Agenda Document Pack - Cabinet - 28/04/2026
North Ayrshire Council · 28 April 2026
Back to Cabinet — 28 April 2026 and its agenda
Text extracted from the council's PDF. Layout and reading order may differ from the original.
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North Ayrshire Council, Cunninghame House, Irvine KA12 8EE Cabinet A Meeting of the Cabinet of North Ayrshire Council will be held in the Council Chambers, Ground Floor, Cunninghame House, Irvine, KA12 8EE on Tuesday, 28 April 2026 at 14:30 to consider the undernoted business. Meeting Arrangements - Hybrid Meetings This meeting will be held on a predominantly physical basis but with provision, by prior notification, for remote attendance by Elected Members in accordance with the provisions of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 2003. Where possible, the meeting will be live-streamed and available to view at https://north-ayrshire.public- i.tv/core/portal/home. 1 Declarations of Interest Members are requested to give notice of any declarations of interest in respect of items of business on the Agenda. 2 Minutes The accuracy of the minutes of meeting of the Cabinet held on 17 March 2026 will be confirmed and the Minutes signed in accordance with Paragraph 7 (1) of Schedule 7 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973 (copy enclosed). Report by the Chief Executive 3 Additional Bank Holiday – 15 June 2026 Submit a report by the Head of Democratic Services on the recommendations of the Audit and Scrutiny Committee following a Call-In request in respect of the Cabinet decision to approve the additional bank holiday for all employees on Monday 15 June 2026 and authorise the Head of Education to write to the Scottish Government to obtain approval for one less teaching day (copy enclosed). Reports by the Executive Director (Education) 1
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North Ayrshire Council, Cunninghame House, Irvine KA12 8EE 4 Child Poverty & Early Intervention Fund (CPEIF): Proposed Budget Allocation of £276,000 for Child Poverty and Strengthened Governance Arrangements Submit a report by the Executive Director (Education)seeking approval for the proposed allocation of the £276,000 child poverty budget into the CPEIF and outline strengthened governance and monitoring arrangements for future applications and approvals for use of the Fund (copy enclosed). 5 Progress Update on Children’s Rights and Approval of North Ayrshire’s Statutory UNCRC Progress Report (2024-2026) Submit a report by the Executive Director (Education)providing anupdate Cabinet on action the Council is taking to progress children’s rights and to seek approval to publish the first statutory Children’s Rights Progress Report (covering the period 2024–2026.) (copy enclosed). Reports by the Executive Director (Communities and Housing) 6 Proposals for Community Investment Fund (CIF) Expenditure Submit a report by the Executive Director (Communities and Housing)to determine applications by Locality Partnerships to allocate CIF funding to proposed projects (copy enclosed). 7 Consultation Response: Accelerating Home Building Submit a report by the Executive Director (Communities and Housing)seeking Cabinet approval of the proposed response to the Scottish Government consultation on accelerating home building. (copy enclosed). Report by the Executive Director (Place) 8 Roads Structures & Streetlighting Maintenance Programme 2026/27 Submit a report by the Executive Director (Place)seeking Cabinet approval of the proposed Roads, Structures and Street Lighting Maintenance Programme for 2026/27 (copyenclosed). 9 Urgent Items Any other items which the Chair considers to be urgent. 2
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North Ayrshire Council, Cunninghame House, Irvine KA12 8EE 10 Exclusion of the Public - Para 9 Resolve in terms of Section 50(A)4 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, to exclude from the Meeting the press and the public for the following items of business on the grounds indicated in terms of Paragraph 9 of Part 1 of Schedule 7A of the Act. Non Disclosure of Information In terms of Standing Order 21 (Disclosure of Information), the information contained within the following reports are confidential information within the meaning of Section 50A of the 1973 Act and shall not be disclosed to any person by any Member or Officer. 11 Exempt Report: Lease Amendment – Lower Ground Floor, Lochshore Hub, Glengarnock Submit a report by the Executive Director (Place) on the above (copyenclosed). 12 Exempt Report: Lease to a Nominated Party: Leading Light Navigation Tower Site, Ardrossan Submit a report by the Executive Director (Place) on the above (copyenclosed). 13 Exempt Report: Disposal to a Nominated Party: Land at 23 Ayr Road, Irvine Submit a report by the Executive Director (Place) on the above (copyenclosed). 14 Exempt Report: Sale Disposal – Abbey Park Football Ground, Bankhead Road, Kilwinning and 26 Dovecot Lane, Kilwinning Submit a report by the Executive Director (Place) on the above (copyenclosed). 3
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North Ayrshire Council, Cunninghame House, Irvine KA12 8EE Webcasting Please note: this meeting may be filmed/recorded/live-streamed to the Council's internet site and available to view at https://north-ayrshire.public- i.tv/core/portal/home,where it will be capable of repeated viewing. At the start of the meeting, the Provost/Chair will confirm if all or part of the meeting is being filmed/recorded/live-streamed. You should be aware that the Council is a Data Controller under the Data Protection Act 2018. Data collected during the webcast will be retained in accordance with the Council’s published policy, including, but not limited to, for the purpose of keeping historical records and making those records available via the Council’s internet site. Generally, the press and public will not be filmed. However, by entering the Council Chambers and using the press or public seating area, you acknowledge that you may be filmed and that any information pertaining to you contained in the video and oral recording of the meeting will be used for webcasting or training purposes and for the purpose of keeping historical records and making those records available to the public. In making this use of your information the Council is processing data which is necessary for the performance of a task carried out in the public interest. If you have any queries regarding this and, in particular, if you believe that use and/or storage of any particular information would cause, or be likely to cause, substantial damage or distress to any individual, please contact dataprotectionofficer@north-ayrshire.gov.uk 4
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North Ayrshire Council, Cunninghame House, Irvine KA12 8EE Cabinet Sederunt Tony Gurney (Chair) Christina Larsen (Vice-Chair) Eleanor Collier Alan Hill Margaret Johnson Chloe Robertson Chair: Apologies: Attending: 5
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OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION Cabinet 17 March 2026 IRVINE, 17 March 2026 - At a Meeting of the Cabinet of North Ayrshire Council at 2.30 p.m. Present (Physical Participation) Tony Gurney, Christina Larsen, Eleanor Collier, Alan Hill, Margaret Johnson and Chloé Roblertson, and for consideration of Education Authority Business Elizabeth Turbet and Jacqui MacKenzie. In Attendance R. McCutcheon, Executive Director and L. Cree, Head of Service (Sustainability, Transport and Corporate Property) (Place); D. Hammond, Executive Director and R. Leith, Head of Service (Connected Communities) (Communities and Housing); C. Cameron, Director (Health and Social Care Partnership); S. Anson, Executive Director and L. Taylor, Senior Manager (Resources & Infrastructure) (Education); M. Boyd, Head of Service (Finance); J. Smillie, Senior Manager (People Services) (People & ICT); A. Craig, Head of Democratic Services, L. Jolly, Communications Officer (Media and Internal Communications), H. Young, Senior Committee Services Officer and C. Stewart, Committee Services Officer (Democratic Services) (Corporate Services). Chair Tony Gurney in the Chair. 1. Declarations of Interest There were no declarations of interest by Members in terms of Standing Order 11 and Section 5 of the Code of Conduct for Councillors. 2. Minutes The Minutes of the Meeting of the Cabinet held on 17 February 2026 were confirmed and the Minutes signed in accordance with Paragraph 7 (1) of Schedule 7 of the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973. 3. 1967 School Premises (Scotland) Regulations Consultation Submitted a report by the Executive Director (Education) seeking approval of the proposed response to the Scottish Government consultation on the School Premises (General Requirements and Standards) (Scotland) Regulations 1967, attached at Appendix 1 to the report. Officers responded to Members’ questions and the Cabinet agreed to approve the proposed response, subject to the inclusion of reference to laundry facilities in primary schools, as the Council’s formal consultation submission, noting the key considerations identified and raised with the Scottish Government. Agenda Item 2 7
