Public reports pack
Argyll and Bute Council · 7 September 2022
Back to Mid Argyll, Kintyre & the Islands Area Committee — 7 September 2022 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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Argyll and Bute Council Comhairle Earra-Ghàidheal Agus Bhòid Executive Director: Douglas Hendry Kilmory, Lochgilphead, PA31 8RT Tel: 01546 602127 Fax: 01546 604435 DX 599700 LOCHGILPHEAD 31 August 2022 NOTICE OF MEETING A meeting of the MID ARGYLL, KINTYRE & THE ISLANDS AREA COMMITTEE will be held by MICROSOFT TEAMS on WEDNESDAY, 7 SEPTEMBER 2022 at 11:00 AM, which you are requested to attend. Douglas Hendry Executive Director BUSINESS 1. APOLOGIES 2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST 3. MINUTES (a) Minutes of the Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee held on Wednesday, 8 June 2022 (Pages 3 - 8) 4. PUBLIC QUESTION TIME 5. CULTURAL HERITAGE AND ARTS ASSEMBLY FOR THE ARGYLL AND THE ISLES (CHARTS) Presentation 6. AREA PERFORMANCE REPORT - FQ1 2022/23 (Pages 9 - 52) Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Customer Support Services 7. ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES UPDATE (Pages 53 - 58) Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Services 8. RECYCLING AND RECOVERY PERFORMANCE (Pages 59 - 66) Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Services * 9. TARBERT AND LOCHGILPHEAD REGENERATION FUND - PROJECTS UPDATE (Pages 67 - 76) Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Development and Economic Public Document Pack
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Growth Items marked with an “asterisk” are items, on the basis of information available at the time this Agenda is published, on which the Committee may not have delegated powers to act, and which may therefore require to be referred to the Council or another Committee, and that referral may depend on the decision reached at the meeting. 10. REFERRAL FROM THE AUDIT AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE - COMMUNITY ASSET TRANSFER REVIEW (Pages 77 - 96) Extract of Minute of Audit and Scrutiny Committee held on 23 June 2022 and report by Chair of the Community Asset Transfer Scrutiny Panel 11. MID ARGYLL, KINTYRE AND THE ISLANDS AREA COMMITTEE WORKPLAN (Pages 97 - 102) Mid Argyll, Kintyre & the Islands Area Committee Councillor John Armour Councillor Jan Brown Councillor Garret Corner Councillor Robin Currie (Vice-Chair) Councillor Donald Kelly Councillor Tommy MacPherson Councillor Dougie McFadzean Councillor Dougie Philand Contact: Shona Barton, Committee Manager; Tel: 01436 657605
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MINUTES of MEETING of MID ARGYLL, KINTYRE & THE ISLANDS AREA COMMITTEE held on a Hybrid basis in the COUNCIL CHAMBERS, KILMORY, LOCHGILPHEAD on WEDNESDAY, 8 JUNE 2022 Present: Councillor John McAlpine (Chair) Councillor John Armour Councillor Jan Brown Councillor Garret Corner Councillor Robin Currie Councillor Donald Kelly Councillor Tommy MacPherson Councillor Dougie McFadzean Councillor Douglas Philand Attending: Shona Barton, Committee Manager Jim Smith, Head of Roads and Infrastructure Services Rosie MacKay, Education Manager David Gibson, Head of Children, Families and Justice James Lafferty, Project Officer 1. APOLOGIES There were no apologies intimated. 2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST There were no Declarations of Interest. 3. MINUTES (a) Minutes of Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee held on Wednesday, 2 March 2022 The Minute of the Meeting of the Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee, held on Wednesday 2nd March 2022, was approved as a correct record. 4. PUBLIC QUESTION TIME There were no questions from the public received or asked. The Chair ruled, and the Committee agreed, to a variation in the order of business to facilitate officer attendance. The minute reflects the order in which items were discussed. 5. INTEGRATED JOINT BOARD PERFORMANCE REPORT (MAY 2022) The Committee gave consideration to a report which provided an update from the Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership on service performance and the progress made towards the new remobilising targets set by the Scottish Government, Local Authority and the NHS. Page 3 Agenda Item 3a
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Decision The Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee:- 1. considered the Health and Social Care Partnership performance progress presented to the Integration Joint Board on 25 May 2022 meeting regarding remobilisation of activity in line with NHS Highland performance target for 2021/22 agreed with Scottish Government to 70%-80% of 2019/20 activity as at November 2021; 2. considered Waiting Times Performance and a further reduction in Consultant and Nurse Led Outpatient breaches >12 weeks; 3. noted performance with regards to both Argyll and Bute and Greater Glasgow and Clyde current Treatment Time Guarantee for Inpatient/Day Case Waiting List and activity; and 4. noted the Scottish Government’s advice on timescales for the publication of 2021/22 Annual Performance Report. (Reference: Report by Head of Performance dated May 2022, submitted). 6. PRIMARY SCHOOL REPORT 2021-22 MID ARGYLL, KINTYRE AND THE ISLANDS AREA The Committee gave consideration to a report presented by Rosie MacKay, Education Manager outlining the progress being made at Primary School level since the pandemic restrictions lifted and pupils could return to full time education. The report also outlined information in relation to the latest SIMD figures, Free School Meals and Clothing Grant uptake. Decision The Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee considered and noted the report. (Reference: Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Education dated May 2022, submitted) Councillor Tommy MacPherson left the meeting during the foregoing item of business. 7. LOCHGILPHEAD CARS PROGRESS REPORT The Committee gave consideration to a report which provided an update on the Lochgilphead Conservation Area Regeneration Scheme Project. The Scheme will run until 2026, with some building restoration work already completed while others are in the pipeline for works to begin. Decision Page 4
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The Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee noted the contents of the report. (Reference: Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Economic Development dated May 2022, submitted) 8. SKILLS DEVELOPMENT SCOTLAND Susan McRae of Skills Development Scotland gave a presentation which provided detail on the recent Career Review and the recommendations which arose as a result of the review. Detail was also provided on the work that the organisation are carrying out to promote and support apprenticeships within the Building Trades sector. Decision The Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee noted the contents of the Presentation. (Reference: Presentation by Susan MacRae, Skills Development Scotland, submitted) 9. ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES UPDATE The Committee gave consideration to a report which provided an update on the recent activities of Roads and Infrastructure Services and highlighted works being undertaken which were relevant to the Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands area. Decision The Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee considered and noted the contents of the report. Councillor Kelly having been advised that a proposed motion was not considered to be competent asked for his dissent to be recorded. (Reference: Report by Executive Director with Responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Services, dated June 2022, submitted) 10. AREA SCORECARD FQ4 2021-22 The Committee considered the Area Scorecard report for Financial Quarter 4 of 2021-2022 (January – March 2022), which illustrated the agreed performance measures. Decision 1. noted and considered the performance and supporting commentary as presented; 2. noted that upon receipt of the Quarterly Performance Report the Committee should contact either the Responsible Named Officer or the Performance Improvement Officer with any queries; Page 5
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3. noted that work was ongoing and that Members should respond to the Performance Improvement Officer with requests or comments regarding the layout and format of the Performance Report; and 4. noted the proposal to include the additional Corporate Outcome Indicators within the quarterly Area Committee report. (Reference: Report by Executive Director with Responsibility for Performance and Improvement, dated 8 June 2022, submitted) 11. APPOINTMENTS TO OUTSIDE ORGANISATIONS The Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee gave consideration to Appointments to Outside Organisations. The following was agreed:- Appointment to West Highland Housing Association To appoint Councillor Dougie McFadzean to the West Highland Housing Association. Appointment to the Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Community Planning Group Motion To appoint Councillor Armour, Councillor McFadzean and Councillor Brown to the Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Community Planning Group. Moved by Councillor Armour seconded by Councillor Brown. Amendment To appoint the Chair of the Area Committee, one Member from Ward 1 and one Member from Ward 2 to the Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Community Planning Group. Moved by Councillor Currie seconded by Councillor Corner. As the meeting was held on a hybrid basis the vote required to be taken by calling the Roll and Members voted as follows – Motion Councillor Armour Councillor Brown Councillor Kelly Councillor McFadzean Councillor Philand Amendment Councillor Corner Councillor Currie Councillor McAlpine Decision Page 6
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The Motion was carried by 5 votes to 3, accordingly Councillors Armour, McFadzean and Brown were appointed to the Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Community Planning Group. Appointment to Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Locality Planning Group To appoint Councillor Jan Brown to the Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Locality Planning Group. Appointment to Tarbert and Skipness Community Trust To appoint Councillor Dougie McFadzean to the Tarbert and Skipness Community Trust. Appointment to the Auchindrain Trust Motion To appoint Councillor Corner to the Auchindrain Trust. Moved by Councillor Currie seconded by Councillor McAlpine. Amendment To appoint Councillor Philand to the Auchindrain Trust. Moved by Councillor Armour seconded by Councillor Brown. As the meeting was held on a hybrid basis the vote required to be taken by calling the Roll and Members voted as follows – Motion Councillor Corner Councillor Currie Councillor McAlpine Amendment Councillor Armour Councillor Brown Councillor Kelly Councillor McFadzean Councillor Philand Decision The Amendment was carried by 5 votes to 3, accordingly Councillor Philand was appointed to the Auchindrain Trust. Appointment to Kintyre Youth Fund Page 7
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To appoint Councillor Dougie McFadzean to the Kintyre Youth Fund in addition to the Members from Ward 1. Appointment to Argyll and Bute RenewablesTrust To Appoint Councillors Jan Brown and Dougie McFadzean to the Argyll and Bute Renewables Fund. Appointment to Campbeltown Ferry Committee To appoint Councillors John Armour and Donald Kelly to the Campbeltown Ferry Committee. Appointment to Islay and Jura Community Enterprise Ltd To appoint Councillors Robin Currie, John McAlpine and Dougie McFadzean to the Islay and Jura Enterprise. (Reference: Report by Executive Director with responsibility for Legal and Regulatory Support dated May 2022, submitted) 12. MID ARGYLL, KINTYRE AND THE ISLANDS AREA COMMITTEE WORK PLAN The Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee Workplan as at June 2022 was before the Committee for noting. Decision The Committee noted the Workplan and agreed that this would be listed as a substantive item at the next meeting of the Area Committee to allow for discussion by all Members. . (Reference: Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee Workplan, submitted) Page 8
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1 ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL MID-ARGYLL, KINTYRE AND THE ISLANDS AREA COMMITTEE CUSTOMER SUPPORT SERVICES 7 SEPTEMBER 2022 AREA PERFORMANCE REPORT – FQ1 2022/23 1 Background 1.1 This paper presents the Area Performance Report for Financial Quarter 1 2022/23 (April to June 2022) and illustrates the agreed performance measures. 1.2 As previously agreed the 14 quarterly Corporate Outcome Indicators (COIs) are now reported to all Area Committees on a quarterly basis, and are now included in the Performance Reports. The features of the Performance Report are as follows:- The Report mirrors the information as presented on the Scorecard. The Report is effectively ‘owned’ by the appropriate Area Committee. Indicators are grouped by Corporate Outcome. The data table for each indicator is coded to identify the level of reporting. o Area level measures are blue o Council level measures are grey o COI measures are white Each indicator details o The Target, Actual and Performance status (Green / Red / No Target) for the current and three previous financial quarters. o Commentary for the current financial quarter only. o Narrative explaining the performance trend e.g. This indicator is above Target and performance has improved since the last reporting period. o The name of the responsible officer. o Where possible performance is presented at both Area and Council level. It should be noted that Pyramid remains live and all measures can be navigated as usual through the front screen. If support to navigate Pyramid is required please email pyramid@argyll-bute.gov.uk 1.3 The commentary for each indicator helps ‘Tell Our Story’ and enables Elected Members to put the performance data into perspective and understand if an issue is local in nature or should be escalated up to a Strategic Committee. 1.4 To improve the response to performance queries, it is requested that either the Responsible Named Officer or Sonya Thomas are contacted once the Quarterly Performance Report is received with any queries. This should enable some Page 9 Agenda Item 6
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2 queries being resolved or clarified prior to the Area Committee meeting, and therefore being carried forward as Actions at a subsequent meeting. 2 Recommendations 2.1 It is recommended that the Area Committee – a) Notes and considers the performance and supporting commentary as presented. b) Upon receipt of the Quarterly Performance Report the Area Committee contact either the Responsible Named Officer or Sonya Thomas with any queries. c) Note that work is ongoing and to respond to Sonya Thomas with requests or comments regarding the layout and format of the Performance Report. 3.0 IMPLICATIONS 3.1 Policy: None 3.2 Financial: None 3.3 Legal: None 3.4 HR: None 3.5 Fairer Scotland Duty: No impact assessment required for this report. 3.5.1 Equalities: None. If requested the Area Committee Performance Report can be supplied in a different format. 3.5.2 Socio-economic Duty: None 3.5.3 Islands: None 3.6 Climate Change: None 3.7 Risk: None 3.8 Customer Service: None Kirsty Flanagan, Executive Director with responsibility for Customer Support Services Jane Fowler Head of Customer Support Services 25 July 2022 For further information, please contact: Sonya Thomas Page 10
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3 Organisation Development Officer - Performance and Improvement Customer Support Services 01546 604454 Appendix 1: FQ1 2022/23 MAKI Performance Report Page 11
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Appendix 1 Page 1 Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay FQ1 2022/23 Overall Performance Summary The information presented is a summary of the measures in the Scorecard that is available on Pyramid. The measures show the performance against target for the current and previous three reporting periods with an explanation of performance trend. The data table for each indicator is colour coded to identify the level of reporting: Area level measures are blue. Council level measures are grey. Corporate Outcome Indicators (COIs) are white. Page 12
