Target increased to recognise the importance of continued improvement 7. Citizenship processing target – 97.5% within service targets (local target) 100% 97% 97.5% 07.01 Admin and Legal 8. Complaints processing target – 97.5% within service targets (local target) 100% 97% 97.5% 07.01 Admin and Legal Resource Outcome: Customers experience high quality and improving council services Measure 2022-23 Actual 2023-24 Target 2024-25 Target Links Service Notes 9. Customer Service Centre - % of calls answered (local target) 94% 90% 90% C07.01 Finance (Trans) Target remains the same 10. Customer Service Centre – average queue time, in seconds (local target) 134 seconds 300 seconds 300 seconds C07.01 Finance (Trans) Target remains the same which continues to provide customers with a responsive service. Online contact options continue to be offered, providing 24 hour access to many council services. 11. Benefits administration – average processing times for new Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction claims (local target) 12 days 14 days 14 days 07.01 Finance (Trans) Target remains the same. Target compares favourably with processing times of top quartile of councils in Scotland. 81
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Resource Outcome: Customers experience high quality and improving council services Measure 2022-23 Actual 2023-24 Target 2024-25 Target Links Service Notes 12. Benefits administration – average processing times for Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction change in circumstances (local target) 2 days 4 days 4 days 07.01 Finance (Trans) Target remains the same. Target compares favourably with processing times of top quartile of councils in Scotland. 13. Housing Benefit and Council Tax Reduction – accuracy of processing (local target) 97.1% 94.0% 94.5% 07.01 Finance (Trans) Target increased to recognise the importance of continued improvement in accuracy 14. Scottish Welfare Fund – average processing times for Crisis Grants (National target) 2 days 2 days 2 days 07.01 Finance (Trans) Target remains the same. Statutory timescale. 15. Scottish Welfare Fund – average processing times for Community Care grants (National target) 13 days 15 days 15 days 07.01 Finance (Trans) Target remains the same. Statutory timescale. 16. Money Matters Advice – customer service - % cases responded to within 5 days of initial customer contact (local target) 95.7% 95% 95% 07.01 Finance (Trans) Target remains the same 17. Money Matter Advice – to write off 20% of all debt dealt with by bankruptcy or creditor write offs 23.8% 20% 20% 07.01 Finance (Trans) This is a new measure introduced to ensure unmanageable debts are dealt with appropriately 82
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Resource Outcome: Customers experience high quality and improving council services Measure 2022-23 Actual 2023-24 Target 2024-25 Target Links Service Notes 18. Money Matters Advice – 85% of all claims for benefits to be successful 88.2% 85% 85% 07.01 Finance (Trans) This is a new measure introduced to ensure we help people get the right decision first time. 19. Complete food and fuel bank referrals within 24 hours of request N/A N/A 95% 07.01 Finance (Trans)/ Money Matters Advice New measures introduced to provide effective wellbeing support and responsive customer services 20. Make FWSF Cash First payments within 24 hours of request N/A N/A 95% 07.01 Finance (Trans)/ Money Matters Advice 4.b. What actions we will take Resource Outcome: Individuals and communities in South Lanarkshire are engaged and able to participate in decision-making processes Action Milestones/Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 1. Increase routes for communities to participate in decision making and priority setting Increase activity around our Place Based Participatory Budgeting programme in priority neighbourhoods 01.05 Community Engagement Team Increase the number of communities with their own community-led neighbourhood plans C01.05 Community Engagement Team Implement new approaches to community involvement in decision making such as a community Wishlist approach to community benefits. C01.15 Community Engagement Team 2. Take forward IT strategic developments Complete procurement exercise to identify partner to meet SLC Digital Connectivity requirements, including improved availability and affordability of broadband and 4G/5G mobile services across the council area C01.07 IT Develop action plan on Digital Inclusion as key stakeholder of the Digital Inclusion sub-group. 01.07 IT 83
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Resource Outcome: The council demonstrates high standards of governance and sound financial stewardship Action Milestones/Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 3. Lead financial planning and reporting for the council Financial Strategy to be agreed by June 2024 07.02 Finance (Strategy) Budget proposals to be considered by members by December 2024 07.02 Finance (Strategy) Budget agreed by March 2025 07.02 Finance (Strategy) Capital programme for 2025-26 to be agreed by March 2025 07.02 Finance (Strategy) 4. Take forward IT strategic developments To further develop SLC’s approach to and engagement with the LGBF, create a be-spoke version of the Local Government Improvement Service LGBF dashboard to enhance the analysis and presentation of LGBF results. 07.02 Comms and Strategy Resource Outcome: Customers experience high quality and improving council services Action Milestones/Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 5. Provide effective and responsive customer services Continuous improvement in the provision and uptake of digital customer contact options 07.01 Fin (Trans) 6. Monitor the progress of transformation projects through reporting framework to CMT Report progress of transformational projects regularly to CMT 07.01 Personnel Resource Outcome: Digital and ICT services meet the needs of the council and its customers Action Milestones/Steps we will take to deliver our actions Links Service 7. Take forward IT strategic developments Migrate to new Integrated Housing and Property Management system 07.04 IT Develop and deliver training plan to upskill IT staff in new technologies 07.04 IT Migrate to new Social Work Information system 07.04 IT Migrate all analogue telephony services to technology to align with Ofcom 2025 switch off 07.04 IT Migrate to new Fusion platform, Oracle’s cloud- based Human Resources (HR) and Finance solution. 07.04 IT 84
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Section Five – Resourcing the Plan 5.0. Introduction In this section we consider the resources needed to implement our plan, including funding and staffing. 5.1. Revenue Budget 2024-25 The Resource has a Net Revenue Budget of £41.668 million for 2024-25. The table below allocates this budget across the services: NET Budget by Service 2024-25 Detail £ million % Finance Services (Transactions) 18.310 44% Finance Services (Strategy) 2.165 5% Information Technology Services 6.420 15% Administration and Legal Services 4.420 11% Communications and Strategy (incl Community and Engagement and Research and Improvement) 2.643 6% Personnel Services 7.358 18% Internal Audit 0.352 1% Total 41.668 100% 5.2. Capital Budget 2024-25 The following capital budget of £2.246 million is allocated to the Resource for 2024-25: Capital Programme 2024-25 Project £ million IT Infrastructure – Business As Usual 0.746 Public Switch Telephone Network/Alarms (Analogue to Digital) 1.500 Total 2.246 85
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5.3. Resource Employees Finance and Corporate Resources has 889 employees as at February 2024. We support these employees to deliver their duties through a range of policies including personal appraisal and a robust training framework. Service Number of employees Finance Services (Transactions) 391 Finance Services (Strategy) 71 Information Technology Services 99 Administration and Legal Services 80 Communications and Strategy 48 Personnel Services 192 Internal Audit 8 Total 889 If you need this information in another language or format, please contact us to discuss how we can best meet your needs. Phone 0303 123 1015 or email equalities@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 86
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 22 May 2024 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: 2024/2025 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Asset Management Plan 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- advise Committee on the outcomes of the 2024/2025 Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Asset Management Plan 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- (1) that the contents of the report be noted; and (2) that the ICT Asset Management Plan for 2024/2025 be approved. s] 3. Background 3.1. The Council is required to develop Asset Plans across a number of service areas, in line with CiPFA guidance, and is summarised under an overarching Corporate Asset Management Plan. This demonstrates how each area supports corporate objectives. The Service Areas are Property, Housing, ICT, Roads Infrastructure and Fleet. 3.2. The ICT Asset Management Plan aims to put in place effective ICT asset management processes which enable high quality ICT services to be provided to meet the needs of the Council. 4. Outcomes of the 2024/2025 ICT Asset Management Plan 4.1. The ICT Asset Management Plan outlines the priorities and strategies required to develop and support the ICT asset estate which is in place to support the business objectives of the Council whilst ensuring business continuity. The plan highlights the key actions planned for the year ahead, ensuring that the Council’s ICT Assets are fit for purpose. 4.2. A major programme of server upgrades will be conducted to maintain performance and security levels. 4.3. Several major business applications will be replaced, including Oracle Finance/HR/Payroll, system to Oracle Cloud Fusion, Liquid Logic for Social Work and Home for Housing. 11 87
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4.4. Ongoing upgrades to the Council’s data network will include the replacement of regional chassis switches which are nearing end of life. 4.5. A major programme of work begins in 2024/2025 to replace analogue telephony systems. This programme will run until the end of 2025. 4.6. The Information and Communication Technology Asset Management Plan for 2024/2025 is attached at Appendix 1. 5. Employee Implications 5.1. There are no employee implications. 6. Financial Implications 6.1. Funding is in place for spend required in 2024/2025. For future years essential requirements, funding will be considered as part of revenue and capital budget planning. There are no direct Financial Implications from the production of the AMP. 7. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 7.1. There are no implications for climate change or sustainability in terms of the information contained in this report. 8. Other Implications 8.1. There are no significant issues in terms of risk. 9. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 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. 9.2. The statutory Consultation Authorities have confirmed that the Asset Management Plan is exempt from Strategic Environmental Assessment as its implementation will have minimal effect in relation to the environment. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 30 April 2024 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Previous References None List of Background Papers None 88
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Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Murray Husband, Head of Information Technology Ext: 5648 (Tel: 01698 455648) E-mail: murray.husband@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 89
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Finance and Corporate Resources South Lanarkshire Council Information and Communication Technology Asset Management Plan 2024/2025 11 91
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1. Introduction and contextual statement 1.1 Information Technology Services within Finance and Corporate Resources employs 95 FTE staff and administers a controllable annual budget of £5.53 million. Information Technology Services operate as a centralised Information and Communication Technology (ICT) service provider for the Council, coordinating and delivering a wide range of services. These include the support and maintenance of PCs and servers, running business applications for all departments including schools. This delivery is supported by Council wide networks including fixed and mobile telephony, electronic mail, training, and all internet services. Information Technology has a significant role to play in enabling efficient and effective services throughout the Council. In addition to supporting and enabling the Council’s values and objectives, the IT Service will be a key enabler of business transformation through consolidation of information systems and provision of ICT that provides cost benefit to the Council in the longer term. Technology Services design, manage, implement, and secure all of the Council’s hardware investments, including personal computers, associated servers and backup and recovery functions. In addition, the section facilitates availability of the Council’s Mail and Internet Services whilst ensuring that the voice and data networks are in place to support all the Council’s business. The IT Business Project Managers and teams are responsible for planning, managing and effectively and efficiently delivering a range of IT projects and programmes. Whilst projects vary in both size and complexity, they will deliver positive business outcomes and transformational change for the Council. These projects are defined and prioritised in the ICT Service Plan 2023/2024. These teams are also responsible for the day-to-day support and maintenance of the Council’s business IT systems. This includes the management and resolution of issues, the implementation of requests and minor enhancements and the performance of routine monitoring and maintenance tasks. IT Service Delivery provide day-to-day service provision to IT Services and supply business management and process control functions. Services provided are the IT Service Centre, IT Support Team, National Entitlement Card Team, and IT Security. 92