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OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION 4. Strategic Risk Register 2026/27 Submitted a report by the Head of Finance seeking approval of the Strategic Risk Register for 2026/27, attached at Appendix 1 to the report. Officers responded to Members’ questions and the Cabinet agreed to approve the Council’s Strategic Risk Register for 2026/27. 5. Revenue Budget 2025/26: Financial Performance to 31 January 2026 Submitted a report by the Head of Finance on the financial performance for the Council at 31 January 2026. Officers responded to Members’ questions and the Cabinet agreed to (a) note (i) the information and financial projections outlined in the report and (ii) the latest financial projection for the Health and Social Care Partnership highlighted at section 2.6 of the report; and (b) approve (i) the earmarking of £1.103m identified at section 2.5 of the report to meet future year commitments in accordance with funding requirements and (ii) the virements detailed in Appendix 8 to the report. 6. Capital Programme Performance to 31 January 2026 Submitted a report by the Head of Finance on the progress in delivering the Capital Investment Programme 2025/26 performance to 31 January 2026. The Cabinet agreed (a) to approve the virement proposal noted within the HRA programme detailed in Appendix 2 to the report; (b) note (i) the revisions to budgets outlined in the report; (ii) the General Services and HRA revised budgets at 31 January 2026 and the forecast expenditure to 31 March 2026; and (iii) the estimated performance against the Prudential Indicators set out in the Treasury Management and Investment Strategy. Please note – the following item was heard by the Audit & Scrutiny Committee on 14 April 2026, please refer to the minute of that Committee for the decision. 7. Additional Bank Holiday Submitted a report by the Head of Service (People & ICT) providing information on the additional bank holiday proposed by Scottish Government and approved by royal proclamation for the World Cup. Officers responded to Members’ questions and the Cabinet agreed to (a) approve the additional bank holiday for all employees on Monday 15 June 2026; and (b) authorise the Head of Service (Education) to write to the Scottish Government to obtain approval for one less teaching day. 8. Proposals for Community Investment Fund (CIF) Expenditure Submitted a report by the Executive Director (Communities and Housing) on applications by Locality Partnerships on the allocation of CIF funding to proposed projects. An application from Beith Trust was attached at Appendix 1 to the report. 8
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OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION The Cabinet (a) reviewed the application from the Garnock Valley Locality Partnership in line with CIF criteria; and (b) agreed to approve the CIF application in relation to Beith Trust (Appendix 1 to the report). 9. Urgent Items There were no urgent items. The meeting ended at 3.05 p.m. The full meeting proceedings can be viewed at https://north-ayrshire.public-i.tv/core/portal/home 9
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NORTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL 28 April 2026 Cabinet Title: Additional Bank Holiday – 15 June 2026 Purpose: To inform Cabinet of the decision of the Audit & Scrutiny Committee following a call-in of the Cabinet decision on 17 March 2026 to approve the additional bank holiday for all employees on Monday 15 June 2026. Recommendation: That Cabinet considers the decision and recommendation from the Audit & Scrutiny Committee and determines: a) whether to accept the recommendation of the Audit & Scrutiny Committee and alter its original decision accordingly or b) if it does not accept the recommendation, to refer the matter to Council for final determination. 1. Executive Summary 1.1 At its meeting on 17 March 2026, Cabinet approved an additional bank holiday for all employees on Monday 15 June 2026 and authorised the Head of Service (Education) to write to the Scottish Government to obtain approval for one less teaching day. 1.2 Subsequent to the decision taken by Cabinet, a call-in request was received from Councillors Stalker, Gallacher and Murdoch which was referred the Audit & Scrutiny Committee for consideration. 1.3 At its meeting on 14 April 2026, the Audit and Scrutiny Committee agreed to accept the call-in request and referred the matter back to Cabinet for further consideration with the recommendation that the additional bank holiday on 15th June is not approved. 1.4 Accordingly, Cabinet is asked to consider the decision and recommendation from the Audit & Scrutiny Committee and determine: a) whether to accept the recommendation of the Audit & Scrutiny Committee and alter its original decision accordingly or b) if it does not accept the recommendation, to refer the matter to Council for final determination. Agenda Item 3 11
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2. Background 2.1 The Cabinet, at its meeting on 17 March 2026, considered a report and agreed to approve an additional bank holiday for all employees on Monday 15 June 2026 to mark Scotland’s participation in the men’s football World Cup. A copy of the original report presented to Cabinet on 17 March 2026 is attached as Appendix 1. 2.2 Subsequently, a call-in request was received in terms of the call-in procedure set out in the Council’s Standing Orders. The report to the Audit & Scrutiny Committee and briefing note provided by the Head of Service (People & ICT) in relation to the call-in are attached at Appendix 2. 2.3 The Audit & Scrutiny Committee at its meeting on 14 April 2026 heard from Councillors Stalker and Murdoch in relation to the call-in. The Committee also heard from Councillor Larsen, Depute Leader and Cabinet Member for Finance, in response to the call-in. The Head of Service (People & ICT) was also present to provide information on the Cabinet report and on issues raised by the call-in received. The Committee subsequently agreed to accept the call-in and referred the matter back to Cabinet for further consideration with the recommendation that the holiday on 15th June should not be approved. The Minutes of the meeting of the Audit & Scrutiny Committee are attached at Appendix 3. 3. Proposals 3.1 Cabinet is recommended to consider the decision and recommendation from the Audit & Scrutiny Committee and determine: a) whether to accept the recommendation of the Audit & Scrutiny Committee and alter its original decision accordingly or b) if it does not accept the recommendation, to refer the matter to Council for final determination. 4. Implications/Socio-economic Duty Financial 4.1 The financial implications are outlined in the Additional Bank Holiday report attached at Appendix 1. Human Resources 4.2 The human resources implications are outlined in the Cabinet report attached at Appendix 1. Legal 4.3 The legal implications are outlined in the Cabinet report attached at Appendix 1. 12
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Equality/Socio-economic 4.4 The equality/socio-economic implications are outlined in the Cabinet report attached at Appendix 1. Climate Change and Carbon 4.5 The climate change and carbon implications are outlined in the Cabinet report attached at Appendix 1. Key Priorities 4.6 The key priorities are outlined in the Cabinet report attached at Appendix 1. Community Wealth Building 4.7 Any community wealth building implications are outlined in the Cabinet report attached at Appendix 1. Islands Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA) 4.8 Any ICIA implications are outlined in the Cabinet report attached at Appendix 1. United Nations Rights of the Child (UNCRC) 4.9 Any UNCRC implications are outlined in the Cabinet report attached at Appendix 1. Consumer Duty 4.10 Any consumer duty implications are outlined in the Cabinet report attached at Appendix 1. 5. Consultation 5.1 None concerning this report. Aileen Craig Head of Democratic Services For further information please contact Shannon Wilson, Committee Services Officer, on shannonwilson@north-ayrshire.gov.uk. Background Papers Appendix 1 – Cabinet Report: 17 March 2026(Additional Bank Holiday 15June 2026) Appendix 2 – Call-in Request Report and Service Briefing Note (Head of Service People & ICT) Appendix 3 – Audit & Scrutiny Meeting Minute – 14 April 2026 13
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NORTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL 17 March 2026 Cabinet Title: Additional Bank Holiday Purpose: To provide information on the additional bank holiday proposed by Scottish Government and approved by royal proclamation for the World Cup. Recommendation: That Cabinet approves the additional bank holiday for all employees on Monday 15 June 2026 and authorises the Head of Education to write to the Scottish Government to obtain approval for one less teaching day. 1. Executive Summary 1.1 The Scottish Government has announced that Monday 15th June 2026 will be an additional bank holiday to mark Scotland’s participation in the men’s football World Cup. His Majesty King Charles has approved this by Royal Proclamation. 2. Background 2.1 North Ayrshire Council has already agreed the local holidays and school term time calendar for 2026. To amend the school term time calendar, permission must be sought from Scottish Government as one less teaching day will be provided in the school term 2025/26. 2.2 The provision of an additional bank holiday will result in additional costs for services which are required to operate on Monday 15th June 2026. 2.3 Similar to previously agreed additional bank holidays (e.g. the Coronation) where employees are required to work on this day, costs for additional overtime/backfill costs will be required to be paid from service revenue budgets. Based on overtime paid on the Coronation holiday it is anticipated that the costs across the Council for overtime will be around £73,000, this does not include backfill costs associated with employees taking the compensatory day at another time. 2.4 The indirect cost is that the Council will continue to pay salaries to employees who are not at work. This will have an impact on the overall efficiency of the Council and may result in an increase in wait times as teams will have workload to catch up on from an additional day off. Appendix 1 14
