Agenda Document Pack - South Lanarkshire Council - 10/12/2025
South Lanarkshire Council · 10 December 2025
Back to South Lanarkshire Council — 10 December 2025 and its agenda
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Council Offices, Almada Street Hamilton, ML3 0AA Tuesday, 02 December 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, 10 December 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 1 October 2025 submitted for approval as a correct record. (Copy attached) 5 - 14 3 Minutes of Petitions Committee Minutes of the meeting of the Petitions Committee held on 25 April 2025 submitted for approval as a correct record. (Copy attached) 15 - 20 4 Minutes of Risk and Audit Scrutiny Committee Minutes of the meeting of the Risk and Audit Scrutiny Committee held on 25 June 2025 submitted for noting. (Copy attached) 21 - 26 Item(s) for Decision 5 South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan 3 Evidence Report Report dated 19 November 2025 by the Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources). (Copy attached) 27 - 32 6 Outcome of Interim Polling Scheme Review Report dated 2 December 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 33 - 42 7 Proposed Update to Education Appeals Committee Terms of Reference Report dated 21 November 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 43 - 46 8 Notice of Motion - Investing in Housing and Investigating Rent Controls Motion received in terms of Standing Order No. 21 on 21 November 2025, proposed by Councillor Kirsten Robb and seconded by Councillor Andrea Cowan. (Copy attached) 47 - 48 9 Notice of Motion - Downsizing Incentive Scheme Motion received in terms of Standing Order No. 21 on 21 November 2025, proposed by Councillor Andrea Cowan and seconded by Councillor Colin Dewar. (Copy attached) 49 - 50 10 Notice of Motion - Local Authority of Sanctuary Motion received in terms of Standing Order No. 21 on 21 November 2025, proposed by Councillor Andrea Cowan and seconded by Councillor Elaine McDougall. (Copy attached) 51 - 52 11 Notice of Motion - Bank of Scotland Closure, Larkhall Motion received in terms of Standing Order No. 21 on 24 November 2025, proposed by Councillor Richard Nelson and seconded by Councillor Ross Clark. (Copy attached) 53 - 54 2
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12 Notice of Motion - Public Access Defibrillators Policy and Guidance Motion received in terms of Standing Order No. 21 on 24 November 2025, proposed by Councillor Ross Clark and seconded by Councillor Mary Donnelly. (Copy attached) 55 - 56 13 Notice of Motion - Review of the Petitions Process Motion received in terms of Standing Order No. 21 on 24 November 2025, proposed by Councillor Ross Clark and seconded by Councillor Elise Frame. (Copy attached) 57 - 58 14 Notice of Motion - Maintenance of Safe Walking Routes Motion received in terms of Standing Order No. 21 on 24 November 2025, proposed by Councillor Elise Frame and seconded by Councillor Katy Loudon. (Copy attached) 59 - 60 15 Notice of Motion - 16 Days of Activism to End Gender Based Violence Motion received in terms of Standing Order No. 21 on 25 November 2025, proposed by Councillor Mary Donnelly and seconded by Councillor Ross Clark. (Copy attached) 61 - 62 16 Notice of Motion - Rutherglen 900 Motion received in terms of Standing Order No. 21 on 25 November 2025, proposed by Councillor Robert Brown and seconded by Councillor Andrea Cowan. (Copy attached) 63 - 64 17 Notice of Motion - Review of the Management of Trees Motion received in terms of Standing Order No. 21 on 25 November 2025, proposed by Councillor Joe Fagan and seconded by Councillor Robert Brown. (Copy attached) 65 - 66 18 Notice of Motion - Investment Challenge Paper Motion received in terms of Standing Order No. 21 on 25 November 2025, proposed by Councillor Joe Fagan and seconded by Councillor Lesley McDonald. (Copy attached) 67 - 68 Item(s) for Noting 19 External Auditor’s Annual Report to South Lanarkshire Council Report dated 12 November 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources). (Copy attached) 69 - 70 Urgent Business 20 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 3
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Clerk Email: susan.somerville@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 4
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SOUTH LANARKSHIRE COUNCIL Minutes of meeting held via MS Teams and in the Council Chamber, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton on 1 October 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 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 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 Richard Lockhart, Councillor Eileen Logan, Councillor Katy Loudon, Councillor Hugh Macdonald, Councillor Julia Marrs, Councillor Ian McAllan, Councillor Catherine McClymont, 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 Councillors' Apologies: Councillor Janine Calikes, Councillor Gladys Ferguson-Miller, Councillor Martin Lennon, Councillor Kenny McCreary Attending: Chief Executive’s Service P Manning, Chief Executive Community and Enterprise Resources D Booth, Executive Director Education Resources L McRoberts, 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 Egan, Head of Housing Services Social Work Resources/Health and Social Care S Sengupta, Director, Health and Social Care Provost’s Opening Remarks The Provost:- advised that there would be a charitable event immediately following this meeting to raise funds for the ‘Touch a Life, Make a Difference’ initiative and thanked, in particular, Councillor Razzaq for organising the buffet and everyone for their contributions of raffle prizes congratulated Councillor Chalmers in her new role as Leader of the SNP Group welcomed Lyndsay McRoberts, newly appointed Executive Director (Education Resources), to her first meeting of the full Council 2 5
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1 Declaration of Interests No interests were declared. 2 Minutes of Previous Meeting The minutes of the meeting of South Lanarkshire Council held on 7 May 2025 were submitted for approval as a correct record. 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 18 February 2025 were submitted for noting. The Council decided: that the minutes be noted. 4 Minutes of Risk and Audit Scrutiny Committee The minutes of the meeting of the Risk and Audit Scrutiny Committee held on 6 May 2025 were submitted for noting. The Council decided: that the minutes be noted. 5 Update to Terms of Reference A report dated 29 August 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted requesting approval to amend the Terms of Reference in respect of Area Committees. The Fireworks and Pyrotechnic Articles (Scotland) Act 2022 introduced a range of restrictions and requirements on the use of fireworks across Scotland. A key aspect of the legislation was the introduction of discretionary powers for local authorities to designate Firework Control Zones (FCZs). An FCZ was an area within a local authority’s boundaries in which it was a criminal offence for a member of the public to ignite a firework, including on private property such as a garden. It was also an offence to set off a firework into the boundaries of a zone, or to knowingly or recklessly throw or cast a lit firework into a zone. At its meeting on 27 August 2025, the Executive Committee agreed that, given the geographical nature of any FCZ and both the benefits and implications it could have locally, it would be appropriate that Area Committees determine whether to approve or reject proposals for FCZs. It was, therefore, proposed that the Terms of Reference for Area Committees be amended to include an additional clause under their Powers and Responsibilities, as detailed in paragraph 4.1 of the report. The Head of Administration and Legal Services advised that there would be elected member briefings held on FCZs following each of the next scheduled Area Committee meetings. 6
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The Council decided: that the Terms of Reference for Area Committees be amended, as set out in paragraph 4.1 of the report, to include the power to designate areas as Firework Control Zones. [Reference: Minutes of 11 September 2024 (Paragraph 4) and Minutes of the Executive Committee of 27 August 2025 (Paragraph 7)] 6 Touch a Life Make a Difference Initiative - Update A report dated 15 September 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the use of donations generated by the ‘Touch a Life, Make a Difference’ fundraising work in 2025. At its meeting held 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 would be chosen to share in the donations generated by the initiative. At the Council meeting on 19 February 2025, it was agreed that 6 further local beneficiaries, rather than 4, would benefit and those were outlined at paragraph 3.4 of the report. It was also agreed that a decision on the approach for sharing of the donations generated by the initiative in 2025 be delegated to the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Provost and the Group Leaders. Currently, the initiative had raised approximately £18,000 and it was anticipated that at least £20,000 would be raised in total. There had been 2 recent developments in the use of the 2025 fundraising. Firstly, on 14 August 2025, Sense Scotland contacted the Council to advise that they were partnering with ‘Big Give’, which was an online match-funding platform, matching donations to double the difference donors could make in support of charitable causes, as part of their Big Birthday Christmas Appeal campaign. Sense Scotland had advised that they were asking all their donors to make a pledge before 29 August 2025, as all pledges would be doubled by ‘Big Give’. While the Council did not know how much would be generated by the ‘Touch a Life, Make a Difference’ initiative, officers assessed that a pledge of £5,000 could be made to Sense Scotland, meaning they would receive £10,000. Following consultation with the Provost and Group Leaders, the Chief Executive used the delegated authority granted by the Council in February 2025, to confirm a £5,000 pledge by the deadline date to enable the charity to take advantage of the match funding. Secondly, the Provost had been contacted in respect of fundraising that Unison was undertaking to transport surplus gym equipment to Ukraine. This was a joint initiative across both North and South Lanarkshire Councils. While the Council was not in a position to donate any surplus gym equipment, it was proposed that £500 be donated from the ‘Touch a Life, Make a Difference’ initiative as a contribution towards the transportation costs. The proposed donation was made subject to its approval by the Council at today’s meeting. The Provost and Group Leaders were advised of the approach that was being taken. A decision on the final sharing of the donations generated by the initiative in 2025 would be taken later in the autumn and an annual update on the work of the initiative would be submitted to the December 2025 meeting of the Council. 7
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The Council decided: (1) that the update on the ‘Touch a Life, Make a Difference’ initiative be noted, including the pledge made by the Council to donate £5,000 to Sense Scotland, as an initial share of the donations generated by the Touch a Life, Make a Difference fundraising work in 2025; (2) that the one-off donation of £500 to Unison’s transportation of surplus gym equipment to Ukraine be approved as a further beneficiary of the initiative; and (3) that it be noted that an annual update on the work of the initiative would be submitted to the December meeting of the Council. [Reference: Minutes of 19 February 2025 (Paragraph 7), 20 November 2024 (Paragraph 7) and 31 January 2024 (Paragraph 7)] 7 Recommendation Referred by Executive Committee – Annual Investment Report 2024/2025 A report dated 24 September 2025 by the Chief Executive was submitted on the recommendation which had been referred to the Council by the Executive Committee of 24 September 2025 in relation to the Council’s Annual Investment Report 2024/2025. The recommendation was that the Council’s Annual Investment Report 2024/2025 be approved. The Council decided: that the recommendation of the Executive Committee of 24 September 2025 in relation to the Council’s Annual Investment Report 2024/2025 be approved. [Reference: Minutes of the Executive Committee of 24 September 2025 (Paragraph 9)] 8 Notice of Motion – South Lanarkshire’s Climate Emergency Declaration In terms of Standing Order No 21, a motion proposed by Councillor Robb, seconded by Councillor Clark, was submitted as follows:- “This council notes that:- The council agreed to a statement of intent in response to the climate emergency in September 2019, acknowledging the serious and immediate threat of climate change; reminding us of the need to accelerate our pace of delivering action; agreeing to set new timescales to meet or exceed the new national target for Scotland (net zero by 2045) and proposing that the Council calls upon its community planning partners, the business community, third sector, trades unions and local citizens to work collectively to accelerate action. Now, 6 years later, the impacts of climate induced severe weather are being increasingly felt locally on our citizens, services, infrastructure and budgets. For Storm Eowyn, these include extra costs for the council for insurance of at least £0.803 million and for £0.395 million for Grounds and Roads works. The costs to citizens, businesses and community planning partners of recent storms and other climate impacts such as food price rises and supply have not been estimated but is likely to be increasingly significant. Climate Emergency UK highlight that we have just 4 years to have a 67% chance of staying within the 1.5 degree threshold, beyond which devastating consequences for people and nature here and around the world are likely. They also note that South Lanarkshire Council has not yet declared an official climate emergency. 8
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Acting faster to reduce carbon emissions and adapt to climate change will also bring additional benefits, explored further for South Lanarkshire at the Co Benefit Atlas website. For example, investing more in walking, cycling and reducing the need to travel will cut emissions from vehicles and improve health via cleaner air and increased physical activity. And investing more in retrofitting homes will reduce poverty and improve health. The range of community climate action across South Lanarkshire as celebrated at the recent Lanarkshire Climate Action Festival, with over 100 events taking place from 8-21 September hosted by community groups, organisations and statutory agencies. The festival is an opportunity for both groups who are experienced in delivering climate action activities as well as those who are just beginning to incorporate climate into their activities. This council agrees to:- Declare that South Lanarkshire Council agrees that there is a climate emergency; reaffirms the need to accelerate local climate action, setting targets and detailing how we will align spend before the end of this term to contribute to national emission reduction targets, whilst achieving a just transition for our most vulnerable citizens. Prepare a report to the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee on the increasing impact of climate induced severe weather such as extreme heat, storms and flooding on the council’s services and budgets, including what plans there are to mitigate these impacts and costs. Take cognisance of the council’s Sustainability Impact Assessments and our duty under the Climate Change Act to act in a way best calculated to contribute to national carbon emission reduction targets. Report back to Climate Change and Sustainability Committee on action that will be taken to reduce the impact of council events and catering by, but not limited to, use of reusable cups, hybrid events as default, promotion of sustainable travel, use of local and low carbon food and drink, including opportunities for third sector and local caterers, subject to compliance with council procedures. Prepare a report to Climate Change and Sustainability Committee on how the council’s next 2027-2032 Climate Change and Sustainability Strategy can have input from local communities to help support the individual behaviour change required to achieve a just transition and thriving, liveable communities. Encourage elected members to connect with the Lanarkshire Climate Action Hub, access case studies and information on different climate action themes, follow their social media accounts, subscribe to their newsletter and visit local groups taking climate action in their localities.” In moving her motion, Councillor Robb intimated that climate change was real and happening now in our communities, particularly in terms of increasing storms, flooding, wildfires and now extreme heat. This, in turn, led to more pressures on Services across the Council and cost implications through insurance claims. She highlighted the positive action of cutting emissions and adapting to a changing climate whilst reducing inequality. Councillor Clark, in seconding the motion, referred to how climate change was the biggest threat facing humanity, global temperatures being at the highest level recorded, leading to droughts and fires. He referred to the impact on food, water, air, energy, the environment and transport, and how economic benefits and investment opportunities in ensuring a just transition must be realised. In response to Councillor Watson’s request regarding clarity on the wording in the motion of ‘hybrid events as default’, Councillor Robb advised that in the modern world there was a requirement to reduce emissions and be inclusive to offer the widest range of options for everyone to join. 9