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1.2 CMT and Executive Committee approved the development of an extended model for Corporate Asset Management. This included developing asset plans across a number of service areas, in line with CiPFA guidance, and summarised, under an overarching Corporate Asset Management Plan, which demonstrates how each area supports corporate objectives. The service areas are Property, Housing, Roads Infrastructure, Fleet and ICT:- 1.3 Aims of the ICT Asset Management Plan are: • To create an effective ICT asset management process • To modernise working practices and improve service quality • To effectively manage and maintain all the Council’s ICT assets. Corporate Asset Management Plan Property Asset Management Plan Housing Asset Management Plan Roads Asset Management Plan Fleet Asset Management Plan ICT Asset Management Plan 93
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2. Strategic objectives and priorities 2.1 Link to Finance and Corporate Resource Plan outcomes The ICT Asset Management Plan feeds into the Resource outcomes of the Finance and Corporate Resource plan. Delivering the plan and achieving best value Resource outcome – Digital and ICT services meet the needs of the council and its customers Action: • Take forward IT strategic developments 2.2 Links to 2024/2025 Council ICT priorities In aligning the Digital Strategy 2022-2027, operational service delivery and in turn ICT assets to the objectives of the Council, it is important to consider the following: • The needs of service users to access and receive services in different ways (channels). • Develop the right blend of channels for digital, mobile and electronic service delivery. • Maximise availability of information and technology to include as many customers as possible. It is therefore essential to maintain the current ICT asset estate which is in place to support the business objectives of our customers whilst maintaining a robust solution for business continuity through a disaster recovery strategy. Objectives and strategies should reflect the needs of users for receiving services through different channels and to address the demands of Local Government in a public sector environment where both capital and revenue funding is reducing. Therefore, future investment in ICT assets will be challenged by the IT Senior Management Team, the ICT Programme Board, and the Corporate Management Team to meet the following criteria: • Investment in ICT assets will be closely aligned to council priorities. • Investment in ICT assets will be sufficient to support statutory requirements. 2.3 Links to sustainability objectives 2.3.1 Sustainable Development and Climate Change Strategy 2022-2027 The strategic vision and mission statement is: Our Future is Now: building a sustainable, climate resilient and net-zero South Lanarkshire together, in a fair and inclusive way. ‘Our Future is Now’ mirrors the 2019 UN Sustainable Development Goals report on collaborative action with respect to achieving sustainable development goals. From the issues that were discussed during the public engagement, there are four key themes that emerged. These themes align with the themes of the Council Plan: People, Place, Planet 94
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• People • Place and Communities • The Natural Environment (Planet) • A Green Economy (Planet) IT Services have focussed particularly on improving effective use of energy in our buildings, using our equipment more efficiently and increasing recycling. Also, ICT equipment that has come to end of life is disposed/recycled by an approved supplier who disposes of the equipment following the Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations (WEEE) and provides a confirmation of disposal certificate. Migration of council servers and storage from Caird datacentre to external supplier (Datavita), as well as providing operational benefits, has delivered significant environmental benefits as new datacentre is state-of-the-art with lower energy consumption. IT have enabled agile working, thereby reducing transport emissions from commute and business travel, and supporting new ways of working following the pandemic. 2.3.2 The Council’s Environmental and Sustainable Procurement Policy ensures the process of purchasing goods and services take into account the social, economic and environmental impacts that such purchasing has on people and communities. It is about considering what products are made of, where they have come from, who has made them, how are they transported and how they are eventually disposed of. It may even be about whether the purchase requires to be made at all. In addition to this the tendering process for IT contracts contains contract specific environmental questions in relation to equipment manufacturing, components, recycled content, packaging, transportation, disposal, and energy consumption. 2.4 ICT asset management objectives Aims and objectives that will seek to ensure that the Council’s ICT assets are fit for purpose within current financial constraints. − ICT assets should meet the needs of those that use them including staff, elected members, pupils, visitors, customers and the general public through the different access channels. − ICT assets must be safe, secure and comply with current legislative and statutory requirements, for example assets must meet the level of security accreditation required by PSN, as well as DSE assessments for users, PAT testing of all electrical ICT assets, compliance with WEEE regulations for disposal of electrical ICT assets, to name a few. − ICT assets should be environmentally sustainable, meaning the effective and efficient use of assets to reduce energy consumption and in turn CO2 emissions. − Maximise use of existing ICT assets where possible. Where asset acquisition is necessary there is a robust business case supporting procurement of the asset and where possible a single corporate solution. 95
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3. Current position 3.1 What assets do we have? 3.1.1 ICT assets: Asset type Quantity Desktop and server: Servers (Physical and Virtual) 269 Servers (Curricular) 77 Monitors 5846 PCs 684 PCs (Curricular) 7704 Monitors (Curricular) 7704 Laptops 6077 Laptops (Curricular) 2785 Tablets 263 Port Replicators 4558 Portable Devices (Curricular) 16461 Networks and communications: Comms (ACI) APIC server 9 Comms (ACI) switches 40 Comms FMC 3 Comms Firewall 12 Comms Load Balancers 4 Voice SIP Gateway (cubes) 2 Voice SIP Gateway (Gateways) 2 Meraki SDWAN Software 1 Meraki Wireless Software 1 Comms Wireless (Access Points) 293 Comms Wireless (Security Appliance) 2 Comms SDWAN (Security Appliance) 2 Switches - Chassis 8 Switches – Ethernet L2 308 Switches – Ethernet L3 81 Switches - SDWAN 1 Routers (SDWAN) 2 Routers (IPVPN Broadband) 82 Lines (Exchange) 1515 Lines (Private Circuits) 91 Lines (IPVPN broadband - including backhaul) 82 NetConnect Appliances 2 Network Management 4 Radius Security Appliance 2 Web Filtering Appliances 2 Telephone System – Small 184 Telephone System – IP 3 Telephone System – SIP 2 Telephone System – Softphone 3 Smartphones 3970 Basic Mobile Handsets 1316 Data hubs: Air Conditioning Units 2 Fire Suppression System 1 UPS 2 96
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Generator 1 Video Surveillance Equipment 1 Networks and Communications (Curricular): Wireless Access Points 2876 Routers 201 Lines - Circuits 201 Switch L2 637 Switch L3 62 Switch L4 2 Core router 2 Firewall 2 Backhaul circuit 2 Audio Visual Equipment Curricular) Interactive teaching display screens 1200 Data Projectors 1300 Software: P1 Applications 147 3.2 How well are they meeting objectives? All ICT assets have been implemented/installed following business requirements and justification exercises to ensure they meet the needs and objectives of the organisation. As the information technology environment continuously changes it is inevitable that some ICT assets will reach end of life and become obsolete. Software and hardware assets are continually reviewed to ensure they remain fit for purpose. Specific product versions are monitored, and we work closely with our software and hardware partners on product roadmaps to ensure they remain at a supported level. Where products are approaching end of life, we will develop proposals for continued use based on risk assessment, upgrade or replacement as appropriate. At present the majority of ICT assets meet the objectives of the organisation with a minority of assets at end of life and in need of replacement. 97
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4. Performance core facts Notes to tables below – core facts are categorised using a traffic light system which operates on the basis of: Green – Good or excellent Amber – Fair Red – Poor 4.1 Desktop IT desktop hardware Asset condition Type Total Green Amber Red PC 684 - 684 - PC (Curricular) 7704 7704 - - Monitor 5846 5846 - - Monitor (Curricular) 7704 7704 Laptop 6077 - 6077 - Laptop (Curricular) 2785 2785 - - Tablets 263 263 - - Port Replicator 4558 4558 - - Portable Devices (Curricular) 16461 16461 - - Interactive teaching display screens (Curricular) 1200 550 600 50 Data Projectors (Curricular) 200 1100 4.2 Server (Physical and Virtual) Server Asset condition Type Total Green Amber Red Server 269 84 42 143 Server (Curricular) 77 77 - - 4.3 Networks and communications Networks and communications Asset condition Type Total Green Amber Red ACI APIC/MSO server 9 9 - - ACI switches 40 40 - - ACI Licencing 1 - 1 - Firewall Mgmt (FMC) 3 3 - - Firewalls 12 12 - - Load Balancers 4 4 - - Voice Gateway 2 - 2 - Meraki Wireless Software (Corporate, not SLLCT or SWR) 1 - 1 - Meraki SDWAN Software 1 - 1 - 98
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Comms wireless Access Points (Corporate) 293 293 - - Comms wireless Security Appliances (corporate) 2 2 - - Comms SDWAN (Security Appliance) 2 2 - - Switches – Chassis 8 - 3 5 Switches – L2 308 195 113 - Switches – L3 81 59 22 Switches - SDWAN 1 1 - - Routers - SDWAN 2 2 - - Routers – IPVPN Broadband 82 - - 82 Lines – Exchange 1515 - - 1515 Lines – Private Circuits 91 91 - - Lines – IPVPN Broadband (incl backhaul) 82 - - 82 NetConnect Appliances 2 - - 2 Network Management 4 4 - - Radius Security Appliances 2 2 - Web Filtering Appliances 2 - - 2 Telephone System – Small 184 127 - 57 Telephone system – IP 3 - 3 - Telephone system – SIP 2 - - 2 Telephone system – Softphone 3 3 - - Smartphones 3465 74 2398 993 Networks and Communications (Curricular): Wireless Access Points 2876 2876 - - Routers 201 201 - - Lines - Circuits 201 201 - - Switch L2 637 637 - - Switch L3 62 62 - - Switch L4 2 2 - - Core router 2 2 - - Firewall 2 2 - - Backhaul circuit 2 2 - - 4.4 Software applications Software applications 99
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Asset condition Type Total Green Amber Red IT Applications 147 113 5 29 4.5 Data Hubs Almada Data Hub Asset condition Type Total Green Amber Red Air Conditioning Units 2 2 - - Fire Suppression System 1 1 - - UPS 2 - 2 - Generator 1 1 - - Video Surveillance Equipment 1 - - 1 100
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5. Review of current performance 5.1 Summary The majority of ICT assets are of a good standard (Green) and work efficiently and effectively. All desktop assets and server assets are supported and maintained to a high standard as part of the ‘ICT Desktop Equipment’ and ‘Cloud Hosting’ contracts. Desktop and server hardware information along with information on smart devices is captured in the Assyst Configuration Management Database which is managed by IT Services. Overall, there is a high level of confidence and reliability in the ICT assets. 5.2 What issues have been highlighted? 5.2.1 Red – These assets have been classified as approaching end of life and require replacement or upgraded to supported versions: Legacy software versions – Application Reason Capita Academy Housing No longer supported by supplier. Project Underway to replace. Go live planned for early 2025. Oracle Financial Management System Was replaced by Oracle Fusion in April 2024 but old system will remain in use until accounts are closed in June 2024. Oracle Human Resource Management System Will be replaced by Oracle Fusion in 2024. Oracle Customer Relationship Management Current version no longer fully supported. Replacement or upgrade to be considered through Digital Transformation activity. SWISPlus Social Work System No longer meets business needs. Project well underway to replace. Go live planned for Summer 2024. Civica Flare Project underway to replace. Go live expected by spring of 2025. EXOR Project underway to replace, date for implementation still to be confirmed, expected late 2024/earlier 2025. Mapcapture This will be replaced by the EXOR replacement. Spatial Manager This will be replaced by the EXOR replacement. Causeway CPA Linked to Exor replacement. SEEMIS Click+Go Being replaced by new SEEMIS Schools & Early Years systems, date unknown. Council Website Hosting has been moved to Amazon Web Services (AWS) and online forms have been 101
