Argyll and Bute TSI Update
Argyll and Bute Council · 13 May 2025
Back to Helensburgh and Lomond Area Community Planning Group — 13 May 2025 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Report: Helensburgh and Lomond Area Community Planning Group Paper: Third Sector Interface (TSI) Date: 13/5/25 Prepared by: Caryl Mclean Scottish Government - TSI The CEO continues working with TSI colleagues across Scotland to lobby the Scottish Government on third sector issues including fair funding, investment in prevention and our sector’s role in the Public Service Reform agenda. The TSI Network Scotland is producing a policy position matrix for use ahead of the election manifesto production period. Fairer Funding The local Community Planning Partnership in December 2024 agreed to adopt in principle the SCVO and TSI Network Scotland’s joint document on Fairer Funding for the sector which outlines the importance of multi-year funding agreements, funding for core activity and early release of funding. The Chief Executive is working with partners on a local version as a charter for the CPP, which will be adopted by partners hopefully in September 2025. Meeting with Argyll and Bute Council Chief Executive A meeting took place between Argyll and Bute’s Chief Executive and your CEO in April 2025. A wide- ranging conversation took place where we discussed shared concerns about the stability and viability of the local sector, establishing a budget for The Promise, prevention at a time of continuing pressures on public sector budgets, using the TSI’s funding platform and Fair Funding for the third sector. Poverty Alliance Campaign – Scotland Demands Better This emerging new campaign includes a coalition of over 40 national organisations and TSIs will be supporting the engagement process with local groups across Scotland. This fulfils one of our core purposes which is to contribute to tackling inequality and poverty. The Scotland Demands Better campaign is seeking to activate a broad range of civil society organisations over the coming months to show support for greater action to address poverty and inequality. This activation will culminate in a demonstration in Edinburgh on 25th of October. Community Wealth Building priorities and legislation The TSI has been playing a key role in promoting Community Wealth Building in Argyll and Bute via the Community Planning Partnership and an associated multi-partner steering group. The main purpose is to promote the implementation of the recommendations made in a TSI funded CWB action plan for Argyll and Bute.
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The Community Wealth Building (Scotland) Bill was published on 20th March 2025 by the Scottish Government and highlights new duties to be placed on local authorities and specified community planning partners. The Bill aims to ensure consistent implementation of the community wealth building (CWB) model across Scotland.The Bill provides a CWB statement, provisions relating to the preparation of a CWB action plan, guidance on CWB and a list of specified public bodies that must have due regard to the guidance. Section 5 of the Bill relates specifically to the preparation, publication, implementation and review of a local CWB action plan, which will be a live working document, by a ‘community wealth building partnership’ comprising the local authority and ‘relevant public bodies’. The Scottish Parliament’s Economy and Fair Work Committee ran a ‘call for views’ until 23rd May, to help inform its examination of the Bill during stage 1 of the process to decide if it should become an Act. It is proposed that the TSI submit a corporate response based on our local experience. Funding environment – IJB and Council The public sector funding environment continues to tighten and the IJB in particular has approved a budget that will see a further £12m in savings. Unusually the language of the supporting budget papers is particularly stark in stating that Argyll and Bute’s Health and Social Care budget is unsustainable. As the health element is protected the cuts predominantly fall on social care thus leading to a spiral of increasing eligibility thresholds, lower investment in preventative community- based care services and rising demand. Volunteer of the Year Awards (VOY) This year the TSI VOY awards will be held on the 6 June at the Rosslea Hall Hotel, Rhu. As usual a significant number of nominations were received. Internal matters, contracts, sector support and strategic action plan delivery 1. Argyll and Bute Resilience and Transformation Fund The TSI on behalf of the Argyll and Bute LAG in January launched a small, targeted fund which sought to support Argyll and Bute’s Third Sector Organisations (TSOs), specifically those who can be classified as community anchor organisations, to transform the way they work at a time of significant financial challenge. Launched on 24th January, applications closed on 3rd February 2025 and funds were disbursed two weeks later. 22 applications were received and 5 grants made. Follow up activities by partners will continue as it is clear that there is great demand for support to transform business plans, models and financial practice. This has been factored into our new draft business plan. 2. Funding awards to the TSI The TSI has received its grant letter for 2025-2026 at a standstill level. In better news the TSI has received grant letters for a pilot for two-year funding for the Communities Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund (years 5 and 6).
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3. Strategy review, Business Planning, Annual Reviews and local area plans The tender that will lead to the new 2025-2030 strategy is on the TSI website. The tender has been readjusted to reflect coproduction methodologies and the principles of CWB. We intend this development process to not only lead to data about the issues and challenges faced by our local sector and subsequently the services the TSI will offer but it will also seek to improve and retain engagement and focus group skills in Argyll and Bute by partnering national providers with local practitioners and possibly an apprentice. 4. Work of the Wellbeing Development Manager Following on from the Board’s decision in February the Wellbeing Development Manager, in partnership with other local partners, has now recruited a Walking Development Coordinator subject to satisfactory references. Their role will be to stimulate healthy walking activity in volunteer led groups across Argyll and Bute. 5. Trauma Informed training Several TSI staff including our Positive Destinations team have now attended Trauma Informed training sessions and the CEO has in addition attended the Scottish Trauma Informed Leaders Training (STILT) course.