Item 13 - Flourishing DIG - CPWD - Feb 2025
West Dunbartonshire Council · 20 February 2025
Back to Community Planning West Dunbartonshire Management Board — 20 February 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Management Board Meeting Development and Improvement Groups (DIGs): Highlights and Issues Report FOR INFORMATION ONLY X FOR DECISION Name of DIG Flourishing Delivery and Improvement Group (DIG). Date of report February 2025 Name and email of lead contact Gail MacFarlane Gail.macfarlane@west-dunbarton.gov.uk 1 Highlights of activity and progress since last meeting Regeneration Dumbarton Levelling Up Programme • Glencairn House works underway • Connecting Dumbarton complete • Planning Permission in Principle application submitted for the Artizan Redevelopment Masterplan, process ongoing. • Planning application for Phase 1 works granted in November 2024. • Phase 1 works principal contractor appointed in December 2024, works are due to start on site in February 2025. • Demolition of units to rear completed. • Funding deadline has been extended to March 2026 Town Centre • Shared Prosperity Funded shopfront improvement grants scheme has now closed for new applications. 9 businesses in Dumbarton took advantage of the Shared Prosperity Funded shopfront improvement grants. Alexandria • Restoration of Smollett Fountain complete inclusive of the feature lighting.
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• Ballot on Business Improvement District took place on 14th November and the result was in favour of establishing the BID. It will formally be in place from 1st April 2025. • Shared Prosperity Funded shopfront improvement grants scheme has now closed for new applications. 20 businesses in Alexandria took advantage of the Shared Prosperity Funded shopfront improvement grants. • RIBA Stage 4 designs for Alexander Street have been completed, It is expected that the works will be tendered in February/march and will start on site in the Summer. • Design team to develop and deliver Mitchell Way public realm improvements have commenced; community engagement will take place in April 2025, with targeted stakeholder sessions happening throughout March. Clydebank Queens Quay District Heating Network • Legal and commercial discussions regarding the Golden Jubilee Hospital connection ongoing. Town Centre • Planning application for the Clydebank Canal-side Activities was approved in September 2024. The opportunity to lease the centre was advertised by Asset Management. • UK Government have confirmed that the Town Fund will be maintained however capital funding has been delayed till 26/27 • Updated guidance for the Town Fund is awaited from the new UK government, a Clydebank Town Board meeting will be organised once the guidance has been received. Economic Development Manager and Town Board Chair are due to meet 26 February 25. • Shared Prosperity Funded shopfront improvement grants scheme has now closed for new applications. 7 businesses in Clydebank took advantage of the Shared Prosperity Funded shopfront improvement grants. Exxon • With the scope for providing readily developable platforms reduced, the main infrastructure project is affordable with an increased capital contribution from Council of £0.8m. The main infrastructure works began on site in January 2025. • Project Board is considering options on how to market the site. • Enabling works started on site in January and contractor, Balfour Beaty attended an elected members briefing to provide an up-date. Scottish Marine Technology Park • Scottish Enterprise are working on their own appraisal of the SMTP proposal following a positive meeting with Council in December.
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• The Malin Group await the decision of their recent Investment Zone bid. They expect to hear following a Glasgow City Region Cabinet meeting in February. • The Malin Group and the Council are progressing discussions on a future feasibility study to support decision making around the access to the site. Other City Region • There is approximately £120m of funding being made available across the Region due to the reprogramming of City Deal, and specifically the transferring of responsibilities of the Glasgow Airport Rail Link to Clyde Metro. Half of the funding is proposed to be spent on helping meet inflation costs for existing City Deal projects, including the Exxon Infrastructure Project. UK Government had previously requested that the remaining £60m be spent on a new project that must demonstrate a significant impact across the City Region, and should be led by one Member Authority. The City Region PMO is proposing that it should be spent on Region-wide delivery of commercial and industrial units. The Council has submitted 3 expressions of interest in developing and/or refurbishing industrial units in each of Alexandria, Clydebank and Dumbarton. The Council expected to hear a decision in this by the end of February 2025. Business Support • During the period April – December 2024, 153 clients have been provided with assistance through Business Gateway to start-up in business. (target 135) • Applications continue to be received for the business support interventions funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. To