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Appendix 1 Page 2 Index of Measures Corporate Outcome No.1 – People live active healthier independent lives COI – Maximise distribution of Scottish Welfare Fund COI – Percentage of clients satisfied that they are better able to deal with their financial problems following our support and intervention Corporate Outcome No.2 – People live in safer and stronger communities Number of parking penalty notices issued Car parking income to date Dog fouling – total number of complaints Corporate Outcome No.3 – Children and young people have the best possible start COI – Increase the percentage of our care experienced young people that have the recommended additional tracking and monitoring plans in place COI – Provide quality meals within cost margins to all pupils Corporate Outcome No.4 – Education, skills and training maximises opportunities for all Maintain the percentage of 16-19 year olds participating in education, training or employment Corporate Outcome No. 5 – Our economy is diverse and thriving Number of affordable social sector new builds completed per annum Percentage of pre-application enquiries processed within 20 working days Householder planning applications – average number of weeks to determine COI – The number of new homeless applicants who required temporary accommodation this period COI – Maintain the percentage of local suppliers that benefit from the awards of contracts via the procurement portal COI – Increase the number of community benefits that are delivered through contracts we award locally Page 13
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Appendix 1 Page 3 Corporate Outcome No.6 – We have an infrastructure that supports sustainable growth Street lighting – percentage of faults repaired within 10 days Total number of complaints regarding waste collection COI – Percentage of waste recycled, composted and recovered Shanks – Percentage of waste that is recycled, composted and recovered Islands – Percentage of waste recycled, composted and recovered H&L – Percentage of waste recycled, composted and recovered COI – The number of tonnes of waste sent to landfill LEAMS (Local Environment Audit and Management System) Make It Happen Teacher sickness absence LGE staff (non-teacher) sickness absence COI – Increase the percentage of all self-service and automated contacts Page 14
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Appendix 1 Page 4 Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Corporate Outcome No.1 – People live active, healthier and independent lives COI – Maximise distribution of Scottish Welfare Fund Responsible person: Fergus Walker This indicator is a Corporate Outcome Indicator that is reported quarterly. The performance presented is Council-wide only. This indicator for FQ1 is below target and performance has decreased since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 95.3% 134.5% Green FQ3 2021/22 95.3% 130.0% Green FQ4 2021/22 95.3% 120.7% Green FQ1 2022/23 95.3% 87.5% Red FQ1 Comment We have currently spent £102,039 of our 2022/23 allocation of £458,338 which is less than our monthly profile amount however as the cost-of-living pressures continue we expect this figure to increase as the year progresses. Page 15
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Appendix 1 Page 5 Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Corporate Outcome No.1 – People live active, healthier and independent lives COI – Percentage of clients satisfied that they are better able to deal with their financial problems following our support and intervention Responsible person: Lee Roberts This indicator is a Corporate Outcome Indicator that is reported quarterly. The performance presented is Council-wide only. This indicator has met the target with no change in performance since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 100% 100% Green FQ3 2021/22 100% 100% Green FQ4 2021/22 100% 100% Green FQ1 2022/23 100% 100% Green FQ1 Comment There were no Debt Arrangement Schemes set up in this quarter. All of the clients provided with a Personal Debt Recovery Action Plan were satisfied. Out of 8 surveys issued 5 were returned showing 100% of clients satisfied. Four of the 5 survey returns had comments showing their appreciation of the service and how it had helped them. Page 16
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Appendix 1 Page 6 Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Corporate Outcome No.2 – People live in safer and stronger communities Number of parking penalty notices issued – Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Responsible person: Hugh O’Neill This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented for both Area and Council-wide levels. The indicator for FQ1 shows the number of parking penalty notices has increased since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 No target 42 No target FQ3 2021/22 No target 15 No target FQ4 2021/22 No target 3 No target FQ1 2022/23 No target 44 No target FQ1 Comment Front car parks in Inveraray relined. Number of parking penalty notices issued – Argyll and Bute Responsible person: Hugh O’Neill This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented for both Area and Council-wide levels. This indicator for FQ1 shows the number of parking penalty notices has significantly increased since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 No target 1,583 No target FQ3 2021/22 No target 973 No target FQ4 2021/22 No target 1,188 No target FQ1 2022/23 No target 2,043 No target Page 17
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Appendix 1 Page 7 FQ1 Comment ABC areas are returning to pre-Covid levels. Lomondside is especially busy on good weather weekends. Page 18
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Appendix 1 Page 8 Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Corporate Outcome No.2 – People live in safer and stronger communities Car parking income to date – Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Responsible person: Hugh O’Neill This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented for both Area and Council-wide levels. This indicator for FQ1 shows the amount of income collected is slightly lower than the target. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 £38,899 £43,829 Green FQ3 2021/22 £50,560 £65,610 Green FQ4 2021/22 £61,820 £69,891 Green FQ1 2022/23 £16,050 £15,541 Red FQ1 Comment The income collected within the MAKI area is within reasonable tolerances and just below the expected target figure. Income collected in FQ4 and FQ1. Car Park Location FQ4 Actual FQ1 Actual Fisher Row, Inveraray £316 £2,711 The Avenue, Inveraray £1,940 £5,762 Front Street and Toilets, Inveraray £1,960 £6,951 Lorne Street, Lochgilphead £65 £1 MAKI £0 £116 Car parking income to date – Argyll and Bute Responsible person: Hugh O’Neill This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented for both Area and Council-wide levels. Page 19
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Appendix 1 Page 9 This indicator for FQ1 shows the amount of income collected is significantly lower than the target. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 £507,833 £491,275 Red FQ3 2021/22 £660,069 £699,363 Green FQ4 2021/22 £807,078 £801,606 Red FQ1 2022/23 £250,264 £165,678 Red FQ1 Comment Bute and Cowal and Oban, Lorn and the Isles appear to still be affected whereby visitor numbers are still well down compared to pre-Covid. It is hoped in the second quarter that visitor numbers will increase however this again is dependent on good weather. We have not seen a return to predicted numbers for camper vans and motor homes. Page 20
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Appendix 1 Page 10 Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Corporate Outcome No.2 – People live in safer and stronger communities Dog fouling – total number of complaints – Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Responsible person: Tom Murphy This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented for both Area and Council-wide levels. This indicator for FQ1 shows the number of dog fouling complaints has increased since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 No target 20 No target FQ3 2021/22 No target 20 No target FQ4 2021/22 No target 21 No target FQ1 2022/23 No target 26 No target FQ1 Comment There has been a slight increase in the number of dog fouling complaints received this quarter for the Mid Argyll area, with a total of 11. The Warden service will continue with their monitoring and patrolling. There were 12 dog fouling complaints registered for the Kintyre area this quarter, the Warden service will continue to monitor this as well as increasing patrols. There were 3 dog fouling complaints received for the Isle of Islay this quarter, this is very good, however, the Warden service will continue to monitor this when on the island. Dog fouling – total number of complaints – Argyll and Bute Responsible person: Tom Murphy This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented for both Area and Council-wide levels. This indicator for FQ1 shows the number of dog fouling complaints has decreased since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 No target 46 No target FQ3 2021/22 No target 60 No target FQ4 2021/22 No target 81 No target Page 21
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Appendix 1 Page 11 Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ 2022/23 No target 61 No target FQ1 Comment Although the number of dog fouling complaints has reduced this quarter it still remains high. The warden service will continue to patrol and monitor as well as engage with all parties in an attempt to explain and education on the issues of dog fouling. Page 22
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Appendix 1 Page 12 Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Corporate Outcome No.3 – Children and young people have the best possible start COI – Increase the percentage of our care experienced young people that have the recommended additional tracking and monitoring plans in place Responsible person: Louise Lawson This indicator is a Corporate Outcome Indicator that is reported quarterly. The performance presented is Council-wide only. This indicator for FQ1 is on track with no change in performance since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 100% 100% Green FQ3 2021/22 100% 100% Green FQ4 2021/22 100% 100% Green FQ1 2022/23 100% 100% Green FQ1 Comment There is individual tracking and monitoring in place on SEEMIS in schools for care experienced children and young people. In addition to this, the Principal Teacher for care experienced children and young people monitors the information in SEEMIS and has subsequent conversations with staff in schools to ensure care experienced children and young people are receiving all the support they need to achieve and that the staff in school have the right strategies in place to help the child remain engaged with their education attainment and achievement. Often the care experienced health and wellbeing officers are used to provide extra support for the child and the family. Page 23
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Appendix 1 Page 13 Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Corporate Outcome No.3 – Children and young people have the best possible start COI – Provide quality meals with cost margins to all pupils Responsible person: Jayne Jones This indicator is a Corporate Outcome Indicator that is reported quarterly. The performance presented is Council-wide only. This indicator for FQ1 is below target however performance has improved since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 5.00% -3.81% Green FQ3 2021/22 5.00% -0.62% Green FQ4 2021/22 5.00% -4.00% Green FQ1 2022/23 5.00% 3.77% Green FQ1 Comment The food cost percentage for the whole area showed a variance of 3.77%. We will continue to review the food cost percentage for those schools above and below the 5% variance target. Page 24
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Appendix 1 Page 14 Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Corporate Outcome No.4 – Education, skills and training maximises opportunities for all Maximise the percentage of 16-19 years olds participating in education, training or employment – Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Responsible person: Simon Easton This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented for both Area and Council-wide levels. This indicator for FQ1 is above target and performance has improved since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 94.00% 96.21% Green FQ3 2021/22 94.00% 95.34% Green FQ4 2021/22 94.00% 95.38% Green FQ1 2022/23 94.00% 95.45% Green FQ1 Comment As has been the case in all areas of the authority, a reduction in participation was seen in in Mid-Argyll, Kintyre and Islay in the latter half of 2021, which can be in some measure attributed to the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on opportunities for young people, and its effect on resilience and wellbeing. Nonetheless, participation levels in Mid-Argyll, Kintyre and Islay have remained above the target level of 94%. Some recovery has been seen in 2022. The appointment and work of the Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Co-ordinator for the Mid-Argyll, Kintyre and Islay area are leading to improved links between schools and employers, which have already led to more young people successfully entering employment post-school. It is expected that the increase in participation will continue as further work and interventions are put in place, by DYW, Education and Community Learning and Development, to support young people into positive destinations. EDU107_04-Maintain the percentage of 16-19 years olds in Argyll and Bute participating in education, training or employment services – Argyll and Bute Responsible person: Simon Easton This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented for both Area and Council-wide levels. This indicator for FQ1 has met the target and performance has improved since the last reporting period. Page 25
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Appendix 1 Page 15 Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 94.00% 94.29% Green FQ3 2021/22 94.00% 93.17% Red FQ4 2021/22 94.00% 93.80% Red FQ1 2022/23 94.00% 94.00% Green FQ1 Comment Across the authority, a reduction in participation was seen in the latter half of 2021, which can be in some measure attributed to the effect of the Covid-19 pandemic on opportunities for young people, and its effect on resilience and wellbeing. Nonetheless, authority participation levels have once again matched the target level of 94%. Some recovery has been seen in 2022. The appointment and work of the Developing the Young Workforce (DYW) Co-ordinators for all areas of the authority are leading to improved links between schools and employers, which have already led to more young people successfully entering employment post- school. It is expected that the increase in participation will continue as further work and interventions are put in place, by DYW, Education and Community Learning and Development, to support young people into positive destinations. Page 26
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Appendix 1 Page 16 Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Corporate Outcome No.5 – Our economy is diverse and thriving Number of affordable social sector new builds completed per annum – Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Responsible person: Allan Brandie This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented for both Area and Council-wide levels. This indicator for FQ1 is has met the target and performance has improved since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 0 0 Green FQ3 2021/22 0 0 Green FQ4 2021/22 8 8 Green FQ1 2022/23 18 18 Green FQ1 Comment During Quarter 1, ACHA completed 10 units in Inveraray (all social rent; includes 2 wheelchair units and 2 other suitable specialist units): 4x1bed, 4x2bed, 2x3bed. West Highland Housing Association completed 8 units at Imeraval, Isle of Islay (6 social rent and 2 NSEE: includes 2 amenity units). DEG103_01-Number of affordable social sector new builds completed per annum – Argyll and Bute Responsible person: Alan Brandie This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented for both Area and Council-wide levels. This indicator for FQ1 has met the target however performance has decreased since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 19 19 Green FQ3 2021/22 23 23 Green FQ4 2021/22 45 45 Green FQ1 2022/23 36 36 Green Page 27
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Appendix 1 Page 17 FQ1 Comment During Quarter 1, LINK completed 18 units at Dunbeg Phase 3 (all social rent, includes 2 wheelchair and 2 amenity units): 8 x 1bed, 4 x 2bed, 5 x 3bed, 1 x 4bed. In Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay – West Highland Housing Association completed 8 units at Imeraval Phase 3, Islay: (6 social rent and 2 NSSE; includes 2 amenity units). ACHA completed 10 units at Inveraray: (all social rent; includes 2 wheelchair units and 2 other suitable specialist units) 4x1bed, 4x2bed, 2x3bed. Page 28
