Item 6-Appendix 2
West Dunbartonshire Council · 5 March 2025
Back to West Dunbartonshire Council — 5 March 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Amanda Graham Saving Ref: CCF01 Saving Title Reduce Highland Games Spend Summary of Savings Proposal The Loch Lomond Highland Games is independently organised by a Committee however, historically the Council has provided a grant of £14,000 to the Committee and has also provided infrastructure and facilities to stage the event at a further cost of £24,000. This Council spend of circa £38,000 on the Games excludes the cost of staffing for the event which is paid for from individual service budgets. Given recent service and budget reductions, it will be challenging to provide staffing and meet the other costs of the event going forward. Although the Council receives the income from the event (gate fees and trader pitch lets) this does not fully offset costs. For example, in 2023 £19,000 in income was raised against the £38,000 expenditure (excluding staffing). In 2024, the £14,000 grant was withdrawn and the Games committee directed to apply for external funding or to seek sponsorship. The event did not take place in 2024. If the Council removed all funding, it would generate a saving of circa £15,000 from budgets. The Games Committee would have the option to proceed with the event independently and meet all costs. Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: This is not a Council event although teams from Greenspace, Communications and WDLT support. People Risk: Staffing is provided to support the event and this is predominantly via overtime within Greenspace and WDLT. Reputational Risk: The event is long established and popular particularly with visitors. The Games did not take place in 2024. It has received criticism in the past as an entrance fee is charged. The Council does stage free events including fun days, Pipe Band Championships and annual fireworks display. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 15 0 15 0 15 0 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: N/A Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1118 APPENDIX 2
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Amanda Graham Saving Ref: CCF02 Saving Title Reduce or Close Clydebank Town Hall Summary of Savings Proposal Clydebank Town Hall (CTH) is currently open as standard Tuesday to Friday with flexible opening outwith this for events which generate income. In light of high property costs, operations could be revised further with a review of usage undertaken to ascertain the most appropriate opening hours. Option 1 – CTH open three days a week (£15k saving) Access for public, elected members and support staff would be maintained on three week days. Building would continue to open on additional days to support pre- booked events as the cost is mitigated by the income generated. Option 2 - CTH open four days with reduced hours daily (£8k saving) Reduced opening hours would be introduced, for example, 9am to 1pm each day, or 1pm to 5pm. Building would open to support pre-booked events as the cost is mitigated by income generated. Option 3 - CTH closure (Circa £315k saving) Building would be closed and added to the commercial portfolio to market for sale. Elected member/ staff accommodation would be created in alternative premises. Building would remain open and bookings honoured up to 31 March 2026. If the building could not be sold, leased or transferred then the Council would continue to be liable for the payment of rates of circa £130k. Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: Under Option 1 and 2, the building would be opened for pre-booked events. The museum and gallery in the Town Hall would be impacted by reduced hours. Members Services would require to adjust operations to account for revised opening. Under Option 3, the Arts and Heritage offer and elected members and Member Services would be impacted and civil marriage ceremonies currently conducted in CTH would no longer be provided. The building is also used for committee meetings and these would require to be held in the Council’s Dumbarton office. People Risk: Under Option 1 and 2, consideration would be given to staff contracts, place and hours of work with consultation required. Staff may be in detriment. Option 3 would result in the loss of up to four posts as well as impacting casual staff. Reputational Risk: The options carry reputational risk particularly option 3. Elected members and support staff could be accommodated elsewhere, however it would be a loss of CTH jobs and venue to the area. It would result in the closure of a landmark Council building in Clydebank which is used by elected members, for civic events and as an events venue by the community throughout West Dunbartonshire.
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Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 Option £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 1 15 0 15 0 15 0 2 8 0 8 0 8 0 3 0 0 315* 4 315* 4 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: N/A Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target. *May reduce depending on any ongoing rate liability Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1123
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Amanda Graham Saving Ref: CCF03 Saving Title Reduce Staffed Citizen Services Provision at Church Street Summary of Savings Proposal Citizen Services operates the Customer Contact Centre, Housing Repairs Contact Centre and provides a front of house service at the Council offices in Church Street, Dumbarton. There are two options to consider: Option 1 – Removal of staffed provision - £30k - Residents attending Church Street office in person would access support by using free telephones provided in reception to call the contact centre or, in emergencies, contact services directly. Option 2 – Move to part-time staffed provision - £15k - Face to face support would continue to be provided on a part time basis (i.e. 0930 – 1300 daily), with residents able to use telephones in reception outwith these times. Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: All services would require to be more responsive to calls from reception and ensure a presence to attend where required. People Risk: Potential impact on 1FTE. Reputational Risk: An expectation exists that Church Street, as a public building, is accessible for face-to-face support. The current customer service staff are fully trained and direct people to a range of services. The number of residents presenting at Church St, has increased since the start of 2023. The impact could be mitigated through retaining part-time provision, by the introduction of signage in Church Street to highlight alternative ways of contacting the Council including using freephones in reception to call the contact centre or dial services direct in emergencies. There is a risk that people would continue to attend in numbers particularly given the building is open to the public from 8.30am to 5.30pm for social work. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 Option £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 1 30 1 30 1 30 1 2 15 0.5 15 0.5 15 0.5 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target. Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1113
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Amanda Graham Saving Ref: CCF09 Saving Title Reduce Contact Centre Summary of Savings Proposal The Council operates a general Customer Contact Centre and a Housing Repairs Contact Centre. Each respond to over 3,000 telephone calls per week. Currently the general contact centre employs 11 FTE staff. Option 1 – Reduction of 1 FTE – Saving £30k - Number of employees would be reduced by one FTE. Alternative methods of contacting or reporting issues to the Council including via the website would continue to be promoted. Option 2 – Reduction of 2 FTE – Saving £60k - Number of employees would be reduced by two FTE. Alternative methods of contacting or reporting issues to the Council would continue to be promoted. Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: The contact centre acts as a first point of engagement for a number of Council services with each member of the team answering an average of 300 calls per week. Each FTE reduction would reduce calls answered by this amount. A reduction by one FTE would increase average answer time to five minutes with peak call waiting upwards of 30 mins. A reduction by two FTE would increase average answer time to 10 mins with peak call wait upwards of 45 mins. People Risk: This option would impact on up to two FTE. Reputational Risk: There is a risk that people’s call behaviour does not change in spite of highlighting the digital first approach and wait times within the contact centre remain at current levels or increase. Changes in other services to deliver efficiencies can also increase call volume. Saving (Cumulative) Option 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 1 15 1 30 1 30 1 2 30 2 60 2 60 2 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target. Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1115
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Amanda Graham Saving Ref: CCF10 Saving Title Reduce Community Budgeting Fund Summary of Savings Proposal The Community Budgeting Fund of £27,000 makes small grants available to community groups through a competitive bidding process. Groups can bid for grants of up to £2500 and the fund is delivered every two years to avoid groups becoming reliant, therefore it was not available in 2023/24 and is not scheduled to be open in 2025/26. Under this proposal the fund would cease. Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: The removal of the fund would create capacity as currently resources are deployed for the planning and delivery of the fund which is delivered through participatory budgeting. People Risk: N/A Reputational Risk: This option would remove the Community Budgeting Fund and as such remove a method of small grant funding for groups. As the process takes place biennially, no expectation exists for community organisations to bid for funding in 2025/26, The participatory budgeting approach would continue to be promoted across the Council and support available to other service areas to distribute part of their budgets/funding through participatory budgeting. The Community Choices 1% Framework Agreement between COSLA and the Scottish Government commits to enabling local citizens to decide how 1% of local authority annual budget should be spent. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 27 0 27 0 27 0 Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1122
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Amanda Graham Saving Ref: CCF11 Saving Title Remove Community Engagement Budget Summary of Savings Proposal The Community Engagement budget of £22,000 support projects under the community empowerment agenda. This option would see the budget removed. Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: The removal of the fund provides capacity as there would no longer be a need to manage, deliver or monitor the fund, however it would reduce the methods available to communities staff to engage and support groups People Risk: N/A Reputational Risk: The removal of the Community Engagement budget reduces the financial support available to groups. Groups would be directed to seek alternative funding although it is recognised the streams available to groups has reduced. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 22 0 22 0 22 0 Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1120
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Amanda Graham Saving Ref: CCF18 Saving Title Reduction in Arts and Heritage Summary of Savings Proposal The Arts and Heritage Team leads the development and delivery of all cultural activity, programming and learning across the authority. It is responsible for the operation of cultural venues; care and conservation of local, museum and fine art collections; support for genealogical and local research; and has statutory responsibility for the provision of archives. The service has 6.4 employees. Option 1 The team would reduce by 1.5 FTE, and a review of operations undertaken to identify which areas of work would continue. Option 2 The team would reduce by 3.0 FTE and a review of operations undertaken to identify which areas of work would continue. Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: Aside from the reduction in the Arts and Heritage offer, there is a potential impact on the Libraries service as Arts and Heritage currently provides staffing in venues. The service works with and across other services including education and this would be diminished. The capacity to apply for external funding would also be limited. People Risk: Impact on up to 3.0 FTE who would be supported in line with Council policy. Reputational Risk: Given significant external funding for Glencairn House in particular, ongoing work to create a new Clydebank museum and commitments made around cultural projects, failing to adequately service and staff venues may impact on the Council’s reputation. Saving (Cumulative) Option 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 1 30 1.5 80 1.5 80 1.5 2 60 3 110 3 110 3 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target. Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1201
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Laura Mason Saving Ref: EDU02 Saving Title Reduce School Clothing Grant to Statutory Level Summary of Savings Proposal The Council pays £150 clothing grant to all eligible pupils, irrespective of which school sector they attend. This proposal would reduce the school clothing grant to the statutory level of £120 for primary aged pupils, and £150 for secondary aged pupils. Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: This will have no direct impact on service delivery but will have an indirect impact on service users due to a reduction in funding. People Risk: No direct impact on FTE or staffing. Reducing funding provided to families may impact on the health and wellbeing of our most vulnerable families. Reputational Risk: Reputational damage to the Council. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 64 0 64 0 64 0 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: N/A Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1153
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Laura Mason Saving Ref: EDU03 Saving Title Reduce Education Maintenance Allowance to Statutory Level Summary of Savings Proposal Education Maintenance Allowance (EMA) provides financial support to eligible 16 - 19-year-olds who want to continue learning. The statutory amount for EMA is £30 per week. The Council increases the payment to £40 per week where a young person has 100% attendance. The Council also pay all registered Young Carers a further £10 per week. There are 64 pupils who are young carers and eligible to apply for EMA. This savings proposal presents three options. Option Description Saving (£,000) 1 Reduce the EMA payment to the statutory level of £30 per week, removing the £10 weekly additionality. 89 2 Remove the additional payment to young carers 25 3 Combine option 1 and 2 114 Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: This will have no direct impact on service delivery but will have an impact on service users. People Risk: No direct impact on FTE or staffing. Reputational Risk: Reputation damage to the Council. Savings (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 Option £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 1 59 0 89 0 89 0 2 16 0 25 0 25 0 3 75 0 114 0 114 0 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: N/A Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1154