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Application Reason upgraded to latest version. An upgrade of the content management element has been included in the IT Service Plan for 2024/25. EDRMS - Civica W360 Upgrade underway. Oracle Discoverer (CRM) End of life. Options review to be undertaken in 2024. Legal Case Management High support overhead. Consultation with system owner underway to determine options. IMPROVE – Performance Management Project underway to replace. Capita Housing Online No longer supported - Will be replaced by new Housing Management System. eConsol Will be replaced by new Housing Management System. eConsol Mobile Will be replaced by new Housing Management System. Arbitas (Hosted) Will be replaced by new Housing Management System. Infoprop Content Will be replaced by new Housing Management System. Yardi Project underway to replace. Servitor No longer supported - Will be replaced by new Housing Management System. APEX Case Management Will be replaced by new Housing Management System. Data Tracking (HIP) Will be replaced by new Housing Management System. Codeman No longer supported - Will be replaced by new Housing Management System. Omnidox Limited support - Will be replaced by new Housing Management System. Customer looking at getting all data archived from this server. Once complete, server can be decommissioned. Gladstone Plus2 – Leisure Management System Scoping exercise is currently underway with intention to go to market for replacement system in Q2 2024/25. Artifax – Corporate and Theatre Management System Project to migrate to latest version, which is hosted in the cloud is currently underway. There are 143 servers running out of support operating systems of which there are 51 co-location servers whose hardware is no longer supported and should be replaced. Programmes of work are in place to replace these systems in 2024/25. Netconnect - Solution which allows external supplier access to support applications is out of support and requires to be upgraded. The replacement/upgrade of our current VPN solution will be added as a project within the service plan. The Web Filtering appliances went out of maintenance in October 2023. The systems are currently being migrated from the current ‘on-premises’ appliances to the equivalent cloud service. 102
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Hardware support for 8 x regional chassis switches ends in October 2025. The chassis control access to IT systems from regional council offices. Failure of a chassis results in loss of connection to Council offices in regional area affected and reduced resiliency to other areas. 5 chassis switches will be replaced in 2024/25 with a further 3 in 2025/26. Lines & Routers – IPVPN Broadband – 82 routers and analogue broadband lines are end of support June 2025. These will be replaced as part of the SDWAN project. Telephone exchange lines (PSTN) - The Council has 1515 analogue PSTN lines, including alarm, lift, fire, connections to schools that will need to be upgraded for the Digital Changeover by June 2025. Telephone SIP – The current SIP services used by the Council’s main VOIP system to connect to the public telephone network are end of contract on 30 September 2024 and require to be replaced. Small Telephone Systems – Analogue telephone systems must be converted from analogue to digital no later than 2025. Failure to complete work by June 2025 will result in the loss of telephony services to schools, libraries, and leisure centres across the authority. The Council’s has 57 such systems which have reached the end of support and require immediate replacement. The UK and Scottish Government security agencies mandate that public sector smartphones must be capable of receiving the latest operating system and security patches. The Council makes use of Samsung android smartphones where each model is supported for a period of 3 years. After this operating system and patching updates are no longer available and the smartphones require to be refreshed. 817 corporate smartphones will require to be refreshed in 2024-25. The Council’s main data hub is in Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton. The video surveillance equipment (CCTV) monitoring access to the data hub is faulty and requires replacement of the digital video recorder to restore service. 5.2.2 Amber – This classification denotes assets that are of a fair condition and should be considered for upgrade, or are processes which require improvement: The UK and Scottish Government security agencies mandate that public sector PCs and laptops must be capable of receiving the latest operating system and security patches. The Council makes use of the Microsoft Windows 10 enterprise operating system which goes ‘end of support’ on 14 October 2025. After this operating system and patching updates are no longer available and all existing corporate and curricular PCs and laptops must have been refreshed or upgraded to Microsoft Windows 11 Enterprise. There are currently 42 servers which will require either OS or hardware upgrades by 2027. Of these, 8 require hardware replacement and 42 require OS upgrades. The Cisco ACI network provides the Council’s core services. Licencing expires September 2026 and it is a mandatory requirement to renew or lose service. Hardware support for 8 x regional chassis switches ends in October 2025. The chassis control access to IT systems from regional council offices. Failure of a chassis results in loss of connection to Council offices in regional area affected and reduced resiliency to other areas. 5 chassis switches will be replaced in 2024/25 with a further 3 in 2025/26. Lines & Routers – IPVPN Broadband – 82 routers and analogue broadband lines are end of support June 2025. These will be replaced as part of the SDWAN project. 103
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The Meraki wireless software support needs to be renewed in 2025 or access to Wi-Fi services stop immediately after the support runs out. Replacement is targeted for 2025/26. The current Meraki SDWAN software support needs to be renewed by December 2026 or access to the 57 sites connected using this technology will cease immediately. Layer 2 switches – These switches provide end user device (printer, PCs, CCTV, VoIP phones, wireless access points) connectivity to the corporate network. The manufacturer has announced that several layer 2 switches are end of hardware support. 113 layer 2 switches require to be replaced October 2027. Layer 3 switches and routers – These switches provide network connectivity for many of the outlying offices on the Council’s corporate data network. 22 layer 3 switching devices are end of life October 2026. It is important that these devices are refreshed to maintain the current reliability and support levels. Voice Gateway – Due to the UK analogue to digital telephony changeover, the current voice gateways used for analogue services must move to SIP service by December 2025. Cisco ISE (RADIUS) are security appliances which authenticate users/devices onto corporate Wi-Fi, AOVPN remote access and administrators for access to network devices such firewalls/routers/switches for management. The appliances require a software update to extend support to September 2026. The Council’s main Telephone System will require a software upgrade by April 2026 The UK and Scottish Government security agencies mandate that public sector smartphones must be capable of receiving the latest operating system and security patches. The Council makes use of Samsung android smartphones where each model is supported for a period of 3 years. After this operating system and patching updates are no longer available and the smartphones require to be refreshed. 2398 corporate smartphones will require to be refreshed in 2026-27. The Council’s main data hub is in Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton. In the event of a power cut, the Uninterruptable Power Supply maintains power until the generator kicks in. The UPS requires a battery replacement and overhaul in 2025/26. Legacy software versions – Application Reason Council Intranet Moved to AWS but required patching is taking place and new versions of CMS & Forms available. Funding Compliance and Project Monitoring APEX system requires upgrades to support monitoring/reporting. QPulse Replacement or upgrade to be considered. Problematic from a support perspective. Galaxy websites – various Moved to AWS but required patching to take place and new versions of CMS available. Community Grants Runs on legacy database platform. Replacement or upgrade to be considered. Consultation with users of these systems is underway to plan the activity. 104
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6. What action is required / proposed? 6.1 Action plan 2024/25 Asset objective Action Owner Timescale Comment Legacy software versions Upgrading of software versions which have become end of life. Head of IT Services 2024/25 IT Services and application provider to schedule refresh of software. Replace legacy servers Replacement of servers which have become end of life. Head of IT Services 2024/25 Refresh of equipment is being scheduled. Telephone systems (Small) Hardware is end of life. Review specification, procure and install refreshed hardware. Technology Services Manager 2024/25 Refresh of equipment is being scheduled Lines Exchange (PSTN) Review existing analogue lines in conjunction with Digital changeover 2025. Technology Services Manager 2024/25 Refresh of lines is being scheduled Telephone Corporate SIP Existing service is end of support Technology Services Manager 2024/25 Refresh of service is being scheduled Corporate Web Filtering Software Replacement of hardware & software which has become end of life. Technology Services Manager 2024/25 Move to cloud system replacement is being scheduled Regional Chassis Switches Hardware is end of life. Review specification, procure and install refreshed hardware. Technology Services Manager 2024/25 Refresh of equipment is being scheduled NetConnect Hardware and software are end of life. Review specification, procure and install refreshed hardware. Technology Services Manager 2024/25 Refresh of equipment is being scheduled Almada Data Hub – Video Surveillance Equipment Replacement of DVR which has become end of life Technology Services Manager 2024/25 Refresh of equipment is being scheduled 105
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6.2 Completed actions in 2023/24. Asset objective Action Owner Timescale Comment Switches Hardware is end of life. Review specification, procure and install refreshed hardware. Technology Services Manager 2023/24 Completed. Hardware was refreshed. Corporate Telephony Hardware is end of life. Review specification, procure and install refreshed hardware. Technology Services Manager 2023/24 Completed. Hardware was refreshed. Network Management Hardware requires replacement to ensure supplier support and critical updates. Technology Services Manager 2023/24 Completed. Hardware upgrade took place in 2023. Desktop Hardware Upgrade of desktop equipment running Windows 10 22H2. Technology Services Manager 2023/24 Completed. Devices were upgraded. Legacy software versions Upgrading or removal of software versions which have become end of life. Head of IT Services 2023/24 Completed. Applications including: Orbis (Council Tax/Benefits/NDR), Softbox and Debtors were upgraded. Replace legacy servers & storage Replacement of servers and storage which is faulty. Head of IT Services 2023/24 Completed. Several Windows 2008 and Windows 2012 servers have been upgraded or disposed of. 106
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If you need this information in another language or format, please contact us to discuss how we can best meet your needs. Phone: 0303 123 1015 Email: equalities@southlanarkshire.gov.uk www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk 107
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 22 May 2024 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Common Good Update Report 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] request funding for the Hamilton Town Square Masterplan, and to provide an update on the Lanark Racecourse Masterplan and St Nicholas Church Tower, Lanark [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the request for funding of up to £100,000 from the Hamilton Common Good Fund towards the Hamilton Town Centre Masterplan (section 4), be approved; (2) that the update on the Lanark Racecourse Masterplan (section 5), be noted; and (3) that the update on St Nicholas Church Tower, Lanark (section 6), be noted. 3. Background 3.1. The Common Good is a fund of money/assets and is administered by a Scottish local authority in respect of each former burgh within the area of the local authority. 3.2. Common Good property is administered separately from other local authority assets for accounting purposes. What the authority can do with the assets is subject to a system of statutory control. This control has the potential to limit the extent to which the authority can dispose of or deal with the asset and on what terms. 3.3. This report will provide a summary of the Hamilton Town Centre Masterplan and detail a request for funding (section 4). Section 5 will provide a summary of the Lanark Masterplan and provide a summary of a previous report to the Community and Enterprise Resources Committee where the plan was endorsed. Finally, section 6 will give an update on the feasibility works carried out on St Nicholas Church Tower, Lanark. 4. Hamilton Town Centre Masterplan 4.1. A report on the Hamilton Town Centre Masterplan was presented to the Executive Committee on 21 February 2024. The aim of the masterplan was to set the strategic priorities and investment for the town centre for at least the next 15 years. 12 109
