Agenda Document Pack - Community Wealth Building Commission - 09/09/2025
South Lanarkshire Council · 9 September 2025
Back to Community Wealth Building Commission — 9 September 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Council Offices, Almada Street Hamilton, ML3 0AA Monday, 01 September 2025 Dear Member Community Wealth Building Commission The Members listed below are requested to attend a meeting of the above Board to be held as follows:- Date: Tuesday, 09 September 2025 Time: 14:00 Venue: Hybrid - Committee Room 1, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton, ML3 0AA The business to be considered at the meeting is listed overleaf. Yours sincerely Paul Manning Chief Executive South Lanarkshire Council Councillor Alex Allison Councillor Robert Brown Councillor Maureen Chalmers Councillor Margaret Cooper Councillor Joe Fagan (Chair) Councillor Ross Lambie Councillor Kirsten Robb Councillor Margaret B Walker Paul Manning, Chief Executive Jackie Taylor, Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) Soumen Sengupta, Director, South Lanarkshire University Health and Social Care Partnership Louise Long, Chief Executive, NHS Lanarkshire Josephine Pravinkumar, Director of Public Health, NHS Lanarkshire Hisashi Kuboyama, Development Manager, West of Scotland, Federation of Small Businesses Jimmy Wilson, Interim Chief Executive, VASLan Richard Gallacher, Head of Estates, University of the West of Scotland (UWS) 1
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BUSINESS 1 Declaration of Interests 2 Minutes of Previous Meeting Minutes of the meeting of the Community Wealth Building Commission held on 10 June 2025 submitted for approval as a correct record. (Copy attached) 3 - 6 Item(s) for Consideration 3 Community Wealth Building Annual Report 2024/2025 Report dated 19 August 2025 by the Chief Executive. (Copy attached) 7 - 38 4 Community Wealth Building Action Plan 2025 Refresh Report dated 19 August 2025 by the Chief Executive. (Copy attached) 39 - 52 5 Context for Community Wealth Building - Data Digest Report dated 19 August 2025 by the Chief Executive. (Copy attached) 53 - 62 6 Forward Programme for Future Meetings Report dated 21 August 2025 by the Chief Executive. (Copy attached) 63 - 66 Any Other Competent Business 7 Any Other Competent Business Any other items of business which the Chair decides are competent. For further information, please contact:- Clerk Name: Laura Cunningham Clerk Telephone: 07385 370044 Clerk Email: laura.cunningham2@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 2
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COMMUNITY WEALTH BUILDING COMMISSION Minutes of meeting held via Confero and in Committee Room 1, Council Offices, Almada Street, Hamilton on 10 June 2025 Chair: Councillor Joe Fagan Present: South Lanarkshire Council Councillors Robert Brown, Ross Lambie, Kirsten Robb, John Ross, Margaret B Walker P Manning, Chief Executive; J Taylor, Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) NHS Lanarkshire J Pravinkumar, Director of Public Health; E Russell, Consultant in Public Health Federation of Small Businesses H Kuboyama, Development Manager, West of Scotland Also Attending: South Lanarkshire Council Chief Executive’s Service T Little, Head of Communications and Strategy; N Reid, Improvement and Community Planning Manager Community and Enterprise Resources D Hashagen, Employability Manager Finance and Corporate Resources C Fergusson, Head of Finance (Transactions); S Somerville, Administration Manager; N Tollan, Administration Assistant Apologies: South Lanarkshire Council Councillors Alex Allison, Margaret Cooper; S Sengupta, Director, Health and Social Care NHS Lanarkshire L Long, Chief Executive VASLan J Wilson, Interim Chief Executive University of the West of Scotland R Gallacher, Head of Estates 1 Declaration of Interests No interests were declared. 2 Minutes of Previous Meeting The minutes of the meeting of the Community Wealth Building Commission held on 18 March 2025 were submitted for approval as a correct record. The Chair advised that there was an administrative error in the minutes in that Councillor Robb was marked as absent but was, in fact, present. The Commission decided: that the minutes be approved as a correct record, subject to the inclusion of Councillor Robb as an attendee. 2 3
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3 NHS Lanarkshire Anchor Plan Progress Update A joint report dated 19 May 2025 by the Director of Public Health and Health Policy, and Consultant in Public Health, NHS Lanarkshire was submitted providing an update on the progress against year 1 of the NHS Lanarkshire (NHSL) anchor action plan 2023 to 2026. The overarching focus of the anchor action plan was on shifting the culture of the organisation to more intentionally use the levers available to positively impact on the wider determinants of health and reduce health inequalities. The RAG (red/amber/green) status and progress updates for the first year of delivery of the anchor action plan to the end of September 2024 were outlined in Appendix 1 to the report. Notable areas of progress were outlined in Section 4 of the report and included:- continued expansion of the employability programmes with proactive outreach work undertaken in partnership with Routes to Work to target groups such as those with disabilities increased local spend by £3.9 million and an increase in proportion of spend with small and medium sized enterprises from 31% to 42% over 2023/2024 delivery of a staff travel survey in April 2024 leading to a series of transport and travel actions to build on the existing active travel initiatives continued delivery of 8 therapeutic garden projects across NHSL sites delivery of financial wellbeing routine enquiry training to 20 clinical services Three of the year 1 milestones were partially achieved, with details provided on mitigating actions of how those would be taken forward. J Pravinkumar, Director of Public Health and Health Policy and E Russell, Consultant in Public Health responded to members’ questions in relation to the work undertaken to increase the proportion of spend with small and medium sized enterprises. E Russell gave an undertaking to speak to the procurement lead to see if further information could be shared. P Manning, Chief Executive referred to community benefits and how the NHS was looking to work more closely with both South and North Lanarkshire Councils. He advised that the City Deal Anchor Network was discussing a City Deal system which existed already for community benefits and community wish lists. He advised that it was the Council’s intention to migrate to that system this year. As North Lanarkshire Council already used it, he considered that might form a good basis for joint working. He also advised that the Council would be interested in linking in with the community benefits associated with the Monklands Replacement Programme in terms of the employability aspect. In relation to his question on how the effectiveness of financial wellbeing routine enquiry was measured, E Russell confirmed that Public Health Scotland had undertaken some work to evaluate financial exclusion pathways and consider best practice. NHSL was one of 4 Boards to facilitate some of the research. She advised that some initial engagement was undertaken with patients prior to referring them to other services, however, this relied on a commitment from partners. She welcomed P Manning’s offer to discuss how the process might be streamlined. The Chair thanked J Pravinkumar and E Russell for their informative presentation. The Commission decided: that the progress made by NHSL as an anchor organisation, be noted. E Russell left the meeting following this item of business 4
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4 Community Wealth Building Action Plan – Q4 Update A report dated 15 May 2025 by the Chief Executive, South Lanarkshire Council was submitted providing the Quarter 4 (Q4) progress update on the Community Wealth Building (CWB) Action Plan. The CWB Action Plan had been approved by the Commission at its meeting on 10 September 2024. The report provided an update on the actions contained within the Action Plan for the 12 month period, April 2024 to March 2025. There were 71 actions within the CWB Action Plan for 2024/2025 and progress to date against those actions was shown in the Q4 performance report, attached as Appendix 1 to the report. Of the 71 actions, 4 were complete and would be removed from the Action Plan. The remaining actions would be reviewed and a refreshed Action Plan brought to the September meeting of the Commission. In response to a member’s questions, J Taylor, Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) gave an undertaking to:- provide information on the modern apprenticeships’ process and its current progress provide details of the project that had been cancelled as part of the Central Energy Efficiency Fund Programme due to a failure to secure external funding pick up with the community engagement team, plans for the action on credit unions The Commission decided: that the report be noted. [Reference: Minutes of 10 September 2024 (Paragraph 4)] 5 Community Wealth Building Legislation A report dated 15 May 2025 by the Chief Executive, South Lanarkshire Council was submitted providing an update on the Scottish Government’s proposed legislation for Community Wealth Building in Scotland. The Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Bill had been introduced on 20 March 2025 and sought to advance the implementation of the Community Wealth Building (CWB) model of economic development in Scotland. It aimed to ensure consistent implementation of the model across Scotland’s local areas and regions, and address economic and wealth inequality between individuals and communities by facilitating and supporting the generation, circulation and retention of more wealth in local and regional economies. The requirements placed on local authorities were summarised in paragraph 4.4 of the report. The was no indication at this stage if there would be any additional funding to support the new duties within the Bill. The Commission decided: that the report be noted. 6 Community Wealth Building Legislation – Call for Views A report dated 29 May 2025 by the Chief Executive, South Lanarkshire Council was submitted on the Council’s response to the Scottish Parliament’s call for views on the Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Bill. 5
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The Scottish Parliament’s Economy and Fair Work Committee was conducting stage 1 scrutiny of the Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Bill and had issued a call for views to inform their deliberations. A copy of the Council’s response was attached as Appendix 1 to the report. T Little, Head of Communications and Strategy advised that the Committee was holding an evidence session at the Parliament on 11 June 2025 and the Council’s Executive Director (Finance and Corporate Resources) was presenting evidence to it. He added that the Bill was discussed at the CWB Progress Group meeting and it was intended to review it further in terms of its implications and opportunities, with the purpose being to bring forward any relevant proposals to the Commission. The Commission decided: that the report be noted. 7 Meetings Timetable 2025/2026 A report dated 14 May 2025 by the Chief Executive was submitted proposing that future dates of the Community Wealth Building Commission take place at 2pm on the following dates:- Tuesday 9 September 2025 Tuesday 2 December 2025 Tuesday 10 March 2026 The Commission decided: that future meetings of the Commission be held on the dates detailed above. 8 Forward Programme for Future Meetings A report dated 14 May 2025 by the Chief Executive was submitted advising of the forward programme for meetings of the Commission and inviting members to suggest topics for inclusion in the Commission’s forward programme. The Commission decided: that the report be noted. 9 Any Other Competent Business There were no other items of competent business. 6
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Community Wealth Building Commission Date of Meeting: 9 September 2025 Report by: Chief Executive Subject: Community Wealth Building Annual Report 2024/2025 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- present a draft of the CWB annual report for 2024/2025 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Commission is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- (1) that the draft annual report, attached as appendix 1, be approved. 3. Background 3.1. The Council approved a Community Wealth Building Strategy on 10 March 2021. Subsequently, the Community Wealth Building Commission was set up to engage a wide range of partners and stakeholders in the CWB agenda. 3.2. To support formal reporting of progress against the Strategy, the Commission agreed on 7 February 2022 that annual reports should be produced to highlight progress and showcase examples of significant work under the 5 pillars. The annual reports also provide a vehicle for communicating the purpose of CWB and why the Council and partners believe CWB is an important way of working in South Lanarkshire. 3.3. This report presents a draft of the fourth Annual Report, covering 2024/2025, for approval. 4. Annual Report Purpose and Content 4.1. The Commission agreed in August 2021 to monitor the CWB action plan through progress reports at Q2 and Q4, covering the periods April to September and April to March respectively. 4.2. While the performance reports provide an update on the progress of the action plan, the Commission agreed there was scope to reach a wider audience and to enhance communications around the CWB agenda by presenting progress in a more accessible format. An annual report offers the opportunity to take stock of what has been achieved in the year and to restate the aspirations of the Council and partners to champion CWB across all aspects of service planning and delivery. 4.3. The annual report does not replace the formal reporting of Q2 and Q4 progress but allows a more public-facing and accessible presentation of information, using key points and case studies to illustrate CWB in action. 4.4. The draft Annual Report is attached as appendix 1. 3 7