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Councillor Fagan, seconded by Councillor Convery, moved the following as an amendment to add 3 points to the original motion:- Add at end of Motion, the following text: “The Council notes the need for sustained investment in local action on the climate emergency and further agrees to: Endorse continued calls for fair funding for local government and greater action to expand local government’s capacity to invest in communities, including in the transition to a transformed economy and a net zero future. Write to the Scottish Government to request the full devolution of all active travel investment channelled through local government to local government, to help direct investment to walking and wheeling, as well as cycling. Request a report to the Executive Committee or Community and Enterprise Resources Committee, providing an update on active travel investment and its effectiveness, to allow for further scrutiny.” In moving the amendment, Councillor Fagan considered that the key point was around the issue of investment in decarbonisation and in the transition to a net zero economy. He advised that the wording in his amendment had come straight from the Verity House Agreement which had identified this as an area of priority for co-operation between Scottish local government and the Scottish Government. His further point was in relation to local control over active travel investment. Following an adjournment, it was unanimously agreed that the terms of the motion be agreed, subject to:- the inclusion of the words ‘where appropriate’ after ‘hybrid events as default’ within the 3rd last bullet on page 30 of the papers the incorporation of the amendment as an addendum to the motion, with the inclusion of the wording ‘whilst maintaining and valuing our partnership working with other delivery agencies’ at the end of the second bullet point The Council decided: (1) that a climate emergency be declared, reaffirming the need to accelerate local climate action, set targets and detail how the Council would align spend before the end of this term to contribute to national emission reduction targets, whilst achieving a just transition for the most vulnerable citizens; (2) that reports be submitted to future meetings of the Climate Change and Sustainability Committee on:- the increasing impact of climate induced severe weather such as extreme heat, storms and flooding on the Council’s service and budgets, including what plans there were to mitigate those impacts and costs action that would be taken to reduce the impact of Council events and catering by, but not limited to, use of reusable cups, hybrid events as default where appropriate, promotion of sustainable travel, use of local and low carbon food and drink, including opportunities for third sector and local caterers, subject to compliance with Council procedures how the Council’s next 2027 to 2032 Climate Change and Sustainability Strategy could have input from local communities to help support the individual behaviour change required to achieve a just transition and thriving, liveable communities 10
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(3) that cognisance be taken of the Council’s Sustainability Impact Assessments and its duty under the Climate Change Act to act in a way best calculated to contribute to national carbon emission reduction targets; (4) that elected members be encouraged to connect with the Lanarkshire Climate Action Hub, access case studies and information on different climate action themes, follow their social media accounts, subscribe to their newsletter and visit local groups taking climate action in their localities; (5) that continued calls for fair funding for local government and greater action to expand local government’s capacity to invest in communities, including in the transition to a transformed economy and a net zero future, be endorsed; (6) that the Scottish Government be written to, to request the full devolution of all active travel investment channelled through local government to local government, to help direct investment to walking and wheeling, as well as cycling whilst maintaining and valuing our partnership working with other delivery agencies; and (7) that a report be submitted to a future Executive Committee or Community and Enterprise Resources Committee, providing an update on active travel investment and its effectiveness, to allow for further scrutiny. In terms of Standing Order No 14, the Provost adjourned the meeting during this item of business at 10.48am. The meeting reconvened at 11.05am 9 Notice of Motion – Review of the West of Scotland Road Safety Forum Guidance In terms of Standing Order No 21, a motion proposed by Councillor Marrs, seconded by Councillor Loudon, was submitted as follows:- “Council notes that the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 places a duty on local authorities to provide school transport for walking distances greater than 3 miles for those over 8 years and 2 miles under 8 years. Council further notes that Scottish Government guidance on school transport from 2021 details that local authorities can go beyond this base criteria, and that when considering whether to make arrangements for the provision of school transport, local authorities are required to have regard to the safety of the pupil. Furthermore, Council understands that the Scottish Government guidance notes the wide level of discretion given to local authorities when making arrangements and expects; local authorities to keep their criteria for providing school transport under review local arrangements to be flexible these arrangements to take into account factors, relative to the nature of the route, which might affect pupil safety, including availability of footways, subways, built up and wooded areas and adequate streetlighting Council notes with regret the deep concerns of parents, carers and young people regarding pupil safety on walking routes assessed as safe following the Executive Committee’s majority decision to alter the qualifying distance for secondary school transport. Council understands that the current criteria for safe walking routes, outlined in the West of Scotland Road Safety Guidance, has not been updated for at least 20 years, despite significant changes in the road network, traffic volume and access to public transport in the interim. 11
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Council notes that members had previously been advised that a review of the guidance could not take place during the period of consultation, decision, and implementation of school transport changes. Now that these processes are concluded, Council instructs officers to conduct a review of the suitability of the West of Scotland Road Safety Forum guidance for its purposes, as recommended within the Scottish Government guidelines, and requests that a paper be brought to the Education Committee with recommendations for decision.” In moving her motion, Councillor Marrs considered that the current West of Scotland Road Safety Forum guidance was limited in its consideration of some aspects of road safety and, to many, did not meet the public expectation of a safe walking route. She intimated that the guidance needed to be reviewed, given the significant changes in road network, traffic volumes, access to public transport and school transport eligibility, to set a new standard for South Lanarkshire. This was seconded by Councillor Loudon who spoke on the matter. In response to Councillor Allison’s request in terms of clarity, Councillor Loudon confirmed that the terms of the motion were to instruct this Council’s officers to conduct a review of the suitability of the West of Scotland Road Safety Forum Guidance for its purposes. Councillors Robb and Frame were heard in support of the motion. Councillor Fagan, seconded by Councillor Convery, moved the following as an amendment:- Delete from “Council notes with regret…” to the end, and replace with: “Council notes that Scottish Government School transport guidance from 2021 replaces the School Transport Guidance Circular issued in 2003 and that West of Scotland Road Safety Forum Guidance appears not to have been updated for at least 20 years, with a review in 2015/16 not formally concluding. Council therefore calls for the West of Scotland Road Safety Forum to be convened for the purposes of agreeing a review of its guidance. Council condemns years of underfunding of local government by the Scottish Government and the Scottish Government’s rejection of appeals for further support prior to the Executive Committee’s decision in relation to school transport. Council reiterates its call for fair funding of local government.” In moving his amendment, Councillor Fagan considered that there was consensus that the West of Scotland Road Safety Forum Guidance should be subject to some form of review. He considered that, as the matter was a cross-Resource issue, Education Resources Committee would not be the most appropriate decision-making forum in this instance. In seconding the amendment, Councillor Convery referred to cuts to the Council’s budget which necessitated savings. Following discussion, on a vote being taken by roll call, members voted as follows:- Motion John Anderson, John Bradley, Archie Buchanan, Maureen Chalmers, Ross Clark, Poppy Corbett, Andrea Cowan, Colin Dewar, Mary Donnelly, Grant Ferguson, Elise Frame, Alistair Fulton, Geri Gray, Graeme Horne, Mark Horsham, Cal Johnston-Dempsey, Ross Lambie, Katy Loudon, Hugh Macdonald, Julia Marrs, Ian McAllan, Elaine McDougall, Carol Nugent, Kirsten Robb, John Ross, David Shearer, Helen Toner 12
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Amendment Alex Allison, Ralph Barker, Walter Brogan, Robert Brown, Mathew Buchanan, Andy Carmichael, Gerry Convery, Margaret Cooper, Margaret Cowie, Maureen Devlin, Monique Equi, Joe Fagan, Allan Falconer, Ross Gowland, Lynsey Hamilton, Celine Handibode, Martin Hose, Gavin Keatt, Susan Kerr, Richard Lockhart, Eileen Logan, Catherine McClymont, Lesley McDonald, Mark McGeever, Davie McLachlan, Richard Nelson, Norman Rae, Mo Razzaq, Graham Scott, Bert Thomson, Margaret B Walker, David Watson, Kirsty Williams 27 members voted for the motion and 33 for the amendment. The amendment was declared carried. In response to Councillor Loudon’s questions, the Chief Executive confirmed that his intention would be to work through the details of the amendment with the Administration, with a report coming back to committee. He advised that the timescales for that would be confirmed following those discussions. The Council decided: (1) that the terms of the amendment be agreed and that a request be made to convene the West of Scotland Road Safety Forum for the purposes of agreeing a review of its guidance; and (2) to reiterate its call to the Scottish Government for fair funding of local government. Councillor Equi joined the meeting during this item of business 10 Notice of Motion – Closure of Cambuslang Jobcentre In terms of Standing Order No 21, a motion proposed by Councillor Loudon, seconded by Councillor Cowan, was submitted as follows:- “Council notes with deep concern the UK Government’s announcement on the proposed closure of Cambuslang Jobcentre, as one of two slated to close across the UK. Council deeply regrets that this decision was made without prior consultation with elected members, affected communities, service users, DWP unions, or employees – especially since the Jobcentre was saved from a proposed closure in 2017 after a widely-supported campaign, which successfully argued that a closure would have a hugely detrimental impact on local communities. Council understands that several hundred local residents have signed a petition against this new announcement, and that Cambuslang Community Council have called for a reversal of the Department for Work and Pension’s decision on a number of grounds, including the disproportionate impact it would have on vulnerable people, and those living in areas of deprivation. Council notes that Cambuslang Jobcentre is co-located with many other vital services within Cambuslang Gate such as health services, addiction recovery services, housing services, and social work. Further, Council notes that the Jobcentre is adjacent to one of our partner organisations, the award-winning employment champion Routes to Work South. Council understands that Routes to Work South supported over 1,600 local people* into employment last year alone through packages of tailored support and training, and believes that losing the geographic link between it and Cambuslang Jobcentre would be a great loss for both this organisation and the community. 13
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Council is also concerned by the loss of income to the Council should the DWP not extend their lease in this central town-centre location, and any further potential financial liabilities. As such, Council instructs the Chief Executive to write to the Department for Work and Pensions to state its opposition to the plans.” * Figure from page 4, Routes to Work South (2025) Annual Impact Report 2024/2025, hard copy distributed at RTWS 20th Anniversary Celebration Event, Rutherglen Town Hall, 15 September 2025. In moving her motion, Councillor Loudon expressed her concerns that the decision by the Department for Work and Pensions (DWO) was made without prior consultation with affected communities, service users, elected members, trade unions or employees. She commended Cambuslang Community Council for its strong and unequivocal stance on this matter. Councillor Nugent, in seconding the motion, referred to the repercussions extending well beyond Cambuslang, due to the temporary closure of Rutherglen Job Centre for extensive refurbishment. She referred to the DWP spending £200,000 of taxpayers’ money in 2023/2024 improving Cambuslang Jobcentre only to now close it on the grounds that it was not fit for purpose. Councillors Walker and Rae were heard in support of the motion and the detrimental impact the closure would have on vulnerable people in terms of financial difficulties, as well as on the town centre itself. The Council decided: that the terms of the motion be unanimously agreed. In terms of Standing Order No 14, the Provost adjourned the meeting during this item of business at 11.49am. The meeting reconvened at 11.57am Councillors Nelson and Razzaq left the meeting during this item of business 11 Urgent Business There were no items of urgent business. 14
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PETITIONS COMMITTEE Minutes of meeting held via Confero and in Committee Room 1, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton on 25 April 2025 Chair: Councillor Alistair Fulton Councillors Present: Councillor Eileen Logan, Councillor Norman Rae, Councillor Helen Toner, Councillor Archie Buchanan (substitute for Councillor Mary Donnelly), Councillor Lesley McDonald (substitute for Councillor Graham Scott) Councillors’ Apologies: Councillor Mary Donnelly, Councillor Susan Kerr, Councillor Richard Nelson (Depute), Councillor Graham Scott Attending: Community and Enterprise Resources S Laird, Engineering Manager; J Plant, Traffic and Transportation Team Leader Finance and Corporate Resources C Lyon, Administration Officer; K McLeod, Administration Assistant; S O’Neill, Solicitor 1 Declaration of Interests No interests were declared. 2 Petition Requesting Safety Measures at Peel Road and Railway Bridge, Thorntonhall A report dated 14 April 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on a petition lodged by P Harvey (Lead Petitioner) requesting safety measures at Peel Road and Railway Bridge, Thorntonhall. The Petition had been assessed and met the criteria for being considered by this Committee. Comments had been received from Roads and Transportation Services and were highlighted in the report. Comments from the Lead Petitioner, who was present, were also detailed in the report. The Chair of Jackton and Thorntonhall Community Council was also present at the meeting. In support of the petition, the Lead Petitioner referred to the following:- a petition had been raised in 2021 by the residents of Thorntonhall on the risks to safety posed by traffic passing through the village on Peel Road, citing traffic speed, mini roundabout design, warning of increased traffic volumes and requesting that the Council consider introducing traffic calming measures since the last petition had been raised, road safety had visibly decreased on Peel Road and the majority of lineage was missing on the road, footpaths and the railway bridge, with the 30mph road markings almost worn away traffic speed warning signs were ignored and road speed was on the increase there was a scarcity of 30mph warning signs – only 4 at eye level, the remainder painted on the road surface which were barely visible and only 2 of the 4 speed warning signs worked on what was an increasingly busy road 3 15
