DOCUMENT PACK (Corporate Services Committee 07 02 24) BOOKMARKED
West Dunbartonshire Council · 7 February 2024
Back to Corporate Services Committee — 7 February 2024 and its agenda
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Agenda Corporate Services Committee Date: Wednesday, 7 February 2024 Time: 14:00 Format: Hybrid Meeting Contact: Scott Kelly, Committee Officer scott.kelly@west-dunbarton.gov.uk committee.admin@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Dear Member Please attend a meeting of the Corporate Services Committee as detailed above. Members will have the option to attend the meeting remotely or in person at the Civic Space, 16 Church Street, Dumbarton. The business is shown on the attached agenda. Yours faithfully PETER HESSETT Chief Executive Page 1
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Distribution:- Councillor Daniel Lennie (Chair) Councillor Ian Dickson Councillor David McBride Councillor Jonathan McColl Councillor James McElhill Councillor Michelle McGinty (Vice-Chair) Councillor June McKay Councillor Karen Murray Conaghan Councillor Lawrence O’Neill Councillor Martin Rooney Councillor Gordon Scanlan Councillor Clare Steel Chief Executive Chief Officers Date of issue: 25 January 2024 Audio Streaming Audio recordings of the meeting (including the attendance or contribution of any party participating or making a contribution) will be published on the Council’s website and the Council’s host’s webcast/audio stream platform. You should be aware that the Council is a Data Controller under the General Data Protection Regulation. Data collected during this audio stream will be retained in accordance with the Council’s Privacy Notice and Retention Schedules including, but not limited to, for the purpose of keeping historical records and making those records available via the Council’s internet site. Page 2
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CORPORATE SERVICES COMMITTEE WEDNESDAY, 7 FEBRUARY 2024 AGENDA 1 STATEMENT BY CHAIR – AUDIO STREAMING The Chair will be heard in connection with the above. 2 APOLOGIES 3 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST Members are invited to declare if they have an interest in any of the items of business on this agenda and the reasons for such declarations. 4 RECORDING OF VOTES The Committee is asked to agree that all votes taken during the meeting be done by roll call vote to ensure an accurate record. 5 MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING 5 – 9 Submit for approval as a correct record, the Minutes of Meeting of the Corporate Services Committee held on 1 November 2023. 6 MINUTES OF JOINT CONSULTATIVE FORUM To Follow Submit for information and where necessary ratification, the Minutes of Meeting of the Joint Consultative Forum held on 14 December 2023. 7 OPEN FORUM The Committee is asked to note that no open forum questions have been submitted by members of the public. 8 WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE LEISURE TRUST BUSINESS To Follow PLAN 2024/25 Submit report by the Chief Education Officer providing an update on the West Dunbartonshire Leisure Trust Business Plan for 2024/25. Page 3
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9 PEOPLE AND TECHNOLOGY SPEND 2024/25 11 – 25 Submit report by the Chief Officer – People and Technology providing a detailed breakdown of the planned People and Technology spend for both capital and revenue new and existing contracts valued above £10,000 and seeking approval to procure and contract for the required goods and services. 10 REVIEW OF INTERIM CHANGE TO FORTNIGHTLY 27 – 34 PAY FREQUENCY Submit report by the Chief Officer – People and Technology providing an update on the review agreed as part of the interim change to the 2-weekly pay frequency. 11 WRITE-OFF OF NATIONAL NON DOMESTIC RATES 2023/24 35 – 42 Submit report by the Chief Officer – Resources recommending for approval the write-off of debts in respect of National Non-Domestic Rates (NNDR), which have been deemed as irrecoverable during the financial year 2023/2024. 12 CORPORATE SERVICES BUDGETARY CONTROL REPORT 43 – 63 TO 31 OCTOBER 2023 (PERIOD 7) Submit report by the Chief Officer – Resources advising on the performance of the Corporate Services budget for the period to 31 December 2023. 13 GRANT APPLICATION TO DUMBARTON COMMON GOOD 65 – 68 Submit report by the Chief Officer – Resources providing details of one grant application to Dumbarton Common Good for consideration. Page 4
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CORPORATE SERVICES COMMITTEE At a Hybrid Meeting of the Corporate Services Committee held in the Civic Space, 16 Church Street, Dumbarton on Wednesday, 1 November 2023 at 2.00 p.m. Present: Councillors Karen Murray Conaghan, Ian Dickson, Daniel Lennie, David McBride, Jonathan McColl, Michelle McGinty, June McKay, Lawrence O’Neill, Martin Rooney and Clare Steel. Attending: Alan Douglas, Chief Officer – Regulatory and Regeneration; Amanda Graham, Chief Officer – Citizen, Culture and Facilities; Laurence Slavin, Chief Officer – Resources; Victoria Rogers, Chief Officer – People and Technology; John Anderson, West Dunbartonshire Leisure Trust Manager; Arun Menon, Business Support Manager; Alison McBride, Strategic People and Change Manager; Annabel Travers, Procurement Manager; Elaine Troup, Communities Manager; Michelle Lynn, Asset Co- ordinator; Adrian Gray, Finance Business Partner; Lisa MacGregor, People and Change Partner; Michael McDougall, Manager of Legal Services and Ashley MacIntyre and Nicola Moorcroft, Committee Officers. Apologies: Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Councillors James McElhill and Gordon Scanlan. Councillor Daniel Lennie in the Chair STATEMENT BY CHAIR – AUDIO STREAMING Councillor Lennie, Chair, advised that the meeting was being audio streamed and broadcast live to the internet and would be available for playback. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST It was noted that there were no declarations of interest in any of the items of business on the agenda. RECORDING OF VOTES The Committee agreed that all votes taken during the meeting would be carried out by roll call vote to ensure an accurate record. ITEM 5 Page 5
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MINUTES OF PREVIOUS MEETING The Minutes of Meeting of the Corporate Services Committee held on 14 August 2023 were submitted and approved as a correct record. MINUTES OF JOINT CONSULTATIVE FORUM The Minutes of Meeting of the Joint Consultative Forum held on 7 September 2023 were submitted for information and where necessary ratification, following discussion the Committee unanimously agreed:- (1) to note the minutes; (2) to note that JCF takes elimination of bullying as seriously as discrimination, harassment and victimisation. However, that it is unable to approve the decision taken at the meeting of the Joint Consultative Forum on Thursday, 7 September 2023 to add bullying to Section 3.2 of the Annual Monitoring Report 2022/23 – Employment Equalities; (3) to note that the Chief Officer – People and Technology cannot retrospectively change the report and would not be expected to include bullying in future equality reports that specifically report on the Public Sector Equality Duties; and (4) to note that bullying would continue to be dealt with separately through Respect at Work, Grievance and Disciplinary processes as appropriate, and will this will be reported annually to the JCF. OPEN FORUM The Committee noted that no open forum questions had been submitted by members of the public. CITIZEN, CULTURE AND FACILITIES 2023/24 DELIVERY PLAN MID-YEAR PROGRESS A report was submitted by the Chief Officer – Citizen, Culture and Facilities setting out the mid-year progress of the Citizen, Culture and Facilities Delivery Plan 2023/24. After discussion and having heard the Chief Officer – Citizen, Culture and Facilities in further explanation of the report, the Committee agreed to note the progress achieved. Page 6
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PEOPLE AND TECHNOLOGY 2023/24 DELIVERY PLAN MID-YEAR PROGRESS A report was submitted by the Chief Officer – People and Technology setting out the midyear progress of the People and Technology Delivery Plan 2023/24. After discussion and having heard the Chief Officer – People and Technology in further explanation of the report, the Committee agreed to note the progress achieved. REGULATORY AND REGENERATION 2023/24 DELIVERY PLAN MID-YEAR PROGRESS A report was submitted by the Chief Officer – Regulatory and Regeneration setting out the mid-year progress of the Regulatory and Regeneration Delivery Plan 2023/24. After discussion and having heard the Chief Officer – Regulatory and Regeneration in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Committee agreed to note the progress achieved. RESOURCES 2023/24 DELIVERY PLAN MID-YEAR PROGRESS A report was submitted by the Chief Officer – Resources setting out the mid-year progress of the Resources Delivery Plan 2023/24. After discussion and having heard the Chief Officer – Resources in further explanation of the report, the Committee agreed to note the progress achieved. REVIEW OF ORGANISATIONAL CHANGE POLICY A report was submitted by the Chief Officer – People and Technology providing an update on the review of the Organisational Change Procedure, the subsequent changes made and seeking approval for the same. After discussion and having heard the Chief Officer – People and Technology and the People and Change Partner in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Committee approved the revised policy, Appendix 1 to the report. JOB EVALUATION POLICY AND PROCEDURE A report was submitted by the Chief Officer – People and Technology providing an update on changes and seeking approval for the revisions to the Job Evaluation Policy and Procedure. Page 7
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After discussion and having heard the Chief Officer – People and Technology in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Committee approved the Job Evaluation Policy and Procedure. ANNUAL PROCUREMENT REPORT A report was submitted by the Chief Officer – Regulatory and Regeneration seeking approval to publish the Annual Procurement Report for 2022/23 and the 2023/24 annual revision of the Sustainable Procurement & Commercial Improvement Strategy. After discussion and having heard the Procurement Manager in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Committee agreed:- (1) the Annual Procurement Report for 2022/23 as outlined in Appendix 1 to the report; and (2) the Annual revision to the Sustainable Procurement and Commercial Improvement Strategy – 2021 to 2026 as outlined in Appendix 2 to the report. WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE LEISURE TRUST BUSINESS PLAN 2023/24 A report was submitted by the Chief Officer – Citizen, Culture and Facilities providing an update on the West Dunbartonshire Leisure Trust Business Plan 2023/24. After discussion and having heard the Chief Officer – Citizen, Culture and Facilities and the West Dunbartonshire Leisure Trust Manager in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Committee agreed:- (1) to approve the report and the 2023/24 West Dunbartonshire Leisure Trust Business Plan; and (2) to formally agree the WDLT management fee as set out in the report, the sum having already been included in the Council’s 2023/24 revenue budget. CORPORATE SERVICES BUDGETARY CONTROL REPORT TO 31 AUGUST 2023 (PERIOD 05) A report was submitted by the Chief Officer – Resources advising on the performance of the Corporate Services budget for the period to 31 August 2023. After discussion and having heard the Chief Officer – Resources in further explanation of the report, the Committee agreed:- (1) to note that the revenue account currently shows a projected annual favourable variance of £0.341m (0.98% of the total budget); and Page 8
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(2) to note that the capital account shows a projected in-year overspend of £0.001m (0.02% of in-year budget). Explanations for projected variances to the 19 current projects are detailed in Appendices 6 and 7 to the report. The project life projection currently shows a projected overspend of £0.009m (0.01% of project life budget). GRANT APPLICATION TO DUMBARTON COMMON GOOD A report was submitted by the Chief Officer – Resources providing details of one grant application to Dumbarton Common Good for consideration. After discussion and having heard the Finance Business Partner in further explanation and in answer to Members’ questions, the Committee agreed to approve the request for a £39,000 grant to Corra Foundation to assist with the cost of 3 years staff costs and other operating costs, grant to be paid in 3 annual instalments of £13,000. The meeting closed at 3.00 p.m. Page 9
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL Report by Chief Officer – People & Technology Corporate Services Committee: 7th February 2024 ___________________________________________________________________ Subject: People & Technology Spend 2024-25 1. Purpose 1.1 To provide the Committee with a detailed breakdown of the planned People & Technology (P&T) spend for both capital and revenue new and existing contracts valued above £10,000 and seek approval to procure and contract for the required goods and services. 2. Recommendations 2.1 The Committee is asked to: 2.1.1 note the revenue and capital spend detail included in this report; 2.1.2 note the projects to deliver this spend will be included in the 2024-25 People and Technology Delivery Plan currently in development and to be reported to a future meeting of this committee; 2.1.3 approve the procurement and award of by the Chief Officer – People & Technology in consultation with the Procurement Manager of all contracts valued at £213,477 (VAT inclusive) above subject to the cost being within the approved budget and the tender being in line with normal tender parameters. 2.1.4 note, that where the contract award is less than £213,477 (VAT inclusive), authority is delegated to the Chief Officer – People and Technology in consultation with the Procurement Manager to instruct the award of contracts for the planned revenue and capital spend detailed in this report to suppliers providing the most economically advantageous offer to the Council; 2.1.5 approve the revenue spend included in this report including approval to explore and secure multi-year contracts, contracts using framework agreements and/or contracts using dynamic purchasing systems beyond the term of approved budgets where efficiencies and savings can be achieved; 2.1.6 approve the projects specified in Section 3 of this report; and 2.1.7 note that where the value of the contract is £213,477 (VAT inclusive) and above, in the event of the financial or other terms of a tender falling out-with delegated powers, the relevant Chief Officer will submit a report to either Council, Corporate Services or the Tendering Committee. ITEM 9 Page 11
