Agenda Document Pack - South Lanarkshire Council - 07/05/2025
South Lanarkshire Council · 7 May 2025
Back to South Lanarkshire Council — 7 May 2025 and its agenda
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Council Offices, Almada Street Hamilton, ML3 0AA Monday, 28 April 2025 Dear Councillor South Lanarkshire Council The Members listed below are requested to attend a meeting of the Council to be held as follows:- Date: Wednesday, 07 May 2025 Time: 10:00 Venue: Hybrid - Council Chamber, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton, ML3 0AA The business to be considered at the meeting is listed overleaf. Yours sincerely Paul Manning Chief Executive Members Margaret Cooper (Provost), Bert Thomson (Depute Provost), Alex Allison, John Anderson, Ralph Barker, John Bradley, Walter Brogan, Robert Brown, Archie Buchanan, Mathew Buchanan, Janine Calikes, Andy Carmichael, Maureen Chalmers, Ross Clark, Gerry Convery, Poppy Corbett, Andrea Cowan, Margaret Cowie, Maureen Devlin, Colin Dewar, Mary Donnelly, Monique Equi, Joe Fagan, Allan Falconer, Grant Ferguson, Gladys Ferguson-Miller, Elise Frame, Alistair Fulton, Ross Gowland, Geri Gray, Lynsey Hamilton, Celine Handibode, Graeme Horne, Mark Horsham, Martin Hose, Cal Johnston-Dempsey, Gavin Keatt, Susan Kerr, Ross Lambie, Martin Lennon, Richard Lockhart, Eileen Logan, Katy Loudon, Hugh Macdonald, Julia Marrs, Ian McAllan, Catherine McClymont, Kenny McCreary, Lesley McDonald, Elaine McDougall, Mark McGeever, Davie McLachlan, Richard Nelson, Carol Nugent, Norman Rae, Mo Razzaq, Kirsten Robb, John Ross, Graham Scott, David Shearer, Helen Toner, Margaret B Walker, David Watson, Kirsty Williams 1
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BUSINESS 1 Declaration of Interests 2 Minutes of Previous Meeting Minutes of the meeting of South Lanarkshire Council held on 19 February 2025 submitted for approval as a correct record. (Copy attached) 3 - 12 3 Minutes of Special Meeting Minutes of the special meeting of South Lanarkshire Council held on 26 February 2025 submitted for approval as a correct record. (Copy attached) 13 - 32 4 Minutes of Risk and Audit Scrutiny Committee Minutes of the meeting of the Risk and Audit Scrutiny Committee held on 19 November 2024 submitted for noting. (Copy attached) 33 - 36 Item(s) for Decision 5 South Lanarkshire Integration Joint Board – Reappointment of the Council’s Voting Members and Substitute Members Report dated 8 April 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 37 - 40 6 Councillor Meeting Participation Report dated 15 April 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 41 - 48 Urgent Business 7 Urgent Business Any other items of business which the Provost decides are urgent. For further information, please contact:- Clerk Name: Susan Somerville Clerk Telephone: 07557323097 Clerk Email: susan.somerville@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 2
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SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Minutes of the meeting held via Confero and in the Council Chamber, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton on 19 February 2025 Chair: Depute Provost Bert Thomson Councillors Present: Councillor Alex Allison, Councillor John Anderson, Councillor Ralph Barker, Councillor John Bradley, Councillor Walter Brogan, Councillor Robert Brown, Councillor Archie Buchanan, Councillor Mathew Buchanan, Councillor Janine Calikes, Councillor Andy Carmichael, Councillor Maureen Chalmers, Councillor Ross Clark, Councillor Gerry Convery, Councillor Margaret Cooper (Provost), Councillor Poppy Corbett, Councillor Andrea Cowan, Councillor Margaret Cowie, Councillor Maureen Devlin, Councillor Colin Dewar, Councillor Mary Donnelly, Councillor Monique Equi, Councillor Joe Fagan, Councillor Allan Falconer, Councillor Grant Ferguson, Councillor Gladys Ferguson-Miller, Councillor Elise Frame, Councillor Alistair Fulton, Councillor Ross Gowland, Councillor Geri Gray, Councillor Lynsey Hamilton, Councillor Celine Handibode, Councillor Graeme Horne, Councillor Mark Horsham, Councillor Martin Hose, Councillor Cal Johnston-Dempsey, Councillor Gavin Keatt, Councillor Susan Kerr, Councillor Ross Lambie, Councillor Martin Lennon, Councillor Richard Lockhart, Councillor Eileen Logan, Councillor Katy Loudon, Councillor Hugh Macdonald, Councillor Julia Marrs, Councillor Ian McAllan, Councillor Catherine McClymont, Councillor Kenny McCreary, Councillor Lesley McDonald, Councillor Elaine McDougall, Councillor Mark McGeever Councillor Davie McLachlan, Councillor Richard Nelson, Councillor Carol Nugent, Councillor Norman Rae, Councillor Mo Razzaq, Councillor Kirsten Robb, Councillor John Ross, Councillor Graham Scott, Councillor David Shearer, Councillor Helen Toner, Councillor Margaret B Walker, Councillor David Watson, Councillor Kirsty Williams Attending: Chief Executive’s Service P Manning, Chief Executive Community and Enterprise Resources D Booth, Executive Director Education Resources A Donaldson, Interim Executive Director Finance and Corporate Resources J Taylor, Executive Director, S Somerville, Administration Manager; I Strachan, Head of Administration and Legal Services; N Tollan, Administration Assistant Housing and Technical Resources S Gibson, Executive Director Social Work Resources/Health and Social Care S Sengupta, Director, Health and Social Care Depute Provost’s Opening Remarks The Depute Provost welcomed Mirren Kelly, COSLA, who was observing, to the meeting. 1 Declaration of Interests The following interests were declared:- Councillor(s) Item(s) Nature of Interest(s) Devlin Touch a Life, Make a Difference Initiative Update Volunteer – Bothwell Futures 2 3
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Keatt Nelson Trustee - Hamilton Churches Drop-In Centre Trustee - Who Dares Cares 2 Minutes of Previous Meeting The minutes of the meeting of South Lanarkshire Council held on 20 November 2024 were submitted for approval as a correct record. Councillor Loudon referred to Item 9 – Notice of Motion – The Voluntary Sector and Disclosure Scotland Fees and, by way of an update, advised that the consultation report by Disclosure Scotland had now been published and, since then, the Scotland Government had decided to retain the current fee waiver which had been welcomed by the voluntary sector. The Council decided: that the minutes be approved as a correct record. 3 Minutes of Risk and Audit Scrutiny Committee The minutes of the meeting of the Risk and Audit Scrutiny Committee held on 24 September 2024 were submitted for noting. Councillor Robb referred to the impact of Climate Change and the cost of the recent storm damage and considered that adaptations to buildings and a reduction in emissions would help to minimise insurance losses going forward. The Council decided: that the minutes be noted. 4 Recommendations Referred by the Executive Committee – Housing Revenue and Capital Account Budget 2025/2026 A report dated 12 February 2025 by the Chief Executive was submitted on the recommendations which had been referred to the Council by the Executive Committee on 12 February 2025 in relation to the Housing Revenue and Capital Account Budget 2025/2026 and the outcomes of the associated public consultation, as referred to at Section 8 of the report. The recommendations were as follows:- Housing Revenue and Capital Account Budget 2025/2025 that the rent increase of 6.50% to be applied in 2025/2026, with a further 6.50% increase in 2026/2027, subject to annual review and customer engagement, for all Council houses, Gypsy/Traveller sites, lockups and garage sites and the revenue estimate proposals for the Housing Revenue Account (HRA), as detailed in Appendix 1 of the report to the Housing and Technical Resources Committee, be approved that, based on the rent increase of 6.50%, the 2025/2026 Housing Capital Programme, totalling £85.948 million, as detailed in Appendix 2 of the report to the Housing and Technical Resources Committee, be approved Councillor Cowan welcomed the increase in revenue spend for next year and the fact that this Council was still one of the lowest in terms of the charge for social housing rents. 4
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Officers responded to Councillor Robb’s questions in terms of capital programme spend and consideration of longer payment terms for owner-occupiers to encourage a higher level of investment and improve the housing stock. The Council decided: that, having had due regard to the assessments contained in the Integrated Impact Assessments relating to the proposals and the outcomes of the associated public consultation, the recommendations of the Executive Committee of 12 February 2025 in relation to the Housing Revenue and Capital Account Budget 2025/2026 be approved. [Reference: Minutes of the Executive Committee of 12 February 2025 (Paragraph 6) and Minutes of the Housing and Technical Resources Committee of 22 January 2025 (Paragraph 2)] 5 Family Leave for Elected Members – Councillor Hamilton A report dated 21 January 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted advising of arrangements in terms of family leave for Councillor Hamilton. At its meeting on 26 February 2020, the Council approved the implementation of the new Elected Members’ Family Leave Guidance produced by COSLA. Councillor Hamilton advised the Council that she intended to take family leave from 28 April 2025. Arrangements required to be put in place on a temporary basis, where deemed necessary, to fill the various places she currently held until her return on, or around, 12 January 2026. Members extended their best wishes to Councillor Hamilton. The Council decided: (1) that it be noted that Councillor Hamilton would commence her family leave from 28 April 2025; (2) that, on a temporary basis until her return on, or around, 12 January 2026, her place on various committees, outside bodies and the like be filled, as deemed necessary, by a member of the Labour Group; (3) that Councillor Keatt, being the Depute Chair, fill the position of Chair of Education Resources Committee on a temporary basis for the duration of the period of Councillor Hamilton’s family leave; (4) that Councillor Kerr fill the position of Depute Chair of Education Resources Committee on a temporary basis for the duration of the period of Councillor Hamilton’s family leave; (5) that authority be delegated to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Business Manager of the Labour Group, to finalise those temporary memberships with a note to be circulated to all elected members confirming those arrangements once finalised; and (6) that it be noted that the dates referred to above might change, where intimated by Councillor Hamilton to the Chief Executive. [Reference: Minutes of 26 February 2020 (Paragraph 7)] 5
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6 Notice of Motion – Council to Withdraw from the use of X (formerly Twitter) In terms of Standing Order No 21, a motion proposed by Councillor McGeever, seconded by Councillor Brown, was submitted as follows:- “South Lanarkshire Council shares widespread public concerns that X (formerly Twitter) now allows the promotion and dissemination of harmful and extremist content, including content that is unlawful, abusive or false. This council emphasises its full and unwavering support for the right to free expression, as protected by Article 19 of the United Nations Universal Declaration of Human Rights, and by Article 10 of the European Convention on Human Rights. The council also emphasises its responsibility to foster a safe environment for everyone in South Lanarkshire, and its determination to oppose extremist and hateful ideologies that cause untold harm and suffering. Council shares public concerns that X has consistently failed to address the spread of hate speech and misinformation on its platform, with such content now appearing to be amplified, seemingly pushed to users who do not seek material of this nature. Council notes many reputable organisations are considering their continued use of X, and that Renfrewshire and Devon have recently withdrawn from it. Council further notes that alternative social media platforms are widely used by the public, providing other means of sharing information and engaging with residents. South Lanarkshire Council recognises that our legitimate use of X now carries risks. It is now more likely that content published on this platform by reputable and responsible organisations will appear alongside extremist and hateful text, video or images published by others. Council believes its use of the platform in such circumstances must be reconsidered. Therefore, South Lanarkshire Council resolves to cease the use of X as a platform for general engagement with the public. Instead, use of X will be restricted to the broadcast of alerts that provide information that local residents need to know immediately, such as school or road closures, extreme weather events or other issues that impact on council services. Council further agrees that it aspires to complete withdrawal from the platform as soon as possible, but recognises that 59,000 people currently follow the South Lanarkshire Council corporate X account and rely on this platform, at least in part, for their information. Council further resolves to review its use of all social media, including all X accounts, and work to build its audience on alternative platforms, to widen access to information and awareness of local democracy. Council also notes that professional regulatory bodies, codes of conduct, age classification, and statutes exist with regards to content on television, radio, newspapers, films, and computer games - but not with regards to social media platforms. South Lanarkshire Council therefore calls on Government to address this discrepancy and pursue similar means to help ensure social media platforms operate in a responsible way.” In moving the motion, Councillor McGeever recognised that ‘X’ was unmatched as a means of reaching people with important information. He advised that the motion was not about freedom of speech or expression, rather about how any responsible organisation should choose to communicate. Councillor Rae, rather than Councillor Brown, spoke on the motion and, in seconding it, intimated that ‘X’ had become a source of misinformation and extreme ideologies. 6