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in many places the road was just wide enough for 2 vehicles, the road surface had degraded and been thrown to the roadside blocking drains which caused large puddles and forced pedestrians to walk on the road most recently there had been 2 traffic incidents on Peel Road, one as recently as last week, and it was time to make Peel Road safer for all road users residents of Thorntonhall had been in contact with the local press and the Council from 2017 onwards in relation to the danger to pedestrians, riders and other road users and considered it had got worse and wanted to make Peel Road and the railway bridge a safe environment for all requested that existing road signs at the ‘blind bend’ be replaced with new signs warning of the ‘blind bend, 30mph speed limit and pedestrians on the road’ requested that all lineage on Peel Road be re-done and the pavement line be made a proper pavement width at the station end of the railway bridge requested that the 30mph road signs at the Jackton end of Peel Road be lit requested that the activated 30mph signs be repaired requested that all potholes the length of Peel Road be repaired and micro roundabouts re- engineered to ensure they were used correctly requested that traffic lights be installed on the railway bridge or traffic calming measures on Peel Road (between the Jackton entry to Thorntonhall and the blind bend and between the Waterfoot Road junction and the railway bridge) and that a properly constructed and protected footpath/cycle path be installed across the railway bridge requested that a further traffic volume survey be carried out to give an up to date picture of the traffic volume on Peel Road as the last survey was in June 2022 when we were just coming out of lockdown In support of the petition, Dr Fiona Gardner, Chair of Jackton and Thorntonhall Community Council advised that:- Jackton and Thorntonhall Community Council had informed the Council many times about issues such as increasing traffic volume, the increase in road speeds, the failed activated road signs, potholes, road surfaces, and were now starting to see reported cases of road traffic incidents issues had been reported to the Council for at least 8 years, via their minutes, local councillors, press statements, email and telephone communications and some of the issues reported time and time again were still extant it had taken over 4 months to get a road light repaired on Peel Road Railway bridge. This was during winter months when the lighting on a relatively dangerous bridge for pedestrians and cyclists was paramount she fully agreed with the Lead Petitioner’s presentation and his final points reminding that road surfacing and the introduction of updated road safety signs, road markings and instructions must go “hand in hand” An official from Roads and Transportation Services advised that the majority of his response was in the papers that members of the Committee had, however, highlighted the following:- the Council followed an agreed process in relation to the prioritisation of road safety improvements to assist in casualty reduction. The process had been agreed at the Roads Safety Forum, most recently at its meeting on 21 November 2023 the primary criterion by which a site or route was included in that list was its recent accident history the process used reflected the national, regional and local approach to meet casualty reduction targets which was achieved through partnership working road safety engineering projects were also supported by education, training and publicity initiatives 16
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the sites chosen for further detailed investigation for the current financial year were agreed by the Roads Safety Forum at its meeting on 11 March 2025. All of those locations had experienced 4 to 5 road traffic collisions in the past 3 years, including serious road traffic collisions and one fatality. By way of context, there were 9 fatal casualties in the Council area in 2024, 130 serious casualties and 230 slight casualties. Those figures were similar to 2023 figures there had been no injury accidents in the Thorntonhall area in the last 3 years for which data was available the detection and prosecution of speeding drivers was the responsibility of Police Scotland and, since 2022, there had been only one fixed penalty issued on Peel Road and it was not for speeding the Council had liaised with Police Scotland and they were aware of the issues raised with regards to speeding on Peel Road. Police Scotland had visited the area in the past, and recently, and it was likely to be subject to further enforcement action over the summer the mini roundabouts and junctions complied with standards and guidance. Moving traffic offences in relation to irresponsible driving were the responsibility of Police Scotland in respect of traffic volumes, a survey had been undertaken in June 2022 and a further survey would only be undertaken if there was a change in the characteristics of the road. In this case, the Roads Service was confident that the 2022 survey remained representative of the current situation and satisfied that Peel Road was not experiencing an increase in usage due to the East Kilbride Community Growth Area development from an engineering perspective, Peel Road was operating with sufficient capacity and would continue to operate within its capacity for some time to come. It would also continue to be monitored it was noted that travel patterns were currently affected by the ongoing works in and around the new Hairmyres Station the Roads Service was satisfied that the current level of features was adequate to convey the speed limit and that the vehicle activated signs (VAS) were supplementary to the regulatory speed limit signs that were in place. It was noted, however, that the 2 VAS signs north of the village were not working. Electricians were scheduled to visit the sign on Peel Road near East Kilbride Road with a view to rectifying any faults. The sign on Peel Road, near Braehead Road, required spare parts that were no longer manufactured, therefore, this sign would be replaced this financial year with regards to road traffic accidents, wildlife accidents, and near misses on the crest of the railway bridge, only injury accidents were reported to the Council. There had been no reported injury accidents within the last 3 year assessment period up to the end of January 2025 at the priority junction of Waterfoot Road/Peel Road. Moreover, further interrogation of the Police database showed that there had been no reported injury accidents at this junction since 2006, almost 20 years ago. A review of the Police accident database revealed that there had been no reported injury related accidents within the last 3 year assessment period up to the end of January 2025 relating to Peel Road railway bridge. The Council would receive notification from Police Scotland of the incidents referred to by the Lead Petitioner if they were injury related accidents, once the Police had conducted their enquiries over the last 10 years, there had only been one slight injury reported along the length of Peel Road road surface inspections were undertaken monthly in line with the inspections manual. There were challenges across all wards in South Lanarkshire in terms of the condition of the road surface, however, there had been recent increased investment towards stabilising the network most of the one mile long section from the railway bridge to Hayhill Road was included in the 2025/2026 carriageway resurfacing programme and this was scheduled to commence in the early summer. This would also include a refresh of road markings along the Peel Road corridor 17
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traffic volumes prior to the pandemic were very similar to what they had been in 2008. Volumes changed significantly during lockdown but the volume on the road network was now almost the same as before the pandemic, although peak times were different and now more rounded Roads Officers were content to arrange a new traffic count to see if anything had changed The Chair agreed that Councillor Equi, as local ward Councillor, could speak to the Committee. Councillor Equi advised that most of her points had already been covered and that she was aware that the Council’s hands were tied with a lot of the issues raised, as accidents needed to have happened before matters could be addressed. Councillor Equi requested confirmation on the following:- that the road markings and speed markings would be redone that electronic signs not working would be addressed when the resurfacing works would be carried out whether officers could look at the ‘easy’ and ‘hard’ measures as presented by the Lead Petitioner whether officers could reconsider which signs should be lit whether the missing paths and signs not on the blind bends could be looked at, as well as areas that did not previously have junction signs whether this Committee, or perhaps the Roads Safety Forum, could look at road speeds and which ones should be amended and whether those that did not previously have road signs, should have whether Police Scotland could conduct a traffic volume survey with a lower key presence In response to Councillor Equi’s questions and those from other members, an official from Roads and Transportation Services advised that:- the programme was in the process of being developed and there was a number of schemes to be considered as part of that programme. There were also currently a number of roadworks in the Thorntonhall area and this would impact on the works planned the works should take place late summer but could not give an exact date. It was also likely that a road closure would be required to carry out those works in terms of the traffic in the area, the Council was aware of alternative routes being used due to the current roadworks land ownership was an issue in terms of footpaths, and most involved a third party some work had been undertaken over recent years in terms of road markings the population of Thorntonhall had also increased over recent years the markings would be reviewed and replaced electronic signs would be working again as soon as possible in respect of road signs and the lighting of them, there was national guidance in terms of the types of signs that could be lit. Speed limit signs were classed as regulatory signs and where they were within a system of street lighting, they did not require to be lit themselves directly. As a consequence of today’s discussions, the condition of the signs on this stretch of road would be reviewed to ensure that they were of an appropriate standard it was not normal to sign every junction, however, if there were particular issues those would be reviewed in terms of vehicle speeds, the Council had been liaising with Police Scotland who had given an undertaking to continue with a programme of enforcement action in that area the railway bridge had narrow road signs on the approach to it. In terms of road markings, they would be refreshed the station itself had a sign at the entrance put up by Network Rail which, along with the road narrow signs, advised of the station and the road narrowing. The Council would liaise with Network Rail to see if anything else could be put in place 18
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in terms of the criteria for signing and lighting, if the sign was within so many metres of a street light, it did not require to be lit. The condition of those signs would be looked at to ensure there was enough reflectivity the Council relied on information from Police accidents. In terms of incidents, there was a level of detail that the Council could also access in terms of near misses, road users had a responsibility to use the road network safely and drivers should be driving appropriately The Committee decided: that the issue be referred back to the Roads Service to work with the Lead Petitioner and Jackton and Thorntonhall Community Council to discuss the points/actions raised and take it forward as appropriate. 3 Urgent Business There were no items of urgent business. 19
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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 25 June 2025 Chair: Councillor Elaine McDougall Councillors Present: Councillor Mathew Buchanan, Councillor Colin Dewar, Councillor Ross Gowland, Councillor Susan Kerr, Councillor Julia Marrs (substitute for Councillor Alistair Fulton), Councillor Helen Toner (substitute for Councillor Mary Donnelly) Councillors' Apologies: Councillor Mary Donnelly (Depute), Councillor Alistair Fulton, Councillor Celine Handibode, Councillor Richard Lockhart Councillor Also Present: Councillor Joe Fagan (for items 3 to 5) Attending: Chief Executive’s Service P Manning, Chief Executive (for items 3 to 5) Finance and Corporate Resources J Taylor, Executive Director; Y Douglas, Audit and Compliance Manager; C Fergusson, Head of Finance (Transactions); E-A McGonigle, Administration Adviser; A Norris, Administration Assistant; L O’Hagan, Head of Finance (Strategy); I Opatha, Administration Officer; I Strachan, Head of Administration and Legal Services Also Attending: Audit Scotland A Barclay and M Ferris, External Auditors 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 6 May 2025 were submitted for approval as a correct record. The Committee decided: that the minutes be approved as a correct record. 3 Internal Audit Annual Assurance Report 2024/2025 A report dated 2 June 2025 by the Audit and Compliance Manager (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted providing:- a summary of progress and performance of Internal Audit for the financial year 2024/2025 4 21
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an opinion on the adequacy and effectiveness of the Council’s framework of governance, risk management and control systems based on audit work undertaken in 2024/2025 Internal Audit was noted as forming part of the Council’s wider governance framework, with its primary objective being to evaluate and improve the effectiveness of governance, risk management and control processes. As a function, it did this by delivering a programme of audit assignments and using the output from those reviews to inform an annual audit opinion on the effectiveness of the Council’s framework of governance, risk management and control arrangements. Details were provided on:- compliance with relevant internal audit standards and guidance purpose and approach of the Service link to the Council’s objectives and top risks workload and performance areas of assurance overall assurance and annual audit opinion future year challenges and tasks The overall opinion expressed on the Council’s control environment was that a reasonable level of assurance could be placed on the adequacy and effectiveness of the Council’s framework of governance, risk management and control arrangements for the year ended 31 March 2025. The Internal Audit findings would inform the Council’s 2024/2025 Annual Governance Statement. The 2024/2025 Internal Audit Plan had sought to return to a more routine programme of work, however, this had proved challenging in practice with the implementation of Oracle Fusion, which required significant resource commitment. The momentum of the evolving process would continue after the implementation of Oracle Fusion, with Social Work and Housing systems planning to go-live in 2025/2026. This, together with the financial challenges across the public sector, meant that the Council, like all local authorities, was in a period of transformational change. Investing time to fully develop analytical tools would be increasingly important and was being actively considered as part of post-system implementation reviews. A data strategy had been drafted to provide a structure and focus for future plans, as detailed in paragraph 9.2 of the report. Information was also provided on the new Global Internal Audit Standards (GIAS), which were effective from April 2025. The latest external assessment of the function’s compliance with the PSIAS provided assurance that professional standards were being adhered to. This level of conformance provided a good foundation for the new Standards. The Chair, on behalf of the Committee members, thanked the Audit and Compliance Manager and wider team for the extensive internal audit work undertaken in 2024/2025. The Committee decided: (1) that the performance of Internal Audit during 2024/2025 be noted; (2) that the overall findings from internal audit work be noted, and that it be approved that those would inform the Council’s 2024/2025 Annual Governance Statement; and (3) that the level of assurance on the Council’s control environment be noted. 22