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Laura Mason Saving Ref: EDU04 Saving Title Remove P6 Swimming Lessons Summary of Savings Proposal £14,150 of funding is allocated to provide free swimming lessons to children in primary 6 during term time. This option would remove that provision. Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Reputational Risk - Reputational damage as the Council has conducted local and national campaigns, as well as a multi-agency education programme since 2021 following the death of a primary-aged child from West Dunbartonshire in Loch Lomond in 2020. Service Risk - Increasing risk of disadvantage and inequity as many children are not supported to learn to swim by their parents. People Risk – N/A Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 14 0 14 0 14 0 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: N/A Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1217
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Laura Mason Saving Ref: EDU06 Saving Title Reduce Secondary School Management Time Summary of Savings Proposal The number of Depute Head Teachers (DHTs) is based in school roll. Due to the volume of management tasks associated with a secondary school, at the last restructure it was agreed the minimum allocation of DHTs would be 3, irrespective of roll. Presently, for every 250 young people on the school roll beyond 750, an additional DHT is provided. This proposal would increase the qualifying number to 300, reducing our secondary school DHT headcount by 3, resulting in a saving of £209,500. As school rolls presently stand, schools directly affected by this proposal would be Our Lady & St. Patrick’s High School, Clydebank High School and Vale of Leven Academy. Council can decide to change the allocation but agree that the staff reduction would only take place as and when vacancies arise which would allow the savings to be made but without removing any existing postholder from the role. Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: This will have a direct impact on service delivery, as a reduction in the number of DHTs will affect the school’s ability to run and operate the school. It will have a direct impact on the school’s ability to undertake improvement activities, and an indirect impact on school attendance and attainment. An increase in the number of young people in a DHTs caseload will directly impact the quality of education provision. People Risk: This will have a direct impact on 3 FTE existing staff. It will also reduce the number of promoted opportunities for staff, which will have an indirect impact on recruitment and retention. Removing posts would require remaining postholders to have their jobs re-evaluated as they would be taking on additional responsibilities. This would potentially see an increase in costs and a reduction in the saving. The Scottish Government require the Council to maintain teacher numbers and have considered withholding funding in prior years if councils do not comply with this. There may be a risk to funding in the future depending on what the Scottish Government’s position is when the savings are realised. Reputational Risk: Secondary DHTs play a significant role in school improvement and in the day-to-day operation and maintaining of order and discipline in a school. Removing this will cause reputation damage to the council, which will be evident in attendance, attainment and positive destinations statistics. Saving
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As per SNCT agreements, any staff displaced would have their salary conserved for a period of 3 years, so any saving would not be realised until that period of conservation had ended, or until the member of staff left the service of the Council (if that was before the period of conservation ended). 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 0 0 0 0 0 0 2028/29 2029/30 2030/31 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 140 3 210 3 210 3 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target. Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1155
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Laura Mason Saving Ref: EDU11 Saving Title Shared Head at Two ELCs Summary of Savings Proposal There are 3 Early Years settings within Whitecrook in close proximity to each other (Whitecrook Primary ELC, Whitecrook ELC and Clydebank ELC). Whitecrook ELC and Whitecrook Primary ELC operate on a term time basis and Clydebank ELC operates on a 52-week basis. Outwith term time, Clydebank ELC, accommodates a lower number of children, namely, vulnerable children identified from a range of local settings. Whitecrook Primary ELC is managed by the Head Teacher of Whitecrook Primary School, whereas Clydebank ELC and Whitecrook ELC are standalone settings each managed by a Principal Officer. Clydebank ELC and Whitecrook ELC are a short distance of 0.4 miles from each other and easily within walking distance. This proposal would delete one of the two Principal Officer posts and the services would operate under one Principal Officer. Clydebank ELC would provide provision for under 3s and Whitecrook ELC would provide provision for 3-year-olds and above. The settings would have the same leadership and transition arrangements. Current registration for these settings and occupancy shows there is capacity to facilitate these changes. Furthermore there is capacity within the three settings to meet current demand were Clydebank over 3s to access their provision in Whitecrook ELC or Whitecrook PS ELC instead. As this is an area of deprivation this would also mean there would be scope within Clydebank ELC to expand the eligible 2-year-old provision within the current 3-year-old space, if required at a later date. f There are potential opportunities to bring more cohesion through operating in this way and to support more eligible 2-year-olds. 3-year-olds who currently attend Clydebank ELC would have access to input from an Excellence and Equity Lead through this model which would support them in their attainment and work towards closing the attainment gap. As Clydebank operates on a 52-week basis it is proposed that, in the new model, the Principal Officer post would be a 52-week post. The total saving would be through deletion of the Principal Officer Term Time post equating to £47k. Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk - With the reduction of one Principal Officer the remaining Principal Officer would have responsibility for more staff and children than they currently have. However, there are similar sized standalone settings within the authority. People Risk – Two Principal Officers would be impacted with the deletion of 1 FTE Principal Officer post.
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Reputational Risk - Service users may perceive this post deletion as a dilution of the service. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 31 1 47 1 47 1 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1048
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Laura Mason Saving Ref: EDU12 Saving Title Review Mainstream School Transport Summary of Savings Proposal There is a statutory requirement on the Council provide transport to all pupils: • up to the age of 8 who live more than 2 miles from school • over the age of 8 who live more than 3 miles from school. Presently the Council provision exceeds this requirement by providing transport to schools for: ● Primary pupils who live more than 1 mile away from school ● Secondary pupils who live more than 2 miles away from school. This proposal presents two options to reduce expenditure on mainstream school transport. The ‘Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010 would require a statutory consultation to take place, as either proposal would ‘discontinue arrangements for the provision of transport by the Council for pupils attending a denominational school’. Option 1 Reduce provision and provide transport to schools for: ● Primary pupils who live more than 2 miles away from school ● Secondary pupils who live more than 3 miles away from school. Costs would still be incurred for routes that were not deemed as ‘safe routes’. A statutory consultation on this proposal took place in 2023 - the outcome of which was negative. In undertaking the consultation, there were points raised that could have been made clearer, so repeating the consultation could clarify those issues. Option 2 Reduce provision to align with statutory requirement to transport all pupils up to the age of 8 who live more than 2 miles from school, and all pupils over the age of 8 who live more than 3 miles from school. Costs would still be incurred for routes that were not deemed as ‘safe routes’, and a number of primary school contracts for children up to the age of 8 (Linnvale, St. Eunan’s, Knoxland, St. Patrick’s, St. Mary’s (Duntocher), St. Mary’s (Alexandria) and Gartocharn) would be retained. Risk Associated with Proposed Savings
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Service Risk: Reducing the provision may have an adverse impact on school attendance, and would likely see an increase in road traffic at the start and end of the school day. People Risk: There are no direct FTE or people risks with this proposal. Reputational Risk: A statutory consultation brings risks of reputational damage to the Council with significant local attention and negative publicity. Savings 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 Option £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 1 67 0 100 0 100 0 2 80 0 120 0 120 0 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: N/A Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1219
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Laura Mason Saving Ref: EDU14 Saving Title Align 1140 Hour Funding for 3 year olds with Statutory Guidance Summary of Savings Proposal In West Dunbartonshire some children are entitled to access 1140 funded hours from the month after their third birthday. This proposal would amend the starting date for these children to the term after their third birthday in line with the national statutory guidance. The current starting date for 3-year-old entitlement in WDC is outlined below: • Children who turn 3 between 1 March and the start of the August school term may start nursery from the start of the August school term. • Children who will be 3 between the start of the school term in August and the last day of February can start nursery the month after their 3rd birthday. Early Learning and Childcare Statutory Guidance states, ‘In terms of starting dates, under the 2014 Order eligible 2 year olds and all 3 year olds are eligible for funded early learning and childcare from the beginning of the first term after the child’s 2nd or 3rd birthday, as set out in the following table:’ Where a child’s birthday falls on or between the following dates: The child will become eligible from the term set out below: 1st March - 31st August August (autumn term) occurring in that year 1 September - 31 December January (spring term) following their birthday 1 January - last day of February March/April (summer term) following their birthday Aligning the WDC provision to statutory guidance would reduce the payment to partners as would the daily payment made to partners for meals and snacks. Children who are eligible 2-year-olds and already accessing provision would be exempt from this change. This amendment would only affect children who are eligible for 1140 hours when they turn 3 years old. There are two ways that this option could generate a saving. Option 1 - £93k saving - Align funded entitlement to the term after as per the Early Learning and Childcare Statutory Guidance. Option 2 - £136k saving - Align funded entitlement to the term after as per the Early Learning and Childcare Statutory Guidance and introduce a charge of £5 per hour for those families who wish to access a 3-year-old place within a WDC early learning and childcare setting from the month after the child’s third birthday.
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Based on current occupancy, should 10% of families choose to access their entitlement from the month after their child’s third birthday, income based on £5 per hour and a £3 meal charge for snacks and lunch per day, would be £43,207 making the total saving £136k (£93k plus £43k) No part year saving has been assumed for the charging element of option 2 to allow an opportunity to explore what interest for this option from families will be. Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk - None People Risk - None Reputational Risk - Working families who currently access nursery provision for the purpose of childcare, for children aged from 3 and under, would require to fund their own childcare for longer. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 Option £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 1 62 0 93 0 93 0 2 62 0 136 0 136 0 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: N/A Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1050
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Laura Mason Saving Ref: EDU15 Saving Title Reduce School Music Instructors Summary of Savings Proposal The Instrumental Music Service (IMS) supports attainment, achievement, and positively impacts school and community life. It supports our young people working to gain SQA awards in music performance. It also provides performance opportunities for our children and young people playing at events throughout the west of Scotland. The Council employs 10.6 instrumental music tutors who provide 336 hours per week of one-to-one and group learning to 1,014 children and young people. In 2020/21, the Scottish Government abolished all charges for instrumental music education to ensure all children, irrespective of background, have access to music education. Whilst the Scottish Government provide some funding to support the abolishment of charges it does not cover the full-service cost as set out below £,000 2024/25 WDC Budget 669 2024/25 SG Funding (205) 2024/25 Net Cost to WDC 464 This option would save £30,000 by reducing the number of IMS staff thus reducing the number of children engaged in one to one and group tuition. Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk – reduction in the number of young people gaining SQA music practical qualifications and WDC Ensembles. Reputational Risk - reduced service could result in an unfair advantage for families who can afford private music tuition and disadvantage our most deprived pupils. There is national agreement that all children and young people should have access to instrumental music tuition, regardless of their financial circumstances (COSLA, 2019). People Risk - Saving to be achieved by termination of a fixed-term contract. Saving 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 30 0.6 30 0.6 30 0.6 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target.