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2.5 It is anticipated that the additional day off will have a positive impact on morale and allow families to enjoy the celebrations associated with the World Cup. 3. Proposals 3.1 That Cabinet: a) Approves the additional bank holiday for all employees on Monday 15th June 2026. b) Authorises the Head of Service (Education) to write to the Scottish Government to obtain approval for one less teaching day. c) Acknowledges that if the additional bank holiday is agreed, the main Council buildings and Schools will be closed and where employees are required to work on the day, enhanced rates will be received as per our Terms and Conditions of Employment. 4. Implications/Socio-economic Duty Financial 4.1 It is anticipated that the additional bank holiday would cost approximately £73,000. These indicative costs are based on the enhanced overtime rates on the Coronation holiday in 2023. Human Resources 4.2 Communications to employees will be issued to ensure that there is awareness of the additional bank holiday and the change to the Term time calendar for 2026 only. Legal 4.3 Permission should be sought from the Scottish Government by the Head of Education for an additional school closure day. Equality/Socio-economic 4.4 None. Climate Change and Carbon 4.5 None. Key Priorities 4.6 None. Community Wealth Building 4.7 None. Islands Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA) 4.8 None. United Nations Rights of the Child (UNCRC) 15
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4.9 None. Consumer Duty 4.10 None. 5. Consultation 5.1 The Trade Unions have been consulted and have indicated that they would support the additional bank holiday. Fiona Walker Head of Service (People & ICT) For further information please contact Jackie Smillie, Senior Manager (People Services), on by email. Background Papers 0 16
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NORTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL 14 April 2026 Audit and Scrutiny Committee Title: Call In: Additional Bank Holiday Purpose: To allow the Committee to consider a call-in request in respect of the decision taken by Cabinet at its meeting on 17 March 2026 to approve the additional bank holiday for all employees on Monday 15 June 2026 and authorise the Head of Education to write to the Scottish Government to obtain approval for one less teaching day. Recommendation: That the Committee considers the terms of the call-in and agrees, or otherwise, to make a recommendation to Cabinet. 1. Executive Summary 1.1 In terms of the Scheme of Administration (Section 5), the Audit and Scrutiny Committee has a remit to consider call-in requests and invite at least one of the Members who has requested the reference to call-in to attend the Committee to explain the request. 1.2 This report sets out the background to a call-in request in respect of the decision taken by Cabinet at its meeting on 17 March 2026 in relation to the report on the approval of an additional bank holiday for all employees on Monday 15 June 2026. 2. Background 2.1 The Cabinet, at its meeting on 17 March 2026, considered a report on the approval of an additional bank holiday for all employees on Monday 15 June 2026. 2.2 A request was received in terms of the call-in procedure set out in the Council's Scheme of Administration and Standing Orders, that the Audit and Scrutiny Committee examine the decision taken by the Cabinet. 2.3 The call-in request, which was signed by Councillors Stalker, Gallacher and Murdoch is in the following terms: - Reason for call-in “The cost: the report highlights that the cost of the bank holiday to the Council will be £73,000 in overtime which could potentially rise if staff take the bank holiday at another time which would require a backfill. Furthermore, productivity costings show that the bank holiday will cost the council £1.2m in loss of productivity from Appendix 2 17
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staff not working. At a time when we are asking residents in North Ayrshire to pay more council tax (8.5% rise for 26/27) we should be prioritising spending money on services to do those jobs, not a bank holiday that is not necessary. The necessity of the holiday: The game will kick off at 2am on the 14th of June which is a Sunday morning. This gives staff members ample time to have all day to rest and be ready for work on the Monday morning. This shows that the bank holiday is not necessary for staff to enjoy the game with family, when this can be done the day before Monday.” Desired Outcome “For the bank holiday not to go ahead.” 2.4 A copy of the original report presented to Cabinet on 17 March 2026 is attached as Appendix 1 to this report. A briefing note has been provided by the Head of Service People & ICT and is attached at Appendix 2. 2.5 The call-in request is valid for consideration by the Committee. The request was received within the appropriate timescale, it was requested by three Elected Members and details were provided on both the reason for the call-in and the desired outcome. 2.6 The Elected Members who have submitted the call-in will be invited to address the Committee to explain the respective call-in request. The appropriate Cabinet Member will then be invited to clarify the reasons for the decision. The relevant senior officer will also be present to provide information on the report presented to Cabinet and on issues raised by the call-in received. The Committee will have an opportunity to ask questions of both parties and of those officers in attendance. 2.7 The Committee will then debate the call-in request and decide whether or not it agrees with the decision of the Cabinet. 2.8 The Audit and Scrutiny Committee:- i) decides if it agrees or not with the decision of the Cabinet; and ii) if it does not agree with the decision, considers what alternative action the Committee would recommend to the Cabinet. 2.9 If the Committee supports the decision of Cabinet and does not accept the call-in, the original decision of Cabinet remains in effect and no further procedure is required. 2.10 If the Committee accepts the call-in, the matter is referred to Cabinet with a recommendation. When the matter is considered by the Cabinet, the Chairperson or another member of the Audit and Scrutiny Committee will have the right to attend the Cabinet and speak in support of any recommendation. 2.11 In the event that Cabinet declines to accept the recommendation from the Audit and Scrutiny Committee, the matter will be referred to Council for determination. The decision of the Council will be final. 18
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3. Proposals 3.1 It is proposed that the Committee considers the call-in request. 4. Implications/Socio-economic Duty Financial 4.1 The financial implications are outlined in the Additional Bank Holiday report attached at Appendix 1. Human Resources 4.2 The human resource implications are outlined in the Additional Bank Holiday report attached at Appendix 1. Legal 4.3 The legal implications are outlined in the Additional Bank Holiday report attached at Appendix 1. Equality/Socio-economic 4.4 The equality/social-economic implications are outlined in the Additional Bank Holiday report attached at Appendix 1. Climate Change and Carbon 4.5 The climate change and carbon implications are outlined in the Additional Bank Holiday report attached at Appendix 1. Key Priorities 4.6 The key priorities are outlined in the Additional Bank Holiday report attached at Appendix 1. Community Wealth Building 4.7 Any community wealth building implications are outlined in the Additional Bank Holiday report attached at Appendix 1. Islands Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA) 4.8 Any ICIA implications are outlined in the Additional Bank Holiday report attached at Appendix 1. United Nations Rights of the Child (UNCRC) 4.9 Any UNCRC implications are outlined in the Additional Bank Holiday report attached at Appendix 1. 19
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Consumer Duty 4.10 Any consumer duty implications are outlined in the Additional Bank Holiday report attached at Appendix 1. 5. Consultation 5.1 None concerning this report. Craig Hatton Chief Executive For further information please contact Shannon Wilson, Committee Services Officer, on shannonwilson@north-ayrshire.gov.uk. Background Papers N/A 20