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4.2. Both the UK and Scottish Government are in the process of renewing their funding programmes. Updates on these new programmes are anticipated later this year. To pursue new opportunities and compete with other local authorities, the Council will need to have developed plans in place for projects incorporated within the Hamilton Town Centre Masterplan. 4.3. In order to facilitate the initial stage of design works and have a project at the detailed design stage when funding applications are invited, a request for funding of up to £100,000 from the Hamilton Common Good has been received from Community and Enterprise Resources. 4.4. The balance invested in South Lanarkshire Council’s Loans Fund for Hamilton Common Good as at 31 March 2024 is forecast to be £0.495 million. This is the cash that is held by the Council on behalf of the Common Good funds, and which is readily available to meet expenditure. The contribution requested by Community and Enterprise Resources can be accommodated from this balance. This is the cash that is held by the Council on behalf of the Common Good fund, and which is readily available to meet expenditure. Members are asked to approve the request for funding of up to £100,000 towards the Hamilton Town Centre Masterplan. 5. Lanark Racecourse Masterplan 5.1. A report on the Lanark Racecourse Masterplan was presented to the Community and Enterprise Resources Committee on 6 February 2024. A copy of the report can be found at the following link, with a summary in sections 5.2 to 5.5. Lanark Racecourse Masterplan and Wider Racecourse Update 5.2. Summary: Following a competitive procurement process, Ironside Farrar had been commissioned to develop the Lanark Racecourse Masterplan and Priority Project Report. The Masterplan had been prepared under the guidance of officers within Enterprise and Sustainable Development Services, Property Services and South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture (SLLC), in consultation with the community of Lanark. The process also had input from Historic Environment Scotland and NatureScot. 5.3. Development of the Masterplan involved engagement with the local community since the asset formed part of the Common Good and was predominantly used by local people. The Masterplan set out the process which was undertaken in its preparation and outlined the results of community and stakeholder engagements. The initial consultation exercise had identified the racecourse’s strengths and weaknesses which had allowed the team to focus on how those could be improved or enhanced. 5.4. The report provided an update on progress being made on the delivery of a Lanark Community Workshop at the racecourse utilising funding of £807,000 from the Scottish Government’s Regeneration Capital Grant Fund. 5.5. The development of the Lanark Community Workshop had secured planning permission for a location close to the existing car park. The contract had been awarded with works due to commence in spring 2024. The tenant of the Workshop will be the Lanimer Committee. 110
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5.6. The Community and Enterprise Resources Committee endorsed the Lanark Racecourse Masterplan as the guiding document for future management and investment at the racecourse site and agreed that the Lanark Racecourse Masterplan be reported to the next meeting of the Finance and Corporate Resources Committee and the Clydesdale Area Committee, for noting. 6. St Nicholas Church Tower 6.1. As reported to this Committee in December 2023 advice was to be sought from a Conservation Accredited Architect to identify the areas requiring repair to both the St Nicholas Church and Tower. The study would consider options for protecting the building in a more effective and economic way, with the aim of working jointly with the church to find a longer-term solution for the building, one that would eliminate the need for an annual wash down. 6.2. The architect’s report has now been received and officers from Housing and Technical Resources are reviewing the document to determine what work is required and how the works can be progressed jointly with the Church. The outcome of these discussions along with any potential funding requirement for the Common Good will be brought back to Committee. 7. Employee Implications 7.1. None. 8. Financial Implications 8.1. All costs identified will be met from the Common Good funds held for Lanark and Hamilton. 9. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 9.1. There are no implications for climate change, sustainability or the environment in terms of the information contained in this report. 10. Other Implications 10.1. The ongoing repairs and maintenance support the viability of Common Good assets and reduces the Council’s risk to increased liabilities in the future. 11. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 11.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy, and therefore, no impact assessment is required. 11.2. There is also no requirement to undertake any consultation in terms of the information contained in this report. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 24 April 2024 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent 111
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Previous References Lanark Racecourse Masterplan and Wider Racecourse Update, Community and Enterprise Resources Committee, 6 February 2024 Hamilton Town Centre Masterplan, Executive Committee, 21 February 2024 List of Background Papers None Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact: Jackie Taylor, Head of Finance Ext: 5637 (Tel: 01698 455637) E-mail: jackie.taylor@southlanarkshire.gov.uk@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 112
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 22 May 2024 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Safety at Sports Grounds 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] advise of the action taken, in terms of Standing Order No 37(c) because of the timescales involved, to re-issue the reviewed General Safety Certificate for the Grandstand at Hamilton Park, Bothwell Road, Hamilton request authorisation for the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) to approve the re-issue of the General Safety Certificate for the ZLX Stadium, Cadzow Avenue, Hamilton prior to the 2024/2025 season commencing [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the action taken, in terms of Standing Order No 37(c) by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources), in consultation with the Chair and an ex officio member, to re-issue the General Safety Certificate for the Grandstand at Hamilton Park, Bothwell Road, Hamilton, subject to agreed actions being completed by sports ground management within specified timescales, be noted; and (2) request authorisation for the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) to approve the re-issue of the General Safety Certificate for the ZLX Stadium, Cadzow Avenue, Hamilton prior to the 2024/2025 season commencing. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. In terms of the Fire Safety and Safety of Places of Sport Act 1987, a General Safety Certificate is required for a stand at a sports ground which can accommodate at least 500 spectators under cover to view the activities at the ground. A stand which falls within this classification is referred to as a “regulated stand”. Hamilton Park Racecourse, now known as Hamilton Park, had previously been identified as a sports ground with a regulated stand. 3.2. The revised format of the General Safety Certificate for Hamilton Park Racecourse was approved by the Finance and Corporate Resources Committee at its meeting on 3 February 2016 and the Certificate is required to be reviewed and re-issued annually. 13 113
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4. Re-issue of the General Safety Certificate – Hamilton Park 4.1. At the race day inspection which took place on 5 September 2023, the operation of the Grandstand was found to be in compliance with the terms of the General Safety Certificate and the Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (Green Guide) (sixth edition). 4.2. There were no issues identified in terms of crowd management and stewarding arrangements. In addition, no structural elements of the Grandstand had appeared to be defective. 4.3. A list of actions and housekeeping issues had been identified during the inspection and all of the actions had since been completed or resolved to the satisfaction of the Council’s Planning and Regulatory Services. 4.4. At the annual inspection which took place on 16 April 2024, the Grandstand was found to be in satisfactory condition. 4.5. The majority of the relevant inspection certificates and test records were available for inspection or have since been copied to the Council. The outstanding certificates/records were to be copied to the Council within timescales agreed with sports ground management at the meeting of the South Lanarkshire Sports Grounds Safety Advisory Group held on 30 April 2024. The Safety Advisory Group comprises of representatives of the following:- relevant services within South Lanarkshire Council NHS Lanarkshire Police Scotland Scottish Ambulance Service Scottish Fire and Rescue Service 4.6. Confirmation was provided that the event records detailed in the inspection checklist were being kept for each event and it was noted that the Safety Officer continues to forward the race day logs to the Council after each event. 4.7. A list of actions and housekeeping issues had been identified during the inspection and progress on these actions was ongoing with updates being provided to the Council as actions were completed. The re-issue of the General Safety Certificate was subject to these actions being completed within the timescales agreed with sports ground management at the meeting of the Safety Advisory Group. 4.8. Sports ground management and the Safety Advisory Group have reviewed the General Safety Certificate and the safety management arrangements at the racecourse and the following changes have been made to the Certificate:- section 19 – now also refers to the requirement for agency stewards to be trained, assessed and have achieved a level 2 spectator safety qualification within the National Qualifications Framework, or be undergoing such training section 19.1 - now also refers to the requirement for agency stewards to complete their training, assessment and qualification within 12 months of commencement section 19.2 – now requires that steward training is recorded and copied to the Council section 23 – now requires that logs are kept for each event and copied to the Council Appendix 1 – Operational Manual has been reviewed and updated by sports ground management and now includes the following additional information:- 114
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Event Safety Management Plan Accessibility Plan Segregation Policy Public Health and Biosecurity Plan Ticketing Strategy Communications Plan Athletes and Performers Plan Commercial and non-sporting activities Details of any agreed deviations to the Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds Plans to respond to public health emergency requirements Appendix 6 – Schedule listing deviations to the Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds to be kept with the safety certificate (has been included in the Operational Manual) Appendix 6 – plan showing the geographical extent of the Safety Certificate conditions (known as the Red-line boundary) to be kept with the safety certificate (has been included in the Operational Manual) 4.9. In addition to the above amendments, a Deputy Safety Officer has been replaced by a person with suitable qualifications and experience. 4.10. The Council, having considered the capacity calculations carried out by the Safety Officer at Hamilton Park, is satisfied that the maximum number of spectators and others present which may be admitted to the Grandstand on any one occasion for the purpose of a specified activity (as detailed in appendix 3 of the General Safety Certificate) shall not exceed 2,857 persons (as detailed in appendix 2 of the General Safety Certificate). 4.11. The Safety Advisory Group, having considered the outcomes of the inspections on 5 September 2023 and 16 April 2024 and the updated General Safety Certificate and Operational Manual, agreed that the General Safety Certificate for Hamilton Park be considered by South Lanarkshire Council for re-issue. 4.12. The Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources), in consultation with the Chair and an ex officio member, approved the reviewed General Safety Certificate for the Grandstand at Hamilton Park to allow it to be re-issued prior to the start of the new racing season which commenced on Sunday 5 May 2024. 5. Re-issue of the General Safety Certificate – ZLX Stadium 5.1. The ZLX Stadium (formerly known as New Douglas Park) had previously been identified as a sports ground with regulated stands. 5.2. The revised format of the General Safety Certificates for the North and West Stands at New Douglas Park was approved by this Committee at its meeting on 11 December 2013. A single Certificate, in the same format, covering both Stands was approved by this Committee at its meeting held on 10 November 2021. The Certificate requires to be reviewed and re-issued annually. 5.3. The annual inspection of the ZLX Stadium will take place during the close season and the start of the 2024/2025 men’s Scottish football season is scheduled for the weekend of 2/3/4 August 2024, therefore, it will not be possible to request this Committee to approve the re-issue of the General Safety Certificate prior to the season commencing, as the next meeting will take place on 21 August 2024. Members are, therefore, asked to consider authorising the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) to approve the re-issue of the General Safety Certificate for the ZLX Stadium prior to the 2024/2025 season commencing. 115
