Item 16 Appendix 1
West Dunbartonshire Council · 30 October 2024
Back to West Dunbartonshire Council — 30 October 2024 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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CONFIDENTIAL Budget Conversation 2025/26 - Resident Survey results The 2025/26 budget conversation resident survey was carried out between, 15 April – 10 June. Overall, 685 responses were gathered, of that: Post code No & % of respondents Tenure No. & % of respondents G13 4 0.6% Homeowner 532 78% G14 4 0.6% Social tenant 97 14% G60 35 56% Private tenant 33 5% G63 4 0.6% Live with parents/carers 18 3% G81 179 26% Other 5 1% G82 227 33% G83 168 25% Residency No. & % of respondents Resident 611 89% Employee 296 43% Business owner 28 4% Community organisation 77 11% Parent/carer of school age children 209 31% APPENDIX 1
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CONFIDENTIAL Strategic Priority 1: Our Communities Q1. Thinking about your community and neighbourhood, please rank in order of importance what is most important to you (1 = most important) Rank position Ave. score 1 3.63 Community safety including CCTV and response to anti-social behaviour and noise complaints 2 3.27 Funding Strategic Partners such as community organisations supporting areas such as young people and the environment 3 3.23 Youth Work and practical support for community groups 4 2.88 Supporting community led initiatives and creating opportunities for residents to get more involved in their community and/or Council decision making 5 1.99 Funding for community events (such as firework displays and pipe band championships) Q2. Thinking about Libraries and Arts & Heritage, please rank in order of importance what is most important to you (1 = most important) Rank position Ave. score 1 3.25 Maintaining operating hours/access at current levels 2 3.23 Investment in community events (i.e. book bug, wellbeing sessions, art and heritage classes, exhibitions) 3 2.89 Investment to maintain buildings even if this means there are less of them 4 2.88 Investment in physical amenities (i.e. reading materials) 5 2.74 Investment in digital services and equipment (online reading materials, heritage collections including family history and computers/devices) Q3. Thinking about Education services, please rank in order of importance what is most important to you (1 = most important) Rank position Ave. score 1 4.02 Maintaining sufficient staff numbers to support children and families 2 3.6 Support for learning such as Learning Assistants, Support Teachers 3 2.9 Support for provision such as early start clubs, music tuition, supported study, Easter and summer schools
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CONFIDENTIAL Q4. Thinking about community services delivered by our Health and Social Care Partnership such as social work, home care and care homes, please rank in order of importance what is most important to you (1 = most important) Rank position Ave. score 1 3.79 Support for children and adults who require to be protected and are at risk of harm 2 3.38 Support for older people within their own home or within a homely setting to enable them to be well cared for and remain independent for as long as possible 3 2.95 Support for children and adults with a disability to enable them to be supported in the community with family or to live independently 4 2.66 Support for children and young people to help them be supported with family in their communities and provide alternative care such as fostering if required 5 2.22 Support for people with mental health and or addictions to help them recover and live independent lives Q5. Do you have any further comments about how we invest in services to support our communities? Overall, 145 comments These are the type of services that really are the backbone of a fair society and if you cut them, you do lose any remaining community spirit. Try to listen more to the community and to get agencies/groups to work together and share funding rather than having too may doing similar things and can’t do the work properly as far too thin and too limited resources. Invest in other activities to be inclusive to young people that doesn’t have to be football, which seems to take up the majority of school lettings. There’s more need than ever for a CPP approach to Council cuts based on data and not on an equal or fair level of cuts across services. As a council and senior leadership group of managers, it is time to re-evaluate what we need to prioritize for our residents and what will make the difference long term; regardless if this means we see some service areas cut more than others. Early intervention with a view that support to children and young people and families , as early in their lives as possible will make a difference and help with future challenges. SMN should be focusing on this. There’s not enough focus on investment in the area to bring in visitors and or financial spend. Paisley is a great local example to events across their area which bring investment, visitors 4 2.87 Supplies and materials to support learning and teaching 5 1.62 Maintaining current approach to subject choices offered in secondary schools