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Appendix 1 Page 18 Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Corporate Outcome No.5 – Our economy is diverse and thriving Percentage of pre-planning application enquiries processed within 20 working days – Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Responsible person: Peter Bain This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented for both Area and Council-wide levels. This indicator for FQ1 is below target and performance has decreased slightly since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 75.0% 54.3% Red FQ3 2021/22 75.0% 12.5% Red FQ4 2021/22 75.0% 32.4% Red FQ1 2022/23 75.0% 31.6% Red FQ1 Comment Percentage of pre-application enquiries processed within 20 working days for MAKI remains below target at 31.6%. It is important for readers to note that the team has operated throughout this period with a vacancy, following the resignation of the Area Team Leader. To date, recruitment for this post has not been successful. Day-to-day management of the team is therefore being undertaken by the Development Manager, in addition to their current responsibilities. Percentage of pre-planning application enquiries processed within 20 working days – Argyll and Bute Responsible person: Peter Bain This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented for both Area and Council-wide levels. This indicator for FQ1 is below target however performance has improved since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 75.0% 65.5% Red FQ3 2021/22 75.0% 61.7% Red FQ4 2021/22 75.0% 56.3% Red FQ1 2022/23 75.0% 60.5% Red Page 29
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Appendix 1 Page 19 FQ1 Comment The Development Management Team continues to operate with reduced resource. As new officers settle in, the Service are concentrating resource on working through planning applications which is a regulatory function. Page 30
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Appendix 1 Page 20 Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Corporate Outcome No.5 – Our economy is diverse and thriving Householder planning applications – average number of weeks to determine – Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Responsible person: Peter Bain This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented for both Area and Council-wide levels. This indicator for FQ1 has not met the target and performance has decreased since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 8.0 weeks 11.9 weeks Red FQ3 2021/22 8.0 weeks 12.4 weeks Red FQ4 2021/22 8.0 weeks 14.4 weeks Red FQ1 2022/23 8.0 weeks 15.3 weeks Red FQ1 Comment This measure only relates to planning applications received for alterations to existing premises. The Mid-Argyll, Kintyre and Islay team took an average of 15.3 weeks to determine "Householder" applications in FQ1. It is important for readers to note that the team has operated throughout this period with a vacancy, following the resignation of the Area Team Leader. To date, recruitment for this post has not been successful. Day-to-day management of the team is therefore being undertaken by the Development Manager, in addition to their current responsibilities. MAKI also has further reduced resource due to 1 FTE currently being on maternity leave. Householder planning applications – average number of weeks to determine – Argyll and Bute Responsible person: Peter Bain This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented for both Area and Council-wide levels. This indicator for FQ1 has not met the target however performance has improved since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 8.0 weeks 9.7 weeks Red FQ3 2021/22 8.0 weeks 11.8 weeks Red Page 31
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Appendix 1 Page 21 Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ4 2021/22 8.0 weeks 13.8 weeks Red FQ1 2022/23 8.0 weeks 12.4 weeks Red FQ1 Comment This measure only relates to planning applications received for alterations for existing premises. The Development Management Team continues to operate with reduced resource. The headline performance figure of an average of 12.4 weeks to determine these applications shows an improvement from last quarter’s figure of 13.8. Benchmarking FY 2019/20, 2020/21 and 2021/22 This is one of several measures where the Development Management Service is benchmarked against The Scottish Government and "Rural 9" average performance. Changes made by The Scottish Government in reporting cycles, have necessitated changes to the way we input benchmarking figures in Pyramid: (1) The annual benchmark figure, when published in July each year will be used to retrospectively update every FQ for that FY (applied to FY 2019/20 and FY 2020/21). (2) This will be projected forward throughout the four FQ's of the next FY* (as has been standard practice in Development Management for over a decade now). * projected benchmark figures are necessary to populate the field in Scorecard, due to the fact that information is now only published by The Scottish Government twice a year. Page 32
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Appendix 1 Page 22 Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Corporate Outcome No.5 – Our economy is diverse and thriving COI – The number of new homeless applicants who required temporary accommodation this period Responsible person: Flora Lamont This indicator is a Corporate Outcome Indicator that is reported quarterly. The performance presented is Council-wide only. This indicator for FQ1 shows the number of applicants has decreased since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 No target 42 No target FQ3 2021/22 No target 28 No target FQ4 2021/22 No target 37 No target FQ1 2022/23 No target 32 No target FQ1 Comment During FQ1 – The Housing Service provided temporary accommodation to 32 new homeless households. Bute and Cowal – 13 Helensburgh and Lomond – 7 Oban, Lorn and the Isles – 10 Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay – 2 Page 33
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Appendix 1 Page 23 Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Corporate Outcome No.5 – Our economy is diverse and thriving COI – Maintain the percentage of local suppliers that benefit from the awards of contracts via the procurement portal Responsible person: Anne MacColl-Smith This indicator is a Corporate Outcome Indicator that is reported quarterly. The performance presented is Council-wide only. This indicator for FQ1 is below target and performance has decreased slightly since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 20.0 25.8 Green FQ3 2021/22 20.0 39.4 Green FQ4 2021/22 20.0 13.5 Red FQ1 2022/23 20.0 13.2 Red FQ1 Comment 13.2% – slight decrease from the previous quarter, again due to the nature of the contracts. However, of the 6 bids made by local contractors, 5 were awarded the contract (83.3%) with a total value of over £92k. A summary of all contracts awarded in FQ1 is available on Pyramid. The PCCMT continue to support local suppliers by providing useful information on the Council’s website, i.e. pre-recorded webinars on how to bid for Council contracts, hints and tips for tendering as well as our contract plan, details of upcoming supplier development events and our category officer’s contact details all of which enable local suppliers to be able to bid for our contracts. Page 34
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Appendix 1 Page 24 Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Corporate Outcome No.5 – Our economy is diverse and thriving COI – Increase the number of community benefits that are delivered through contracts we award locally Responsible person: Anne MacColl-Smith This indicator is a Corporate Outcome Indicator that is reported quarterly. The performance presented is Council-wide only. This indicator for FQ4 shows the number of community benefits has increased since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 No target 15 No target FQ3 2021/22 No target - No target FQ4 2021/22 No target 40 No target FQ1 2022/23 No target - No target FQ4 Comment This indicator is reported in FQ2 and FQ4. PCCMT has been working closely with their suppliers to deliver additional social, economic and environmental value and achieved 40 community benefits through Contract Management, Contract Awards and the Request List from 1st October 2021 to 31st March 2022. Further detail is available on Pyramid. Page 35
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Appendix 1 Page 25 Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Corporate Outcome No.6 – We have infrastructure that supports sustainable growth Street lighting – percentage of faults repaired within 10 days – Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Responsible person: Hugh O’Neill This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented for both Area and Council-wide levels. This indicator for FQ1 is below target and performance has decreased since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 75% 18% Red FQ3 2021/22 75% 28% Red FQ4 2021/22 75% 48% Red FQ1 2022/23 75% 33% Red FQ1 Comment The number of reported faults has reduced in FQ1, as weather conditions improved slightly and lighter nights reduced the lighting up time period. The total number of instructions completed in the quarter was 18, of which 6 were completed in 10 days or less, giving an efficiency of 33%. The FQ1 21/22 figure is logged as 48% therefore there is a decrease in performance. Response times continue to be affected by operator absences, geography and delays in the supply chain. RIS113_05-The percentage of street lighting faults are completed within 10 working days – Argyll and Bute Responsible person: Hugh O’Neill This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented for both Area and Council-wide levels. This indicator for FQ1 is below target however performance has improved slightly since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 75% 31% Red FQ3 2021/22 75% 59% Red FQ4 2021/22 75% 28% Red FQ1 2022/23 75% 29% Red Page 36
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Appendix 1 Page 26 FQ1 Comment A total of 116 individual lighting fault instructions were started and completed within the quarter which is approximately one third of that completed in the previous period. However only 34 of these were done in 10 days or less, giving the overall efficiency of 29%. Completion of works continue to be hampered by operatives’ absences, including Covid and the continued extended delivery periods for materials associated with this and the effects of Brexit. Specialist electrical and lighting equipment suppliers being European based or further, in the main. Page 37
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Appendix 1 Page 27 Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Corporate Outcome No.6 – We have infrastructure that supports sustainable growth Total number of complaints regarding waste collection – Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Responsible person: Tom Murphy This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented for both Area and Council-wide levels. This indicator for FQ1 shows the number of waste collection complaints has increased since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 No target 0 No target FQ3 2021/22 No target 0 No target FQ4 2021/22 No target 1 No target FQ1 2022/23 No target 3 No target FQ1 Comment There were only 3 waste collection complaints for the MAKI area this quarter, this is a very good level of service given the number of properties serviced. Total number of complaints regarding waste collection – Argyll and Bute Responsible person: Tom Murphy This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented for both Area and Council-wide levels. This indicator for FQ1 shows the number of waste collection complaints has increased since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 No target 0 No target FQ3 2021/22 No target 0 No target FQ4 2021/22 No target 40 No target FQ1 2022/23 No target 58 No target Page 38
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Appendix 1 Page 28 FQ1 Comment The number of waste collection complaints has risen again this month and again especially in the Helensburgh/Lomond area. There have been a number of operational and staffing difficulties over these 3 months, however discussions will take place with the local delivery teams in an attempt to reduce the number of complaints. Page 39
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Appendix 1 Page 29 Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Corporate Outcome No.6 – We have infrastructure that supports sustainable growth COI – Percentage of waste recycled, composted and recovered Responsible person: John Blake This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented by Council-wide service provision. This indicator for FQ1 is above target and performance has increased since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 45.0% 50.5% Green FQ3 2021/22 45.0% 50.6% Green FQ4 2021/22 45.0% 48.3% Green FQ1 2022/23 45.0% 52.1% Green FQ1 Comment 52.1% recycling/composting and recovery (39.3% recycling/composting plus 12.8% recovery). Recycling and composting rate slightly higher than normal mainly due to high tonnage of green garden waste sent to composting sites during the quarter. Shanks – Percentage of waste recycled, composted and recovered Responsible person: John Blake This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented by Council-wide service provision. This indicator for FQ1 shows the percentage of waste has increased since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 No target 52.8% No target FQ3 2021/22 No target 53.1% No target FQ4 2021/22 No target 49.7% No target FQ1 2022/23 No target 54.4% No target Page 40
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Appendix 1 Page 30 FQ1 Comment 54.4% recycling/composting and recovery (37.5% recycling/composting plus 16.9% recovery). Recycling and composting rate slightly higher than normal mainly due to high tonnage of green garden waste sent to composting sites during the quarter. Islands – Percentage of waste recycled, composted and recovered Responsible person: John Blake This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented by Council-wide service provision. This indicator for FQ1 shows the percentage of waste has decreased since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 No target 37.2% No target FQ3 2021/22 No target 39.0% No target FQ4 2021/22 No target 38.4% No target FQ1 2022/23 No target 33.3% No target FQ1 Comment 33.3% recycling/composting and recovery (32.1% recycling/composting plus 1.2% recovery). Recycling and composting rate similar to Q1 in previous year. H&L – Percentage of waste recycled, composted and recovered Responsible person: John Blake This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented by Council-wide service provision. This indicator for FQ1 shows the percentage of waste has increased since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 No target 51.2% No target FQ3 2021/22 No target 49.5% No target FQ4 2021/22 No target 48.9% No target FQ1 2022/23 No target 53.6% No target Page 41
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Appendix 1 Page 31 FQ1 Comment 53.6% recycling/composting and recovery (45.8% recycling/composting plus 7.8% recovery). Recycling and composting rate slightly higher than normal mainly due to high tonnage of green garden waste sent to composting sites during the quarter. Page 42
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Appendix 1 Page 32 Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Corporate Outcome No.6 – We have infrastructure that supports sustainable growth COI – The number of tonnes of waste sent to landfill Responsible person: John Blake This indicator is a Corporate Outcome Indicator that is reported quarterly. The performance presented is Council-wide only. This indicator for FQ1 is below target (lowest is best) and performance has improved since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 5,550 4,800 Green FQ3 2021/22 5,100 4,550 Green FQ4 2021/22 5,000 4,252 Green FQ1 2022/23 5,850 4,546 Green FQ1 Comment Tonnes of biodegradable waste sent to landfill was less than same quarter in previous financial year. Recycling and composting rate slightly higher than normal mainly due to high tonnage of green garden waste sent to composting sites during the quarter. Page 43
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Appendix 1 Page 33 Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Corporate Outcome No.6 – We have infrastructure that supports sustainable growth LEAMS (Local Environment Audit and Management System) – Mid Argyll (Monthly data combined to show quarterly average) Responsible person: Tom Murphy This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented for both Area and Council-wide levels. This indicator for FQ1 is above target and performance has improved since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 73 80 Green FQ3 2021/22 73 81 Green FQ4 2021/22 73 85 Green FQ1 2022/23 73 88 Green FQ1 Comment The levels of street cleanliness this quarter for the Mid Argyll area are very good, April 92, May 81 and June 90, this exceeds both the national standard of 67 and benchmark figure of 73. LEAMS (Local Environment Audit and Management System) – Kintyre (Monthly data combined to show quarterly average) Responsible person: Tom Murphy This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented for both Area and Council-wide levels. This indicator for FQ1 is above target and performance has improved since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 73 80 Green FQ3 2021/22 73 74 Green FQ4 2021/22 73 77 Green Page 44