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6. Employee Implications 6.1. None. 7. Financial Implications 7.1. The Council is authorised by regulations to charge fees for work reasonably done as a result of an application for the issue, amendment, replacement, transfer or cancellation of a safety certificate. 8. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 8.1. There are no climate change, sustainability or environmental implications arising from the information presented in this report. 9. Other Implications 9.1. There is a risk to the Council as the body responsible for administering safety certificates for sports grounds that any incident involving public safety where proper guidelines have not been followed could damage the Council’s reputation. This risk is mitigated by the requirements and conditions contained within the General Safety Certificate on sports ground management to implement measures within the Guide to Safety at Sports Grounds (sixth edition) to ensure the reasonable safety of persons attending the sports ground. 9.2. This risk is further mitigated by the timescales that have been agreed in relation to the completed actions as described at paragraph 4.7 of the report. 9.3. In addition to this, annual inspections and annual race day inspections are carried out at Hamilton Park which include checks of safety procedures, physical inspections of the Grandstand and checks of inspection and test certificates of various installations and equipment. 10. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 10.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy and, therefore, no impact assessment is required. 10.2. Consultation has taken place with sports ground management at Hamilton Park and the South Lanarkshire Sports Grounds Safety Advisory Group which comprises of representatives of the following:- relevant services within South Lanarkshire Council NHS Lanarkshire Police Scotland Scottish Ambulance Service Scottish Fire and Rescue Service Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 3 May 2024 116
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Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Focused on people and their needs Previous References Finance and Corporate Resources - 28 June 2023 List of Background Papers General Safety Certificate for a Regulated Stand – Hamilton Park, Bothwell Road, Hamilton Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Stuart McLeod, Administration Officer Ext: 4815 (Tel: 01698 454815 / 07385 370 117) E-mail: stuart.mcleod@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 117
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 22 May 2024 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Review of Procurement Strategy for 2024/2025 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- provide an update on progress in the Procurement Strategy Action Plan to March 2024 present the annual review of the Procurement Strategy for 2024/2025 present the Procurement Strategy Action Plan for 2024/2025 [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the content of the report be noted. 1recs] 3. Background 3.1. The Council’s Procurement Strategy 2023 to 2028 was approved by Executive Committee on 17 May 2023. 3.2. In accordance with the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014, the Council must carry out an annual review of the Procurement Strategy. Progress on the delivery of the associated action plan is also reported at 6 monthly intervals to Finance and Corporate Resources Committee. 2024/2025 is the first annual review of the new Strategy. 4. Procurement Strategy and Action Plan Update 2023/2024 4.1. The Procurement Strategy 2023 to 2028 included 7 key strategic objectives, which linked to key outcomes for the Procurement Service. An update on each of these objectives and evidence of progress in working towards these outcomes is included in Appendix 1 with highlights included below:- development of a new harmonised Scheme of Delegation for Standing Orders on Contracts completion of the Council’s 2 year Procured Spend Review project, with efficiencies of £2.5 million identified increased level of spend with local enterprises in the 6 months to September 2023, with annual performance to be confirmed delivery of payment of Living Wage in all Social Care contracts, uplifted in April 2023 14 119
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4.2. The Procurement Strategy Action Plan included specific projects for 2023/2024, in support of the strategic objectives. An update on progress across each of the actions to the end of March 2024 is provided in Appendix 2. 4.3. A total of 8 actions were included in the action plan for 2023/2024, all of which are complete, with highlights below:- implementation of updated Community Benefit monitoring arrangements and points menu, including links to Community Wish-lists Oracle Fusion Procure to Pay functions successfully went live in April 2024 progress in embedding climate sustainability in procurement, including implementation of 30% technical score and rollout of new sustainable procurement guidance supporting Resources with inflationary pressures and supply chain challenges 5. Procurement Strategy 2023 to 2028 Review 5.1. The Council is required to review the Procurement Strategy annually and this is the first annual review of the Procurement Strategy 2023 to 2028. The updated Strategy is included in Appendix 3. 5.2. The key strategic objectives, listed below, have been reviewed and updated to reflect current priorities and emerging issues:- Compliance Value for Money Collaboration Contract and Supplier Management Fair Work First Sustainable and Ethical Community Wealth Building 5.3. A number of strategic objectives have been expanded during this review period, including:- Scottish Government Sustainable Procurement: aiming to move to Level 3 in People, Process, Stakeholders and Reporting from current performance at Level 2, demonstrating progress towards achieving highest level (5). The main outcomes expected from moving to the next level is embedding improved sustainability outcomes in tenders for priority sustainability contracts implement improved Community Benefit monitoring and outcomes through new Cenefits software, including reporting on Community Benefits delivery in Procurement Annual Report implement new Oracle Fusion electronic workflow performance appraisal function to support Resource contract management 6. Procurement Strategy Action Plan 2024/2025 6.1. Appendix 4 details the Procurement Strategy Action Plan proposed for 2024/2025. 6.2. These specific actions contribute towards the achievement of the procurement strategic objectives and include a focus on the functional and operational changes from the use of Oracle Fusion. 120
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7. Employee Implications 7.1. There are no employee implications. 8. Financial Implications 8.1. There are no direct financial implications associated with this report. 9. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 9.1. The Procurement Service are working with the Scottish Government’s Sustainable Toolkit, which aims to embed sustainable procurement into the Council’s procurement processes and monitors progress in achieving the Sustainable Procurement Duty, including Climate Change objectives. 10. Other Implications 10.1. The Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014 requires any public organisation,which has an estimated total annual value of regulated procurement spend of £5 million or more, to prepare and publish a Procurement Strategy. An organisation must also review its Procurement Strategy annually and make such revisions as it considers appropriate for the purposes of the Act. The risk of non-compliance is mitigated by the proposals in this report. 11. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 11.1. There is no requirement to carry out an equality impact assessment in terms of the proposals contained within this report. 11.2. Consultation on the revised Procurement Strategy and Procurement Strategy Action Plan for 2024/2025 has been carried out with the Procurement Network and all Resource Heads of Service. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 19 April 2024 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Previous References Procurement Strategy 2020 to 2023, Executive Committee 17 May 2023 Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Name: Craig Fergusson, Head of Finance (Transactions) Ext: 4951 (Tel: 01698 454951) E-mail: craig.fergusson@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 121
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Appendix 1 Procurement Strategy 2020-2023 Key Objectives Objective Aim Outcome Progress Assessment of progress Compliance Ensure compliance with Procurement Regulations and the Council’s Standing Orders on Contracts Improve compliance and mitigate risk of contract challenge Procurement continue to monitor compliance with regulations and Standing Orders on Contracts across the Council, as evidenced by • Review of procurement and purchasing arrangements under Oracle Fusion • Implementation of new Scheme of Delegation arrangements for Standing Orders on Contracts. Satisfactory Value for Money To secure Best Value, balancing cost and quality of service and support the Council in achieving budget savings Improved Value for Money in support of the Council's Financial Strategy We continue to work with Resources in recognising demand and cost drivers and identifying opportunities for efficiencies, as evidenced by: • Review of procurement spend • Management of price increase requests given inflationary pressures in market Satisfactory Collaborative Identify and influence collaborative opportunities to work with public partners and drive value through the power of public sector procurement Improved levels of collaborative activity and delivery of efficiencies We continue to engage with procurement partners to identify collaborative opportunities and influence development of collaborative working, as evidenced by: Satisfactory 122
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• 94% participation in Scotland Excel frameworks • Increased levels of engagement with Scottish Procurement Alliance, Procurement for Housing and Hub South West Contract and Supplier Management Support Resources to take a proactive approach to contract and supplier management to achieve innovation and value in contract delivery Ensure suppliers meet contractual obligations, drive improvements in supplier performance and achieve efficiency improvements We can demonstrate an improved approach to contract and supplier management, as evidenced by: • Review of supplier base in anticipation of Oracle Fusion implementation • Improved levels of engagement with Social Care providers • Development of new electronic performance appraisal arrangements in Oracle Fusion. Satisfactory Fair Work Practices Work with suppliers to improve Fair Work Practices, including payment of the Living Wage and compliance with Council Charters Improved Fair Work Practices and Living Wage for those involved in delivery of Council contracts We continue to promote Fair Work Practices and payment of the Living Wage, as evidenced by: • Annual confirmation of payment of Living Wage in all Social Care contracts • Continued focus on Fair Work First recommendations from Scottish Government included in all appropriate tenders. Satisfactory Sustainable and Ethical Secure wider social, economic and environmental Meet the Sustainable Procurement Duty Procurement continues to self- assess progress using the Scottish Satisfactory 123
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benefits through contracts as set out in the Sustainable Procurement Duty Government’s Flexible Framework to assess the organisational approach to sustainable procurement. • Review of sustainability scoring recommendations to allocate 30% of technical envelope to sustainable procurement outcomes, including a specific score for climate for the first time. Community Wealth Building Support and encourage the local economy to grow sustainably through the effective use of procurement to develop local communities and maximise use of Community Benefits Ensure the spending power of the Council and Community Benefits contribute towards Community Wealth and achieve National Outcomes Procurement contributes to the local spend pillar under the Community Wealth Building Strategy, as evidenced by: • Demonstrating increased levels of local spend to September 2023 (with publication of performance to March 2024 to follow). Satisfactory 124
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Appendix 2 Procurement Strategy Action Plan 2023/2024 125