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Audit & Scrutiny: 14 April 2026 Briefing Paper: Additional Bank Holiday Overview An additional bank holiday on Monday 15 June 2026 has been proposed by the Scottish Government to mark Scotland’s participation in the men’s football World Cup. This was considered and agreed by Cabinet on 17 March 2026. Financial Implications The additional bank holiday is expected to cost approximately £73,000 in enhanced overtime payments, based on costs incurred during the Coronation holiday. This excludes backfill costs for compensatory days. There will also be an indirect cost and impact on overall efficiency due to staff not being at work that day. Education The Head of Service (Education) is required to request approval from the Scottish Government for the one-day reduction in the 2025/26 teaching calendar. This approval has already been obtained due to the requirement to meet a March deadline set by Government for requesting this. Additional Information The Council has previously granted additional holidays for events such as the 75th anniversary of VE day (2020), the Jubilee (2022) and the Coronation (2023). NHS Ayrshire and Arran have been granted this additional bank holiday. Granting the request for the Council would provide consistency, particularly within the Health & Social Care partnership. Fiona Walker Head of Service (People & ICT) 21
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Audit and Scrutiny Committee 14 April 2026 At a Special Meeting of the Audit and Scrutiny Committee of North Ayrshire Council at 10.00 a.m. involving participation by remote electronic means and physical attendance within the Council Chambers, Irvine. Present (Physical Participation) John Bell, Donald Reid, Cameron Inglis, Shaun Macaulay and John Sweeney. Present (Remote Participation) Davina McTiernan and Donald L Reid. In Attendance D. Hammond, Executive Director (Communities and Housing); S. Anson, Executive Director (Education); F. Walker, Head of Service (People & ICT); A. Craig, Head of Service; S. Wilson, Committee Services Officer, and J. Hutcheson, Senior Communications Officer (Media and Internal Communications) (Democratic Services) (Corporate Services). Also In Attendance Ian Murdoch and Ronnie Stalker. Chair Councillor Bell in the Chair. Apologies Tom Marshall. 1. Declarations of Interest There were no declarations of interest by Members in terms of Standing Order 11 and Section 5 of the Code of Conduct for Councillors. 2. Additional Bank Holiday : 15 June 2026 Submitted report by the Head of Democratic Services to consider a call-in request in respect of the decision taken by Cabinet at its meeting on 17 March 2026. The original Cabinet report was attached at Appendix 1 to the report. Appendix 2 to the report contained a briefing note provided by the Head of Service (People & ICT) in response to the matters raised in the call-in request form. The Cabinet, on 17 March 2026, agreed to approve the additional bank holiday for all employees on Monday 15 June 2026 and authorised the Head of Education to write to the Scottish Government to obtain approval for one less teaching day. Subsequently, a call-in request was received from Councillors Stalker, Gallacher and Murdoch in the following terms:- Appendix 3 22
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Reason for Call-In “The cost: the report highlights that the cost of the bank holiday to the Council will be £73,000 in overtime which could potentially rise if staff take the bank holiday at another time which would require a backfill. Furthermore, productivity costings show that the bank holiday will cost the council £1.2m in loss of productivity from staff not working. At a time when we are asking residents in North Ayrshire to pay more council tax (8.5% rise for 26/27) we should be prioritising spending money on services to do those jobs, not a bank holiday that is not necessary. The necessity of the holiday: The game will kick off at 2am on the 14th of June which is a Sunday morning. This gives staff members ample time to have all day to rest and be ready for work on the Monday morning. This shows that the bank holiday is not necessary for staff to enjoy the game with family, when this can be done the day before Monday.” Desired Outcome “For the bank holiday not to go ahead.” The Head of Democratic Services summarised the procedure for considering the call-in request in terms of Standing Orders and referred to the Cabinet decision. Thereafter, the Members who had requested the call-in were invited to speak and Councillor Stalker addressed the Committee in support of the call-in request. The Chair then invited Councillor Larsen, as the Cabinet Member for Finance, to address the meeting. Councillor Larsen explained the reasoning for the Cabinet decision and referred to a briefing note from the Head of Service (People & ICT) provided at Appendix 2 to the report. She was also heard in answer to Members’ questions. The Head of Service (People & ICT) was heard in answer to Members’ questions. Councillor Murdoch was also heard in summing up the reasoning for the call in. Councillor Inglis, seconded by Councillor Sweeney, moved that the Committee agree to accept the terms of the call-in request and refer the matter to the Cabinet for further consideration with the recommendation that the holiday on 15th June 2026 should not be approved for all staff. As an amendment, Councillor Macaulay, seconded by Councillor McTiernan moved that the Committee agree not to support the call-in request and that the decision of Cabinet should stand. There followed questions, debate and summing up on the motion and amendment presented for consideration. 23
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Thereafter, on a division and a roll call vote, there voted for the amendment, Councillors Macaulay and McTiernan (2), and for the motion, Councillors Bell, Reid, Inglis, D.L Reid and Sweeney (5). The motion was declared carried. Accordingly, the Committee agreed (a) to support the call-in request; and (b) that the matter be referred to Cabinet for further consideration with the recommendation that the holiday on 15th June 2026 should not be approved for all staff. The meeting ended at 10.45 a.m. 24
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NORTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL 28th April 2026 Cabinet Title: Child Poverty & Early Intervention Fund (CPEIF): Proposed Budget Allocation of £276,000 for Child Poverty and Strengthened Governance Arrangements Purpose: To seek approval for the proposed allocation of the £276,000 child poverty budget into the CPEIF and outline strengthened governance and monitoring arrangements for future applications and approvals for use of the Fund Recommendation: That Cabinet approves the proposals to: i) Allocate the £276,000 child poverty budget to CPEIF, enabling continuity of the fund over 2026-27 1. Executive Summary 1.1 North Ayrshire continues to prioritise early intervention and prevention approaches that reduce child poverty and improve wellbeing. The CPEIF has become a key multi-agency driver of this shift, combining funding, third-sector innovation and partnership working aligned with the Child Poverty Action Plan 2023-26. 1.2 To consolidate progress and address increasing financial pressures on families, it is proposed that the £276,000 child poverty budget allocation be invested directly into the CPEIF. This will allow the continuation of high-impact work already underway and provide stability for partners delivering successful interventions. 1.3 The CPEIF has committed £1.013m to date with a further £70k under active consideration. Investment has supported whole family support, financial inclusion, childcare, digital inclusion, employability, housing advice and cost-of- living mitigation programmes. These interventions have demonstrated tangible reach, significant financial gains for families and strengthened partnership practice. Agenda Item 4 25
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1.4 Given the collaborative nature of the work, governance will continue through the Community Planning Partnership Senior Officers Group (CPP SOG). 1.5 To further enhance the fund’s future impact, it is proposed that standardised application and appraisal processes are introduced, and that monitoring and evaluation processes are further strengthened, ensuring consistency and transparency and a clear understanding of value for money across initiatives. 2. Background 2.1. Child poverty levels in North Ayrshire remain significantly above the national average despite encouraging downward trends. The Council and its partners continue to prioritise whole-system approaches towards prevention, early identification and financial inclusion. 2.2 As Cabinet heard in February, the CPEIF was established within the 2023/24 budget as a targeted £1.2m investment to reduce poverty drivers and mitigate cost‑of‑living pressures. Funding rounds in 2023–2025 have leveraged the strengths of local partners, aligned with the LOIP, CHES, Fairer Futures Partnership and Whole Family Support Programme. 2.3 The Fund has evolved from supporting rapid-response measures (e.g. school meal debt, emergency support) to enabling sustained, collaborative programmes in financial inclusion, childcare, employability and community capacity building. 2.4 Governance provided through the CPP/CPP SOG ensures multi-agency oversight, alignment with strategic objectives, and shared accountability. CPP SOG will continue to scrutinise applications and monitor impact. Furthermore, pending approval of the new Children and Families Plan for 2026 – 2029, which includes child poverty priorities, it is anticipated the CPEIF ongoing expenditure would be aligned to the new plan. 2.5 Across its first two years, the CPEIF has: • Committed £1.013m with a further £0.070m under consideration • In addition to activity already referred to above, the Fund has also supported innovative test-of-change models (co-designed with people with lived experience, integrated third sector partner delivery teams) in line with national policy direction with scalable potential for impactful development • Purchased licences to Smart Data Foundry in supporting the coordination of key and integrated data to begin evidencing where intervention is required by targeting specific areas of North Ayrshire based on local need in tandem with our Wellbeing Economy Dashboard • Allocated funding to test a Family Enterprise Programme. The programme is running in partnership with Ayrshire College’s Kilwinning Campus in delivering a co-designed, accredited short course in entrepreneurial skills to ten local parents with aspirations to turn their existing skills and services into local business and self-employment opportunities. 26