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Appendix 1 Page 34 Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ1 2022/23 73 82 Green FQ1 Comment The LEAMS score for the Kintyre area is very good again this quarter, April 84, May 76 and June 85, all months exceeding the national standard and benchmark figure. LEAMS (Local Environment Audit and Management System) – Islay (Monthly data combined to show quarterly average) Responsible person: Tom Murphy This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented for both Area and Council-wide levels. This indicator for FQ1 is above target with no change in performance since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 73 84 Green FQ3 2021/22 73 84 Green FQ4 2021/22 73 84 Green FQ1 2022/23 73 84 Green FQ1 Comment The Isle of Islay again sees a very high standard of street cleanliness for the 1st quarter with each month scoring 84, exceeding the benchmark figure of 73. LEAMS (Local Environment Audit and Management System) – Argyll and Bute (Monthly data combined to show quarterly average) Responsible person: Tom Murphy This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented for both Area and Council-wide levels. This indicator for FQ1 is above target and performance has improved since the last reporting period. Page 45
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Appendix 1 Page 35 Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 73 81 Green FQ3 2021/22 73 78 Green FQ4 2021/22 73 79 Green FQ 2022/23 73 85 Green FQ1 Comment The department continues to deliver a high standard of street cleanliness across the whole area. This is a great achievement. The service uses the annual report from Keep Scotland Beautiful and monthly inspections to assess the date and make appropriate alterations to work schedules to ensure that the level of performance is maintained. Page 46
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Appendix 1 Page 36 Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Making It Happen Teacher sickness absence – Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Responsible person: Simon Easton This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented for both Area and Council-wide levels. This indicator for FQ1 shows the number of sickness absence days has decreased since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 No target 1.00 days No target FQ3 2021/22 No target 1.38 days No target FQ4 2021/22 No target 1.69 days No target FQ1 2022/23 No target 1.62 days No target FQ1 Comment Absence levels have remained almost the same between last quarter and this quarter which bucks a seasonal trend which usually sees higher levels in Q4 than Q1. There is an increase on the same quarter last year which is not unexpected due to previous Covid restrictions which kept absence levels low. Teacher sickness absence – Argyll and Bute Responsible person: Simon Easton This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented for both Area and Council-wide levels. This indicator for FQ1 shows the number of sickness absence days has increased since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 No target 0.89 days No target FQ3 2021/22 No target 1.60 days No target FQ4 2021/22 No target 1.77 days No target FQ1 2022/23 No target 1.79 days No target Page 47
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Appendix 1 Page 37 FQ1 Comment Absence levels have stayed almost the same in comparison to the last quarter which is different to the usual seasonal trend where they normally increase in Q4 and reduce in Q1. Against the same quarter last year there has been a slight increase - an increase was expected due to the reduction in Covid restrictions. Page 48
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Appendix 1 Page 38 Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Making It Happen LGE staff (non-teacher) sickness absence – Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Responsible person: Carolyn Cairns This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented for both Area and Council-wide levels. This indicator for FQ1 shows the number of sickness absence days has increased since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 No target 2.86 days No target FQ3 2021/22 No target 3.05 days No target FQ4 2021/22 No target 2.82 days No target FQ1 2022/23 No target 2.87 days No target FQ1 Comment Absence levels have remained almost the same between last quarter and this quarter which bucks a seasonal trend which usually sees higher levels in Q4 than Q1. There is an increase on the same quarter last year which is not unexpected due to previous Covid restrictions which kept absence levels low. LGE staff (non-teacher) sickness absence – Argyll and Bute Responsible person: Carolyn Cairns This indicator is reported quarterly. Performance is presented for both Area and Council-wide levels. This indicator for FQ1 shows the number of sickness absence days has increased since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 No target 3.16 days No target FQ3 2021/22 No target 3.49 days No target FQ4 2021/22 No target 3.42 days No target FQ1 2022/23 No target 3.57 days No target Page 49
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Appendix 1 Page 39 FQ1 Comment There has been a small increase in the absence against last quarter. Against the same quarter last year again there has been a small increase. This was not unexpected due to the reduction in Covid restrictions. Page 50
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Appendix 1 Page 40 Mid Argyll, Kintyre and Islay Making It Happen COI – Increase the percentage of all self-service automated contacts Responsible person: Robert Miller This indicator is a Corporate Outcome Indicator that is reported quarterly. The performance presented is Council-wide only. This indicator for FQ1 is above target and performance has improved since the last reporting period. Reporting Period Target Actual Status FQ2 2021/22 70.0% 73.7% Green FQ3 2021/22 70.0% 72.2% Green FQ4 2021/22 70.0% 73.1% Green FQ1 2022/23 70.0% 79.4% Green FQ1 Comment In FQ1 there were 39,166 transactions dealt with by customer service agents (20.8%) and 150,535 automated or self-service transaction (79.4%) so the 70% target was well exceeded. There was a significant increase of Governance & Law automated interactions due to the recent council elections: FQ1 2021/22 2022/23 Mediated 37,224 39,166 Automated 99,398 150,535. Page 51
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL MAKI AREA COMMITTEE ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE SEPTEMBER 2022 SERVICES ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES UPDATE 1.0 INTRODUCTION 1.1 This report format and frequency for these reports were agreed as part of the previous Council. The purpose of the report is to provide a general update on key activities of the Service over recent months and to enable a discussion on key, high level topics and projects. As part of developing future committee structure and workplans the purpose and effectiveness of this standing item should be reviewed. 1.2 As part of the normal course of business we provide all members with regular weekly briefings on topical projects and ongoing service delivery. We have been doing this weekly for over 60 editions now and these prove to be a useful tool for regular service updates. They are all available as part of the wider resource portal on the Member Zone system which also includes specific topic briefing sheets and key policy documents. We are also in the process of developing a seminar programme on specific topics which we are hoping to make as interactive as possible with various site visits. 2.0 RECOMMENDATIONS 2.1 It is recommended that the Area Committee note and consider the contents of this report, and provide feedback on the content, format and frequency. 3.0 DETAIL COVID Absence/Resource Availability 3.1 For the period of the previous report two reports in March then June absence rates as a result of self-isolation requirements remained high in the case of the former report and tapered down more in line with pre-COVID trends in the latter report. This remains largely the case, and absence levels continue to be in line with pre-COVID trends, although there do remain a few isolated absences attributed to COVID, the overwhelming percentage of absences are non-COVID related 3.2 A more pressing issue in terms of resource availability is around recruitment Page 53 Agenda Item 7
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particularly for manual roles in our Operations team. We are finding that we are having to go out three or four times for some posts, and even then we continue to have some long-term unfilled vacancies. At the time of writing this report there are 18 vacant posts which we are trying to recruit to in our Operations team. Even in the posts we are successfully recruiting to, we are finding that we have far fewer applicants than we would have done for similar posts previously. Capital Roads Reconstruction Programme 3.3 The focus of the roads reconstruction programme is to recover the network through the delivery of a mix of carriageway resurfacing schemes, patching/surface dressing and in-situ road surface recycling, which follow the principles set out within the Roads Asset Management Plan. 3.4 This Council has approximately £100M of backlog maintenance in the road network. This means that over £100M would need to be invested to bring the road network up to an A1 standard. Most councils are in a very similar position. Clearly in the current financial climate we are not going to see the level of investment required to bring the road network up to an A1 condition. However, over the last decade there has been a carefully applied strategy of delivering revenue and capital funding collectively and delivering a series of works designed to minimise reactive work, carry out right first time repairs wherever possible and to deliver surfacing techniques and specifications which maximizes the amount of repairs and resurfacing which is delivered. As with almost all council services there is insufficient funding available to treat all the sections of road that we’d like to do, the focus being on treating sections where we can maximise the financial return and in so doing reduce the amount of reactive repairs varied out. Unfortunately, the available funding means that almost all roads authorities, including Argyll and Bute, are unable to treat every section of road they would like to do. 3.5 The total programme for this financial year for roads reconstruction is £8million Council capital allocation and £1.6million from the Strategic Timber Transport Scheme, which is used to match fund existing schemes on the council network where timber extraction is programmed to be carried out. 3.6 Oil and bitumen prices have increased significantly this year, and the situation with costs is highly fluctuating. Coated roadstone used for surfacing our road and footways has increased by approximately 20%. This will impact our programmes of work. A report detailing the implications of the recent price increases was presented to the June ED&I Committee. 3.7 The Council capital allocation for the MAKI area is £2,621,610, and the scheme list is available on the Council website here. As well as the programme itself, the online resources include financial values and short explanations of engineering methods/solutions. 3.8 Overall progress with the programme has been excellent and works remain on schedule. As well as the full programme [link above] which is updated monthly, Page 54
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we provide weekly updates on schemes via our weekly briefing. At the time of writing this report 39 of the 49 individual schemes in MAKI have been completed. Winter Maintenance 3.9 The annual winter policy update is being reported to EDI in September. The proposed policy is largely unchanged from previous years and should it be agreed it will form the basis of the delivery of our winter maintenance activities over winter 22/23. 3.10 A key aspect of the winter service is the provision of public information on what we do and why we do it. There is a range of online resources available on the Council website here. Campbeltown Flood Prevention Scheme 3.11 We have been providing regular updates o this scheme through previous EDI reports, various press releases and coverage in several editions of our weekly briefings. In summary, a contractor, Dawson WAM, has been appointed to deliver the scheme. We expect that by the time this report is considered at Committee the contractor will have mobilised to site and set up or be setting up their site compound. We have prepared a specific webpage for the scheme which is available here. The webpage has helpful background information in a FAQ-type format, and it will host regular monthly project updates. There is an option for anyone interested to sign up to an email mailing list to have these monthly updates sent on to them directly. 3.12 At the time of writing this report we are finalising with the contractor a programme of pop-up information events where members of the project team will be on hand to give an overview of the project and to answer any queries from residents, businesses etc. 3.13 We are planning to arrange a specific session for local members with the contractor and project team including a site walk-round and project overview. At the time of writing we are aiming to have this session at some point in September once the contractor has mobilised to site. 3.14 This is an exciting scheme which will see major works at various areas throughout the town, all progressing with a view to addressing long-standing flooding issues. The nature of some of the works is such that they will cause disruption – we are hoping to keep that disruption to a minimum and crucially, to provide good, early information to people about what is planned for when, and how it will affect them. Gartbreck landfill cell works. 3.15 In our weekly briefings editions 61 and 62 we provided the following updates on these important works: Islay’s Gartbreck landfill site cell extension is nearing completion. This will provide landfill capacity to the start of the Biodegradable Municipal Waste (BMW) landfill Page 55
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ban together with capacity for non BMW material beyond the ban and a further update following last week’s update – we now expect these works to be complete by the end of the month. As a community benefit through the project, the contractors are donating £1200 to Gortonvogie Residential Home. 3.16 At the time of writing this report the above remains the positon – by the time of the committee we would hope to be able to provide a further verbal update Play Park Funding 3.17 Funding of £76,000 was allocated in financial year 21/22, with a further £79,000 this financial year. In order to provide for a meaningful programme of improvement works targeted at the high priority sites, as well as a works package with is attractive to what it is a limited supplier/contractor market, the funds have been rolled together into a single package. Sites were given a priority rating based on asset inspections and feedback form the Youth Forum, in compliance with the Scottish Government’s grant requirements. The full list of prioritised sites was reported to EDI in June and is available here. In this area the priority sites are Ardrishaig KGV and Tarbert. . 3.18 An update on this was recently provided in the weekly briefing [Edition 61 5th August] which read: The recent tender process failed to generate any bids. We requested feedback as to why there were no applications and we were advised that the timescales for completion of work were too short. A request for more time to complete was made and this is currently being assessed by our procurement team. A further re-tender process will be looked at this month. 3.19 A further update will be provided on this at the Committee meeting. Bridge Maintenance 3.20 The Infrastructure Design team continue to carry out bridge inspections to all approx 900 structures on a rolling programme across Argyll and Bute to ensure they are safe and fit for purpose. This inspection regime identifies necessary remedial works which are programmed for delivery. 3.21 The team were also successful in a highly competitive bidding process for the Scottish Government’s £32million Local Bridge Maintenance Fund, receiving a funding award of £5,5million. The fund will be used to undertake proportionate works on bridges in need of repair, identified through our inspection programme/records. 3.22 There are four schemes identified in this area, a £40,000 scheme at Archonnell Bridge on the B840, which has an indicative siteworks start date of December 2022; a £477,000 scheme on Claonaig Bridge on the B839, which has an indicative siteworks start date of June 2024; a £597,000 scheme at Glenegadale on the A846, with an indicative start date of June 2023; and a £40,000 scheme at Whitestone Bridge on the B842, which has an indicative start date of December 2022. More details on these schemes will follow as the projects develop. The Page 56
