Item 8 - Flourishing DIG Report
West Dunbartonshire Council · 15 August 2024
Back to Community Planning West Dunbartonshire Management Board — 15 August 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
Page 1
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 Aug 2024 Name and email of lead contact Peter Barry 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. • Planning application submitted for Phase 1 works • Tender for Phase 1 works due out in July. • Demolition of units to rear expected to commence shortly, with essential Scottish Water diversion works happening concurrently. Town Centre • Shared Prosperity Funded shopfront improvement grants have been rolled out to Dumbarton. We have received 5 applications and had a number of enquiries. Alexandria • Restoration of Smollett Fountain complete inclusive of the feature lighting. • Ballot on Business Improvement District, initiated by Alexandria Traders, proposed to take place in November. ITEM 8
Page 2
• 15 Shared Prosperity Funded shopfront improvement grants applications approved and (mostly) completed • Designs for Alexander Street are progressing to Stage 3, following the second round of public consultations. • Procurement ongoing for a design team to develop and deliver Mitchell Way public realm improvements. Clydebank Queens Quay District Heating Network • Legal and commercial discussions regarding the Golden Jubilee Hospital connection ongoing • New connections 46 Clydebank Housing Association flats on Dumbarton Road complete. Town Centre • Planning application for the Clydebank Canal-side Activities Centre will be considered by the August Planning Committee. • Town Board established for UK Government Long Term Plan for Towns, with Liz Connolly appointed as Chair; 2 meetings held • Public consultations to be held in the Clydebank Shopping Centre at the end of July • Long -term Plan and 3 year Investment Plan being prepared for reporting to the Town Board in August. • Shared Prosperity Funded shopfront improvement grants have been rolled out to Clydebank. We have received 4 applications and had a number of enquiries. Exxon • Planning permission approved. • Some delays in signing the contract for the construction work mainly due to a longer remediation programme by Exxon’s contractor. • Stage 2 application for Scottish Government’s Vacant and Derelict Land Fund was submitted but Scottish Government have paused decisions on this Fund due to wider constraints on capital funding. Scottish Marine Technology Park • Council officers supported Malin Group and Strathclyde University with their Stage 2 bid to the new City Region Investment Zone. Following initial analysis of Stage 2 bids by the City Region and a Strategic Assessment Group, the City Region has recommended to UK and Scottish Government that the Investment Zone should have an Advanced Manufacturing and Precision Engineering focus. This is good news for SMTP; the next steps will be confirmation from new UK Government that Investment Zones will be continued, and then feedback is expected on individual bids. • Planning Permission in Principle for SMTP now approved
Page 3
Business Support • During the first quarter (April- June), 47 clients were provided with assistance through Business Gateway to start-up in business.(quarterly target 45) • Applications continue to be received for the business grants funded through the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. The grants available include a Recovery & Growth grant, Early Stage Growth grant, Working Towards Net Zero grant & Enhancing West Dunbartonshire’s Tourism Events & Attractions grant. • Business Support team in partnership with Procurement colleagues attended the Supplier Development Programme’s Meet the Buyer 2024 event on 5th June at Hampden Park to promote WDC tender opportunities. • 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, 5 businesses have been referred for a carbon baseline assessment. • A Green Skills Business Training Grant is being developed to assist local businesses to improve their green skills. This grant will provide 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 • External Wall Insulation Employability/Learning/Income Maximisation There were several challenges facing employability service providers as we made the transition into the new financial year. Most notable was the Scottish Government’s delay in making the full ‘No One Left Behind’ (NOLB) grant award. An award of 25% of the grant was made in April/May this made it difficult to plan service provision for the full year. However, in response, and to assist service providers manage their expectations, the Working4U team pulled together all resources that were available for specialist employability provision and ran a grant application in May/June. Through this process we have awarded approximately £742,000 for specialist provision that meets the UK Shared Prosperity Fund and No One Left Behind requirements. In addition to maintaining the required case managed support (Working4U staff), we awarded grants to 14 proposals and as a result our employability service provision is clearly focussed on our target groups and supporting them to progress towards employment: • 32% of the funding went to organisations providing support for economically inactive/all age residents.