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2.6 As part of the 2026/27 budget, a further £276,000 ws allocated to support the delivery of child poverty priorities. It is proposed that this allocation move directly into the CPEIF. This approach enables the Council to deploy the funding through an established, partnership-governed mechanism that is already delivering demonstrable impact, while remaining flexible to emerging pressures. It also aligns with national direction of travel towards earlier intervention, prevention and whole-system working, including an increased emphasis on partnership delivery and enhanced use of data to target support and understand impact. Placing the allocation within CPEIF strengthens the collective approach across partners, avoids fragmentation of investment and supports shared learning and evidence- led decision-making in line with emerging national movement. 2.7 To date, there have been various mechanisms used to apply for access to CPEIF money. Individual teams and services have been monitoring and evaluating the spend and activity, and the recording of impact and progress made has been captured in contributions to the annual Child Poverty Progress reporting. However, there is now an opportunity to further strengthen the governance and monitoring arrangements. We propose that this should include: i) A standardised application process, with clear requirements on evidence of need, expected outcomes and alignment with the drivers of child poverty and whole family support ii) More explicit partnership working stipulations to encourage co-delivery, shared learning and non-duplication. iii) A revised monitoring and evaluation framework, with consistent indicators, shared impact dashboards and multi-agency learning loops. iv) Annual impact reviews published though the upcoming Children and Families Plan 2026-29. 2.8 The CPP SOG has been sighted on the general intentions, supports the approach and will continue to provide oversight and assurance. 3. Proposals 3.1 Cabinet is asked to: v) Allocate the £276,000 child poverty budget to CPEIF, enabling continuity of the fund over 2026-27. vi) Strengthen the future governance of the Fund by approving the implementation of the following processes: a. A standardised application process, with clearer requirements on evidence of need, expected outcomes and alignment with the drivers of child poverty and whole family support b. Partnership working stipulations to encourage co-delivery, shared learning and non-duplication. c. A revised monitoring and evaluation framework, with consistent indicators, shared impact dashboards and multi-agency learning loops. d. Annual impact reviews published though the upcoming Children and Families Plan 2026-29. 27
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4. Implications/Socio-economic Duty Financial 4.1 The proposal allocates £276,000 of existing budget to the CPEIF. All commitments flowing from this will be governed through established CPEIF processes. Human Resources 4.2 There are no human resource implications arising directly from this report. Legal 4.3 This proposal continues to support statutory obligations under the Child Poverty (Scotland) Act 2017. Equality/Socio-economic 4.4 Interventions funded will continue to improve outcomes for low-income households and priority families. Climate Change and Carbon 4.5 There are no climate change or carbon implications arising from this report. Key Priorities 4.6 The CPEIF expenditure demonstrates activity that contributes to our Council Plan, with a particular focus on transitioning to a Wellbeing Economy. Community Wealth Building 4.7 The Fund continues to strengthen community and third-sector capacity. Islands Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA) 4.8 There are no Islands Communities Impact Assessment implications arising from this report. United Nations Rights of the Child (UNCRC) 4.9 The proposal supports the realisation of children’s rights by reducing child poverty, addressing the drivers of poverty and improving access to services. Consumer Duty 4.10 There are no Consumer Duty implications arising from this report. 28
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5. Consultation 5.1 CPP SOG supports the general intentions and will continue to provide oversight and governance to the CPEIF. Sam Anson Executive Director (Education) For further information please contact Donna Martin, Strategy and Programme Manager (Child Poverty), on donnamartin@north-ayrshire.gov.uk. 29
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NORTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL 28 April 2026 North Ayrshire Council Cabinet Title: Progress update on Children’s Rights and Approval of North Ayrshire’s Statutory UNCRC Progress Report (2024– 2026) Purpose: To update Cabinet on action the Council is taking to progress children’s rights and to seek approval to publish the first statutory Children’s Rights Progress Report (covering the period 2024– 2026.) Recommendation: It is recommended Cabinet: a) Notes the good progress being made across Council services and partners to strengthen the implementation of children’s rights. b) Approves the statutory Children’s Rights Progress Report for 2024–2026 for publication. c) Notes that future reporting will be aligned within the new joint Children and Families Plan 2026-2029, covering Children’s Services, Child Poverty and Children’s Rights. 1. Executive Summary 1.1 This report provides North Ayrshire Council’s first statutory update under the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024, which places new duties on public bodies to act compatibly with children’s rights and to report every three years on progress. The report covers activity from 2024–2026. 1.2 During this period, the Council has taken significant steps to strengthen how children’s rights are embedded across services. Key developments include: i) establishing a cross‑service governance group to coordinate activity and drive improvements ii) increasing workforce awareness and skills through campaigns, guidance, and a mandatory iLearn module. iii) building staff capacity through targeted training and practical resources that support rights‑based decision‑making Agenda Item 5 31
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iv) strengthening participation and children’s understanding of their rights, including through the Youth Voice Toolkit with clearer pathways for raising concerns 1.3 The statutory report was developed with support from the Improvement Service, using their national UNCRC Implementation Framework to guide local self-evaluation. The structure of the report follows a recommended national format that ensures a clear focus on core UNCRC principles. 1.4 A child‑friendly version of the statutory report will also be produced to ensure accessibility for children and young people. This will be developed in partnership with local children and young people using the content from the overarching report as a key source. 1.5 The work set out in this paper supports the transition to the new joint Children and Families Plan (2026–2029), covering Children’s Services, Child Poverty and Children’s Rights. This approach will streamline statutory duties and ensure children’s rights remain central to planning and delivery. 2. Background 2.1 The UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024 brings key children’s rights into Scots law. Public bodies must act compatibly with the Act and report every three years on steps taken to secure better or further effect of children’s rights. This first statutory report covers 2024–2026 and sets out how North Ayrshire Council has strengthened rights‑based practice across services. 2.2 Over this period, the Council has taken forward a coordinated programme of work to embed children’s rights in everyday planning, decision‑making and service delivery. Key developments include: i. Establishing a cross‑service strategic governance group to guide this work, coordinate activity across services, and identify and act on opportunities to strengthen how we uphold children’s rights. ii. Raising awareness across the workforce through campaigns, briefings, and regular updates that help staff understand their responsibilities under the UNCRC. iii. Building staff capacity through: a mandatory iLearn module that’s been completed by 1781 members of staff; targeted training sessions for senior officers and elected members; toolbox talks; and practical guidance to support rights‑based decision‑making in everyday practice. iv. Providing clearer tools and guidance for staff, including support on responding to complaints from children and young people and developing child‑friendly documents and communication. v. Strengthening children and young people’s understanding of their rights through a new Youth Voice Toolkit and expanding accessible pathways for children to raise concerns when their rights have not been upheld. 2.3 The report also captures direct positive impact across services and wider partners to improve outcomes for children and young people within the reporting period. Some notable highlights, which Cabinet may be aware of from other strategic updates, include: 32