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Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1161
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Laura Mason Saving Ref: EDU20 Saving Title Remove Secondary School Registration Summary of Savings Proposal Secondary schools use 10 minutes at the start of each day for registration, before young people attend lessons. Year groups are divided into registration groups of approximately 30 young people. It would be possible instead to run ‘period by period’ registration, and remove the 10-minute slot each day, and the associated need to staff this provision with teaching staff. This time is largely used for administrative purposes, that could be undertaken through different means. Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: Latecoming is an issue that schools work hard to combat. Without registration, latecoming would impact further into teaching time, which would impact on attendance, and may impact on attainment and positive destinations. Registration is often referred to as ‘first line pastoral care.’ Without registration young people will see a reduction in the people they feel they can turn to for help and support. People Risk: There would be a reduction of 8.8 FTE across secondary schools The Scottish Government require the Council to maintain teacher numbers and have considered withholding funding in prior years if councils do not comply with this. Previously savings taken by the Council were accepted as mitigation by Scottish Government and the Council were not penalised for the reduction in teacher numbers, however in December 2024 Scottish Government expressly stated the Council must maintain and/or restore teacher numbers to 2023/2024 levels or financial penalties would be imposed. For the Council, the teacher number we are expected to maintain/restore is 938 teachers. In the 2024/2025 Census, our teacher number was 901. It is therefore a risk that savings that reduce teacher numbers may result in financial penalties being imposed by the Scottish Government. The initial Scottish Government allocation to local authorities to support the recruitment of additional teachers and support staff which could be withheld if teacher numbers are not maintained is £186.5 million. The Council’s share of this is £3.3m. There is no guarantee that mitigation will be accepted in future years, nor is there clarity from Scottish Government over whether full or partial funding may be withheld. Reputational Risk: Any reduction in teacher numbers carries reputational risk, as we are tasked by Scottish Government to maintain teacher numbers. Savings 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 383 8.8 572 8.8 572 8.8
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FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target. Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1158
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Laura Mason Saving Ref: EDU21 Saving Title Review Secondary School Common Senior Phase Timetable Summary of Savings Proposal There are three curriculum models running across five schools. This proposal would introduce a common model across all five schools, aligning the offer to young people and establishing a minimum class size of 12 for any course. Where schools are unable to meet the minimum class size, pupils could attend another school to study the course. This approach is presently on offer in a number of our neighbouring authorities. A common timetable would result in requiring fewer teachers to deliver it, as class sizes would be optimised. Not taking the full saving could result in increasing the offer of courses, providing a wider variety of options for our young people. Due to the timescale to develop a model for a common timetable and consult on the proposal, implementation would not be until school session 2026/27 where a part year saving would be realised. Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: Reducing the number of teachers employed in our secondary schools will impact on the breadth of courses offered in each establishment. Having to travel to another school would be a barrier for some young people choosing a subject, and would introduce a cost to the Council for transportation. This could directly impact attainment and positive destinations. People Risk: This would have a direct impact on 5 FTE. The Scottish Government require the Council to maintain teacher numbers and have considered withholding funding in prior years if councils do not comply with this. Previously savings taken by the Council were accepted as mitigation by Scottish Government and the Council were not penalised for the reduction in teacher numbers, however in December 2024 Scottish Government expressly stated the Council must maintain and/or restore teacher numbers to 2023/2024 levels or financial penalties would be imposed. For the Council, the teacher number we are expected to maintain/restore is 938 teachers. In the 2024/2025 Census, our teacher number was 901. It is therefore a risk that savings that reduce teacher numbers may result in financial penalties being imposed by the Scottish Government. The initial Scottish Government allocation to local authorities to support the recruitment of additional teachers and support staff which could be withheld if teacher numbers are not maintained is £186.5 million. The Council’s share of this is £3.3m. There is no guarantee that mitigation will be accepted in future years, nor is
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there clarity from Scottish Government over whether full or partial funding may be withheld. Reputational Risk: - Negative response from parents/carers/staff due to perceived benefits of their existing model Savings 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 0 0 214 5 214 5 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target. Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1159
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Laura Mason Saving Ref: EDU22 Saving Title Secondary School Staffing Summary of Savings Proposal There are approximately 600 young people attending college or partner providers for part of their school week (either 2 afternoons per week, or 4 afternoons per week for college - a small number of young people have different attendance patterns with partner providers). The number of young people attending partner providers can fluctuate each year, based on course uptake. Staffing is determined by school roll, but it is not reduced to account for the number of young people being educated elsewhere. This proposal would seek to reduce staffing accordingly. Based on current rolls with college and other partner providers, this would equate to 7.8 FTE, spread across 5 secondary schools. Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: Reducing the number of teachers employed in our secondary schools will have a direct impact on the breadth of courses offered. The number of young people attending partner providers fluctuates each year. If there were fewer young people attending partner providers, we would require the staffing to be in our schools to teach the young people. Fewer young people studying courses with partners would directly impact attainment and positive destinations. People Risk: This would have a direct impact on 7.8 FTE teaching staff. The Scottish Government require the Council to maintain teacher numbers and have considered withholding funding in prior years if councils do not comply with this. Previously savings taken by the Council were accepted as mitigation by Scottish Government and the Council were not penalised for the reduction in teacher numbers, however in December 2024 Scottish Government expressly stated the Council must maintain and/or restore teacher numbers to 2023/2024 levels or financial penalties would be imposed. For the Council, the teacher number we are expected to maintain/restore is 938 teachers. In the 2024/2025 Census, our teacher number was 901. It is therefore a risk that savings that reduce teacher numbers may result in financial penalties being imposed by the Scottish Government. The initial Scottish Government allocation to local authorities to support the recruitment of additional teachers and support staff which could be withheld if teacher numbers are not maintained is £186.5 million. The Council’s share of this is £3.3m. There is no guarantee that mitigation will be accepted in future years, nor is there clarity from Scottish Government over whether full or partial funding may be withheld. Reputational Risk: Negative response from parents/carers/staff Savings
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2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 312 7.8 468 7.8 468 7.8 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target. Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1160
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Laura Mason Saving Ref: EDU23 Saving Title Education Senior Phase Transport Summary of Savings Proposal Approximately 600 Senior Phase pupils are transported per week to attend classes in other schools and colleges. The majority are by bus to West College Scotland in Clydebank, but some are via taxi to neighbouring schools or colleges in Glasgow or Paisley. Some also attend college in Glasgow via train. Transport is provided to ensure the young person arrives at the venue in time for class. However the return journey could be removed, requiring the young person to make their own way home via public transport using their U22 Travel Pass. This proposal presents three options. Option 1 (£37k) - Remove all return journeys requiring all young people to travel home via public transport. Option 2 (£22k) - Remove consortium return journeys only, requiring young people attending another school to travel home via public transport. Option 3 (£15k) - Remove West College Scotland Clydebank return journeys only, requiring young people attending West College Scotland Clydebank Campus to travel home via public transport. Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: Requiring young people to make their own way home will have an impact on uptake of college and consortium courses. This may impact on attainment and positive destinations of our young people. People Risk: None. Reputational Risk: - Local bus provision may not align with the volume of young people looking to make use of it at the end of the school day which may would present a capacity challenge for First Glasgow. Some courses/locations would still receive transport both ways (Cardonald and Anniesland colleges are too complex to travel to from certain areas of WDC without taking train travel for which there is no U22 equivalent), so removing transport from some could be seen as inequitable. Savings 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 Option £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 1 24 0 37 0 37 0 2 14 0 22 0 22 0 3 10 0 15 0 15 0 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: N/A Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1152
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Laura Mason Saving Ref: EDU24 Saving Title Charge for Instrumental Music Tuition Summary of Savings Proposal Income could be generated by charging young people for one to one and small group music tuition. Of the 1,014 pupils currently accessing this service, 22% are living in families in receipt of out of work benefits and would not be charged for this service. Assuming that 10% of those who would be eligible and willing to pay for tuition choose to do so, the following three charging options are proposed: 1. Option 1: £30/hour x 40 weeks 2. Option 2: £15/hour x 40 weeks 3. Option 3: £5/hour x 40 weeks These charging options do not cover the full service costs. In 2020/21, the Scottish Government abolished all charges for instrumental music education to ensure all children, irrespective of background, have access to music education. The Scottish Government Funding supplements the local authority costs and is intended to ‘allow local authorities to maintain the existing level of free instrumental music tuition and enhance music services where possible’ (Scottish Government, Funding Letter March 2024). The funding is not intended to cover the full cost of the Council’s instrumental music service but was instigated to provide free curriculum experiences and remove charging models in place in some Council’s prior to 2021. £,000 2024/25 WDC Budget 669 2024/25 SG Funding (205) 2024/25 Net Cost to WDC 464 The rationale to charge for music tuition is to generate income for the Council and could result in limiting any cuts to the instrumental music service. However, balancing this positive against the potential negative public perception of charging to provide curriculum is high risk; as is the risk of Scottish Government removing funding stream to the local authority. Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: A charging regime has a risk of challenge as a local policy decision to charge pupils departs from the national policy intent of free access to music education. There is no statutory obligation on the Council to provide free instrumental music tuition. However, there is a statutory obligation to deliver an education service in line with Curriculum for Excellence which entitles children and young people to receive a comprehensive and equitable education, tailored to meet their individual needs and aspirations.
