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Item 08 - Appendix 1

West Dunbartonshire Council · 25 October 2023
Back to West Dunbartonshire Council — 25 October 2023 and its agenda

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WEST
DUNBARTONSHIRE
COUNCIL
Annual Report
2022/23
APPENDIX 1

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are resilient and thriving
Our Vision, Values and Ethos
The 2022-27 Strategic Plan states our vision for West Dunbartonshire as “Delivering services which
build on the strengths and resilience of our neighbourhoods and supporting all residents to fulfil their
individual potential, and that of their communities”
Good governance flows from shared values and culture. Our values, set out below, underpin everything
we do and describe how we will deliver this Plan. These values reflect the personal stake that every one
of us has in delivering our Council’s priorities and underpins our commitment to the values we have
adopted as a Council:
At the core of what we do as a Council is a commitment to reduce inequality and tackle the root causes
of poverty. The four strategic priorities adopted between 2022-2027 focus on supporting our
communities to thrive, by promoting equality for all.
2022-27 Priorities:
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Introduction
I am very pleased to be bringing
forward this year’s Annual Report
which comprehensively lays out
the steps taken over the past year
to ensure the Council delivers upon
the aims of our Strategic Plan.
This report takes in the first full
year since I took on the political
leadership role, and demonstrates
how as an organisation we have
delivered on our vision to build on the strength and
resilience of our communities, and to support all residents
to fulfil their individual potential.
Work undertaken throughout this period has laid the
groundwork for continuing improvement towards a thriving
economy creating jobs and investment; tackling poverty;
and moving towards a greener West Dunbartonshire.
There is a lot to be proud of in this report, including the
fact that in terms of satisfaction of our residents, we are
above the Scottish national average in every indicator. 
During 2022/23, we also:
• Launched and managed Cost of Living initiatives,
investing much needed resources to implement the
administration's vision and ideas and assist those
hardest hit by the crisis
• Secured £750,000 from the UK Shared Prosperity Fund
to enhance West Dunbartonshire residents’ pride of
place and improve life chances.
• Supported 180 young people into employment through
the modern apprenticeships and foundation
apprenticeships programme
• Expanded our green District Heating Network by
connecting to Clydebank Town Hall & library as well as
homes at Queens Quay
• Progressed with ambitious improvement projects for
Dumbarton Town Centre including Glencairn House,
Artizan and Connecting Dumbarton as part of Levelling
Up.
• Delivered a programme of free summer activities
across education settings, local leisure centres,
libraries and in our communities.
• Committed to renewable and sustainable technologies
for all future Council housing developments as part of
an ambition to reduce carbon emissions in the area
• Officially opened new state-of-the-art Primary School,
ASN Base and Early Learning and Childcare Centre in
Renton
• Completed renovation work at Alexandria Library and
road improvement in the town.
Celebrating achievements is vital – and there are many
more not mentioned above.
But of equal importance is reflecting on where we must
focus our efforts in the future to drive forward positive
change.
In 2023/24, there will be continued focus on key areas
including town centre revitalisation, improving attainment
and achievement, increasing recycling and strengthening
partnerships to continue empowering our communities to
thrive.
By working together we will build a better West
Dunbartonshire and ensure our area continues to be a
place where people want to live, work, learn, invest and
visit.
Councillor Martin Rooney
Council Leader, West Dunbartonshire Council
AMBITION COLLABORATION HONESTY INNOVATION ETHICAL VALUING EMPOWERING
Priority Our Environment promotes a greener future
Our Council is inclusive and adaptable
Our Economy is strong and flourishing
Our Communities
2
Priority3
Priority4
Priority1

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Our Communities are Resilient and Thriving Strategic Priority
1
Our Performance
Overall we are performing well in this area. Over the coming year
areas of focus will include: improving attainment, particularly
around numeracy and literacy and narrowing the attainment gap;
progressing the development of Glencairn House; building
community resilience and advancing the community empowerment
agenda.
Key Achievements
Completion of the
refurbishment works at
Clydebank Library,
including building upgrades,
improved disabled access
and installation of the
children’s library.
Expansion of our ASN
schools estate, installing 3
new temporary classrooms
in Kilpatrick School; further
plans are being
progressed to develop
Choices and the new
Riverside Campus.
Key
1
Target met
Target narrowly missed
Target not met
15
1
2
What our residents are saying
West Dunbartonshire Council’s telephone survey
gathered feedback from 1200 residents over the
last year. This is what they said…
were satisfied
with museums
and galleries90%
were satisfied
with leisure and
sports centres83%
rated West Dunbartonshire
as a very good / good
place to live79%
were satisfied
with libraries
94%
To support the
advancement of equalities
we secured, English for
Speakers of Other
Languages (ESOL),
funding for adult learning.

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Our Environment Promotes a Greener Future Strategic Priority
2
Our Performance
Performance in this area is showing positive signs of improvement
from the previous year, despite some targets not being met.
Further work will continue to improve the performance over the
coming year, particularly around reducing carbon emissions,
improving the energy efficiency of council housing and encouraging
recycling.
Key Achievements
In partnership with local
schools and Community
Councils, we created
community woodlands in
the Bonhill and Faifley area.
This included the planting
of approx. 2000 trees.
We connected Clydebank
Town Hall and Library to
the District Heating
Network. In addition, our
first domestic customers
are now benefitting from 
low-cost, low-carbon
energy.
Key
2
Target met
Target narrowly missed
Target not met
4
4
3
What our residents are saying
West Dunbartonshire Council’s telephone survey
gathered feedback from 1200 residents over the
last year. This is what they said…
were satisfied with the quality
of ground maintenance and
grass cutting in local areas
71%
were satisfied
with waste
services overall75%
were satisfied
with street
cleaning 72%
felt that improvement to road & pavement
conditions would support active travel.
An increase in electric charge points
and more cycle routes were also noted
76%
We delivered 146 new
homes as part of our
development at Queens
Quay.
In addition, we completed
2800 improvements to
Council housing, including
environmental
improvements.