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Action Strategic Objective Responsibility Timescale Status Update Sustainable Procurement toolkit progress: update Flexible Framework 6 monthly. Sustainable and Ethical Procurement 31 March 2024 Complete Flexible Framework updated 6 monthly as scheduled. Good progress made in respect of climate sustainability, including implementation of 30% technical score and rollout of new sustainable procurement guidance. Progressed to Level 2 (from 5 levels) in all areas and at Level 4 for Objective and Strategy. Continue to monitor commodity and pricing pressures Contract and Supplier Management Procurement & Resources 31 March 2024 Complete Resources have been supported to deal with supply chain and pricing pressures. Inflationary pressure has stabilised, although prices are not reducing. Implementation of updated Community Benefit monitoring arrangements and points menu, including links to Community Wish-lists Sustainable and Ethical / Community Wealth Building Procurement / Community Engagement Team / Resources 31 March 2024 Complete Review of Community Benefits points menu to include Community Wishlist complete. Procurement suppliers delivered 25 wishes with a value of £10,000 in 2023/2024 through Community Benefits. Community Benefit monitoring software solution due to go live April 2024. 126
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Progress the action plan for the Spend Pillar to support the delivery of the objectives of the Community Wealth Building strategy. Community Wealth Building Procurement / Economic Development 31 March 2024 Complete Spend in the South Lanarkshire area to September 2023 was 19.8%, an improvement of 2.2% against the same period in 2022/2023. This is attributed to increases in spend levels with some key local suppliers in the fleet, transport and social care sectors Monitor the impact of new Fair Work First framework and monitor Scottish Government guidance on Living Wage Fair Work First Procurement 31 March 2024 Complete The Council continues to embed the seven Fair Work First principles in all tender processes and encourage payment of Living Wage. Monitor implications of introduction of National Care Service on Social Care commissioning arrangements Contract and Supplier Management Procurement and H&SCP 31 March 2024 Complete The Council continues to monitor the potential impact of the National Care Service on Social Care commissioning arrangements. Implement Oracle Fusion project to transform Procure to Pay systems Compliance Procurement 30 June 2023 Revised 1 April 2024 Complete Procure to Pay functions scheduled to go live April 2024. 127
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Appendix 3 Procurement Strategy 2023-2028 Annual review 2024/2025 If you need this information in another language or format, please contact us to discuss how we can best meet your needs. Phone 0303 123 1015 or email equalities@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 128
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Contents Section 1 Introduction by Executive Director of Finance and Corporate Resources Section 2 National and local context Section 3 Purpose and delivery of the Strategy Section 4 Strategic objectives 129
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Section 1: Introduction by Executive Director of Finance and Corporate Resources This Strategy sets out the vision for council procurement for 2023-2028, demonstrating our commitment to achieving value for money and contributing to national and local priorities. The council’s vision is to “improve the quality of life for everyone in South Lanarkshire” and the works, supplies and services procured by the council have a direct impact on delivery of our services, from social care and educational supplies to new build housing. The council’s spending power can play a key role in influencing a more prosperous and sustainable South Lanarkshire, including promoting jobs and growth, fair work and tackling climate change. Our aim is to build on achievements delivered by the council’s previous procurement strategies and embed the principles of public procurement: equal treatment, transparency, competition and accountability. This strategy will be reviewed annually, and our outcomes monitored in the annual procurement report. The strategic objectives will promote best practice in procurement activity across the council, supporting delivery of high quality, sustainable and efficient services from our suppliers. Economic conditions continue to be challenging, with significant supply chain and inflationary pressures impacting on the council’s budgets for works, goods and services. Procurement will continue to support the council and our local economy during these economic circumstances and our strategic objectives reflect the wider remit for public procurement in responding to the Climate Change Emergency and Community Wealth Building. We will continue to focus on delivery of quality and value for money procured services while supporting local supply chains and quality employment opportunities. The establishment of a new National Care Service during the term of this strategy is likely to impact the nature of the procurement work undertaken by the council to support the Health and Social Care Partnership. In a broader sense, we will actively contribute to discussions about the nature and role of any new National Care Service and the impact on the Social Care role of local government. Jackie Taylor Executive Director of Finance and Corporate Resources South Lanarkshire Council 130
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Section 2: National and Local context Public sector procurement in Scotland is valued at more than £11 billion per annum and the profile and remit of procurement activity continues to evolve and change. The overarching aim of public sector procurement continues to be delivery of public value, as set out in the Scottish Model of Procurement below: The council operates within the Scottish Government’s Procurement Journey, which ensures openness and transparency in our approach and clarity for stakeholders and suppliers. The National Performance Framework sets out how local government can contribute to achievement of National Outcomes. The framework aims to implement sustainable procurement and obliges the council to consider how procurement will improve society, the economy and communities under the Sustainable Procurement Duty. 131
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Local Priorities The council’s procurement strategy allows the council to set out how procurement activity will contribute to the council and Community Planning Partnership’s wider priorities and objectives, as set out in the council plan "Connect". Procurement is at the centre of the council’s Value of being “accountable, effective, efficient and transparent” and contribute to many of the council’s strategic outcomes, including: Thriving business, fair jobs and vibrant town centres Caring, connected, sustainable communities Good quality, suitable and sustainable places to live People live the healthiest lives possible 132
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Our Spend Profile The council spends in the region of £350m on externally procured goods, supplies and services annually, with significant areas of expenditure including construction and property (£137m) and social care (£112m). Construction & Property 40% Social Care 32% Other 8% ICT 6% Waste 5% Transport & Vehicles 4% Utilities 3% Food 2% 0% South Lanarkshire Council Annual procured spend 133
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Section 3: Purpose and Delivery of Strategy Purpose of Strategy Under the Procurement Reform (Scotland) Act 2014, the council is required to publish a procurement strategy and review the objectives and outcomes annually. The strategy should establish the council’s strategic approach to procurement, setting out how we will deliver value for money and support delivery of national outcomes and the objectives set out in the council’s strategic plan. The council must also demonstrate how we will deliver the wider social, economic and environmental aims of procurement, as required by the sustainable procurement duty, while ensuring compliance with statutory duties and the council’s Standing Orders on Contracts. The purpose of our procurement strategy is to: • Set out clear objectives and provide a monitoring framework for reporting on our achievements and outcomes. Our strategic objectives are set out in Section 4. • Focus on people, processes and systems to deliver an effective and continually improving procurement service. Contracting Activity The council awards in the region of 200 contracts above £50,000 each year, working within procurement regulations and our own Standing Orders on Contracts to ensure a compliant approach to contracts. We focus on open and connected procurement by publishing our Procurement Strategy and our forward plan of future opportunities is published in the Annual Procurement Report and Contract Register. We work with a range of collaborative partners in accessing framework opportunities, including Scotland Excel, Procurement for Housing, the Scottish Procurement Alliance, Crown Commercial Services and Hub South-West. The Procurement Service seek continual improvement with the Procurement and Commercial Improvement Programme, where we are currently ranked in the highest performance band and have developed a quality in house Trainee Procurement Officer graduate programme to develop talent and grow professional capacity. Strategic Objective 1 and 3 134
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Our Stakeholders Procurement work closely with both internal and external stakeholders to ensure works, goods and services are procured in accordance with strategic objectives to support the Council in delivering community services. Where appropriate, procurement arrangements will be determined by consultation feedback from community partners. Value for Money In responding to challenging economic conditions, Procurement is focused on supporting the Council to deliver Value for Money by: • Working closely with Resources in specifying works, goods and services and embedding a demand management approach. • Ensuring an open and competitive tendering approach to maximise value. • Working with collaborative partners to maximise public spending power. Strategic Objective 2 Community To support delivery of Council services to communities and contribute to positive economic growth, employment outcomes and net zero targets Suppliers Positive contract management approach with all suppliers and engagement with local SMEs and Supported Businesses for tender opportunities Colleagues Working with Council Resources and collaborative partners to deliver works, goods and services 135
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Supplier Engagement We are open and transparent in tendering activity and are committed to improving engagement with local SMEs and Supported Businesses under the council’s Community Wealth Building Strategy. This is a key strategic objective in supporting inclusive growth and fair employment opportunities: working closely with our partners in Economic Development and the Supplier Development Programme. The council has a number of performance measures in relation to supplier engagement and these are published in the Annual Procurement Report: • core trade spend with local enterprises • core trade spend across Lanarkshire and Glasgow City Region • payment of contractors and sub-contractors within 30 days Strategic Objective 4 and 7 Supplier Engagement Public Contracts Scotland Tender Opportunities •Meet the Buyer events •Talking Tenders •Pre-tender events •Build Lanarkshire •Prior Information Notices •Market Engagement •Contract Notices •Award Notices •Contract Register •Annual Procurement Report •Social Media 136
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Fair Work First and Real Living Wage The council assesses all appropriate contracts in accordance with the Scottish Government’s seven Fair Work First criteria, being: • Appropriate channels for effective voice, such as trade union recognition • Investment in workforce development • No inappropriate use of zero hours contracts • Action to tackle the gender pay gap and create a more diverse and inclusive workplace • Providing fair pay for workers, including payment of the Real Living Wage • Offer flexible and family friendly working practices for all workers from day one of employment • Oppose the use of fire and rehire practices The council encourages the payment of Living Wage in contracts and evaluates this as part of Fair Work First and continues to monitor Scottish Government guidance on Living Wage. Strategic Objective 5 Sustainable Procurement Duty and the Sustainable Procurement Tools The Council recognises the key links between our Sustainable Development and Climate Change Strategy and the Sustainable Procurement Duty. This places a duty on each procurement process to consider how to improve the economic, social, and environmental wellbeing of the authority's area, facilitate the involvement of small and medium enterprises, third sector bodies and supported businesses in the process, and promote innovation. The Council works with the Scottish Government’s Sustainable Procurement Tools to optimise the economic, social and environment outcomes of procurement activity. Strategic Objective 6 Flexible Framework • Continuous assessment of how effectively sustainable procurement duty is embedded within the organisation Prioritisation Tool • Identifies risks and opportunities for sustainable procurement at category level and establishes sustainable priorities in future tendering activity Sustainabilit y Test • Determines sustainable procurement outcomes at individual tender level, including life cycle mapping 137