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CONFIDENTIAL and spend to their area (Halloween/Christmas events for example). Derry in Ireland is another; very large scale events focusing on bringing in tourists/buy in of businesses and community cohesion. The most important thing is to retain jobs and frontline services Supporting communities will save money in the future. It would be short sighted to cut community services. Prevention is always the key. If we continue to cut community-based provisions at the earliest stage of intervention, we are just creating bigger and more financially costly problems further down the line. If projects and services are not provided on the ground to our most vulnerable members of the community and investment in our young people as future residents and workers, then we are in real danger of higher service interventions later in life. Money should be spent on services for the community and not on silly things like decorations to help make somewhere look better when nothing has actually changed I feel it extremely important that young people and adults with Disabilities are prioritised. The additional strain on family members is ongoing and impacts on their own lives on a daily basis. The breakdown of this vital care role due to lack of funding, would without doubt lead to families being unable to continue to do this, leading to a greater crisis. Ensure as many consultations as possible are put out to WDC people. These decisions must be driven by their inputs. By using the funds fairly and not wasting funds on things no one wants, Investing in facilities which only few people in the community use (ie golf clubs/bowling clubs) should not be a priority. There should be a greater focus on those facilities and activities which serve the needs of the wider community. Private enterprises for the likes of golf clubs and bowling clubs should be encouraged so these services can be retained but not at the cost of the Council. Strategic Priority 2: Our Environment Q6. Thinking about Waste, cleansing services and tackling climate change, please rank in order of importance what is most important to you (1 = most important) Rank position Ave. score
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CONFIDENTIAL 1 4.32 Investment is focused on road maintenance and lighting, including potholes, road markings, signage 2 3.56 Investment is focused on maintaining pathways, pavements and walking routes including footway gritting 3 3.20 Investment is focused on maintaining public parks and recreational areas such as play parks and pitches 4 2.54 Investment is focused on all other ground maintenance including green spaces within housing estates, around public buildings and adjacent to roads and walking routes 5 1.38 Investment is focused on maintenance and running costs for bowling greens and Municipal Golf Course Q7. Thinking about our environment in West Dunbartonshire such as open spaces, parks, roads and walking routes, please rank in order of importance what is most important to you (1 = most important) Rank position Ave. score 1 3.14 Investment is focused on refuse collection and recycling facilities 2 3.01 Investment is focused on the cleanliness of our area including street cleaning and public bins 3 2.09 Investment continues to offset costs of waste and special collections including bulky items, garden and food waste 4 1.76 Investment is focused on climate change solutions including reducing the carbon footprint of Council services through the likes of reducing waste, electrical vehicles, LED lighting and energy efficient buildings Q8. Do you have any further comments about how we invest in services to support our environment? Overall, 117 comments Improve recycling facilities and increase the number of bins to enable an increase in desirable are as which in turn can cut down on antisocial behaviour and in turn help with mental health thanks to people feeling they can go out for walks without feeling at risk. Get the basics right please ie no vanity projects like the Fountain in Alexandria. Fix the pavements, dropped pavements, potholes etc. This would be a great help and start to help our communities, young and old. What about investing in net zero projects? How to lower carbon and other emissions? What about rewilding?
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CONFIDENTIAL When looking at maintenance we need to ensure everywhere is accessible to all. West Dunbartonshire is in a very poor state in regard to general maintenance and cleanliness. Leaving the Erskine Bridge the gateway to the Highlands does not present a pretty welcome or picture of Scotland. Think about maximizing income in public spaces by taking advantage of grants for re wilding and planting trees as per private land ownership. The frequency of waste collections should not be reduced. There should be glass recycling collections. The council could lead the way when it comes to the environment, and it would save the council money in the long run. Charities like The Recycle Room have saves 10000s of tons of bulk waste and items going to landfill. Being green should be key to the council and helping its residents should be key. Possibly supplying compost bins to houses who no longer want their brown bin lifted if current plans to charge £60 go ahead. Play parks are a disgrace, investment is needed as this is often all children have that is a free activity. Much more options for recycling required, both household and business, no provision for paper waste in a WDC school and this is to be collected with normal waste. Glass bins at home would be a great move and scrapping the cost of brown bin. Keep the streets clean, increase the number of waste bins in common spaces and employ some rangers to impose on the spot fines for litter louts. Also, how about a widespread muti media promotion to keep our open spaces litter free. On green spaces i.e. grassy bits.... needs a refocus. Forget "meadowing" (i.e. excuse for NOT cutting the grass) and keep the verges tidy - these are the areas which visitors get their first impressions of our towns. I believe it is a priority to maintain cleanliness throughout the area; without it doesn't bear thinking about. Council needs to look at a longer-term solution around these issues. Recent cuts to brown bin collections are a classic short-sighted example which will undoubtedly lead to garden waste going to landfill, when perhaps some education around use of compost bins could have been done to support residents to take up the offer of free compost bins. Everyone understands budget cuts are happening but some thought and planning into mitigating the effects of cuts and perhaps helping citizens see how they can help with environmental issues would be beneficial. By this I do not mean putting up