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4.5. This following table summarises the structure and content of the annual report. Section Content Introduction Written by the Chair of the CWB Commission - this reflects on the importance of CWB as a new approach involving key anchor organisations in South Lanarkshire. What is CWB What is CWB and why are we doing it - this revisits the background to CWB and outlines the 5 pillars. Progress and case studies This section of the annual report takes each pillar in turn and: • reviews the aims of the strategy • highlights progress made; and • provides case studies to illustrate the work of the council and partners under this pillar Conclusion Sums up progress and reaffirms commitment to CWB which we will deliver through the continuation of the 5-year action plan 4.6. A wide range of case studies have been used to illustrate CWB principles and to show where the approach is having an impact in South Lanarkshire. Case studies have been selected to illustrate the benefits of the approach for businesses, communities and individuals; and also to illustrate progress across both urban and rural areas in South Lanarkshire. 4.7. The Commission is asked to approve the content of the annual report. 5. Employee Implications 5.1. There are no direct employee implications. 6. Financial Implications 6.1. There are no direct financial implications. 7. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 7.1. There are no climate change implications as a result of this report. 8. Other Implications 8.1. None. 9. Equality 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 Partners and stakeholders contributed to the content of the Annual Report. Paul Manning Chief Executive 19 August 2025 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes • Accountable, efficient, effective and transparent 8
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Previous References • None List of Background Papers • None Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Tom Little, Head of Communications and Strategy Ext: 4904 (Tel: 01698.454904) E-mail: Tom.Little@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 9
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Appendix 1 South Lanarkshire Community Wealth Building Annual Report 2024 – 25 DRAFT 10
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Contents Introduction What is Community Wealth Building? Progress and case studies • Spending • Workforce • Land and property • Finance • Building the generative economy Conclusion 11
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Introduction In March 2021 South Lanarkshire launched its Community Wealth Building Strategy. The strategy set out an aspiration to work in a new way for the people of South Lanarkshire, to use the power and Influence of the council and other organisations to support communities and the South Lanarkshire economy. The challenges of the last few years continue to underline the importance of local services rooted in local places and communities. Since we launched our strategy – one of the first in Scotland – Community Wealth Building has been recognised nationally as an important approach to local economic development. The Scottish Government’s forthcoming Community Wealth Building legislation will require public sector bodies in Scotland to develop partnership plans for each local authority area. This is the approach South Lanarkshire has been using for the last 4 years, guided by its overarching CWB Strategy. South Lanarkshire Council and the South Lanarkshire Community Planning Partners are committed to improving the lives and prospects of everyone in South Lanarkshire. This annual report looks back at the fourth year of our Community Wealth Building Strategy. It highlights the progress we have made so far and reaffirms our commitment and determination to explore every avenue available to build the wealth, capacity and resilience of our communities. As in previous years, we have brought together a range of case studies to illustrate Community Wealth Building in action, showing how the council and partners, working alongside communities, can use their energies, influence and resources to make a difference across South Lanarkshire. Chair of the Community Wealth Building Commission 12
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What is Community Wealth Building? Community Wealth Building is an alternative approach to traditional economic development, which seeks to develop resilient, inclusive local economies, with more local employment and a larger and more diverse business base. Community Wealth Building reorganises local economies to be fairer and aims to reduce wealth flowing out of our communities, towns and cities by helping local investments and assets to generate more and better jobs for local residents and businesses. To achieve this transition, CWB harnesses the power of anchor institutions to enable local economies to grow and develop from within. Anchor institutions are large commercial, public and social sector organisations which have a significant stake in a place and can exert considerable influence on their local economies. CWB changes how anchor organisations work to maximise local and regional economic opportunities. This includes the goods they buy, the people they employ, the assets they own and the powers they exercise to bring about long-term, sustainable economic change for the benefit of local communities and local businesses. 5 strategy areas are identified relating to the pillars of community wealth building. These are: • Building the generative economy - Develop and grow small, locally owned enterprises which are more financially generative for the local economy - locking wealth into place. • Finance - Increase flows of investment within local economies by harnessing and recirculating the wealth that exists, as opposed to attracting capital. • Land and property - Deepen the function and ownership of local assets held by anchor institutions, so that financial and social gain is harnessed by citizens. • Spending - Utilise public sector procurement and commissioning to develop dense local supply chains of businesses likely to support good employment and retain work locally. • Workforce - Exercise fair employment practices and work to develop a more just labour market to improve the prospects and wellbeing of local people. 13
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Spending The spending pillar is about leveraging public sector procurement and commissioning to develop dense local supply chains of businesses likely to support good employment and retain work locally. Our Strategy set out how we would achieve this, building on close analysis of our spend and a range of actions to make procurement processes simpler and more accessible to local businesses. How we have supported Community Wealth Building • Lanarkshire Meet the ‘Real’ Buyer was run by the Supplier Development Programme (SDP), alongside headline partners North Lanarkshire and South Lanarkshire Councils. This free event gave suppliers, based in Lanarkshire, access to the real buyers and decision makers in the region, helping suppliers raise their profile as a business, and prepare for upcoming contract opportunities. • In total, 823 suppliers pre-registered for the event on the SDP website, which marks a 30% increase on last year’s event, and 62 suppliers on the waiting list. 394 suppliers were in attendance on the day, including 186 suppliers based in Lanarkshire. In total, there were 281 suppliers from 215 unique Scottish SME businesses. • 91% rated the event as Good or Excellent; 94% rated the exhibitors as Excellent or Good; and 88% rated engagement with exhibitors as Good or Excellent. • Nine supplier engagement events were delivered by SLC and SDP in the last year as well as the Meet the Real Buyer event. • A range of events were delivered in the year to support SME's including Quick Quote Process on 26 March 2025 with 50 attending, Talking Tenders for Physiotherapy Services Webinar on 26 March 2025 with 9 attending, and Community Benefit supplier meeting on 27 February 2025 with 64 attending. 14
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• Specific tender events have been delivered for Care at Home, Passenger Transport, Physiotherapy, Homelessness Services and promotion of Quick Quote for Works to local construction companies. Events have been a blend of in-person and webinars. • Earlier identification of potential contracts and cascading of this information to the relevant businesses has been achieved through publication of the procurement forward plan within the Annual Procurement Report, published on the Council's website. All regulated tenders have been promoted via Social Media and Economic Development. • The Council awarded 84 contracts to local companies in 2024/2025, which represents an increase in the proportion of contracts awarded to local companies from 16% to 21%. This included appointment of a number of suppliers to new Council frameworks. • In 2024/2025, 339 Community Benefits were committed through contract awards, representing a 41% increase against 2023/2024. Work Experience, Educational Career Development Support and Financial Donations are the top 3 categories, accounting for 59% of the benefits overall. • As of March 2025, 253 community wishes have been received and 92 answered with a total value of more than £95,000. • Scoping work has started between NHSL Procurement and Health Improvement to review the community benefits section within the procurement system and identify any potential improvements or additional information that could be made available to suppliers. In addition, some larger contracts have been identified to be part of a review process to establish whether community benefits are being delivered out with the NSS portal or if there are any missed opportunities that could be joined up. • There are 4 live community benefit requests for Lanarkshire on the NSS portal that have been added over the last year. There is 1 historic match which has been delivered and 1 live match which is in progress. The live match will be followed up to check on progress and consider as a local case study. • NHS Lanarkshire continues to ensure that half of the suppliers invited to quote are based in the Lanarkshire area, per their commitment in the organisational procurement strategy published in 2022. How it’s working in South Lanarkshire: Case studies: Community Benefits South Lanarkshire council has a commitment to include Community Benefits in all Contracts with an estimated value of £50,000 and above, where suitable. Community Benefits contribute to a range of local and national outcomes and supports the Community Wealth Building Strategy for South Lanarkshire. Community Benefits can support a variety of projects within local communities including training and recruitment opportunities, educational opportunities, support to local community groups or working with local supply chains. The case studies below illustrate how this works in practice and the benefits to local communities and individuals through the Community Benefits approach. Turner and Townsend, Calderglen and Chatelherault. As part of the Country Parks Masterplan project for Calderglen and Chatelherault Country parks contract, Turner and Townsend committed to delivering a range of community benefits to local communities in South Lanarkshire. This included offering two work experience placements, two opportunities for young people to engage in their work on the 15
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project and one ‘other’ bespoke CB which took the shape of Community Consultation events at both Country Parks over a two-day period. In order to fulfil their work experience commitments, Turner and Townsend provided two ‘Assistant Cost Manager’ work experience placements. These were both delivered over the summer holidays of July 2024 to allow for local high school pupils to be able to participate. The work experience placements were focused on an introduction into the construction industry. The young people spent time within the Turner and Townsend office environment and worked their way round different departments as well as having a full day at an architect’s office and a morning at an engineer’s office. This opportunity was particularly timely as the 5th year pupil participating is perusing a career and engineering which made this placement invaluable experience for their future studies. In addition to these work placements, Turner and Townsend also delivered two in school workshops to pupils at two local High Schools. The first session focused on benchmarking costs for construction projects, discussing what benchmarking is, the role of a Quantity Surveyor and interactive discussions with two members of staff from Turner and Townsend to explore experiences of working in the construction industry. The second seminar focused on an Introduction to Energy Sustainability, Energy Audits, Decarbonisation, Net Zero and Carbon Neutral. Turner and Townsend also delivered two Community Consultation Events, at each Country Park during July and August. These events provided community members with an opportunity to provide their views on the public consultation of the plans being considered for the park. Advance Construction, Hairmyres Park and Ride – Liam’s Story. In Autumn 2024, Advance Construction were awarded a contract by the Council for the development of the Hairmyres Park and Ride facility. Due to the value of this contract, Advance Construction committed to delivering a wide range of Community Benefits to support local communities in South Lanarkshire. As a part of their offer, Advance Construction offered six, four-week structured work experience placements all based on the Hairmyres site and open to individuals living in South Lanarkshire. Advance Construction collaborated closely with the council’s Community Benefits Officer to plan out the delivery of their Community Benefits, who in turn connected them with the Council’s Employability Engagement Team to progress the work experience placements. The Community Benefits Officer and Employer Engagement Team worked closely together with Advance Construction to progress the placements and gather evidence of completion. Advance Construction’s commitment to delivering Community Benefits through work experience placements demonstrates the value of integrating social responsibility into major construction projects. By providing practical opportunities for local residents to engage with the industry, the initiative supports economic growth and skill development in South Lanarkshire. The strong partnership between Advance Construction and South Lanarkshire Council serves as a model for future projects seeking to maximize their community impact. Liam, aged 16 years old, was a participant in the Employability Aspire Works Programme delivered by South Lanarkshire Council. Liam demonstrated a keen interest in pursuing careers within the construction sector. Liam was designated a Key Worker who assisted him in developing his CVs, performing job searches, and getting ready for interviews. In February 2025, with the assistance of South 16