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Councillor Johnston-Dempsey, seconded by Councillor Loudon, moved the following as an amendment:- ‘Insert before final paragraph: “To this end, Council instructs officers to; a. begin using Bluesky’s identity self-verification mechanism for the Council’s main account, b. encourage other Council social media accounts, such as for schools and departments, to follow the same approach as the Council to use of X and other platforms, including using the self-verification mechanism on any Bluesky accounts, and c. promote the use of Bluesky, and any other identified alternative platforms, on legacy platforms such as X and Facebook.” Purpose and Effect To strengthen the motion’s intent for the Council to build its audience on alternative platforms, to widen access to information and awareness of local democracy. The Council following the lead of other large organisations in verifying their presence on the rapidly-growing Bluesky platform will enable users to have confidence that they are interacting with verified Council accounts, allow the Council to maintain a similar naming format across social media platforms, and encourage engagement with the Council on this additional platform. If passed, the Council’s main account would be @southlanarkshire.gov.uk, and other Council entities would have handles such as @Xprimary.southlanarkshire.gov.uk, @roads.southlanarkshire.gov.uk, etc. An example of promotion of accounts on alternative platforms may be the use of the Twitter (X) pinned tweet (post) feature with a link to our Bluesky account.’ Councillor Johnston-Dempsey, in moving his amendment, advised that he supported the motion and was simply seeking to enhance it. Councillor Loudon, in seconding the amendment, spoke on her concerns, particularly in relation to young people being exposed to inappropriate advertising. Councillors McGeever and Rae advised that they were content to accept the terms of the amendment by Councillor Johnston-Dempsey. The Head of Administration and Legal Services cautioned members on comments made during the debate, and advised that the Youtube recording of the meeting would be edited to remove the relevant section. Councillor Allison stated that if moderate commentators, such as the Council, withdrew from X, then it was left to the extremists and he considered it was better to engage with those that you disagreed with than simply post where there were like-minded people. On that basis he moved that the motion, as amended, be rejected. This was seconded by Councillor Nelson. Following discussion, on a vote being taken using the electronic voting system, 54 members voted for the motion, as amended, and 9 voted against it. The motion, as amended, was declared carried. The Council decided: that the content of the motion, as amended and outlined above, be agreed. Councillor Cooper joined the meeting during this item of business 7
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7 Touch a Life, Make a Difference Initiative Update A report dated 29 January 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted seeking approval for 6 local beneficiaries to share with the 2 previously approved primary beneficiaries, the donations generated by the Touch a Life, Make a Difference initiative’s fundraising work in 2025. At its meeting on 31 January 2024, the Council had approved the launch of the “Touch a Life, Make a Difference” initiative to encourage local organisations, community groups, local people and schoolchildren to raise money for good causes within their own and the wider South Lanarkshire area for the benefit of the people. At its meeting on 20 November 2024, the Council agreed that Sense Scotland and The Guide Dogs for the Blind Association would be the primary beneficiaries of the Touch a Life, Make a Difference initiative for 2025. It was also agreed that 4 further local beneficiaries from each of the geographical areas of South Lanarkshire would be chosen to share in the donations generated by the initiative, with nominations sought from elected members. The nominees had been assessed by a Panel chaired by the Provost. In total, there were 6 nominations and the Panel agreed that all the nominated beneficiaries were equally deserving and should be recommended to the Council as follows:- Hamilton Churches Drop-in Centre – nominated by Councillor Keatt Bothwell Futures – Councillor Devlin The Haven Centre, Forth – nominated by Councillor McClymont East Kilbride and District Dementia Carers Group – nominated by Councillor Watson Who Dares Cares – nominated by Councillor Hose Rutherglen Community Carers – nominated by Councillor Brown In terms of Standing Order No 19, the Depute Provost ruled that there had been a material change of circumstances and 6 local beneficiaries could be considered rather than the previously agreed 4. Given the additional local beneficiaries now being recommended to the Council, it was proposed that the sharing of the fundraising was not fixed until there was a better sense of how much might be raised and how it might best be apportioned. This would enable a more informed decision. It was, therefore, proposed that a decision on the approach for the sharing of the donations generated by the initiative in 2025 be delegated to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Provost and Group Leaders. It was noted that the first fundraising event, a Burns Supper held on 6 February 2025, had raised £20,000. The Council decided: (1) that the update on the Touch a Life, Make a Difference initiative be noted; (2) that the 6 local beneficiaries, outlined at paragraph 4.2 of the report, be agreed as the further local beneficiaries of the Touch a Life, Make a Difference initiative for 2025; (3) that the decision for the sharing of the donations generated by the initiative in 2025 be delegated to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Provost and Group Leaders; and 8
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(4) that it be noted that an annual update report would be submitted to the Council meeting on 10 December 2025. [Reference: Minutes of 20 November 2024 (Paragraph 17)] Councillors Devlin, Keatt and Nelson, having declared an interest in the above item, left the meeting during its consideration At this point in the meeting, Councillor Marrs declared an interest in the above item stating that she had local involvement and was a previous fundraiser for The Haven Centre, Forth. She withdrew from the meeting prior to the decision being taken In terms of Standing Order No 14, the Depute Provost adjourned the meeting following this item of business at 10.57am. The meeting reconvened at 11.03am 8 Boundaries Scotland – Additional Proposals for Constituencies and Revised Proposals for Regions for the Scottish Parliament A report dated 5 February 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted providing an update on Boundaries Scotland’s Additional Proposals for constituencies and Revised Proposals for regions for the Scottish Parliament. Under the Scotland Act 2016, responsibility for reviews of Scottish Parliament Boundaries passed from The Boundary Commission for Scotland to Boundaries Scotland in 2017. The First Review reported in 2010 and the current boundaries had been used in the Scottish Parliament elections of 2011, 2016 and 2021. The Second Review of Scottish Parliament Boundaries commenced on 1 September 2022 and the electorate data was taken from the electoral register on that date. The Scotland Act 1998 required that the electorate of constituencies must be as close to the electoral quota as practicable, and that Boundaries Scotland created constituencies and regions that had broadly the same number of electors, taking account of other relevant information, as outlined in paragraph 3.4 of the report. Boundaries Scotland had undertaken 3 rounds of consultation on its proposals for constituencies. There were no proposals in respect of constituencies within the South Lanarkshire Council area. Boundaries Scotland had also published Revised Proposals for regional boundaries for the Scottish Parliament and those were outlined at paragraph 4.4 of the report. This followed a consultation on its Provisional Proposals for regions, which took place between September and October 2024. Those proposals were open to consultation for a statutory period of one month from 24 January to 25 February 2025. Councillor Fagan, seconded by Councillor Convery, moved the following as an amendment:- ‘The Council is asked to approve the following additional recommendations: “That a response to the consultation be made to Boundaries Scotland on behalf of South Lanarkshire Council objecting to revised proposals for regional boundaries for the Scottish Parliament pertaining to South Lanarkshire, as East Kilbride should not be part of the Glasgow Region. That council officials also be authorised to also submit a counterproposal, following urgent consultation with political group leaders.“ 9
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In moving the amendment, Councillor Fagan stated that, as the Boundaries Scotland review had progressed, the proposals in relation to South Lanarkshire and, in particular, East Kilbride had worsened, given that grouping East Kilbride with Glasgow had happened at a late stage and was contrary to the initial approach. He highlighted that the main public services within East Kilbride shared an administrative geography with other parts of Lanarkshire, not with Glasgow, and East Kilbride had a longstanding link with Lanarkshire when it came to Parliamentary regions since the creation of the Scottish Parliament. He accepted that any other proposal might have a knock-on effect for other regions. He advised that the real benefit in the Council making an objection would be a Local Inquiry session which would allow the various political parties, community organisations or anyone who wished to make a representation to be heard. Councillors Johnston-Demspey and Watson were heard in support of Councillor Fagan’s proposals, following which the Depute Provost sought confirmation of the Council’s agreement to those. The Council decided: (1) that it be noted that Boundaries Scotland had published its Additional Proposals for constituencies and Revised Proposals for regions for the Scottish Parliament on 23 January 2025; (2) that it be noted that those proposals were displayed at Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton and detailed on the Council’s website; (3) that it be noted that the public consultation on the proposals would run until 24 February 2025; (4) that it be noted that comments on the proposals could be made to Boundaries Scotland via its website, by email or in writing; (5) that a response to the consultation be made to Boundaries Scotland, on behalf of the Council, objecting to revised proposals for regional boundaries for the Scottish Parliament pertaining to South Lanarkshire, as East Kilbride should not be part of the Glasgow Region; and (6) that Council officials be authorised to submit a counterproposal, following urgent consultation with political Group Leaders. 9 South Lanarkshire Council Armed Forces Community Covenant Strategy – Annual Update A report dated 30 January 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted providing an update on the work the Council had undertaken in progressing the delivery of the South Lanarkshire Council Armed Forces Community Covenant Strategy. At its meeting on 26 June 2024, the Executive Committee agreed the Council’s Armed Forces Community Covenant Strategy and associated Action Plan. The Committee also noted that an annual report on the Council’s work in promoting the Armed Forces Community Covenant would be presented to the Council. The Strategy had the following 5 workstreams:- promote the Covenant to Council staff and external stakeholders provide employment support to members of the Armed Forces Community engage and work with Lanarkshire Armed Forces Community and Veterans Covenant Group 10