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Procurement of Food The Procurement team work closely with Council services who procure food and drink to ensure contractual arrangements are sustainable, reliable and meet nutritional standards while delivering Best Value. In the coming years, the Council will also develop its Local Good Food Nation Plan as part of the requirements of the Good Food Nation (Scotland) Act 2022 and the role of public procurement of food in becoming a Good Food Nation will be considered. Strategic Objective 6 Community Benefits The Council seeks to maximise Community Benefits and will consider inclusion of Community Benefits in all suitable contracts above £50,000. We have developed a points menu to ensure that Community Benefits offered are commensurate with the value and term of the contract. Our range of Community Benefits prioritises support for training and employment and support for young people and community groups. The council has a Community Wish-List process in place to match community requirements with contractual opportunities. Strategic Objective 7 Ensure that the council prepares, serves and promotes enjoyable, healthy and sustainable food in council properties and schools by seeking to meet the Soil Association Food for life standards Engage with partners and the private sector to explore and research opportunities to improvement public procurement of food, including in relation to the provision of local food Connect with the community, partners and the private sector to reduce the impacts of the food system on the environment and its contribution to climate change and promote animal welfare 138
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Section 4: Strategic Objectives The council has identified seven strategic objectives to support the Procurement Strategy. In this section, we set out how we will achieve each objective and what our target outcome will be. Compliance Value for Money Collaboration Contract and Supplier Management Fair Work First Sustainable and Ethical Community Wealth Building 139
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Objective 1: Compliance Aim: Ensure compliance with Procurement Regulations and the council’s Standing Orders on Contracts How to achieve • Be open and transparent in our approach and monitor awareness of, and compliance with, Standing Orders and regulations. • Procurement team members are capable, confident and empowered to support procurement activity across categories. Drive improvement in Procurement Team capability through the Scottish Procurement Competency Framework • Continue to invest in Trainee Procurement Officer Programme to develop professional future capacity. • Procurement processes and systems are efficient, cohesive, streamlined and fit for purpose. • Monitor non-contractual spend and work with Resources to improve compliance. • Monitor performance against target of paying invoices within 30 days. • Quarterly meetings of the council’s Procurement Network to develop and review processes to ensure consistent standards council wide. • Aim for continual improvement in Scottish Government’s Procurement and Commercial Improvement Programme. • Develop the council’s Oracle Fusion system to secure improvements in procure to pay processes. Outcome: Improve compliance and mitigate risk of contract challenge Objective 2: Value for Money Aim: To secure Best Value, balancing cost and quality of service and support the council in achieving budget savings How to achieve • Support Resources in contract management, in recognition of challenging supply markets and inflationary pressures. • Recognise demand and cost drivers and work with Resources in identifying opportunities for efficiencies. • Implement principles of demand management, starting with “whether to buy” before “what to buy and how to buy”. • Consider Whole Life Costing approach to embed sustainability in long term value decisions. Outcome: Improved Value for Money in support of the council’s Financial Strategy 140
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Objective 3: Collaboration Aim: Identify and influence collaborative opportunities to work with public partners and drive value through the power of public sector procurement How to achieve: • Engage with procurement partners to identify collaborative opportunities and influence development of collaborative working. • Collaborative partners include Scotland Excel, Scottish Procurement Alliance, Procurement for Housing and Crown Commercial Services. • Make an active contribution to the design of collaborative arrangements to reflect the Council’s objectives. Outcome: Improved levels of collaborative activity and delivery of efficiencies Objective 4: Contract and Supplier Management Aim: Support Resources to take a proactive approach to contract and supplier management to achieve sustainability, innovation and value in contract delivery How to achieve • Engage with suppliers to monitor contract performance and drive improvements and efficiencies. • Influence suppliers to contribute to climate change and sustainability targets. • Implement electronic process for contract and supplier management. Outcome: Ensure suppliers meet contractual obligations, drive improvements in supplier performance and achieve efficiency improvements. Objective 5: Fair Work First Aim: Work with suppliers to implement Fair Work First standards, including payment of the Real Living Wage and compliance with council Charters. How to achieve • Assess Fair Work First and Real Living Wage in all appropriate contracts. • Monitor compliance with Construction Charter, Ethical Care Charter and Fair Tax Charters adopted by the council. Outcome: Improved Fair Work Practices and Real Living Wage for those involved in delivery of council contracts . 141
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Objective 6: Sustainable and Ethical Aim: Secure wider social, economic and environmental benefits through contracts as set out in the Sustainable Procurement Duty How to achieve • Support the council’s response to the Climate Change Emergency by improving environmental outcomes from procurement, including net-zero and carbon reduction plans. • Embed sustainability measures in procurement through use of Scottish Government’s Sustainability Tools and life cycle costing in appropriate contracts. • Require supply chain transparency from contractors to ensure appropriate ethical standards, Modern Slavery and avoid use of sanctioned countries and individuals. • Work with Police Scotland in prevention of Fraud and Disruption of Serious and Organised Crime in all appropriate contracts. • Promote the highest standards in food procurement, including consideration of animal welfare standards, in our supply chains and in accordance with the Council’s Good Food Strategy Outcome: Meet the Sustainable Procurement Duty Objective 7: Community Wealth Building Aim: Support and encourage the local economy to grow sustainably through the effective use of procurement to develop local communities and maximise use of Community Benefits How to achieve • Expand the capability of local businesses and social enterprises to bid for public sector contracts with support from Economic Development and the Supplier Development Programme. • Build on our knowledge of market supply through further analysis of local capacity to identify new opportunities for local business to grow. • Increase levels of pre-market engagement before commissioning to shape the preparation of tender requirements and prepare potential local bidders. • Increase promotion of tender opportunities to local sectors • Encourage local suppliers to bid for Scotland Excel contract opportunities to increase local business share of collaborative contract spend by all Scottish public bodies. • Work with anchor institutions to explore further opportunities for more local spend • Maximise our approach to Community Benefits, including delivery of Community Wish List. • Ensure contractors deliver social investment where appropriate. • Review procurement practices to deliver more local spend where possible. Outcome: Ensure the spending power of the council and Community Benefits contribute towards Community Wealth and achieve National Outcomes 142
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Monitoring Framework Delivery of the procurement strategy will be supported by an annual action plan. Each year the annual plan will be reviewed with new actions identified relevant to delivery of the strategic objectives. A reporting and monitoring framework ensure high levels of governance surround the delivery of the procurement strategy. • Annual review of the Procurement Strategy and six monthly update on strategic action plan reported to Committee • Procurement Update, including strategic action plan, Performance Indicators and High-Risk High Value projects reported to the council’s Corporate Management Team six monthly. • Annual service planning exercise to plan procurement activity with Resources for the forthcoming year. • Review of Sustainable Procurement Flexible Framework every six months • Quarterly Procurement Updates summarising progress across procurement activity to Resource Management Teams • Resource committee reports on Contracts Awarded every six months in accordance with Standing Orders on Contracts • Annual Procurement Report published annually in accordance with legislative requirements and approved by Committee. • Open and Transparent publication of the council’s Contract Register 143
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Appendix 4 Procurement Strategy Action Plan 2024/2025 Action Strategic Objective Responsibility Timescale Sustainable Procurement toolkit progress: continue to update Flexible Framework 6 monthly: aiming to move to Level 3 in People, Process, Stakeholders and Reporting from current performance at Level 2. Sustainable and Ethical Procurement 31 March 2025 Use of improved Community Benefit monitoring and outcomes through new Cenefits software, including reporting on Community Benefits in Procurement Annual Report. Sustainable and Ethical / Community Wealth Building Procurement / Resources 31 March 2025 Progress the action plan for the Spend Pillar to support the delivery of the objectives of the Community Wealth Building strategy. Community Wealth Building Procurement / Economic Development 31 March 2025 Continue to monitor the impact of new Fair Work First framework and monitor Scottish Government guidance on Living Wage. Fair Work First Procurement 31 March 2025 Continue to monitor the implications of introduction of National Care Service on Social Care commissioning arrangements. Contract and Supplier Management Procurement and H&SCP 31 March 2025 Monitor impact of Oracle Fusion implementation on Procure to Pay functions, including achievement of system efficiencies in restructured payables and purchasing operating model and efficiencies from electronic workflow processes across Resources. Compliance Procurement 31 March 2025 Implement new Oracle Fusion electronic workflow performance appraisal function to support Resource contract management. Contract and Supplier Management Procurement and Resources 30 September 2024 Rollout of Oracle Fusion supplier portal to transform supplier engagement with Procure to Pay processes to electronic self-serve access. Contract and Supplier Management Procurement 31 March 2025 144
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 22 May 2024 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Early Retirement, Voluntary Severance and Switch 2 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] advise on early retirements, voluntary severances, re-employment of early retirees and re-deployments during the period 1 October 2023 to 31 March 2024 [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the early retirements, voluntary severances, re-employment of early retirees, and redeployment of employees on the Switch 2 register during the period 1 October 2023 to 31 March 2024 be noted. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. The Council analyses the number and associated costs of employees being released through early retirement and voluntary severance. This report provides information on the Council’s position for the 6-month period 1 October 2023 to 31 March 2024. 4. Current Position Early Retirements (Efficiency of the Service/Voluntary Redundancy) and Voluntary Severance 4.1. During the period, no early retirements on the grounds of efficiency of the service; voluntary redundancy or voluntary severance were granted. This represents no change compared to the previous 6-month period. 4.2. Annual Trend Analysis Annual Period 1/4/18- 31/3/19 1/4/19- 31/3/20 1/4/20- 31/3/21 1/4/21- 31/3/22 1/4/22- 31/3/23 1/4/23- 31/3/24 No. of Early Retirements/ Voluntary Severances 0 1 0 0 0 0 4.2.1 The table above shows the annual trend analysis of early exits granted due to efficiency of the service; voluntary redundancy or voluntary severance; and shows that there has been no change compared to the previous year. 15 145