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Lanarkshire Council’s Employer Engagement Team, Liam was presented with a four-week work experience opportunity offered by Advance Construction Ltd as a component of their Community Benefit Payback Initiative. Prior to commencing the four-week work placements at Hairmyres Park and Ride site in East Kilbride, Liam was required to complete three-day construction related Health and Safety Awareness overview, delivered by Advance Construction CITB-accredited Training Academy and comprised of the following • One-day construction related training course on general site safety which outlines the hazards and control measures likely to be encountered during the period of placement. This training course will lead to an industry recognised qualification (NPORS Site Safety Awareness). • One day training course on Underground Services Identification. • One half-day training on Abrasive Wheel Cutting (non-practical) and one half-day training on Manual Handling. Upon completion, Liam achieved an industry recognised certification and was provided with the necessary personal protective equipment (PPE) in preparation for his onsite work placement, which was scheduled to begin on Monday, February 17, 2025. During the four-week work placement, Liam acquired practical experience in civil engineering and groundworks operations on-site under the supervision of experienced Site Supervisors and Operatives, which included initial observation and assisting with practical duties in groundworks operations. This included earthworks movements, drainage installation works, road construction, construction of building foundations, substructures and floors, and hard and soft landscaping. As a result of his commitment, diligence, and enthusiasm, Liam was offered a full-time position at Advance Construction upon the completion of his work placement. Liam will continue his employment at the Hairmyres site and will subsequently be assigned to a range of different locations. Congratulations to Liam. 17
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Household Waste Recycling Centres and Biffa Waste Services. Biffa Waste Services were awarded a seven-year contract by the Council in 2023/2024 to manage and operate South Lanarkshire’s Household Waste Recycling Centres. Due to the high value of this contract, 560 Community Benefits Points were allocated for delivery over the contract period. A range of Community Benefits for the communities of South Lanarkshire were committed including the employment of eleven local individuals across the Recycling Centres, engagement with eight local SMEs in the supply chain for this contract and support for environmental improvement projects across South Lanarkshire. Delivery of committed benefits is underway with the recruitment of all eleven new employment opportunities complete. This has provided a range of roles of varying skill levels across the Waste Recycling Centres for eleven individuals who live in South Lanarkshire. Biffa are also planning their environmental improvements projects through ongoing initiatives which will be rolled out in Locations across South Lanarkshire. Biffa work with charity “Paths for All” championing a happier, healthier and greener Scotland. In South Lanarkshire this will support the K-Woodlands adjacent to the East Kilbride Waste and Recycling Centre via regular litter picking events organised by Biffa and allowing access to their recycling centres to dispose of the waste. Community Groups in 18
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South Lanarkshire will also be able to access the Biffa Award Scheme, with funding available to local Community Groups that are generated via landfill tax credits. Groups can apply for funding via their local Waste Recycling Centre. Having access to additional funding sources for South Lanarkshire Community Organisation is vital, especially funding that supports environmental improvements in our communities. Biffa’s Community Benefits will have an on-going impact on South Lanarkshire’s local economy and communities throughout their contract period. The Community Benefits committed have delivered employment opportunities, supply chain opportunities and support for local communities to make environmental improvements across South Lanarkshire. Festive Lighting: contractor Lightways. In 2023/2024, Lightways were awarded a four-year contract for maintenance, storage, erection and dismantling of Festive Lights for the Council and in fulfilment of their Community Benefits points, committed to making a financial donation to a local community project each year of the contract through the Council’s Community Wish List. Following review of the Wish List, Lightways choose to provide support to the Partnership Group for St. John’s Primary School in Blackwood. The Partnership Group were looking for support to reinstate the school garden, which had been a poor state of repair for some time. Pupils involved in the John Muir Award had cleared the garden but needed support to reinstate pathways which were unsafe and inaccessible for any users with mobility issues. Lightways were able to provide and lay new slabs to improve accessibility to the garden as well as lay aggregate chips to complete the bedding areas the pupils would like to build raised beds on. Having not only the donation of goods but also labour meant the project could progress faster than otherwise anticipated, carrying out tasks pupils could not complete themselves. A representative from the Partnership Group commented “Completion of these tasks will make a big difference to finishing work in the garden, we are extremely grateful to Lightways for their generosity.” Lightways support has been hugely impactful in the development of the school garden, making it accessible for all to enjoy and the Council will continue to work with the contractor over the next four years to deliver the remaining three donations, supporting more communities across South Lanarkshire. Community Wish List - Case Study – Fernhill Bowlers. Fernhill Bowlers were delighted to benefit from a donation of £250 towards the cost of transport to take members on trips, days out, or to a special event. Their ‘wish’ was granted by SSI Schaefer Plastics UK Limited, one of several local and national businesses signed up to respond when applications to the CWL come in. The cash boost will help the group continue to tackle issues of social isolation experienced by many of their 40 or so mostly older and retired members and widen the opportunities for all involved. Fernhill Bowlers’ Janette Oliver explained: “The club runs every Monday and creates a chance to socialise and learn new skills while playing a sport we all enjoy, having a natter entertaining one another, sharing our knowledge and stories. 19
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“We would like to take a trip to other events or just enjoy a day away, but the cost of a bus is something we struggle with. That’s why this donation is so welcomed, as it allows us to continue to tackle loneliness and isolation which is something we pride ourselves on. "The ability to offer something as simple as a community day out to the seaside can make all the difference to so many.” A spokesperson for SSI Schaefer Plastics UK Limited said the company was privileged to be able to fulfil a community wish, adding: “We have a down-to-earth attitude, and our ambition is to be a long-term partner for customers and employees – embodying the characteristics that define our corporate DNA. “It’s a source of pride for us to boost our aims by being a part of South Lanarkshire Council’s Community Wish List.” The CWL is supported by the council’s Community Engagement Team. Chair of the Finance and Corporate Resources Committee, Councillor Lesley McDonald, said: "This is another great example of the CWL and the unique and individual benefits it can bring to local communities and organisations. "I would like to thank SSI Schaefer Plastics and all of the other companies who have so generously donated so far." Community Wish List - Case Study – Charity Skills Exchange. Charity Skills Exchange SCIO, who are based in East Kilbride but also work in Blantyre, Clydesdale and Larkhall, requested the new laptops as the ones they were using were old and unable to download the latest software updates. Thanks to the Community Wish List, two new laptops were donated by Lomond Plant Ltd. 20
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Charity Manager Ann McCracken said: “Receiving this donation of laptops is incredibly significant for us as a small charity. “These laptops aren't just devices, they're tools that empower us to amplify our impact and reach. They will provide opportunities for our clients to enhance their skills and develop their learning and understanding of topics we deliver.” A spokesperson for Lomond Plant Ltd said: “The Scotland Excel contract is an important contribution to our business. This contract is tailored in such a way we are able to give back to local communities providing additional support where it’s needed. As part of this commitment, we were delighted to supply the wish list with new laptops.” Chair of the council's Finance and Corporate Resources Committee, Councillor Lesley McDonald, said: "I would like to thank Lomond Plant Ltd and all of the other companies who have so generously donated so far." 21
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Workforce The Workforce pillar of Community Wealth Building requires anchor organisations to adopt and champion fair employment practices and work to develop a more just labour market to improve the prospects and wellbeing of local people. In our strategy and action plan we set out our intention to promote fair work practices and the living wage, leading by example and encouraging all businesses and third sector organisations in Lanarkshire to follow suit. We said we would use our employability programmes and our training and recruitment activities to maximise opportunities for local people. How we have supported Community Wealth Building • The employability team has worked with a range of Council services and external employers to deliver pre-employment training, support and work placements to prepare participants for employment. This has included the Demonstrator programme where parents have taken part in paid 6 month placements with NHS Lanarkshire (see case study below), the Council's Facilities Services and the State Hospital. Young people have taken part on a Rail Skills Academy delivered in partnership with QTS and Routes to Work South, leading to employment linked to the East Kilbride Rail Enhancement Project. • The Employer Engagement Team has developed links and referral pathways with the new Business Gateway service. Regular meetings are held with the Routes to Work South Employer Engagement team to ensure support is co-ordinated. a new employer offer has been developed and marketing materials produced. • The upskilling programme has been reviewed and re-branded as Aim to Achieve, with a focus on providing in-work support and upskilling to parental employability participants. • A targeted recruitment campaign was carried out with facilities services to progress unemployed parents into hard to fill vacancies in catering and cleansing roles. Parents completed a 6 month paid work placement prior to progressions to vacant posts. • To support our commitment to the Living Wage in South Lanarkshire, a Living Wage meeting take place quarterly with internal colleagues and external partners. A Living Wage Action Plan has been developed. • Skills Development Scotland have awarded an initial contract of 33 Modern Apprenticeships(MAs) to the council, with a potential for 4 more being added. Work has taken place across Resources to identify MA places and further SVQ opportunities for existing staff. This exercise is aligned to workforce and succession planning to ensure resilience of services moving forward • In 2024/2025 8 new Modern Apprentices were recruited to the Council. This included 5 Housing MA’s, 2 Electrical MA’s and 1 Building Standards MA. In addition, 59 existing members of staff signed up to complete a Modern Apprenticeships as part of their personal Development and/or for regulatory registration within their role. • During 2025/2026, recruitment of new Apprentices is planned in a variety of areas including various craft trades, Housing and Road Operative roles. These campaigns are planned at various stages throughout the year. Housing and Technical Resources have just completed recruitment campaigns, with new apprentices due to start between June and August 2025. This includes the following: o 6 Housing Assistants o 13 craft trades which includes 1 place for a young care leaver as part of the council’s corporate parenting role and care leaver Promise o 7 Road Operatives 22