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In 2020/21, the Scottish Government abolished all charges for instrumental music education to ensure all children, irrespective of background, have access to music education. Since 2021, Scottish Government has provided funding to support the removal of fees for instrumental music tuition. The funding supplements the local authority costs and is intended to ‘allow local authorities to maintain the existing level of free instrumental music tuition and enhance music services where possible’ (Scottish Government, Funding Letter March 2024). Government communication to local authorities (16 Feb 2022) regarding revenue funding for the curriculum states that the policy aims to “remove charges sometimes levied on children and young people in primary and secondary schools for participation in core curriculum subjects.” The scope of the funding includes activities associated with preparation for SQA qualifications in the senior phase and optional instrumental music tuition, which is covered under a separate manifesto commitment. Reduction in service uptake may result in potentially talented students missing out on opportunities to develop their skills due to financial constraints and a possible reduction in the number of students gaining SQA music practical qualifications. Reputational Risk - Charging for music tuition will disproportionately affect low- income families, limiting access to music education for those who cannot afford it. This is contrary to the local Child Poverty Action Plan. People Risk: No impact on staff Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 Option £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 1 - £30 per hour 80 0 120 0 120 0 2 - £15 per hour 40 0 60 0 60 0 3 - £5 per hour 13 0 20 0 20 0 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: N/A Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1162
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Peter Barry / Gail Macfarlane Saving Ref: HE01 Saving Title Reduce Modern Apprenticeship investment Summary of Savings Proposal The Apprenticeship Investment Fund meets the initial salary costs for new apprentices in their first year of training. It is funded through a £200,000 from the general fund and £50,000 from the cost-of-living fund, committed for four years from 2023/24 to 2026/27. The option proposes a £20,000 reduction in general fund support each year from 2025/26 to 2027/28. Total cumulative reduction of £60k. The fund serves three inter-related purposes: • To underpin the Council’s workforce development, supporting service departments to employ apprentices (workforce of the future). • To assist the Council to meet its commitment of supporting young people from West Dunbartonshire to secure good quality employment. • To coordinate work across the Foundation Apprenticeship Scheme (school pupils making the transition to work), the Modern Apprenticeship Scheme (industry standard skills and qualifications) and in-work progression (support to develop skills for people who are in-work and want to progress by obtaining industry standard qualification, secure promoted posts). In 2027/28 the cost-of-living support will cease (£50,000) and the table sets out the detail of the availability of funding: Year General Fund (£000) Cost of Living (£000) Total WDC (£000) General Fund Saving (£000) Apprenticeship Numbers 2024/25 200 50 250 29 2025/26 180 50 230 20 25 2026/27 160 50 210 40 21 2027/28 140 0 140 60 16 In total by 2027/2028 the apprenticeship investment fund will be reduced from its current level of £250,000 a year to £140,000 with £60,000 of the reduction being from the general fund. Apprenticeship places would be reduced from supporting 29 in 2024/25 to 16 in 2027/28. Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: The proposal will reduce support for apprentices. There is a need to ensure apprentices comply with training and qualification standards set out in the industry frameworks. This incurs a cost which is met through competitive contracts with Skills Development Scotland secured by Working4U. These funds are only available if we achieve the expected number of apprentice starts. Future funding for
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apprentice wages and associated accreditation/training costs would have to be identified by services seeking to employ new apprentices. People Risk: The direct impact is the reduction in the number of apprentices over three years. The indirect impact is the potential loss of Skills Development Scotland contracts that meet the training and accreditation and associated staff costs to deliver the training. Reputational Risk: The Council has a well-established apprenticeship support structure which has contributed to achievement of workforce development aims and provided access to good quality jobs and training. This option risks reducing a pathway to good quality employment. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 20 0 40 0 60 0 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: N/A Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1040
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Peter Barry / Gail Macfarlane Saving Ref: HE02 Saving Title Reduce Working4U Summary of Savings Proposal Working4U has 83 employees (67 Full Time Equivalents). Of these: • 37 (32 FTE) are funded by the Council • 46 (35 FTE) are funded by external grants (these are primarily, but not exclusively, employability service staff). This option below sets out a proposed reduction in number of employees funded by the Council of between 4.5FTE and 18 FTE. Option 1 - Reduction of 4.5 FTE - saving £206,000. Option 2 - Reduction of 9 FTE - saving £412,500. Option 3 - Reduction of 14 FTE - saving £619,125. Option 4 - Reduction of 18 FTE - saving £825,500. Working4U had gross expenditure of £5,692,546 in 2023/24. £1,655,000 of the £5,692,546 is provided by West Dunbartonshire Council General Fund. Funding has been awarded by external agencies for ring-fenced activity that is managed and delivered by Working4U. This includes funding from the Scottish Government Employability (No One Left behind) and UK Gov grants (UKSFPF); Macmillan Cancer Funds; and SDS grants to deliver apprenticeship training). External funds are ring-fenced for specific eligible activities; predominantly employability support for working age residents. Grant conditions stipulate the need for: strategic and operational delivery plans; partnership management and working with the third sector through the provision of grants and contracts; the development of assurance/risk management frameworks; service quality assurance; and extensive progress and finance monitoring and reporting (grant lifecycle management). This includes the direct delivery of community-based learning activities that are not directly linked to securing employment (adult literacy and numeracy, support for people with additional special needs and ESOL) and the provision of debt and benefits advice. In total the controllable staff complement is 18fte. Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: Each option will reduce the number of employees available to deliver W4U services including adult and community-based learning, benefit/debt advice and to support people into employment and apprenticeships. It would also impact on the capacity to apply for ad hoc external funding. Recent examples of funding secured include for initiatives to test new ideas to address child poverty and to reduce the reliance on food banks and assist with the rise in cost-of-living. Should option 4 be progressed the team would deliver services funded by external agencies with a focus on employability support; assisting working age adults who have expressed the aim of securing employment.
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People Risk: Up to 18 FTE employees could be impacted. Reputation Risk: The Council has established a range of services for people who are most disadvantaged and a number of individuals and groups have come to rely on the services to overcome poverty. The option would reduce capacity to apply for external funding and could lead to the loss of opportunity for securing additional income/benefits for residents. A reduction in service provision and in turn the support offered carries a reputational risk. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 Option £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 1 103 4.5 206 4.5 206 4.5 2 206 9 412 9 412 9 3 309.5 14 619 14 619 14 4 412.5 18 825 18 825 18 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1032
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Peter Barry Saving Ref: HE03 Saving Title Reduce Temporary Accommodation Furniture Budget Summary of Savings Proposal Under this option, plans to retire 18 temporary accommodation homes in 2025/26 would be delayed until 2026/27. If the plans had progressed in 2025/26, £1,000 per home would have been required to pay for white goods for 18 new temporary accommodation units. The cessation of the rotation of the temporary accommodation homes would reduce planned expenditure by £18k in 2025/26. This would not be recurring as the planned activity would be reprofiled into 2026/27. Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: The proposal would be contrary to a service commitment made to the Council in terms of the rotation of the units, however as the proposed cessation is for a single year it would mean the proposed activity would take a year longer than anticipated. The cessation may negatively impact on the housing access system and, in terms of the Council being in a housing emergency, may lead to longer stays in temporary accommodation, however this will be managed by the Housing Options service. People Risk: No FTE impact Reputational Risk: Proposal may be viewed negatively by neighbouring tenants and residents through the continued use of a neighbouring home as temporary accommodation, though it should be noted the management of temporary accommodation is off a high standard and any concerns are resolved timeously. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 18 0 0 0 0 0 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: N/A Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1064
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Peter Barry Saving Ref: HE04 Saving Title Reduce CCTV Service Summary of Savings Proposal The CCTV service provides monitoring and surveillance to prevent and detect anti- social and criminal behaviour, promoting safety and wellbeing within communities. The team has 7 FTE employees and operates 24/7, 365 days per year providing coverage via 407 cameras located throughout West Dunbartonshire. In 2024 there were 2,080 incidents until December 2024, an average of six incidents per day, recorded with the nature of them being wide ranging and include large scale disturbances, violence/assaults, theft, vulnerable persons, Anti-Social Behaviour, domestic abuse, drugs, vandalism, fires, road traffic and public nuisance. There are four options to consider Option Impact FTE Impact Saving (£,000) 1 Delete 1 Development Officer CCTV and fund an additional CCTV operative. Saving of £11,000 is difference in two salaries. Minor reduction in resilience. 1 11 2 Delete 1 Development Officer CCTV and 1 CCTV Operator. Restructure of service provision with reduced monitoring provision. There would be live CCTV monitoring 7 days per week between 12pm and midnight. 2 62 3 Delete 1 Development Officer CCTV and 3 CCTV Operators. Restructure of service provision with limited monitoring provision remaining. There would be no real time CCTV monitoring provision. 4 120 4 Delete 1 CCTV Supervisor and 4 CCTV Operators. Restructure of service provision with no monitoring provision remaining. There would be no real time CCTV monitoring provision. 5 144 Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risks - There is a risk of increased crime or Anti-Social Behaviour due to reduced ability to prevent and detect crime in communities. Also reduced capacity to provide evidence for court proceedings. There is an increased risk of Anti-Social Behaviour / criminal incidents, going undetected as CCTV supports the Council’s Anti-Social Behaviour Team and Police Scotland.
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People Risk: Loss of 1-5 FTE depending on option taken Reputational Risk: Given the level of capital investment from UK Government and the HRA, reduction in CCTV operation poses a reputational risk as any periods of unmanned CCTV increases the risk of missing real time opportunity to capture serious Anti-Social Behaviour / Criminal activities. Risk of residents feeling loss of wellbeing, safety and confidence. Saving 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 1 6 1 11 1 11 1 2 31 2 62 2 62 2 3 60 4 120 4 120 4 4 72 5 144 5 144 5 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target. Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1166
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Victoria Rogers Saving Ref: PT12 Saving Title Reduce Corporate Administration Support Summary of Savings Proposal The Corporate Administration Support (CAS) team provides administrative support across all Council service areas, excluding schools and the Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP). CAS currently has 85.4 FTE employees. Option 1 – Reduction of 1 FTE - saving £33k The number of employees would be reduced by one FTE and tasks undertaken by the team reviewed as a result. Option 2 – Reduction of 3 FTE- saving £91k The number of employees would reduce by three FTE with a review of tasks undertaken by the team reviewed as a result. Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: Option 1 will have a minimal impact on services as administrative tasks will not cease however the reduction in resources may result in longer processing times. Option 2 will see cessation of payroll support tasks and FOI support for all areas, except Education where FOIs will continue to be distributed to services to complete the processing and issue. People Risk: The options will be delivered through a combination of Voluntary Early Retirement/Voluntary Severance and vacancies. Reputational Risk: The cessation of support for payroll tasks and FOIs will impact on the responsiveness of individual service areas. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 1 33 1.2 33 1.2 33 1.2 2 91 3 91 3 91 3 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target. Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1149
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Victoria Rogers Saving Ref: PT14 Saving Title People & Change Team Restructure Summary of Savings Proposal The proposal is to restructure the People & Change team, reducing the number of posts and delivering compliance with the Council’s Strategic Operating Model. This will be delivered as part of a wider service review of the People and Technology service. Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: Current strategy and programmes are in place to 2027 so will have a lesser impact in the short term. Future risk will be a reduction in resource and consequential impact on ability to respond to service demand, longer delivery times as well as loss of experience from team. People Risk: The team will reduce by 1.6 FTE including a management role in HR and 0.6 FTE specialist Health & Safety role. Re-aligning the team ensures compliance with the operating model and secures a lighter but still focussed, delivery model. Reputational Risk: While unlikely as a direct consequence of this release, fewer senior HR professionals will have an impact on resource including for claims and litigation. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 62 1.6 97 1.6 97 1.6 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 1.0 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target. Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1059
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Victoria Rogers Saving Ref: PT15 Saving Title Reduce Organisational Development Summary of Savings Proposal As part of a wider service review 1FTE Organisational Development (OD) post would be removed and remaining OD employees would be realigned under one of the People & Change Partners within Strategic HR. Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: There will be less development and bespoke work/support for learning and development. Current programmes will be maintained. There are moves nationally to progress a more joined up training offering covering digital and leadership which could potentially mitigate to some degree. People Risk: The management of this speciality will merge with another specialist role (HR) although there will be a reduction in resource. Reputational Risk: N/A Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 60 1 60 1 60 1 FTE impact delivered through VER: 1 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target. Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No:1058