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3. Background Revenue 3.1 The Council has an annual revenue spend of approximately £2,900,000 that covers a range of ICT goods and services, for example corporate and service applications, telephony lines and licences, network connectivity as well as security and application licences. Appendix 1 details estimated spend over £10,000 per managed system/technology. 3.2 The ICT team consults annually with the Corporate Procurement Unit to refine contract strategies. The breakdown includes: 3.2.1 Corporate business applications for the management of processes such as Finance, Housing, Performance and Purchasing. Although the annual maintenance budget for these systems is held by P&T (ICT section), the responsibility for the systems and associated contracting lies with the system owners within each service area. The system owners are responsible for granting system access and permissions, data management and security compliance, coordinating upgrades, verifying license and budget requirements, and ensuring the systems continue to meet service strategy and future requirements. ICT assist with licence verification and conduct annual exercises with service areas to verify application use, licences volumes and type and to identify where there are opportunities to reduce costs. 3.2.2 Infrastructure hardware commodity includes servers, switches, wireless access points, security infrastructure, cabling, telephony infrastructure, storage and multi-function printers and scanners. 3.2.3 Education curriculum software commodity is the responsibility of Education, Learning & Attainment with support from the ICT team. The software may be subject, sector or establishment based. 3.2.4 The end user hardware commodity includes all PCs, laptops, mobile phones, tablets, and Chromebooks across the Council. 3.2.5 The Corporate licenses commodity includes software products such as Adobe and Microsoft, security technologies for scanning, protection, and encryption, as well as device, application, and policy management technologies. The technology is managed by the ICT team on behalf of the Council however licenses can also be purchased by service areas. 3.2.6 Network commodity includes telephony, CCTV, and network lines. Responsibility for this commodity is dispersed across Council services. 3.3 As outlined above, the budget and contracting responsibility for commodities such as curriculum software, telephony, CCTV, and end user device Page 12
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purchasing are service led. 3.4 While many of the annual maintenance and license payments and arrangements have been in place for several years, the category management approach to procurement continues to provide the opportunity to examine spend to deliver improved and/or collaborative approaches. The aim is to secure improved contracts and deliver cashable and non-cashable benefits as well as improved supplier management practices and monitoring. 3.5 The council issued a new tender under the Multi-Function Device (MFD) national framework contract; however, it was withdrawn due to the high volume of supplier queries seeking clarification of the specification. The tender is currently being reviewed with the aim of re-issuing in February 2024. During this period, we have extended the current contract to ensure printing services are not impacted. A further extension (or part thereof) is likely to be required during 2024-25 to allow time for evaluation, committee approval and implementation of the replacement contract. 3.6 In relation to the disposal of obsolete equipment, the Council has an out of contract arrangement where the supplier collects and disposes of equipment in line with The Waste Electrical and Electronic Equipment Regulations (WEEE) free of charge. ICT are currently engaging the framework market to award contract for the disposal service. Part of the contract aim is to secure income from all equipment disposals and this requirement will be included in the contract specification, albeit subject to market testing. 3.7 Based on experience the requirements listed below tend to be purchased as cloud services and require additional revenue funding which, consequently, are included in ICT burdens. We will continually assess and upgrade our ICT infrastructure to support the growing demands of the organisation and explore cloud computing options for increased scalability, resilience, flexibility, cost- effectiveness, to identify any savings opportunities and to maximise our current investment. 3.7.1 WDC continue to work in collaboration with the National Digital Office with the option to take part in a joint procurement for a Security Operation Centre (SOC) solution. The initial requirements have been agreed and the national procurement exercise has been delayed pending further review and will be progressed during 2024/25. 3.7.2 The council has routinely invested in Cyber Security technologies and resources to ensure our security posture is robust and fit for purpose. Any technology improvements will be procured thought national frameworks and approval sought via appropriate committees. 3.7.3 As part of our continuous service improvements and to help sustain hybrid working and provide secure remote access, we have procured a new solution that will deliver enhanced security and a consistent remote Page 13
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experience for employees regardless of location. This project commenced in January 2024 and will continue during 2024/25. 3.7.4 We have reviewed and finalised the options to improve access to desktop business applications for council employees and partners. The review will enhance the digital workplace experience for employees and maximise our existing investment in M365. Part of the review is to replace our current virtual application delivery solution with the latest version of MS office suite on all corporate laptops, this will enable full office integration with 365 cloud applications i.e., MS Teams. This project began in November 2023 and will continue during 2024/25. 3.7.5 Our redesign of remote access and desktop application solutions outlined in 3.7.3 and 3.7.4 has delivered significant annual revenue savings for the council, and these technological savings will contribute to the budget gap for 2024/25 and beyond. Capital 3.8 The Council concluded the award of the Scottish Wide Area Network (SWAN 2.0) Framework contract for BT communications plc to provide Managed Wide Area Network Services for the council. As a SWAN member, the Council are contributing to the overall procurement and contract management costs, and these are included in the ICT capital plan projects. The November 2023 tendering committee approved the capital spend required for the transition to the new SWAN 2.0 network and this spend is outlined in the associated background papers. This project will provide fit for future bandwidth capacity at all council sites. 3.9 The Council continues to make a substantial commitment to improving and securing the ICT infrastructure and processes to support and innovate service delivery transformation through capital investment. 3.10 Table 1 below is an excerpt from the Capital plan as agreed by Council in March 2023 and includes the following recurring capital budget for ICT: Table 1 – Existing Agreed ICT 1-Year Capital Plan Capital allocation 2023/24 ICT Security & Resilience Inc. Education Software Licensing Refresh £729,000 ICT Modernisation £857,000 365 Implementation £160,000 Total £1,407,000 3.11 The scope for each project will include some flexibility, allowing for spend on smaller value works via the appropriate procurement route. Where possible and where opportunities arise, officers aim to secure match funding from Page 14
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external sources i.e., Microsoft funding to assist with implementation of SharePoint. The investment projects for capital spend are detailed in table 2 below. ICT will consult with Procurement to ensure the correct procurement route is used for each spend project. 3.12 Some of the ICT capital spend may have a revenue implication and this will be managed through future revenue planning and based on the actual spend. Table 2 – Proposed Projects ICT Capital Spend 2024-25 Description Capital (Est) ICT Security & DR, Resilience £504,000 1. Future of SWAN Contract (Shared Service cost) 2. SWAN 2.0 Implementation 3. Replace Ageing Infrastructure Hardware 4. Security Compliance remediation 5. Security Resourcing - multi-year consultancy services 6. Internal ICT resource recharges 7. Education software refresh £50,000 £200,000 £40,000 £70,000 £30,000 £84,000 £30,000 ICT Modernisation £551,000 1. Device replacement: a. Chromebooks b. PCs c. Mobile Phones d. Laptops 1. Resources to Support a range of corporate projects. £428,000 £46,000 £176,500 £6,500 £199.000 £123,000 Office 365 Implementation £240,000 1. Resourcing £170,000 2. Securing and implementing SharePoint £70,000 Total £1,295,000 3.17 Device replacement: ICT will undertake the annual device replacement project for all PCs, laptops, Chromebooks, and mobile phones that are reaching end of life and or 5-year refresh point as per the ICT Strategy 2023-28. These items are purchased from nationally agreed frameworks and the overall spend is detailed in Table 2. 3.18 Server and Firewall Hardware Replacement: ICT have undertaken a server and firewall replacement project during 2023/24 to refresh ageing hardware to ensure it is up to date, secure, and remains in line with technological advances. This project will continue during 2024/25 and hardware is Page 15
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purchased via nationally agreed frameworks with the overall spend detailed in Table 2. 3.19 SharePoint: The council has invested heavily in Microsoft 365 cloud services and have made significant progress on associated projects throughout 2023/24. The main deliverable in Phase 2 of the project is to implement SharePoint to replace our long-standing use of on-premises file storage used for managing council files and folders. The project is currently at planning stage and will progress throughout 2024/25 alongside supplier delivery via national frameworks. Capital spend for project implementation encompasses supplier delivery, software purchase and resourcing for project management and support. 4. Main Issues Procurement 4.1 Consideration will be given to multi-year contracts, and contracts using framework agreements and/or contracts using dynamic purchasing systems where recurring capital / revenue has been approved and where this would deliver efficiencies. Where recurring revenue is approved on a yearly basis, consideration will be given to multi-year contracts, and contracts using framework agreements or contracts using dynamic purchasing systems. The authority sought in Paragraph 2.1, to include the option to enter such multi- year contracts beyond the second year for those items listed in Section 3 and the appendix to this report. 4.2 The contract strategies for each of the revenue and capital projects will continue to be developed on a project-by-project basis and will include consideration of market testing existing collaborative framework or collaborative purchasing system, running mini competitions, direct awards as well as full tender processes. 4.3 The tendering and contracting process will continue to identify potential future revenue implications for new contracts. Where required these will be included as savings/burdens in future ICT revenue budget estimates considering current revenue spend to offset the budgetary impact. Increased Demand for Technology to Improve Service Delivery 4.5 There remains rapid and significant change in this area across the public sector. We live in a digital age where demand for council services and expectations of service continue to increase at a time when the council is facing significant financial challenges with wholescale under-funding resulting in reduced capital and revenue budgets. There is increasing reliance on technology and the financial resources to deliver is included in section 3 of this report, such as: Page 16
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• software licences e.g., increased cost for Microsoft licenses; • security where emerging threats and changes in the security landscape require additional investment; • system design improvements where increased remote access and hybrid working require additional infrastructure investment and 1:1 device ratio for corporate employees; • mobility where additional mobile sim contracts or increased data limits are required; • system resilience where ongoing discussions with services to review their business continuity and resilience requirements may result in increased demand in this area; • device replacement e.g., as schools aim for a 1:1 device per pupil ratio there are now over 14,000 devices deployed in schools with further spend required; • services exploring and implementing digital transformation; and • new technologies e.g., the use of Automation and Artificial Intelligence. 4.6 In recent years there has been no increase in ICT employee resources to match increasing support demands, indeed the FTE has steadily reduced and was reduced further in 23/24 as part of the council budget savings exercise. A small number of short-term temporary appointments have been used and will continue in 24/25 to support specific project-related tasks, however the ratio of devices per Support Analyst will be closely monitored to ensure sustainability of current and expected service levels. We will continue to use supplier consultancy for specialist projects and upgrades. 4.7 The Council has an ambitious 5-year People First Strategy which encompasses digital, engagement, learning, development, wellbeing, and workforce planning. ICT are aligned and collaborating closely with the councils’ digital team with both teams having established close links with the National Digital Office and other key stakeholders. The continued investment in technology highlighted in this report will help deliver this strategy and provide our service areas and partners with the technology and tools to digitally transform and improve service delivery to our citizens and workforce. Key areas for the coming year will be Office 365, where both teams will work jointly to support services with sound structures and best practice as they migrate to SharePoint. Following this, our Centre of Excellence will ensure, as a council, we both upskill employees and maximise the benefits 365 can bring to users, employees, processes, and teams. In addition, we will also improve how the organisation uses data, ensuring capability in this area grows and it leads to more informed decision making. Moving forward, both the Digital and ICT Teams will be working hard to create a curious culture, confident with technology with an understanding that digital skills are everyone’s responsibility. 4.8 ICT licensing is increasingly being offered as cloud/hosted subscription-based licensing model and this change of delivery mechanism is likely to drive a change to the current funding profile for ICT goods and services. This change means expenditure is likely to transition away from a mixture of capital and Page 17