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• In addition to the above recruitment, staff will be given the opportunity to complete a Modern Apprenticeship – this includes a variety of roles – Business Admin, Social Care and Child Care. • All MA activity has been agreed and planned in line with Skills Development Scotland MA contract award for 2025/26. How it’s working in South Lanarkshire: Case study: Joinery Apprenticeships – Lauren’s Story. Lauren commenced her Joinery apprenticeship with South Lanarkshire Council in August 2021. During her time with us, Lauren has gained experience in the following sections:- Aids and Adaptations – working alongside a tradesperson, and other trades, mainly adapting bathrooms to wetrooms/shower rooms, to allow the customer to remain in their home. This work also included other adaptations like grab rails/handles, widening doorways, changing doorway to sliding door. Non-Housing – working alongside a tradesperson, Lauren was carrying out repairs as required within Schools, this could be anything from new door closers to new partition walls and everything in between. HomeImprove – working alongside 2 tradespeople, and other trades, Lauren has been carrying out replacing kitchens in South Lanarkshire Council’s housing stock. During her time on this programme Lauren has also gained experience carrying out the surveys of the properties to see what work was required as well as discussing and agreeing with the customer what their kitchen options were. Lauren has gone from strength to strength since starting her apprenticeship. Skills. knowledge, confidence and speed of work have all developed over the durations of her apprenticeship to the point where she is now in her final year, her portfolio of evidence is complete and her skills test is due to take place end of August. Lauren has been nominated by her tradesmen/supervisors/managers for the APSE apprentice of the year awards, both Scottish and Nationals each year since she started. 2022/2023 for 1st year, 2023/2024 for 2nd year and 2024/2025 for 3rd year. Lauren made it to the finals each year and won both the Scottish and National awards for her 3rd year. Case Study: Making it Work Programme and Sonia’s Story. Making it Work is a one of a range of keyworker-based employability services delivered and funded by South Lanarkshire Works, designed to meet the needs of South Lanarkshire Local Employability Partnership’s Key Priority Groups. All participants are supported by a named keyworker who supports them to develop and complete an individualised action plan, which includes access to a range of training and employability provision. Making it Work supports parents from the following groups: Lone parents Parents or children with a disability Parents with 3 or more children Parents from a minority ethnic background Sonia is a lone parent with 2 children approaching nursery age. Sonia was referred to the Making it Work parental employability programme by DWP. She had been unemployed for 5 years and was on universal credit. Sonia had a real interest in becoming an HGV driver. 23
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She felt that this would give her independence, and she would be able to provide for her children and hopefully get something that would work around her childcare. Sonia and her keyworker researched HGV training organisations, selected a training course and through the MIW programme funding was provided for Sonia to complete the course. Sonia also participated in CV building and job search sessions to understand how to effectively look for work and the different ways to successfully secure employment and attended interview skills course in preparation for any future interviews. Following completion of the course Sonia was supported intensively to help source employment. After a short period of time, she obtained employment as an HGV Class 2 Driver, working full time in the evenings which fits around her childcare. Sonia is loving the position, feels proud of herself for achieving her dream and supporting her family. She loves the independence, having a purpose outwith being a parent and her children are feeling the benefits financially with her being in work. Case study: NHS Lanarkshire Demonstrator 3 Programme. As part of the Scottish Government’s No One Left Behind Policy aimed at Tackling Child Poverty, NHS Lanarkshire (NHSL) implemented the Demonstrator 3 Programme. This initiative focused on placing unemployed or low-earning parents into paid work placements for six months, earning just above the living wage. During this third cohort of the programme, NHSL collaborated with International Service System (ISS) at University Hospital Hairmyres who accommodated 2 placements in facilities roles, taking the total number of placements up to 38. The programme received support from both North and South Lanarkshire Local Employability Partners (LEP’s), with NHSL’s Employability Team running the programme and supporting participants and managers internally. The primary aim was to boost participants’ confidence, wellbeing, help them learn new skills, and develop capabilities essential for employment, ultimately, securing employment. Participants in the survey shared incredibly positive feedback about their experiences. Many noted improvements in their health and wellbeing, confidence, financial situations and skillset, with increased confidence being the most significant benefit. Respondents also praised the support from their department, with the majority rating it as either good or very good. Some of the standout feedback includes: “This has been a life changing experience for myself. Before starting this programme, my self-esteem and confidence was very low and I wasn’t sure what to do to get myself back into work. The support I have received has been exceptional and I feel like a different person leaving the programme” and “A big thank you to everyone who helped me get to where I want to be and gave me a chance and new experience to work my way up the ladder in the NHS. An amazing opportunity and I couldn’t have done it without everyone who supported me.” The Team’s support was rated highly by managers and participants alike, with all rating this very good or good. The average amount of one to one coaching and support appointments they took up was 3 and the networking sessions centred around goal setting, career preferences, applications and interviews were well received. Some notable feedback from the managers was, “Excellent support from the team, every enquiry is answered promptly and effectively. The Employability Team make the process of engaging Demonstrator Candidates easy for managers in my opinion. Thank you for all you do for us.” Praise from the participants included, “Employability team has been an amazing support, ensuring I am feeling comfortable in my role with regular one to ones. Networking sessions were useful and helped in the application process for other roles. They have contributed to my growth in confidence and made me see that I have potential to create the life I want for myself.” 24
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Routes to Work South + Demonstrator Programme – Nzube’s story. Nzube, who is a parent was with two children, one of whom is disabled was referred to Routes to Work South by Jobcentre Plus as he was unemployed and seeking employment opportunities. As Nzube required a job which would allow him to help his wife care for both children outwith school hours, Routes to Work South worked with Nzube to apply for the NHS Demonstrator Programme as the programme is designed to fit around participant’s childcare needs. Nzube had previously worked as a nurse overseas but wanted to move into an admin role following a previous personal experience. Nzube was offered a 6 month waged position on the programme as an Admin Officer with hours which suited his childcare needs. His initial placement was in an ICU setting however Nzube found this challenging due to a previous personal experience. The NHS Employability team and NHS Management were very supportive in working to relocate him to a more suitable location. Nzube has commented that the supportive environment has improved his health. During his time on the programme Nzube was supported to update his CV and carry out job searches to help him find suitable employment. Following the 6 month programme Nzube secured work covering admin bank shifts which he can select to suit his family requirements. He now earns a monthly salary to suit his circumstances. Nzube summed up his experience: “I used to be a nurse when I lived in Ukraine and wanted to move into an admin role. By doing the Demonstrator Programme, I have gained skills within the Workforce team such as IT skills, learning how to use Allocate programme and Trakcare. The opportunity to train and develop myself has been very beneficial. My health has improved as it is a supportive environment and everyone is very helpful” 25
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Land and Property This pillar looks to deepen the function and ownership of local assets held by anchor institutions, so that financial and social gain is harnessed by citizens. Our strategy highlighted the importance of affordable housing and the potential of Community Asset Transfer as a means of giving community more control over local places. The strategy aimed to encourage investment and create thriving places where people can access goods and services on foot or via public transport. How we have supported Community Wealth Building • Through the Market Purchase Scheme, we injected £11m into the local housing market to purchase 130 homes from the private sector, whilst offering a fair price to those selling. (See case study below) • 130 properties were acquired through the Market Purchase Scheme by 31 March 2025. • The Empty Homes Officer continues to liaise proactively with the owners of empty properties to offer advice and support. During 2024/2025 this contributed to bringing 28 empty homes back into use. • The Housing Investment Programme continued to incorporate sustainable changes to the council’s housing stock, with £6.5m targeted towards energy efficiency works (total £33.5m refurb works budget). • A range of projects were delivered as part of the Community Energy Efficiency Fund programme. • Through the existing partnership networks, Housing and Technical Resources continue to support owners and private landlords on opportunities to improve the energy efficiency of their home and reduce costs associated with heating. This includes through the utilisation of national Energy Efficient Scotland: Area Based Scheme funding, with over 50 properties in 2024/2025 receiving energy efficiency upgrades, reducing energy costs for residents. In addition, the Resource hosts the twice annual Private Landlord Forum, with expert presenters attending to provide advice and answer questions on energy efficiency standards and grant funding opportunities to South Lanarkshire private landlords. The most recent forum was held in March 2025, with over 60 landlords attending from across South Lanarkshire. • Since launching in 2023/2024, Housing and Technical Resources have led the delivery of South Lanarkshire's ECO4 Scheme that enables the draw down of national energy company funding to be used to improve the energy efficiency of homes across the local authority area. The scheme continues to make significant improvements to homes across South Lanarkshire with 295 energy efficiency measures installed in 102 across privately owned or rented homes by locally based contractors in 2024/2025. Particular focus continues on supporting those on low incomes and with significant health conditions, aiming to reduces costs associated with heating their home. • The development of the East Kilbride and Hamilton masterplans have fully embraced the principles of 20 minute neighbourhoods. This is also reflected in the existing strategies and Masterplans for our other towns and most recently Rutherglen and the Shaping Places for Wellbeing Initiative. The evolving Marmot proposal also reflects these elements and is consistent with CWB. • The Council has started preparation of its next Local Development Plan 3 (LDP3). The first part of this process involves the preparation of an evidence report including the gathering of data and extensive engagement. A series of topic papers have been produced which were published for consultation between April and July 2025. This includes a paper on Economic Development which incorporates Community Wealth Building. 26
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How it’s working in South Lanarkshire: Case study: Over £11million injected into the local economy through the council’s Market Purchase Scheme for housing. South Lanarkshire Council’s Market Purchase Scheme aims to increase the supply of council housing to assist in meeting increased housing need across South Lanarkshire. During 2024/2025 over £11m was injected into the local economy by the council through offering a fair price to owner occupiers or private landlords selling their existing homes. Either by the owners directly approaching the council or by the properties being listed on the market, the council purchased 130 properties for home report value, providing certainty for the sellers and enabling a quick sale to allow them to move on to their next home with ease. Once acquired by the council, any remedial works to upgrade the homes ready for new tenants is conducted by Housing and Technical Resource’s Building Services and, where required, locally based contractors providing further benefits to the local economy. These homes have been let to applicants on the council’s waiting lists, providing high quality affordable homes in areas applicants want to live. This is an effective method of increasing the provision of council properties across different areas, in a quicker fashion than constructing new homes. Once acquired and upgraded to meet relevant housing quality standards the homes are let to tenants in accordance with the council’s Housing Allocation Policy. Significantly increasing the scale of the Market Purchase Scheme to acquire larger family homes across priority areas has been one of the key actions progressed to help tackle the surge in homelessness and the increase in households with children and young people living in temporary accommodation over the last few years. Of the 130 homes purchased in 2024/2025, 56 comprised of three or four bedrooms and suitable for families. To date, 54 of these have been let or are in the process of being let and are providing a permanent home to 131 children and young people, who were either homeless or living in another home that did not meet their family’s needs. Forming part of the council’s wider Affordable Housing Supply Programme, that seeks to deliver over 1,000 additional council homes by 2027, the Market Purchase Scheme is supported by the Scottish Government’s national Affordable Housing Supply Programme, and associated National Acquisition Programme. More information on the council’s Affordable Housing Supply Programme can be found at www.southlanarkshire.gov.uk. 27