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provide the Armed Forces Community with fair access to Council services, in particular housing, education and health, and health and social care promote and support local Armed Forces events and military heritage sites An update on the Action Plan, including recent and planned activity in respect of each workstream, was included in Appendix 1 to the report. Councillor Horsham, the Council’s Armed Forces Champion, spoke on the Council’s commitment to progressing the aims of the Covenant and how the current Strategy was the most in-depth in terms of the work and measures put in place to support the armed forces community. He advised that the Strategy would be continually reviewed both internally and externally with partners from the Lanarkshire Armed Forces Community and Veterans Covenant Group. Councillor Nelson expressed his gratitude for those shaping the Strategy and the commitment to veterans’ welfare. He referred to a project which offered veterans a structured and supportive pathway back into society through teaching basic life skills, such as cooking, budgeting and social skills to empower them. He urged that unpaid work through Community Payback Orders be given a more central role within the Strategy going forward. The Council decided: (1) that the update on the work the Council had undertaken in progressing delivery of the South Lanarkshire Council Armed Forces Community Covenant Strategy be noted; and (2) that it be noted that a further annual update would be provided to the Council at its meeting in March 2026. [Reference: Minutes of the Executive Committee of 26 June 2024 (Paragraph 10)] 10 Urgent Business There were no items of urgent business. 11
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SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Minutes of the special meeting held via Confero and in the Council Chamber, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton on 26 February 2025 Chair: Provost Margaret Cooper Councillors Present: Councillor Alex Allison, Councillor John Anderson, Councillor Ralph Barker, Councillor John Bradley, Councillor Walter Brogan, Councillor Robert Brown, Councillor Archie Buchanan, Councillor Mathew Buchanan, Councillor Janine Calikes, Councillor Andy Carmichael, Councillor Maureen Chalmers, Councillor Ross Clark, Councillor Gerry Convery, Councillor Poppy Corbett, Councillor Andrea Cowan, Councillor Margaret Cowie, Councillor Maureen Devlin, Councillor Colin Dewar, Councillor Mary Donnelly, Councillor Monique Equi, Councillor Joe Fagan, Councillor Allan Falconer, Councillor Grant Ferguson, Councillor Gladys Ferguson-Miller, Councillor Elise Frame, Councillor Alistair Fulton, Councillor Ross Gowland, Councillor Geri Gray, Councillor Lynsey Hamilton, Councillor Celine Handibode, Councillor Graeme Horne, Councillor Mark Horsham, Councillor Martin Hose, Councillor Cal Johnston-Dempsey, Councillor Gavin Keatt, Councillor Susan Kerr, Councillor Ross Lambie, Councillor Martin Lennon, Councillor Richard Lockhart, Councillor Eileen Logan, Councillor Katy Loudon, Councillor Hugh Macdonald, Councillor Julia Marrs, Councillor Ian McAllan, Councillor Catherine McClymont, Councillor Kenny McCreary, Councillor Lesley McDonald, Councillor Elaine McDougall, Councillor Mark McGeever Councillor Davie McLachlan, Councillor Richard Nelson, Councillor Carol Nugent, Councillor Norman Rae, Councillor Mo Razzaq, Councillor Kirsten Robb, Councillor John Ross, Councillor Graham Scott, Councillor David Shearer, Councillor Bert Thomson (Depute),Councillor Helen Toner, Councillor Margaret B Walker, Councillor David Watson, Councillor Kirsty Williams Attending: Chief Executive’s Service P Manning, Chief Executive Community and Enterprise Resources D Booth, Executive Director Education Resources A Donaldson, Interim Executive Director Finance and Corporate Resources J Taylor, Executive Director; S Somerville, Administration Manager; I Strachan, Head of Administration and Legal Services; N Tollan, Administration Assistant Housing and Technical Resources S Gibson, Executive Director Social Work Resources/Health and Social Care S Sengupta, Director, Health and Social Care Provost’s Opening Remarks The Provost advised that it was the third anniversary of the war in Ukraine, following its invasion by Russia. In March 2022, the Council had unanimously condemned Russia, labelling the invasion an appalling, illegal and criminal act. As a mark of respect for those who had died during the conflict, a minute’s silence was held. 3 13
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1 Declaration of Interests Prior to inviting declaration of interests, the Head of Administration and Legal Services, as Monitoring Officer, reminded elected members of restrictions on voting in setting the level of Council Tax in the event that any member present was in arrears with payment of Council Tax which had remained unpaid for at least 2 months or had outstanding bills for Community Charge/Poll Tax. Any person who failed to comply would be guilty of an offence. The following members made connection and transparency statements in relation to Item 2, Overall Position of Revenue Budget and Level of Local Taxation for 2025/2026:- Councillor Brown stated that he was Chair of Rutherglen 900 Committee which was set up to celebrate the 900th anniversary of the Royal Burgh of Rutherglen. He advised that the transparency statement was also on behalf of Councillors Cowan and Cowie who were members of that Committee. As Item 2 referenced funding in terms of the event and not to the organisation, he did not consider that there was a conflict of interest Councillor Marrs stated that her connection, in relation to EDR04, was in a personal capacity on the basis of a family member benefiting from the instrumental music service. If this particular saving was discussed in detail, then she would declare an interest at that point Councillor Frame stated that her connection, in relation to EDR04, was in a personal capacity on the basis of a family member benefiting from the instrumental music service. If this particular saving was discussed in detail, then she would declare an interest at that point Councillor Ferguson stated that his connection was in relation to FCR01 as he was a Trustee of East Kilbride Community Transport Councillor Gray stated that her connection was in relation to FCR01 as she was a Trustee of East Kilbride Community Transport 2 Overall Position of Revenue Budget and Level of Local Taxation for 2025/2026 A report dated 6 February 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on:- the 2025/2026 budget position, following the Local Government Settlement for 2025/2026, and the 3 Year Budget Strategy the proposed Revenue Budget for 2025/2026, including the base budget allocations to Resources At the Executive Committee on 12 February 2025, an update to the Budget Strategy was presented which revised the 3-year Budget Gap to £39.317 million. This position reflected the impact of the 2025/2026 Local Government Settlement received in December 2024. The Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) highlighted the main elements of the budget process to date, including:- the impact of the Local Government Settlement, as outlined in Section 4 of the report options to address the Budget Gap for 2025/2026, as outlined in Section 5 of the report funds available for one-off investment, as outlined in Section 6 of the report a Revenue Budget summary and a proposal for a balanced budget for 2025/2026, as outlined in Section 7 of the report details of the Budget Bill and Local Government Finance Order, as outlined in Section 8 of the report information on the potential impact of savings beyond 2025/2026, as outlined in Section 9 of the report 14
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Councillor Fagan, seconded by Councillor Brown, proposed the following amendment, which had been agreed by those Groups which had participated fully in the cross-party Budget Working Group:- “As an amendment to Item 2 ‘Overall Position of Revenue Budget and Level of Local Taxation for 2025/2026’, the Council is asked to approve the following recommendation(s): 1) that the revised 3 Year Budget Gap of £37.584 million including the impact of the Local Government Settlement (section 4.12) and the Use of the Loans Fund Review /Service Concessions (section 4.7), be approved; 2) that the 2025/2026 Budget Gap of £5.264 million (section 4.12), be noted; 3) that the amount of savings and the level of Council Tax to be used to balance the 2025/2026 Budget as detailed in this amendment, be agreed; 4) that the options for use of Investment monies in the 2025/2026 Budget as detailed in this amendment, be agreed; 5) that the assumptions detailed at paragraph 7.2, used to arrive at the Budget presented in section 7, be noted; 6) that the budget figures detailed at section 7 (based on the assumptions in section 7.2) are to be updated following agreement of the Budget, be noted; 7) that the potential impact of savings beyond 2025/2026 (section 9), be noted; 8) that the Revenue Budget for 2025/2026, including the base budget allocations to Resources, as shown in Appendix 4 be approved, subject to Members’ decision on recommendations 3 and 4, and 9) that the Council has considered and given due regard to the assessments contained in the Integrated Impact Assessments relating to the proposals in this report, and the outcomes of the associated public consultation (section 14), be noted. Savings agreed: It is proposed that the savings outlined below totalling £6.485 million be agreed. Saving Ref. Description Value £m APP01 Waste Permits 0.500 M&O01 Procurement (excluding Parent Council Insurance) 0.941 M&O02 Overtime 0.364 M&O03 Management Structures 1.000 M&O04 Reduce Corporate Accommodation 0.362 M&O05 Salary Sacrifice SCAVC's 0.088 M&O06 SLLC Utilities 1.000 COR01 Council Charges 0.375 CER10 Business Support 0.409 CER12 School Meals 0.400 CER14 Income Generation - Bereavement 0.250 EDR02 Mentoring and Learning Journeys 0.191 EDR04 Instrumental Music Service (equipment efficiencies only) 0.088 EDR05 Charging for Early Years (Nursery Fees) 0.217 HTR01 Sheltered Housing - Housing Support Funding to RSLs 0.300 Total 6.485 Council Tax Increase: A total increase of 6% - 4.8% towards the Budget Gap and 1.2% towards borrowing costs to fund capital investments. 15
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Investments: The following additions to the recurring revenue budget are proposed as recurring revenue expenditure. Increase the School Clothing Grant by £20 £0.285m Increase the Estate Improvement Fund £0.040m Total £0.325m The following are recommended priorities for one-off investment. Note that larger scale expenditure would be incurred over multiple years. Estate Transformation Fund £24.000m Roads and Infrastructure £12.000m Hamilton Town Centre £8.000m Larkhall Leisure Centre £3.850m Outdoor Investments £2.750m Extension to Frontline First Fund £1.500m Other Transport Investments £2.000m Local Action Fund £1.000m Waste and Fly-Tipping £0.350m Arts Development Fund £0.050m Total £55.500m It is also proposed that FCR01 is rejected, and the implementation of last year’s saving is deferred again to allow for a further review, funded through identified reserves which have been the result of underspends in grant budgets. A Balanced Budget Reconciliation template is attached in Appendix 1 for completion. Integrated Impact Assessment The Council needs to comply with an increasing number of similar, but different, rights- based statutory duties. It has been agreed that the Council will adopt an integrated impact assessment approach to ensure the Council carries out the necessary assessments, and in a consistent, but proportionate, manner with all relevant legal duties being considered, and importantly that these will all be assessed at the same time. It will also identify any suitable mitigations to support implementation of a particular proposal. It has been agreed that this approach will be applied to any Budget Amendments as part of the budget setting process. An IIA will be carried out for the proposals in this paper following the budget meeting. 16
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Appendix 1 (to Cllr Fagan’s amendment) Balanced Budget Reconciliation Budget Gap from Officers’ Report (Section 4.12 / Table 3) £5.264m Agreed Savings: £m APP01 Waste Permits 0.500 M&O01 Procurement (excluding Parent Council Insurance) 0.941 M&O02 Overtime 0.364 M&O03 Management Structures 1.000 M&O04 Reduce Corporate Accommodation 0.362 M&O05 Salary Sacrifice SCAVC's 0.088 M&O06 SLLC Utilities 1.000 COR01 Council Charges 0.375 CER10 Business Support 0.409 CER12 School Meals 0.400 CER14 Income Generation - Bereavement 0.250 EDR02 Mentoring and Learning Journeys 0.191 EDR04 Instrumental Music Service (equipment efficiencies only) 0.088 EDR05 Charging for Early Years (Nursery Fees) 0.217 HTR01 Sheltered Housing - Housing Support Funding to RSLs 0.300 Total Savings (A) 6.485 Proposed Council Tax Increase 6% for Budget Gap / Borrowing (every 1% generates £1.580 million) 9.480 = Total Savings and Increase from Council Tax 15.965 (Budget Surplus) / Gap After Savings and Council Tax (10.701) Add: Recurring Revenue Investments: Increase the School Clothing Grant by £20 0.285 Increase the Estate Improvement Fund 0.040 Borrowing for Investment 3.596 Total Recurring Revenue Investments Proposed (B) 3.921 (Budget Surplus) / Budget Gap Before One-Off Investments (6.780) Add: One-Off Investments (Revenue or Capital) Estate Transformation Fund 24.000 Roads and Infrastructure 12.000 Hamilton Town Centre 8.000 Larkhall Leisure Centre 3.850 Outdoor Investments 2.750 Extension to Frontline First Fund 1.500 Other Transport Investments 2.000 17