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4 Annual Governance Statement for 2024/2025 and Significant Governance Areas Quarter 4 Progress Report A report dated 3 June 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the Annual Governance Statement for 2024/2025 and progress against significant governance areas identified within the 2023/2024 Annual Governance Statement at Quarter 4. Each year, the Council undertook a review of the governance arrangements required to support its financial and operational controls. This review provided the basis for the Annual Governance Statement, which was included in the Council’s Annual Report and Statement of Accounts. The Council’s governance assurance framework was detailed in Appendix 1 to the report. The resulting Annual Governance Statement for 2024/2025, attached as Appendix 2 to the report, provided information on the Council’s compliance during 2024/2025. The annual review of governance arrangements across the Council demonstrated sufficient evidence that the principles of delivering good governance in local government, contained in the Local Code of Corporate Governance, operated effectively and that the Council complied with its Code. Progress on the significant governance areas highlighted within the Annual Governance Statement 2023/2024 was attached as Appendix 3 to the report. The Head of Finance (Transactions) responded to a member’s question in relation to information governance, which was a new significant governance area identified in 2024/2025. The Committee decided: (1) that the Annual Governance Statement, attached as Appendix 2 to the report, which would be included in the Council’s 2024/2025 Annual Report and Statement of Accounts, be approved; and (2) that the progress against the significant governance areas identified within the Annual Governance Statement 2023/2024, attached as Appendix 3 to the report, be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 25 June 2024 (Paragraph 4)] 5 Unaudited Annual Accounts 2024/2025 A report dated 2 June 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the requirement for members to consider the Unaudited Annual Accounts of the Council and related Charitable Trusts, attached as appendices 1 and 3 to the report, by 30 June 2025. The Council’s Unaudited Annual Accounts detailed key information on the Council’s expenditure and income for the financial year ended 31 March 2025. The accounts also covered the Charitable Trusts managed by the Council. The full Unaudited Annual Accounts would be circulated to all elected members following their submission to the External Auditor by 30 June 2025 and would be advertised as being available for public inspection on the Council’s website from 1 July 2025 until the date the Audited Accounts would be published. The information contained in the Unaudited Accounts took into account the final outturn position, as detailed in Appendix 2 to the report, which was submitted for approval to the Executive Committee meeting on 25 June 2025. Appendix 2 also provided an Expenditure and Funding Analysis, as required by the Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA) Code of Accounting Practice. 23
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Following the audit of the Accounts over the summer months, the Audited Annual Accounts will be brought back to the Committee at its meeting on 30 September 2025 for approval. The Committee decided: that the Unaudited Annual Accounts of the Council and related Charitable Trusts, to be submitted to Audit Scotland by the deadline of 30 June 2025, be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 25 June 2024 (Paragraph 5)] 6 Internal Audit Activity as at 30 May 2025 A report dated 3 June 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on work completed by Internal Audit during the period 12 April to 30 May 2025. Findings from internal audit assignments were reported to this Committee throughout the year, and the last progress report was considered by the Committee on 6 May 2025. Information was provided for the Internal Audit work completed during the period from 12 April to 30 May 2025. As at 30 April 2025, 52 of the 54 assignments within the 2024/2025 Audit Plan had reached at least the draft report stage. Two assignments, both relating to investigative work, remained in progress. The assignments completed in the period from 12 April to 30 May 2025, together with a summary of overall assurances, were detailed in Appendix 1 to the report. Key performance indicators for the period to 31 March 2025 were provided in Appendix 2 to the report. The Internal Audit function within the Council would continue to comply with the Public Sector Internal Audit Standards (PSIAS) in the delivery of the Internal Audit Plan 2024/2025. The new Global Internal Audit Standards (GIAS) would apply from 1 April 2025, and future activity reports to the Committee would reflect the requirements of those new standards. Updates were also provided on:- progress against the Audit Strategy, which continued to be monitored and reported to the Committee as part of regular monitoring reports a Position Statement on Sustainability, highlighting challenges and actions related to the Council’s zero emissions targets and the Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy (LHEES), as detailed in Appendix 3 The Committee decided: that progress on Internal Audit activity be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 6 May 2025 (Paragraph 3)] 7 2024 National Fraud Initiative Exercise A report dated 2 June 2025 by the Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was submitted on the matches resulting from the 2024 National Fraud (NFI) exercise and of the proposed number of investigations to be undertaken in 2024/2025. 24
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The NFI matched similar data across public sector systems and identified possible inconsistencies. Those inconsistencies, known as matches, required to be investigated by participating public bodies to detect fraud. The Council had taken part in NFI exercises since 2004/2005. Those exercises were undertaken every 2 years and included data from benefits, payroll, creditors and blue badge holders. This data was matched to other benefits and payroll data, as well as to the Department for Work and Pensions’ (DWP) deceased persons’ records and the electoral register, along with a match of the electoral register to council tax records, to detect where a single person discount (SPD) had been claimed despite there being more than one person over 18 in the household. There were 9 separate match areas covered in the 2024 NFI exercise, including:- housing benefits blue badge holders Council Tax Reduction Scheme payroll housing tenants waiting lists procurement creditors Council tax SPD The 2024 NFI results were detailed at section 4 of the report and highlighted that:- at 2 April 2025, a total of 32,675 matches had been identified, which represented an increase of 4,674 from the 2022 exercise. of those, 2,887 high-risk matches were identified as an initial target for investigation. Heads of Service were invited to identify any further matches for inclusion, based on risk and local knowledge. for the 9 matched areas, 7 categories had a decrease and 2 an increase in matches:- the greatest decrease in the number of matches related to creditors, housing tenants and waiting lists. In relation to creditor matches, that decrease was, in part, due to the reduced dataset uploaded, covering only the post-implementation period of Oracle Fusion the greatest increase in matches was within the SPD as a result of 2 new match reports, as detailed in paragraph 4.7 of the report councils were still awaiting the release of further matches for 2024, including Small Business Bonus Scheme (SBBS) and HMRC matches. Upon receipt of those, analysis would be undertaken and, where required, target numbers would be increased the Housing Benefit Fraud team had transferred to the DWP Fraud and Error Service (FES), although initial NFI investigations were undertaken by the Council. If this indicated a potential benefit fraud, the case was passed to FES. Matches were closed on the NFI website as “passed to DWP” a deadline for investigations of 31 December 2025 had been proposed; however, it was anticipated that most would be completed ahead of that date The following information was provided in appendices 1 to 3 to the report, respectively:- a list of the matched areas in the 2024 exercise a comparison of 2022 and 2024 NFI exercises a breakdown of the 2,887 initial target investigations and deadlines In February 2025, the NFI published its strategy for 2024 to 2028. The aim of the strategy, which was attached at Appendix 4 to the report, was to commit to, and set out, the NFI’s agenda for the next 4 years. The 2024 to 2028 NFI Strategy set out a vision to ‘better detect and prevent fraud by utilising data and technology from the public and private sector’ and included the following 5 objectives to achieve that vision:- evolving products through innovation increasing data access and insights upholding the highest standards of service quality and data security 25
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improving training and support enhancing engagement to maximise outcomes The Audit and Compliance Manager responded to a member’s question in relation to the risk- based approach used to identify the target number of high-risk matches that would be investigated. The Committee decided: (1) that the results of the matching exercise and the initial target number of investigations resulting from the 2024 National Fraud Initiative (NFI) exercise be noted; and (2) that the 2024 to 2028 NFI Strategy, and associated 5 objectives, be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 27 June 2023 (Paragraph 7) and 24 September 2024 (Paragraph 5)] 8 Forward Programme for Future Meetings A report dated 20 May 2025 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 25 August 2026. 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 25 August 2026 be noted. [Reference: Minutes 6 May 2025 (Paragraph 6)] 9 Urgent Business There were no items of urgent business. 26
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Report Agenda Item Report to: South Lanarkshire Council Date of Meeting: 10 December 2025 Report by: Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) Subject: South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan 3 Evidence Report 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to: [purpose] inform Council of the work undertaken to prepare the Evidence Report for the South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan 3 seek approval to submit the Evidence Report to Scottish Ministers for consideration through the statutory Gate Check process. [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Committee is asked to approve the following recommendation(s): [recs] (1) that the South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan 3 Evidence Report be approved. (2) that the Head of Planning and Regulatory Services be authorised to make any technical amendments or any necessary minor drafting changes to the Evidence Report and supporting documents prior to submission for the Gate Check. (3) that the Head of Planning and Regulatory Services be authorised to respond to any request for further information or amendment to the Evidence Report or supporting documents because of the Gate Check process. (4) that it be noted that a report on the outcome of the Gate Check process will be reported to a future meeting of the Planning Committee. 3. Background 3.1. Local Development Plans (LDPs) guide land use and development within an area, identifying where new development, such as housing, business, and infrastructure, will take place over the plan period. Alongside National Planning Framework (NPF4), the LDP forms the statutory development plan against which all planning applications are assessed. 3.2. The Council’s current Local Development Plan (LDP2) was adopted in April 2021. Work on LDP3 formally commenced in August 2023 following the approval of the Development Plan Scheme and Participation Statement (DPS) at the Planning Committee meeting on 8 August 2023. 5 27
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3.3. LDP3 is being produced under the process introduced through the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 and the Town and Country Planning (Development Planning (Scotland) Regulations 2023. A key element of this process is the requirement to prepare an Evidence Report as the first formal stage before preparing the Proposed Plan. 3.4. The Evidence Report provides a robust data base for LDP preparation by summarising information that has been gathered and analysing its implications for the preparation of the next plan. The Context chapter is a summary of how it has been prepared; However, it should be noted that the Evidence Report does not include strategy, policy, or site allocations. 3.5. Under the provisions of the Act, the Evidence Report must be approved by full Council. A report was presented to the Executive Committee on 5 November 2025 seeking endorsement of the document and this was agreed. 3.6. Once Council approval has been granted the Evidence Report will be submitted to Scottish Ministers for a Gate Check Review. This involves Scottish Ministers appointing a Reporter to assess whether the information collated is robust and sufficient for the Council to proceed with the preparation of the Proposed Plan. 3.7. The Reporter may confirm that the report is sufficient which would allow work to start on the preparation of the Proposed Plan stage. However, if it is deemed insufficient, the Reporter will provide an Assessment Report outlining the reasons for the decision and recommendations for its improvement. Once those changes have been made, the Evidence Report will be returned to Scottish Ministers for a further review and approval in these circumstances. 4. Current Position 4.1. The preparation of the Evidence Report has followed the statutory requirements set out in the Act and associated Regulations, and the Scottish Government Local Development Planning Guidance published in May 2023. 4.2. It is essential that LDP3 aligns with, and facilitates the delivery of, other strategies and policies of the Council and the Community Planning Partnership. As such, there is cross referencing throughout the Evidence Report to the Council Plan - Connect and the Community Plan as well as documents such as the Local Housing Strategy, Local Transport Strategy, Sustainable Development and Climate Change Strategy and the Biodiversity Strategy. 4.3. The chapter titled South Lanarkshire Council – a profile – summarises the relationship of the evidence to the aims and objectives of the Council and our partners as well as some key facts for the Council area. 4.4. The key stages in the preparation of the Evidence Report are as follows: Early Engagement Extensive engagement has been carried out with a wide range of stakeholders, local communities and community councils; key agencies such as Transport Scotland, SEPA, Nature Scot, Historic Environment Scotland, NHS Lanarkshire and Scottish Water; other Council services and the Community Planning Partnership; children and young people; Gypsy/Travellers; business organisations; and organisations such as Seniors Together, VasLan and Lanarkshire Carers. 28
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The engagement activities are summarised in the chapter in the Evidence Report titled Participation and Engagement. The main engagement event was the ‘Let’s Talk Place’ online survey which ran from 1 May 2024 until 30 September 2024. Participants were asked to comment on various aspects of their places and say what was good about them, and what could be improved. The survey received 978 responses, and the results have been analysed and summarised in a separate engagement report which can be found in Appendix 2 of the Evidence Report. That report also describes the other engagement that was conducted which included online and face to face events, meetings with key stakeholders and consultation on technical reports covering a range of topics. The Council’s approach to supporting communities with preparation of Local Place Plans (LLPs) and a summary of the LPPs that have been received to date can be found in the chapter on Local Place Plans in the Evidence Report. It should be noted that the contents of LPPs must be considered in the Proposed Plan. Evidence Gathering The Evidence Report summarises the current baseline information for a wide range of issues relevant for the preparation of LDP3 by both policy topic and at a place level. Twenty-one topic papers have been prepared which summarise the evidence that has been gathered for each and a summary of how it will influence the preparation of the plan. They can be found in the Summary of Evidence chapter of the Evidence Report. The evidence will be kept under review and updated as appropriate to take account of new or revised data and information. One of the key requirements for the Evidence Report is the calculation of a Local Housing Land Requirement which is the amount of land required to meet all tenure housing needs of the Council area over the lifetime of LDP3. A figure of 12,500 units is proposed based on a range of evidence. It is estimated half of this requirement will be met through sites that have planning permission but are not yet completed such as the Community Growth Areas. In addition, there are a number of sites with permission or that are already allocated that have not started but are expected to during the plan period. A Call for Ideas will be conducted after the Gate Check process when developers and landowners will be able to submit proposals for inclusion in the plan. A site methodology assessment has been prepared which will be used to consider each site which is summarised in the chapter titled Site Assessment in the Evidence Report. The more detailed Site Assessment Methodology can be found in Appendix 3. Community profiles have been prepared for the fourteen localities that make up South Lanarkshire. A summary of the implications for the plan at that place-based level is found in the chapter titled Community Profiles in the Evidence Report. Finally, a summary of the key issues identified through a review of the evidence and an overview of what the evidence means for LDP3 and the spatial strategy can be found in the chapter titled Key Issues for LDP3. Position Statement The Evidence Report must include a Position Statement which draws together the level of agreement or disagreement with the evidence (particularly among statutory key stakeholders) and any gaps in the evidence. These are likely to be the focus of the reporter’s attention during the Gate Check. This can be found in Appendix 1 of the Evidence Report. 29