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Finance The Finance pillar focuses on efforts to increase flows of investment within local economies by harnessing and recirculating the wealth that exists, as opposed to attracting capital. Our strategy aims to encourage and support financial growth for communities, including building and attracting development and investment opportunities and encouraging local spend. How we have supported Community Wealth Building • Baseline data for NHS Credit Union members from NHS Lanarkshire was recorded in September 2024 as 2258 members and the distribution of these across salary bands was recorded. Membership figures will be reviewed one year on from this exercise to observe any changes based on the awareness raising activities. • Targeted work has been carried out to encourage staff to consider joining the credit union, aimed particularly at salary bands which could benefit most from regularly saving through payroll deduction. This includes o Utilised International Credit Union Day in October 2024, to promote the NHS Credit Union via the Staff Brief and the benefits of local credit unions via social media. o As part of Staff Health and Wellbeing Week in March 2025, 3 further NHS credit union awareness raising online sessions were offered across the whole organisation. Over and above this, targeted sessions were carried out and feedback on barriers to the credit union were reported back to senior management. o Leaflets and information on savings and “new start loans” were also shared with the NHSL Employability Team to inform new staff on their various employability programmes. o Attendance at National Procurement Wellbeing Events at distribution sites in Holytown and Larkhall, where credit union information was shared and resources circulated for staff typically in the lower pay bands. • In the run up to Christmas, the council issued internal communications via the intranet to encourage employees to think and spend local over the festive period. • The Participatory Budgeting approach has continued across the Council through 2024/2025 and included spend on Roads projects, PEF (Pupil Equity Fund) funded projects in schools, Grounds Services and projects within the Housing capital programme. (see PB case study below) • The Council continues to progress its City Deal projects with recent approval from the City Region Cabinet of the Outline Business case for East Kilbride Town Centre. SLC also continue to engage in other workstreams associated with City Region projects including the Enabling Business Infrastructure programme and delivery of the City Region Economic Strategy priorities. How it’s working in South Lanarkshire: Case study: Participatory Budgeting helps decide how almost £15m council funding is spent. In line with an agreement between the Scottish Government and COSLA, South Lanarkshire directs at least 1% of its revenue budget, excluding council tax, towards Participatory Budgeting. The PB approach is focused on involving communities in decisions regarding how money is spent. 28
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The core areas where Participatory Budgeting is part of how the service is planned and delivered include: • Renewable Energy Fund (REF) Microgrants • Grounds Services (replacement for Street cleaning) • Carriageway / Footway Resurfacing • Pupil Equity Funding • Place Based Participatory Budgeting Programme • Housing Investment Programme (Environmental) • Estates Improvement Budget • SLC SSE Clyde Windfarm • Customer Engagement Budget • Housing Investment Programme: Door and Window Replacement • Housing Investment Programme: Kitchen Replacement The 1% target for SLC for PB equates to around £7.5m. The total actual spend through PB was almost double this, at £14.176m for financial year 2024/2025. The PB activities and associated spend are outlined below. Renewable Energy Fund (REF) Micro Grants This is a process whereby community councils play a role in distributing small microgrants. A total of 32 out of 40 Community Councils have been awarded micro grants by Q4 with a value of £0.140m. Grounds Services A consultation with residents provided feedback supporting the expansion of wild flowering. The service also consulted on weed control, grass cutting cycles and shrub bed removal, hanging baskets and maintenance. As a result of the consultation, the service increased wild flowering and biodiversity areas and implemented alternative weed control methods to reduce pesticide usage during 2023/2024, and this continued into 2024/2025 with spend of £0.890m over the year. Carriageway / Footway / Pathway Resurfacing £2.923m of investment monies was subject to Participatory Budgeting. Expenditure in the financial year 22/23 totalled £2.312m and in 23/24 totalled £0.467m. The remaining budget of £0.144m was carried into 2024/2025. Works are programmed in the Chatelherault Country Park to upgrade paths on the approach to White Bridge. However, works are on-hold until the bridge replacement works are programmed. The budget of £0.126m will continue until 2025/2026 and will be used to support the overall project funded by investments. Separately, around £1.000m from our core roads investment was directed towards footways and consultation results from previous years’ participatory budgeting exercises along with engineering judgement continues to influence spend in this area. This investment will be able to be considered under the participatory budget heading. Pupil Equity Funding (PEF) PB is now fully embedded in SLC schools through PEF funding. This year schools have committed to allocate a minimum of 5% of their PEF budget (£8.949m) to Participatory Budgeting. The schools consultation ended during quarter 2 and spend took place during quarter 3 and beyond. 29
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Place Based Participatory Budgeting Programme This is part of a yearly process which has been in place for several years. The £0.040m funding is allocated to a neighbourhood planning area and involves allocating small grants. In 2024/2025, additional funding of £115,000 of Shared Prosperity Funding was spent across all of the ‘Our Place Our Plan’ priority areas this year. Place Based PB was open between August - September 2024 across all 9 Neighbourhood Planning areas. A total of £0.155m was allocated through the process. This round saw the highest ever number of applications with all areas being oversubscribed for the first time. Voter numbers were the highest ever and all funds were successfully allocated. Housing Investment Programme: Environmental Programme This relates to projects within the environmental element of the Housing Investment Programme with a focus on improving the quality and energy efficiency of the Council’s domestic housing stock, including sheltered housing and Gypsy/Traveller sites. Projects in 2024/2025 included environmental upgrades at the Glebe Gardens Sheltered Housing site in Lesmahagow, and Wellbeck House in East Kilbride where the tenants were involved in shaping the proposals. Improvement works at the Shawlands Crescent Gypsy/Traveller site have also been made as part of the masterplan agreed with site residents. Estate Improvement Budget Approximately £0.040m was available to deliver a range of improvements to address day- to-day challenges faced by local people and communities. Projects included improvements to the wildflower area at Cruachan Road in Rutherglen, resurfacing of the car park behind Shand Lane in Carluke, installation of new communal general waste bins at Catacol Grove in East Kilbride, and improvements to ground conditions to upgrade the bin area at Holyrood Street in Burnbank. Tenants were involved in setting priorities for projects through engagement with local tenants and residents groups as well as discussions with local housing teams. SLC SSE Clyde Windfarm - Community and Enterprise Resources The SLC SSE Clyde Windfarm fund has an income of £0.800m. All the grant award decisions are made by community panel. The level of awards varies from year to year depending on demand. It was estimated 2024/2025 would be £1m spend, at the end of Q4 is £0.686m The level of actual grant award is dependent on the scale and number of grant applications submitted by the community. Any underspend in funds gets carried forward into the next financial year. The team work with community groups and PR to promote the fund and there are a number of projects in the pipeline for 2025/2026. Customer Engagement Budget (Housing and Technical Resources) Tenants are involved in determining priorities and agreeing the allocation and workplan for 2024/2025. Tenants also had oversight of the development of the tender and consideration of submissions for the South Lanarkshire Tenant Development Support Project which provides independent advice and support to tenants. The new contract, in place for 2 years, was awarded to Tenants Information Service and started on 1 December 2024. Housing Investment Programme: Door and Window Replacement Between January and March 2025, tenants in 125 council properties were provided with new windows and/or a new front or back door through the Housing Investment Programme, bringing the total for the year so far to 784. Tenants were offered a choice of door types and 30
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colours, with all doors provided aiming to improve security and reduce heat loss from the property. Spend to end Q4 is £4.888m. Housing Investment Programme: Kitchen Replacement A pilot of the Kitchen Replacement Programme starting on 19 August 2024 with the full programme beginning on 1st October. During January to March, 261 new kitchens were installed, taking the total to 380. An online visualiser was available to help tenants select their preferred flooring, worktops and cupboard units. The total spend to end Q4 is £3.918m. Progress was slow at the beginning of the year while the pilot was undertaken and processes were established. Momentum picked up in Q3 and there was an increase in spend in the second half of the year which is expected to be carried into 2025/26. Place-based Participatory Budgeting - Case Studies The council’s Community Engagement team coordinates the place-based Participatory Budgeting process with local stakeholders, with funding from the council and the National Lottery. It's then distributed through volunteers and groups on the ground, based on a series of priorities already identified by the community. The following case studies illustrate the difference this approach can make to local organisations. Case Study – Hamilton South Parish Church. Participatory Budgeting helped Hamilton South Parish Church to buy new equipment for the church hall kitchen. Hamilton South stakeholders initially organised pop-up events to gather ideas from local people about projects they would like to see funded through the Participatory Budgeting (PB) process. More than 400 people cast their vote on nine suggestions - either online or in person - from which six were fully funded, and three part-funded, based on share of vote. Buying new equipment for the hall was a popular choice, according to the Church’s Ian Jacques: “Hamilton South Parish Church is home to a variety of activities including a lunch club, brownies, guides, support groups, and dancing classes. The attendees to the group access all areas of the church hall and use the facilities, including our kitchen. The money from the PB fund is incredibly welcome and will make a tangible difference to the community we have built here.” As the facility is used as everything from a café to a training facility by the wider community, it’s hoped hundreds will benefit from the latest grant. Council Leader and Chair of the Community Planning Partnership, Councillor Joe Fagan, said: “It’s clear that in Hamilton Parish Church, local people have created a community hub, designed to meet the needs of many groups and individuals.” “As ever, it’s this community-led approach that makes the PB process so unique; it genuinely hands the decision-making power to those ideally placed to identify local priorities.” “I thank and congratulate everyone, both in our communities and in the council, who work hard together to foster such a spirit of democracy and togetherness.” 31
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Case Study – St Anthony’s Food Bank Participatory Budgeting has helped a Rutherglen group to support local people through the cost-of-living crisis. St Anthony’s Food Bank used much of a £3108 award from the fund to provide grocery vouchers to 100 individuals and families. In addition, the group – consisting entirely of volunteers – can now operate a refrigerated and shelved industrial container, recently donated to them, ensuring the quality and safety of the groceries distributed daily in Springhall and Whitlawburn. The purchase of portable appliance testing (PAT) equipment, and training in using it, has also added the option of collecting and redistributing pre-loved electrical goods from kettles to microwaves. St Anthony’s Foodbank’s Frances Swinburne is delighted that the additional funding has created the opportunity to offer more variety and choice for those living with food poverty. Frances explained: “The funding received has been invaluable. By using vouchers our visitors can choose what they want to eat instead of receiving the basic bag of goods and optional extras. This especially helps those on a restricted diet, such as halal or who are gluten intolerant, to buy food that suits their needs.” “We also now have a fridge and a freezer meaning we can offer a wider range of fresh food, fruit, and veg. We can’t thank the community engagement team enough for their consideration and support.” Council Leader and Chair of the Community Planning Partnership, Councillor Joe Fagan, said: “It is a reflection of the times in which we live that St Anthony’s foodbank has already helped more than 4000 visitors in the first three months of 2024. What an invaluable service 32
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this group of volunteers provides to the people of Springhall and Whitlawburn, and what a fantastic example of PB in practice.” “This group, and so many like them are best placed to understand and support the priorities identified by those they live alongside, which is the essence of what this process is all about.” “I thank and congratulate everyone involved in supporting the most vulnerable to navigate this cost-of-living crisis through community spirit and togetherness.” 33