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Local Action Fund 1.000 Waste and Fly-Tipping 0.350 Arts Development Fund 0.050 Total One-Off Investments (Revenue or Capital) (C) 55.500 Less : One-Off Funding Available (Revenue) (see section 6) (11.970) Less : One-Off Funding Available (Capital) (36.750) Budget Gap 0.000 Restatement of Net Expenditure Figure (report section 7.4) Net Expenditure Figure within Revenue Budget Paper (sections 7.4 and associated appendices) £1,003.845m Add Back Assumed Level of Savings in Budget Paper (section 7.2) £5.264m Less Assumed Level of One-Off Investments (section 7.2) (£6.150m) Adjusted Net Expenditure Figure (before savings) £1,002.959m Deduct: Actual Savings Taken from Table above (A) (£6.485m) Add: Any Further Investment Proposed (B and C from Table above less Capital Funding) £22.671m Revised Net Expenditure figure for Revenue Budget (D) £1,019.145m Restatement of Net Sum Funded by Council Tax (Table 2, report section 7.5) Revised Net Expenditure Figure for Revenue Budget for 2025/2026 (D from Table above) £1,019.145m Deduct: Government Grant (£823.867m) Deduct: Use of Reserves / Underspends in the Budget Strategy (£23.455m) = Resultant Net Sum to be Funded Locally from Council Tax £171.823m 18
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Appendix 2 Proposed Investments Estate Transformation Fund - £24.000 million The Estate Transformation Fund will help South Lanarkshire Council implement its Estate Review, improving community access and service delivery and enabling the Council to make greater progress in the transition towards net zero. Roads and Infrastructure - £12.000 million Additional investment over three financial years will deliver a £4 million per year boost to roads spending, supplementing existing capital and revenue budgets, and ensuring that South Lanarkshire Council’s roads spending exceeds steady-state funding. Hamilton Town Centre - £8.000 million £8m for first stage of investment in the Hamilton Town Centre Masterplan based around a ‘Town Centre First’ programme of works. This will include pre-development costs associated with various development sites including New Cross and a package of enabling works including demolitions. Larkhall Leisure Centre - £3.850 million Additional investment to augment the existing £23.9 million budget will increase games hall provision in the new leisure centre and future-proof the project. Outdoor Investments - £2.750 million Outdoor Investment will include £1 million for funding and match-funding prioritised investment in outdoor facilities; £400,000 for Rutherglen’s 900th year, including the restoration of the Overtoun Bandstand, and £1.350 million to support Country Park Master Plans for Calderglen Country Park and Chatelherault Country Park. Within this £1.350 million, funding will be provided for a new skate park / bike pump track at Calderglen and the White Bridge and boardwalk at Chatelherault. Extension of the Frontline First Fund - £1.5 million Additional funding will enhance the current £3.5 million Frontline First Fund, currently used for Facilities, Waste and Grounds Services and Roads, Transportation and Fleet Services. Other Transport Investments - £2.000 million New funding will support the development of Safe Routes and delivery of the Lanark public transport interchange. Local Action Fund - £1.000 million £50,000 will be provided for each of South Lanarkshire’s 20 wards to be approved by the Executive Committee, following input from local councillors. Waste and Fly-tipping - £0.350 million Funding for initiatives to reduce waste and address fly-tipping. 19
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Arts Development Fund - £0.050 million New funding to create an Arts Development Fund to support arts in the community. Further Information No proposals have been made in respect of anticipated £7.8 million DEFRA funding linked to Packaging EPR. Further proposals will be made once clarity is obtained regarding the use of this £7.8 million for 2025/26 in the new financial year. The Council recognises the importance of proper resourcing of education and, specifically, of Additional Support for Learning in our schools. The Council regrets the continued uncertainties around teacher and ASL funding from the Scottish Government and will review its position once further information is available.” At the invite of the Provost, the Leader of the Council spoke on his proposals. He wished to thank the Provost, in her role as Chair of the Budget Working Group, the members of the Budget Working Group itself and those who had engaged constructively in the budget process, as well as officials. He advised that the proposals:- not only reflected the priorities of the Administration but also the consensus achieved on a cross-party basis to build back South Lanarkshire would bring down the budget gap over 3 years, while addressing a legacy of under- investment, would control revenue expenditure, while creating space for new investment, and would work for the long-term interests of the people and workers of South Lanarkshire rejected the most controversial savings options and protected frontline services gave a £55.5 million boost to investment in South Lanarkshire in the Building Back Programme. He spoke on the key areas identified for that investment, which he highlighted would benefit the whole of South Lanarkshire Councillor Fagan advised that, in order to invest, it was necessary to increase Council Tax. It was proposed that the rise would be 6%, which would mean that the Council would be on course to have the lowest Council Tax Band D level in Scotland. He advised of uncertainty over the Council’s final spending position. This year, the Council had received £7.8 million of Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) funding for the Extended Producer Responsibility scheme and that funding might become available for general expenditure. If so, this would be allocated appropriately, once clarity was obtained. He referred to part of the fiscal expansion being funded by a tax on employers which the Council, as an employer, would have to pay for in part, therefore, the Administration would continue to press for movement on the Council’s contribution. He concluded by stating that this would be a budget for South Lanarkshire and was fair and responsible, allowing the Council to address past under- investment. In seconding the proposals, Councillor Brown wished to record his thanks to officials for all their hard work in managing the Council’s finances and finding innovative ways of coping with the financial pressures. He also wished to thank those who had participated in the Budget Working Group and to the Provost, in her role as Chair of the Budget Working Group. He stated that the Council had to look at a 3 year timescale for the budget without the benefit of guaranteed funding. He referred to the proposed £55.5 million of investment, with an increase of 6% in Council Tax, keeping it as one of the lowest, or perhaps the lowest, in Scotland. He spoke on key aspects and concluded that the budget proposals provided investment in Council services, were sustainable, helped to bridge the challenging budget gap and would deliver for the people of South Lanarkshire. 20
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The Provost advised that she was going to make a statement, not in her role as Provost, but as Leader of the Independent Group. She confirmed that she was supporting the budget submitted by Councillors Fagan and Brown as she considered that it was a better budget than could reasonably be expected due to rising costs and cuts. She referred to some councils having to make double digit increases in Council Tax in order to balance their budgets. Although the Council was proposing to keep the Council Tax increase relatively low, she stated that it would not stop it delivering and making improvements by using one-off monies to make a real difference to people’s lives locally. As Chair of the Budget Working Group, she wished to thank officers and members who had participated for their hard work in the budget process. Councillor Allison thanked the Corporate Management Team, particularly the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) and her team, as half of the savings made were through efficiency savings. He spoke on his Group’s priorities and considered that the Working Group’s budget proposals demonstrated that the Council was efficient and well run as it continued to deliver quality services. Councillor Ross, seconded by Councillor Chalmers, moved the following:- “As an amendment to Item 2 ‘Overall Position of Revenue Budget and Level of Local Taxation for 2025/2026’, the Council is asked to approve the following recommendation(s): 1) that the revised 3 Year Budget Gap of £37.584 million including the impact of the Local Government Settlement (section 4.12) and the Use of the Loans Fund Review /Service Concessions (section 4.7), be approved; 2) that the 2025/2026 Budget Gap of £5.264 million (section 4.12), be noted; 3) that the amount of savings and the level of Council Tax to be used to balance the 2025/2026 Budget (detailed in the amendment below), be approved; 4) that the options for use of Investment monies in the 2025/2026 Budget (detailed in the amendment below), be approved; 5) that the assumptions detailed at paragraph 7.2, used to arrive at the Budget presented in section 7, be noted; 6) that the budget figures detailed at section 7 (based on the assumptions in section 7.2) are to be updated following agreement of the Budget, be noted; 7) that the potential impact of savings beyond 2025/2026 (section 9), be noted; 8) that the Revenue Budget for 2025/2026, including the base budget allocations to Resources, as shown in Appendix 4 be approved, subject to Members’ decision on recommendations 3 and 4, and 9) that the Council has considered and given due regard to the assessments contained in the Integrated Impact Assessments relating to the proposals in this report, and the outcomes of the associated public consultation (section 14), be noted. Savings agreed: £5.829m It is proposed that the savings outlined below totalling £5.829 million be agreed. In accepting the following savings, we have sought to avoid the harmful effects of service reduction and increased charges, protect communities from ongoing financial pressures, and reflect the views of as many of our residents as possible. Saving Ref. Description Value £m M&O01 Procurement (except from £0.014 million related to insurance for parent councils) 0.941 M&O02 Overtime 0.364 M&O03 Management Structures 1.000 M&O04 Reduce Corporate Accommodation 0.362 M&O05 Salary Sacrifice 0.088 M&O06 South Lanarkshire Leisure & Culture Utilities 1.000 21
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COR01 Council Charges (only 3% increase accepted) 0.066 CER01 Christmas Events 0.045 CER03 Weedkilling 0.510 CER10 Business Support 0.409 CER11 Grounds/Grass Cutting (accepting high density, reducing lower density from 14 to 10 cuts per annum) 0.650 CER14 Income Generation (Bereavement) (Only 3% increase accepted) 0.076 HTR01 Sheltered Housing – Housing Support Funding to Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) 0.300 HTR02 Community Safety Partnership Contribution 0.018 Total £5.829m Council Tax Increase: 4.75% In the current financial climate, we are committed to minimising the impact of council tax increases on South Lanarkshire residents. A balanced budget with no Council Tax increase may have been feasible. Unfortunately, as a result of increased Employers’ National Insurance Contributions in the recent UK Government budget, amongst other factors, Council is left to make the difficult decision to increase council tax or cut back on services. In this instance, we propose that a 4.75% increase is necessary to balance this budget, protect services, and invest in our future. Recurring Investments: £7.435m Place and Planet Fund We believe it is the council’s duty to protect South Lanarkshire as a good place to live, work and visit, today and tomorrow. We recognise the public backlash to the introduction of the £45 garden waste permit charge and the removal of their free bulk uplifts. We also recognise that tackling litter and cleaning up our streets including in our town centres is a priority for our residents. This is why we have rejected savings CER05 and CER06 and instead propose to increase our capacity for litter picking, bin emptying, and mechanical sweeping. We believe urgent action is required to tackle the joint climate and biodiversity/nature crises for the benefit of current and future generations. We will therefore direct additional funding towards supporting our Sustainable Development and Climate Change strategy, for projects and initiatives designed to tackle climate change and biodiversity/nature loss. Therefore, we propose a new £2.35m Place and Planet fund to do the following: Reintroduce one Free Bulk Uplift per year, per property £0.700m Reverse the £45 charge for garden waste uplifts (Covering sunk costs £0.150m) Tackle the joint climate and biodiversity/nature crises £1m, comprising: £0.350m for Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy £0.250m for sustainable communities £0.400m general climate and biodiversity funding delegated to officers Increase investment in litter picking, bin emptying and mechanical sweeping and environmental enforcement £0.500m These investments will be targeted towards our town centres and help us strive for a cleaner South Lanarkshire. 22