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Overall, consultation responses on the topic papers showed strong agreement with the evidence that had been presented, especially the Key Agencies. Where appropriate, additional information sources have been incorporated and amendments made to the finalised topic paper in response to feedback. The report acknowledges a small number of gaps in evidence. At the time of writing, work is being carried out on a review of the existing Green Belt boundary at both a strategic level and around individual settlements. In addition, a Landscape Sensitivity Study is being carried out which will inform the right location for renewable infrastructure development. They will be finalised after the submission of the Evidence Report, however, in both cases an interim report has been prepared which describes the work done to date and the broad findings. In addition, the Marmot Place collaboration involves, as a first stage, the collation by an officer data group of an evidence base to determine the direction of the programme. This will not be available until after the completion of the Evidence Report but will be a strong source of data for the proposed plan. Nevertheless, a wide range of other health related data has been gathered and will be submitted as evidence. 5. Next Steps 5.1. Once approved, the Evidence Report will be submitted to Scottish Ministers for consideration through the Gate Check process. Prior to submission, officers will ensure that formatting, graphic alignment, mapping, and typographic matters are reviewed and refined, and the document brought together as a comprehensive submission. A list of core documents (currently shown as ‘DOCXX’ in the text of the Evidence Report) will also be prepared, and the text updated as a result. Other minor drafting changes, for example any typographical errors, will also be reviewed and rectified. 5.2. Once the Council has received clearance to start preparation of its proposed plan, a Call for Ideas will be carried out which will allow developers, landowners and other parties to submit both proposals for individual sites and their ideas for what the plan should include in terms of policy. Based on submissions by other councils to date, a Gate Check is taking approximately 3 months to respond to the original request. 5.3. The current Development Plan Scheme anticipates a proposed plan will be presented to full Council in summer 2027 after which there will be a minimum 12-week statutory consultation period. Representations received will be assessed and potential modifications made to the Proposed Plan. Any unresolved representations must be submitted to Scottish Ministers who will appoint a reporter to conduct an Examination. 5.4. Once this is complete, the reporter will prepare a report setting out recommendations for making modifications to the plan. The Council must accept the modifications except in limited circumstances. Once the plan has been modified, the Council can then take steps to adopt it. Based on current timescales the plan will be adopted in mid-2028. 6. Employee Implications 6.1. There are no immediate employee implications because of this report. 30
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7. Financial Implications 7.1. The cost of the Gate Check must be met by the Council. Exact costs will depend on the duration of the procedure, however, estimates are that it will be around £20,000. The costs of this will be met from existing budgets. In the event the Council must carry out further work and return it to Scottish Ministers for further assessment, additional costs would be incurred. 8. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 8.1. A key requirement for LDP3 is ensuring that new development and land use changes support net zero ambitions and contribute to climate resilience. The Evidence Report includes a section on climate change (9.2) which includes key information and data relating to the climate emergency and land use factors that influence mitigation, adaptation, and resilience. Other evidence sections include biodiversity and the natural environment (9.3) and sustainable transport (9.9). 8.2. The proposed plan will be subject to Strategic Environmental Assessment, and an Environment Report will be produced alongside the plan. In the meantime, a scoping exercise has been carried as described in chapter 5 of the Evidence Report and the Scoping Report has been the subject of consultation with the relevant organisations. 9. Other Implications 9.1. The Council has a statutory duty to prepare a Local Development Plan for its area. The Act requires the preparation of an Evidence Report as part of this process. The relevant legislative requirements have been followed. 9.2. The reporter appointed by the Scottish Ministers to review the Evidence Report may determine that the information contained within the Evidence Report is insufficient. The appointed person will prepare a report providing their reasons for that determination and the Council will need to revise the Evidence Report accordingly. The Evidence Report will then be resubmitted for approval, following the revised Evidence Report being approved by Council. This could lead to significant delays in the LDP3 timeline. These risks have been mitigated as much as possible by adhering to Scottish Government guidance. 9.3. Elected members are reminded that in terms of the Councillors’ Code of Conduct, there are specific provisions which relate to quasi-judicial and regulatory matters, such as the consideration of the report. The Code and associated guidance have detailed information on councillors’ duties in respect of such matters. Elected members are, however, specifically reminded that when making statements about emerging policy, such as the LDP, they should make it clear that they will not reach a final decision until they are in possession of, and have considered, all relevant and material information. A failure to do might result in a councillor being later unable to take part in the determination of a planning application that comes before Committee. More information can be found in the Advice Note on Quasi-Judicial and Regulatory Decision-Making which has been issued by the Standards Commission. 10. Integrated Impact Assessment and Consultation Requirements 10.1. Section 16B of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 sets out the requirement to seek the views of identified groups as part of the preparation of the Evidence Report including the public at large, children and young people, disabled persons, Gypsies and Travellers, Community Councils and Key Agencies. The Evidence Report sets out the detailed engagement undertaken for each group and how this has been taken account of. 31
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10.2. An Integrated Impact Assessment is not required at this stage of the process; however, it will be conducted at the proposed plan stage. David Booth Executive Director (Community and Enterprise Resources) 19 November 2025 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Focused on people and their needs. We will work to put people first and reduce inequality. We will work towards a sustainable future in sustainable places. We will work to recover, progress and improve. Our children and young people thrive. Good quality, suitable and sustainable places to live. Thriving business, fair jobs and vibrant town centres Caring, connected, sustainable communities. People live the healthiest lives possible. Inspiring learners, transforming learning, strengthening partnerships Previous References Report to Executive Committee on 5 November 2025 – South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan 3 Evidence Report List of Background Papers Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997 as amended by Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 2019 Development Planning Regulations 2023 Scottish Government Local Development Planning Guidance published May 2023 Links South Lanarkshire Local Development Plan 3 Evidence Report Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Tony Finn Planning Manager E-mail: tony.finn@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 32
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Report Agenda Item Report to: South Lanarkshire Council Date of Meeting: 10 December 2025 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Outcome of Interim Polling Scheme Review 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to: [purpose] provide an update to the Council on the outcome of the recently concluded interim review of the Council’s Polling Scheme (“the Scheme”) seek Council’s approval of the draft Scheme as set out in Appendix 1. [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Council is asked to approve the following recommendation(s): (1) that the contents of this report, including the outcome of the interim review of the Scheme, be noted. (2) that the draft Scheme as set out in Appendix 1 to this report be approved; and (3) that authority be delegated to the Chief Executive to take all steps necessary to conclude matters relating to the interim Scheme review. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. In terms of the Representation of the People Act 1983 (as amended), local authorities are required to designate polling places for the purposes of elections, to review those arrangements within the statutory review timescale and to keep their arrangements under review. The Electoral Registration and Administration Act 2013 further amended the Representation of the People Act 1983 by introducing a change to the timing of compulsory reviews of UK Parliamentary polling districts and polling places with compulsory reviews to be started and completed within the period of 16 months that starts on 1 October of every fifth year after 1 October 2013. 3.2. The Council completed its last statutory review in 2024, as reported to the Executive Committee on 11 December 2024. Interim reviews are not required under legislation however local authorities can conduct them at any time, and it is considered good practice to do so. In light of the Scottish Parliamentary elections in 2026 and to ensure our current Scheme remains fit for purpose, an interim review was considered appropriate. 3.3. In conducting its reviews, the Council must seek to ensure that: all electors in the constituency have reasonable facilities for voting as are practicable in the circumstances; and so far as is reasonably practicable, all polling places should be accessible to all voters including those who are disabled and when considering the designation of a polling place, the Council must have regard to the needs of persons with disabilities. 6 33
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3.4. In practical terms, the intention is to ensure optimal facilities for voting in terms of location, accessibility and capacity of available buildings, to support turnout in electoral events and to support the public’s participation in the democratic process. 3.5. In accordance with the timetable published on the Notice of Interim Review dated 10 October 2025, a public consultation exercise was undertaken. This was carried out between 10 and 31 October 2025 and included publication of the notice, information being made available on the Council’s website, in public libraries and adverts placed in four local newspapers. Interested parties were also informed, including Elected Members, MPs, MSPs, political parties, community councils, neighbouring local authorities, the Electoral Registration Officer, owners/occupiers of proposed polling places and organisations representing the disabled. Feedback received from voters and election staff at the June 2025 Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse by-election was also considered. 3.6. The process for the review was also informed by Electoral Commission guidance on conducting reviews. 4. Outcome of Polling Scheme Review 4.1. The Council received two responses on the review from the consultation exercise. By way of context, as at February 2025, the electorate for the local authority area, including those aged 16 and 17 years, was 261,960. Of the two responses received, both of which were from voters: One response was appreciative of the decision to return to using Thankerton Hall as a polling place (Section 5 refers). One response provided a positive response with no specific comments. 4.2. Given the short passage of time between the last statutory review in 2024, which considered population data including population projections for South Lanarkshire from the National Records of Scotland and input from the Council’s Planning Team, it has been assessed that there have been no material changes in respect of population projections for the purposes of this interim review. 4.3. As before, the Council will continue to monitor this across the local authority area, and where necessary, conduct interim reviews of the Scheme in advance of planned electoral events. 4.4. It should be noted that due to an administrative oversight, the Scheme approved by Council in 2024 omitted four polling districts, being polling districts SL017, SL178, SL179 and SL180. Following a comprehensive review, these polling districts have now been added to the draft polling scheme at Appendix 1. 4.5. The current Scheme has 146 polling places, of which 78 are Council owned schools. It is recognised that the use of schools can impact upon the delivery of education services by the Council. It should, however, be noted that the use of schools for polling places in South Lanarkshire is well-established, and to mitigate impact on senior school pupils and wider school communities, the Council’s secondary schools are not used. It must also be recognised that schools have benefits over other potential polling places, in being owned by the Council, well located, well maintained and more generally suitable in terms of accessibility. In addition, the date for the Scottish Parliamentary election in 2026 is to be an in-service day for all South Lanarkshire Council’s schools, this having been approved by the Council’s Education Resources Committee on 29 October 2024. 34
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4.6. Further to previous reports to the Council, since the completion of the statutory review in 2024, Boundaries Scotland have completed their Second Review of the constituencies and regions of the Scottish Parliament. This has been approved by Scottish Ministers, and the Scottish Parliament (Constituencies and Regions) Order 2025 made on 15 October 2025. The new constituencies and regions will come into force at the elections scheduled for 7 May 2026. 4.7. Briefly, for South Lanarkshire, this means there are the following constituencies which form part of the following regions: Constituency Region Regional Returning Officer Clydesdale South Scotland Dumfries and Galloway Council East Kilbride South Scotland Dumfries and Galloway Council Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Dumfries and Galloway Council Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Glasgow City Council Uddingston and Bellshill Central Scotland and Lothians West North Lanarkshire Council 4.8. With regards to the Uddingston and Bellshill constituency, the election (both at constituency and regional level) will be administered by North Lanarkshire Council. This constituency is included in the scheme, however, because it forms part of the local authority area. 4.9. In relation to polling district SL120, as a result of the Second Review, this district will move from the constituency of Uddingston and Bellshill to Rutherglen and Cambuslang and will retain the same polling place – St Joseph’s Primary School. 4.10. In relation to polling district SL163, as a result of Trinity Parish Church Hall being permanently closed, voters in this district will use the polling place aligned to neighbouring district SL162, which is Machanhill Primary School. 4.11. In the usual way, should matters arise that might necessitate changes to the polling scheme in advance of the May 2026 elections, the Chief Executive, as Constituency Returning Officer, would use his delegated authority to take such actions as are considered appropriate. 5. Polling Places in Ward 3 – Clydesdale East 5.1. Following the publication of the Scheme approved by Council in December 2024, a number of representations were received regarding polling places in Ward 3 – Clydesdale East. 5.2. Following visits to the villages and polling places concerned, it was assessed that it would be appropriate to adjust the Scheme, so that the following polling places will continue to be used for so long as they remain available and suitable:- 35