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CONFIDENTIAL some social media posts, make use of green space teams and resources like the volunteers and space at Levengrove to deliver some events for citizens to attend and learn - also offer these at times which are accessible to the full range of your residents. Strategic Priority 3: Our Economy Q9. Thinking about the economy, please rank in order of importance what is most important to you (1 = most important) Rank position Ave. score 1 3.41 Regeneration of town centres and neighbourhoods 2 3.22 Supporting workers into employment 3 3.05 Supporting individuals and families to maximise income and reduce debt 4 2.82 Supporting local businesses (including new businesses) 5 2.50 Supporting residents to access training and learning opportunities Q10. Thinking about the economy, please rank in order of importance what is most important to you (1 = most important) Rank position Ave. score 1 3.35 Focus investment in areas with the highest child poverty rates 2 3.10 Target resources into services that are used by the most people 3 3.08 Target resources at families and individuals who need them most including those on low incomes or who are disadvantaged 4 3.01 Target resources into services that are used by the highest number of people experiencing disadvantage 5 2.46 Target resource and investment in areas with most low- income households Q11. Do you have any further comments about how we invest in services to support our economy? Overall, 69 comments
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CONFIDENTIAL There needs to be more visible support across economic regeneration. With the opening of the new bridge between Clydebank and Braehead more should be done to encourage retailers to come into Clydebank and fill the empty lots both in and around Clydebank Shopping Centre. How is the Levelling-Up money being invested? Very little communication with residents. Investment in Housing and the cleaning up the area. Tenants should be responsible for maintaining their gardens etc, instead they are overgrown and used as dumping grounds. Very demoralising for the majority of tenants who take pride in their properties. Secondary schools in the area need to be clearer with their pupils that littering is unacceptable, or the local retailers need to contribute to funding street cleaner s at lunchtime. Business support for our local business communities is important to help local economic growth and create jobs. This needs a balanced outlook; many strategic partners of the council are already working to support disadvantaged families and residents. As such perhaps the council should look at where it can add value to these provisions and provide the most well-rounded support across WDC. Town centre regeneration is great, but this has turned into a PR nightmare for you. Stop spending money from regeneration funds on things which “look nice” and start spending it on things which are useful. Tackling employability can’t just be working with people. Work with business and they will shape the learning opportunities with WDC. Focusing on poverty and getting people out of poverty e.g. thro ugh youth work & community development. If not WDC will pay for this in the future with awful social problems and the feeling uselessness for generations. Stop reducing third sector funding as an easy cut the repercussions are huge and cause more unmet need More opportunities for young people aged 18-25, to help them get in to work or gain qualifications they have missed out on - more work experience opportunities. Training in skills for life e.g. money/ debt management. Parenting support classes for struggling families. More apprenticeship places offered by WDC - WDC could also encourage businesses in the area to do the same. Investment should be made for all residents in West Dunbartonshire - not just those in disadvantaged areas or on low income. There are plenty of children and families who require more services from our authority not just those on low income. Fix the High Street (including our famous "roof gardens". Contact building owners and tell them to tidy up their properties (e.g. repair and redecorate) - if they don't. council should and them bill them
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CONFIDENTIAL Creating jobs by regenerating the towns should be a priority, great work in Alexandria Continue to secure external funding to improve the lives of the disadvantaged residents of West Dunbartonshire. If possible, increase the staffing levels to increase the delivery of the service. Aim higher and be ambitious. Consider the incredible heritage and opportunity for tourism and visitors if more creative approaches to community events / sites were considered. Strategic Priority 4: Our Council Q12. Thinking about the Council overall, please rank in order of importance what is most important to you (1 = most important) Rank position Ave. score 1 3.47 Maintain the number and location of public buildings including offices, depots, libraries and community facilities 2 3.17 Maintain current opening hours and service provision for services and buildings 3 2.98 Maintain service delivery even if this means a reduction in standards such as waiting longer for applications to be processed or queries to be answered 4 2.77 Protect services and provisions we aren’t required to provide by law. For example, corporate functions which support delivery of frontline services or support to community organisations 5 2.61 Maintain current level of charges for services (i.e. licences, environmental health) Q13. Would you be prepared to pay more council tax in order to reduce the savings required? Yes 50.07% No 47.88% No response 2.04% Q14. Do you have any further comments about how we invest in services to support the delivery of Council services? Overall, 157 comments