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revenue budgets to a need for a revenue only budget. ICT will continue to collaborate with Resources colleagues to monitor this transition. 5. People Implications 5.1 Existing Framework Agreements or Dynamic Purchasing System will be used where they have proven to demonstrate best value and where practical. 5.2 The ICT team has an established review and service/improvement process to ensure resources are allocated to the highest priority work. 5.3 Some of the identified projects are expected to include design, implementation, skills transfer and project consultancy services, and training as specialist knowledge is required when introducing new technologies, for example, introduction of Microsoft SharePoint. ICT employees will be trained, gain experience, knowledge, and skills during these projects to ensure they can manage and develop the technologies moving forward. 6. Financial and Procurement Implications 6.1 Revenue budget is in place for all licenses and maintenance spend identified in the Appendix. This, plus an inflationary increase, is included within the draft revenue budget for 2024-25 (subject to Council approval in March 2024). 6.2 The ICT and Corporate Procurement teams engage with service areas when introducing new IT systems so that technology, procurement, and security issues can be identified during the procurement and evaluation stages and prior to contract signing. This early engagement approach also helps identify potential savings and spend opportunities so that these can be included in future budget processes. 6.3 The cost estimates for capital spend are based on high level research and may vary but will remain within the capital plan due for approval by Council in March 2024 as outlined in Table 2. The projects specified can be scaled up or down. 6.4 All procurement activity conducted by the Council for spend valued from £213,477 (VAT inclusive) is subject to contract strategy. The contract strategy shall include but not be limited to; options appraisals, contract scope, service forward plan, market condition, procurement model and routes – including existing delivery vehicles, roles and responsibilities, risks, issues and opportunities and on-going contract management. Some of the options considered include for example: Where a purchase is required, options as to type of equipment or license will be reviewed, e.g., most suitable device for a corporate versus education user. In the case of licenses, options such as, perpetual versus subscription Page 18
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licensing will be considered alongside multiyear, single year, full year, or part year licenses and if there is any opportunity to reduce system or licence costs. 7. Risk Analysis 7.1 There is a risk that the capital project actual costs may exceed the capital project estimates as detailed in Table 2. This risk will be mitigated by a range of contract strategy options being explored as well as building scalability into the tender for example reducing the number of devices being replaced or specification of the device. Ongoing regular Budgetary Control Reporting will provide information on any significant adverse variance in cost and mitigating actions available. 7.2 There is a risk that ICT equipment prices continue to increase in the short to medium term due to external factors such as the global economy challenges. Any price increases will impact project spend and volume of devices able to be purchased. 7.3 Strategic Risks: SR04 Keeping Abreast of Developments in the Innovative Use of Technology; and SR08 Threat of Cyber Risk ensure visibility and scrutiny through Audit Committee. 8. Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) 8.1 EIA 867: Our approach to supporting change and improvements, will proactively consider accessibility and usability of systems and their interaction for users. This is especially important for disabled people, but not limited to these protected characteristics. Where possible the Council will use social benefit clauses, when looking at its procurement. Where relevant we will impact assess, capital and revenue spending decisions to support best value, equalities, including the Procurement Duty of the Public Sector Equality Duty in Scotland, and Fairer Scotland Duty considerations. We will align with the Equality and Human Rights Commissions guidance in use of artificial intelligence in the public sector, and proactively consider equality implications, when supporting change and improvements. 8.2 The annual device replacement project will continue to include delivery of specialist IT equipment/adaptations for employees and pupils with additional needs as required. This will also apply where public access devices are being replaced. The procurement process will be conducted in line with the Council’s procurement and equality guidance, and implementation planning will consider equality issues. 9. Environmental Sustainability 9.1 ICT is committed to sustainable technology to lessen energy consumption, carbon emissions, enhance resource management, and decrease the amount of technology waste produced. In accordance with council contract strategy Page 19
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development and the Scottish Government Sustainability toolkit, the council will explore sustainability opportunities in all tenders. Contract strategies for individual projects will consider a range of sustainability issues including the environmental implications of ICT equipment and services. 10. Consultation 10.1 Legal, CPU, Education and the Section 95 Officer have been consulted on the content of this paper. It was not necessary to consult with our Trades Union colleagues on this report. However, the Council’s digital strategy and activity is regularly discussed with the Convenors group. 11. Strategic Assessment 11.1 High quality ICT equipment and services contribute to the Council’s 2022-27 strategic objectives to ensure our workforce is resilient and skilled where digital technology supports service delivery for our citizens; and all employees are provided with the technology needed to do their job effectively. 11.2 ICT is part of the People and Technology service and annual spend plans have been developed in support of the Council’s core strategic ambitions across business service areas as reflected in the Council Strategic 5-year plan 2022-27 and ICT Strategy 2023-2028. 11.3 The planned capital spend on improved security, resilience and mobility ensures that a fit for purpose and secure ICT environment that supports all the Council service areas to deliver on their strategic objectives. 11.4 The ICT contracts will contribute to delivery of the Council’s strategic priorities through the development of robust contract strategies which will explore the inclusion of community benefits which improve economic growth and employability. Further opportunities to maximise the positive social, economic, and environmental impact for West Dunbartonshire Council through the contracts will also be explored. Name: Victoria Rogers Designation: Chief Officer - People and Technology Date: 12th January 2024 Person to Contact: James Gallacher, Manager of ICT, 07531184141 Appendix: ICT Estimated Revenue Spend over £10,000 per System Background papers: ICT Strategy 2023-28 November 2023 Tendering Committee – SWAN procurement Wards Affected: All Page 20
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Appendix 1 – Estimated Annual Revenue Spend over £10,000 (based on 2023-24) Product Commodity Category Cost Microsoft Enterprise Agreements Corporate Licensing £698,500 Wide Area Network Network *£305,400 Social Work Case Management & Scheduler Business System £130,590 Education MIS Business System £106,220 Local Area Network Network £94,700 Virtual Business Applications Corporate Licensing £80,450 Telephone Lines Network £75,000 Firewall Support Hardware Infrastructure £75,000 Revenue & Benefits Business System £73,100 Automation Software Business System £70,000 Cloud Backup Solution Corporate Licensing £64,100 Server Maintenance Hardware Infrastructure £58,185 Housing Management Business System £55,600 Rent Arrears Management Business System £58,700 Water Management Business System £46,500 Library Management Software Business System £45,965 Leisure Management Business System £45,300 Finance Management Business System £45,000 Job Costing Business System £43,500 Adobe Licencing Corporate Licencing £39,450 Network Scanning Tool Network £39,435 Energy Management Business System £36,000 Planning & Building Standards Business System £32,000 Roads – Lighting, Collision, Flood Mgmt. Business System £27,500 Local Government Digital Transformation Corporate Licensing £25,950 Backup Management Hardware Infrastructure £27,635 Security Filtering Management Hardware Infrastructure £25,700 Asset Management Business System £24,300 Corporate Arrears System Business System £23,400 Document Management Business System £27,000 Workforce Management Business System £24,000 Construction Standards Management Business System £23,000 Wireless Network Network £21,300 Environmental Services Business System £23,100 Service Desk Business System £20,100 Housing Benefits and Allocations Business System £19,000 Election Management Business System £18,480 Data Domain Management Hardware Infrastructure £17,600 Website Support Business System £15,600 Education Gateway Business System £17,600 Page 21
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Product (cont.) Commodity Category Cost Education Teaching Materials Business System £17,600 Vehicle Management System Business System £14,700 Virtual Server Environment Support Hardware Infrastructure £14,200 Online Forms Business System £15,270 Business Property Rates Business System £12,800 Device Remote Support Software Business System £11,660 Device Security Management Antivirus Hardware Infrastructure £11,600 Employability Case Management Business System £11,200 Council Meetings System Business System £10,700 *Subject to contract transition timeline. Page 22
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AssessmentNo 867 Owner JGALLACHER Resource Transformation Service/Establishment People and Technology First Name Surname Job title Head Officer James Gallacher ICT Manager (include job titles/organisation) Members James Gallacher, ICT Manager Victoria Rogers, People &Technology Chief Officer Ric Rea - Performance &Strategy Officer (Please note: the word 'policy' is used as shorthand for stategy policy function or financial decision) Policy Title P&TSpend 2024/25 The aim, objective,purpose and intended out come of policy Define the planned annual People &Technology spend for both capital and revenue new and existing contracts valued above £10,000 and seek approval to procure and contract for the required goods and services. Service/Partners/Stakeholders/service users involved in the development and/or implementation of policy. Consultation with Chief Officers, P&Tand ICT Management teams. Performance &Strategy Does the proposals involve the procurement of any goods or services? Yes If yes please confirm that you have contacted our procurement services to discuss your requirements. No SCREENING You must indicate if there is any relevance to the four areas Duty to eliminate discrimination (E), advance equal opportunities (A) or foster good relations (F) Yes Relevance to Human Rights (HR) Yes Relevance to Health Impacts (H) Yes Relevance to Social Economic Impacts (SE) Yes Who will be affected by this policy? Council employees, Council service users Who will be/has been involved in the consultation process? Chief Officers Please outline any particular need/barriers which equality groups may have in relation to this policy list evidence you are using to support this and whether there is any negative impact on particular groups. Needs Evidence Impact Age Cross Cutting We need to take into account how spending decisions may cross cut. We will therefore always check potential Equality and other issues can and do combine and cross cut protected characteristics. Our approach to We will ensure that all relevant spending proposals are informed by evidence and take into account all the Appendix 2 Page 23
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relevance to any and all of the protected groups above, depending on proposals in question. We need to have regard to the cumulative effect of proposals and decisions. Implementation of AI and Automation should be informed by the relevant EHRC guidance from 2022 The Council has a commitment to supporting digital inclusion supporting change and improvements, will proactively take into account accessibility and usability of systems and their interaction for users. This is especially important for disabled people. Specific implementations can be impact assessed by services relevant areas covered by our approach to impact assessment and Positive Disability The council has a anticipatory duty to to ensure that services are accessible to disabled people. We also have a duty to ensure that reasonable adjustments are carried out for disabled employees. The Council has a duty to make reasonable adjustments for employees Our approach to supporting change and improvements, will proactively take into account accessibility and usability of systems and their interaction for users. This is especially important for disabled people, including employees. Positive Social & Economic Impact The Council has a duty to obtain best value. The Council must keep in mind the Fairer Scotland Duty when making strategic financial decisions. Reducing the costs associated with technology. Where possible the Council will use social benefit clauses, when looking at its procurement. We will ensure that Council Guidance on Equality and Procurement is followed Positive impact for Council finances. Sex Gender Reassign Health Health and well being is priority of We will take these considerations into The approach will be inline with our Page 24