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Victoria Rogers Saving Ref: PT18 Saving Title Outsource Print Room Summary of Savings Proposal Currently the Council has an in-house printing service for essential, non-avoidable print jobs. The service costs £177k inclusive of staffing (2.5 FTE), equipment and consumables. This is in addition to spend incurred by individual services for printing with external printers. Under this proposal, printing would be outsourced delivering a saving of circa £50k (difference between internal costs and estimated outsourcing costs) per year. Services requiring approved printing would send to the external printer via their devices to be actioned. External printing and enveloping is already in place for Council Tax notices and the model has operated successfully. Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: Potential risks for service delivery which would arise from the change can be effectively managed through careful planning, proactive measures, and the establishment of a service level agreement (SLA). There is a risk costs may be higher than projected however should the proposal be approved, a procurement exercise would be undertaken before any final decision is made to outsource. People Risk: The option will result in potential displacement of 2.5 FTE. Reputational Risk: Any proposal to outsource services carries a reputational risk. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 25 1.25 50 2.5 50 2.5 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1183
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Victoria Rogers Saving Ref: PT20 Saving Title Reduce ICT Team Summary of Savings Proposal Information, Communications and Technology (ICT) provides centralised services across the Council and partnerships, including Health and Social Care Partnership, West Dunbartonshire Leisure Trust and Valuation Joint Board. The service includes delivery and support of network infrastructure to provide access to critical business systems such as finance, social care, housing, and desktop office applications such as MS Teams, email and office 365 suite. In addition, ICT delivers and supports technology across all educational establishments. The team are currently migrating council employees to MS 365 & SharePoint/One Drive, implementing an Artificial Intelligence note taking solution, delivering hybrid working solutions and improving desktop application access for employees. In addition, the ICT network team are currently rolling out a new SWAN2 wide area network project which will deliver fit for future bandwidth capacity at all council locations, upgrading internal and external firewalls to improve the cyber security posture, and planning the replacement of a council wide telephony system which includes a new contact centre solution to enhance citizen communication. ICT currently employs 55 FTE, including 7 employees funded by capital. Option 1 – Reduction of 2 FTE - saving £84k Option 2 – Reduction of 4 FTE - saving £168k Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: Any reduction in ICT resource would impact the provision of support available to employees and across all services and partnerships. This impact is likely to include delays in the response to and resolution of device issues and ICT incidents, result in patching and updates during working hours thereby increasing disruption and will risk service delivery across the Council. Capacity to deliver capital projects would be reduced and additional costs could be incurred for consultancy as a result. There is also potential for increased exposure to threat and reduced capacity to respond to incidents. People Risk: There are 2 options presented, ranging from reduction of 2 to 4 FTE. Reputational Risk: Although ICT is not statutory, it supports statutory services. The Council cannot function without the ICT service and any reduction would impact on services, system provision, security, and response. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28
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Option £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 1 42 2 84 2 84 2 2 84 4 168 4 168 4 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target. Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1176
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Laurence Slavin Saving Ref: RES01 Saving Title Reduce External Funding Summary of Savings Proposal The Council’s general fund provides funding to a range of external groups/organisations to help pay for a range of services/activity. There is scope to either fully remove or reduce this funding in 2025/26 or on a phased basis over a number of years. The table below sets out the groups currently in receipt of funding from the general fund, a summary of what the funding is provided for and any other additional funding they receive from the Council or HSCP or in-kind support from Council Officers. Group Reason for Funding General Fund 2024/25 (£) Other Funding / Support West Dunbartonshire Community & Volunteering Services Voluntary Grant funding for social transport (£50k), play schemes and running costs (£25k). 75,000 N/A YSortIt Engage with young people in a variety of ways, including the provision of issue based workshops, personal development, group work, support to achieve accreditation, and assist the development of healthy lifestyles and facilitate participation in community projects. 87,820 £39,000 of transition funding from Cost-of-Living Fund which expires in 2026/27. Benefit from concessionary rental at Bonhill Community Centre since 2021 (£1 if asked). Market rate would be £15,000. Discussions ongoing regarding rental with a further two years rent free proposed and stepped rental thereafter. YSortIt Education Specific - Care connections and community mentoring supports for children and young people who are care experienced. Supports out of school learning and mentoring 76,000 £189,000 of HSCP funding to provide advocacy and support for Young Carers
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Antonine Sports Centre Provide access to sports and community facilities in Duntocher 74,516 Benefit from concessionary rental leases at two properties. o Antonine Sports Centre concessionary rental of £5 per annum. Market rate would be £80,000 o Glenhead Community Centre concessionary rental of £1 per annum. Market rate would be £24,000. Clyde Shopmobility Deliver a mobility scooter, manual and powered wheelchair service to residents from its base in Clydebank Shopping Centre 47,760 N/A Clydebank Asbestos Group Support running costs related to the provision of support, advice and information for victims of asbestos and their families 21,560 N/A Woman’s Aid (Clydebank and Dumbarton) Support running costs related to the provision of support and information to women, children and young people experiencing domestic abuse 250,000 N/A Lomond and Clyde Care & Repair Support to private homeowners to help them apply for grant funding via the Council for medical adaptations or essential repairs. 41,000 £164,210 of HSCP funding to provide repairs service and keypads for carer entry to HSCP clients. WD Citizen’s Advice Bureau Support for debt and benefit advice and consumer rights. 221,583 £40,000 received from Dumbarton Common Good. Community Wellbeing Fund Recurring budget of £20k to support community groups with up to £2,000 for hall and facility hire. 20,000 N/A Total 915,239
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Some indicative options for consideration are set out in the table below however other options can also be considered. Note the indicative options assume all groups are considered for reductions and treated equally. It would also be possible to apply different percentage savings to groups on an individual basis. Option Cumulative Saving (£) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 Fully remove funding in 2025/26 915,239 915,239 915,239 Phase out funding over two years 457,620 915,239 915,239 Phase out funding over three years 305,080 610,159 915,239 Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: There is a possibility the removal of funding might place a further demand on some Council services if the Community Group For example if an affected group supports individuals who would otherwise seek support from other Council services. People Risk: None Reputational Risk: There would be a reputational risk to the Council as reduction in funding to any of these groups would have a detrimental impact on the support service they provide to communities across West Dunbartonshire. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 1 – Remove in Year 1 915 0 915 0 915 0 2 – Phase 2 Years 458 0 915 0 915 0 3 – Phase 3 years 305 0 610 0 915 0 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: N/A Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1229, 1230, 1231, 1232, 1233, 1234, 1236, 1238, 1242
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Laurence Slavin Saving Ref: RES05 Saving Title Reduce Council Tax and Benefits Service Summary of Savings Proposal The Council Tax team is responsible for maintaining the Council Tax database, completing registration of new Council Taxpayers, administering discounts and exemptions processing sequestrations/trust deeds and processing refunds. This is the key to ensuring a high Council Tax collection rate. This option would remove 0.5 FTE in 2026/27 saving £14,000. There is no saving proposed for 2025/26 as the team are part of a Scottish Government data sharing pilot with work beginning during the next financial year. Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk – Reduction in team may result in an increased backlog and delays in resident’s discounts and/or exemptions being applied and in registration of new taxpayer accounts. People Risk: 0.5 FTE impact in 2026/27 with no vacancies at current time. Reputational Risk - Delays in processing times for registration, discounts and/or exemptions could result in increased complaints being received. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 0 0 14 0.5 14 0.5 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target. Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1173
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Laurence Slavin Saving Ref: RES06 Saving Title Reduce Corporate Debt Team Summary of Savings Proposal The Corporate Debt Team are responsible for rent, council tax, sundry and non- domestic rates debt collections which are key income streams for the Council. They also complete court actions for recoveries of these debts. In terms of outstanding debt, the service currently manages a rent arrear caseload of 3,545 current and 585 former tenants (£3m), 10,000 Council Tax summary warrants (£7m), £10m of sundry debt and £3m of Non-Domestic Rates warrants. The team also carry out preventative work to avoid debts being created for residents and other ad-hoc tasks required to be completed during the year, which includes over 6,000 annual rent verifications on DWP’s universal credit portal and providing a telephone and counter service for residents. The service receives around 22,200 calls per year. This option would remove 2 FTE from the team in 2025/26 increasing to 3 FTE in future years. Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk - Any reduction to the Corporate Debt Team section would impact on the Council’s income collection. People Risk – Two FTE impact increasing to 3 in 2026/27 with vacancy at the current time. Reputational Risk: Reputational risk to council / risk of negative publicity if debt write offs level increase. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 44 2 67 3 67 3 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 1 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1172
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Laurence Slavin Saving Ref: RES08 Saving Title Reduce Caretaker Summary of Savings Proposal There are three caretakers (one full time and two part time) covering Lomond Trade Centre, Leven Valley Enterprise Centre, Artizan Centre and Clyde Street Business Centre, Clydebank. The team provides a caretaking provision at each location which includes caretaking, general janitorial duties, fire alarm testing, cleaning duties at three of the four locations (none at the Artizan) and reporting any arising maintenance issues. The full-time caretaker covers Leven Valley Enterprise Centre and Artizan Shopping Centre, splitting his day between the locations as required over a 37-hour week. During holiday periods and sickness absence an external contractor provides cleaning/cover on an hourly basis. This is charged at £24.50 plus VAT per hour. This option would remove 1.02 FTE which equates leaving 1 FTE across the four locations. Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: It is anticipated that there will be minimal impact on service delivery across the four locations. This option would require use of an external contractor during periods of annual leave and sickness across three of the locations. People Risk: 1.02 FTE will be displaced as a result of this saving option which equates to two employees. Reputational Risk: It is anticipated there will be minimal reputational risk. Communications will require to be issued to tenants to confirm changes. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 24 1.02 32 1.02 32 1.02 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1205
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Laurence Slavin Saving Ref: RES12 Saving Title Reduce Elderly Welfare Grant Summary of Savings Proposal The Council currently offers £15 per year in Elderly Welfare Grants to all West Dunbartonshire residents over the age of 67. The budget for this grant is £110,000. Individuals have the option to have funding paid to themselves or allocated to a group they are involved with for use for a social event. Last year approximately £88,000 was paid to individuals and groups. Administration of this fund involves significant manual intervention for a range of services. Officers must verify applications, pay £15 to each applicant, and manage discrepancies including failed bank transfers. The Council relies on individuals to update personal records. When information is not kept up to date it can lead to a significant additional workload. In addition to the £110,000 saving, a further £10,000 could be saved from year two on costs associated with issuing remittance advice to each individual. This £10,000 saving would not be realised in year one as the Council would require to notify in writing those currently in receipt of the grant that it is no longer available. There are two options for this proposal. Option 1 – Cease payment of these grants with a percentage of the saving redirected to an external body to support charities who focus on supporting the elderly. For the purposes of this template a 50% redirection has been costed however there would be flexibility to consider a different percentage. Option 2 – Cease payment of these grants with none of the saving redirected. Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: N/A People Risk: N/A Reputational Risk: General risk of criticism for removing grants to elderly citizens. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 Option £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 1 55 0 60 0 60 0 2 110 0 120 0 120 0 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: N/A Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1221
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Laurence Slavin Saving Ref: RES14 Saving Title Reduce Housing Benefit and Council Tax Team Summary of Savings Proposal The Council’s Housing Benefit (HB) & Council Tax Reduction (CTR) team administers HB and CTR applications and change in circumstances, manages and processes Free School Meal (FSM) & Clothing Grant (CG) applications and also manages the Discretionary Housing Payment (DHP) Scheme and Overpayment Recoveries for HB for the Council. The table below summarises the team’s annual workload. HB & CTR applications 1,975 HB & CTR change in circumstances 29,121 HB Subsidy Paid £31.9m FSM & CG applications 4,251 DHP applications 4,741 Value of DHP awards £2.9m Overpayments identified in year £0.875m This option would reduce the team by 0.5 FTE saving £16,000 per annum. Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk – Reductions in HB and CTR processing resource may impact on the welfare support delivered to residents. It is estimated that average processing times for new claims would increase from 12 days to 18 days and changes in circumstances would increase from 4 days to 6 days. People Risk - 0.5 FTE impact with no vacancies a current time. Reputational Risk - Reputational risk to council / risk of negative publicity if there are delays processing benefits to residents. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 16 0.5 16 0.5 16 0.5 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target. Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1174