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Enhancing Education Fund We want South Lanarkshire to be the best place to grow up, play and learn. We do not propose to cut a single penny from the education budget as we have listened to what our learning communities have been telling us – providing the high-quality, enriching and supportive learning environments our children and young people deserve requires investment. With prices increasing, we believe money should be put directly into playrooms and classrooms to provide the vital tools, materials and resources which our staff and learners need. Not only do we seek to protect devolved school and nursery budgets, we propose significantly boosting their per-capita spend on a recurring basis by £0.361m, an inflation- busting 10.3% uplift. We further propose a recurring investment of £0.625m to counter the rising costs of producing high-quality, healthy meals and snacks, and to support projects around increasing uptake of school meals and reducing food waste. We also believe that Community Learning and Development (CLD) services, including Adult Learning Services and Youth Work, are key to widening access to lifelong educational attainment and employment prospects, tackling digital exclusion, improving health and wellbeing, and helping people to identify and address many of the barriers they experience in their everyday lives. Investment in CLD can prevent those barriers growing in scale or number, meet additional support needs, and make a critical contribution towards meeting those challenges at a wider, societal level. We therefore propose an additional £1m of recurrent funding to the Youth, Family and Community Learning service to support their vital work. This new investment totals almost an additional £2m annually directly for our classrooms, dining halls, pupils and their families, to truly enhance education in South Lanarkshire. Rapid Rehousing Accelerator Fund The fundamental right to a permanent, safe and warm home is a priority for us. We propose to invest £1.900m in addition to existing Scottish Government funding for Rapid Rehousing Transition. This will prevent and drive down homelessness in South Lanarkshire and improve service delivery and outcomes. SLLC eNIC Offset The recently increased Employers’ National Insurance Contributions are not being fully covered in Scotland, and not being covered at all for the council’s arms-length external organisations (ALEOs). This additional tax bill will hit users of South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture services directly. We propose to give SLLC an additional £0.650m. This will minimise the impact on SLLC facility and sports pricing. Galas and Festivals Fund We recognise that each community in South Lanarkshire has its own history and identity. Over the years, the council and its legacy authorities have funded galas, festivals and community events in different ways. We believe the result is that we now have an inequitable system. We propose that a new Galas and Festivals Fund is created, using existing funding allocated for Christmas lights switch ons, with an additional £0.300m recurring investment. This fund provides an opportunity to recognise the importance of these events and ensures more equitable funding model for our diverse communities. 23
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Third Sector Funding and 6% Uplift We believe in supporting our third sector organisations. In addition to rejecting the above saving FCR01, we propose to reinstate the previous funding for the following organisations (at a cost of £0.077m), we also propose a further 6% inflation-busting uplift to those same organisations (£0.028m), recognising that they are already informally or formally integrated with the delivery of local plans. We will also provide for continuation of funding for Terminal One (£0.147m) Clydesdale CAB East Kilbride CAB Hamilton CAB Rutherglen CAB Hamilton Information Project for Youth Lightburn Elderly Association Project Terminal One Youth Centre As part of the voluntary sector review their relationship with the council should be formalised and their potential maximised. One-off Investments: £12.605m Larkhall Leisure Centre – Equitable Replacement We believe it is vital that Larkhall receives a replacement leisure centre that is fit for the future and meets the needs of the community and surrounding areas. We recognise local residents and community groups do not support the existing plans in their current form. We therefore propose a one-off transfer to the Capital Budget for an additional £4m towards this project, bringing the total project budget to £27.9m. This investment will allow us to address valid concerns raised by the local community regarding the proposed size and utility of the facility. Pavements, Paths and Parks Fund We aspire to have towns, villages and open spaces across South Lanarkshire which are safe for pedestrians, while supporting healthy lifestyles through physical activity and improving the look and feel of our environment. We therefore propose an investment of £2.850m for the improvement of our pavements, paths and parks. We propose this investment will be spread over two years and across the four administrative areas, on the basis of network length and be subject to an online Participatory Budgeting exercise, enabling communities to prioritise where the additional expenditure in their area is targeted. £0.100m of this is additional funding for staffing, equipment and training for non-glyphosate weeding in playparks. We would also ask officers to explore low-maintenance grounds materials to minimise the need for weeding in playparks. The Pothole Pot We recognise that potholes are a persistent concern of South Lanarkshire residents. We believe our current approach to road maintenance does not address the state of our road network in the most efficient manner. We therefore propose a £2m “Pothole Pot” to invest in areas, including new pothole repair technologies, such as the JCB Pothole Pro, which are being used by other councils in Scotland and abroad. Delayed Discharge – Social Care Capacity We recognise that delayed discharge from hospital is impacted by the capacity within our social care system. We propose investing £2m over 2 years to increase capacity, preventing hospitalisations and accelerating safe discharge, thereby easing pressure on our NHS. 24
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Hamilton, Blantyre and East Kilbride Sports Facilities Planning We believe lessons must be learnt from the community’s experience in Larkhall. In particular, community plans must be respected and future community engagement must be open, collaborative, and sustained. Given the challenges and timescale involved in reaching this stage with the Larkhall Leisure Centre plans, we propose a one-off investment of £0.5m for the following: Engagement with all stakeholders, Blantyre Futures and the wider community in Blantyre to consider local sport, leisure and culture needs in the community and work towards co-design of a new facility during 2025/26 Engagement with the East Kilbride community to carry out an assessment of the John Wright Centre facilities and consider options for refurbishment or replacement of the Centre An assessment of the condition of Hamilton Water Palace The resulting plans from these exercises would require capital investment in future years to implement. We also propose reports are brought to the appropriate council committee as soon as possible on these matters. A Culture Strategy for South Lanarkshire We believe that culture has a critical role in ensuring both community wellbeing and a well- being economy. It helps provide a strong sense of community and place, plays a strong role in education, health and wellbeing, recognises the value of our libraries, arts and heritage and is an important employer bringing in investment and visitors to South Lanarkshire. We propose a one-off investment of £0.5m over two years to develop a 10 year place- based strategy, working closely with communities and stakeholders to ensure all voices are heard and recognised. The strategy should include a plan for transforming and enhancing the role of our libraries in each community. The funding provides for activities and events which facilitate the development of the strategy and test approaches. Clydesdale Social Care We believe health and social care should be provided close to home where possible. We recognise the rural nature of Clydesdale requires a bespoke approach to addressing social care needs. We propose a one-off investment of £0.285m to enable extensive community engagement, exploring (and where appropriate, testing) ideas for a hub and spoke model for formal and informal care in Clydesdale. The results from this exercise would require capital investment in future years to implement. Post-CAT Support Officers Community Asset Transfers (CATs) present excellent opportunities for our local community groups to grow, but the associated responsibilities that come with managing and maintaining a facility can be overwhelming. To help ensure success, we propose £0.2m funding over the next 2 years for two dedicated post-CAT Support Officers, to provide ongoing support as required. Homelessness Support Officers To enhance the above noted recurring investment of £2m in the Rapid Rehousing Transition, we also propose to provide £0.180m for 2 years funding of three additional Homelessness Support Officers, to ensure our most vulnerable residents are supported and to ease the pressures on our existing housing staff. 25
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Rutherglen 900 Celebrations Rutherglen was granted a Royal Charter from King David I of Scotland in 1126, making it the oldest royal burgh in Scotland. With the upcoming 900th anniversary in 2026, we propose an investment of £0.090m to enable the council, working with the Rutherglen 900 Committee, to ensure Ruglonians can both celebrate the rich 900-year history of their town and enjoy the lasting legacy of such a high-profile event. Integrated Impact Assessment The Council needs to comply with an increasing number of similar, but different, rights- based statutory duties. It has been agreed that the Council will adopt an integrated impact assessment approach to ensure the Council carries out the necessary assessments, and in a consistent, but proportionate, manner with all relevant legal duties being considered, and importantly that these will all be assessed at the same time. It will also identify any suitable mitigations to support implementation of a particular proposal. It has been agreed that this approach will be applied to any Budget Amendments as part of the budget setting process. The IIA for completion will be carried out after the budget meeting.” 26
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Appendix 1 (to Cllr Ross’ amendment) Budget Gap from Officers’ Report (Section 4.12 / Table 3) £5.264m Agreed Savings: £m M&O01 – Procurement (except from £0.014 million related to insurance for parent councils) 0.941 M&O02 – Overtime 0.364 M&O03 - Management Structures 1.000 M&O04 - Reduce Corporate Accommodation 0.362 M&O05 - Salary Sacrifice 0.088 M&O06 – South Lanarkshire Leisure & Culture Utilities 1.000 COR01 - Council Charges (only 3% increase accepted) 0.066 CER01 – Christmas Events 0.045 CER03 - Weedkilling 0.510 CER10 – Business Support 0.409 CER11 – Grounds/Grass Cutting (accepting high density, reducing lower density from 14 to 10 cuts per annum) 0.650 CER14 – Income Generation (Bereavement) (Only 3% accepted) 0.076 HTR01 - Sheltered Housing - Housing Support Funding to Registered Social Landlords (RSLs) 0.300 HTR02 – Community Safety Partnership Contribution 0.018 Total Savings (A) 5.829 Proposed Council Tax Increase 4.75% (every 1% generates £1.580 million) 7.505 = Total Savings and Increase from Council Tax 13.334 (Budget Surplus) / Gap After Savings and Council Tax (8.070) Add: Recurring Revenue Investments: Place and Planet Fund 2.347 Enhancing Education Fund 1.986 Rapid Rehousing Accelerator Fund 1.900 SLLC eNIC Offset 0.650 Galas and Festivals Fund 0.300 Third Sector Funding and 6% Uplift 0.252 Total Recurring Revenue Investments Proposed (B) 7.435 (Budget Surplus) / Budget Gap Before One-Off Investments (0.635) Add: One-Off Investments Larkhall Leisure Centre – Equitable Replacement (transfer to capital) 4.000 Pavements, Paths and Parks Fund – 2yr PB approach 2.850 The Pothole Pot – new technologies to repair potholes 2.000 27