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the Council's Strategic Plan account where relevant guidance and evolving best practice Human Rights The Council is a Duty in terns of the Human Rights Act. It is likely that the UNCRC incorporation Bill, will become Law in Scotland in July 2024 We will take these considerations into account where relevant The approach will be inline with our guidance and evolving best practice Marriage & Civil Partnership Pregnancy & Maternity Race Religion and Belief Sexual Orientation Actions Policy has a negative impact on an equality group,but is still to be implemented, please provide justification for this. Will the impact of the policy be monitored and reported on an ongoing bases? Q7 What is you recommendation for this policy? Please provide a meaningful summary of how you have reached the recommendation EIA 867: Our approach to supporting change and improvements, will proactively take into account accessibility and usability of systems and their interaction for users. This is especially important for disabled people, but not limited to this protected characteristics. Where possible the Council will use social benefit clauses, when looking at its procurement. Where relevant we will impact assess, capital and revenue spending decisions to support best value, equalities, including the Procurement Duty of the Public Sector Equality Duty in Scotland, and Fairer Scotland Duty considerations. Our approach will be inline with the Equality and Human Rights Commissions guidance in use of AI in the public sector, and proactively consider equality implications, when supporting change and improvements. Page 25
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL Report by Chief Officer – People & Technology Corporate Services Committee – 7th February 2024 ___________________________________________________________________ Subject: Review of Interim Change to Fortnightly Pay Frequency 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this report is to update committee on the review agreed as part of the interim change to the 2-weekly pay frequency. 2. Recommendations 2.1 Note the findings of the review and agree a permanent cessation of fortnightly pay. 3. Background 3.1 The Corporate Services Committee approved an interim change to the fortnightly payrun on 17 August 2022. This was largely driven by the significant increase in the volume of work experienced by the Payroll team since the pandemic as outlined in section 3.3 of the paper. The volume has not diminished. 3.2 Since August, the team also experienced the loss of the Payroll Section Head who had considerable input into the more complex tasks expected of the team, for example processing the retrospective pay award received just before Christmas in 2022 for financial year 2022/23. Given the scale of the financial gap, the team has subsequently been restructured, combining payroll and transactional HR under the one remaining Section Head. This move aims to increase resilience by combining the two transactional teams albeit at the loss of the experienced Section Head, and the subsequent deletion of the post. 3.3 The Council will continue reviewing processes across the transactional services, including system improvements and automation. The payrun review considered how re-introduction of the fortnightly pay frequency would impact on the team capacity and the ability to enable further necessary improvements. 4. Main Issues 4.1 At the time the interim change was agreed, there were 667 employees paid fortnightly. Employees were offered the choice of 4 weekly or monthly with ITEM 10 Page 27
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the majority opting for the former (516), 54 monthly and 97 leavers since the change was applied. 4.2 As a reminder, the benefits of removing the fortnightly pay frequency included: • Ability to pay in advance of pay period end date as opposed to 11 days in arrears; • Ability to issue payslips earlier as significantly reduced pay administration; • Better use of the limited capacity within the transactional teams but especially focused on payroll deliverables; • Ability to handle the vast range of statutory reporting to partners such as SPPA, SPFO, HMRC, and 3rd parties such as Credit Unions, etc timeously; • Optimal handling of the complex multi tax-year pay awards which have been common over the past few years; • Optimal handling of tax year end ensuring ability to meet statutory deadlines, issue P60s, etc.; • Optimal handling of new tax year mass update tasks, e.g., tax code uplift, pay increments, pension contribution rate re-banding, etc.; • Reduction in errors causing additional work for both the manager and transactional teams, and greater employee satisfaction; • Ability to extend the electronic payslip facility to this group via a personal email account password protected by their National Insurance number; and • Simplified payroll processing calendar with fewer pay cycles. 4.3 Since the transition of fortnightly paid to either 4-weekly or monthly payrun, subsequent requests or issues raised have been monitored. Only 4 additional requests to move to the monthly cycle were received. 4.4 The Working4U team have further confirmed the following in respect of future decisions as to pay frequency: • Employees in receipt of Universal Credit (UC) and/or facing budgeting challenges should consider changing from 4-weekly to monthly. This overcomes the issue presented when in receipt of 2 pays in one month which reduces or even stops UC benefits in that month. This would occur 3 times a year and would require re-application for UC in each case. Detailed information on UC has been communicated to the workforce and is available here. • Anyone seeking support from W4U and on a 4-weekly pay frequency, would be advised to change to monthly rather than fortnightly. This is mainly due to bills (i.e., rent/mortgage/utilities/Hire Purchase/credit cards etc.), that are generally due on monthly cycles. Where difficulties are being experienced, reverting to a monthly cycle, as available to any employee, can be more beneficial. In reverting to fortnightly, W4U would advise setting up two bank accounts – one for bill payments and another Page 28
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for living expenses. This would require closer budget management and ideally access to banking apps to manage. This would be challenging for those without smart devices, ready access to broadband/wi-fi and limited digital skill. 4.5 Experiential feedback was also gathered directly from the Payroll team, supported by their TU representative, on the volume of additional work that would be generated by the re-introduction of fortnightly pay. As previously reported, the team have only just started to stabilise following the spike in demand during and after pandemic, resourcing challenges presented by higher than usual turnover including retirement of several experienced colleagues. Adding this pay frequency back into the workload would require 3 days of a supervisor’s time per pay so 6 days each month (almost 30%) which is a considerable drain on the small team and would undoubtedly detrimentally impact other important tasks. 4.6 The team comprises 2 FTE supervisors and 5 FTE payroll assistants with little spare capacity given the volume of statutory tasks e.g., processing pay, returns to pension administrators (SPFO and SPPA), multiple statutory returns to HMRC, managing Auto Enrolment cycles, and many others. These tasks are undertaken for just under 8,500 employees across the Council, our partners and the Elected Members. The team also processes election pay as required. 4.7 The payroll function, like others across the organisation, must focus on wider process improvement which is now especially critical to cope with increased demand, releasing capacity and generating savings for the immediate team and wider service areas. These much-needed changes would not be feasible should fortnightly pay be reintroduced. 4.8 In short, while there may be a desire from some to include a fortnightly pay in the council’s offering, given the challenges this poses to benefit recipients, the difficulty in accommodating the additional workload and concerns about retention of the team in an ever changing and complex space, it simply is not feasible to reintroduce this pay frequency. 5. People Implications 5.1 Anyone who wishes to move to monthly to avoid impacting Universal Credit (UC) payments or indeed for budgeting purposes, will be moved at the earliest opportunity. This offer, extended to all, will also be reiterated in the wider employee communication including the detailed UC information. 5.2 In the event that fortnightly pay was reintroduced, those moving back to this frequency would have a 4 week wait for their next pay as the fortnightly run was calculated in arrears. This may well create further budgeting challenges for the employees. Page 29
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6. Financial and Procurement Implications 6.1 The proposals outlined above are necessary to manage the level of administration experienced by the transactional teams especially Payroll and to achieve the various legislative obligations some of which, at the current time, have had to be extended. Whilst no direct cashable savings are foreseen, nor is that the intension, it will most definitely deliver time release savings, failure of which has the potential to result in additional resource being sought. This is challenging both in the delivery of the circa 12-month training programme by the team already struggling with the workload and in light of the reduction in allocated funding. 7 Risk Analysis 7.1 Reverting back to the fortnightly pay risks the Council’s ability to make accurate and appropriate payments to employees, Elected Members and partner organisations. Furthermore, statutory payments to a whole range of agencies may be delayed, inaccurate and causes further problems for employees in future, e.g., pension records not correct, tax changes not reported in a timely manner etc. 8. Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) 8.1 A high level Equality Impact Assessment was carried out for the initial proposal which remains relevant. This showed that retaining fortnightly pay disproportionally affected male employees given they formed the larger percentage, at odds with the overall male/female demographic split. No complaints were received following the transfer to monthly/4-weekly frequencies. 9. Consultation 9.1 This proposal has been discussed previously with the Trade Unions and the outcome of the review was shared early November 2023. 9.2 At time of issue, no formal feedback had been received from either Unison or Unite. 9.3 GMB confirmed that they conducted a survey of those formerly on fortnightly pay and received responses from only 153 (26%). Of these, 112 (73%) indicated their desire to revert to fortnightly pay. In the context of the broader workforce, the 112 respondents represent just 1% of the total workforce serviced by payroll. Given the significant risk associated with reintroducing a fortnightly pay, it is prudent to consider the wider implications. Page 30
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10. Strategic Assessment 10.1 The proposals set out within this report will assist the Council to deliver against its strategic priority “to deliver efficient and effective frontline services that improve the everyday lives of residents”, by contributing to the supporting outcome of being a “continuously improving Council delivering best value”. Victoria Rogers Chief Officer People & Technology Date: 24 January 2024 Person to contact: Arun Menon, Business Support Manager, Church St, Dumbarton. Tel: 07772593317 Email: arun.menon@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Appendix: EIA # 817 Background Papers: None Wards Affected: None Page 31
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AssessmentNo 817 Owner amenon Resource Transformation Service/Establishment People and Technology First Name Surname Job title Head Officer Arun Menon Business Support Manager (include job titles/organisation) Members Arun Menon Stella Kinloch (Please note: the word 'policy' is used as shorthand for stategy policy function or financial decision) Policy Title Make permanent the interim Change to Pay Frequency The aim, objective,purpose and intended out come of policy Following a review, make permanent the interim change to the 2-weekly payrun which was implemented in August 2022. The details of this were provided in EIA # 513. Service/Partners/Stakeholders/service users involved in the development and/or implementation of policy. Joint Trade Unions and relevant members of the Corporate Services Committee Does the proposals involve the procurement of any goods or services? No If yes please confirm that you have contacted our procurement services to discuss your requirements. No SCREENING You must indicate if there is any relevance to the four areas Duty to eliminate discrimination (E), advance equal opportunities (A) or foster good relations (F) Yes Relevance to Human Rights (HR) No Relevance to Health Impacts (H) No Relevance to Social Economic Impacts (SE) No Who will be affected by this policy? A total of 516 staff who used to be on 2-weekly Pay and have since moved to either monthly or 4- weekly pay are impacted. This will also impact the workload for the small transactional teams but more specifically the Payroll team due to the presence of this payrun. Who will be/has been involved in the consultation process? Joint Trade Unions and HR Please outline any particular need/barriers which equality groups may have in relation to this policy list evidence you are using to support this and whether there is any negative impact on particular groups. Needs Evidence Impact Age Cross Cutting Disability Social & Economic Impact Sex Women are more more likely to be income deprived than men Of the total 516 staff, 69% are females and 31% males. The overall workforce Any negative impacts can be mitigated by financial advice via Appendix Page 33
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split by sex is roughly 75% female and 25% male so this group has disproportionately more males than we would expect, thereby not aligning with our workforce demographic. the Working4U team. Any staff who are on 4 weekly pay and wish to mitigate impact of UC will be allowed to move to the recommended monthly pay cycle. Gender Reassign Health Human Rights Marriage & Civil Partnership Pregnancy & Maternity Race Religion and Belief Sexual Orientation Actions Policy has a negative impact on an equality group,but is still to be implemented, please provide justification for this. Will the impact of the policy be monitored and reported on an ongoing bases? Q7 What is you recommendation for this policy? Intoduce Please provide a meaningful summary of how you have reached the recommendation EIA 817: From the evidence available to date such as feedback with evidence from JTUs, as well as lack of complaints and/or grievances from staff impacted, there is no evidence of any significant negative impact. Page 34