date, the fund has supported ➢ Recovery & Growth grants; • 16 E:- ➢ 19 arly-Stage Growth grants; ➢ 4 Working Towards Net Zero grants; ➢ 3 Enhancing Tourism Events & Attractions grants and; ➢ 24 businesses have been provided with specialist expert help. • We continue to work in partnership with Glasgow City Region and Strathclyde University to provide businesses with green business advice through the development of carbon baseline assessments. This support is funded through UK Shared Prosperity Fund. To date, 11 businesses have been referred for a carbon baseline assessment. (target 12) • IRED Committee approval was obtained in November 2024 to commence consultation to investigate the potential of implementing a visitor levy in West Dunbartonshire. The stage 1 Visitor Levy consultation survey is now live and
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will close on 28 February 2025. The survey will help to raise local awareness and provide initial feedback from residents, businesses and visitors which will assist with the development of stage 2 of the consultation process. • A Green Skills Business Training Grant has been developed to assist local businesses to improve their green skills. This grant provides a financial contribution to assist businesses to upskill their staff and/or diversify to provide additional services related to green technologies such as Solar Photovoltaic (PV), Electric Vehicle Charging, Solar Thermal Systems, Ground & Air Source Heat Pumps and External Wall Insulation. West College Scotland are assisting with the promotion of the grant which can help contribute to the costs of their green skills training courses. Employability/Learning/Income Maximisation Working4U continues to work in partnership with providers to offer a range of employability support across all stages of the employability pathway. Commissioned grant providers are working well across West Dunbartonshire to reach shared outcomes of supporting those with barriers to employment engage successfully with employability support services. This commissioned provision supplements the core key worker service within W4U who case manage service users across the employability pathway. Eighteen providers are working with specific target groups across West Dunbartonshire many offering specialist support. I was Gonnae is offering a 5 week employability course aimed at engaging and supporting parents through music and personal development workshops focussing on soft skills development, confidence building, CV writing using music and song writing as the engagement tool. Work continues with Community Justice with our funded partner The Lennox Partnership engaging with Lowmoss and Barlinnie prisons to support prisoners pre- lease with employability advice and guidance. Partnership working is enhancing the offer to those residents with community justice experience with services who specialise in this area. This specialist support complements and enhances core employability offered by Working4U. In the first three quarters of the financial year (24/25) our learning and employability services in partnership with external service providers have achieved the following outcomes: Name Q1/Q2/Q3 2024/25 Value Annual Target Total number of local people being supported through apprenticeships 354 303 Number of new employers supported by W4U 82 80
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Number of local people entering employment through Working 4U 393 417 Number of local people entering education or training 871 821 Number of local people gaining a full qualification 757 674 The teams have surpassed their anticipated target for the quarter and are on track to achieve their annual targets in all our key performance areas. In addition to maximising access to opportunity and income from employment, the Working4U team and partners have supported residents to maximise income from benefits and reduce costs by managing debt. Name Q1/Q2/Q3 2024/25 Value Annual Target Total Value (£) of Income Generated £6.98m £5.2m Value (£) of debt managed £961,761 £1.2m The teams have surpassed their anticipated outcomes for the quarter and are on track to achieve the annual targets. 2 Outline of any issues/risks and how these are being managed Regeneration Some government grant schemes have been suspended or reduced which limits funding for future projects and for funding any projects that originate from the community. It has now been confirmed that Place based Investment programme funding will not be release in 2024/25 and it is uncertain whether funding will be released in 2025/26. Tight timescales associated with external funding pose a challenge to project delivery. We are seeking support from external consultants where appropriate and work collaboratively with other teams to identify solutions. Business Support The main risk for the Business Support team is their reliance on the continuation of funding through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund, which provides funding to support staff costs and business support interventions. The team will continue to engage with UK Government through the SLAED group and will continue to explore any other relevant sources of funding.