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Delayed Discharge – Social Care Capacity 2.000 Hamilton, Blantyre and East Kilbride Sports Facilities Planning 0.500 Developing a Culture Strategy for South Lanarkshire – 2yr plan 0.500 Clydesdale Social Care – Exploration of a Hub and Spoke Model 0.285 Post-Community Asset Transfer Support Officers – 2yr 0.200 Homelessness Support Officers – 2yr 0.180 Rutherglen 900 Celebrations 0.090 Total One-Off Investments (C) 12.605 Less : One-Off Funding Available (see section 6) (11.970) Budget Gap NIL Restatement of Net Expenditure Figure (report section 7.4) Net Expenditure Figure within Revenue Budget Paper (sections 7.4 and associated appendices) £1,003.845m Add Back Assumed Level of Savings in Budget Paper (section 7.2) £5.264m Less Assumed Level of One-Off Investments (section 7.2) (£6.150m) Adjusted Net Expenditure Figure (before savings) £1,002.959m Deduct: Actual Savings Taken from Table above (A) (£5.829m) Add: Any Further Investment Proposed (B and C from Table above) £20.040m Revised Net Expenditure figure for Revenue Budget (D) £1,017.170m Restatement of Net Sum Funded by Council Tax (Table 2, report section 7.5) Revised Net Expenditure Figure for Revenue Budget for 2025/2026 (D from Table above) £1,017.170m Deduct: Government Grant (£823.867m) Deduct: Use of Reserves / Underspends in the Budget Strategy (£23.455m) = Resultant Net Sum to be Funded Locally from Council Tax £169.848m In moving his amendment, Councillor Ross thanked the Finance staff for their assistance during the budget process. He said his proposals sought to minimise the impact on household budgets and invested in the need for both today and tomorrow. He advised that his Group had been able to work constructively with Councillor Robb and incorporated a lot of her initiatives into the amendment. He considered that a balanced budget, with no Council Tax increase, might have been feasible this year, however, directly as a result of employers’ National Insurance contributions, a difficult decision had to be taken to either increase Council Tax or cut back on services. In this instance, his amendment proposed a 4.75% increase in Council Tax in order to achieve a balanced budget, protect services and invest in the future. He spoke on key aspects of his proposals. Councillor Chalmers, in seconding the amendment, added her thanks to the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) and her team. She highlighted that the Third Sector and Council had worked well together in response to the COVID pandemic and considered that relationship had diminished since then, therefore, she was keen to see it built back up to work in partnership to achieve shared objectives. Councillors Loudon, Cowan, Clark, Frame and Miller, in turn, as Opposition spokespeople, then spoke on matters relating to their Resource remits within their budget proposals. 28
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Councillor Robb spoke on her priorities, the current budget process and what future changes she would like to see implemented. She thanked the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) and her team for their help in the budget process. Councillor Watson echoed the comments made in terms of support from officers and their hard work. He also wished to acknowledge the work of officers following the recent storm Eowyn, who had worked in unprecedented, difficult conditions and dealing with the aftermath. The Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) responded to his question in respect of both budget amendments that had been put forward and their impact on the figures for the next 2 years in terms of savings. The Provost clarified that Councillor Fagan’s amendment would be considered as the motion, as no-one had moved the officer’s recommendations. On a vote being taken using the electronic voting system, 37 members voted for the motion and 27 for the amendment. The motion was declared carried. The Council decided: (1) that the revised 3 year Budget Gap of £37.584 million, including the impact of the Local Government Settlement detailed at paragraph 4.12 and the use of Loans Fund Review/Service Concession detailed at paragraph 4.7, be approved; (2) that the 2025/2026 Budget Gap of £5.264 million, as detailed in paragraph 4.12, be noted; (3) that the amount of savings, totalling £6.485 million, and an increase in the level of Council Tax of 6% to be used to balance the 2025/2026 Budget, as detailed in Councillor Fagan’s motion, be agreed; (4) that the options for use of investment monies in the 2025/2026 Budget, as detailed in Councillor Fagan’s motion, be agreed; (5) that the assumptions detailed at paragraph 7.2, used to arrive at the Budget presented in section 7, be noted; (6) that it be noted that the budget figures detailed at section 7, based on the assumptions in paragraph 7.2, would be updated to reflect the agreed Budget; (7) that the potential impact of savings beyond 2025/2026 be noted; (8) that the Revenue Budget for 2025/2026, including the base budget allocations to Resources, as detailed in Appendix 4 of the report, be approved, subject to Members’ decision on recommendation 3 and 4; and (9) that it be noted that the Council had considered and given due regard to the assessments contained in the Integrated Impact Assessments relating to the proposals in this report, and the outcome of the associated public consultation detailed at paragraph 14. [Reference: Minutes of the Executive Committee of 12 February 2025 (Paragraph 7)] Councillor Donnelly joined the meeting during this item of business and prior to the vote. In terms of Standing Order No 14, the Provost adjourned the meeting 1.14pm. The meeting reconvened at 1.19pm 29
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3 2025/2026 Capital Programme Update A report dated 6 February 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the proposed General Services Capital Programme for 2025/2026, reflecting the spend requirements identified by Resources and the availability of funding. The proposed Capital Programme for 2025/2026 was based on the level of funding available in- year which was covered at Section 4 of the report and included details of the Council’s grant allocations received as part of the Local Government Finance Settlement received on 12 December 2024 and updated on 4 February 2025. The total funding available for the 2025/2026 Capital Programme was £60.216 million, details of which were provided in Appendix 1 to the report, with specific projects listed at Appendix 4 to the report. The Scottish Government had an allocation of £79 million nationally earmarked for flood prevention which had not yet been distributed to councils. This was not included in the General Fund Capital Grant funding of £25.062 million. Further information was anticipated on this in April/May 2025 and would be advised to members at that point. An Integrated Impact Assessment had been undertaken for the overall Council Capital Programme for 2025/2026. Councillor Rae and Councillor Loudon wished to thank the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) and his team for their assistance with the Clyde Cycle Park Project. The Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) responded to Councillor Allison’s question in terms of flood prevention and the purpose of the Climate Emergency Funding. The Council decided: (1) that the 2025/2026 Capital Programme, totalling £60.216 million, as detailed in paragraph 5.16 and Appendix 4 of the report, be approved; and (2) that it be noted that the Council had considered and given due regard to the assessments contained in the Integrated Impact Assessments relating to the proposals in this report, and the outcome of the associated public consultation detailed at paragraph 11 of the report. 4 Prudential Indicators, Treasury Management Strategy and Annual Investment Strategy 2025/2026 A report dated 7 February 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the:- Prudential Code indicators for 2025/2026 to 2027/2028 Council’s Treasury Management Strategy for 2025/2026 Council’s Annual Investment Strategy for 2025/2026 The Prudential Code for Capital Finance in Local Authorities was introduced through the Local Government (Scotland) Act 2003 with the aim of supporting strategic planning for capital investment at a local level. The key objectives of the Prudential Code were to ensure, within a clear framework, that:- local authorities’ capital expenditure plans were affordable, prudent and sustainable 30
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treasury management decisions were taken in accordance with good professional practice and in full understanding of the risks involved and how those risks would be managed to levels that were acceptable to the organisation The Prudential Indicators for 2025/2026 to 2027/2028 were shown in Appendix 1, together with explanations for each indicator. An updated position for 2024/2025 was also included. The Prudential Indicators included estimates of capital expenditure. When considering potential capital investment, the Council ensured that the objectives of capital investment were in line with its strategic plans and informed through the asset management planning process. The Council’s treasury activities were regulated by statute and a professional code of practice. The Treasury Management Strategy for 2025/2026 was detailed at Appendix 2 to the report. The main areas covered by the Strategy were:- debt and investment projections expected movement in interest rates borrowing strategies statutory repayment of loans fund advances The level of borrowing required to fund the Council’s Capital Programme, together with the variable nature of interest rates, increased the risks associated with the treasury management function. The Council would, therefore, take a cautious approach to its Treasury Strategy by setting treasury management indicators to contain the activity of the treasury function within certain limits, thereby managing risk and reducing the impact of adverse movements in interest rates. The Local Government Investments (Scotland) Regulations 2010 provided a formal investment framework for councils. The Regulations required an Annual Investment Strategy, detailing the permitted investments to be approved by the Council. The Annual Investment Strategy for 2025/2026 was attached as Appendix 3 to the report. The Council decided: (1) that the Prudential Code indicators for 2025/2026 to 2027/2028 be approved; (2) that the 2025/2026 Treasury Management Strategy be approved; and (3) that the Annual Investment Strategy for 2025/2026 be approved. 5 Urgent Business There were no items of urgent business. Provost’s Closing Remarks The Provost reminded members of the Standing Orders on Procedures, particularly in relation to behaviour and Points of Order. 31
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RISK AND AUDIT SCRUTINY COMMITTEE Minutes of meeting held via Confero and in Committee Room 1, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton on 19 November 2024 Chair: Councillor Mary Donnelly (Depute) Councillors Present: Councillor Alistair Fulton, Councillor Ross Gowland, Councillor Susan Kerr, Councillor Richard Lockhart Councillors' Apologies: Councillor Mathew Buchanan, Councillor Celine Handibode, Councillor Cal Johnston-Dempsey, Councillor Elaine McDougall (Chair) Attending: Finance and Corporate Resources J Taylor, Executive Director; Y Douglas, Audit and Compliance Manager; E-A McGonigle, Administration Adviser; A Norris, Administration Assistant; L O’Hagan, Head of Finance (Strategy); I Strachan, Head of Administration and Legal Services Also Attending: Audit Scotland A Barclay, External Auditor 1 Declaration of Interests No interests were declared. 2 Minutes of Previous Meeting The minutes of the meeting of the Risk and Audit Scrutiny Committee held on 24 September 2024 were submitted for approval as a correct record. The Committee decided: that the minutes be approved as a correct record. 3 Internal Audit Activity as at 31 October 2024 A report dated 1 November 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on work completed by Internal Audit during the period 31 August to 31 October 2024. Findings from internal audit assignments were reported to this Committee throughout the year and the last progress report was considered by this Committee on 24 September 2024. Information was provided for Internal Audit work completed during the period 31 August to 31 October 2024. As at 31 October 2024, 89% of the 2024/2025 Audit Plan was in progress. Of the 89% of assignments started, 32% related to assignments that were delivered over the course of the year. Assignments completed in the period 31 August to 31 October 2024, together with a summary of overall assurances, were detailed in Appendix 1 to the report. Key performance indicators for the period to 31 October 2024 were included in Appendix 2 to the report. 4 33