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5. Early Retirements – Ill Health 5.1. The Local Government Pension Scheme (LGPS) regulations allow for 2 tiers of ill health retirement in situations where the member’s ill-health or infirmity of mind or body renders them permanently incapable of discharging efficiently the duties of their current employment. Tier 1 relates to members with no reasonable prospect of obtaining gainful employment before their normal pension age. Tier 2 relates to members with a reasonable prospect of obtaining gainful employment before their normal pension age. 5.2. The Scottish Teachers Pension Scheme similarly has 2 levels of ill health retirement; total incapacity benefits and partial incapacity benefits. Total incapacity benefit relates to members who are permanently unable to teach and assessed as having their ability to carry out any work impaired by more than 90% and this is likely to be permanent in the future. Partial incapacity benefit relates to members who are permanently unable to teach but able to undertake other employment. 5.3. During the 6-month period, 28 ill health retirement requests were made, 20 were granted under the provisions of tier 1 and tier 2 of the Local Government or Scottish Teachers’ Pension Schemes. 8 applications resulted in no award being granted. 5.4. In terms of early retirement on the grounds of ill-health, there are no capitalisation costs to the Council. During the 6-month period, the following ill-health retirements were approved: Resource No. of Early Retirements on ill health grounds Community and Enterprise 5 Education 5 Social Work 8 Council Wide 2 Total 20 5.5. During the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, the number of ill health retirements granted decreased by 3 compared to the previous year. This decrease is due to the reduction of the number of employees with serious medical conditions who met the criteria for ill health retirement. 5.5.1. Annual Trend Analysis Annual Period 1/4/19- 31/3/20 1/4/20- 31/3/21 1/4/21- 31/3/22 1/4/22- 31/3/23 1/4/23- 31/3/24 No. of ill-health retirements 37 43 46 69 66 6. Re-employment of Early Retirees 6.1. The re-employment of those who have been granted early retirement is monitored and approved centrally within Personnel Services. During the 6-month period, no requests for re-employment were made and this represents no change when compared to the previous 6-month period. 146
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7. Switch 2 7.1. Switch 2 is monitored and approved centrally within Personnel Services. During the 6-month period, 13 employees were redeployed to suitable alternative posts within the Council as follows:- Resource No. of employees No. of modern apprentices Total Finance and Corporate 4 4 Social Work 7 7 Council Wide 2 2 TOTALS 13 0 13 7.2. This is a decrease of 4 in the number compared to the previous 6-month period. Of the 13 employees matched, 12 employees were placed in a permanent role and 1 into a fixed term role. In line with the Switch 2 policy, employees placed on a fixed term basis will be matched to permanent posts as they become available. 7.3. Annual Trend Analysis Annual Period 1/4/19– 31/3/20 1/4/20– 31/3/21 1/4/21– 31/3/22 1/4/22– 31/3/23 1/4/23- 31/3/24 No. of Switch 2 matches 47 43 90 28 30 7.4. During the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, the number of employees re- deployed increased by 2 compared to the previous year, this is due to a combination of employees placed on the Switch2 register due to ongoing service reviews or medical incapability. 8. Flexible Retirement 8.1. Phased retirement and winding down are both options available to Teachers as per the STPS scheme. The option to flexibly retire is the option available to local government employees through the LGPS scheme. These options allow employees to access their pensions whilst they still continue to work in a reduced capacity. 8.2. The approval of those who have been granted phased retirement/winding down or flexible retirement is monitored centrally within Personnel Services. During the 6- month period, 71 requests were approved as detailed below with no cost to the Council. Resource No. of Flexible Retirements No. of Phased Retirements/ Winding Down Community and Enterprise 15 Education 8 3 Finance and Corporate 8 Housing and Technical 19 Social Work 18 Total 71 147
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8.3. During the 6-month period, the average age of employees granted any of these options was 62 years, and this is an increase of 2 years when compared with the previous 6 month period. 8.4. Flexible retirement refusals are monitored centrally within Personnel Services, Finance and Corporate Resources and no requests were declined during this period. 8.5. Annual Trend Analysis Annual Period 1/4/19 - 31/3/20 1/4/20 - 31/3/21 1/4/21- 31/3/22 1/4/22- 31/3/23 1/4/23- 31/3/24 No. of Flexible Retirements 159 125 126 128 156 8.6. During the period 1 April 2023 to 31 March 2024, there was an increase of 28 cases compared to the previous year. 9. Employee Implications 9.1. In respect of those employees refused ill-health retirement, capability dismissals may have been considered. 10. Financial Implications 10.1. There were no leavers in the period 1 October 2023 to 31 March 2024 for which early retirement/severance costs were incurred. 11. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 11.1 There are no climate change, sustainability or environmental implications. 12. Other Implications 12.1. The early release of employees across the Council must be properly managed to minimise the risk of adversely impacting service levels through the loss of vital skills and experience. In accordance with agreed policies, the redeployment of employees through the Switch 2 process continues to be considered. 13. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 13.1 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. 13.2. All releases were in line with agreed policies and procedures therefore no further consultation was required. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 16 April 2024 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Excellent Employer Accountable, Effective, Efficient and Transparent 148
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Previous References Finance and Corporate Resources Committee 6 December 2023 List of Background Papers None Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Lynn Bruce, Personnel Officer Ext: 4392 (Tel: 01698 454392) E-mail: Lynn.Bruce@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 149
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Finance and Corporate Resources Committee Date of Meeting: 22 May 2024 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Notification of Contracts Awarded: 1 October 2023 to 31 March 2024 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide notification to Committee, in accordance with Standing Orders on Contracts, of contracts awarded by Finance and Corporate Resources during the period 1 October 2023 to 31 March 2024 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- (1) that details of the contracts awarded be noted. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. It is a requirement of Clauses 21.8 and 22.5 of the Standing Orders on Contracts that details of the acceptance of all tenders above £50,000 be reported retrospectively to the relevant Committee for noting, other than those under Clause 21.3 where the award is not the lowest in a price only tender, or costs exceed the approved financial provision. In these instances, a report is submitted to the appropriate Committee and subsequent authority to award is granted by that Committee. 4. Contract Awards 4.1. The details of contracts awarded for the period 1 October 2023 to 31 March 2024, on the basis of lowest offer and/or most economically advantageous offer submitted, is provided at Appendix 1. 5. Employee Implications 5.1. There are no employee implications arising from this report. 6. Financial Implications 6.1. The costs of the programmes detailed above for 2023/2024 are met entirely by the Council’s externally funded employability grants. 7. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 7.1. There are no Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications arising from the information presented in this report. 16 151
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8. Other Implications 8.1. There are no direct risks or implications for sustainability in terms of the information contained in this report. 9. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Arrangements 9.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy nor recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy and therefore, no impact assessment is required. 9.2. There is also no requirement to undertake any consultation in terms of the information contained in this report. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 25 April 2024 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Value: Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Previous Reference Finance and Corporate Resources Committee, 6 December 2023 List of Background Papers Standing Orders on Contracts Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Emma Smith, Corporate Procurement and Transactions Manager Ext: 5329 (Tel: 01698 455329) E-mail: emma.smith@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 152
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Appendix 1 Contracts Awarded by Finance and Corporate Resources over £50,000 in value Contracted supplier Contract reference number Estimated contract value - GBP Contract award date Contract description Contract start date Contract end date Contract end date (including extension) Softcat PLC SLC/FC/23/050 £70,513 27/11/2023 Web Gateway Security Licences 01/10/2023 30/09/2024 - Gravitas Recruitment Group Ltd SLC/FC/23/071 £270,444 12/12/2023 IT Project Lead – Capital One Project 13/12/2023 12/12/2023 12/06/2025 Halfords SLC/FC/23/110 £303,107 20/12/2023 Cycle to Work Scheme 08/01/2024 08/02/2028 - Gravitas Recruitment Group Ltd SLC/FC/23/045 £155,250 22/12/2023 IT Project Manager – Capita Consultancy 22/12/2023 21/12/2024 21/06/2025 RM Education SLC/PS/FINCOR/23/010 £129,969 22/12/2023 Supply and Support of Secure Broadband Connectivity Services 01/01/2024 30/06/2025 - Zurich Insurance PLC SLC/FC/23/030/7 £1,332,772 16/01/2024 Engineering and Inspection Insurance 01/04/2024 31/03/2027 31/03/2030 Computacenter SLC/HT/23/215/1 £108,000 29/01/2024 Autodesk Construction Cloud Software 01/02/2024 05/03/2027 05/03/2027 Computacenter - (WDM 3rd party reseller) SLC/PS/FINCOR/21/004 £1,679,556 01/02/2024 Roads Network Management Software 22/01/2024 31/01/2031 31/01/2034 (extension to 31/01/2036) Vodafone SLC/FC/23/109 £1,200,000 01/02/2024 Mobile Voice and Data Services 03/02/2024 02/08/2026 02/02/2028 Wellwood Communications SLC/PS/FINCOR/23/009 £2,598,209 01/02/2024 Supply and Support of Fixed Line Telephony Services (Lines and Calls) 01/02/2024 31/01/2027 31/01/2028 (extension to 31/01/2029) 153
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Contracted supplier Contract reference number Estimated contract value - GBP Contract award date Contract description Contract start date Contract end date Contract end date (including extension) Risk Management Partners Ltd SLC/FC/23/030/9 £175,932 23/02/2024 Travel Insurance 01/04/2024 31/03/2027 31/03/2030 Computacenter SLC/PS/FINCOR/22/160 £115,255 29/02/2024 VMWare Workspace ONE Advanced Licences 2024 onwards 29/01/2024 28/01/2025 - Zurich Insurance PLC SLC/FC/23/030/10 £2,457,634 05/03/2024 SLLC Insurance (Lot 10) 01/04/2024 31/03/2027 - Maven Public Sector SLC/FC/23/030/4 £118,820 07/03/2024 SLC Main Policies Lot 4 – Fidelity Guarantee 01/04/2024 31/03/2027 31/03/2030 Risk Management Partners Ltd SLC/FC/23/030/5 £89,532 07/03/2024 SLC Main Policies 5 – Contractor All Risk Insurance 01/04/2024 31/03/2027 31/03/2030 Datatank SLC/FC/23/063 £247,825 26/03/2024 Council Tax Discount and Exemption Review 01/04/2024 31/03/2027 31/03/2029 Risk Management Partners Ltd SLC/FC/23/133 £10,605,445 26/03/2024 Property Insurance 01/04/2024 31/03/2027 31/03/2030 Travelers Insurance Company Ltd SLC/FC/23/030/3 £2,217,566 26/03/2024 SLC Main Policies Lot 3 - Motor Insurance 01/04/2024 31/03/2027 31/03/2030 Oracle Corporation Ltd SLC/FC/23/126 £115,912. 27/03/2024 Oracle - OCI IAM - Universal Credits Expansion 09/04/2024 17/05/2027 - Risk Management Partners Ltd SLC/FC/23/030/6 £343,136 28/03/2024 SLC Main Policies Lot 6 - Terrorism Insurance 01/04/2024 31/03/2027 31/03/2030 Risk Management Partners Ltd SLC/FC/23/030/1 £4,955,513 28/03/2024 SLC Main Policies Lot 1 - Combined Liability Insurance 01/04/2024 31/03/2027 31/03/2030 Scottish Water Business Stream Ltd SLC/FC/23/094 14,000,000 31/03/2024 Provision of Water and Wastewater Services 01/04/2024 31/03/2024 31/03/2028 154
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Contract Extensions for contracts over £50,000 in value Contractor CRN Original Value of Contract Awarded (including extension value) Value of Extension Award Date of Extension Brief Description Contract Extension start Contract extension end Inseego Ltd SLC/PS/FINCOR/1 7/097 £984,897 £330,904 10/11/2023 Supply, Installation and Maintenance of a Corporate Telematics Solution 29/02/2024 28/02/2026 Worldpay Limited SLC/PS/FINCOR/2 0/130 £557,500 £198,822 25/01/2024 Payment Acceptance 01/02/2024 31/01/2025 (extension to 31/01/2026) Securigroup Services Ltd SLC/PS/FINCOR/2 2/121 £290,000 £154,702 06/02/2024 Security Services for Council Offices - Brandon Gate, Cambuslang Gate, East Kilbride Civic Centre and South Vennel 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 Canon UK Ltd SLC/PS/FINCOR/1 5/076 £5,600,000 £400,000 06/02/2024 Supply and maintenance of Multi-Functional Devices 05/02/2024 31/08/2024 Action For Children SLC/PS/EDUC/19/ 028/DA/23-001 £410,410 £203,251 19/02/2024 The Blues Programme - Action for Children 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 IFS UK Ltd SLC/PS/FINCOR/2 2/036 £124,800 £65,707 22/02/2024 Incident Management Solutions 01/03/2024 28/02/2025 Civica UK Ltd SLC/PS/FINCOR/2 0/085 £138,540 £23,549 29/02/2024 Provision of Civica Digital 360EDM and Workflow Software (EDRMS for Benefits and Revenue) 01/04/2024 31/04/2025 Fujitsu Services SLC/PS/FINCOR/2 2/149 £411,509 £216,454 28/03/2024 ConSol Annual Maintenance and Technical Support 01/04/2024 31/03/2025 Inseego Ltd SLC/PS/FINCOR/1 7/097 £984,897 £330,904 10/11/2023 Supply, Installation and Maintenance of a Corporate Telematics Solution 29/02/2024 28/02/2026 155
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