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Employability The risks for the employability service centres on the ability to secure reliable external training providers capable of delivering services in the local area. We are managing this by providing each grant recipient with a key contact and providing them with the opportunity to identify delivery challenges at an early stage. Additional risks centre on the continuation of funding for employability service provision. We will continue to review the operating environment to identify potential sources of grant income. We have been informed of the level of funding for the interim year of UK Shared Prosperity Funding. We will receive funding which is reduced from the third year levels, in effect a reduction of approximately £590,000 for UK shared prosperity activity. We will manage this by reducing levels of activity in all priority areas; nevertheless our aim will be to maintain employability and business support services. Our approach has been endorsed through the Council Committee process. 3 Outline of the main outputs expected before next meeting Regeneration • Alexandria, Mitchell Way improvements – community and stakeholder engagement underway, public events scheduled. • Clydebank, Activity Centre – delivery strategy confirmed if a suitable tenant comes forward • Clydebank Town Centre – new guidance received and a plan for 25/26 agreed by the Town Board • Dumbarton, Artizan – Phase 1 construction works underway • Exxon Infrastructure project contract signed • Decision on Glasgow City Region Investment Zone expected to be made by new UK Government. Business Support • On-going promotion of the business support interventions within the UK Shared Prosperity Fund to maximise year-end spend. • Continue to provide Business Gateway advisory service to start-up and growth businesses. • Obtain feedback from residents, businesses and visitors through stage 1 visitor levy on-line consultation survey. Employability Over the course of the final financial quarter, we will consolidate our support for vulnerable groups through the development of a range of programmes. Work Connect has been particularly successful throughout their delivery in 24/25 with 19
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people being registered with this specialist employability support programme funded through UKSPF and NOLB funding. The project at Levengrove Training Suite integrates horticulture, catering, and client- led activities aimed at enhancing everyday work skills such as confidence, digital literacy, teamwork, and planning. Partnering with West Dunbartonshire Greenspace and Archaeology Scotland, the initiative includes Heritage Hero Awards to explore local history and community projects, fostering confidence and skills development. Service users have had structural barriers removed, developed interpersonal skills, accessed qualifications, work placements and volunteering opportunities and to date 3 people with disabilities have been supported to access employment with further in work support being provided to ensure they sustain their employment. 4 What are your requirements of partners in the Community Planning Management Board to achieve the outcomes of the DIG? Placemaking Good placemaking will continue to underpin the regeneration, development and improvement work in the town centres as we aim to align funding and resources, with Council, DIG partners and external funding, to achieve our ambitions. Business Support The on-going commitment and support from the community partners will help to maximise the impacts of the business support activity being developed and implemented through the Flourishing DIG. This will assist with reinforcing our efforts to develop a strong local economy that will provide access to opportunity for all in West Dunbartonshire. Employability We will continue to deliver the NOLB, Parental Employability support programmes and UK Shared prosperity activity. We will continue to work in partnership through the Adult Learning Partnership and local employability partnership. We ask the partners to continue with their contribution to the local employability group by attending or sending representation where appropriate to the strategic group; the creative design group (service providers) and the frontline community of interest. These groups are making a positive contribution to identifying and addressing challenges in West Dunbartonshire. We also ask that, where appropriate, partners contribute to the development and delivery of our local child poverty report and out three years Community learning and development plans. 5 Please outline any good news story you wish to share
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Foundation Apprenticeship – The Scottish Apprenticeship Awards showcase apprentices, employers and learning providers from across the country and a range of sectors. The awards highlight the vital benefits apprenticeships bring to individuals, employers and the economy. Award categories celebrate the incredible work of Foundation, Modern and Graduate Apprentices. They also recognise the exceptional organisations who champion and support apprenticeships. Foundation Apprentice of the Year 2024- this award celebrates the dedication and achievements of school pupils who have completed a Foundation Apprenticeship. Working 4U have supported an application for Kaleb Mbise, who is currently undertaking a Foundation Apprenticeship in Social Services: Children and Young People with a placement within West Dunbartonshire Council Early education and Childcare centres. Winners will be revealed at the Scottish Apprenticeship Awards event, which will take place on Thursday 27 February, as the launch event for Scottish Apprenticeship Week. Kaleb successfully achieved his Foundation Apprenticeship in Social Services Children and Young People through Working4U while a student at Dumbarton Academy and undertaking placement within Bellsmyre ELCC. Kaleb stated, “my foundation apprenticeship helped me develop teamwork and communication skills, as well as being able to think on my feet and come up with solutions quickly.” Kaleb has successfully moved into a modern apprenticeship as a childcare practitioner within West Dunbartonshire Council. Kaleb believes the work experience and qualification gained during the foundation apprenticeship provided him with a greater depth of knowledge which he was able to draw upon during his interview for the modern apprenticeship role. The winner will be revealed at the Skills Development Scotland Apprenticeship Awards, which will take place on 27th February 2025 at Perth Concert Hall. Scottish Apprenticeship Awards Celebrating work-based learning. Community Of Practice On Tuesday, 28th January, the Strategic Employability Group’s Community of Practice workstream partnered with the Youth Alliance to host an event for frontline workers at Clydebank Town Hall. The event featured presentations from HSCP colleagues on trauma-informed practice and the support services available to residents, including the Distress Brief Intervention Support Service, Togetherall (an online mental health and wellbeing platform), and the West Dunbartonshire Wellbeing website. Trauma-informed practice is essential in both employability and youth work, as well as in supporting adults. It acknowledges the impact of trauma on behaviour, confidence, and decision-making, ensuring interventions are sensitive to individual needs. By prioritising emotional safety, trust, and empowerment, practitioners can help individuals develop resilience, build positive relationships, and enhance self- esteem—key factors in securing and maintaining employment. This approach
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reduces barriers to learning, improves engagement, and encourages long-term personal growth. Ultimately, trauma-informed practice equips individuals with the stability and skills needed to thrive in the workforce and beyond.