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Building the generative economy Action under this pillar seeks to develop and grow small, locally owned enterprises which are more financially generative for the local economy - locking wealth into place. Our strategy outlined how we would work to support local businesses, not-for-profit organisations and communities to safeguard and create local jobs and address post-Covid recovery. How we have supported Community Wealth Building • The Council's new Inward Investment website, InvestSouthLanarkshire, is now live and engagement ongoing across the business community. • In line with the objectives of the Social Enterprise Strategy 2023-2027, actions were delivered under the key priorities of Stimulating Social Enterprise, Developing Stronger Organisations and Realising Market Opportunity. • SLC actions, officer support and revenue funding were part of a two year programme, completed and March 2024. Additional funding through the UKSP in 2024/2025 was directly awarded to VASLan as the local third sector interface to support work through the 12 months to March 2025. • Business support continues to be delivered to the sector through Lanarkshire Business Gateway and wider third sector ecosystem of support. How it’s working in South Lanarkshire: Case Study: Shark Reef Entrepreneur Event 2024. In November 2024, South Lanarkshire Council hosted the Shark Reef Entrepreneur Event at Caledonia Gladiators, a dynamic initiative aimed at nurturing entrepreneurial talent among S3 students from across South Lanarkshire schools. The event was designed to promote innovation, sustainability, and local economic development, aligning with the Council’s strategic priorities. A key component of the event was a dedicated Information Day, delivered in partnership with Business Gateway Lanarkshire, where participating students received expert guidance on developing and refining their business ideas. Business Gateway advisors worked closely with the students to ensure their plans were not only viable but also aligned with South Lanarkshire Council’s emphasis on sustainability and community impact. The Information Day covered: • Business planning fundamentals • Pitch preparation and delivery • Sustainability integration • Market research and customer profiling • Funding and support pathways South Lanarkshire Council Business Support and Business Gateway’s involvement was instrumental in helping students understand how to embed sustainable practices into their business models—from eco-friendly packaging to circular economy principles. This support ensured that the pitches presented at the Shark Reef event met the Council’s expectations and demonstrated real potential for long-term impact. Following the Information Day 12 business plans were submitted by student teams which were then evaluated by Business Gateway advisors, who assessed each plan based on 34
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innovation, feasibility, and sustainability. The top three teams were invited to present their ideas at the final pitch event. The final pitch event was held in front of a live audience and a panel of judges representing a diverse range of sectors: • Inspirent (business support and mentoring) • Blue Parrot Events (event management) • Strachan and Kemp (creative and branding) • Caledonia Gladiators (professional sports and community engagement) Each team delivered a five-minute pitch followed by a Q&A session. Judges provided feedback and selected the winning team based on innovation, presentation, and alignment with sustainability goals. Judges assessed each pitch on research quality, presentation, and potential social impact, with the winning entry being Holy Cross High School with their project "Rooted in Lanarkshire", which focused on tackling food poverty and promoting climate action. The judges praised the team’s thorough research, compelling presentation, and strong commitment to social change. Runners up were Carluke High School with two teams entered, had projects called Aurum and Mother Nature. Both projects demonstrated creativity, strong business planning, and a clear understanding of sustainability principles. Councillor Robert Brown commended the event, highlighting the importance of engaging young people in entrepreneurship and local economic development. He noted: “Events like Shark Reef show the incredible potential of our young people. Their ideas are not only innovative they’re socially and environmentally conscious.” The event inspired students to consider careers in entrepreneurship and was a celebration of the high standards, creativity, and commitment shown by all participants. Prizes for finals day was a trophy awarded to the school, a cash prize to support further development of their project, Amazon vouchers for each participating pupil, a Topgolf day out experience as a team celebration The event was such a success a 2025 version is being planned. 35
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Case study: South Lanarkshire input to consultation on CWB legislation. South Lanarkshire was one of the first areas in Scotland to develop an approach to Community Wealth Building, set out in detail in the CWB strategy and the action plan which sits alongside it. With the establishment of the CWB Commission, the council and partners put in place arrangements to ensure the strategy is implemented and actions taken are adjusted annually to keep pace with changing opportunities and the external environment. When the Scottish Government sought opinions on how to approach CWB legislation, South Lanarkshire was in a strong position to offer views informed by local delivery and experience. Through the partnership working enabled by the CWB Commission, South Lanarkshire was able to draw together a response which reflected the experience and knowledge of a range of anchor organisations and specialists – from the council, NHS Lanarkshire, Supplier Development Programme and VASLan. In 2024 the Commission heard the response to the first consultation, which looked at whether legislation would be helpful to support CWB in Scotland and what the legislation should include. And in 2025, the Commission noted the response to the call for views on the draft CWB Bill which was laid before parliament on 20 March 2025. South Lanarkshire was subsequently invited to attend an evidence session at the Scottish Parliament to inform scrutiny of the Bill. Although the Bill is still in the draft stage, and many details will emerge in the guidance which is due later, it is clear that the South Lanarkshire is ahead of the curve in its adoption of CWB and is an example for others to follow in how it has brought together anchor organisations to boost the local economy and the prospects of local people and communities. 36
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Conclusion This annual report has highlighted our progress over the fourth year of Community Wealth Building. We have continued to forge strong links between anchor organisations in South Lanarkshire through the work of the CWB Commission, collectively seeking to focus our combined energies, skills and resources onto our Community Wealth Building ambitions. We continue to be inspired by examples of what CWB can achieve in the UK and abroad, and we are delighted to be active participants in the growing CWB movement within Scotland. We have contributed to Scottish Government consultations on the future shape of CWB and are in a strong position to meet any legislative requirements which emerge in the coming year. Our strategy looks to achieve results across a five-year period as a starting point. We will continue to refresh our annual action plan in the light of what we have achieved so far. We will extend the reach and scope of our actions by working together – partners, stakeholders and communities – to generate ideas, pool resources and harness our collective energy to bring about lasting change. Our ambition, as we set out in our strategy, is to develop a resilient, inclusive local economy, with more local employment and a more diverse business base. Moving beyond the fourth year of our strategy, we will build on the strong foundations we have established so far. Over the coming year we will take co-ordinated action across the five pillars of CWB to develop a fairer, more inclusive economy that works for the people and businesses of South Lanarkshire. Further information To find out more, visit Community Wealth Building - South Lanarkshire Council 37
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Community Wealth Building Commission Date of Meeting: 9 September 2025 Report by: Chief Executive Subject: Community Wealth Building Action Plan 2025 Refresh 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- [purpose] provide the Commission with the Community Wealth Building (CWB) Action Plan for 2025/2026, following a review of the actions at the end of year four of the CWB Strategy [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Commission is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [] (1) that the draft CWB action plan, attached at appendix 1, be approved. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. At the first meeting of the Community Wealth Building Commission on 31 August 2021, the Commission approved an action plan to accompany the Community Wealth Building Strategy. 3.2. Performance reports detailing progress against the action plan have been presented to the Commission at Q2 and Q4 since the launch of the Strategy. Following presentation of the latest Q4 progress report on 10 June 2025, the action plan has been reviewed to remove completed actions and to refresh the remaining actions under the five pillars. 3.3. This report presents the refreshed action plan for 2025/2026. 4. CWB Action Plan – 2025 Refresh 4.1. All actions within the action plan have been reviewed by lead officers for the CWB pillars to remove completed actions and refresh the remaining actions, adding new actions or rewording actions as required. 4.2. The refreshed action plan will continue to be monitored and reported through the Improve performance management system. As in previous years, progress updates will be provided to the CWB Commission at Q2 and Q4. 5. Next Steps 5.1. If approved, the draft CWB action plan will be uploaded to the performance monitoring system Improve, which will be used to provide progress reports to the Commission at Q2 and Q4. 4 39
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6. Employee Implications 6.1. There are no direct employee implications. 7. Financial Implications 7.1. There are no direct financial implications. 8. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 8.1. There are no direct climate change, sustainability and natural environment implications arising from this report. 9. Other Implications 9.1. Considering the detail of the report and identifying actions as appropriate contribute towards effective risk management. 10. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Requirements 10.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy and therefore no impact assessment is required. 10.2. Consultation was undertaken internally via the officer group for CWB and with partners via the CWB Progress Group. Paul Manning Chief Executive 19 August 2025 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes • Promote Performance Management and Improvement Previous References • None List of Background Papers • None Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Tom Little, Head of Communications and Strategy Ext: 4904 (Tel: 01698.454904) E-mail: Tom.Little@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 40
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Appendix 1 Spending We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action Timescales Expand the capability of local business and social enterprises to bid for public sector contracts with support from economic development and procurement teams. Provide support to local sectors based on an assessment of current capabilities ensuring support from Supplier Development Programme. Support the delivery of training events on public sector procurement for relevant contracts including quick quote. Annual Increase the level of spend with local companies. Annual Increase the number of registrations with Public Contracts Scotland tendering portal. Annual Increase the number of registrations with Supplier Development Programme. Annual Increase the contracts awarded to local companies. Annual Promotion of free procurement training aligned with the continued support of the SDP ensuring that all Business Gateway advisers are aware of the programme and what it delivers. Annual Supplier Development Programme to deliver in conjunction with the council, bespoke webinars to assist SMEs understand the tender process, their policy requirements and practical documentation to submit bids for council contracts. March 2026 Continue to review the range of support provided to businesses wishing to sell to the public sector March 2026 Build on our knowledge of market supply through further analysis of local capacity to Assess local markets, their existing capacity and willingness of business to grow Identify opportunities for local SME's to increase spend working with various agencies. Annual 41
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We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action Timescales identify new opportunities for local business to grow together with the identification of appropriate contract opportunities. Encourage local suppliers to bid for Scotland Excel and HubSW contract opportunities. Annual Promote the council’s contract register as a source of information to interested parties Annual Enact the changes necessary to the council contract terms and conditions to capture levels of sub-contracting spend March 2026 Increase the levels of pre- market engagement before commissioning to shape the preparation of tender requirement and prepare potential local bidders Assess those procurement opportunities where pre- market engagement would be considered beneficial. Utilise support from Supplier Development Programme to facilitate engagement, using their marketing and social media channels, plus webinars and early engagement events. Annual Maintain liaison with Tier 1 contractors to promote SME engagement for sub-contract opportunities and, where possible, obtain details of successful awards. Annual Earlier identification of potential contracts and cascading of this information to the relevant businesses. Annual Increase promotion of tender opportunities to local sectors Use a range of communication methods to advertise opportunities to potential bidders. Support supplier events and continue the use of social media. Annual Supplier Development Programme to raise market awareness of opportunities using their marketing and social media channels, plus webinars. Annual Specific promotion of quick quote opportunities. Annual VASLan to engage with council procurement (and Supplier Development March 2026 42