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The Internal Audit function within the Council was required to comply with the Public Sector Internal Audit Standards (PSIAS) in the delivery of the service. From April 2025, those Standards would be replaced by the Global Internal Audit Standards (UK Public Sector). The new Standards would have 2 elements:- the Global Internal Audit Standards (GIAS) an Application Note: GIAS in the UK Public Sector which would be supplemented by a Chartered institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) Code of Practice on the Governance of Internal Audit in Local Government A brief overview of the new Standards was provided in paragraphs 5.2 to 5.7 of the report. A separate report on the new Standard, Application Note and Code of Practice would be presented to the Committee in February 2025. Work had commenced on the Internal Audit Plan 2025/2026 and information was provided at section 6 of the report. Consultation exercises involving the Council Resources and External Audit were being progressed and would be concluded by the end of the calendar year. Once the consultation process was concluded, the comprehensive list of audits would be risk assessed and an Audit Plan would be presented to the Committee for approval. An update was also provided on progress against the Audit Strategy which was a requirement of the PSIAS. Delivery of the 2024/2025 Strategy would be evidenced by the completion of the Internal Audit Plan in year, and monitored during the year by performance indicators which were regularly reported to the Committee. The Committee decided: that progress on Internal Audit activity be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 24 September 2024 (Paragraph 7)] 4 Audit Scotland – Transformation in Councils A report dated 28 October 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted providing a summary of the information contained within the Audit Scotland ‘Transformation in councils’ report. In October 2024, Audit Scotland published a report entitled ‘Transformation in councils’ on behalf of the Accounts Commission. The Audit Scotland report was part of a series of outputs produced by the Accounts Commission that provided an independent overview of the local government sector. The report had been structured as follows:- Key messages Commission expectations Introduction Part 1 – Council’s must transform to become financially sustainable Part 2 – Urgent action was required to progress transformation The introduction and key messages from the Audit Scotland report were fully detailed in section 4 of the report. The Council’s position in relation to the key messages in the Audit Scotland report and its progress in relation to transformation were detailed in section 5 of the report. 34
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Members expressed appreciation of the work undertaken by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) and Finance colleagues, particularly the regular briefings on the financial challenges faced and the innovative solutions that had been presented in relation to savings. The Chair advised that she had spoken to the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) in relation to offering a members’ session. The Committee decided: (1) that the key messages from the Audit Scotland ‘Transformation in Councils’ report, as detailed in section 4 of the report, be noted; and (2) that the Council’s position in relation to those key messages, as detailed in section 5 of the report, be noted. 5 Forward Programme for Future Meetings A report dated 1 November 2024 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the outline forward programme for the meetings of the Risk and Audit Scrutiny Committee to 9 December 2025. As part of future arrangements, members were invited to suggest topics for inclusion in the Committee’s forward programme. The Committee decided: that the outline forward programme for the meetings of the Risk and Audit Scrutiny Committee to 9 December 2025 be noted. [Reference: Minutes 24 September 2024 (Paragraph 11)] 6 Urgent Business There were no items of urgent business. 35
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Report Agenda Item Report to: South Lanarkshire Council Date of Meeting: 7 May 2025 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: South Lanarkshire Integration Joint Board – Reappointment of the Council’s Voting Members and Substitute Members 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] request approval for the reappointment of the Council’s voting and substitute voting members on the South Lanarkshire Integration Joint Board (IJB) [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Council is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the following members be reappointed as voting and substitute voting members on the South Lanarkshire IJB:- Councillors Margaret B Walker, Eileen Logan, Maureen Chalmers and Elise Frame as voting members on the South Lanarkshire Integration Joint Board Councillors Allan Falconer, Kirsty Williams, Hugh Macdonald and John Ross as substitute voting members on the South Lanarkshire Integration Joint Board [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. The South Lanarkshire Integration Joint Board at its meeting on 6 October 2015 approved the Integration Joint Board’s Standing Orders. The Standing Orders are required by the Integration Joint Board under the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Scotland) Act 2014 and the Public Bodies (Joint Working) (Integration Joint Boards) (Scotland) Order 2014 (No 285). 3.2. The Standing Orders allow for the Council to appoint its voting members and substitute members to the IJB for a period of 3 years, after which they require to be reappointed. 3.3. Following the Local Government elections in May 2022, the Council agreed that Councillors Margaret B Walker, Eileen Logan, John Bradley and Maureen Chalmers be appointed as voting members and that Councillors Catherine McClymont, Allan Falconer, Elise Frame and Hugh Macdonald be appointed as substitute voting members to the South Lanarkshire IJB for a period of 3 years to June 2025. 5 37
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3.4. On 23 August 2023, the Council agreed that Councillor Elise Frame replace Councillor John Bradley as a voting member on the South Lanarkshire IJB, with Councillor John Ross replacing Councillor Elise Frame as a substitute member. 3.5. On 1 November 2023, the Council appointed Councillor Kirsty Williams as a substitute voting member on the South Lanarkshire IJB, replacing Councillor Catherine McClymont. 4. Reappointment of Voting and Substitute Members of the South Lanarkshire Integration Joint Board (IJB) 4.1. It is proposed that Councillors Margaret B Walker, Eileen Logan, Maureen Chalmers and Elise Frame be reappointed as voting members and that Councillors Allan Falconer, Kirsty Williams, Hugh Macdonald and John Ross be reappointed as substitute voting members to the IJB for a period of 3 years with effect from 24 June 2025. 5. Employee Implications 5.1. There are no employee implications associated with this report. 6. Financial Implications 6.1. There are no financial implications associated with this report. 7. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 7.1. There are no implications for climate change, sustainability or the environment in terms of the information contained in this report. 8. Other Implications 8.1. There are no risks to the Council in relation to the recommendation contained in this report. 9. Integrated Impact Assessment and Consultation Requirements 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) 8 April 2025 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Fair, open and sustainable Previous References South Lanarkshire Council – 18 May 2022, 23 August 2023 and 1 November 2023 South Lanarkshire Integration Joint Board – 19 September 2023 and 12 December 2023 38
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List of Background Papers Standing Orders for the Integration Joint Board Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Susan Somerville, Administration Manager Ext: 4197 (Tel: 01698 454197) E-mail: susan.somerville@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 39
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Report Agenda Item Report to: South Lanarkshire Council Date of Meeting: 7 May 2025 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Councillor Meeting Participation 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] fulfil an action from the Full Council meeting on 20 November 2024 to bring forward a report on councillor participation at meetings, specifically whether councillors should be able to participate remotely or have to be physically present [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Council is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the contents of this report are noted; (2) that, as outlined at paragraph 4.13, it be noted that the Standards and Procedures Advisory Forum supported the current approach to councillor participation at meetings being continued, with it also being for Business Managers to take up within their own political groups in terms of encouraging in person attendance for some meetings; and (3) that Area Committees are held within the localities, on a hybrid basis, as set out in paragraphs 4.14 to 4.20, with authority being delegated to the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) to implement the same, in consultation with the relevant Area Committee Chairs where appropriate. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. At the 20 November 2024 meeting of the Full Council, the Council considered proposed changes to the Standing Orders on Procedures. The proposed changes were approved, but in response to a point raised by Councillor Watson it was agreed that officers would bring back a report on councillor participation at meetings, specifically whether councillors should be able to participate remotely or have to be physically present. It was noted that this matter would first be discussed at the Standards and Procedures Advisory Forum (SPAF). The SPAF duly considered this on 25 March. 3.2. Section 43 and Schedule 7 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (as amended by Section 43 of the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003) allows for formal local authority meetings (including committees, joint committees and sub- committees) to be conducted in any way in which each member is enabled to participate, even if not physically present. Section 43 provides that a meeting shall be conducted in such a manner, however, only on the direction of the convener, whom failing, the deputy convener of the authority, committee or, as the case may be, sub-committee. In practice, for the Council, this direction is dealt with through the Standing Orders on Procedures. 6 41
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3.3. Section 30 of the Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) (Scotland) Act 2022 provides that: - “A licensing authority may determine that a meeting is to be held— (a)in person, (b)wholly through the use of remote facilities, or (c)partly in person and partly through the use of remote facilities. When determining how a meeting is to be held, a licensing authority must take account of any views given on that issue by any person who notifies the authority of an intention to participate in the meeting.” There are similar provisions in Section 32 in respect of alcohol licensing and Licensing Boards, which are a separate legal entity from the local authority. 3.4. During the covid pandemic in 2020, and following successful trials and training, from June 2020 Council/Committee meetings were held on a fully remote basis using Microsoft Teams. From January 2021, meetings that would normally have been open to the public were recorded and uploaded to the Council’s YouTube page. From 28 April 2021, the Council began to livestream meetings of its Standing Committees directly to the YouTube page. Where necessary, arrangements were made to facilitate remote attendance by external parties at regulatory meetings or hearings. In 2022, the Council completed an upgrade to the audio-visual system in the Council Chamber and also installed the system in Committee Room 1, to improve the overall livestream viewer experience. 3.5. In the period since 2022, the Council has operated on the basis that all Council/Committee meetings will be held on a hybrid basis, with councillors (including the Chair and Depute Chair, although it is preferable that the Chair is there in person) able to decide whether to attend remotely or in person. In approving changes to the Standing Orders on Procedures on 20 November 2024, the Council agreed to a change which formalised this approach, stating in Standing Order 4(a) that “Meetings will be held on a hybrid basis unless otherwise determined by the Chair, in consultation with the Chief Executive/Executive Director, and, if open to the public, will be livestreamed or a recording made available shortly afterwards”. 3.6. This report only considers formal Council/Committee meetings being held on a remote/hybrid basis. It does not consider meetings outside of the Council’s formal decision-making structure or informal meetings, including agenda meetings, working groups and the like. In respect of those other such meetings the current approach is considered to work well. It neither considers meetings of the Integration Joint Board (IJB) or the 4 Divisions of the South Lanarkshire Licensing Board, which are separate legal entities. It is, however, noted that the IJB meets on a fully remote basis, albeit the IJB decided at its meeting on 19 September 2023 that it would look to move to a combination of virtual and a flexible hybrid approach. Separately, the 4 Divisions of the Licensing Board take their own approaches (1 meeting in person, 2 meeting remotely and 1 alternating its approach depending upon the nature of the business before it). The Divisions do, however, still take account of the Coronavirus (Recovery and Reform) (Scotland) Act 2022, as mentioned above. 3.7. In order to help inform this report, for the remainder of the committee cycle following the November 2024 Full Council meeting, officers kept an informal record of the manner in which members have participated in Council/Committee meetings. The results show that for 14 meetings across November and December, there was an average in person participation of 39% (not including members who submitted 42