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL Report by Chief Officer - Resources Corporate Services Committee: 7 February 2024 ___________________________________________________________________ Subject: Write-off of National Non Domestic Rates 2023/2024 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this report is to recommend for approval the write-off of debts in respect of National Non-Domestic Rates (NNDR), which have been deemed as irrecoverable during the financial year 2023/2024. 2. Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that the Committee approve the write-off of NNDR accounts totalling £219,032.33. 3. Background 3.1 The NNDR is a national rate of non-domestic properties and is determined each year by the Scottish Parliament. All local authorities collect the rates and the monies collected are pooled into a national central fund. The Scottish Government allocates a grant to each authority from this fund through the Local Government Finance settlement. The Council’s annual billing amount for NNDR in 2023/24 is £87.6M. In 2022/23 the Council collected 96.34% 3.2 The grant distribution formula used by the Scottish Government has regard to the amount of NNDR collectable by each local authority. The Council makes an annual return to the Scottish Government detailing the amounts collected for each year. Included in this return is a note of any amounts written off as uncollectable. As such, NNDR collected by a local authority represents a receipt of grant income. Specific debts deemed uncollectable are written off and the reduction in NNDR collected locally is compensated for in future grant settlements. 3.3 Financial Regulation D4 gives the Chief Officer - Resources authority to write- off individual debts up to £5,000. The Chief Officer - Resources is required to seek the approval of Members prior to writing off any debt in excess of £5,000. 3.4 A report is submitted annually to Committee seeking approval for write-off of irrecoverable debts. The write-offs are not specific to any one year but instead are the debts which have been deemed irrecoverable during 2023/24. ITEM 11 Page 35
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3.5 The table below shows the distribution of the recommended write off over the years from which the debts were originally raised. Write off can be due to a number of reasons, for example, a company has ceased trading or a review of outstanding cases has now deemed that the debt is irrecoverable. Financial Year Debt Created Value of write-off 2017/2018 £17,289.38 2018/2019 £32,735.64 2019/2020 £26,312,33 2021/2022 £40,251.27 2022/2023 £79,007.40 2023/2024 £23,436.31 Total £219,032.33 3.6 Where a company has ceased trading through liquidation or administration the Council formally submits a claim to the trustee up to and including the date of liquidation/administration. At this stage the Council would propose this amount for write off. In such cases the Council is classed as an unsecured creditor (i.e. secured creditors are organisations such as HMRC and Banks) and in these cases it is extremely unlikely that any recovery of the outstanding monies will be received in full: generally low or nil recovery is the outcome. If such a recovery was received this would be credited to the rates account and the write off to this value reversed or reduced. 4. Main Issues 4.1 Debts totalling £219,032.33 are submitted for write off. Non-collection of debts and request for write off is predominately due to the businesses being liquidated, dissolved or administration. The following table identifies the reasons for NNDR write off in more detail. Reason Alexandria Clydebank Dumbarton Grand Total Administration £23,436.31 £23,436.31 Dissolved £108,451.04 £108,451.04 Liquidation Sheriff Officers1 £44,290.47 £42,854.51 £87,144.98 Total £176,177,82 £42,854,51 £219,032.33 The attached appendix provides details of the individual debts involved. Since all these are limited companies, details and corresponding addresses have been provided. 1 Sheriff Officer advising all avenues have been exhausted and irrecoverable in collecting the rates and recommending write-off along with a brief background Page 36
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4.2 Although the debts are treated as written off, should any circumstances change whereby debts can be collected, the Council will pursue them. 5. People Implications 5.1 There are no people implications. 6. Financial and Procurement Implications 6.1 The NNDR debts written off totalling £219,032.33 will be notified to the Scottish Government NNDR pool for reimbursement. There are no Procurement implications. 7. Risk Analysis 7.1 The grant distribution formula adopted by the Scottish Government assumes the Council will collect NNDR liabilities. If sums deemed uncollectable are not notified to the Scottish Government, this will have an adverse effect on the Council’s cash flow. Prudent financial accounting practice also requires that uncollectable debt should be written-off in a timely manner. 8. Equalities Impact Assessment 8.1 No significant issues were identified in a screening for potential equality impact of this measure. 9. Consultation 9.1 Consultation has taken place with Legal Services and there are neither any issues nor concerns with the proposal. 10. Strategic Assessment 10.1 The write off of uncollectable NNDR debts forms part of the financial governance of the Council. Sound financial practice and budgetary control are imperative to assist with the governance of the Council and support officers of the Council in achieving the five strategic priorities. Laurence Slavin Chief Officer - Resources Date: 8 January 2024 Person to Contact: Ryan Chalmers, Section Head Church Street, Dumbarton. Email: ryan.chalmers@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Appendices: None Page 37
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Background Papers: EIA Wards Affected: All Council Wards. Page 38
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Notes: Administration Going into Administration under insolvency legislation effectively means a company is being taken under the management of a court appointed administrator – who must be a licensed insolvency practitioner - appointed by the courts, creditors, or company directors, where they are required to act in the best interest of the insolvent company. Dissolved Where a limited company has been dissolved or struck off it legally closes and is removed from the Register at Companies House where there are reasonable grounds to believe that no business is being carried on. Dissolution officially ends a business owner’s continued responsibility for taxes, debts and other commitments. Liquidation The process of Liquidation is when a company is either at or near to the end of its life and the remaining assets need to be liquidated for distribution to creditors and shareholders. The role of the liquidator is to maximise the realisation of assets of the company. Once the assets have been realised and if sufficient cash has accumulated then the job of the Liquidator is agree all creditors’ claims and to pay dividends accordingly. Sheriff Officers When the Council has exhausted our in-house arrears procedures the debt is passed to our Sheriff Officers for collection. The Sheriff Officers will attempt to collect the debt using a variety of approaches and solutions which are appropriate to each individual case. In certain cases the Sheriff Officer will submit to the Council a write-off pro forma, advising all avenues have been exhausted and irrecoverable in collecting the rates and recommending write-off along with a brief background. Page 39
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Appendix 1 – Details of Debt Write-off 2017/2018 Specific Write-Off List Reference Number Name Address Balance for Write- Off Reason 37026208151836 Hydro Grp Ltd Unit 1 Block 11, Vale of Leven Ind Estate, Dumbarton, G82 3PL £9,235.23 Sheriff Officers - Irrecoverable 37098659121833 Mosspark Ltd The Cabin Inn, 474 Dumbarton Road, Clydebank, G81 4DN £8,054.15 Dissolved Total £17,289.38 2018/2019 Specific Write-Off List Reference Number Name Address Balance for Write- Off Reason 37026208151933 Hydro Grp Ltd Unit 1 Block 11, Vale of Leven Ind Estate, Dumbarton, G82 3PL £18,084.00 Sheriff Officers - Irrecoverable 37035878091934 Lynx Gifting Ltd 50 Sylvania Way, Clydebank, G81 2TL £6,783.71 Dissolved 37098659131934 TW Cabin Inn Ltd The Cabin Inn, 474 Dumbarton Road, Clydebank, G81 4DN £7,867.93 Dissolved Total £32,735.64 2019/2020 Specific Write-Off List Reference Number Name Address Balance for Write- Off Reason 37026208152038 Hydro Grp Ltd Unit 1 Block 11, Vale of Leven Ind Estate, Dumbarton, G82 3PL £15,535.28 Sheriff Officers - Irrecoverable Page 40
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37035878092030 Lynx Gifting Ltd 50 Sylvania Way, Clydebank, G81 2TL £10,777.05 Dissolved Total £26,312.33 2021/2022 Specific Write-Off List Reference Number Name Address Balance for Write- Off Reason 37035193212235 Amazing Cardz Ltd 3 Sylvania Way, Clydebank, G81 2RR £12,947.07 Sheriff Officers - Dissolved 37116029042237 ESI Carbon Trading Limited Suite 2-14, 1 Aurora Avenue, Clydebank, G81 1BF £5,313.00 Sheriff Officers - Dissolved 37123025012236 North Avenue Boxing Academy CIC 11 North Avenue, Clydebank Business Park, Clydebank, G81 2QP £5,821.20 Dissolved 37123297012238 Designer Homes (6) Ltd Main Area, 41 Sylvania Way South, Clydebank, G81 1EA £16,170.00 Sheriff Officers - Dissolved Total £40,251.27 2022/2023 Specific Write-Off List Reference Number Name Address Balance for Write- Off Reason 37035193232331 Derorationshub Limited 3 Sylvania Way, Clydebank, G81 2RR £14,379.75 Dissolved 37035320102330 Candylicious CB Ltd 51 Sylvania Way, Clydebank, G81 2RR £9,596.26 Dissolved 37035347162334 Homegiftsx Ltd 55 Sylvania Way, Clydebank, G81 2RR £15,064.50 Dissolved Page 41
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37038176062338 JMJM Management Limited Glenhead Tavern, 44 Dumbarton Road, Hardgate, G81 6HD £18,221.48 Dissolved 37039210172335 The Clyde Glasgow Ltd The Duntiglennan, 68 Dumbarton Road, Duntocher, G81 6DN £5,968.77 Dissolved 37123025012333 North Avenue Boxing Academy CIC 11 North Avenue, Clydebank Business Park, Clydebank, G81 2QP £5,916.24 Dissolved 37123297012335 Designer Homes (6) Ltd Main Area, 41 Sylvania Way South, Clydebank, G81 1EA £9,860.40 Sheriff Officers - Dissolved Total £79,007.40 2023/2024 Specific Write-Off List Reference Number Name Address Balance for Write- Off Reason 37036106022432 Clydebank Cinema 2 Limited 23 Britannia Way, Clydebank, G81 2RZ £8,186.75 Administration 37099337042430 Wilko Retail Ltd 117A Sylvania Way, Clydebank, G81 2RR £15,249.56 Administration Total £23,436.31 Page 42
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL Report by the Chief Officer - Resources Corporate Services Committee – 07 February 2024 ___________________________________________________________________ Subject: Corporate Services Budgetary Control Report to 31 October 2023 (Period 07) 1. Purpose 1.1 The purpose of this report is to advise the Committee on the performance of the Corporate Services budget for the period to 31 October 2024. 2. Recommendations 2.1 Members are asked to: i) note that the revenue account currently shows a projected annual favourable variance of £0.017m (0.05% of the total budget) and ii) note that the capital account is showing a projected in-year underspend of £2.097m (0.43% of in-year budget). Explanations for projected variances to the 19 current projects are detailed in Appendices 6 and 7. The project life projection is currently showing a projected overspend of £0.002m (0.02% of project life budget). 3. Background 3.1 Revenue Budget At the meeting of West Dunbartonshire Council on 1 March 2023, Members agreed the revenue estimates for 2023/24. A total net budget of £34.850m was approved for services under the remit for Corporate Services at that time. Since the budget changes to the value of -£0.782m have occurred, the details of these are as follows: Description £m Budget Agreed March 2023 34.850 PAT Testing budget moved from P&T to Education -0.014 CCF - Allocation of Commercialisation saving target 0.056 Transfer of vacancy underspends to miscellaneous -0.828 Adjustment to SIP Trucking movements 0.004 34.068 ITEM 12 Page 43
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3.2 Capital Budget At the meeting of Council on 1 March 2023, Members also agreed the updated 10 year General Services Capital Plan for 2023/2024 to 2031/32. The three years from 2023/24 to 2025/26 have been approved in detail with the remaining 7 years being indicative at this stage. The total project life budget approved for projects that have either commenced or are due to commence in that period total for Corporate Services is £7.299m. 4. Main Issues Revenue Budget 4.1 The summary report at Appendix 1 identifies a projected annual favourable variance (underspend) of £0.017m (0.05% of the total budget). Detailed service reports are attached as Appendix 2. 4.2 There are six projected annual variances in excess of £0.050m. Notes on these variances are highlighted and noted within Appendix 3, with additional information on action being taken to minimise or mitigate overspends where possible. 4.3 Although the report indicates that expenditure is favourable in comparison to that anticipated during the budget exercise, the present variance should be viewed in the knowledge that there are a number of variable factors which could arise between now and 31 March 2024 and which could affect the year end results. Capital Budget 4.4 Appendices 5 to 7 highlight 8 projects showing an in-year variance and 10 projects on target. The overall Corporate Services programme summary report at Appendix 5 shows that there is a projected £0.558m (7.6%) of the total programmed budget) to be re-phased in future years. There is one significant variance within the Capital Budget, this is: Project Budget 23-24 (£m) Forecast 23-24 Variance Heritage Capital Fund 0.814 0.256 0.558 See Appendices 6 and 7 for more details. 5. People Implications 5.1 There are no people implications. Page 44