Page 4
• 31% went to specialist support for disabled people, including support for people experiencing mental health issues. • 15% was invested in support for young people. • 11% is focussing on families likely to be affected by disadvantage/poverty. • 7% of the funding was invested in supporting people in the community justice system. In addition, we provided funds to support ESOL in the workplace and specific training for emerging opportunities (intro to mechanics). We have supported ‘Project Search’ and this will be delivered in partnership between Education Services and Working4U, placing a focus on supporting neurodiverse young people making the transition from school. We have also invested in the ‘TogetherAll’ programme. This provides access to well being support tools and resources, assisting people by providing access to supported and self- directed mental health support. Togetherall. We have subsequently received notification of the full NOLB funding. Given the reach of current service provision our focus for this will be supporting the employability skills among parents in families most likely to be affected by poverty. As such we have established a comprehensive set of supports that are focussed on those most in need in a way that’s consistent with WDCPP guiding principle of promoting equality/tackling inequality. In the first quarter of the financial year (24/25) our learning and employability services have achieved the following outcomes: Name Q1 2024/25 Value Target Total number of local people being supported through apprenticeships 200 174 Number of new employers supported by W4U 34 20 Number of local people entering employment through Working 4U 131 104 Number of local people entering education or training 243 162 Number of local people gaining a full qualification 303 228 The teams have surpassed their anticipated target for the quarter and are on track to achieve their annual targets. In addition to maximising access to opportunity and income from employment, the Working4U team has supported residents to maximise income from benefits and reduce costs by managing debt. Name Q1 2024/25 Value Target Total Value (£) of Income Generated £2,785,087 £1,300,000 Value (£) of debt managed £358,210 £300,000 The teams have surpassed their anticipated outcomes for the quarter and are on track to achieve the annual targets.
Page 5
2 Outline of any issues/risks and how these are being managed Regeneration Inflation and rising costs are a challenge in project delivery. We are looking at adjusting scope to make projects affordable, or seeking additional funding where possible. Some government grant schemes have been suspended or reduced which limits funding for future projects. 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. 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 and we will remain in dialogue with both the UK and Scottish Government about the continuation of UK Shared Prosperity Funds and No One Left behind Funds. 3 Outline of the main outputs expected before next meeting Regeneration • Alexandria, Mitchell Way improvements – design team appointed • Clydebank, Activity Centre – planning permission granted. Delivery strategy confirmed. • Clydebank Town Centre – long term Plan approved by the Town Board • Dumbarton, Artizan – demolition contract underway
Page 6
• Dumbarton, Artizan – contractor for the Phase 1 works appointed • Exxon Infrastructure project contract signed • Decision on Glasgow City Region Investment Zone expected to be made by new UK Government . Business Support • Increase the number of businesses referred to Strathclyde University to receive carbon baseline assessments. • On-going promotion of the business support interventions within the UK Shared Prosperity Fund. • Finalise the application process and eligibility criteria for the new Green Skills Business Training Grant. • Continue to provide Business Gateway advisory service to start-up and growth businesses. Employability Over the course of the second financial quarter we will finalise our second grant opportunity and monitor delivery of funded services and continue to make progress towards our annual outcomes. We will also consolidate our support for vulnerable groups through the development of a range of programmes. An example of this would include our support of young people by building on the success of previous years programmes such as Thrive (see case study attached below). While mindful of the need to promote zero carbon and the green economy, we are also aware of the need to support our service users into jobs in the foundation economy. This means consolidating our employer outreach and focussing on supporting people to apply for existing vacancies. We will develop this approach through partnership working similar to the work we are carrying out with ‘Crossreach’. (See case study attached). 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
Page 7
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. 5 Please outline any good news story you wish to share Innova Nanojet Technologies Ltd West Dunbartonshire are to benefit from a new inward investor Innova Nanojet Technologies Ltd. The company provide air purification and disinfection technologies and have secured a grant of £1.5 million from Scottish Enterprise to contribute towards almost £9 million company investment. This will be the company’s first manufacturing facility in Scotland and aims to create 195 new jobs in West Dunbartonshire. The company are being supported by both the Council’s Business Support team and Employability team who are working closely with colleagues in Scottish Enterprise and Skills Development Scotland to build a strong relationship with the company. Innova Nanojet Technologies provides products based on ground-breaking NanoJet platform technologies, capable of spraying trillions of supersonic and nanosized
Page 8
droplets to eliminate airborne contaminants and viruses using only water, offering a quick, sustainable, and cost-effective solution. The company’s technologies have applications across major industries, including personal and public health, agriculture, food, housing, commercial buildings, transportation, social infrastructure, power generation, national security, and public safety. Working4U Business Breakfast - Supporting the Green Economy In 2023/24 Working4U supported green sector employers to fill 25 vacancies, roles included a Net Zero Coordinator, Loft insulation Installer and Recycling Operative. We are reinforcing our achievements this year and used a Businesses Breakfast to make employers/business aware of our plans and the available support and to launch our new suite of employer funding packages and supports. The Business Breakfast took place on Thursday 27th June. This was a joint event with Business Gateway on hand to provide additional advice and guidance on business funding and to build partnerships with new employers. This was a successful event with over 50 people in attendance. This included representation from the private, public and third sector including employers in construction, care, youth work, manufacturing, and retail. Over the course of the event, we provided information about a £4,000 employment support grant that is designed to create new vacancies for local unemployed people. Our aim is to support business and help those unemployed and most in need of support to secure access to opportunities. We also informed employers of our focus on the ‘green economy’; employers in this sector receiving additional funding to support their recruitment. Attendees also heard of our new Family Prosperity Job Enhancement scheme which aims to help in work progression for parents affected by poverty. This would consist of additional in-work training and support to maximise their income through increased responsibility and wages. Finally, West Dunbartonshire Council social benefits contracts were highlighted as a source of support for local business. Third sector organisations were made aware of the benefits and how they could access donations for community-based projects, while business support could be sought by all employers. Employers reported that the event was a useful opportunity to expand their network; build meaningful connections; develop collaborations; and find out about new business opportunities. Subsequently within weeks of the event, three people have been recruited to local businesses through recruitment incentives with several more in the pipeline within a range of employers. The Working4U team is also currently supporting recruitment for two ‘green jobs’ with ‘Enviro Windows’.