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indicative programme for this fund for the whole Council area was reported to EDI in June and is available here. 4.0 CONCLUSION 4.1 This report provides a general update to local members on recent Roads and Infrastructure activities. 5.0 IMPLICATIONS 5.1 Policy – various policies referred to within the body of the report 5.2 Financial – none 5.3 Legal – the Council has various statutory obligations which are the responsibility of RIS and set out in various Acts, such as the Roads Scotland Act 1984. The services provided are in line with our statutory obligations 5.4 HR – none known 5.5 Fairer Scotland Duty: 5.5.1 Equalities - protected characteristics – none known 5.5.2 Socio-economic Duty – none known 5.5.3 Islands – none known 5.6. Climate Change – none 5.7 Risk – none known 5.8 Customer Service - none Executive Director with responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Services Kirsty Flanagan Policy Lead for Roads and Transport Councillor Andrew Kain August 2022 For further information contact: Jim Smith, Head of Roads and Infrastructure Services; or Mark Calder, Project Manager Page 57
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL MID ARGYLL, KINTYRE AND THE ISLANDS AREA COMMITTEE ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES SEPTEMBER 2022 RECYCLING AND RECOVERY PERFORMANCE 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 Argyll and Bute Council is both a waste collection and waste disposal authority. 1.2 Waste disposal is dealt with by 3 separate models across the council as follows: Island sites e.g. on Mull and Islay where landfill sites are operated directly by the council; Helensburgh and Lomond area where waste is disposed of at sites outside of Argyll and Bute; A 25 year (2001 – 2026) Waste PPP contract which covers the rest of Argyll and Bute. 1.3 Waste figures for all four administrative areas have been summarised within this report. Due to the way the reporting is carried out it is not possible to accurately break down the information on an area by area basis for all data. 1.4 National policy decisions, guidance and regulations e.g. relating to the Biodegradable Municipal Waste landfill ban will have a significant impact on future recycling, composting and recovery performance. 1.5 It is recommended that Members note and give consideration to the details as outlined in this report and the national policy drivers that will likely impact over the coming years. Page 59 Agenda Item 8
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL BUTE AND COWAL AREA COMMITTEE ROADS AND INFRASTRUCTURE SERVICES SEPTEMBER 2022 RECYCLING AND RECOVERY PERFORMANCE 2.0 INTRODUCTION 2.1 Argyll and Bute Council is both a waste collection and waste disposal authority. Recycling, composting and recovery (i.e. other landfill diversion) statistics are reported quarterly within the council’s performance system Pyramid. Statutory returns to SEPA e.g. licensed site tonnage, landfill tax and waste data flow vary from quarterly to annual. 2.2 This report provides details on the council’s recycling and landfill diversion performance along with national policy, targets and regulations which are likely to impact on future performance. 3.0 RECOMMENDATIONS 3.1 It is recommended that Members note and give consideration to the details as outlined in this report and the national policy drivers that will likely impact over the coming years. 4.0 DETAILS 4.1 The council’s waste strategy was approved by the Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee in September 2019. Whilst this strategy will emerge in line with government guidance, regulation legislation, and contractual requirements the Strategy is predicated on the model shown in Figure 1 below. Page 60
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4.2 Argyll and Bute Council operate a performance management system ‘Pyramid’. Quarterly recycling/composting, recovery and landfill percentages are included – split between the Islands landfill sites, Waste Management PPP and Helensburgh/Lomond areas. These details include: percentage of waste recycled and composted; percentage of waste recovered e.g. other landfill diversion; combined percentage of waste recycled, composted and recovered; percentage of waste to landfill; tonnes of biodegradable municipal waste to landfill. Percentages Summary of Landfill, Recycling, Composting and Recovery 2019, 2020 and 2021 2019 2020 2021 Argyll & Bute wide % of waste recycled, composted and recovered 48.4% 43.7% 49.3% % waste recycled and composted 35.4% 27.8% 36.2% % waste recovered 13.0% 15.9% 13.0% % waste landfilled 51.6% 56.3% 50.7% Tonnes of municipal waste to landfill 29,48 8 29,26 1 29,87 5 Waste PPP % of waste recycled, composted and recovered 46.6% 45.1% 50.6% Page 61
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% waste recycled and composted 28.5% 23.6% 33.0% % waste recovered 18.1% 21.5% 17.6% % waste landfilled 53.4% 54.9% 49.4% Helensburgh & Lomond % of waste recycled, composted and recovered 53.0% 43.9% 50.8% % waste recycled and composted 45.3% 34.6% 42.7% % waste recovered 7.8% 9.3% 8.1% % waste landfilled 47.0% 56.1% 49.2% Islands % of waste recycled, composted and recovered 44.4% 33.8% 36.3% % waste recycled and composted 44.4% 31.7% 34.8% % waste recovered 0.0% 2.1% 1.5% % waste landfilled 55.6% 66.2% 63.7% 4.3 Some points to note are as follows: There was a drop in recycling performance in 2020 due to Council kerbside recycling services being suspended and recycling/civic amenity sites were closed during the early months of the first COVID lockdown. In 2021, all recycling services returned to normal throughout the year which is reflected in the increase in recycling rates compared to 2020. During these first 3 months of the pandemic in 2020, Recycling/civic amenity sites, which were required to close Scotland wide. The site were re-opened in early June 2020. There were no closures in 2021 which contributed to an increase in recycling compared to 2020. The combined recycled, composted and recovery rate has increased from 43.7% in 2020 to 49.3% in 2021. This is mainly due to the reasons described above. The combined recycling, composting and recovery rate in 2019 was 48.4%. The 2021 combined rate of 49.3% would indicate that our Page 62
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overall recycling and landfill diversion rates in 2021 returned to pre- covid levels. There are some disposal area differences when comparing 2019 and 2021, e.g. most of the glass collected in the Helensburgh/Lomond and the PPP areas is serviced by a dedicated glass collection vehicle and staffing based in Helensburgh. Depending on collection volumes and routes, the vehicle will sometimes discharge the glass at PPP sites and on other occasions at the Helensburgh site which varies the location where the glass is registered as being recycled. In 2021, there was significantly more glass discharged for recycling at the PPP sites (and subsequently less at the Helensburgh site) compared to 2019 levels. In the Islands disposal area, there was a drop in recycling from 2021 compared to 2019, this is mainly due to a large reduction in wood delivered for recycling at our Mull and Islay facilities. The recovery in the Waste PPP area is carried out by Renewi through residual waste mechanical biological treatment plants based at their waste facilities near Oban, Dunoon and Lochgilphead. The recovery in the Helensburgh and Lomond area is mainly carried out by Barr Environmental at their Auchencarroch waste facility, near Alexandria. There was an increase of circa 13% in overall municipal solid waste tonnages in 2021 compared to 2020. Tonnages in 2020 were much lower than normal mainly due to the sharp reduction in visitors and the closure of many commercial premises during the first lockdown in 2020.However, it is noteworthy that the 2021 tonnages were still higher by circa 3% compared to 2019.The overall tonnage increase in 2021 is likely due to the high number of staycation visitors during the year plus some new housing developments have come on stream e.g. Dunbeg (Oban). The overall percentage waste to landfill in 2021 (50.7%) was lower than 2020 (56.3%) again mainly due to the suspension of most recycling services for circa 3 months during the first lockdown in 2020. The tonnage of municipal waste to landfill in 2021 (i.e. 29,875 tonnes) was slightly more than in 2020 (i.e. 29,261 tonnes).This was mainly due to the overall tonnage drop in 2020 plus the 2021 tonnage increase as previously described. Recycling and composting is mainly from recycling collections, bring sites and segregated wastes from recycling/civic amenity sites. Recovery is predominantly moisture and process loss/use and/or compost like output from mixed waste treatment plants operated by the council’s Waste PPP partner and other waste contractors. SEPA published annual recycling data for local authorities focuses mainly on recycling and composting from households. Page 63
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Landfill Ban 4.4 The Waste (Scotland) Regulations were introduced by the Scottish Government in 2012 and they included a landfill ban of biodegradable waste from 2021. 4.5 The landfill ban planned for 2021 has since been rescheduled by the Scottish Government until 2025. This delay was welcomed by the Council and gives more time for alternative solutions and funding to be sought. An update report on the Waste PPP/Landfill Ban can be found at the September 2022 Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee. Deposit Return Scheme 4.6 The Scottish Government in 2019 set out a planned implementation date of April 2021 for a national deposit return scheme (DRS) for drinks containers including PET plastic drinks bottles, drinks cans and glass bottles. During the COVID-19 outbreak the implementation date was delayed by the Scottish Government until July 2022 and then subsequently until August 2023.Circularity Scotland have since been appointed by The Scottish Government to administer and operate the scheme throughout Scotland. 4.7 The DRS scheme may result in an overall Scotland wide increase in recycling including other environmental benefits e.g. current non- recyclers may use the scheme plus there should be less littering of such items. The scheme may however, see a reduction in Council recycling performance if items such as glass drinks bottles are no longer handled by Council glass collections albeit they should still be recycled in future via the DRS scheme. The DRS scheme aims to capture 70% of such items during the first year of implementation then rising to 90% in future years. Much will depend on how the scheme is implemented by the Scottish Government and Scheme Administrator in the coming years and public participation in the scheme. Scottish Government Circular Economy Proposals 4.8 During the summer of 2022, The Scottish Government published its Circular Economy proposals which included 31 existing and proposed new measures up to and beyond 2025.These included existing measures such as the 2025 landfill ban and the DRS scheme as previously mentioned. There were also a number of new proposals which will likely impact on future recycling and recovery rates. Further details on these Scottish Government proposals will be reported at future ED&I Committees as they progress. Some of the main proposals are as follows: The Incineration Review recommendations will be actioned by the Scottish Government; The rural food waste exemption will be reviewed by the end of 2022; Page 64
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Garden waste collections may become mandatory in 2023; Textiles collections may be made mandatory in 2025; Hazardous household waste collections may be made mandatory in 2025; The Household Recycling Charter may be made mandatory in future; Statutory Recycling Targets may be placed on individual Councils in future. 5.0 CONCLUSION 5.1 Steady progress was made on recycling and composting performance during 2021 after being affected during the early months of the pandemic in 2020. Since council kerbside services returned and recycling/civic amenity sites re-opened in June 2020, more normal recycling levels have returned throughout 2021. National Policy drivers such as the ban on biodegradable waste to landfill, the Scottish Deposit Return Scheme and the circular economy proposals will have significant implications for future recycling, composting and recovery performance. 6.0 IMPLICATIONS 6.1 Policy - National policies and regulations will likely impact on future recycling, composting and recovery performance. The council’s policy is to reduce landfill. 6.2 Financial - The 2025 ban on biodegradable waste to landfill will have financial implications. An update report can be found in the September 2022 Environment, Development and Infrastructure Committee. 6.3 The landfill ban (delayed until 31st December 2025) is a legal requirement under the Waste (Scotland) Regulations 2012. Other legal requirements may result following The Scottish Government Circular Economy proposals. 6.4 HR – None. 6.5 Equalities – None. 6.6 Risk - Risks to the council on the landfill ban and any other future statutory requirements are mainly financial. A national deposit scheme for drinks containers will hopefully have an overall environmental benefit, although it may impact negatively on council recycling rates. 6.7 Customer – None at present. Executive Director with Responsibility for Roads and Infrastructure Services: Kirsty Flanagan Page 65
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Head of Roads and Infrastructure Services: Jim Smith Policy Lead for Climate Change and Environment Services: Councillor Ross Moreland For further information contact: John Blake – Fleet, Waste & Transport Manager Page 66
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL MID ARGYLL, KINTYRE AND THE ISLANDS AREA COMMITTEE DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH 7 SEPTEMBER 2022 TARBERT AND LOCHGILPHEAD REGENERATION FUND – PROJECTS UPDATE 1.0 EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 1.1 This report provides an update on the 6 projects which Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee agreed on 6 September 2017 focusing on those projects which have not previously been reported to committee as complete. Lochgilphead Front Green (LA10) 1.2 The main body of works were completed by 12 August 2022 and the site reopened that evening. An opening ceremony is planned following completion but details for this have yet to be agreed. 1.3 We procured the works at Lochgilphead during a time of considerable uncertainty with the ongoing Covid pandemic and other changes such as the UK leaving the EU. In order to protect the Council’s position, the project entered the construction phase with a considerable contingency allowance attached to anticipated risks. At the time of writing, we believe that there is likely to be approximately £55,000 of contingency remaining once all costs associated with the project have been covered, the exact amount cannot be confirmed until all commercial matters have been settled with the contractor. We are asking Committee to continue with this pragmatic approach and enable any surplus funding from the Lochgilphead Front Green Project to be allocated to the Ardrishaig North Public Realm project which is due to start on site shortly. Ardrishaig North Public Realm (LA13) 1.4 Following appointment of P1 Solutions Ltd as the main contractor for this project work on site is expected to commence on 29 August 2022. The contractor indicates that there should be a construction period of eight months. During the construction period the contractor will minimise disruption as much as possible but the site will require closure to ensure the safety of members of the public and site workers. Updates on the project are being issued by email to interested parties and published on the Council’s website at www.argyll- bute.gov.uk/ardrishaig/public-realm. Page 67 Agenda Item 9
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Ardrishaig Gleaner Site (LA17) 1.5 There have been a number of discussions between the Head of Development and Economic Growth and senior members of Scottish Canals in relation to Phase 2 of the site and how that could be developed. Whilst there are no firm proposals at this stage we believe that it is beneficial to retain the allocated funding against the phase 2 and that proposals will continue to be developed. We are looking at whether there is an opportunity to gain support for development of this site through the Rural Growth Deal via the tourism and place element of funding. RECOMMENDATIONS Members of the Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee are asked to: 1. Note the progress made with the projects as detailed within the report; and 2. Recommend to Policy and Resources Committee the transfer of any unspent funding from the Lochgilphead Front Green project to support the ongoing delivery of the Ardrishaig North Public Realm project. Page 68