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6. Financial and Procurement Implications 6.1 Other than the financial position noted above, there are no financial or procurement implications from this budgetary control report. 7. Risk Analysis 7.1 The main financial risks to the ongoing financial position relate to unforeseen costs being identified between now and the end of the financial year. This can affect all service areas 8. Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) 8.1 No equalities impact assessment was required in relation to this report. 9. Consultation 9.1 All services involved in delivering the revenue and capital budgets have been consulted in the compilation of this report. 10. Strategic Assessment 10.1 Proper budgetary control and sound financial practice are cornerstones of good governance and support Council and officers to pursue the 5 strategic priorities of the Council’s Strategic Plan. This report forms part of the financial governance of the Council. __________________ Laurence Slavin Chief Officer Resources Date: 18 January 2024 ________________________________________________________________ Person to Contact: Adrian Gray, Finance Business Partner Council Offices, 16 Church Street, Dumbarton Telephone: (01389) 737838 E-mail: adrian.gray@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Appendices: Appendix 1 - Revenue Budgetary Control 2023/24 – Summary Report Appendix 2 - Revenue Budgetary Control 2023/24 – Service Reports Appendix 3 - Analysis of Revenue Variances over £50,000 Page 45
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Appendix 4 - Monitoring of Savings Options Appendix 5 - Overall Capital Programme Summary Financials Appendix 6 - Capital Programme – Red Status Appendix 7 - Capital Programme – Green Status Background Papers: Ledger output – Period 07 General Services Revenue Estimates 2023/24 – Council 1 March 2023 General Services Capital Strategy 2023/24 to 2032/33 - Council 1 March 2023 Wards Affected All Wards Page 46
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL REVENUE BUDGETARY CONTROL 2023/24 CORPORATE SERVICES SUMMARY PERIOD END DATE 31 October 2023 Total Budget 2023/24 Spend to Date 2023/24 Forecast Spend Annual RAG Status £000 £000 £000 £000 % Audit 68 (66) 70 2 3% Finance 1,291 816 1,374 83 6% Rent Rebates & Allowances (341) 2,310 (256) 85 25% Revenues & Benefits 2,233 1,401 2,236 3 0% Finance Service Centre 323 173 330 8 2% Cost of Collection of Rates 17 0 36 19 116% Cost of Collection of Council Tax (798) (177) (823) (25) -3% Central Admin Support 2,786 1,504 2,781 (5) 0% Procurement 156 321 155 (1) 0% Democratic and Registration Service 779 400 777 (2) 0% Environmental Health 744 417 732 (12) -2% Licensing (149) (183) (190) (41) -27% Legal Services/Trading Standards 740 472 727 (13) -2% Planning 687 27 428 (259) -38% Transactional Services 810 472 814 4 0% Strategic People and Change 2,034 1,107 2,079 45 2% Information Services 4,631 3,396 4,529 (102) -2% Communications & Marketing 259 102 260 1 1% Citizen Services 1,308 834 1,339 31 2% Performance & Strategy 236 114 225 (11) -4% Clydebank Town Hall 340 134 273 (67) -20% Office Accomodation 1,231 273 1,280 49 4% Libraries 1,814 962 1,833 19 1% Arts and Heritage 301 173 315 14 5% Catering Services 4,635 2,740 4,683 48 1% Building Cleaning 1,785 1,042 1,818 33 2% Building Cleaning PPP (218) (165) (205) 14 -6% Facilities Assistants 2,307 1,191 2,287 (20) -1% Facilities Management 556 302 572 17 3% Leisure Management 3,459 3,158 3,534 75 2% Events 48 37 37 (11) -22% 34,068 23,287 34,051 (17) -0.05% APPENDIX 1 Service / Subjective Summary Variance 2023/24 Total Net Expenditure Page 47
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL APPENDIX 2 REVENUE BUDGETARY CONTROL 2023/24 CORPORATE SERVICES COMMITTEE DETAIL PERIOD END DATE 31 October 2023 Total Budget 2023/24 YTD Spend 2023/24 Forecast Spend 2023/24 RAG Status £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 29,880 15,784 30,116 236 1% Property 2,255 885 2,327 71 3% Transport and Plant 154 49 148 (5) (3%) Supplies, Services and Admin 5,632 3,557 5,670 38 1% Payments to Other Bodies 6,035 4,325 6,188 153 3% Other 36,747 19,714 36,829 82 0% Gross Expenditure 80,702 44,313 81,278 575 1% Income (46,634) (21,026) (47,226) (592) (1%) Net Expenditure 34,068 23,287 34,051 (17) (0%) £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 370 202 370 0 0% Property 0 0% Transport and Plant 0 0 1 1 0% Supplies, Services and Admin 2 2 2 0 0% Payments to Other Bodies 0 0% Other 0 0% Gross Expenditure 372 204 373 1 0% Income (303) (270) (303) 0 0% Net Expenditure 68 (66) 70 2 3% £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 1,514 867 1,603 90 6% Property 0 0% Transport and Plant 0 0 0 0 0% Supplies, Services and Admin 65 10 65 0 0% Payments to Other Bodies 2 2 2 0 0% Other 0 0% Gross Expenditure 1,581 879 1,670 90 6% Income (289) (63) (296) (7) (2%) Net Expenditure 1,291 816 1,374 83 6% £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 0 0% Property 0 0% Transport and Plant 0 0% Supplies, Services and Admin 0 0% Payments to Other Bodies 0 0% Other 36,747 19,717 36,832 85 0% Gross Expenditure 36,747 19,717 36,832 85 0% Income (37,088) (17,407) (37,088) (0) (0%) Net Expenditure (341) 2,310 (256) 85 (25%) £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 1,935 1,043 1,934 (1) (0%) Property 0 0% Transport and Plant 2 1 2 0 0% Supplies, Services and Admin 31 12 29 (2) (6%) Payments to Other Bodies 895 635 909 14 2% Other 0 0% Gross Expenditure 2,862 1,691 2,874 12 0% Income (629) (290) (638) (9) (1%) Net Expenditure 2,233 1,401 2,236 3 0% Service Summary Variance 2023/24 All Services Audit Finance Rent Rebates & Allowances Revenues & Benefits Page 48
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL APPENDIX 2 REVENUE BUDGETARY CONTROL 2023/24 CORPORATE SERVICES COMMITTEE DETAIL PERIOD END DATE 31 October 2023 Total Budget 2023/24 YTD Spend 2023/24 Forecast Spend 2023/24 RAG Status Service Summary Variance 2023/24 £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 283 157 292 9 3% Property 0 0% Transport and Plant 0 0 0 0 0% Supplies, Services and Admin 39 16 38 (1) (4%) Payments to Other Bodies 0 0% Other 0 0% Gross Expenditure 323 173 330 8 2% Income 0 0 0 0 0% Net Expenditure 323 173 330 8 2% £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 0 0% Property 0 0% Transport and Plant 0 0% Supplies, Services and Admin 3 0 3 1 20% Payments to Other Bodies 100 0 118 19 19% Other 0 0% Gross Expenditure 102 0 121 19 19% Income (85) 0 (85) 0 0% Net Expenditure 17 0 36 19 116% £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 0 0% Property 0 0% Transport and Plant 0 0% Supplies, Services and Admin 64 29 64 (0) (0%) Payments to Other Bodies 30 16 30 0 1% Other 0 0% Gross Expenditure 94 45 94 0 0% Income (892) (222) (917) (25) (3%) Net Expenditure (798) (177) (823) (25) 3% £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 581 321 580 (1) (0%) Property 0 0% Transport and Plant 0 0 0 0 0% Supplies, Services and Admin 2 0 2 0 0% Payments to Other Bodies 73 0 73 0 0% Other 0 0% Gross Expenditure 656 321 655 (1) (0%) Income (500) 0 (500) 0 0% Net Expenditure 156 321 155 (1) (0%) £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 890 464 889 (1) (0%) Property 0 0% Transport and Plant 1 0 1 (0) (23%) Supplies, Services and Admin 9 6 11 2 17% Payments to Other Bodies 0 0% Other 0 0% Gross Expenditure 900 470 901 1 0% Income (121) (70) (124) (3) (2%) Net Expenditure 779 400 777 (2) (0%) Cost of Collection of Rates Cost of Collection of Council Tax Procurement Finance Service Centre Democratic and Registration Service Page 49
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL APPENDIX 2 REVENUE BUDGETARY CONTROL 2023/24 CORPORATE SERVICES COMMITTEE DETAIL PERIOD END DATE 31 October 2023 Total Budget 2023/24 YTD Spend 2023/24 Forecast Spend 2023/24 RAG Status Service Summary Variance 2023/24 £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 2,727 1,430 2,727 0 0% Property 0 0 0 0 0% Transport and Plant 0 0 0 0 0% Supplies, Services and Admin 11 8 13 2 18% Payments to Other Bodies 69 69 69 0 0% Other 0 0% Gross Expenditure 2,807 1,507 2,809 2 0% Income (21) (3) (28) (7) (33%) Net Expenditure 2,786 1,504 2,781 (5) (0%) £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 1,010 531 983 (27) (3%) Property 6 2 4 (2) (33%) Transport and Plant 11 5 10 (1) (9%) Supplies, Services and Admin 22 10 18 (4) (18%) Payments to Other Bodies 71 35 71 0 1% Other 0 0% Gross Expenditure 1,119 583 1,086 (33) (3%) Income (375) (166) (354) 21 6% Net Expenditure 744 417 732 (12) (2%) £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 302 162 301 (1) (0%) Property 0 0% Transport and Plant 1 0 1 0 0% Supplies, Services and Admin 7 5 8 1 14% Payments to Other Bodies 8 0 0 (8) (100%) Other 0 0% Gross Expenditure 318 167 310 (8) (2%) Income (467) (350) (500) (33) (7%) Net Expenditure (149) (183) (190) (41) 27% £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 910 467 910 (0) (0%) Property 0 0% Transport and Plant 3 1 3 0 0% Supplies, Services and Admin 15 32 39 24 153% Payments to Other Bodies 2 0 1 (1) (50%) Other 0 0% Gross Expenditure 931 500 953 22 2% Income (191) (28) (226) (35) (18%) Net Expenditure 740 472 727 (13) (2%) £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 1,150 564 1,150 0 0% Property 0 0 0 0 0% Transport and Plant 2 1 1 (1) (50%) Supplies, Services and Admin 20 57 67 47 235% Payments to Other Bodies 130 5 130 0 0% Other 0 0% Gross Expenditure 1,302 627 1,348 46 4% Income (615) (600) (920) (305) (50%) Net Expenditure 687 27 428 (259) (38%) Central Admin Support Environmental Health Legal Services/Trading Standards Licensing Planning Page 50
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL APPENDIX 2 REVENUE BUDGETARY CONTROL 2023/24 CORPORATE SERVICES COMMITTEE DETAIL PERIOD END DATE 31 October 2023 Total Budget 2023/24 YTD Spend 2023/24 Forecast Spend 2023/24 RAG Status Service Summary Variance 2023/24 £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 885 475 884 (1) (0%) Property 0 0% Transport and Plant 0 0 0 0 0% Supplies, Services and Admin 5 1 5 0 9% Payments to Other Bodies 0 0% Other 0 0% Gross Expenditure 889 476 889 (0) (0%) Income (79) (4) (75) 4 5% Net Expenditure 810 472 814 4 0% £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 1,816 986 1,881 65 4% Property 0 0% Transport and Plant 1 1 1 0 0% Supplies, Services and Admin 5 3 4 (1) (20%) Payments to Other Bodies 262 157 301 39 15% Other 0 0% Gross Expenditure 2,084 1,147 2,187 103 5% Income (50) (40) (108) (58) (116%) Net Expenditure 2,034 1,107 2,079 45 2% £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 2,135 1,090 2,134 (1) (0%) Property 0 0% Transport and Plant 2 1 3 1 50% Supplies, Services and Admin 2,968 2,401 2,899 (69) (2%) Payments to Other Bodies 3 0 3 0 0% Other 0 (3) (3) 0 0% Gross Expenditure 5,107 3,489 5,036 (71) (1%) Income (476) (93) (507) (31) (7%) Net Expenditure 4,631 3,396 4,529 (102) (2%) £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 273 114 269 (4) (1%) Property 0 0 0 0 0% Transport and Plant 0 0 0 0 0% Supplies, Services and Admin 9 4 10 1 9% Payments to Other Bodies 0 0 0 0 0% Other 0 0 0 0 0% Gross Expenditure 282 118 279 (3) (1%) Income (23) (16) (19) 5 20% Net Expenditure 259 102 260 1 1% £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 1,477 837 1,522 46 3% Property 0 0 0 0 0% Transport and Plant 0 0 0 (0) (50%) Supplies, Services and Admin 37 13 38 2 5% Payments to Other Bodies 0 0 0 0 42% Other 0 0 0 0 0% Gross Expenditure 1,514 850 1,561 47 3% Income (206) (16) (222) (16) (8%) Net Expenditure 1,308 834 1,339 31 2% Communications & Marketing Citizen Services Transactional Services Strategic People and Change Information Services Page 51
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL APPENDIX 2 REVENUE BUDGETARY CONTROL 2023/24 CORPORATE SERVICES COMMITTEE DETAIL PERIOD END DATE 31 October 2023 Total Budget 2023/24 YTD Spend 2023/24 Forecast Spend 2023/24 RAG Status Service Summary Variance 2023/24 £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 221 117 220 (1) (0%) Property 0 0 0 0 0% Transport and Plant 0 0 0 0 0% Supplies, Services and Admin 1 0 1 0 0% Payments to Other Bodies 14 3 14 0 0% Other 0 0 0 0 0% Gross Expenditure 236 120 235 (1) (0%) Income 0 (6) (10) (10) 0% Net Expenditure 236 114 225 (11) (4%) £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 130 67 129 (1) (1%) Property 299 152 238 (61) (20%) Transport and Plant 0 0 0 0 0% Supplies, Services and Admin 48 16 48 0 0% Payments to Other Bodies 0 0 2 2 0% Other 0 0 0 0 0% Gross Expenditure 476 234 416 (60) (13%) Income (136) (100) (143) (7) (5%) Net Expenditure 340 134 273 (67) (20%) £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 146 55 149 2 1% Property 1,330 297 1,377 47 4% Transport and Plant 0 0 0 0 0% Supplies, Services and Admin 49 13 49 0 0% Payments to Other Bodies 20 0 20 0 0% Other 0 0 0 0 0% Gross Expenditure 1,545 365 1,594 49 3% Income (314) (92) (314) 0 0% Net Expenditure 1,231 273 1,280 49 4% £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 1,290 717 1,363 72 6% Property 297 187 289 (8) (3%) Transport and Plant 15 6 15 0 0% Supplies, Services and Admin 249 123 249 0 0% Payments to Other Bodies 0 0 0 0 0% Other 0 0 0 0 0% Gross Expenditure 1,851 1,034 1,916 65 3% Income (38) (72) (83) (46) (121%) Net Expenditure 1,814 962 1,833 19 1% £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 322 153 317 (5) (1%) Property 3 10 12 9 275% Transport and Plant 0 0 0 0 0% Supplies, Services and Admin 34 15 34 0 0% Payments to Other Bodies 18 8 22 4 21% Other 0 0 0 0 0% Gross Expenditure 377 185 385 8 2% Income (76) (12) (70) 6 8% Net Expenditure 301 173 315 14 5% Performance & Strategy Office Accomodation Clydebank Town Hall Libraries Arts and Heritage Page 52
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL APPENDIX 2 REVENUE BUDGETARY CONTROL 2023/24 CORPORATE SERVICES COMMITTEE DETAIL PERIOD END DATE 31 October 2023 Total Budget 2023/24 YTD Spend 2023/24 Forecast Spend 2023/24 RAG Status Service Summary Variance 2023/24 £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 3,894 2,036 3,894 (0) (0%) Property 71 50 99 28 40% Transport and Plant 110 29 103 (7) (6%) Supplies, Services and Admin 1,841 698 1,859 18 1% Payments to Other Bodies 29 29 37 9 31% Other 0 0 0 0 0% Gross Expenditure 5,944 2,842 5,992 48 1% Income (1,309) (102) (1,309) (0) (0%) Net Expenditure 4,635 2,740 4,683 48 1% £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 1,917 974 1,917 0 0% Property 165 122 200 35 21% Transport and Plant 2 0 2 0 0% Supplies, Services and Admin 21 10 25 4 20% Payments to Other Bodies 0 0 0 0 0% Other 0 0 0 0 0% Gross Expenditure 2,105 1,107 2,144 39 2% Income (320) (65) (326) (6) (2%) Net Expenditure 1,785 1,042 1,818 33 2% £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 807 430 806 (1) (0%) Property 42 33 60 18 44% Transport and Plant 0 0 0 0 0% Supplies, Services and Admin 10 0 6 (4) (41%) Payments to Other Bodies 0 0 0 0 0% Other 0 0 0 0 0% Gross Expenditure 859 463 872 14 2% Income (1,077) (628) (1,077) (0) (0%) Net Expenditure (218) (165) (205) 14 (6%) £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 2,329 1,225 2,327 (2) (0%) Property 42 32 47 5 11% Transport and Plant 0 0 1 0 11% Supplies, Services and Admin 13 2 12 (1) (7%) Payments to Other Bodies 0 0 0 0 0% Other 0 0 0 0 0% Gross Expenditure 2,385 1,261 2,387 2 0% Income (78) (69) (100) (22) (28%) Net Expenditure 2,307 1,191 2,287 (20) (1%) £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 571 299 566 (5) (1%) Property 0 0 0 0 0% Transport and Plant 2 2 4 2 102% Supplies, Services and Admin 3 0 2 (1) (23%) Payments to Other Bodies 0 0 0 0 0% Other 0 0 0 0 0% Gross Expenditure 576 302 572 (3) (1%) Income (20) 0 0 20 100% Net Expenditure 556 302 572 17 3% Building Cleaning PPP Facilities Assistants Facilities Management Building Cleaning Catering Services Page 53