Page 9
Case Study 1 WORKING4 U - THRIVE - SUPPORTING VULNERABLE YOUNG PEOPLE The 'Thrive' programme is a 12-week personal development initiative for young people aged 16-24 disengaged from education or mainstream support. Thrive targets young people facing barriers to opportunity. Barriers may include: lack of qualifications, mental health issues, and low confidence. It offers personalised support and practical help, ensuring participants work towards their goals at their own pace. The Working4U team at West Dunbartonshire Council receives a high volume of referrals from a wide referral source such as social work, SDS, DWP, senior phase and third sector support agencies. Our aim is to build confidence, motivation, and employability skills through one-on-one sessions and group activities. Participants engage in skills challenges, volunteer, and receive employability support to move into positive destinations such as employment, training, or further education. Participants can access a training allowance of £40 weekly for their involvement. Through the programme's comprehensive support framework, that includes the provision of laptops, access to counselling support, and payment of travel expenses we address both practical and structural barriers to development. As a result of our understanding of need the Working4U Thrive team developed the SQA Personal Development Award (PDA) in the latter part of 2023/24. This is now offered alongside Youth Scotland’s Hi5 awards and Saltire Volunteering awards. As a result of its introduction, 34 young people achieved a Personal Development Award (PDA). Our intention this year is to replicate the programme and surpass the outcomes. Evaluation and Results In 2023/24, 82 young people participated in Thrive, with 83% progressing to positive destinations. Participants report increased confidence, motivation, and communication skills, often achieving their first qualifications. Thrive’s impact since its launch in 20/21 is reflected in the increased participation rates in West Dunbartonshire, rising from 90.8% in 2021 to 93.0% in 2023. Testimonials from participants highlight the programme's positive impact on social connections and confidence, underscoring its effectiveness in fostering a sense of belonging and personal growth. Thrive Results 23/24 Total Young People 67
Page 10
Entered Employment 16 Entered Modern Apprenticeship 6 Entered Further Education 26 (+8 pending August Start) Receiving further support 11 Case Study 2 WORKING4U AND CROSSREACH – SUPPORTING THE FOUNDATION ECONOMY Working4U will collaborate with CrossReach to provide unemployed clients access to job opportunities within CrossReach's diverse social care services. This partnership aims to establish a robust framework that helps individuals overcome employment barriers and thrive in the foundation economy, particularly in the care sector. Working4U currently has 97 people aspiring to work in this field. About CrossReach - CrossReach, the social care arm of the Church of Scotland and offers a wide range of services across Scotland. These services include: • Children and Family Services: Residential care, fostering, adoption services, counselling, and support for families in crisis. • Adult Care Services: Support for individuals with substance misuse issues, mental health challenges, homelessness, and learning disabilities. • Older People Services: Residential and nursing care, dementia services, and support for older adults living at home. Integrated Support Programmes • Joint Initiatives: Develop initiatives that combine CrossReach’s social care expertise with Working4U’s job placement and skills training programmes s. • Holistic Support: Provide comprehensive support packages addressing both social care needs and employability skills, ensuring participants are job-ready and capable of sustaining employment. Training and Apprenticeships • Sector-Specific Training: Offer training programmes tailored to the foundation economy sectors, utilising CrossReach’s experience in social care to deliver relevant skills and qualifications. • Apprenticeship Opportunities: Explore Modern and Foundation apprenticeship schemes within CrossReach’s services, offering hands-on experience and pathways to employment in social care and related fields. Mentorship and Counselling
Page 11
• Mentorship Programs: Implement mentorship programs where experienced CrossReach staff guide and support individuals through their employment journey. • Counselling Services: Working4U will provide counselling and mental health support through the Togetherall platform to help individuals overcome personal barriers to employment. The partnership between Working4U and CrossReach offers numerous benefits. By combining CrossReach’s expertise in social care with Working4U’s employability services, we will create a comprehensive support system. This will include establishing a robust referral system to ensure individuals receive timely and appropriate support from both organisations. This joint effort increases reach, allowing them to assist a broader audience, particularly those most vulnerable and in need of both social and economic support. Furthermore, by providing holistic support we can ensure that individuals not only secure jobs but also sustain long-term employment.