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Laurence Slavin Saving Ref: RES16 Saving Title Reduce Community Council Funding Summary of Savings Proposal The Council’s general fund provides £14,000 of funding to Community Councils as a flat rate £750 administration grant plus a per capita allowance. The Council is required by statute to support community councils. In the past the Council has reduced officer support provided to them and part of the justification was the provision of the grant to pay for admin support/necessary ICT etc. If the grant is fully removed it will increase pressure for greater officer support which is likely to cost more. Furthermore funding for Community Councils cannot be fully removed without a special meeting of the Council to consider the matter and a two thirds majority vote. However the grant can be reduced. There are four options to consider. Option Reduction (£,000) 1. 25% Reduction 3.5 2. 50% Reduction 7 3. 75% Reduction 10.5 4. 100% Reduction (requires special Council Meeting) 14 Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: N/A People Risk: N/A Reputational Risk: There is a reputational risk as an expectation exists that local authorities will support community councils financially. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 Option £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 1 3.5 0 3.5 0 3.5 0 2 7 0 7 0 7 0 3 10.5 0 10.5 0 10.5 0 4 14 0 14 0 14 0 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: N/A Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1202
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Laurence Slavin Saving Ref: RES19 Saving Title Reduce Asset Management Team Summary of Savings Proposal Asset Management provide strategic and operational management of the Council’s operational portfolio including full asset life cycle management for 146 properties. This saving would reduce the team from 13 FTE to 11.7FTE generating a saving of £55,000. Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: Increased risk of delay delivering capital projects. Council properties will not be inspected as frequently which may create a revenue pressure through increased revenue and maintenance costs to prevent establishments closing, due to capital works not being carried out in a timely manner or delays sourcing external contractors. People Risk: 1.3 FTE will be displaced. Reputational Risk: Minimal reputational risk. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 55 1.3 55 1.3 55 1.3 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1204
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Gail Macfarlane Saving Ref: RN02 Saving Title Remove Public Toilets Provision Summary of Savings Proposal The Council operates four automated public toilets at the following locations: • 2 on Dumbarton High St (Riverbank on Riverside Lane & Riverside Lane) • 1 in Balloch (Balloch Road) • 1 in Alexandria (Overton Street at Main Street) The expenditure budget associated with the contract is for all four is £114,000 per year and the Council receives an income of circa £3,000 per year (net budget of £111,000 per annum). The cost to provide all four is £137,000 in 2024/25 which is index linked so will increase further in 2025/26. This saving option would save the net expenditure budget of £111,000 and provide for future cost avoidance as a cost pressure will be required to be added to the budget to align expenditure to inflated contractual cost. The current contract terminates in May 2026 with a 12-month notice required. This proposal is to close all four from May 2026. Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: Reduced access to public toilets in town centre areas however there are alterative toilet facilities in cafes etc located in these areas that could be used with agreement. People Risk: None Reputational Risk: There may be a negative reaction to reducing public toilet provision. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 0 0 93 0 111 0 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: NA Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1185
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Gail Macfarlane Saving Ref: RN17 Saving Title Reduce School Crossing Patrollers Summary of Savings Proposal The Council currently provides school crossing patrollers at 30 locations sited at locations where there are no controlled crossings. The controllers are in place for the start and finish of the school day. Patrollers are based along safe routes to schools. These routes have been identified and are monitored by Education and Roads within School Safety Plans. Any locations highlighted by parents, pupils or schools will be assessed for physical measures. Children will continue to receive education on road safety, including the safe crossing of roads and awareness of vehicle movement. There is no statutory obligation to provide a school crossing service. There are two options to consider. Option 1 – Prioritised Locations (£58k – 3 FTE Reduction) - 17 crossing patrollers would be retained with 13 crossing patrollers removed. Sites for crossing patrollers would be prioritised based on location and traffic conditions. Option 2 – No Crossing Patrollers (£144k – 7.1 FTE Reduction) – All crossing patrollers would be removed. Children will continue to receive education on road safety, including the safe crossing of roads and awareness of vehicle movement. Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: Crossing patrollers will either no longer be sited at some or all crossing points, the locations dependant on saving option taken. People Risk: Between 3 and 7.1 FTE would be displaced of which 0.7 would be from existing vacancies. Reputational Risk: Parents may perceive that the removal or reduction of crossing patrollers increases risk for children travelling to school. Saving (Cumulative) Option 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 1 23 3.0 58 3.0 58 3.0 2 66 7.1 144 7.1 144 7.1 FTE impact delivered through vacancies – 0.7 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1187
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Gail Macfarlane Saving Ref: RN18 Saving Title Reduce Footway Gritting Summary of Savings Proposal As part of the Council’s Winter Maintenance Programme, footway gritting is undertaken during adverse weather on priority routes. This includes treatment of main routes at schools, hospitals, sheltered housing complexes, day care centres, public buildings, transport hubs and urban shopping areas. Priority treatment also takes place on main pedestrian routes in major residential developments. Priority treatment is undertaken during the hours of 8am - 3.30pm Monday to Friday, with an average annual cost of £136,000. There are two options to consider. Option 1 – Reduce service by 50% - Teams would continue to treat footways on main roads, main shopping areas and around schools however more residential locations and steep gradients would remain untreated. Grit bins would be re-stocked regularly to assist residents. Option 2 – Cease all footway gritting - Provision of footway gritting would cease. The Council would consider whether additional grit bin provision is necessary to assist residents. Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: The removal of FTE over the winter period will reduce the level of Greenspace Maintenance over both the Summer and Winter periods. People Risk: Reduction in operational workforce will impact on resources available to carry out general ground works such as street sweeping, litter collection vegetation cutback etc. Reputational Risk: Untreated sections of the network could lead to increased claims from residents and a reputational risk to the Council. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 Option £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 1 34 2 68 2 68 2 2 68 4 136 4 136 4 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target. Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1190
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Gail Macfarlane /Laurence Slavin Saving Ref: RN19 Saving Title Close and Transfer Bowling Club Amenities Summary of Savings Proposal The Council currently maintain the buildings and grounds of six bowling clubs. • Whitecrook Bowling Pavilion • Christie Park Veterans Bowling Pavilion • Goldenhill Bowling Pavilion • Bonhill Veterans Bowling Pavilion • Balloch Veterans Bowling Pavilion • Renton Veterans Bowling Pavilion The savings proposal is to merge and retain two bowling clubs with one either located at Whitecrook or Goldenhill and one located at Christie Park. The Council will continue to maintain the greens, building and associated amenities at the two retained clubs. The other four will no longer be maintained. The membership fees for Goldenhill and Whitecrook are managed by West Dunbartonshire Leisure Trust. All members receive the concessionary rate of £28.45 per season generating a total income of £1,384 per year. As a comparison the annual expenditure is approximately £52,000 for the two sites to cover building and grounds maintenance. The veteran club members do not pay any fee to the Council but receive maintenance of buildings and grounds. Currently grass cutting costs £24,000 for the four veteran sites with additional costs for building maintenance. The potential saving/income generation are estimated to be • £24,000 reduction in grass cutting costs • £20,000 reduction in building maintenance costs • £15,000 rental income following mergers which would be generated from the sites considered surplus. There is a dedicated resource to support the mergers. Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: Reduction in bowling club provision with an associated reduction in requirement for grounds and maintenance. The workforce reduction will impact the resource capacity to undertake footway gritting and respond to severe weather events. People Risk: There is a 1.5FTE impact. Reputational Risk: The membership of all bowling clubs are low and tend to be older members of the community. Merging these may have accessibility issues for
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members in relation to leisure and social activities. However, the option proposes the retention of a club facility within both Dumbarton and Clydebank areas. It is anticipated that there is alternative capacity to accommodate membership of the affected bowling clubs. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 22 1.5 44 1.5 59 1.5 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1110
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Gail Macfarlane Saving Ref: RN20 Saving Title Close or Reduce Dalmuir Golf Course Summary of Savings Proposal The Council maintains and manages Dalmuir Golf Course. There are 180 annual members. Membership details are set out below. The anticipated subsidy for year 2024/25 is £145,000 (£805 per member). Year Members Day Visitors Income Subsidy 2022/23 218 4,188 £105,000 £106,000 2023/24 204 6,961 £101,000 £130,000 2024/25 180 TBC £39,889 excluding day visitor income £145,000 (estimate) There are three options: Option 1 – 10% charge increase and align OAP membership to Concession rate (£4.5k) The breakdown of membership charge for 2024/25: Member Type Membership Charge (£) No of Members Income Full 300 91 27,300 WDLT 242 10 2,420 Juvenile 60 3 180 OAP 121 63 7,623 Concession 181 13 2,366 TOTAL 180 £39,889 (exc day) Proposed charging model: (includes an indicative drop in membership reflecting previous years) Member Type Membership Charge (£) No of Members (Assumed) Income (Estimate) Full 330 91 27,060 WDLT 266 10 2,660 Juvenile 66 3 198 OAP 200 55 11,000
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Concession 200 13 2,600 TOTAL 172 £43,518 (exc day) As a comparator Hardgate golf course peak membership is £875 with off peak (concession) £656. Option 2: Reduce to a 12-hole golf course (£58k) Reduce the course to a 12-hole course which will reduce the maintenance requirement with a workforce reduction of 1.5FTE and possibly provide a potential for a capital receipt from the surplus land. Option 3: Closure of the Golf Course (£168k plus £100k cost pressure avoided) Full closure of golf course will remove all maintenance requirements with a workforce reduction of 5FTE and possibly provide a potential for a capital receipt from the surplus land. Note that the 2025/26 budget incorporates a cost pressure of £100,000 due to under recovery of income for the Golf Course. If option 3 is selected this would generate the saving of staff costs plus remove the need for the new cost pressure Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: Reducing the course to 12 holes could make it a less attractive venue and potentially reduce participation and income. There are a number of 9-hole golf courses that are within neighbouring local authorities that are active golf clubs. There is a risk that if the charge increases that membership will fall however following the petition last year golf club members stated they would be prepared to pay an increase in membership fee to retain Dalmuir as a golf course. The reduction in workforce will reduce resource capacity during the winter months which will impact on footway gritting and severe weather response. People Risk: Options 2 and 3 have a staff impact. Reputational Risk: The golf course is currently designated greenbelt therefore there will be planning restrictions in relation to what type of development could be proposed. It would also be contrary to policies protecting open space / playing fields. Closure of this facility would mean there would be no publicly accessible golf facilities within West Dunbartonshire however there are a number of private golf course in close proximity. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 Option £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 1 4.5 0 4.5 0 4.5 0 2 29 1.5 58 1.5 58 1.5
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3 184 5 268 5 268 5 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1131
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Gail Macfarlane Saving Ref: RN21 Saving Title Cease Care of Gardens Scheme Summary of Savings Proposal There is a universal annual charge of £110 per year for the Care of Gardens Scheme which can be paid in instalments. Residents over 65 or registered as disabled are eligible to join the scheme. They receive two hedge cuts and six grass cuts per year. This equates to approximately £13.75 per visit. The qualifying criteria requires applicants to receive a disability benefit such as Personal Independence Payment, Disability Living Allowance, Attendance Allowance, Pension Credits or a care service from HSCP or be of pensionable age and receiving state benefit. The cost to deliver the service is an estimated £385 per user (£48 per visit). This means each visit is subsidised by £34.25 (£48 - £13.75). It is anticipated that any further increase in charges to remove the subsidy would result in a significant reduction in customers. After the introduction of the £100 charge in 2023/24 the take up has been 74 Pensioners (reduction of 29) and 604 on disability payment (reduction of 421) Residents who have not paid their invoice are not offered the opportunity to rejoin the scheme (237 users). To date in 2024/25 income of £57,310 has been received from 521 customers at an approximate cost to deliver the service of £200,585 resulting in a net cost to the Council of £143,275. There are currently 56 users of the scheme that are making payment through a payment plan and 85 that have made no payment. If the debt of the 85 is not cleared by the end of the financial year they will not be offered a service in 2025/26. This saving option would cease the service. Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: A letter is issued annually to all users in March to advise of the commencement date of the scheme and the associated charges. There is a risk that a number of residents sign up for the scheme but are unable to pay the charge and require to be pursued by the Council’s corporate debt team. The reduction in workforce will reduce the resource available to undertake footway gritting and severe weather response. People Risk: Workforce impact on eight seasonals and two permanent operatives. Reputational Risk: If the service is no longer delivered by the Council, residents would require an alternative method of garden maintenance either through engaging an alternative provider or by carrying out the garden maintenance themselves.