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i. Initiatives and services progressed via North Ayrshire’s Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Funding, with 94% of people receiving support reporting a positive change. ii. School-based Welfare Rights Officers continued to support families to secure supports they were entitled to, helping to ease financial pressure and improve wellbeing. iii. North Ayrshire’s Winter Warmer Breakfast offer provided on average over 1,000 breakfast items per day across winter periods in 2024/25 and 2025/26, helping address hidden hunger. iv. The New Scots ESOL Hub launched in early 2024 to provide a safe and structured learning offer (over 17 hours of English learning per week plus wellbeing activities) to unaccompanied asylum seeking and trafficked young people in North Ayrshire. Since opening, 16 young people have progressed on to college ESOL, vocational training and other positive destinations. v. The Child Protection Committee engaged with approximately 100 P7 & S1 pupils at Greenwood Academy on key safety topics with feedback being used to strengthen how information is shared with young people, including through digital channels. vi. All North Ayrshire schools take part in the UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA) programme, showing a strong commitment to children’s rights in education. Schools are making good progress — by December 2025, 24 have Bronze, 29 have Silver, and 18 have Gold awards. vii. North Ayrshire’s Joint Cabinet Meetings continued to play a key role in bringing together local pupils with councillors and staff to discuss issues that matter to them on a bi-annual basis. As part of the Council’s established approach to budget consultation, targeted engagement takes place with children and young people in identified protected characteristic groups to inform budget priorities. Over 100 young people have actively contributed views as part of the process to budget setting process. viii. Participation in the Scottish Government’s Test of Change programme to provide free school meals to S1-S3 pupils in families eligible for the Scottish Child Payment. This started in August 2025 and runs until June 2026. 2.4 The Council’s UNCRC Steering Group developed this statutory report with support from the Improvement Service, who facilitated self-evaluation of our current arrangements using the national UNCRC Implementation Framework. This process helped identify strengths, areas for improvement and the priority actions that will be carried forward into the new joint plan for 2026–2029. Local self-evaluation included a focus on: • Leadership commitment • Participation and empowerment of children and young people • Empowerment of children and young people • Monitoring progress • Accountability and reporting on children’s rights 2.5 The structure of the statutory report is informed by Improvement Service recommendations to organise around the UNCRC principles of Embedding children’s rights, equality and non‑discrimination, Empowerment, Participation, and Accountability. This ensures consistent reporting across Scotland and provides a clear framework to aid monitoring progress over time. 33
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2.6 This report recognises the key role children and young people have in shaping their own experiences through forums like Executive Youth Council, Champions Boards, Joint Cabinet, and targeted engagement in education and community settings. To ensure accessibility and transparency, the Council will also produce a child-friendly version of the statutory report, allowing children and young people to understand what has been achieved and what will happen next in a format that is simple, visual and easy to navigate. This will be developed in partnership with children and young people using existing engagement forums. 2.7 This statutory report also supports the Council’s transition to a more joined-up approach to planning and reporting. From 2026, the new joint Children and Families Plan, will bring together the statutory responsibilities of Children’s Services, Child Poverty and Children’s Rights into a single, streamlined framework. Embedding UNCRC duties and a children’s rights-based approach into this wider plan will reduce duplication, improve oversight, and ensure children’s rights remain central to how services are designed, delivered and evaluated. Importantly, the role of the Executive Youth Council will be elevated as a partnership offering a scrutiny position to the Children’s Services Strategic Partnership over the delivery and the implementation of the Children and Families Plan, and its impact on local children and young people. 3. Proposals 3.1 Cabinet is asked to: a) Note the good progress being made across Council services and partners to strengthen the implementation of children’s rights. b) Approve the statutory Children’s Rights Progress Report for 2024–2026 for publication. c) Note that future reporting will be aligned within the new joint Children and Families Plan 2026-2029, covering Children’s Services, Child Poverty and Children’s Rights. 4. Implications/Socio-economic Duty Financial 4.1 None. Activities to date have been delivered within existing resources. Future efficiencies may arise through the integrated joint planning approach. Human Resources 4.2 None. Legal 4.3 Approval of the statutory report ensures compliance with the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024. Equality/Socio-economic 4.4The report highlights substantial work to reduce inequality and improve outcomes for children most at risk of disadvantage, including care experienced young people, New 34
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Scots, young carers, and children affected by poverty. A selection of this is highlighted in Section 2.3 of this paper. Climate Change and Carbon 4.5 None. Key Priorities 4.6 This work contributes directly to Council Plan Wellbeing Priority to deliver prosperity, resilience and wellbeing for local people. Community Wealth Building 4.7 A rights‑based approach strengthens inclusive economic participation by supporting children and families to access support and opportunities. Islands Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA) 4.8 None. United Nations Rights of the Child (UNCRC) 4.9 This report demonstrates the Council’s statutory commitment to upholding children’s rights and sets out key progress made between 2024–2026. Consumer Duty 4.10 None. 5. Consultation 5.1 This report draws on work developed with children and young people, the Executive Youth Council, Education and HSCP services, Connected Communities, the Community Planning Partnership, and the UNCRC Steering Group. Sam Anson Executive Director (Education) For further information please contact Stewart Robbie, Business Manager, on 01294 324619. Background Papers 1 35
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1 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION North Ayrshire Council Children’s Rights Report 2024 – 2026 Contents Executive Summary Error! Bookmark not defined. Key achievements and progress Error! Bookmark not defined. Key priorities for the next 12 months Error! Bookmark not defined. • Introduction 4 • Embedding: Putting children’s human rights at the core of planning and the delivery of services that affect children and young people 5 Equalities and children’s impact assessment 5 Improving local awareness and understanding of children’s rights 5 Reviewing our approach to child-friendly complaints 6 Embedding children’s rights in our Council Plan 6 Developing our joint plan for Children’s Services, Child Poverty and Children’s Rights 7 Embedding children’s services right across Children’s Services and North Ayrshire’s Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) 7 Improving local approaches to child protection 7 Council budget consultation with children and young people 8 • Equality and non-discrimination: Ensuring that every child or young person has an equal opportunity to make the most of their lives and talents 10 Keeping The Promise 10 Embedding children’s voices in how their support is planned, implemented and reviewed 11 Youth work with children with additional support needs 11 New Scots English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Hub 12 Embedding children’s rights in our housing and homelessness supports 12 MCR Pathways mentoring support 13 Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund supports 13 Closing the poverty-related attainment gap 14 Co-designing approaches to reduce child poverty 14 Supporting positive post-school destinations using the Participation Portal 14 36