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Polling District Current Polling Place (as per Scheme approved in Dec 2024) New Polling Places SL024 Symington Hall Symington Hall Coulter Hall SL030 Quothquan Hall Quothquan Hall Thankerton Hall Carmichael Hall SL031 Carstairs Junction Hall Carstairs Junction Hall Pettinain Hall 5.3. This was intimated to those that raised these points with the Council, and they were supportive of these proposals. 5.4. These revisions have accordingly been reflected in the draft Scheme attached at Appendix 1. The proposed draft Scheme contains 151 polling places. 6. Employee Implications 6.1 There are no employee implications directly arising from this report. 7 Financial Implications 7.1 There are no financial implications directly arising from this report. In terms of the delivery of future electoral events, the costs of hiring polling places are, subject to certain expenditure levels, met by the UK or Scottish Governments for all UK or Scottish Parliamentary elections, with the Council only being required to meet those costs for local government elections. 8. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 8.1 There are no implications for climate change, sustainability and the environment directly arising from this report. 9 Other Implications 9.1 None. 10. Integrated Impact Assessment and Consultation Requirements 10.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy and, therefore, no impact assessment is required. However, under the Equality Act 2010, Returning Officers have a duty to anticipate the needs of disabled voters and make reasonable adjustments to remove substantial disadvantage for those voters. This means they must take steps to understand and anticipate on an ongoing basis the needs of disabled voters – with different types of disability, support and access requirements within their area so that they can make informed decisions about how best to meet these needs by making reasonable adjustments, including providing appropriate equipment and support. This includes the selection of polling venues to ensure accessibility. The process undertaken during the review enables the Returning Officer and the Council to fulfil their duties in respect of this. A report which considered the Council’s approach to supporting voters with disabilities was also considered by the Finance and Corporate Resources Committee on 19 November 2025. 10.2 It is to be noted that officers had already taken equalities considerations into account in preparing the previous Scheme. 36
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10.3 The consultation undertaken in respect of the interim review has been summarised in this report. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 02 December 2025 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent. Previous References Report to Executive Committee - Outcome of Statutory Polling Scheme Review 2024 Review of UK Parliamentary Constituencies – Review of Polling Districts SL002 and SL007 List of Background Papers Consultation for Interim Review 2025 - South Lanarkshire Council Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact: Nikki Jarvie, Elections Manager and Depute Returning Officer Tel : 01698 454872 Email : nikki.jarvie@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 37
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Polling district Ward Scottish Parliament ConstituencyScottish Parliament Region UK Parliament Constituency Polling place Number of Stations SL001 1 - Clydesdale West Clydesdale South Scotland Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke Kirkton Primary School 3 SL002 1 - Clydesdale West Clydesdale South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Crossford Hall 1 SL178 1 - Clydesdale West Clydesdale South Scotland Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke Crossford Hall SL179 1 - Clydesdale West Clydesdale South Scotland Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke Crossford Hall SL003 1 - Clydesdale West Clydesdale South Scotland Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke South Lanarkshire Lifestyles, Carluke 4 SL004 1 - Clydesdale West Clydesdale South Scotland Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke Crawforddyke Primary School 4 SL005 1 - Clydesdale West Clydesdale South Scotland Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke Braidwood Primary School 1 SL006 1 - Clydesdale West Clydesdale South Scotland Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke Law Primary School 3 SL007 2 - Clydesdale North Clydesdale South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Lanark Primary School 2 SL180 2 - Clydesdale North Clydesdale South Scotland Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke Lanark Primary School SL008 2 - Clydesdale North Clydesdale South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley St Nicholas Parish Church Hall 2 SL009 2 - Clydesdale North Clydesdale South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley St Mary's Club Rooms 2 SL010 2 - Clydesdale North Clydesdale South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley New Lanark Primary School 1 SL011 2 - Clydesdale North Clydesdale South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Robert Owen Memorial Primary School 2 SL012 2 - Clydesdale North Clydesdale South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Kirkfieldbank Hall 1 SL014 2 - Clydesdale North Clydesdale South Scotland Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke Auchengray Primary School 1 SL017 2 - Clydesdale North Clydesdale South Scotland Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke Forth Primary School SL018 2 - Clydesdale North Clydesdale South Scotland Motherwell, Wishaw and Carluke Braehead Hall 1 SL019 3 - Clydesdale East Clydesdale South Scotland Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale Biggar Municipal Hall 2 SL020 3 - Clydesdale East Clydesdale South Scotland Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale Carnwath Primary School 2 SL021 3 - Clydesdale East Clydesdale South Scotland Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale Crawford Hall 1 SL022 3 - Clydesdale East Clydesdale South Scotland Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale Leadhills Hall 1 SL023 3 - Clydesdale East Clydesdale South Scotland Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale Abington Primary School 1 SL024 3 - Clydesdale East Clydesdale South Scotland Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale Coulter Hall 1 SL024 3 - Clydesdale East Clydesdale South Scotland Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale Symington Halll 1 SL027 3 - Clydesdale East Clydesdale South Scotland Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale Blackmount Primary School 1 SL030 3 - Clydesdale East Clydesdale South Scotland Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale Thankerton Hall 1 SL031 3 - Clydesdale East Clydesdale South Scotland Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale Pettinain Hall 1 SL031 3 - Clydesdale East Clydesdale South Scotland Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale Carstairs Junction Hall 1 SL030 3 - Clydesdale East Clydesdale South Scotland Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale Carmichael Hall 1 SL030 3 - Clydesdale East Clydesdale South Scotland Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale Quothquan Hall 1 SL034 3 - Clydesdale East Clydesdale South Scotland Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale Carstairs Community Centre 1 SL037 4 - Clydesdale South Clydesdale South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Woodpark Primary School 2 SL038 4 - Clydesdale South Clydesdale South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Woodpark Primary School 2 SL039 4 - Clydesdale South Clydesdale South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Blackwood Primary School 4 SL042 4 - Clydesdale South Clydesdale South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Brocketsbrae Hall 1 SL043 4 - Clydesdale South Clydesdale South Scotland Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale Rigside Community Hall 1 SL044 4 - Clydesdale South Clydesdale South Scotland Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale St Bride's Centre 2 SL046 4 - Clydesdale South Clydesdale South Scotland Dumfriesshire, Clydesdale and Tweeddale Coalburn Leisure Complex 2 SL047 5 - Avondale and Stonehouse Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Stonehouse Primary School 5 SL049 5 - Avondale and Stonehouse Clydesdale South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Gilmourton Primary School 1 SL050 5 - Avondale and Stonehouse Clydesdale South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Kirklandpark Primary School 2 SL051 5 - Avondale and Stonehouse Clydesdale South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Glassford Primary School 1 SL052 5 - Avondale and Stonehouse Clydesdale South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Chapelton Primary School 1 SL053 5 - Avondale and Stonehouse Clydesdale South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Auldhouse Primary School 1 SL054 5 - Avondale and Stonehouse Clydesdale South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Wester Overton Primary School 3 SL055 5 - Avondale and Stonehouse Clydesdale South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Avendale Old Parish Church Hall 1 SL056 5 - Avondale and Stonehouse Clydesdale South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Sandford Primary School 1 SL058 6 - East Kilbride South East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Ballerup Recreation Area Pavilion 1 SL059 6 - East Kilbride South East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Greenhills Primary School 2 SL060 6 - East Kilbride South East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Castlefield Primary School 2 SL061 6 - East Kilbride South East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven St Vincent's Primary School 3 SL062 6 - East Kilbride South East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Crosshouse Primary School 2 SL063 6 - East Kilbride South East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Greenhills Hall 1 6 39
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SL064 7 - East Kilbride Central South East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Canberra Primary School 3 SL065 7 - East Kilbride Central South East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven East Milton Primary School 3 SL066 7 - East Kilbride Central South East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Heathery Knowe Primary School 2 SL067 7 - East Kilbride Central South East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Murray Primary School 3 SL068 7 - East Kilbride Central South East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven South Park Primary School 2 SL069 8 - East Kilbride Cental North East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Maxwellton Primary School/Greenburn School 2 SL070 10 - East Kilbride East East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Hunter Primary School 3 SL071 8 - East Kilbride Cental North East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Blacklaw Primary School 3 SL072 8 - East Kilbride Cental North East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Kirktonholme Primary School 1 SL073 8 - East Kilbride Cental North East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Kirktonholme Hall 2 SL074 8 - East Kilbride Cental North East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Halfmerke Primary/West Mains School 1 SL075 8 - East Kilbride Cental North East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven East Kilbride Old Parish Church Hall 2 SL076 8 - East Kilbride Cental North East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven East Kilbride Arts Centre 2 SL077 8 - East Kilbride Cental North East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Mount Cameron Primary School 1 SL078 9 - East Kilbride West East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Stewartfield Community Centre 2 SL079 9 - East Kilbride West East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Mossneuk Primary School 4 SL080 9 - East Kilbride West East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Crosshouse Primary School 1 SL081 9 - East Kilbride West East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Thorntonhall Lawn Tennis Club 1 SL082 9 - East Kilbride West East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven St Kenneth's Primary School 3 SL083 10 - East Kilbride East East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Long Calderwood Primary School 3 SL085 10 - East Kilbride East East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven St Leonard's Primary School 2 SL086 10 - East Kilbride East East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Calderwood Hall 1 SL087 10 - East Kilbride East East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven St Hilary's Primary School 1 SL088 10 - East Kilbride East East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Claremont Parish Church Hall 2 SL089 10 - East Kilbride East East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Whitlawburn Community Resource Centre 1 SL091 11 - Rutherglen South Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen Calderwood Primary School 2 SL092 11 - Rutherglen South Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen Spittal Primary School 2 SL093 11 - Rutherglen South Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen St Mark's Primary School 2 SL094 11 - Rutherglen South Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen Fernhill Community Centre 2 SL095 11 - Rutherglen South Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen Springhall Community Centre 2 SL096 11 - Rutherglen South Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen Cathkin Primary School (Community Wing) 2 SL097 12 - Rutherglen Central and North Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen Rutherglen West and Wardlawhill Parish Church Hall 1 SL098 12 - Rutherglen Central and North Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen Bankhead Primary School 4 SL099 12 - Rutherglen Central and North Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen Universal Connections 1 SL100 12 - Rutherglen Central and North Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen Rutherglen West and Wardlawhill East Church Hall 3 SL101 12 - Rutherglen Central and North Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen Rutherglen United Reformed Church Hall 2 SL102 12 - Rutherglen Central and North Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen Burgh Primary School 1 SL103 13 - Cambuslang West Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen West Coats Primary School 3 SL104 13 - Cambuslang West Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen Eastfield Community Centre 3 SL105 13 - Cambuslang West Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen James Aiton Primary School 2 SL106 11 - Rutherglen South Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen Burnside Blairbeth Parish Church Hall 1 SL107 13 - Cambuslang West Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen Whitlawburn Community Resource Centre 3 SL108 14 - Cambuslang East Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen North Halfway Community Hall 2 SL109 13 - Cambuslang West Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen St Bride's Primary School (Nursery Entrance) 1 SL110 14 - Cambuslang East Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen St Charles' Primary School 3 SL111 14 - Cambuslang East Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen Hallside Primary School 3 SL113 14 - Cambuslang East Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen Flemington Hallside Church Hall 2 SL115 14 - Cambuslang East Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen Cairns Primary School 1 SL116 15 - Blantyre Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen St Blane's Primary School 2 SL117 15 - Blantyre Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen TACT Hall 2 SL118 15 - Blantyre Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen TACT Hall 2 SL119 15 - Blantyre Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen St Joseph's Primary School (Nursery entrance) 2 SL120 15 - Blantyre Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen St Joseph's Primary School (Nursery entrance) 1 SL121 15 - Blantyre Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen Auchinraith Primary School 3 SL123 15 - Blantyre Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen High Blantyre Primary School 2 40