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL APPENDIX 2 REVENUE BUDGETARY CONTROL 2023/24 CORPORATE SERVICES COMMITTEE DETAIL PERIOD END DATE 31 October 2023 Total Budget 2023/24 YTD Spend 2023/24 Forecast Spend 2023/24 RAG Status Service Summary Variance 2023/24 £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 0 0 0 0 0% Property 0 0 0 0 0% Transport and Plant 0 0 0 0 0% Supplies, Services and Admin 0 0 0 0 0% Payments to Other Bodies 4,217 3,281 4,299 82 2% Other 0 0 0 0 0% Gross Expenditure 4,217 3,281 4,299 82 2% Income (758) (123) (765) (7) (1%) Net Expenditure 3,459 3,158 3,534 75 2% £000 £000 £000 £000 % Employee 0 0 0 0 0% Property 0 0 0 0 0% Transport and Plant 0 0 0 0 0% Supplies, Services and Admin 51 70 70 19 38% Payments to Other Bodies 93 86 86 (7) (8%) Other 0 0 0 0 0% Gross Expenditure 144 156 156 12 8% Income (96) (119) (119) (22) (23%) Net Expenditure 48 37 37 (11) (22%) Leisure Management Events Page 54
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL APPENDIX 3 REVENUE BUDGETARY CONTROL 2023/24 ANALYSIS FOR VARIANCES OVER £50,000 PERIOD END DATE Total Budget Annual Spend RAG Status £000 £000 £000 % Finance 1,291 1,374 83 6% Service Description Main Issues / Reason for Variance Mitigating Action Anticipated Outcome Rent Rebates & Allowances (341) (256) 85 -25% Service Description Main Issues / Reason for Variance Mitigating Action Anticipated Outcome Planning 687 428 (259) -38% Service Description Main Issues / Reason for Variance Mitigating Action Anticipated Outcome Information Services 4,631 4,529 (102) -2% Service Description Main Issues / Reason for Variance Mitigating Action Anticipated Outcome Clydebank Town Hall 340 273 (67) -20% Service Description Main Issues / Reason for Variance Mitigating Action Anticipated Outcome The service provided by this area deals with Accountancy, Capital, Treasury, Reconciliations, Cash Office and Municipal Bank Main reason for adverse variance is full turnover savings are not being achieved. None available at this time. Adverse variance is anticipated 31 October 2023 Budget Details Variance Analysis Variance Payment of Rent Rebates and other Allowances Reduction in overpayment (OP) recoveries is due to DWP recovering some HB OP’s against Universal Credit, subject to the OP reason. Previously the Council would have received 40% subsidy in OP’s with the ability to recover 100% of the OP, therefore a potential to receive up to 140% of the OP value. This change means we receive 100% subsidy of the OP therefore a reduction from the potential 140% that could have been recovered. None available at this time. Adverse variance is anticipated This service area provides general ICT support to the Council and also supports transformational change and modernisation of working practices through technology Main reason for the favourable variance is additional telephone costs are being offset by recharge income to recover these from other services. In addition centralised printing and leasing costs for copiers are anticipated to overspend during the year. None at this moment Favourable variance overall is anticipated The service provides civic accommodation and facilities within Clydebank The main reason for the favourable variance is reduced expenditure on property costs (principally gas and non-domestic rates). There has also been an increase in projected income. None necessary. Favourable variable anticipated. The main reason for the favourable variance is that income is higher than budgeted. The additional income predicted is an in-year benefit only as a result of one-off additional fees. None required A favourable variance is anticipated. This Service provides Building & Planning services Page 55
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL APPENDIX 3 REVENUE BUDGETARY CONTROL 2023/24 ANALYSIS FOR VARIANCES OVER £50,000 PERIOD END DATE Total Budget Annual Spend RAG Status £000 £000 £000 % 31 October 2023 Budget Details Variance Analysis Variance Leisure Management 3,459 3,534 75 2% Service Description Main Issues / Reason for Variance Mitigating Action Anticipated Outcome Payment to West Dunbartonshire Leisure Trust for leisure services The management fee to WDLT has been higher because of delays in the reduction in community facilities provision. In addition budgeted contribution from Education towards overall management fee overstated. None at the moment. Adverse variance is anticipated. Page 56
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL APPENDIX 4 MONITORING OF EFFICIENCIES AND MANAGEMENT ADJUSTMENTS 2023/24 Efficiency Detail Ref Chief Officer Budgeted Amount £ Projection of Total Saved £ Projection of Total Not Saved £ Comment 1 Income from Animal Feed Inspections RR01 A Douglas 14,000 14,000 - 2 Remove additional EHO posts Budget RR02 A Douglas 105,000 105,000 - 3 Remove a vacant section head post within Regularity and Regeneration Services RR05 A Douglas 70,000 70,000 - 4 Removal Of Residual Budget for Trainee RR06 A Douglas 8,000 8,000 - 5 Revert Trading Standards Officer Post to Authorised Officer RR07 A Douglas 13,000 13,000 - 6 Charging for Pre application advice RR09 A Douglas 10,000 10,000 - 7 Value of Works for Building Warrants RR10 A Douglas 5,000 5,000 - 8 Remove One Enforcement Officer Post RR11 A Douglas 26,000 26,000 - 9 Reduce support provided to local businesses and organisations including a reduction in officers within the Council's economic development team RR12 A Douglas 169,000 169,000 - 10 End affiliations to some external organisations RR14 A Douglas 3,000 3,000 - 11 Remove a vacant Trading Standards Authorised Officer post RR14 A Douglas 42,000 42,000 - 12 Labour increase in turnover target LAB ITEM L Slavin 250,000 250,000 - 13 Reduce the size of the Council's Audit & Fraud team by removing 1.8TE of vacancies rising to 2.8 in future years RES01 L Slavin 75,000 75,000 - 14 Clydebank Property Company RES02 L Slavin 30,000 30,000 - 15 Remove voluntary grant funding provided to West Dunbartonshire Community & Volunteering Services and reduce funding provided to the Clydebank Asbestos Group by 25% RES04 L Slavin 17,000 17,000 - 16 Reduce Reconciliation Team RES07 L Slavin 75,000 75,000 - 17 Close Municipal Bank RES08 L Slavin 40,000 21,764 18,236 Additional one off costs incurred in the closure of the bank. The unachieved amount of saving will be funded from the Smoothing Fund for 2023/24. However, it is anticipated that the full saving will be achieved in future years. 18 Increase the Council’s annual turnover savings target from £2.698m to £3.410m RES09 L Slavin 712,000 712,000 - 19 Reduce the size of the Council's Insurance Management team from four officers to three. RES10 L Slavin 50,000 50,000 - 20 Reduce manual processing by automating the generation of debtor and creditor invoices RES11 L Slavin 25,000 25,000 - 21 Central Admin Support Printing RES12 L Slavin 12,500 12,500 - 22 Education Lets RES13 L Slavin 12,500 12,500 - 23 100% Electronic Payments RES14 L Slavin 2,000 2,000 - 24 Remove TeamMate RES15 L Slavin 8,000 8,000 - 25 Remove discretionary element of long term empty properties RES17 L Slavin 52,000 52,000 - 26 Sales, Fees and Charges 10% Increase RES19 L Slavin 394,000 394,000 - STATUS: COMPLETE Page 57
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL APPENDIX 4 MONITORING OF EFFICIENCIES AND MANAGEMENT ADJUSTMENTS 2023/24 Efficiency Detail Ref Chief Officer Budgeted Amount £ Projection of Total Saved £ Projection of Total Not Saved £ Comment 27 Reduce the size of the Council's Automation team from three to two in 2023/24 and by a further one in 2024/25 RES21 L Slavin 37,500 37,500 - 28 Right size the Building Insurance Income budget RES23 L Slavin 80,000 80,000 - 29 Right size the Strathclyde Passenger Transport and Valuation Joint Board Budgets RES24 L Slavin 77,000 77,000 - 30 Remove the Provost Hospitality Fund which is used for hospitality for provost hosted events and for commemorating special events within the community RES05 L Slavin 9,000 9,000 - 31 Review of Capital Programme RES06 L Slavin 295,000 295,000 - 32 Reduction in Colour Printing PT03 V Rogers 12,000 12,000 - 33 Remove surplus budget in People & Change team PT04 V Rogers 29,000 29,000 - 34 Reduction in ICT Management PT06 V Rogers 50,000 50,000 - 35 Reduction in ICT Support PT07 V Rogers 82,000 82,000 - 35 2,891,500 2,873,264 18,236 1 Reduce accountancy provision by removing one vacant post and transferring 70% of a post to work charged to the HRA RES22 L Slavin 73,000 73,000 - 1 TOTAL IN PROGRESS 515,000 515,000 - 36 3,406,500 3,388,264 18,236 TOTAL COMPLETE STATUS: IN PROGRESS TOTAL EFFICIENCIES/MANAGEMENT ADJUSTMENTS Page 58
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL APPENDIX 5 GENERAL SERVICES CAPITAL PROGRAMME OVERALL PROGRAMME SUMMARY PERIOD END DATE PERIOD 7 Spend to Date Spend to Date £000 £000 Red 8 44.4% 2,398 52.5% 8 44.4% (111) -29.2% Amber 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% 0 0.0% Green 10 55.6% 2,172 47.5% 10 55.6% 489 129.2% 18 100% 4,570 100% 18 100% 379 100% Budget Spend to Date Forecast Spend Forecast Variance Budget Spend to Date Forecast Spend Actual Variance Re-profiling Over/ (Under) £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 £000 2,962 2,398 2,966 4 906 (111) 348 (557) (557) 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 4,337 2,172 4,331 (5) 2,412 489 2,412 0 0 0 7,299 4,570 7,297 (2) 3,318 379 2,760 (557) (557) 0 Projects are on target both in relation to overall budget and the forecast stages in the project life cycle and no issues are anticipated at this time 31 October 2023 Project Status Analysis Project Life Status Analysis Current Year Project Status Analysis Number of Projects at RAG Status % Projects at RAG Status % Project Spend at RAG Status Number of Projects at RAG Status % Projects at RAG Status % Project Spend at RAG Status Red Projects are forecast to be overspent and/or experience material delay to completion Amber Projects are either at risk of being overspent and/or delay in completion (although this is unquantifiable at present) or the project has any issues that require to be reported at this time Green TOTAL EXPENDITURE Project Status Analysis Project Life Financials Current Year Financials Red Projects are either at risk of being overspent and/or delay in completion (although this is unquantifiable at present) or the project has any issues that require to be reported at this time Green Projects are on target both in relation to overall budget and the forecast stages in the project life cycle and no issues are anticipated at this time TOTAL EXPENDITURE Projects are forecast to be overspent and/or significant delay to completion Amber Page 59
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL APPENDIX 6 GENERAL SERVICES CAPITAL PROGRAMME ANALYSIS OF RED PROJECTS PERIOD END DATE PERIOD 7 Budget Forecast Spend £000 £000 % £000 £000 % 1 Project Life Financials 16 6 35% 16 (0) -2% Current Year Financials 2 2 119% 2 0 19% Project Description Project Manager Russell Hewton Chief Officer Russell Hewton Project Lifecycle 31-Mar-23 31-Mar-24 2 Project Life Financials 10 10 99% 10 (0) -1% Current Year Financials 0 0 0% 10 10 13594% Project Description Project Manager Karen Shannon Chief Officer Laurence Slavin Project Lifecycle 31-Mar-24 31-Mar-24 3 Project Life Financials 50 51 101% 51 1 1% Current Year Financials 7 0 0% 8 1 10% Project Description Project Manager Karen Shannon Chief Officer Laurence Slavin Project Lifecycle 31-Mar-23 31-Mar-24 4 Project Life Financials 40 40 100% 40 (0) 0% Current Year Financials 35 0 0% 35 0 0% Project Description Project Manager Karen Shannon Chief Officer Laurence Slavin Project Lifecycle 30-Sep-23 30-Nov-23 5 Project Life Financials 5 5 100% 5 0 0% Current Year Financials 5 0 0% 5 0 0% Project Description Project Manager Jackie Nicol Thomson Chief Officer Laurence Slavin Project Lifecycle 31-Mar-23 31-Mar-24 Mitigating Action None available at this time. Anticipated Outcome Completion of project by 31 March 2024 IFRS 16 Database This is a system which will ensure that WDC has the correct level of information and adheres to correct reporting of IFRS16 - Leasing. Planned End Date Forecast End Date Main Issues / Reason for Variance IFRS16 has been postponed and is due for implementation this financial year. It is anticipated that full spend will be incurred by 31 March 2024. Anticipated Outcome Enhancements to the cash receipting system including PCI compliant telephone payment system. Planned End Date Forecast End Date Main Issues / Reason for Variance Budget has been reprofiled to Financial Year 2023-2024. Version 2 of the upgrade was completed Jan 2023. Call Secure Module went Live in October 2023. Mitigating Action None required at this time. Mitigating Action None required at this time. Anticipated Outcome Upgraded Electronic Insurance System. Enhancements to Cash Receipting System To enhance the cash receipting system in the way payments are made and allocated to back office by increasing the level of security that is required for online payments made by customers Electronic Insurance System Acquisition of a claims/incident management system supported by an electronic document management system. Planned End Date Forecast End Date Main Issues / Reason for Variance The overspend is due to inflationary costs. Main Issues / Reason for Variance The module is now live Mitigating Action None required at this time. Anticipated Outcome Upgraded version with PCI compliant telephone payment system. None available at this time. Anticipated Outcome Requisition of ICT Equipment. Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCIDSS) Module would ensure that WDC were compliant with the current requirements of PCIDSS for card payments without the need for numerous costly workarounds Planned End Date Forecast End Date Requisition ICT Equipment. Planned End Date Forecast End Date Main Issues / Reason for Variance Replacement of laptops, monitors and other ICT equipment. No further spend anticipated. Mitigating Action 31 October 2023 Budget Details Project Life Financials Spend to Date Variance Valuation Joint Board - Requisition of ICT Equipment Page 60