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CONFIDENTIAL You are sitting with empty commercial premises that you cannot let due to your pricing structure. Get these places filled with small business who can grow and offer employment opportunities. Reasonable rents will give WDC additional income from many small businesses and help regenerate the area and offer local employment opportunities. Yes, please raise council tax appropriately!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do the right thing regardless of votes. Maintain 2 main seats of council in the authority - Clydebank and Dumbarton. Release commercial stock/ burden and profit from land sales. People can work effectively remotely; West Dunbartonshire is a very small well-connected authority. Would pay more tax if it kept jobs. keep current facilities open. very hard to get a hold of someone from WDC at times as no offices etc are open. keep community building open and they need upgraded, money spent within them. encourage more services/WDC services within them. With a river/canal/historical heritage/good road and rail links to cities and countryside, we should be focussing more on building the profile of the area/creating large events alongside business and arts partners to bring in visitors and investment. Whilst I would not support a rise in council tax, I would support rebanding of properties in West Dunbartonshire as many are in higher bands than they should be based on value whilst other are under rated mainly due to the huge increase in buildings since the last banding exercise. We pay more than enough, and the road conditions and pavement conditions are shocking unless we see improvements I would not be happy to pay more than I do already. Supporting Frontline or statutory services can only be done with the support of corporate functions; therefore they are essential. Service delivery should be maintained and if this requires some building to close to fund them then that would be the preferred option. The council tax increase, although protecting services does not enhance services. current services are not always efficient, so it would appear that residents would be paying more for continued inefficiencies. The council should be investing in events which will generate income. Our public spaces are greatly underused. Putting on events, although having an initial cost, would generate much needed income and generally be good for the community. The council needs to learn how to use its cash far more efficiently, this would involve such things as stopping sub-contracting everything possible as it
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CONFIDENTIAL ultimately costs more and causes far more significant disruption than if it was under tighter more localised control, also invest more in the general workforce as opposed to giving management over the top wages when they clearly underperform in their roles otherwise there would be no need for financial cutbacks. Reduce the number of council offices as people can work from home. Better to extend timescales than to lose services altogether, encourage more use of online systems to reduce the number of buildings that require in person presence, allowing employees to get on with meaningful work. Please increase council tax and address the funding short fall. Be brave and do the right thing, not worry about votes. Paying more tax won’t improve services provided. The council needs to demonstrate an improvement before I’d support an increase in council tax. Only suitable to increase prices if services are saved. If price increases and services closed anyway then it's not appropriate. More needs done to address the chronic underfunding package received from central government. Cuts cannot keep happening, Councillors need to stronger in dealing with this issue, perhaps adopting a collaborative approach with other LAs. Money being spent needs to be justified. I have no objection to paying a measured increase to my Council Tax as long as the money is being spent in appropriate to the needs to the people in WDC area. Value for money and a linked approach to service wide procurement of goods and services. Q15. Overall, are there any services that you feel should be protected from reductions in budget? Please specify what services these are. Overall, 437 comments. Education Waste Services Working 4U Road maintenance HSCP Greenspace Libraries, Arts & Heritage Supporting vulnerable people Q16. Where would you target spend reductions? Overall, 321 comments
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CONFIDENTIAL Staffing costs - managers costs, elected members costs Third party contractors Building rationalisation Non statutory services Services that aren’t used by many people Hospitality Vanity projects Firework events Rationalise council assets Diversity Monitoring Age % response 1.5% 16-24 14% 25-34 22% 35-44 23% 45-54 24% 55-64 13% 65 and over 2% Didn’t say Sex % response 28% Male 68% Female 0.58% Intersex 1.02% I would describe my sex in another way 2% Didn’t say Identify as Transgender % response 0.73% Yes 91.8% No 7.4% Didn’t say Sexual orientation % response 2.63% Bisexual 2.77% Gay or Lesbian 87.3% Heterosexual (straight) 1.6% Other
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CONFIDENTIAL 5.69% Didn’t say Religious Belief % response 43% No religion 0.15% Buddhist 48% Christian 0% Hindu 0 % Jewish 0.29% Muslim 0% Sikh 4.38% Other 4.52% Didn’t say Do you consider yourself to have a disability according to the terms given in the Equality Act 2010? The Equality Act 2010 protects disabled people; it defines a person as disabled if they have a physical or mental impairment, which has a substantial and long-term adverse effect on the person's ability to carry out normal day-to-day activities. % response 17% Yes 79% No 4% Didn’t say Ethnicity % response 91% White or white Scottish or white British 2% White Irish 0% White Polish 1% White other 0.15% African or African Scottish or African British 0.15% Arab or Arab Scottish or Arab British 0% Black or Black Scottish or Black British 0% Caribbean or Caribbean Scottish or Caribbean British 0% Chinese or Chinese Scottish or Chinese British 0.15% Indian or Indian Scottish or Indian British 0.15% Pakistani or Pakistani Scottish or Pakistani British 0.73% Mixed/ Multiple ethnicities 0.88% Other 3% Didn’t say