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL MID ARGYLL, KINTYRE AND THE ISLANDS AREA COMMITTEE DEVELOPMENT AND ECONOMIC GROWTH 7 SEPTEMBER 2022 TARBERT AND LOCHGILPHEAD REGENERATION FUND – PROJECTS UPDATE 2.0 INTRODUCTION 2.1 This report provides an update on the 6 projects which Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee agreed on 6 September 2017 (ratified by Policy and Resources Committee) should form the Tarbert and Lochgilphead Regeneration Fund and proceed to full business case. The projects include: Project Ref. Project Status T02 Barmore Road (A83)/Garvel Road junction improvement Complete T11 Tarbert Harbour facilities Complete LA10 Lochgilphead Front Green Ongoing at time of writing report LA11 Argyll Street Complete LA13 Ardrishaig North Public Realm Improvements Ongoing LA17 Gleaner Oil Site Phase 1 complete, phase 2 ongoing Whilst some projects have been successfully completed, as agreed, our focus is now on successfully delivering the remaining agreed projects. The report below provides an update on the remaining ongoing projects. 3.0 RECOMMENDATIONS 3.1 Members of the Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Area Committee are asked to: 1. Note the progress made with the projects as detailed within the report; and 2. Recommend to Policy and Resources Committee the transfer of any unspent funding from the Lochgilphead Front Green project to support the ongoing delivery of the Ardrishaig North Public Realm project. Page 69
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4.0 DETAIL Lochgilphead Front Green (LA10) 4.1 Works started on the Lochgilphead Front Green project on 31 May 2021 following the appointment of contractors Hawthorn Heights Limited in March 2021. During the course of the project, we have been able to add in a number of elements of the project which were removed during a value engineering exercise. As works progressed, it became clear that some of the contingency allocated to identified risks would not be required and as such we were able to include in the contract the landmark and car parking signage which was something that members had been keen to see included. We also extended the natural stone in the square so that it meets the seating wall, this was felt to be beneficial in terms of long term maintenance, and upgraded the grass works to the coastal edge from seeding to turf. Additional Town Centre Funding enabled us to upgrade and extend the A83 footway works and change the surface finish from resin bound gravel to natural stone to match into the works completed in Colchester Square and Argyll Street as well as extending works in front of the public toilets building. All of these works have added additional time to the works on the Front Green. 4.2 The project has also been impacted by delays some of which are being widely experienced across the construction industry and are impacting availability of site labour, supplies and materials. As a result of the additional works and the other delays, the completion date for the works moved from the end of January 2022 to 12 August 2022. The majority of the site was reopened to the public on the evening of 12 August 2022. Some parts of the site were closed off to enable recently laid turf to establish and the remedial works to the site compound are still required to be completed, following the removal of site welfare facilities this part of the site will be seeded with grass which will also require time to establish. 4.3 An opening ceremony is planned following completion but details for this have yet to be agreed. A 12 months defects period will follow completion and it is anticipated that a number of works will be required during this period. 4.4 A schedule of before and after photographs is included at Appendix 1. 4.5 The funding allocated for the Lochgilphead Front Green project has enabled us to attract external funding into the area, for every £1 of funding through the Tarbert and Lochgilphead Regeneration Fund a further additional 30p of external funding has been attracted to the project. 4.6 We procured the works at Lochgilphead during a time of considerable uncertainty with the ongoing Covid pandemic and other changes such as the UK leaving the EU. In order to protect the Council’s position, the project entered the construction phase with a considerable contingency allowance attached to anticipated risks. As the project progressed, some of the contingency has been expended and, as detailed above, some of this has been released to enable additional works to be undertaken. At the time of writing, we believe that there is likely to be Page 70
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approximately £55,000 of contingency remaining once all costs associated with the project have been covered, the exact amount cannot be confirmed until all commercial matters have been settled with the contractor. 4.7 Previously when funding has remained available at the end of a project, it has been agreed that this should be transferred into other ongoing Tarbert and Lochgilphead Fund projects to enable them to progress. We are asking Committee to continue with this approach and enable any surplus funding from the Lochgilphead Front Green Project to be allocated to the Ardrishaig North Public Realm project. Ardrishaig North Public Realm (LA13) 4.8 Our previous report on this project identified that we had applied for funding from Sustrans to help to deliver the works, the project had secured support and funding from Sustrans for the design works. Unfortunately the funding application for the construction phase was unsuccessful and as a result of this we were required to undertake a period of value engineering and reduce the scope of works before proceeding with the procurement exercise. This exercise was undertaken at a time of significant volatility within the construction sector with prices for some items raising exponentially over very short periods of time. 4.9 In June 2022 we completed the procurement exercise and awarded a contract to P1 Solutions Ltd. At the time of writing, the preconstruction phase is expected to extend to the end of August with works on site commencing on 29 August 2022. The works to be completed are shown on the drawing at Appendix 2. 4.10 Information from the contractor indicates that there should be a construction period of eight months and they expect to undertake works commencing in the garden area between the car parks and working along the waterfront before moving onto the car park and A83 frontage. 4.11 During the construction period the contractor will minimise disruption as much as possible but the site will require closure to ensure the safety of members of the public and site workers. During the construction period there will be access to the public toilets and the North Hall. Car parking on the Southern Car Park will be unaffected however the north car park will be closed and is expected to be utilised by the contractor for their compound. 4.12 Updates on the project are being issued by email to interested parties and published on the Council’s website at www.argyll-bute.gov.uk/ardrishaig/public- realm. Ardrishaig Gleaner Site (LA17) 4.13 This project is being delivered by Scottish Canals with a grant being provided through the Tarbert and Lochgilphead Regeneration Fund. Phase 1 of the Gleaner Site, the award winning Egg Shed, was completed in 2019. The Egg Shed was recognised by the Royal Incorporation of Architects in Scotland (RIAS) in their 2021 awards. Page 71
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4.14 There have been a number of discussions between the Head of Development and Economic Growth and senior members of Scottish Canals in relation to Phase 2 of the site and how that could be developed. Whilst there are no firm proposals at this stage we believe that it is beneficial to retain the allocated funding against the phase 2 and that proposals will continue to be developed. We are looking at whether there is an opportunity to gain support for development of this site and the Crinan Canal through the Rural Growth Deal via the tourism and place element of funding. 5.0 CONCLUSION 5.1 Funding through the Tarbert and Lochgilphead Regeneration Fund has successfully completed a number of projects in Tarbert, Ardrishaig and Lochgilphead. The main focus of activity continues to be delivering the remaining of the agreed six projects with work now focusing on Ardrishaig. There remain a high number of risks associated with delivery of the remaining projects however these will continue to be monitored and managed where possible. Should an underspend remain once the agreed six projects have been completed this will be reported to Committee so that arrangements can be agreed as to how this should be allocated. 5.2 An update on the projects will be made to Committee during 2023. 6.0 IMPLICATIONS 6.1 Policy The projects will support the overarching objective and long term outcomes of the Council’s Corporate Plan, Argyll and Bute Outcome Improvement Plan, the Local Development Plan, the Economic Strategy. It will deliver the Tarbert and Lochgilphead Regeneration Fund. 6.2 Financial A total of £3 million is allocated through the Tarbert and Lochgilphead Regeneration Fund. Expenditure at August 2022 is £2,042,863.98 including the grants made for Tarbert Harbour and Gleaner Phase 1 site, works completed at Garvel Road, Tarbert, Lochgilphead Front Green and Ardrishaig North Public Realm. 6.3 Legal Working with procurement colleagues in regard to management of contracts and tendering process. Leases, licences and memorandums of understanding with third party progressed by the legal team where necessary. 6.4 HR Support required from colleagues across the Council particularly Roads and Infrastructure Services who are the asset owners for the Lochgilphead Page 72
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Front Green and Ardrishaig North. 6.5 Fairer Scotland Duty: 6.5.1 Equalities - protected characteristics Equalities and Socio Economic Impact Assessments have been carried out. 6.5.2 Socio-economic Duty See above 6.5.3 Islands No impacts anticipated. 6.6. Climate Change Construction works undertaken as a result of the Tarbert Lochgilphead Regeneration Fund will result in carbon emissions although it is anticipated that these will be restricted to the construction period. Works at Lochgilphead Front Green raise the ground level of part of the green and may offer a form of climate change adaptation. 6.7 Risk There remain a number of risks associated with all the ongoing projects including those associated with external funding, public perception, construction working, costs, covid-19 and Brexit etc. Project Risk Registers are being maintained. 6.8 Customer Service None at this time Kirsty Flanagan – Executive Director with responsibility for Development and Economic Growth Policy lead – Robin Currie 16 August 2022 Appendix 1 – Lochgilphead Front Green Photographs Appendix 2 – Ardrishaig North Public Realm Landscape Plan For further information contact: Anna Watkiss, Senior Development Officer, Development and Economic Growth, Tel. 01546 604344 Page 73
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APPENDIX 1 – Lochgilphead Front Green Photographs Before After Page 74
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Before After Page 75
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Appendix 2 – Ardrishaig North Public Realm Landscape Plan Page 76
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ARGYLL & BUTE COUNCIL MID ARGYLL, KINTYRE AND THE ISLANDS AREA COMMITTEE LEGAL AND REGULATORY SUPPORT 7 SEPTEMBER 2022 EXTRACT OF MINUTE OF AUDIT AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE HELD ON 23 JUNE 2022 12. COMMUNITY ASSET TRANSFER SCRUTINY REVIEW The Committee gave consideration to a report presenting the findings of the Community Asset Transfer Scrutiny Review, which was carried out as per the 2021/22 scrutiny plan. The report identified ‘a perception that the Council’s current asset transfer process is complex and does not fully support community empowerment to allow community groups to progress transfer request without significant support’. Discussion was had in relation to the opportunity this afforded to expose the opportunities of Community Asset Transfer to a wider audience, with it being noted that delegated authority for Asset Transfers lies with the Policy and Resources Committee. Decision The Audit and Scrutiny Committee:- 1. Agreed the draft Community Asset Transfer Scrutiny Report; and 2. Agreed that the Community Asset Transfer Scrutiny Report be presented to the Council’s 4 Area Committees in the first instance, for information and to facilitate promotion to community groups to consider, noting that any recommendations arising would require to be referred to the Policy and Resources Committee for consideration. (Reference: Report by Chair of the Community Asset Transfer Scrutiny Panel, dated 23 June 2022, submitted) Page 77 Agenda Item 10
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ARGYLL AND BUTE COUNCIL AUDIT AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE FINANCIAL SERVICES 23 JUNE 2022 COMMUNITY ASSET TRANSFER SCRUTINY REVIEW 1. SUMMARY 1.1 The Community Asset Transfer scrutiny review was carried out as per the 2021/22 scrutiny plan agreed by the Audit and Scrutiny Committee at their development session on the 27 April 2021. 1.2 The Community Asset Transfer scrutiny panel comprised of Mr Martin Caldwell (Chair), Councillor Trail and Councillor McGrigor with support provided by internal audit officers. 1.3 The Community Asset Transfer process was chosen for inclusion in our scrutiny priorities for 2021/22 as a result of findings from the Council’s Best Value Assurance Review conducted by Audit Scotland in May 2020. The report identified ‘a perception that the Council’s current asset transfer process is complex and does not fully support community empowerment to allow community groups to progress transfer request without significant support’. 2. RECOMMENDATIONS 2.1 Committee to agree the Draft Community Asset Transfer Scrutiny Report. 2.2 Committee to agree the most appropriate committee or other Council group for the Community Asset Transfer scrutiny report to be presented to for consideration. 3. DETAIL 3.1 The agreed objectives of the scrutiny review were to: ensure the council’s guidance is consistent with legislation and national guidance ensure the Council’s process is supportive to community transfer bodies ensure there is adequate engagement with community groups to assess feedback ensure that the action plan from Audit Scotland’s Best Value Assurance Report is being progressed. 3.2 Throughout this review two panel meetings were held to gather evidence. Page 79
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Panel one – Council’s Social Enterprise Development Officer and the Estates and Property Development Manager Panel two – representative from Audit Scotland comprising of the Audit Director and two Senior Audit Managers 3.3 We would like to extend our appreciation for the cooperation and assistance received from all witnesses invited to provide evidence over the course of the review. 3.4 Based on the information obtained over the course of the review the panel has identified eight findings specific to this review. These are detailed in the report attached as appendix 1. 3.5 The report has been discussed with the officers and panel members involved in the review to confirm accuracy and it is now for the Committee to decide whether to approve the report and, if so, to agree the most appropriate committee or other Council group for the Community Asset Transfer scrutiny report to be presented to for consideration. 4. CONCLUSION 4.1 Committee is requested to agree the attached report and agree the most appropriate Committee or other Council group for the report to be presented to for consideration. 5. IMPLICATIONS 5.1 Policy - None 5.2 Financial -None 5.3 Legal -None 5.4 HR - None 5.5 Fairer Scotland Duty - None 5.5.1 Equalities – None 5.5.2 Socio-Economic Duty – None 5.5.3 Islands Duty – None 5.6 Climate Change – None 5.7 Risk – None 5.8 Customer Service - None Martin Caldwell Chair of the Community Asset Transfer Scrutiny Panel 23 June 2022 For further information please contact: Moira Weatherstone, Interim Chief Internal Auditor, 01546 604146 Appendices: Appendix 1 – Draft Community Asset Transfer Scrutiny Report Page 80
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Argyll and Bute Council Scrutiny Report March 2022 DRAFT Community Asset Transfer Page 83
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2 Argyll and Bute Council – Scrutiny Report – Community Asset Transfer 2021/22 Contents 1. Executive Summary .............................................................................................................. 3 Introduction................................................................................................................................. 3 Objectives.................................................................................................................................... 3 Background.................................................................................................................................. 3 Scrutiny Initiation Briefing – 13 August 2021 ................................................................................. 4 2. Scrutiny Meetings ................................................................................................................. 5 Scrutiny Meeting One – Council Officers – 05 October 2021 .......................................................... 5 Scrutiny Meeting Two – Audit Scotland – 18 November 2021 ........................................................ 9 3. Overall Conclusion and Findings .......................................................................................... 11 Contact Details Chair: Martin Caldwell (Chair of Audit and Scrutiny Committee) Interim Chief Internal Auditor: Moira Weatherstone (moira.weatherstone@argyll-bute.gov.uk) www.argyll-bute.gov.uk Page 84