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SL124 15 - Blantyre Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen High Blantyre Public Hall 2 SL125 16 - Bothwell and Uddingston Uddingston and Bellshill Central Scotland and Lothians West Rutherglen Bothwell Primary School 2 SL126 16 - Bothwell and Uddingston Uddingston and Bellshill Central Scotland and Lothians West Rutherglen Bothwell Community Hall 2 SL127 16 - Bothwell and Uddingston Uddingston and Bellshill Central Scotland and Lothians West Rutherglen St Bride's Primary School (Bothwell) 2 SL128 16 - Bothwell and Uddingston Uddingston and Bellshill Central Scotland and Lothians West Rutherglen Uddingston Community Centre 2 SL129 16 - Bothwell and Uddingston Uddingston and Bellshill Central Scotland and Lothians West Rutherglen Muiredge Primary School 2 SL130 16 - Bothwell and Uddingston Uddingston and Bellshill Central Scotland and Lothians West Rutherglen Park Church 2 SL131 17 - Hamilton North and East Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley St John's Primary School (Hamilton) 1 SL132 17 - Hamilton North and East Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley St Mary's Primary School (Hamilton) 2 SL133 17 - Hamilton North and East Uddingston and Bellshill Central Scotland and Lothians West Hamilton and Clyde Valley St Mary's Primary School (Hamilton) 1 SL134 17 - Hamilton North and East Uddingston and Bellshill Central Scotland and Lothians West Hamilton and Clyde Valley Whitehill Neighbourhood Centre 3 SL135 17 - Hamilton North and East Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Glenlee Primary School 2 SL136 17 - Hamilton North and East Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley South Lanarkshire Council Office 1 SL137 17 - Hamilton North and East Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley South Lanarkshire Council Office 1 SL138 19 - Hamilton South Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Woodside Primary School 2 SL139 17 - Hamilton North and East Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley St John's Church Centre 1 SL140 17 - Hamilton North and East Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Ferniegair Community Hall 2 SL141 18 - Hamilton West and Earnock Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Udston Primary School 4 SL142 18 - Hamilton West and Earnock Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Townhill Primary School 3 SL143 18 - Hamilton West and Earnock Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Hillhouse and Earnock Community Centre 4 SL145 18 - Hamilton West and Earnock Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley St Peter's Primary School 3 SL147 18 - Hamilton West and Earnock Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley St John's Primary School (Hamilton) 1 SL148 19 - Hamilton South Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley South Lanarkshire Lifestyles, Fairhill 2 SL150 19 - Hamilton South Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Woodhead Primary School 3 SL152 19 - Hamilton South Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Eddlewood Public Hall 2 SL154 19 - Hamilton South Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Chatelherault Primary School 2 SL155 19 - Hamilton South Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Our Lady and St Anne's Primary School 3 SL156 19 - Hamilton South Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley St Elizabeth's Primary School (Side entrance) 2 SL157 19 - Hamilton South Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley St John's Primary School (Hamilton) 2 SL158 20 - Larkhall Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Glengowan Primary School 3 SL159 20 - Larkhall Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Dalserf Primary School (Community Wing) 2 SL160 20 - Larkhall Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Dalserf Parish Church Hall 1 SL161 20 - Larkhall Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Netherburn Community Hall 1 SL162 20 - Larkhall Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Machanhill Primary School 2 SL163 20 - Larkhall Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Machanhill Primary School 2 SL164 20 - Larkhall Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Hareleeshill Primary School (Community Wing) 2 SL166 20 - Larkhall Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Craigbank Primary School (Community Wing) 3 SL167 20 - Larkhall Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Quarter Primary School 1 SL168 20 - Larkhall Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Stonehouse Primary School 1 SL169 6 - East Kilbride South East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Alistair McCoist Complex 2 SL170 9 - East Kilbride West East Kilbride South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Mossneuk Parish Church 1 SL171 14 - Cambuslang East Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Rutherglen St Charles' Primary School 3 SL172 6 - East Kilbride South Clydesdale South Scotland East Kilbride and Strathaven Crosshouse Primary School 2 SL175 17 - Hamilton North and East Rutherglen and Cambuslang Glasgow Hamilton and Clyde Valley Auchinraith Primary School 1 SL177 19 - Hamilton South Hamilton, Larkhall and Stonehouse South Scotland Hamilton and Clyde Valley Woodhead Primary School 1 287 41
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Report Agenda Item Report to: South Lanarkshire Council Date of Meeting: 10 December 2025 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: Proposed Update to Education Appeals Committee Terms of Reference 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] request approval to amend the Terms of Reference in respect of the membership of the Education Appeals Committee [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Council is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the Terms of Reference of the Education Appeals Committee be amended, as set out in paragraph 4.1 of the report. 3. Background Education Appeals Committee 3.1. The Education Appeals Committee is established under Section 28 of the Education (Scotland) Act 1980 (the 1980 Act) to hear appeals from parents and carers and to decide whether the education authority has made the correct legal decision to turn down placing requests or exclude learners from schools in its area. 3.2. In terms of its current Terms of Reference, membership of individual Education Appeals Committees is drawn from Local Attendance Councils and from 15 members serving on Education Resources Committee (excluding the Chair and Depute Chair) and 15 members not serving on Education Resources Committee. This reflects the 1980 Act which requires membership of the Panel to comprise, in essence, members of the Council and persons who are not members of the Council but are:- parents of children of school age persons who, in the opinion of the Council, have experience in education; or persons who, in the opinion of the Council, are acquainted with the educational conditions in the area of the Council, but shall not include any person employed by the authority in an administrative or advisory capacity as respects the discharge of their education functions 3.3. The Council, however, no longer has Local Attendance Councils. In terms of the Council’s Scheme of Delegation officers have delegated authority to appoint members of the Education Appeals Committee, and it is recommended that the Committee Terms of Reference are amended to reflect the legislation and remove reference to Local Attendance Councils. Having a wider pool of members will help 7 43
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the establishment of panels, and spread the workload of those non-elected member appointees. 4. Proposals 4.1. It is proposed that the Terms of Reference of the Education Appeals Committee be amended to provide that its membership is as follows:- “Membership of individual committees drawn from:- a pool comprising 15 members serving on Education Resources Committee (excluding the Chair and Depute Chair) and 15 members not serving on Education Resources Committee a pool comprising parents of children of school age, persons who have experience in education or persons who are acquainted with the educational conditions in South Lanarkshire (but not any person employed within Education Resources)” 4.2. Subject to the approval of the Council, officers will contact Parent Councils and reach out through social media to seek volunteers who might be interested in joining a pool of Education Appeals Committee members, and meet the requirements of the 1980 Act. All such appointments will be subject to the satisfactory completion of pre- appointment checks and training. 5. Employee Implications 5.1. There are no employee implications directly arising from this report. 6. Financial Implications 6.1. There are no financial implications directly arising from this report. 7. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 7.1. There are no climate change, sustainability or environmental implications associated with this report. 8. Other Implications 8.1. There are no risk or other implications arising from this report. 9. Integrated Impact Assessment and Consultation Requirements 9.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy and, therefore, no impact assessment is required. 9.2. There was no requirement for consultation in terms of the content of this report. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 21 November 2025 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent 44
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Previous References South Lanarkshire Council of 11 September 2024 List of Background Papers None Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Iain Strachan, Head of Administration and Legal Services Ext: 4658 (Tel: 01698 454658) E-mail: iain.strachan@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 45
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Agenda Item Investing in Housing and Investigating Rent Controls Notice of Motion Motion received in terms of Standing Order No 21 on 21 November 2025, proposed by Councillor Kirsten Robb, seconded by Councillor Andrea Cowan, as follows:- “Council notes the housing and budget challenges:- South Lanarkshire Council declared a Housing Emergency in June 2024 due to pressures on the housing and homeless service. Front line pressure on the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) with a recent stated backlog of 7000 repairs and cost increases due to storm damage and related insurance costs. Strategic pressure to meet social housing and homeless needs, energy efficiency objectives and adaptations for an ageing population. Challenges of tackling essential repairs and delivering improvements in mixed tenure blocks leading to deterioration of Housing Revenue Account (HRA) assets, increasing the cost of repairs, with the ultimate risk of demolition and resultant loss of housing supply. Private rents in South Lanarkshire averaged at £882 a month in September 2025. This was an increase from £829 in September 2024, a 6.4% rise (ONS). Council further notes:- Scottish Government’s Housing Investment Taskforce report recommends allowing council’s General Funds (GF) to invest in the HRA. The Housing (Scotland) Act includes important opportunities to address the above challenges including the ability for local authorities to propose private sector rent controls and, with ministerial consent if required, to decide to make use of the General Fund to support the HRA. Housing Associations Charitable Trust recent report highlights the added benefits and wider savings that social housing brings both to individual households but also to local authorities and national government. Council instructs Officers to produce the following reports for presentation at the Housing and Technical Resources Committee by Wednesday 3 June 2026. Domestic retrofit needs and estimated costs to meet any gaps in statutory energy efficiency requirements Scale and estimated cost of outstanding repairs and disability adaptations to meet statutory requirements Implications, actions and costs to deliver on Awaab’s Law and the Scottish Housing Quality Standard indicator to ensure properties are free of rising and penetrating damp. This should include an assessment of the number of residents living in council or council factored properties with rising or penetrating damp, how effective and timely the council is at responding to and resolving reports and complaints around these concerns and what action is being taken to ensure that future retrofit is done right, 8 47
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highlighting opportunities for any faulty insulation to be removed via the Cavity Insulation Guarantee Agency (CIGA). Annual report on the Housing Investment Programme. Investing in mixed tenure properties: Information on current grants, loans and payback periods for homeowners; uptake on grants and loans in the last three years and impact on the ability to complete work in mixed tenure properties; research with homeowners and from other councils to identify what action could increase uptake amongst owners. Set out the process and timescale to decide if South Lanarkshire Council wishes to implement private sector rent controls, including an assessment of the local rent market. Bring forward proposals in each of the above to fund these statutory requirements including from existing Housing managed funds, the General Fund and / or innovative public investment options, like Abundance.” 48
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Agenda Item Downsizing Incentive Scheme Notice of Motion Motion received in terms of Standing Order No 21 on 21 November 2025, proposed by Councillor Andrea Cowan, seconded by Councillor Colin Dewar, as follows:- “Council acknowledges that there is a national and local housing emergency and while homelessness is a huge contributory factor, the shortage of larger family homes for social rent is also a serious cause for concern for Local Authorities. Council notes that there are around 205 applicants on South Lanarkshire’s housing waiting lists who are under-occupying their home while there are over 2,300 applicants waiting for a larger home with three or more bedrooms. Last year only 315 became available. In addition to those registered on our waiting lists, there are around 2,500 council tenants living in three or more bedroom homes that are technically too big for them. Council agrees that it is quicker and more cost effective to buy back ex-council homes than it is to build new and while we acknowledge that the Open Market Purchase Scheme has been very successful, more needs to be done to bring family homes back into our housing stock as quickly as possible. Council’s lack of larger family homes impacts families with children and directly affects our homelessness figures contributing to the overall Housing Emergency. To encourage tenants living in larger properties to downsize, Council agrees to the principle of creating an incentive scheme providing financial or practical assistance to those looking to downsize from their current 3 bedroom plus home to a one or two bedroom property. It is proposed that the Downsizing Incentive Scheme will apply to:- tenants with a Scottish Secure Tenancy moving to either another council tenancy or a Registered Social Landlord property tenants surrendering properties with three or more bedrooms tenants downsizing to a 1 or 2 bedroom property properties being surrendered under the scheme should be those for which there is a demand that the Council cannot meet Property types to be included:- detached semi detached mid and end terraced 4 in a block (upper and lower) Qualifying tenants downsizing as part of the scheme will be awarded an increased level of housing allocation points for each under-occupied bedroom. 9 49
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It is proposed that the incentive to downsize will either be a Monetary Payment of £500 or a package of Practical Assistance funded from the Housing Revenue Account, and to include:- assistance with packing personal belongings and delivery to new property help with removal and re-fitting of fixtures and fittings and decoration support with disconnection and re-connection of domestic appliances, telephone and satellite dishes mail re-direction for 3 months and help with change of address forms uplift and disposal of unwanted household items, or if required, provision and removal of skip facility Council instructs officers to prepare a report on the creation of a Downsizing Incentive Scheme to be presented for decision to the Housing and Technical Resources Committee on Wednesday 18 March 2026.” 50
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Agenda Item Local Authority of Sanctuary Notice of Motion Motion received in terms of Standing Order No 21 on 21 November 2025, proposed by Councillor Andrea Cowan, seconded by Councillor Elaine McDougall, as follows:- “Council is deeply concerned by the rise in anti-migrant, racist rhetoric exhibited nationally and across the world. Council condemns all forms of discrimination, including racism, sectarianism, Islamophobia and antisemitism. We recognise current tensions within our communities and reaffirm our commitment to fostering an inclusive and cohesive South Lanarkshire where everyone is treated with dignity and respect. Council therefore reaffirms its commitment to:- 1. Reject all forms of hate and discrimination in our communities and across our services. 2. Work with our schools and education settings to make a proactive and sustained effort to tackle misinformation around this topic. 3. Promote inclusion, equality and respect through engagement that brings people together across all communities regardless of their differences, fostering unity and understanding. Council notes that the nationwide organisation, City of Sanctuary UK, coordinates, supports and grows networks of welcome for refugees and asylum seekers. It works with individuals, groups and organisations in every sector across the UK to encourage inclusivity, solidarity and compassion for people from a forced displacement background. The organisation’s Sanctuary Award recognises organisations who go above and beyond to welcome people seeking sanctuary. Consequently, Council agrees in principle to:- Join the City of Sanctuary Local Authority Network committing the Council to work towards the Council of Sanctury Award and agreeing to endorse the City of Sanctuary Charter Submit an application within six months of joining the network to go through the award appraisal process in order to gain accreditation as a Local Authority of Sanctuary. The above being subject to a report on the Council joining the City of Sanctuary Local Authority Network being submitted to a future meeting of the Council or Executive Committee, and a decision being taken in respect of the same.” 10 51