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2 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION Progressing LGBT Youth Scotland Charters 15 Progressing equality and non-discrimination in North Ayrshire’s Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) 15 Child’s voice in permanence and adoption processes 16 Expansion of Free School Meals 16 Free school meal expansion (S1–S3) test of change 16 Period Dignity in North Ayrshire 16 Winter Warmer Breakfast in secondary schools 17 Collaboration for Health Equity in Scotland (CHES) 17 New Scots community-based support 17 • Empowerment: Giving children the knowledge and confidence to use their rights and hold organisations and individuals that affect their lives to account 20 Development of North Ayrshire’s Youth Voice Toolkit 20 North Ayrshire’s Champions Board for care experienced learners 20 Progressing empowerment in North Ayrshire’s Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) 21 Realising children’s rights through the Rights Respecting Schools Award 21 • Participation: Listening to children and taking their views seriously 23 Youth Services-led youth engagement 23 Youth Participation Strategy 24 Champions Boards in secondary schools 25 Education School Improvement Planning: engaging learners 26 Progressing participation in North Ayrshire’s Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) 26 Alcohol and Drug Prevention (ADP) work with schools 26 North Ayrshire’s Joint Cabinet 27 • Accountability: Organisations and individuals should be accountable to children for the decisions and actions which affect their lives 30 Revision of procurement terms and conditions 30 Family-friendly child poverty report 30 Assessing legal duties in realising the UNCRC 30 Progressing accountability in North Ayrshire’s Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) 31 Raising awareness of the UNCRC with Elected Members 32 UNCRC engagement through Joint Cabinet 32 North Ayrshire Council’s UNCRC Steering Group approach to implementation 34 37
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3 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION Executive Summary This report summarises North Ayrshire Council’s progress in embedding children’s rights across planning, decision-making and service delivery during 2024–2026, in line with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child and the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024. Key achievements and progress • Rights-based decision-making strengthened: the Equality and Children’s Rights Impact Assessment (ECRIA) process supports services to consider children’s rights alongside equality and other legal duties. • Workforce awareness and capability: resources, communications and learning have been developed to help staff understand and apply children’s rights in practice. • Child-friendly information and redress: work with young people has helped improve how information and complaints pathways are presented and understood. • Participation routes maintained: youth forums, Joint Cabinet activity and service- led engagement provide routes for children and young people to influence decisions (UNCRC Article 12). • Targeted action to reduce barriers: examples in this report show work to support care experienced young people, children with additional support needs and New Scots to access services and opportunities. Key priorities for the next 12 months • Publish and implement the joint plan covering Children’s Services, child poverty and children’s rights. • Strengthen evidence of impact: where possible, further link activity to outcomes for children and young people. • Maintain and refresh staff capability: continue communications and learning to keep children’s rights embedded in everyday practice. • Continue to improve accessibility: make key public-facing information (including feedback/complaints routes) easy for children and families to find and understand. 38
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4 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION Introduction The United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) lists the rights that every child should have. These include civil, political, economic, social and cultural rights, and all are equally important. The UNCRC requires that laws and decisions affecting children from birth to 18 must respect these rights. All children and young people under 18 have rights, regardless of who they are, where they live or what they believe. Children should receive proper care, protection and respect from adults. The UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024 means key children's rights from the UNCRC are now part of Scottish law. Public bodies, including councils, must follow these rights. Children and those who support them can make sure their rights are protected in Scottish courts. This report provides an update on progress made by North Ayrshire Council to: 1. ensure our actions are compatible with the UNCRC Act secure better or give further effect to children’s rights. A children’s rights based approach has been used to develop this report with sections on: • Embedding: Putting children’s human rights at the core of planning and the delivery of services that affect children and young people • Equality and non-discrimination: Ensuring that every child or young person has an equal opportunity to make the most of their lives and talents • Empowerment: Giving children the knowledge and confidence to use their rights and hold organisations and individuals that affect their lives to account • Participation: Listening to children and taking their views seriously • Accountability: Organisations and individuals should be accountable to children for the decisions and actions which affect their lives A joint plan is being created to set out steps for children’s services, children’s rights, and child poverty given the interconnectedness of these areas. It will show what the Council will do over the next three years to make sure all actions meet the law and improve children’s rights in North Ayrshire. 39
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5 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION Embedding: Putting children’s human rights at the core of planning and the delivery of services that affect children and young people Embedding children’s rights means making them part of everyday planning, decision- making and service delivery. Across North Ayrshire, staff and partners are working together to create a culture where children’s rights guide how we design services and how we support young people and their families. The examples below show how this approach is developing and how it is shaping the way we work. Equalities and children’s impact assessment Equality and fairness guide everything the council does. The Equality and Children’s Rights Impact Assessment (ECRIA) helps make sure our services follow the law and consider how changes affect people. Every council service must use ECRIA and do an impact assessment for proposals that might affect others. The process checks laws like the Equality Act 2010, UNCRC (Scotland) Act 2024, Fairer Scotland duty, Consumer (Scotland) Act 2020, and Islands (Scotland) Act 2018. The Policy and Performance Team and Legal Services offer support, training, and advice, including guidance on the UNCRC and a dedicated iLearn module. For example, in February 2025, the Council used an ECRIA to help decide about excluding care experienced learners from education, leading to a useful discussion and a change in local practice. Improving local awareness and understanding of children’s rights During this period, North Ayrshire Council’s UNCRC Steering Group created resources and ran campaigns to help staff learn about children’s rights. In autumn 2025, a campaign was launched to raise awareness of children’s rights among staff, with plans for a wider communication campaign in early 2026. A mandatory iLearn course on UNCRC was introduced, which 283 staff had completed by 12 December 2025, and a toolbox talk for manual workers was developed. Staff also have access to support, guidance and resources, including information on making complaints child friendly, via an internal staff webpage. 40
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6 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION Reviewing our approach to child-friendly complaints Connected Communities and the Executive Youth Council collaborated to make the Council’s complaints page easier for young people to use and understand. This supports children’s rights to be listened to and to get information in a way suitable for them. Allowing young people to help shape the page makes it clearer and helps them speak up about issues that matter to them. Guidance has also been created to support Council officers to respond to complaints that related to children and young people based on national guidance. This is being tested in the education service. While this test is underway, the Connects complaints page features updated information, and similar updates will be added to the Council website. A short news article was launched in early 2026 to inform staff about the process and guide them on handling complaints from children. Embedding children’s rights in our Council Plan The council puts children’s rights at the centre of its main plan, especially by focusing on fairness and giving everyone a voice. All residents, including children and young people, are encouraged to feel confident using their rights. This approach supports the aim of a North Ayrshire that’s fair for all and is reflected in the Council’s latest Best Value report. Scottish councils are checked each year for Best Value and get a major review every five years. The Council’s October 2025 report praised local community engagement, including work with young people, fair budgeting, and listening to residents. The report said the Council has built trust with local communities and should keep listening and acting on what people say. 41