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apologies), the figure being higher at 50% when the 3 meetings of CandE Resources, HandT Resources and Executive Committees are considered on their own. One meeting, the December Financial Resources Scrutiny Forum, was held with all members being remote. The Executive Committee of December had the highest in person attendance, at 66%, the next highest being Planning and Licensing (3 December) Committees, each with 57%. For the avoidance of doubt, there was no distinction made at meetings when the clerk was taking the sederunt, or within the minutes. 4. Considerations Approach in Other Scottish Local Authorities 4.1. The Head of Administration and Legal Services conducted an informal survey of other Scottish local authorities over December 2024/January 2025 to seek to understand their approach to meeting participation. The feedback can be summarised as follows, on the basis of 24 responses. As is to be expected, the approach of each authority reflects practice which has evolved over the last 5 years and also local circumstances. The following points can, however, be taken from the survey responses :- All respondents have provision for remote participation 21 (88%) have an agreed approach around the methods by which members can participate It is common that the Chair participates in person In a number of authorities, the meeting format is determined by the Chair, and in two authorities remote participation is only permitted with the Chair’s agreement (agreement not to be unreasonably withheld for 1 and only required in respect of quasi-judicial/regulatory meetings for the other) In two authorities the meeting format is determined by the Clerk Levels of remote/in person participation are extremely variable depending upon the authority and meeting in question In some authorities there are meetings which are held in person, the most common of which appear to be appeals and regulatory committees, but this does not appear to be widespread. 4.2. However, as noted above, it is also clear that local arrangements have developed which are particular to the local authority in question. This has been in response to the pandemic and then to reflect changing working practices and improved meeting technology, as well as to provide more flexibility to accommodate members’ other work/personal commitments, and reduce time spent travelling. Approach elsewhere in the UK 4.3. At the Local Government Association conference in October 2024, the Secretary of State announced that powers to hold meetings remotely would be included in upcoming legislation. As members may know, this development has followed a long campaign by local government for this flexibility, since only temporary flexibility was permitted during the pandemic. In addition, in a 2023 survey of English councils, 95% indicated they would welcome this power. The power is already available to local authorities in Wales. 4.4. The UK Government consultation referred to above states that:- “The government intends to legislate to give local authorities the flexibility to allow elected members to attend formal council meetings remotely. We believe that this 43
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modernising measure of providing broad flexibility to enable remote attendance will have the dual positive impacts of diversifying the representation of those willing and able to stand for elected office and enhance the resilience of local authorities in the face of local or national emergencies.” Benefits of Remote Participation 4.5. It is acknowledged that there have been occasions when technical issues have affected the remote participation by councillors. Such issues have generally been isolated and resolved swiftly. Councillors are, of course, always able to attend a meeting in person should they wish to avoid the risk of any such issues. 4.6. Linked to the above, the technology that supports the meeting, together with the manner in which the meeting is chaired and conducted, needs to ensure that all participants have the same ability to actually participate in and contribute to the meeting, whether they are attending remotely or in person. 4.7. There will also be times when having all members physically present may help make the meeting more effective, however this opinion may differ between individual members. 4.8. Despite this, from an officer perspective, it is considered that the current approach to member participation works well, and should continue, as it offers potentially significant benefits to increase accessibility and inclusion, by helping reduce barriers which might otherwise prevent or dissuade people from standing for election and which might prevent existing councillors from being as effective as they might be. Key considerations include:- travel related challenges – the time, disruption and cost associated with travel, especially for councillors who live in more rural locations; competing responsibilities, be that caring duties, professional commitments or other personal responsibilities; inclusion, i.e. personal or protected characteristics that could make physical attendance challenging. 4.9. The use of new meeting technologies can also make it easier to convene meetings where required to meet urgent business needs. In addition, being able to have meetings on a remote basis creates less pressure on meeting room availability. 4.10. As was reported to the Executive Committee on 13 November 2024, the Scottish Government has recently consulted on a proposal to permit proxy voting by councillors. The Council submitted a consultation response supporting the principle of that proposal. The continued adoption of hybrid meetings is consistent with that, as another method or providing more flexible ways for councillors to participate and vote at meetings where they might otherwise be unable to. Councillor Meeting Participation - Conclusion 4.11. For the reasons summarised above, officers support the current approach being continued. This would be consistent with the approach of other Scottish local authorities, and also reflect the likely legislative developments in England. The legislative default position is that participation is to be in person, but the statutory framework also now permits the holding of hybrid/remote meetings, on the direction of the Chair/Depute Chair. 44
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4.12. In addition, there would be a significant risk that any approach which did not offer suitable flexibility might be unlawful in terms of the Equality Act 2010. This is because there would always be a need to have due regard to the Council’s legal duties, in particular in respect of protected characteristics. 4.13. The SPAF supported this position, but also agreed that it was a matter for Business Managers to take up within their own political groups in terms of encouraging in person attendance for some meetings. Area Committees 4.14. The SPAF also considered the current approach to holding Area Committees. In relation to these, it was discussed and agreed that it would be preferable that these were held within the relevant locality, to enable more local residents to be able to attend the meetings in person. The SPAF agreed that a proposal be taken to this meeting of the Council, that Area Committees be held on a hybrid basis within their respective localities and exploring options to enable that to happen. 4.15. Officers have assessed this and recommend that a hybrid meeting solution is adopted. This would involve meetings being held in each of the four localities, but (with the exception of Hamilton which would be based in the Council HQ and continue to use Confero) using Microsoft Teams for those requiring to attend remotely, a platform most participants will now be comfortable with. This approach would offer participants the flexibility to attend remotely or in person, although the Committee Chairs may encourage in-person attendance for some participants. 4.16. The four locations being considered to host these hybrid meetings, subject to availability, are: Hamilton: Committee Room 1, Almada Street HQ Cambuslang and Rutherglen: Tower Room, Rutherglen Town Hall Clydesdale: Jerviswood Room, Lanark Memorial Hall East Kilbride: Council Chamber Court, East Kilbride Civic Centre 4.17. Rather than a fixed solution, where equipment is installed independently in each of these locations, it is recommended that a mobile solution is adopted, where equipment is moved to each of the venues, depending on where the meetings are being held. This would also offer the option for it to be used for other meetings too, albeit it would not support multiple meetings at different locations in the same day. 4.18. As with existing meetings, the proposal would involve an interactive Microsoft Teams enabled screen with camera and microphones suitable for the meeting room. There would be mobile connectivity to the room, including cabling for the screen and Wi-Fi for attendees. Live streaming would not be available, but meetings would be recorded for posting to the Council’s Youtube channel following the meeting. It should be noted that none of the 3 sites outside Hamilton currently have suitable connectivity or wireless capability for the identified rooms. 4.19. Based upon the assessments undertaken, it is estimated that one off costs associated with this proposal would cost in the region of £0.020m which would include networking and connectivity. The annual recurring costs would be in the region of £0.010m for connectivity and supplier support. Final details will only be available following site surveys and detailed quotes from suppliers. Room hire, 45
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excluding Hamilton for which there would be no charge, is estimated at no more than £100 each meeting. 4.20. This would need to be supported by relevant Council staff, and likely some external on-site ICT support too. The resource implications for Council staff has not been costed, but would need to be accommodated within existing budgets and workload, including the necessary travel and set up time. 5. Employee Implications 5.1. At this stage, there are no employee implications directly arising from this report. 6. Financial Implications 6.1 The resource implications for the holding of the Area Committees in the localities is assessed in Section 4. It is proposed that the one off costs could be met from within Finance and Corporate Resources IT, and Administration equipment budgets, and the recurring costs accommodated within the overall FCR budget. 7. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 7.1. There are no climate change, sustainability or environmental implications directly arising from this report. It is, however, noted that permitting remote attendance at meetings reduces the amount of travel a councillor might otherwise have to take to/from the Council headquarters. 8. Other Implications 8.1. To ensure that there is no risk of being in breach of legislative requirements and to ensure compliance with good governance principles, political management arrangements require to be kept under review. 9. Integrated 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. Consultation has been undertaken with other Scottish local authorities to understand their approach to councillor participation in meetings. All Resources and elected members were previously consulted on the recent review of the Standing Orders on Procedures which agreed a default approach of holding meetings on a hybrid basis, as noted above. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 15 April 2025 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes • Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent • Fair, open and sustainable Previous References South Lanarkshire Council of 20 November 2024 List of Background Papers None 46
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Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Iain Strachan, Head of Administration and Legal Services (Tel: 01698 454658) E-mail: iain.strachan@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 47
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