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Agenda Item Bank of Scotland Closure, Larkhall Notice of Motion Motion received in terms of Standing Order No 21 on 24 November 2025, proposed by Councillor Richard Nelson, seconded by Councillor Ross Clark, as follows:- “This Council notes with deep concern the planned closure of the Bank of Scotland Larkhall branch, the last remaining bank serving Larkhall, Ashgill, Netherburn, Stonehouse and other surrounding rural communities. Council recognises the significant social, economic, digital, transport, and wellbeing impacts that this closure will have on local residents and businesses, particularly those who are elderly, vulnerable, digitally excluded, or living in areas with some of the worst access deprivation in Scotland. Council further notes that the statistics and evidence referred to in this motion are drawn from the Larkhall Data Profile prepared by Clyde Gateway’s Supporting Families Programme, and from the Shaping Places for Wellbeing Programme (a partnership between the Improvement Service and Public Health Scotland), which together provide a robust, data-led picture of need and inequality in Larkhall and the surrounding communities. Council further notes:- 1. Transport and Access Inequality – 60% of residents in Ashgill and Netherburn live in the 15% most access-deprived areas in Scotland (Place and Wellbeing Outcomes, Clyde Gateway 2023). – Only 32% of households in Ashgill/Netherburn and 45% in central Larkhall are within a 10-minute walk of high-frequency public transport. – Travelling to alternative branches represents a major barrier, especially for elderly and rural residents. 2. Digital Divide – Only 81% of households in Ashgill and Netherburn have superfast broadband, compared to 94% across South Lanarkshire (Larkhall Data Profile). – Many residents rely on face-to-face banking and cannot simply transition to digital services. 3. Socio-Economic and Health Deprivation – Eight Larkhall data zones are within the 15% most deprived nationally. – Child poverty rates reach 31–34% in parts of the area. – The closure will disproportionately impact those already facing hardship. 4. Community Impact – Access to essential services is a core measure of the Scottish Government’s Place Principle and Place and Wellbeing Outcomes Framework. – Removing the last bank undermines community resilience, economic participation, and wellbeing. 11 53
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5. Public Concern A well-attended public meeting raised serious concerns about: – pressure to switch to digital banking, – lack of public transport to alternative branches, – limited capacity at the Post Office, – concerns around fraud, accessibility, and business banking needs. 6. Community Mobilisation – The community petition has now surpassed 2,000 signatures, demonstrating significant public opposition to the closure and a clear demand for proper scrutiny and engagement. – A Larkhall Local Banking Task Force has also been established to gather evidence and represent community interests Council therefore resolves to:- 1. Formally oppose the closure of the Bank of Scotland Larkhall branch. 2. Recognise that the closure will worsen transport inequality, digital exclusion, rural isolation, and socio-economic hardship. 3. Call on the Board of the Bank of Scotland to:- – Pause the closure; – Carry out an independent review of the social, economic, digital, and wellbeing impacts; and – Meet urgently with the Larkhall Local Banking Task Force to discuss community concerns and evidence directly. 4. Request the Council Leader and Chief Executive to write to the Bank of Scotland Board urging immediate engagement. 5. Instruct the Chief Executive to write to: – the Scottish Government, – the UK Government, – the Financial Conduct Authority, and – LINK (Access to Cash Review), noting that an application for a Bank Hub in Larkhall has already been refused, outlining the Council’s concerns and seeking external support for a full independent review. 6. Support the Local Banking Task Force in its work to defend financial inclusion and essential banking services for the people of Larkhall, Ashgill, Netherburn, Stonehouse and surrounding areas.” 54
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Agenda Item Public Access Defibrillators Policy and Guidance Notice of Motion Motion received in terms of Standing Order No 21 on 24 November 2025, proposed by Councillor Ross Clark, seconded by Councillor Mary Donnelly, as follows:- “Council acknowledges the Scottish Government’s Out of Hospital Cardiac Arrest (OHCA) Strategy 2021 to 2026 which aims to increase the survival rates of OHCA in Scotland. Council notes that rapid commencement of Cardio Pulmonary Resuscitation (CPR) and the use of an Automated External Defibrillator (AED) is potentially crucial for those undergoing cardiac arrest, greatly increasing survival rates. Council commends local organisations, businesses, groups and communities who have already installed defibrillators in South Lanarkshire. However, Council recognises the need for further expansion of Public Access Defibrillators (PADs). Council therefore requests that officers develop a policy on the installation of PADs on council owned property with a view to supporting the installation of community owned and operated PADs on the outside of appropriate Council owned property. Council also requests that guidance is published on the installation of PADs on council and non-council owned property including advice on process, funding, installation and registration. Council subsequently requests that a report on this matter be brought to the Executive Committee for approval.” 12 55
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Agenda Item Review of the Petitions Process Notice of Motion Motion received in terms of Standing Order No 21 on 24 November 2025, proposed by Councillor Ross Clark, seconded by Councillor Elise Frame, as follows:- “Council firmly believes in the principle of local residents having the ability to influence decision making on matters which affect them and their communities. Council acknowledges the importance of having a formal petitions system to this principle and the associated benefits to democratic engagement and public participation in local governance. However, Council regrets that the Petitions Committee has only considered a very limited number of petitions since its establishment. Further to this, Council recognises that improvements could be made to the existing petitions process. Council therefore requests that officers conduct a review of the effectiveness of the petitions process with a view to expanding democratic engagement. The review will consider factors such as the expansion of the criteria for petitions to be considered by the Petitions Committee and a greater promotion of the petitions system online and on social media. Council subsequently requests that a report be brought to the Executive Committee containing the outcomes of this review and recommendations for decision.” 13 57
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Agenda Item Maintenance of Safe Walking Routes Notice of Motion Motion received in terms of Standing Order No 21 on 24 November 2025, proposed by Councillor Elise Frame, seconded by Councillor Katy Loudon, as follows:- “Council notes the ongoing public interest around identified Safe Walking Routes to schools, particularly in areas where pupils have recently lost their entitlement to school transport due to changes to the qualifying distance. Council notes that there are areas where parents, carers and young people have or have had concerns over the conditions of existing infrastructure along Safe Walking Routes, and that a programme of work was carried out over the summer to address some of these. Thus, Council asks that robust relationships and communication between appropriate Education and Roads officers on these matters continues now that the changes to transport have been effected. Where identified Safe Walking Routes are in need of repair and/or maintenance, including ongoing maintenance of vegetation, Council asks that issues are promptly identified and rectified by the appropriate department – and that this is a year-round and preventative approach, and not just in times of inclement weather.” 14 59
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Agenda Item 16 Days of Activism to End Gender Based Violence Notice of Motion Motion received in terms of Standing Order No 21 on 25 November 2025, proposed by Councillor Mary Donnelly, seconded by Councillor Ross Clark, as follows:- “10 December marks the final day of 16 Days of Activism to end gender-based violence. The theme of this year’s campaign is: “UNITE TO END DIGITAL VIOLENCE AGAINST ALL WOMEN AND GIRLS”. Violence against women and girls affects one in three women. It is a global human rights emergency that must stop. As the World marks the 30th anniversary of the Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action - one of the most progressive international agreements on women’s rights to date - The UN Secretary General’s UNITE 2025 campaign focuses on one of the fastest-growing forms of abuse: Digital violence against women and girls. This year’s campaign is also a reminder that digital safety is central to gender equality. Council notes this year’s theme and recognises:- - Growing concern around online harassment, image-based abuse, and digital coercive control are increasingly reported by Scottish women, especially younger women and those in public life. - Scotland’s equally safe strategy which already frames violence as a cause and consequence of gender inequality. The 2025 campaign strengthens this by insisting that digital safety is now central to gender equality. Council notes with concern that digital violence is a growing threat in Scotland which is undermining women’s participation in democracy, education and employment. Council requests that Scottish Government and COSLA working as co-owners embed digital safety into the Equally Safe Strategy and national prevention frameworks and work with local authorities to implement locally. Council asks digital and education sectors to strengthen safeguards and promote digital literacy. Council notes that within South Lanarkshire the 2025 16 Day Campaign of Activism has been marked with visible community action and council leadership, aligning with the UNITE theme of ending digital violence against women and girls.” 15 61
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Agenda Item Rutherglen 900 Notice of Motion Motion received in terms of Standing Order No 21 on 25 November 2025, proposed by Councillor Robert Brown, seconded by Councillor Andrea Cowan, as follows:- “900th Anniversary of the Charter of the Royal Burgh of Rutherglen (1126-2026) This Council congratulates the people of the Royal Burgh of Rutherglen on the forthcoming 900th anniversary of the Royal Burgh Charter granted by King David 1 in 1126. South Lanarkshire Council is a Council which values the independence and identity of its Royal Burghs, Burghs and other local communities, not least Rutherglen. Council welcomes the financial and logistical support provided by South Lanarkshire Council, Clyde Gateway and other sponsors and supporters. Council further:- 1. Notes the work done by the Rutherglen 900 Steering Committee to develop a programme of arts, heritage, sporting, musical and environmental events across the various communities in Rutherglen 2. Appreciates the work done by the Royal Burgh of Rutherglen Cenotaph Group to improve the Cenotaph and its surrounding area 3. Welcomes the investment by the Council in restoration of the historic bandstand in Overtoun Park due to be completed in summer 2026 4. Looks forward to the work being done and to be done by the Council, Leisure Trust and the local community to improve Rutherglen town centre and station Looks forward to Rutherglen’s Nonocentenary leaving a legacy of enhanced community capacity and a renewed sense of identity and pride in the Royal Burgh.” 16 63
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Agenda Item Review of the Management of Trees Notice of Motion Motion received in terms of Standing Order No 21 on 25 November 2025, proposed by Councillor Joe Fagan, seconded by Councillor Robert Brown, as follows:- “The Council notes the pressures on Community and Enterprise Resources, including the financial risks and the implications of ash dieback disease. The Council further notes community concerns about the height and maintenance of trees and the increasing prevalence of overmature trees across South Lanarkshire. The Council considers that following recent adverse weather events and, given the level of concern and potential areas of risk, it would be appropriate to review the Council’s approach to tree management. The Council therefore agrees to request a review of tree management and that the outcome of this review be reported to the Community and Enterprise Resources Committee for further consideration.” 17 65
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Agenda Item Investment Challenge Paper Notice of Motion Motion received in terms of Standing Order No 21 on 25 November 2025, proposed by Councillor Joe Fagan, seconded by Councillor Lesley McDonald, as follows:- “The Council notes that future Capital Investment Strategy is anticipated alongside capital budget proposals for the new financial year. The Council further notes that, despite a strong capital programme, the investment ambitions of the Council and our communities have exceeded the level of funding available over a number of years. The Council considers that the time has come for a Challenge Paper on infrastructure and investment to drive constructive challenge across local and central government and to help create a pipeline of credible options for investment for South Lanarkshire Council and our partners. The Council therefore agrees to the following recommendations:- 1. That an Investment Challenge Paper be brought forward for consideration at a future meeting of the Executive Committee. 2. That this Investment Challenge Paper set out investment ambitions for South Lanarkshire, drawing inspiration from the approaches previously adopted by the Scottish Government in developing an Infrastructure Investment Plan and by the Council in developing master plans for town centres and country parks. 3. That the Investment Challenge Paper sets out a series of investment options for the Council, our funders and partners that would enhance South Lanarkshire and contribute to the success of our Council Plan, Community Plan, Local Transport Strategy, Economic Strategy and other key strategies and objectives, such as developing Long Term Estate Strategy, action on the housing emergency, the transition to net zero and exploring commercial opportunities for the Council. 4. That the Investment Challenge Paper should not be limited to our Council’s ambitions to enhance our Capital Strategy, such as through the delivery of a replacement Blantyre Leisure Centre, but should extend to our ambitions for partnership and collaboration, such as the extension of the Larkhall rail line. 5. That in the development of the Investment Challenge Paper, council officials engage with potential partners and funders, such as the Scottish National Investment Bank, Glasgow City-Region, the Scottish Government, the Scotland Office and Strathclyde Pension Fund. That any pipeline of options and proposals arising from an Investment Challenge Paper be subject to review and scrutiny by the Executive Committee.” 18 67
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Report Agenda Item Report to: South Lanarkshire Council Date of Meeting: 10 December 2025 Report by: Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Subject: External Auditor’s Annual Report to South Lanarkshire Council 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to: [purpose] advise members of the External Auditor’s, Audit Scotland, Annual Report to the Council for 2024/2025 [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Council is asked to approve the following recommendation(s): [recs] (1) that the External Auditor’s Annual Report 2024/2025 to the Council be noted. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. The Risk and Audit Scrutiny Committee considered the External Auditor’s Annual Report to the Council at its meeting on 30 September 2025. 3.2. A copy of Audit Scotland’s letter and report for the Council (Item 3a) and the letter and report for the Charitable Trusts (Item 3c) can be accessed at the following links (to the Risk and Audit Scrutiny Committee): • Audit Scotland Letter and Annual Audit Report 2024/25 - South Lanarkshire Council • Audit Scotland Letter and Annual Audit Report 2024/25- South Lanarkshire Charitable Trusts 4. Employee Implications 4.1. None. 5. Financial Implications 5.1. None. 6. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 6.1. There are no climate change, sustainability or environmental implications in terms of this report. 7. Other Implications 7.1. There are no issues in terms of risk in relation to the content of this report. 19 69
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8. Integrated Impact Assessment and Consultation Requirements 8.1. No integrated impact assessment or consultation is required in terms of the recommendation contained within this report. Jackie Taylor Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) 12 November 2025 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Previous References Risk and Audit Scrutiny Committee, 30 September 2025 List of Background Papers None Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact: Lorraine O’Hagan, Head of Finance Ext: 5637 (Tel: 01698 455637) E-mail: lorraine.o’hagan@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 70