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We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action Timescales Programme) to develop/enhance VASLan’s support for community organisations to help them understand tendering opportunities and become contract- ready.(TBC) Improve the environmental outcomes from procurement Review sustainability requirements for contracts. Progress the Flexible Framework Sustainability action plan to further embed good procurement practice. March 2026 Work with anchor institutions to explore further opportunities for more local spend Identify those anchor organisations willing to participate and promote contract opportunities to local SMEs and social enterprises. Complete an exercise to identify common areas of interest with other anchor organisations. March 2026 Assessment of tender opportunities and development of collaborative procurement routes. March 2026 For our lower value procurement processes NHS Lanarkshire will ensure, where possible, that at least half of the suppliers invited to quote are based in the Lanarkshire area. March 2026 Maximise our approach to community benefits and social investment Review of the changes to delivering increased levels of community benefits and identification of new opportunities to improve community outcomes. NHSL to review the current community benefits section of the procurement system and engage with some large contracts to review any benefits delivered or identify gaps. March 2025 Monitor the wish lists delivered from community benefits. Quarterly 43
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Workforce We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action Timescales Promote Living Wage and Fair Work practices locally demonstrating this within our own working practices Ensure that all Anchor organisations including South Lanarkshire Council have adopted the Living Wage as well as Living hours and fair work practices We will continue to advocate the Living Wage and work on developing living hours along with our Community Planning Partners and Anchor Organisations. March 2026 Support our local businesses to create fair working practices Continue to ensure that all businesses and third sector organisations who engage with the Council are encouraged to adopt the Living Wage and a fair work approach to employment practices. March 2026 Provide webinars and support to understand impact of Fair Work, for employers and communities. March 2026 VASLan to host a webinar and hold training events to raise awareness of and encourage Fair Work and Living Wage adoption across charities and Social Enterprises. (TBC) March 2026 Provide keyworker-based employability support to participants from key priority groups to progress them to suitable employment within the local jobs market We will continue to deliver employability programmes which help local residents into work. We will work with the SL Local Employability Partnership to agree an Annual Investment Plan March 2026 We will procure a range of employability learning provision to meet the needs of participants We will work with employers and SLC managers to identify employment opportunities with a focus on skills gaps and hard to recruit entry level positions Work with our own services and public and private sector partners to identify the skills they need to grow and create wealth in the local economy. We will use work placements to provide pre- employment training to employability participants March 2026 44
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We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action Timescales We will provide sector specific training to employability participants to support progressions to employment March 2026 We will work with employers to support tailored recruitment and provide job-specific training March 2026 We will implement the Employability Promise to support care experienced young people to access SLC employment opportunities Deliver the Employability Promise Track the destinations of care experienced young people in partnership with SDS March 2026 Provide work placements across SLC to meet the needs of young people and ring-fence suitable vacancies March 2026 Identify potential numbers and roles for Modern Apprenticeship opportunities with Managers in the council and work with SDS to reflect these in the contract. Identify suitable Modern Apprenticeship opportunities within the Council over next 2-5 years Work with Resource workforce plans to identify numbers and MA occupational areas, and build on MA frameworks to create training which meets the needs of SLC. March 2026 Engage with SDS to agree MA priorities at national and local level Modern apprenticeship opportunities a standing item for discussion at local employability partnership meetings. March 2026 Work with Education Resources to identify suitable Foundation and Modern Apprenticeship journeys Monitor progress of Foundation apprenticeship candidates who are ready/suitable for Modern Apprenticeship opportunities. Put in place any additional supports required. March 2026 Explore with Scottish Government the possibility of using Youth Guarantee funding to support these additional Modern Apprenticeship roles Review the funding streams available to the Council to support training including Modern Apprenticeships Examine the terms and conditions of these funding streams to identify best option for funding or part- funding Modern Apprenticeship programmes and other training opportunities March 2026 Put in place options for trainee positions including modern apprenticeships using workforce plans and Use different funding streams to leverage best available options for sustainable traineeships. Link to work with DYW. March 2026 45
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We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action Timescales funding criteria to maximise effectiveness 46
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Land and property We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action Timescales Continue to deliver an Affordable Housing Supply Programme Increase the supply of affordable housing across South Lanarkshire Deliver the Strategic Local Programme Agreement (SLPA) March 2026 (Annual) Preparation and approval of the Strategic Housing Investment Plan (SHIP) October 2026 (Annual) Implement policy on affordable housing in new private developments in Local Development Plan 2 March 2026 (Annual) Continue to operate and further develop the Open Market Purchase Scheme Identify and purchase appropriate properties to meet specific housing needs Promote and advertise scheme in targeted areas. March 2026 Achieve our target for properties purchased through Market Purchase Scheme. March 2026 Identify opportunities for housing led regeneration projects Continuous assessment of regeneration priorities as part of Local Housing Strategy process. Considered as part of annual review of Local Housing Strategy. March 2026 (Annual) Identified priority projects included as part of SHIP development. October 2026 (Annual) Ensure priority projects are included as part of the preparation of the next Local Development Plan 3 March 2026 (Annual) Support owners of empty homes to bring them back into use Continue to target long- term empty homes to bring them back into effective use and contribute towards meeting housing needs with a target of 20 set for 2025/26. Establish a Matchmaker Scheme to link empty properties with interested buyers. March 2026 (Annual) Set up an empty home grant scheme providing financial support for owners to improve property condition. Provide practical advice and assistance to empty property owners. Promote and support the Community Asset Transfer process Increasing number of asset transfers Support asset transfer through: • Continued promotional work March 2026 (Annual) 47
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We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action Timescales • Continuation of CAT Officer Post to support community interest. • Grow Community Capacity Annual evaluation of the ‘value’ of asset transfers to communities and CWB. March 2026 (Annual) VASLan to continue providing governance and capacity-building support to help communities take on and sustain assets. (TBC) March 2026 Deliver improvements to support the Energy Efficient Scotland programme and encourage homeowners to do the same Continue to improve the energy efficiency of the Council’s housing stock contributing towards national climate change ambitions The Housing Investment Programme will continue to incorporate sustainable changes to the Council’s housing stock, working towards increasing the number of properties that meet the relevant energy efficiency standards for social housing. March 2026 (Annual) Continue to implement energy efficiency measures across council and partner facilities including investment in renewable energy solutions and low/ zero- carbon heating Deliver a range of projects as part of the Community Energy Efficiency Fund (CEEF) programme. March 2026 (Annual) Reduce embodied carbon from construction (new builds and refurbishment) Continue to maximise external funding to support owners and private rented properties improve their property Work with partners, including Home Energy Scotland, to provide advice and support to owners and private landlords on funding opportunities available to them. March 2026 (Annual) Implement and administer the Energy Company Obligation (ECO) scheme within South Lanarkshire. March 2026 Repurpose neglected town centre assets to encourage footfall and spend in the local economy, and create thriving places where people can access goods and services on foot or via public transport. Apply the principles of Community Wealth Building to spatial planning decision including the preparation of Local Development Plan 3 and the assessment of planning applications. Ensure LDP3 supports the principles of Local Living and community wealth building. Approval of proposed Plan followed by October 2025 48
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We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action Timescales consultation and examination Adoption of Plan December 2027 Look to ensure that Council- led physical regeneration schemes have input from other anchor institutions and key partners and enable sharing and participation form the community and voluntary sectors. Engage with public, private and voluntary sector partners to marry -up aspirations and pool funding to add value and deliver one-stop service provision Ensure cross sector- partners are aware of planned projects and opportunities for collaboration March 2026 (Annual) 49
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Finance We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action Timescales Building on the relationship we already have with local Credit Unions, we will work locally with the credit unions and other community partners to explore ways to encourage use of the savings and affordable credit facilities which they offer. Develop working relationships with CUs and community partners to promote savings and affordable credit Explore options and opportunities to support the work of the Credit Unions. (TBC) March 2026 Promote the NHS credit union through the anchor communications plan and staff health and wellbeing opportunities. Through media and procurement interventions, we will encourage our staff to spend locally, in our communities to allow them to grow. We will look to encourage Council employees who live locally to spend locally. Publicity campaign(s) to explain the benefits of local spend for local SMEs and communities. March 2026 Continue our Participatory Budgeting process to deliver locally targeted spend. Continue the PB approach embedded in practices over recent years. Continue PB across Council Services to ensure local spend decisions are made by local people. Ongoing Look at ways of attracting and promoting investment opportunities in our area to regional and national institutions. Progress South Lanarkshire City Deal projects as part of the Glasgow City Region City Deal programme which facilitates economic growth in the South Lanarkshire and City Region area. The Council will continue to support the City Region programme financially as well as progressing and managing a number of South Lanarkshire capital projects. March 2026 (Annual) 50
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Building the generative economy We will: High Level Actions Steps we will take to deliver this action Timescales Continue to develop how business grants can help grow communities Offer targeted support to South Lanarkshire businesses, enabling them to create and safeguard jobs, increase turnover and profit Develop sector specific programmes (tourism, food and drink, social enterprises, green economy, construction, manufacturing etc) March 2026 (Annual) Signpost businesses to other sources of help and advice March 2026 (Annual) Promote investment opportunities to regional and national institutions to market South Lanarkshire as a place to visit and do business Develop a marketing/investment strategy, including a promotional programme with targeted/seasonal events and promotions around key employment sectors. Improve web presence/ on line material March 2026 (Annual) Ensure planning and other statutory advice is up-to- date and accessible March 2026 (Annual) 51