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Saving 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 143 2 143 2 143 2 The FTE equivalent consists of 2 FTE permanent employees, 4 FTE seasonals employees who are employed for 0.5 year. Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1134
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Gail Macfarlane Saving Ref: RN22 Saving Title Reduce Street Cleaning Summary of Savings Proposal This option would reduce street cleaning and litter collection frequencies. The resources available will target locations that have increased visitor numbers such as parks and town centres with outlying areas and housing estates having a reduced service. There are three options as detailed below. Option Reduction in Operatives Impact Priority Areas 1 2 Reduction in street sweeping, bin emptying and litter picking within residential estates. Teams will continue to prioritise litter picking, bin emptying and street sweeping within town centres and public parks 2 4 Reduction in street sweeping, bin emptying and litter picking within our residential estates and public parks. Teams will continue to prioritise litter picking, bin emptying and street sweeping within town centres. 3 6 Reduction in street sweeping, bin emptying and litter picking within residential estates, public parks and Town Centres. There will be no prioritisation in any areas. Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: Given this group of employees also deliver footway gritting and flood prevention works during the winter period any reduction will also have an impact on the services ability to react to inclement weather events. People Risk: Reduction in workforce of between 2 and 6 FTE. Reputational Risk: The statutory level of street cleaning would continue to be met through all options. The area will not be as clean as litter collection and bin emptying will not be carried out as regularly and operatives would be required to target areas such as town centres therefore some outlying areas will have a reduced frequency of cleaning. Those areas impacted on the reduced frequency of cleaning will result in litter lying for longer periods of time and may lead to an increase in reports of vermin. In addition these areas may require additional reactive flood prevention measure as the lack of mechanical sweeping may lead to choked gulleys.
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Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 26 2 52 2 52 2 52 4 104 4 104 4 78 6 156 6 156 6 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 FTE Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target. Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1132
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Gail Macfarlane Saving Ref: RN23 Saving Title Reduce Street Lighting Summary of Savings Proposal All street lights would be programmed to be turned off between 1 am and 6am. Based on current estimates the annual electricity cost of one-hour operation of street lights in 2025/26 will be £68,603. This saving option is based on a 5 hour switch off. However the hours can be amended and the saving adjusted accordingly. There requires to be an estimated capital investment of £300k to install timers on columns to facilitate the saving. The borrowing costs are £24k per year over a life span of 20 years. It is anticipated the project would require at least 9 months lead in to procure a consultant to undertake design, facilitate procurement and for the installation of timers and undertake communications activity. There is an environmental benefit to reduced street lighting as there will be a reduction in light pollution and carbon footprint. This would support the council’s journey to net zero, nature recovery and encourage nocturnal wildlife. The Western Isles (Comhairle nan Eilean Siar1 Council) switch off lights from 10pm unless in areas of marine activity. A number of cities in Europe already either fully or partially switch off street lighting at night including a number of towns in France. There are also full or partial switch offs in council areas such as Surrey, West Sussex and Southampton. Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: Whilst turning off of street lights has been implemented in other areas, this has often been within more rural and less built up areas. Due to the nature of our network there would be very little benefit in only implementing this in rural areas and the proposal would be for a blanket turning off of all lights. People Risk: None Reputational Risk: There is no legal requirement on local authorities in the UK to provide street lighting. The Council does have a duty to ensure lighting units are kept in a safe condition. There is a perception that reduced lighting levels will lead to an increase in crime. While there is little actual evidence to support this, communities may feel less safe if street lights are switched off.
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Cumulative Saving 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 61 0 319 0 319 0 Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1130
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Gail Macfarlane Saving Ref: RN24 Saving Title Reduce Park Maintenance Summary of Savings Proposal The Council has four main parks: • Balloch Country Park • Christie Park • Levengrove Park • Dalmuir Park £480k is spent annually carrying out park maintenance such as grass cutting, vegetation cutback, hedge cutting, play area maintenance, flower planting and maintenance, litter collection etc. The service prioritise maintenance within these parks as these are the most popular and well used. There are 3 options to consider Option Maintenance Reduction Impact Annual Saving (£,000) 1 25% Remove all annual flowerbeds. Reduce frequencies of grass cutting. 3.5 FTE 120 2 50% Remove all annual flowerbeds. Cease cutting 50% of grassed areas and reduce frequency of remainder. 7 FTE 240 3 75% Remove all annual flowerbeds. Cease cutting 75% of grassed areas and reduce frequency of remainder. Reduce frequency of hedge cutting by 50%. 10.5 FTE 360 Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: The service will review operational plans to reduce maintenance within the parks. The reduction in resource capacity for winter activities will be considered as winter activities are programmed. Given that, this group of employees also deliver footway gritting and flood prevention works during the winter period any reduction will also have an impact on the services ability to react to inclement weather events. People Risk: impact on FTE is set out below. There will be an employee impact that will be a combination of a reduction in permanent and seasonal staff. Reputational Risk: The parks are valued by members of the community and visitors. Usage levels of the parks is currently very high due to the reduction in open space grass cutting agreed in previous years. The satisfaction levels will likely reduce as levels of cleanliness and maintenance reduce. There will also be a reduction in areas that can be used for recreational purposes.
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Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 Option £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 1 60 3.5 120 3.5 120 3.5 2 120 7 240 7 240 7 3 180 10.5 360 10.5 360 10.5 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate. Final position is dependent on split of permanent/seasonal employees. Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1193
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Gail Macfarlane Saving Ref: RN28 Saving Title Remove Open Space Maintenance on non Council Land Summary of Savings Proposal The Grounds currently maintain areas of open space within residential areas that are not owned by the Council. These are areas of open space where historically there has been a level of maintenance undertaken however is the responsibility of the homeowners or has never been transferred from the developer to the Council or had a factor appointed. These arrangements may have been in place for a number of years. This option would cease any grass cutting/grounds maintenance of open space not owned by the Council. Impact and Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: This will reduce the resource requirements and will allow programmes to be reviewed to reflect reduced capacity and prioritise areas of high amenity such as play areas. People Risk: The Service will reduce the number of seasonal appointments by 0.5 FTE to reflect reduction in extent of grass cutting requirements. Reputational Risk: This is not a statutory service. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 20 0.5 20 0.5 20 0.5 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: NA Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target. Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1141
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Gail Macfarlane Saving Ref: RN29 Saving Title Remove Event Support by Grounds Service Summary of Savings Proposal The Council provides staffing to support events including the annual fireworks display, Pipe Band Championship and Family Fun Days held across the area. The Dumbarton Common Good Fund provides £50,000 towards the cost of staging the Pipe Band Championships and £15,000 for the cost of the annual firework event. In addition to the costs met from the common good, services provide staffing for events through offering TOIL or incurring overtime. However, service reductions and the need to ensure overtime is essential, mean this is now challenging. The Greenspace staff costs for both events is £15,000 with further costs incurred by West Dunbartonshire Leisure Trust. Under this option, the Council would engage with community planning partners to ascertain if there was a willingness and budget within other organisations to support the events. Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: Any events undertaken will require budget to be made available to fund activities currently undertaken by Grounds as overtime. If additional external funding cannot be identified there is a risk these events will cease. People Risk: No reduction in FTE, as costs are overtime Reputational Risk: The events are popular, can increase footfall and bring economic benefit to the area. It may be possible to procure event support for the family fun days through an external source. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 15 0 15 0 15 0 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: N/A Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 211
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Gail Macfarlane Saving Ref: RN30 Saving Title Reduce Road Network & Capital Management Summary of Savings Proposal There are two saving options focused on implementing a revised charging scheme for roads construction consents with a universal charge for internal and external applicants. Option 1 – Road Construction Consent Charging Review (RCC) (£30k) The Service undertakes road construction consents and associated inspections for both internal and external development applications. It is proposed to update the charging scheme for road construction consents and the required inspection and monitoring of the road, lighting and drainage elements of a new development. As part of this option, the service would charge all internal and external applicants an updated road bond to include all inspection elements. The Service do not currently charge for roads construction consents for new HRA housing developments. This prevents us for charging for the inspection elements. It is anticipated that the charging scheme will increase income from external and HRA applications by approximately £25,000 per year however this depends on the number of applications received. The roads construction consent charging scheme will include the recharging of an Officer of an estimated £5,000. Option 2 – RCC Review and Reduction of 1 FTE (£70k) This saving option will be delivered through the introduction of the Road Construction Consent Charging Review (as above) and a reduction of 1 FTE which will reduce the capacity to monitor capital projects. It will also reduce technical support for responses to traffic signals, traffic management and processing of planning application responses. The Service have a number of statutory obligations and these will be prioritised with non statutory activities either ceased or delivered when resources allow. Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: Increased response times to customer enquiries. Impact on capital programme management and potential impact on key strategic traffic projects. Impact on quality and delivery times for planning consultations. Limited review of developer transport assessments submitted with planning applications. No
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resilience within service as reduced to minimal levels. This will reduce financial monitoring and technical support for our strategic capital projects. People Risk: Reduction of 1.0FTE Reputational Risk: There are a number of statutory functions within the Roads Service. It is anticipated there may be delays in delivering these or a risk of failing in our statutory duties. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 1 30 0 30 0 30 0 2 50 1 70 1 70 1 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target. Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1208
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Gail Macfarlane Saving Ref RN31 Saving Title Reduce Winter Plan Summary of Savings Proposal The Council currently operate six gritting routes across the area with six operatives on standby each week to respond to any treatment requirements. The timing of gritting actions is based on the weather forecast and as such are often undertaken outside of standard working hours. The operatives are paid a standby payment and overtime rate for any actions undertaken at night or weekends. Only primary gritting routes are treated outwith normal working hours. Primary routes include main roads (A, B, C class roads), access to emergency services stations, key public transport routes, main accesses to key commercial and industrial centres and medical centres, routes to schools, routes to remote and rural locations and known problem areas such as steep gradients. This option is to reduce the length of gritting routes with a view to reducing the number of routes from six to five and the number of operatives required to be on standby. This will be delivered through a reduction in the area covered by removing residential routes from the primary routes. The roads gritted under the primary routes would be reduced by 30%. This will mean secondary route gritting will be undertaken as and when resources allow, coverage will take longer due to fewer resources and a greater number of roads to cover. This would result in a saving on standby, overtime and salt usage. The resources available to undertake activities will be reduced as well as opportunity to make income for the service. The capital programme would be revised to increase footway resurfacing and reduce carriageway resurfacing to maximise appropriate recharges to capital. The Winter Plan will be reviewed to reflect the reduction in gritting and presented to Committee for approval in advance of implementing the gritting treatment reduction. Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: The extent of carriageway gritting would be reduced by 30%. Some more minor medical or industrial/commercial centres may be removed from primary gritting routes. Secondary routes will be undertaken when and if resources allow. In addition there will be reduced resources available to undertake carriageway surfacing and defect response. There will be a reduction in resilience to cover illness/annual leave etc. People Risk: There will be a reduction on standby and overtime including a reduction of three FTE.