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WEST DUNBARTONSHIRE COUNCIL
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Our Economy is Strong and Flourishing Strategic Priority
3
Our Performance
We continue to perform well in this area. Over the coming year,
we will focus on town centre revitalisation including pursuing
commercial opportunities and the regeneration of the Artizan
Centre, Dumbarton; exploring opportunities to advance green jobs
for local residents; and promote inclusive growth and opportunities
for apprenticeships.
Key Achievements
We secured £750,000 from
the UK Shared Prosperity
Fund to support local
businesses, help people into
employment and modernise
the existing CCTV
infrastructure.
We supported 180 young
people into employment
through the modern and
foundation apprenticeships
programme.
Key
3
Target met
Target narrowly missed
Target not met
7
0
1
What our residents are saying
West Dunbartonshire Council’s Citizens’ Panel
received feedback from 283 residents over the
last year. This is what they said…
stated they felt
very or fairly
secure about
their finances… 68%
felt reduced transport costs would improve
their economic situation, whilst more public
transport and employer flexibility for
home working was also noted 31%
stated they used the local area for grocery shopping
and trade services; overwhelmingly shopping for large
household goods, cars and leisure was purchased
either online or outwith the area 80%
felt West Dunbartonshire
was a successful place,
and a further 43% had
no strong opinion on this 54%
We secured £1.25 million
of Scottish Government
funding to develop vacant
and derelict land. This will
support the development
of 26 energy efficient
homes in Pappert, Bonhill.
Get Involved:
Join our Citizens' Panel contact us at:
engagement@west-dunbarton.gov.uk

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Our Environment Promotes a Greener Future Strategic Priority
4
Our Performance
Overall good progress is being made, but there are some areas
where the target was significantly missed. Key areas for focus
include improvement of employee attendance and responding to
complaints within the 5-day time frame. Plans are in place to try
and improve performance over the coming year.
Key Achievements
We undertook a significant
upgrade of the Council WiFi
ensuring stronger
connectivity at all sites. We
also carried out device
replacement in our schools.
We made our Registry
Services more accessible
by introducing remote birth
registration and an online
application for key registry
certificates and civil
partnerships.
Key
Target met
Target narrowly missed
Target not met
7
2
3
What our residents are saying
West Dunbartonshire Council’s telephone survey
gathered feedback from 1200 residents over the last
year. This is what they said…
felt the Council
takes account of
residents’ views
66%
stated they would
speak highly of
the Council 71%
were satisfied
with the way the
Council runs things 79%
felt the Council
communicates
well  71%
felt the Council
services offered
value for money
63%
Our approach to tenant
participation led to us
being the first local
authority to retain the Gold
accreditation from TPAS
Scotland.
4
Find Out More:
Find out how the Council is performing by visiting:
www.west-dunbarton.gov.uk/council/performance-and-spending

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Council Budget
How each £ is spent
How We Compare Nationally
The local government benchmarking framework sets out 105 performance indicators that all local
authorities in Scotland are measured against. The data below is drawn from the latest data for 2021/22.
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showed improved
performance from
the previous year73%
performed better than
the family group average91%
performed better than
the Scottish average100%
Of the 11 Satisfaction indicators in the LGBF suite:
43%
performed better than
the family group average52%
performed better than
the Scottish average52%
Of the 21 Cost indicators in the LGBF suite:
showed improved
performance from
the previous year
64%
performed better than
the family group average53%
performed better than
the Scottish average49%
Of the 73 Performance indicators in the LGBF suite:
showed improved
performance from
the previous year
Overall, 29% of our benchmarking performance was in the top quartile, with 2
Performance Indicators achieving the best performance in Scotland.
Quartile position by LGBF thematic area
Financial Sustainability
Tackling Climate Change
Economic Development
Housing
Environmental Services
Culture & Leisure
Corporate Services
Adult & Social Services
Childrens Services
0% 20%
1st Quartile
40% 60% 80% 100% 120%
2nd Quartile 3rd Quartile 4th Quartile
14%
40% 20% 40%
50%
23% 23% 15% 38%
60% 40%
40% 27% 7% 27%
38% 38% 13% 13%
29% 21% 36%
45% 18% 9% 27%
19% 34% 16% 31%
50%
LOAN
CHARGES
2p
OTHER
MISCELLANEOUS
COSTS
2p
OTHER
FRONT LINE
SERVICES
26p
EDUCATION
23p 33p
HEALTH &
SOCIAL CARE
PARTNERSHIP
14p
BACK
OFFICE
SERVICES

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Council Workforce Statistics
Council Workforce
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PERMANENT
Absence days per employee
Sickness Absence
Absence days per teacher
2022/23
2% improvement 2022/23 22% improvement 2022/23
2021/22
15.68 days 16.03 days
2022/23 2021/22
6.75 days 8.6 days
APPRENTICES
CASUAL
FIXED TERM
83.5%
1%
8%
7.5%

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Find Out More:
Find out how the Council is performing by visiting:
www.west-dunbarton.gov.uk/council/performance-and-spending
Get Involved:
Join our Citizens' Panel contact us at:
engagement@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
Contact Us:
performance@west-dunbarton.gov.uk
West Dunbartonshire Council
Performance & Strategy
16 Church Street
Dumbarton
G82 1QL