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Community Wealth Building Commission Date of Meeting: 9 September 2025 Report by: Chief Executive Subject: Context for Community Wealth Building: Data Digest 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to:- present data on the social and economic situation in South Lanarkshire as context for Community Wealth Building 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Commission is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- (1) that the contents of the report be noted. 3. Background 3.1. To set the scene for the work of the Community Wealth Building Commission, a “data digest” was compiled and presented to the first Commission on 31 August 2021. The digest covered a range of demographic, social and economic indicators and grew out of a joint CPP session on tackling inequalities. 3.2. The Commission agreed that it would be helpful for regular updates on key statistics to be brought forward to assist debate and provide essential context for the work of the Commission. An updated data digest has been presented annually to the Commission. 3.3. The data digest been refreshed for 2025 and is attached as appendix 1 to this report. 3.4. The data digest covers a range of topics, including: General population Claimant unemployment and universal credit claimants Child poverty Welfare service statistics Economic performance including GVA, business start-ups and failures, and businesses per population Health Impact of Covid on the labour market A range of public health indicators including road accident casualties, crime statistics and hospital admissions data. 4. Employee Implications 4.1. There are no direct employee implications. 5 53
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5. Financial Implications 5.1. There are no direct financial implications. 6. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Implications 6.1. There are no climate change implications as a result of this report. 7. Other Implications 7.1. None. 8. Equality Impact Assessment and Consultation Requirements 8.1. This report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy and therefore no impact assessment is required. 8.2 Consultation was undertaken internally, via the officer group for Community Wealth Building and with partners via the Community Wealth Building Progress Group. Paul Manning Chief Executive 19 August 2025 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes • Accountable, efficient, effective and transparent Previous References • None List of Background Papers • None Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Tom Little, Head of Communications and Strategy Ext: 4904 (Tel: 01698.454904) E-mail: Tom.Little@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 54
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Appendix 1 – data digest Community Wealth Building Commission Data Digest September 2025 55
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General Population - 2024 Indicator North Lanarkshire % of Total Population South Lanarkshire % of Total Population Total Population 344,540 100.0% 334,030 100.0% Male Population 167,746 48.7% 161,646 48.4% Female Population 176,794 51.3% 172,384 51.6% Aged 0 to 15 59,947 17.4% 56,198 16.8% Aged 16 to 65 225,205 65.4% 212,832 63.7% Aged 66 and over 59,388 17.2% 65,000 19.5% Source: NRS Mid-Year Estimates 2024 Claimant Unemployment July 2023 July 2024 July 2025 Council Numbers Rate Numbers Rate Numbers Rate North Lanarkshire 7,585 3.5% 7,720 3.5% 6,745 3.1% South Lanarkshire 6,355 3.1% 6,440 3.1% 5,540 2.7% Scotland 111,930 3.2% 115,510 3.3% 106,455 3.1% Source: NOMIS (July 2025 provisional figures) People on Universal Credit July 2023 July 2024 July 2025 Council Numbers Rate Numbers Rate Numbers Rate North Lanarkshire 35,538 15.9% 41,145 18.4% 48,470 21.5% South Lanarkshire 29,483 14.0% 33,472 15.9% 38,956 18.3% Scotland 491,053 13.8% 556,686 15.7% 658,696 18.4% Source: DWP Stat-Xplore (July 2025 provisional figures, rates based on working age 16 to 65) Child Poverty after housing costs - 2023/2024 Council Numbers Rate North Lanarkshire 16,632 24.9% South Lanarkshire 12,403 19.5% Scotland 235,245 24.3% Source: The End Child Poverty Coalition 56
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Scottish Welfare Fund Indicator North Lanarkshire South Lanarkshire 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 Applications for the Scottish Welfare Fund 25,115 26,425 25,130 16,905 15,400 14,450 Applications for the Community Care Grant 6.070 6,120 5,390 5,905 5,315 4,720 Community Care Grants awarded 4,170 4,465 2,960 4,165 2,730 2,535 Applications for the Crisis Grant 19,045 20,305 19,745 11,000 10,085 9,730 Crisis Grant awarded 13,050 13,090 12,200 6,675 6,070 5,665 Source: Scottish Government Welfare Statistics Council Tax Reduction - May Indicator North Lanarkshire South Lanarkshire 2023 2024 2025 2023 2024 2025 Council Tax Reduction recipients 34,910 35,300 35,460 30,910 31,310 31,000 Council Tax Reduction weekly income forgone (£000’s) 504.7 514.8 571.8 451.7 460.2 484.7 Source: Scottish Government Council Tax Reduction in Scotland Discretionary Housing Payments (DHP) – April to March Indicator North Lanarkshire South Lanarkshire 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 2022-23 2023-24 2024-25 DHP awards 10,270 10,335 10,415 7,890 8,065 8,370 DHP average value £599 £638 £644 £591 £617 £616 Source: Scottish Government Welfare Statistics 57
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Annual Welfare Services Statistics Indicator South Lanarkshire March 2022 March 2023 March 2024 Automatic awards for free school meals 6,196 all families 6,148 all families 5,880 all families Number of clothing grants 12,906 12,672 14,097 Tenants in receipt of Universal Credit 8,679 9,465 10,451 Tenants on Universal Credit who were in arrears 5,432 5,820 5,938 Source: South Lanarkshire Council Economic Performance Indicator North Lanarkshire South Lanarkshire Gross Value Added (GVA) - 2023 £10,391m £8,273m Gross Value Added per hour worked - 2023 £45.28 £37.41 % procurement spends spent on local enterprises - 2024 28.2% 19.5% Number of active businesses - 2023 8,460 9,550 Enterprise rate per 10,000 working-age population - 2024 348.3 441.6 New business start-ups - 2023 1,075 1,115 Business start-ups birth rate per 10,000 16-64 population - 2023 49.0 54.0 Business deaths – 2023 950 1,050 Business start-ups death rate per 10,000 16-64 population - 2023 43.3 50.9 Businesses surviving after three years in of those established in 2020 and still in business in 2023 51.5% (505) 56.9% (575) High growth enterprise - 2023 50 55 Source: Office for National Statistics 58
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Health Indicator North Lanarkshire South Lanarkshire Scotland Adult Disability Payment - processed applications authorised - to 30 April 2025 48% (12,830) 48% (10,470) 47% (148,100) Number of residents economically inactive due to long-term sickness - year to March 2025 25,100 (47.2%) 20,600 (42.2%) 280,800 (34.6%) Life Expectancy for those born in the 2021 to 2023 period for Females 78.7 years 80.8 years 80.0 years Life Expectancy for those born in the 2021 to 2023 period for Males 74.9 years 76.3 years 76.8 years Healthy Life Expectancy for those born in the 2021 to 2023 period for Females 52.5 years 58.5 years 60.0 years Healthy Life Expectancy for those born in the 2021 to 2023 period for Males 53.2 years 59.6 years 61.1 years Source: Social Security Scotland; NOMIS; National Records of Scotland Selected Information from ScotPHO profiles at Council Area level More detail can be found on the Scottish Public Health Observatory website Indicator North Lanarkshire South Lanarkshire Scotland Active travel to work - 2020 10.06% 10.34% 16.93% Adults rating neighbourhood as a very good place to live - 2023 45.2% 51.9% 54.8% Alcohol-related hospital admissions per 100,000 population - 2023/2024 715.4 579.9 548.5 Annual participation (in education, training or employment) measure for 16 - 19 year olds - 2024 91.9% 93.8% 92.7% Asthma patient hospitalisations per 100,000 population - 2021/22 to 2023/24; 3-year aggregates 118.1 90.7 76.2 Babies exclusively breastfed at 6-8 weeks - 2021/22 to 2023/24; 3-year aggregates 19.7% 24.2% 32.3% Bowel screening uptake - 2021 to 2023; 3-year aggregates 61.8% 65.1% 66.4% Cancer registrations per 100,000 population - 2020 to 2022; 3-year aggregates 653.4 621.8 629.7 Child dental health in primary 1 - 2023/2024 School year 72.2% 77.6% 73.9% Child dental health in primary 7 - 2023/2024 School year 75.8% 76.1% 76.0% Child healthy weight in primary 1 - 2021/2022 72.7% 74.4% 74.7% Children looked after by local authority - 2023 July snapshot - Crude rate per 1,000 children aged 0-17 years 10.7 11.6 12.0 Children referred to the Children's Reporter for offences -2021/2022 - Crude rate per 1,000 children aged 8-15 years 6.7 4.8 5.6 Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) patient hospitalisations per 329.6 253.0 210.1 59
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Indicator North Lanarkshire South Lanarkshire Scotland 100,000 population - 2021/22 to 2023/24; 3-year aggregates Coronary heart disease (CHD) patient hospitalisations per 100,000 population - 2021/22 to 2023/24; 3-year aggregates 369.7 338.2 326.8 Deaths all ages per 100,000 population - 2021 to 2023; 3-year aggregates 1381.1 1230.3 1172.2 Deaths, aged 15-44 years per 100,000 population - 2021 to 2023; 3-year aggregates 129.5 128.5 111.7 Deaths from suicide per 100,000 population - 2019 to 2023; 5-year aggregates 19.9 16.9 17.4 Domestic abuse - 2023/2024 - Crude rate per 1,000 population 126.9 116.0 116.3 Drug-related deaths, males - per 100,000 population - 2019 to 2023; 5- year aggregates 35.8 36.6 33.7 Drug-related deaths, females - per 100,000 population - 2019 to 2023; 5- year aggregates 16.6 15.1 14.0 Drug-related hospital admissions - per 100,000 population - 2021/22 to 2023/24; 3-year aggregates 187.7 148.0 181.2 Early deaths from cancer, aged <75 years - per 100,000 population - 2021 to 2023; 3-year aggregates 158.7 151.6 142.4 Early deaths from coronary heart disease (CHD), aged <75 years - per 100,000 population - 2021 to 2023; 3- year aggregates 66.7 52.8 54.5 Emergency patient hospitalisations per 100,000 - 2021 to 2023; 3-year aggregates 9321.1 7678.4 7242.5 Healthy birth weight - 2021/22 to 2023/24; 3-year aggregates 80.7% 81.3% 80.9% Immunisation uptake at 24 months - 6 in 1 - 2022 to 2024; 3-year aggregates 96.2% 96.6% 96.2% Immunisation uptake at 24 months – MMR - 2022 to 2024; 3-year aggregates 93.4% 94.3% 93.2% Multiple emergency hospital admissions, aged >65 years - per 100,000 - 2021 to 2023; 3-year aggregates 6452.3 5355.5 4807.2 People aged 65+ with high levels of care needs who are cared for at home - 2023/2024 38.6% 47.2% 36.9% Population prescribed drugs for anxiety/depression/psychosis - 2023/24 22.9% 22.1% 20.9% Population within 500 metres of a derelict site – 2023 68.6% 17.6% 26.5% Psychiatric patient hospitalisations per 100,000 - 2021/22 to 2023/24; 3-year aggregates 182.8 176.7 216.1 Road traffic accident casualties - per 100,000 - 2021 to 2023; 3-year aggregates 39.5 38.5 51.0 60
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Indicator North Lanarkshire South Lanarkshire Scotland School leavers in positive destinations - 2023/24 school year 94.2% 96.4% 95.7% School leavers with 1 or more qualification at SCQF Level 4 - 2022/23 school year 56.3% 60.7% 57.9% School leavers with 1 or more qualification at SCQF Level 6 - 2022/23 school year 43.5% 42.1% 41.5% Single adult dwellings – 2023 39.8% 38.9% 38.5% Smoking attributable deaths per 100,000 - 2020 to 2021; 2-year aggregates 327.9 280.4 270.0 Smoking during pregnancy – 2022 to 2024; 3-year aggregates 10.7% 7.3% 9.6% Smoking prevalence, aged 16-34 years – 2012-2015 to 2019-2023 16.0% 11.0% 16.0% Teenage pregnancies - 2020 to 2022; 3- year aggregates- Crude rate per 1,000 females aged 15-19 26.0 23.5 23.6 Working age adults with low or no educational qualifications – 2019 16.20% 13.10% 11.64% Source: Scottish Public Health Observatory 61
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Report Agenda Item Report to: Community Wealth Building Commission Date of Meeting: 9 September 2025 Report by: Chief Executive, South Lanarkshire Council Subject: Forward Programme for Future Meetings 1. Purpose of Report 1.1. The purpose of the report is to: [purpose] advise members of the forward programme for the meetings of the Community Wealth Building Commission (CWB) invite members to suggest topics for inclusion in the Commission’s forward programme [1purpose] 2. Recommendation(s) 2.1. The Commission is asked to approve the following recommendation(s):- [recs] (1) that the report and the outline forward programme for the meetings of the Commission, attached as an Appendix to the report, be noted. [1recs] 3. Background 3.1. Members of the Commission have expressed an interest in bringing forward items to future meetings which would explore each of the 5 pillars in detail and allow constructive discussion on how collectively to progress the CWB agenda in South Lanarkshire. 3.2. To assist in shaping the future deliberations of the Commission, an outline forward programme is attached as an Appendix to the report. Members are invited to consider the programme and suggest topics that they would like to see addressed at future meetings. 4. Employee Implications 4.1. There are no employee implications. 5. Financial Implications 5.1. There are no financial implications. 6. Climate Change, Sustainability and Environmental Requirements 6.1. There are no climate change, sustainability or environmental implications in terms of the information contained within this report. 7. Other Implications 7.1. There are no risk implications in terms of the information contained within this report. 6 63
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8. Integrated Impact Assessment and Consultation Requirements 8.1. The report does not introduce a new policy, function or strategy or recommend a change to an existing policy, function or strategy and, therefore, no impact assessment is required. 8.2. There was no requirement to undertake any consultation in terms of the information contained in this report. Paul Manning Chief Executive South Lanarkshire Council 21 August 2025 Link(s) to Council Values/Priorities/Outcomes Accountable, effective, efficient and transparent Previous References None List of Background Papers None Contact for Further Information If you would like to inspect the background papers or want further information, please contact:- Tom Little, Head of Communications and Strategy Ext: 4904 (Tel: 01698.454904) E-mail: Tom.Little@southlanarkshire.gov.uk 64
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APPENDIX – CWB COMMISSION OUTLINE FORWARD PROGRAMME Meeting Date Item Responsibility 10 December 2025 Q2 progress report Future Meetings SLC land and property link to renewable energy Planning for Place and CWB Supplier Development Programme Country Parks Shaping Places for Wellbeing Update on local data sets NHSL anchor work and metrics SLC SLC SLC SLC NHS(L)/SLC SLC NHSL 65
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