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3 Argyll and Bute Council – Scrutiny Report – Community Asset Transfer 2021/22 1. Executive Summary Introduction 1. As part of Argyll and Bute Council’s (the Council) 2021/22 scrutiny plan, approved by the Audit & Scrutiny Committee (the Committee) in June 2021, we have undertaken a scrutiny review of the Council’s Community Asset Transfer process. 2. Throughout this report references to ‘the Panel’ refers to the chair of the Committee and two Committee members who conducted this review. They were: Martin Caldwell (Panel Chair) Councillor Trail Councillor McGrigor 3. The Panel was supported by council officers and relevant external parties who gave willingly of their time to help deliver the review. We would like to extend our appreciation for the cooperation and assistance received from all witnesses invited to provide evidence over the course of the review. Objectives 4. The agreed objectives of the scrutiny review were to: ensure the Council’s guidance is consistent with legislation and national guidance ensure the Council’s process is supportive to community transfer bodies ensure there is adequate engagement with community groups to assess feedback ensure that the action plan from Audit Scotland’s Best Value Assurance Report is being progressed. Background 5. The Council’s Best Value (BV) report issued by the Accounts Commission in May 2020 stated that community focus groups highlighted that: There is ‘a perception that the Council’s current asset transfer process is complex and does not fully support community empowerment to allow community groups to progress transfer requests without significant support.’ and recommended that: ‘The council should work with communities and community groups to understand and address their concerns in respect of the current asset transfer arrangements.’ In response to the BV report the Council have implemented a BV Action Plan with one of the actions being to ‘Review and simplify the community asset transfer process’. 6. Part 5 of the Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015 (The Act), sets out the key rights and duties for community transfer bodies and relevant authorities and provides a framework for the asset transfer process. 7. Historically, asset transfer was only available for land or buildings which a public authority has decided to dispose of, and has decided is suitable for community use. The Act puts more power Page 85
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4 Argyll and Bute Council – Scrutiny Report – Community Asset Transfer 2021/22 in the hands of communities by allowing them to request whatever publicly held property they believe will be most suitable to deliver their objectives. Therefore community transfer bodies who meet the qualifying criterial can make applications to relevant authorities to acquire land and property which is not listed for sale. 8. The Act requires each relevant authority to establish, maintain and make available a register of land which it owns or leases to the best of its knowledge and belief. This register is available to view within an area of the Council’s website dedicated to community asset transfers along with links to other relevant guidance and tools. 9. The Council has developed an “expression of interest” process which seeks to resolve community requests as simply as possible out with the statutory Asset Transfer process and runs parallel with the Asset Transfer process. This process assists community transfer bodies wishing to investigate the possibility of developing a full asset transfer request or other alternative means of managing community assets. A transfer request can be for ownership, lease or other rights. 10. As at 30 June 2021, the Council reported to Scottish Government that it had received 70 expressions of interest since January 2017. Of these: 14 are active 53 have been resolved or withdrawn 3 developed into asset transfer requests, one of which was successful and two refused. 11. The Council’s Social Enterprise Development Officer is the single point of contact to provide assistance to community transfer bodies. There is an internal process guide to ensure consistent evaluation of expressions of interest and asset transfer requests received. 12. The Council’s Asset Transfer Group consists of representatives across various council services. The group meets monthly to review progress with expressions of interest and asset transfer requests, review the Best Value Assurance Report action plan and the published asset register and consider any other relevant business. 13. The Community Asset Transfer process was approved for inclusion in our scrutiny plan for 2021/22 at the meeting of the Council’s Audit and Scrutiny Committee on 15 June 2021. Scrutiny Initiation Briefing – 13 August 2021 14. In August 2021 scrutiny officers circulated a briefing paper to the Panel which provided background on the community asset transfer process. The Panel met to agree the scope and identify invitees to give evidence at a series of meetings. 15. The agreed scope was to consider whether the community asset transfer process: complies with relevant legislation and guidance supports community transfer bodies through the expression of interest and asset transfer process uses feedback from community transfer bodies to inform improvement actions that will address the findings of the Best Value Report. 16. The Panel agreed that they should meet with appropriate representatives of the groups set out in Exhibit 1. Page 86
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5 Argyll and Bute Council – Scrutiny Report – Community Asset Transfer 2021/22 Exhibit 1 – Scrutiny Meetings Group Key Areas for Discussion Council Officer(s) Council compliance with legislation and national guidance. How the expression of interest pre-application stage assists community transfer bodies prepare for a full asset transfer request. How an asset transfer request is assessed. How representation at review panels is decided. Whether feedback from community groups is used to inform improvement actions. Progress in addressing the action plan from the Audit Scotland Best Value Assurance Report. Audit Scotland (author of Best Value Assurance Report) Whether guidance published by the Council is considered compliant with statutory requirements. Whether community transfer bodies can easily access information and support from Council officers. Whether sufficient feedback had been sought from community transfer bodies to inform the Best Value Assurance Report. What specific areas/issues were highlighted as being complex through feedback received from community transfer bodies. 2. Scrutiny Meetings Scrutiny Meeting One – Council Officers – 05 October 2021 17. The first scrutiny meeting consisted of the Council’s Social Enterprise Development Officer, who is the single point of contact for community groups and supports the Community Asset Transfer request process and the Estates and Property Development Manager who deals with any property related matters for the Council and chairs the Asset Transfer Group. The key messages reflecting the views of the Council officers who attended, from this meeting are set out in Exhibit 2. Exhibit 2 – Scrutiny Meeting 1 – Council Officers - Key Messages Theme Detail Scottish Government and Council Guidance Scottish Government provides two guidance notes, the “Community Empowerment (Scotland) Act 2015: community transfer bodies’ guidance” and a 16 page summary guide both of which have been written with communities in mind. Council officers have selected key sections from this guidance to further simplify and publish on the Council’s website for public use. General feedback from events and talks is that the webpages are very helpful. However, Audit Scotland stated in the Best Value report that “feedback from Community Groups highlights a perception that the Council’s current Asset Transfer process is complex and does not fully support community empowerment”. The Council’s Legal Services have been fully involved throughout the community asset transfer process development and there is a high level of confidence that the Council fully complies with Scottish Government guidance and legislation. Page 87
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6 Argyll and Bute Council – Scrutiny Report – Community Asset Transfer 2021/22 The Council’s website contains all of the statutory elements that are required to be published, including additional links to further guidance and resources. There is information exchange with other Councils, this enables learning from each other and evaluation of how the process is managed at other Councils whilst meeting the statutory requirements. The legislation is still relatively new and Council processes are evolving. An Asset Transfer Request must be in writing but it is not necessary to use the form provided by the Council. Community transfer bodies are encouraged to use the expression of interest process, this allows the Council to provide support and information on what may be the best approach to meet the communities need. The value of assets involved tend to be low and there has not been a request close to the State Aid barrier to date, there is unlikely to be any significant impact following the change to Subsidy Control which currently has a threshold of approximately £335,000 over the current and two previous years. Expression of Interest (EOI) The EOI process is not a requirement of the Act but is a recommendation in the Scottish Government Guidelines, many other Councils offer similar support. It is not a pre-application stage to a formal asset transfer request (ATR), it is an option groups can choose to use to investigate their idea further without necessarily requiring a formal ATR as other solutions to address their needs are often identified thus negating the need to submit a formal ATR. Every EOI is different, some are easy to quantify but some are vague in terms of their request or identified outcome, however the Council tries to help groups find a solution or clarify what outcome the community is looking for. The EOI process guides the groups towards the best way to achieve their objectives without necessarily resulting in a formal ATR. In addition the process helps groups understand the full extent of their interest and the associated operational requirements should they wish to progress. If what a group is suggesting seems unrealistic they receive feedback and suggestions for improvement, this allows the group to make a more informed decision of whether they wish to proceed, seek alternative solutions or withdraw from the process. EOI forms gather initial high level information. Part of the assessment process looks at ongoing capacity within the group and resilience to continue to manage or develop services with the asset for the benefit for the wider community. EOIs are not rejected, the final decision is made by the group on whether to take the request forward, however, a positive outcome is supported wherever possible. It can be difficult to measure whether an EOI remains active or not as groups are often slow to respond and therefore unsure if they have decided whether to continue or not. Page 88
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7 Argyll and Bute Council – Scrutiny Report – Community Asset Transfer 2021/22 The annual Scottish Government return identifies how many EOIs have been received, how many have progressed to full ATR and how many have resulted in an alternative positive outcome. These statistics show that very few EOIs progress to formal ATR, however this is not necessarily a negative result as positive outcomes are often achieved by other means. At present the Council do not capture information in relation to the final outcome where a full ATR is not achieved. General support and information regarding funding opportunities is offered to any group qualifying as a community transfer body (CTB). Groups that do not qualify as a CTB are also supported although they would not be entitled to use the formal legislation. Groups are also directed to other Council services such as Business Gateway and partner agencies such as Just Enterprise for further/specialist advice and support. The Council does not provide financial support to groups to progress their EOI or ATR, however they do facilitate a joint valuation of the property concerned. Officers will advise of other funding sources and available assistance e.g. Business gateway will with the preparation of a business plan. Asset Transfer Request Community Asset Transfer information provided on the Council’s webpage is based on the legislation to ensure compliance with the Act. The Community Empowerment Act is about empowering communities voices to be heard, their requests listened to and considered. It does not provide a guarantee that a request will be approved but it does give them certain rights to be heard and not dismissed. Community groups can submit a request for assets which are currently in use by the Council, there is no requirement for the asset to be identified as being a surplus asset, however, this could possibly make their request a bit more challenging. An ATR can be submitted at any time by a CTB and it is their decision whether or not to take forward. Council Officers will provide support and advice in order to ensure that any ATR application submitted by a CTB is as strong as possible to provide the best chance of succeeding. If the CTB can then alleviate some of the concerns at the outset this gives them a stronger more robust ATR going forward. Formal ATRs are concluded when a decision has been reached or an appeal has been heard. If unsuccessful, officers will continue to engage with the groups to find an alternative positive outcome for their request. Financial and Legal Services are represented on the Asset Transfer Group (ATG). They will assess their relevant areas within the application and if required will request further information depending on the scale of the asset the CTB are looking to take over. An updated matrix is used for evaluation of all ATRs. Page 89
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8 Argyll and Bute Council – Scrutiny Report – Community Asset Transfer 2021/22 Review Panels Members of the Policy and Resources Committee are responsible for determining how to run review panels. A review panel can be a complete review, an open public meeting or review of additional information provided by council officers or the CTB. The ATG will provide an asset re- evaluation report to help guide decision making. Each case is reviewed and considered on its individual merit rather than taking a consistent approach. Both review panels held were conducted as a desk-top exercise with additional information presented, there was no representative from the CTBs present at either review panel. Feedback From Community Groups There has been no customer survey for ATR or EOI’s undertaken to date, however, feedback received at courses or events for communities has been positive. Some changes have been identified and these are reviewed by the legal team prior to publishing to ensure ongoing compliance with the Act. Specific changes are being made following the BV3 comments to aid community engagement and understanding. Officers have attended and contributed at training, events and consultations organised by Community Ownership and Support Service (COSS, a subsidiary branch of the Development Trust Association that is funded directly from Scottish Government to support communities and LAs in delivering asset transfers). Council officers also review websites of other Councils to benchmark our information provision and processes with other Local authorities, we have similar processes to others but also do some things that others don’t. Officers attended a national event for local authorities to review the process and feed into a review of the Act, a similar event is planned for community groups to get wider feedback. It is thought that a paper will be produced at the end of the current parliament covering any required updates or changes to the Act. Best Value Assurance Report Action Plan and Progress Positive feedback has been received from groups regarding the information available on the Council’s website. The web pages have been updated in light of the BV3 report with a focus on the EOI pages to simplify the language used and remove some of the technical information, replacing it with links to provide further information or clarity as required. This is a recent change and there has been no feedback to date. The EOI is a supportive tool for groups to use that enables them to decide whether they wish to proceed to a full ATR or not. The panel meeting has provided a very different view to what is recorded in the Audit Scotland BV3 report. Promotion of Asset Transfers The BV3 report requires the Council to promote asset transfers, this has been taken on board. One specific area that the Council has focussed on is Page 90