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Reputational Risk: it is a statutory requirement to have a Winter Plan that sets out reasonable winter actions to maintain the safety of the road network. The Council would be required to review and approve the Winter Plan and accept risk of reduction of gritting coverage in advance of winter 2025/26. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 55 3 110 3 110 3 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target. Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1209
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Gail Macfarlane Saving Ref: RN32 Saving Title Cease Weed Killing Summary of Savings Proposal The Grounds Service carry out weed killing once a year. Under this option this would cease with no weed killing carried out on any roads, footways and residential open spaces. Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: The area will not be as well maintained with negative visual impact. Weeds can lead to surface deterioration of carriageway and path network and accumulations of detritus can cause flooding and drainage issues. People Risk: This activity is undertaken by a Contractor so will not have an impact on workforce. There is no ability internally to undertake this activity should there be requests or issues. Reputational Risk: There will be an increase in weeds throughout the local authority area with damage to carriageways and footways, potential flooding and detritus. Previously the Service undertook two treatments a year and this was reduced to one in 2024/25. Members of the public have viewed this negatively with a number of complaints received. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 50 0 50 0 50 0 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: N/A Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1192
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Gail Macfarlane Saving Ref: RN33 Saving Title Reduce Waste Services Summary of Savings Proposal The Council operates two civic amenity sites at Dalmoak, Renton, and Ferry Road, Old Kilpatrick which are open to residents for use. The proposal is to close one civic waste site. The reduction to one civic amenity site will require additional skips to increase capacity, reduce frequency of skip emptying and reduce periods of closure when skips are being emptied. The service will require to implement a booking system to manage access to the site and reduce traffic congestion, queuing and frustration. The capital investment is estimated to be £50k to extend the site and install additional skips. The borrowing costs would be £4k per year. Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: The ability to access a civic waste site access will be significantly reduced and a booking system will be required to ensure use is managed. There will be a requirement to close the sites at busy times to allow skips to be emptied therefore it is likely that opening times would be reviewed to allow this to happen in a planned manner. There are traffic management challenges at peak times, in particular on Renton Road where liaison would be required with Police Scotland to consider if traffic management is required externally to the site. There will be an impact on the level of recycling collected from the civic waste sites. People Risk: This proposal will reduce the workforce by five FTE Reputational Risk: It is a statutory requirement to have one civic waste site, there is no statutory requirement to have two. This will increase distance for some users depending where they live in the authority. It is anticipated that the site use will require to be managed to reduce frustration. There may be an increase in flytipping. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 86 5 176 5 176 5 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target. Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1191
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Gail Macfarlane Saving Ref: RN35 Saving Title Reduce Grass Cutting Summary of Savings Proposal This option would reduce open space grass cutting by 50%. This will impact on residential areas with grass cutting continued to be prioritised within parks and other high amenity areas. This would include a 20% reduction of grass cutting within cemeteries. Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: Open space grass cutting within residential areas would be vastly reduced with a visual impact on environment. There would be reduced level of areas for public recreation use. People Risk: Reduction of circa 10 seasonal employees. Reputational Risk: With the sensitive nature of cemetery maintenance there could be an increased level of public dissatisfaction. Reduction in grass cutting has historically been viewed negatively by residents. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 150 0 150 0 150 0 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1196
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Alan Douglas Saving Ref: RR04 Saving Title Remove Members’ Secretary Summary of Savings Proposal This option would reduce the members’ services team by 0.6 through deletion of a vacancy. Going forward there would be one members’ secretary in Clydebank, one in Dumbarton and the Provost’s secretary. The service provides secretarial support to 22 councillors including the Provost. Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: There is a risk current levels of service may not be maintained particularly during periods of annual leave and absence however the team operated with reduced staff in recent months due to turnover and managed workload. The team currently provides additional support to elected members who have disabilities, and it may not be possible to maintain this level going forward. This will be closely monitored. People Risk: The reduction will be delivered through deletion of a vacant post. Reputational Risk: N/A Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 22 0.6 22 0.6 22 0.6 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0.6 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target. Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1102
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Alan Douglas Saving Ref: RR17 Saving Title Reduce Trading Standards’ Summary of Savings Proposal The Trading Standards team has four employees. The team delivers a mix of statutory / mandatory services. As weights and measures authority the Council is statutorily obliged to enforce a number of regulatory provisions which ensure public safety and wellbeing and a fair marketplace for businesses. Under this proposal one full time equivalent (FTE) Trading Standards Officer would be removed. Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: A reduction of 1FTE would see the service revert to statutory/regulatory compliance roles with consumer protection and advice being restricted to a reactive service focussed on prevention of physical harm/product safety. There would be no capacity to undertake test purchases such as for vapes. This presents a risk as new Scottish Government regulations around single use vapes come into force in April 2025, and there is an expectation that Trading Standard ensure local retailers are complying. Additionally, the provision of business and consumer advice, installation of call blockers for older and vulnerable residents, administration of the Trusted Trader Scheme, and repayment of monies recovered from scams will cease. Proactive work will reduce so officers can deal with reactive work relating to matters that are statutory requirements. Work in relation to animal feed inspection in West Dunbartonshire and surrounding local authority areas would also cease, resulting in a loss of £15,309 in external funding from Food Standards Scotland. The savings figure shown below is net (after deduction) of this sum. Currently £40,000 is received from the Scottish Government in relation Nicotine Vaping Products enforcement and there is a risk, possibly remote, of this funding being reduced or withdrawn. People Risk: The proposal would result in the reduction of 1 FTE. There will be a lack of resilience in the event of illness, leave, or future vacancy. Reputational Risk: A reduction in staffing and service levels risks reputational damage. Trading Standards works to promote a fair marketplace and protect public safety. If proactive work ceases there is a risk that goods that are not fit for public use become available. As animal welfare checks will be reduced contrary to the framework to be agreed with the Animal Plant and Health Agency, if there is an outbreak of disease or similar, there is a risk of criticism or censure. The Council’s
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early withdrawal from its Service Level Agreement with Food Standards Scotland in relation to the inspection of Animal Feed in West Dunbartonshire and neighbouring authorities is likely to attract criticism. The Council may have to continue to provide the services in the interim, further impacting the ability to deliver statutory functions. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 14 1 39 1 39 1 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1121
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Alan Douglas Saving Ref: RR18 Saving Title Reduce Records Management Summary of Savings Proposal Reduction of 1FTE with the removal of the Records Manager and the relocation of the Remaining member of staff to the Citizen and Regulatory Team under the management of the Section Head: Citizen and Regulatory. The Section Head Citizen and Regulatory will require to address the requirements of the role themselves or through their solicitor team. Training in FOI and Data Protection would need to be delivered by the Section Head and the Information Governance Officer. Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: The postholder deals with operational work and processing of information which may not be economically undertaken by the Section Head or the solicitor team. In addition to there is a risk that lack of understanding of Records Management principles, which are not primarily a legal function, and Data Protection best practice could result in a reduction in compliance in the short to medium term until sufficient expertise in Records Management and Data Protection is developed. It is expected that this risk will be managed professionally by the Section Head, and the Chief Officer as Data Protection Officer for the Council. More limited resources are likely to mean the duty to respond to complex Subject Access Requests and Freedom of Information Requests will require to be passed back to individual services with the current process (where more than 2 services are involved the Records Management section would co-ordinate) being replaced by a single service being nominated to respond on behalf of the Council. It is likely that this process will moderately increase risk around data handling errors and late and inaccurate Freedom of Information responses and Subject Access Requests. People Risk: There is a risk associated with the temporary unavailability of the Information Governance Officer. It is therefore recommended that the Records Manager should remain in post until the Information Governance Officer post is filled on a temporary basis and there has been a suitable handover period. Reputational Risk: There is unlikely to be reputational risk from the proposal provided reasonable steps are taken to address any service shortfalls as described in the Service Risk section. There will be reputational and Financial Risk if delays and errors give rise to Data Breaches and poor statistics on FOI responses etc. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28
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£000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 13.5 1 54.5 1 54.5 1 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Projected savings assumed to come into effect late in 2025/26 Financial year due to the need to ensure continuity during staff absence. Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target. Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1200 (Screening)
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2025/26 SAVING OPTION Chief Officer: Alan Douglas Saving Ref: RR19 Saving Title Closure of the Clydebank Registration Office Summary of Savings Proposal The Clydebank Registration Office is currently based in Clydebank Library and operates two days per week. The introduction of remote registration and the online certificate service means that there is no longer any requirement for citizens to attend the office to conduct registration business or request a copy certificate. Under this proposal, the Clydebank Registration office would close with a reduction of 0.5FTE. Risk Associated with Proposed Savings Service Risk: there would be limited impact service delivery. The introduction of remote registration and online certificates has made the service more efficient. People Risk: One employee (0.5FTE) within the service would be impacted. Reputational Risk: Registration is a statutory function but this would not be adversely affected by the closure of the Clydebank Registration Office. There is a risk the closure could be perceived as a service reduction in Clydebank. However, with the changes to remote registration arrangements, residents could access the service online or could travel to the registration office in Dumbarton or neighbouring authorities. Saving (Cumulative) 2025/26 2026/27 2027/28 £000 FTE £000 FTE £000 FTE 8 0.5 16.5 0.5 16.5 0.5 FTE impact delivered through existing vacancies: 0 Note that the FTE Impact is an estimate – if the saving option is approved then the Chief Officer will assess the most effective way of delivering the saving target. Equality Impact Assessment Completed: Yes EIA No: 1098