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL APPENDIX 6 GENERAL SERVICES CAPITAL PROGRAMME ANALYSIS OF RED PROJECTS PERIOD END DATE PERIOD 7 Budget Forecast Spend £000 £000 % £000 £000 % 31 October 2023 Budget Details Project Life Financials Spend to Date Variance Valuation Joint Board - Requisition of ICT Equipment6 Project Life Financials 33 33 100% 33 0 0% Current Year Financials 33 0 0% 33 0 0% Project Description Project Manager Alan Douglas Chief Officer Alan Douglas Project Lifecycle 31-Mar-24 31-Mar-24 7 Project Life Financials 2,749 2,203 80% 2,762 13 0% Current Year Financials 814 (113) -14% 255 (558) -69% Project Description Project Manager Sarah Christie/Michelle Lynn Chief Officer Amanda Graham Project Lifecycle 31-Mar-23 30-Sep-24 8 Project Life Financials 60 50 83% 50 (10) -17% Current Year Financials 10 0 0% 0 (10) -100% Project Description Project Manager James Gallacher Chief Officer Victoria Rogers Project Lifecycle 31-Oct-22 31-Mar-24 Main Issues / Reason for Variance Project completed. Mitigating Action None available at this time. Anticipated Outcome Technical aspect of the project is complete and WDC assisting with user testing. Delayed but on budget. Internet of Things Asset Tracking Asset Tracking. Planned End Date Forecast End Date Anticipated Outcome Project to be delivered within amended budget and within revised timescale. Planned End Date Forecast End Date Main Issues / Reason for Variance The commencement of the new museum space in Clydebank was delayed due to water ingress but this is now addressed with work set to begin. The project is anticipated to complete in autumn 2024. Mitigating Action None available at this time. Heritage Capital Fund Heritage Capital Fund. Main Issues / Reason for Variance Budget has been rephased from 2022/23. Project was originally delayed due to COVID19 restrictions and a decision was made to resume project once Microsoft 365 was implemented. It is anticipated that the project will complete by 31 March 2024. Mitigating Action None available at this time. Anticipated Outcome Project will be delivered on budget Legal Case Management System Legal Case Management System Planned End Date Forecast End Date Page 61
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL APPENDIX 7 GENERAL SERVICES CAPITAL PROGRAMME ANALYSIS OF GREEN PROJECTS PERIOD END DATE PERIOD 7 Budget Forecast Spend £000 £000 % £000 £000 % 1 Project Life Financials 30 30 100% 30 0 0% Current Year Financials 23 3 15% 23 0 0% Project Description Project Manager Adrian Gray Chief Officer Laurence Slavin Project Lifecycle 31-Mar-27 31-Mar-27 2 Project Life Financials 1,000 500 50% 1,000 0 0% Current Year Financials 250 55 22% 250 0 0% Project Description Project Manager Adrian Gray Chief Officer Laurence Slavin Project Lifecycle 31-Mar-26 31-Mar-26 3 Project Life Financials 53 48 90% 48 (5) -10% Current Year Financials 7 0 0% 7 0 0% Project Description Project Manager Alan Douglas Chief Officer Alan Douglas Project Lifecycle 31-Mar-24 31-Mar-24 4 Project Life Financials 30 20 67% 30 0 0% Current Year Financials 10 0 0% 10 0 0% Project Description Project Manager Pamela Clifford Chief Officer Alan Douglas Project Lifecycle 31-Mar-24 31-Mar-24 5 Project Life Financials 155 155 100% 155 0 0% Current Year Financials 10 0 0% 10 0 0% Project Description Project Manager Pamela Clifford Chief Officer Alan Douglas Project Lifecycle 31-Mar-24 31-Mar-24 31 October 2023 Budget Details Project Life Financials Spend to Date Variance Agresso development The purpose of this project is to carry out an upgrade of the Agresso Finance System which was last upgraded in 2015. The requirement to upgrade is to maintain a level of support available from Unit 4 who have advised that support for older versions of the system is being reduced. Planned End Date Forecast End Date Main Issues / Reason for Variance Work to significantly reduce the database size to facilitate a system upgrade has now been completed. Upgrade work can now commence, ICT currently building required servers in preparation for new version to be installed, configured and tested. Mitigating Action None required Anticipated Outcome Anticipate completion of upgrade during 23-24 financial year. Planned End Date Forecast End Date Main Issues / Reason for Variance No variances currently anticipated. Mitigating Action None required at this time. Cost of Living To support Council and community organisations with capital costs for cost of living initiatives. Anticipated Outcome Project will be delivered on time and on budget Mitigating Action None required at this time. Anticipated Outcome Solicitor support for Capital Projects, with full budget spend anticipated. Re -imagine Antonine Wall Council's capital contribution towards the multi-partner (five local authorities and Historic Environment Scotland) Rediscovering the Antonine Wall project which is also funded by the Heritage Lottery Fund. Solicitor Project Support for Capital Projects Solicitor costs to directly support capital projects Planned End Date Forecast End Date Main Issues / Reason for Variance Trainee solicitor in place. Budget will be fully spent. Anticipated Outcome Anticipate full budget spend. Demolition 215 Main Street Alexandria Demolition of 215 Main Street Alexandria. Planned End Date Forecast End Date Planned End Date Forecast End Date Main Issues / Reason for Variance This goes into the overall Antonine Project budget - 5 Councils and Historic Environment Scotland - Expected spent by March 2024 Mitigating Action No action required Main Issues / Reason for Variance This outstanding money is being sought through the recharging order and through debtors. Mitigating Action No action required at this time in the hands of Legal Anticipated Outcome Continue to pursue repayment Page 62
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL APPENDIX 7 GENERAL SERVICES CAPITAL PROGRAMME ANALYSIS OF GREEN PROJECTS PERIOD END DATE PERIOD 7 Budget Forecast Spend £000 £000 % £000 £000 % 31 October 2023 Budget Details Project Life Financials Spend to Date Variance Agresso development6 Project Life Financials 421 421 100% 421 (0) 0% Current Year Financials 116 0 0% 116 0 0% Project Description Project Manager David Main Chief Officer Amanda Graham Project Lifecycle 31-Mar-24 31-Mar-24 7 Project Life Financials 892 205 23% 892 0 0% Current Year Financials 892 205 23% 892 0 0% Project Description Project Manager James Gallacher Chief Officer Victoria Rogers Project Lifecycle 31-Mar-24 31-Mar-24 8 Project Life Financials 873 202 23% 873 0 0% Current Year Financials 873 202 23% 873 0 0% Project Description Project Manager James Gallacher Chief Officer Victoria Rogers Project Lifecycle 31-Mar-24 31-Mar-24 9 Project Life Financials 503 503 100% 503 0 0% Current Year Financials 185 24 13% 185 (0) 0% Project Description Project Manager James Gallacher Chief Officer Victoria Rogers Project Lifecycle 30-Sep-23 30-Sep-23 10 Project Life Financials 379 88 23% 379 (0) 0% Current Year Financials 46 0 0% 46 0 0% Project Description Project Manager Arun Menon Chief Officer Victoria Rogers Project Lifecycle 31-Mar-30 31-Mar-30 Transformation of Infrastructure Libraries and Museums To improve performance and efficiency of Council's Libraries and Cultural Services. Planned End Date Forecast End Date Main Issues / Reason for Variance Awaiting outcome of Council decisions on library colocations before commencing with final spend of capital investment. Mitigating Action None required. Anticipated Outcome Projects delivered on budget ICT Modernisation This budget is to facilitate ICT infrastructure and modernise working practices. Anticipated Outcome projects delivered on time and on budget Planned End Date Forecast End Date Main Issues / Reason for Variance All PC's and laptops have now been replaced across Corporate/Education estate. Chromebook replacements are at checking/inventory stage and scoping requirements. Mobile phone replacement under review. Anticipating full budget spend. Mitigating Action none required ICT Security & DR The project is for the enhancement of security systems, server replacement and the update of corporate applications to ensure compliance with 15/16 PSN requirements, to enhance the disaster recovery capabilities of WDC. Planned End Date Forecast End Date Main Issues / Reason for Variance Due to delays on SWAN2 contract some of this capital budget is required for installations costs and is to be carried to 24/25 budget, will be clarified further at contract sign off. Wireless access project installation complete and awaiting final installation costs from DLO. Technology replacement project ongoing with proof of concepts nearing completion and procurement strategy at committee stage, In addition indentyifng volume and costs to replace WYSE terminals. Infrastructure hardware replacement estimated £100k spend and Security & Compliance remediation estimated £70k Planned End Date Forecast End Date Main Issues / Reason for Variance Budget spend for planned Sharepoint discovery and implementation alongside One Drive for Business. Further external consultancy required for 365 Tenancy configuration and to ensure Security of 365 environment. Mitigating Action none required Mitigating Action none required Anticipated Outcome projects delivered on time and on budget 365 Implementation Project services to delivery Microsoft 365 Implementation including 3rd party supplier, training, technical consultancy etc. Main Issues / Reason for Variance Work continues on developments resulting in some spend in the current year. Mitigating Action none required Anticipated Outcome Work continues on developments resulting in some spend in the current year. Anticipated Outcome projects delivered on time and on budget Development of Workforce Management System Project to develop the Workforce Management System. Planned End Date Forecast End Date Page 63
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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL Report by Chief Officer - Resources Corporate Services Committee: 1 February 2024 Subject: Grant Application to Dumbarton Common Good 1. Purpose of Report 1.1 The purpose of this report is to provide Members with details of one grant application to Dumbarton Common Good for consideration. 2. Recommendations 2.1 The Committee is asked to approve a one-off grant payment of £592.00. The grant to Dalreoch United Free Church (Women’s Fellowship) is to cover the cost of replacing various items of equipment considered to be at the end of their useful life which are used during the group’s weekly meetings. 3. Background 3.1 Dumbarton Common Good Fund grants are administered by the West Dunbartonshire Council and are reported to the Committee as and when applications are received. 3.2 The value of fund as at 31 March 2023 was £624,896 as per draft final accounts. 4. Main Issues Grant Applications to Dumbarton Common Good 4.1 Appendix A summarises the aims of the group, contains additional information regarding the items to be replaced and advises on the group’s current financial position. Committee is asked to approve the grant application of £592.00. 5. Option Appraisal 5.1 No option appraisal was required for this report. 6. People Implications 6.1 There are no people implications. 7. Financial and Procurement Implications ITEM 13 Page 65
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7.1 It is recommended that members agree to the one-off grant funding of £592.00 to Dalreoch Free Church (Women’s Fellowship). 8. Risk Analysis 8.1 The Council must consider financial and reputational risks when considering grant applications. The financial risk is not only that the Council and Common Good Fund remain within budget, but also that the organisations funded by the Council and the Common Good Fund are both viable in the long term and comply with the Conditions of Grant which cover issues such as discrimination, health and safety, insurance, etc. 9. Equalities Impact Assessment (EIA) 9.1 No equalities impact assessment was required in relation to this report. 10. Environmental Sustainability 10.1 No assessment of environmental sustainability was required in relation to this report. 11. Consultation 11.1 Legal and Financial Officers have been consulted in preparing this report. 11.2 All organisations are consulted regarding recommendations of grant prior to the report being submitted to Committee. 12. Strategic Assessment 12.1 Proper budgetary control and sound financial practice are cornerstones of good governance and support Council and officers to pursue the 5 strategic priorities of the Councils Strategic Plan. Laurence Slavin Chief Officer, Resources Date: 01 Feb 2024 ___________________________________________________________________ Person to Contact: Adrian Gray, Finance Business Partner, Church Street, Dumbarton, Email: adrian.gray@west-dunbarton.gov.uk Page 66
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Appendices Appendix A: Details of Grant Application Background Papers: Grant application summary information Individual group grant applications Wards Affected: Ward 3 Page 67
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Appendix 1 Dumbarton Common Good Fund for consideration by Corporate Services Committee on 1st February 2024 (2023/2024) Organisation Purpose of organisation Purpose of grant Grant Requested and Officer Recommendation Dalreoch United Free Church (Women’s Fellowship) Provide Women in the local area with a safe, friendly and warm environment. Here we will provide companionship for those who may be lonely, anxious or needing support. Funding to cover the costs of a programme of activities including board games, knitting/crafts, bowls exercises, line dancing/baking and providing “a cuppa”. The funding would be used to replace or renew items which are utilised by the group including Urn Kettles and teapots Buffalo soup kettle New board games Craft materials. These items are considered ‘end of life‘ and in need of replacement. Some of the requested resources may be utilised by other church and community organisations. E.g. Beavers, Scouts, Carpet Bowls group. Grant request: £645 Officer Recommendation: Agree £592.00 Sum recommended is a pro-rata value of the requested sum based on advice from the group that 11 or their 12 members are Dumbarton based. Number of members How often does it meet Bank Balance and Accounts Balance 12 service users (1 not Dumbarton) Weekly 31/12/2022 Accounts balance £73,559.11 Bank Balance as at 31/12/22: £1,354.27 Page 68