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9 Argyll and Bute Council – Scrutiny Report – Community Asset Transfer 2021/22 that they are actively looking at ways to try and promote toilets that are at risk of closure and how groups can work in partnership with the Council to take responsibility for this asset. Similar opportunities will start to appear on the Council’s webpages as they arise. Surplus Assets are marketed commercially by the Estates service to obtain best value for them. The details are published on the Council’s website to allow community groups the opportunity to view and form their proposals should they wish to apply for an ATR. However, the focus of the Act is on the community need rather than the property. Other relevant information Legislation requires officers to respond within a fixed period of time, if there were more than 2 or 3 ATRs in a year the service would struggle to resource this. Around one third of the Social Enterprise Officer’s time is spent on EOIs and supporting groups to progress enquiries. The Council provide limited time monitoring completed ATR’s as all responsibility is transferred with the asset. If another option is taken forward using a joint approach, the Council can provide guidance and support to the group. Scrutiny Meeting Two – Audit Scotland – 18 November 2021 18. The second scrutiny meeting consisted of representatives from Audit Scotland, this included the Audit Director and two Senior Audit Managers. The key messages from this meeting, reflecting the views of Audit Scotland, are set out in Exhibit 3. Exhibit 3 – Scrutiny Meeting 2 – Audit Scotland - Key Messages Theme Detail Scottish Government Guidance Observations made by the panel regarding the complexity of government guidance are well made, however, this is often the nature of guidance documents. Unfortunately, community groups often do not have the capacity or time to deal with complex guidance. The Government return could include more information regarding positive outcomes that have not resulted in a full community asset transfer. Argyll and Bute Council Guidance and Procedures The BV3 report recognised that there is guidance in place but that it may be over burdensome and could be streamlined. The Council has taken Audit Scotland’s comments on board and is engaging with communities to make the whole process more straight forward. The Council aims to simplify the guidelines for community groups by either slimming down the guidance further, changing it or producing something that runs alongside it to make it easier for people to work with. The guidance has to be provided for transparency reasons but this can be off-putting for community groups. Incorporating the guidance into the process and early engagement between the Council and community groups is therefore of utmost importance. This helps to establish what the community group are looking to achieve and then progress the Page 91
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10 Argyll and Bute Council – Scrutiny Report – Community Asset Transfer 2021/22 requirement in meaningful segments using the officer’s technical expertise to support the group through the process. Feedback from Community Groups used to inform Argyll and Bute Council’s Best Value Assurance Report The BV3 report was cleared with SMT to agree factual accuracy prior to publishing. One of the elements of the BV3 report was to look at how the Council engages with the community, how active it is in promoting community engagement and what the perceptions are from the community in terms of the level of engagement. It was not intended to look specifically at community asset transfers. There was no survey used as part of the BV3 audit, the work involved meeting with a number of community groups or their representatives drawn from across Argyll and Bute area with a mix of island and mainland based groups to gain an understanding of how they perceived community engagement. There is no definitive data available to share with the Council. One of the themes to emerge was that of mixed feelings regarding the Community Asset Transfer process and this was documented in the report as a perception as the asset transfer process had not been audited. The purpose of the report content was to reflect back to the Council for consideration on how to move forward and better understand why the community groups were of this opinion. Audit Scotland acknowledged that there may be an element of bias in the perception depending on the results of applications or enquiries made by the groups that were consulted. As well as the feedback from communities there is corroborative feedback from some of the elected members where they were aware of communities enabled to engage with the Council and take forward community asset transfers. Audit Scotland did not look at the Council’s website in any great detail when preparing the BV3 report. The website is due to promote assets for community participation in 2022 on a trial basis as part of the improvement actions. It would be beneficial to request feedback from community groups on how clear and easy it is to access and navigate the website to make it as user-friendly as possible and achieve a positive outcome. It would also be beneficial to indicate that a community asset transfer is not the only option and there are other solutions that may be more appropriate. Some solutions may involve further partnership working between community groups where more than one community group is interested in a property e.g. library within a café. Page 92
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11 Argyll and Bute Council – Scrutiny Report – Community Asset Transfer 2021/22 Other observations/ comments Audit Scotland acknowledged that not all applications for community asset transfers come to fruition and that was fundamental, demonstrating the complexity of the process and also because community asset transfer is not necessarily the best outcome as a better solution might present itself as noted above in the Scottish Government guidance detail of Exhibit 3. The Council should reflect on the support provided to community groups considering community asset transfer and establish whether they are comfortable with the level provided and whether it is considered to be a partnership approach or client and customer relationship dealt with at arms-length. The Council could benefit from discussing and comparing processes with Glasgow City Council in terms of how they have set up their processes, their arrangements and their team to deal with not just community asset transfers but more about finding the right solution and working with community groups in terms of some of the challenges. 3. Overall Conclusion and Findings 19. Based on the information obtained over the course of the review the Panel has concluded that: the Community Asset Transfer process is compliant with statutory requirements the process enables opportunity for engagement with community transfer bodies the process is supportive to community transfer bodies and communities 20. The review has identified eight findings which have been discussed with management. These, and the management responses, are detailed in Exhibit 4. Exhibit 4 – Findings No. Recommendations Management Response 1 The legislation is still relatively new and processes are evolving. Some variations in processes exist between Councils due to interpretation of the legislation. Information exchange takes place with other Councils for learning and evaluation purposes however Audit Scotland suggests communicating directly with Glasgow City Council to learn from some of the challenges they have overcome. COSS have established a Quarterly Forum “RA Quarterly Group” which representatives of the Asset Transfer Group plan to attend. This will give the opportunity to learn from other councils and discuss how others resolve any issues. Next meeting 7th March 2022. 2 The annual Scottish Government return identifies how many EOIs have been received and how many asset transfers have been received. These statistics show that very few EOIs progress to formal ATR, however this is not necessarily a negative result as positive outcomes are often achieved by other means. There is no Data is collected on numbers with notes of resolution. Work is ongoing to develop quarterly highlight reports that give further detail of outcomes. The follow up outcomes of assets previously transferred will be added on a periodic basis to the quarterly reporting. Page 93
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12 Argyll and Bute Council – Scrutiny Report – Community Asset Transfer 2021/22 No. Recommendations Management Response data capture of all outcomes and the degree of resolution achieved, therefore, a method or format should be created to identify the outcomes secured. 3 An EOI is not a pre-application stage to a formal asset transfer request (ATR), it is an option that groups can choose to explore their idea further without necessarily requiring a formal ATR. Other solutions often present themselves that will address the needs of the group thus negating the need to submit a formal ATR. The information provided on EOI does not make this explicit on the website. Actions have been taken to clarify the processes and the options available. We have clarified our descriptions of the processes and try to be consistent in our use of language when discussing / describing the processes on offer. 4 Review panels were held for two rejected ATRs, these were conducted as a desk-top exercise with additional information presented to support the appeal. There was no representative from the CTBs present at either review panel. The option of a default presence of CTBs should be investigated. Currently this is a decision that sits with the Policy and Resources sub group. They decide on the format of the review and can request participation from the group if this was considered to assist with the process. 5 No customer surveys have been undertaken to date, however, feedback is received when attending courses and events and this has been positive. More in-depth feedback from community groups should be considered, it may be useful to approach COSS to obtain advice on how to structure such feedback. The Communities and Partnership Team (CPT) have been working with COSS to deliver some introductory training courses. The Scottish Government and COSS have been undertaking community consultation. We will review the feedback from this and then consider what further consultation is needed and add this to the CPT training programs. 6 The Council is actively looking at ways to promote asset transfers, toilet facilities in particular with other opportunities to follow as they arise. This action is being developed and with the approval of the Asset Transfer Group will be implemented in 22/23. 7 The BV3 report recognised that Council guidance is in place but that it may be over burdensome and could be streamlined as community groups often do not have the capacity, time or capability to deal with complex guidance. Audit Scotland did not review the Council’s website in any great detail during their review, however, the web pages have been updated as a result of the BV3 report with a focus to simplify the EOI pages, and there has been no feedback to date. Action noted and will be raised at COSS events along with regular catch up meetings with COSS representatives. Page 94
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13 Argyll and Bute Council – Scrutiny Report – Community Asset Transfer 2021/22 No. Recommendations Management Response The Council’s guidance is based on complex guidance issued by Scottish Government and therefore may deter groups from applying. Council officers should consider raising the issue with the COSS group with a view to submitting a collective request to Scottish Government to review and potentially simplify the guidance. 8 It would be beneficial to indicate that a community asset transfer is not the only opportunity available to CTBs as there are other solutions that may be more appropriate. Some solutions may involve further partnership working between CTBs where more than one CTB is interested in a property e.g. library within a café. This type of solution should be added to the information available on the Council’s website. This information has been added to the website. We will continue to monitor and look for ways to highlight further opportunities as we develop these resources. Page 95
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Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Workplan 2022 – 23 Committee Date Report Description Lead Service and contact officer Regularity of occurrence/consideration Date for Reports to Committee Services Additional Comment 7th September 2022 7th September 2022 CHARTS One off presentation 7th September 2022 Quarterly Performance Scorecard FQ1 22/23 Jane Fowler/Sonya Thomas Performance and Improvement Quarterly Report 7th September 2022 Roads and Infrastructure Services Update Jim Smith Roads and Infrastructure Services Quarterly Report 7th September 2022 Annual Recycling Performance Report Jim Smith Roads and Infrastructure Services Annual Report 7th September 2022 Referral from Audit and Scrutiny Committee – Community Asset Transfer Internal Audit One off report 7th September 2022 Tarbert and Lochgilphead Regeneration Fund – Projects Update Anna Watkiss Update Report 7th September 2022 Area Committee Workplan Shona Barton For updating Page 97 Agenda Item 11
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Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Workplan 2022 – 23 Committee Date Report Description Lead Service and contact officer Regularity of occurrence/consideration Date for Reports to Committee Services Additional Comment 7th December 2022 7th December 2022 Campbeltown Grammar School Report X Acting Head Teacher Annual Report 7th December 2022 Lochgilphead High School Report Jay Helbert Head Teacher Annual Report 7th December 2022 Islay High School Report Stephen Harrison Head Teacher Annual Report 7th December 2022 Tarbert Academy Report Neil McKnight Head Teacher Annual Report 7th December 2022 Quarterly Performance Scorecard FQ2 21/22 Jane Fowler/Sonya Thomas Performance and Improvement Quarterly Report 7th December 2022 HSCP Bi-Annual Update Report Charlotte Craig/Fiona Davies Argyll and Bute Health and Social Care Partnership Bi-Annual Report 7th December 2022 ACHA Annual Update Chief Executive ACHA Annual Report 7th December 2022 Charities and Trust Funds Shona Barton Legal and Regulatory Support Annual Report Page 98
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Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Workplan 2022 – 23 Committee Date Report Description Lead Service and contact officer Regularity of occurrence/consideration Date for Reports to Committee Services Additional Comment 7th December 2022 Roads and Infrastructure Services Update Jim Smith Roads and Infrastructure Services Quarterly Report 7th December 2022 Local Housing Strategy Annual Update Douglas Whyte, Strategic Housing Annual Report 1st March 2023 1st March 2023 Supporting Communities Fund Applications Kirsty Moyes/Becky Hothersall Chief Executive Annual Report 1st March 2023 Scottish Water Update Georgie Reid Scottish Water Annual Report 1st March 2023 Quarterly Performance Scorecard FQ3 22/23 Jane Fowler/Sonya Thomas Performance and Improvement Quarterly Report 1st March 2023 Roads and Infrastructure Services Update Jim Smith Roads and Infrastructure Services Regular Report To include Roads Capital Plan, Roads and Amenities Revenue Work Plan (Programmed), Grass Cutting Schedule and Page 99
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Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Workplan 2022 – 23 Committee Date Report Description Lead Service and contact officer Regularity of occurrence/consideration Date for Reports to Committee Services Additional Comment Post Winter Update 1st March 2023 Transport Scotland Update Neil MacFarlane Transport Scotland Annual Report 1st March 2023 Strategic Housing investment plan (SHIP) Douglas Whyte Development and Economic Growth Annual Report Future Items June 2023 Supporting Communities Fund – End of Project Monitoring 21/22 Rona Gold/Antonia Baird Chief Executive Regular Report Patient Transport Policy Health and Social Care Partnership One off report Update on new policy following completion of review Flooding Issues in MAKI Roads and Infrastructure Services Jim Smith Ongoing Update to be provided to Members following EDI Committee on 3rd March 2022. Page 100
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Mid Argyll, Kintyre and the Islands Workplan 2022 – 23 Committee Date Report Description Lead Service and contact officer Regularity of occurrence/consideration Date for Reports to Committee Services Additional Comment Tarbert and Lochgilphead Regeneration Fund Audrey Martin Development and Economic Growth Regular Updates MAKI Accessibility and Footway Survey TBC TBC Page 101
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