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7 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION Developing our joint plan for Children’s Services, Child Poverty and Children’s Rights North Ayrshire Council is integrating our Children’s Services Plan, Child Poverty Action Plan, and UNCRC Plan into one clear framework. Young people, through the Youth Voice team, are helping create a Youth Executive Panel to guide this work. Their input will shape the plan, support documents, and a simple reporting template, making sure children’s voices are heard (Article 12). By making information easy to access and understand, it will also help families and communities to get involved (Article 17). Embedding children’s services right across Children’s Services and North Ayrshire’s Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) North Ayrshire’s existing Children’s Services Plan (2023–26) aims to make the area the best place in Scotland for children to grow up. The plan’s main goals are to protect children’s rights, keep them safe, improve their wellbeing and make sure they have a say in decisions. Our Children’s Services Strategic Partnership leads on the development of the Children’s Services Plan and consists of representatives from across our Community Planning Partners with an approach founded on the principles of Getting it Right for Every Child. The CSSP worked with children and young people to set its top five priorities for this period. Information about children’s rights and the UNCRC has been added to the Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) website and shared with staff. Children and young people helped shape the updated HSCP Strategic Plan through consultation and engagement. HSCP uses the Signs of Safety approach, which gives children a bigger voice in decisions about their safety. Speech & Language Therapy staff support children’s rights by making sure children can access learning and play in nurseries, schools and at home. They work with children, families and other professionals to promote inclusion and help plan education that meets each child’s needs. The Early Language and Communication Network brings together different services to support young children’s speech and language development, sharing data, checking staff skills and spreading key messages to families. The Community Planning Partnership Board has a key focus on reducing inequality and making North Ayrshire Fair for All. As part of this work, there are regular discussions to raise awareness of children’s rights and approaches to reducing child poverty. Ideas from these discussions are helping to shape future plans. Improving local approaches to child protection In 2025-26, the Child Protection Committee (CPC) spoke to North Ayrshire children and young people to understand what they know about staying safe and how best to share important information. 42
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8 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION On 2nd of May, around 100 pupils from P7 and S1 joined group discussions at Greenwood Academy about online safety, vaping, substance misuse, healthy relationships, mental health, and spotting signs of harm. Staff from Council, HSCP, Police, and Women’s Aid supported the event. Young people said they want clearer information about child protection, mental health, and bullying, especially on social media platforms like TikTok and Instagram. The CPC is using this feedback to improve messages, and youth services have started sharing updates on these digital channels. Council budget consultation with children and young people In October 2024, North Ayrshire Council asked local people and groups for their views to help set the 2025-26 budget, receiving over 4,400 responses. The consultation was made easy for young people, focusing on four budget topics that matter to them. Both online and in-person options were offered, and 110 young people from every part of North Ayrshire took part. The Council made sure to hear from young people with protected characteristics, including those who are LGBTQ+, disabled, New Scots, care experienced, or living on islands. The feedback helped update Equality and Children’s Rights Impact Assessments and was shared with councillors in a timely fashion to help inform Budget decisions. Given the success of this process, a similar approach was adopted for the 2026/27 budget. 43
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10 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION Equality and non-discrimination: Ensuring that every child or young person has an equal opportunity to make the most of their lives and talents These efforts all share a common aim: to make sure every child has what they need to learn, grow and feel included. By listening to young people, adapting services, and working closely with families, we are creating more equal opportunities across North Ayrshire. Local services and projects that help children with additional needs, care experienced young people, and those new to Scotland to feel included and succeed are referenced in this section. Keeping The Promise The Corporate Parenting Team in Community Learning and Development makes sure The Promise is put into action across the council. They help staff, care experienced young people, and everyone connected to them. Staff get support through the Promise Champions network, special training, and a required online course. For young people, the team organises the Champions Board youth forum, runs regular events, and a summer programme. Sometimes, staff, young people, their friends, parents, carers, or family all join in together at bigger events like conferences, Care Experienced Week, and seasonal celebrations. This way, everyone works together and keeps young people’s voices and involvement at the centre of corporate parenting. 45
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11 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION Embedding children’s voices in how their support is planned, implemented and reviewed Education Services have put a spotlight on ensuring children’s voices are actively sought, listened to and valued as part of the ongoing work into the realisation of the recommendations of the Morgan Report related to Additional Support for Learning. We have reviewed and enhanced our approaches to ensure children’s views are embedded in planning tools used to identify and support needs. Examples include: • Staged Intervention and planning templates require practitioners to record pupil contributions in every plan. • Co-ordinated Support Plans and Inclusion Group processes include communication profiles, preferred approaches and learner-led insights. • Communication-focused approaches (including SCERTS, visuals and AAC systems) ensure children with limited or non-verbal communication can express preferences and needs. • The Educational Psychology Service delivers training on ‘Gathering Young People’s Views’, alongside supports for anxiety, communication and social-emotional development. • The Education Service Improvement Plan actions track improvements in inclusion, communication and learner engagement across universal, targeted and specialist supports. • Individual establishment Improvement planning documents show a continued focus on strengthening communication pathways so children can influence decisions about their support. • New targeted and specialist provisions such as the Secondary Support Resources allow personalised, needs-led placements where children's profiles shape their support. • The Supporting Needs Governance Board gives oversight of safeguarding, wellbeing, mental health and accessibility – all informed by children’s experiences. Youth work with children with additional support needs Community Learning and Development (CLD) youth work in North Ayrshire helps young people with Additional Support Needs (ASN) take part in community life. Youth workers use specialist training to create safe, supportive places where young people can build confidence and social skills. Each week, two ASN groups offer structured activities for those who might find mainstream settings difficult. The ASN Scratch Group focuses on creative coding and digital skills using MIT Scratch, with staff adapting to each person’s needs in a calm, sensory-friendly space. The ASN Gamers Group uses gaming to help young people make friends, communicate, and work as a team. Activities are tailored to 46
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12 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION different needs and encourage both learning and fun. Staff in mainstream youth work teams have training in ASN support, so young people with additional needs can join their local groups alongside peers. Youth Work Wellbeing staff deliver group work at Trindlemoss provide an essential layer of emotional and mental health support for young people, including those with Additional Support Needs. This support complements the wider Youth Work offer and ensures that young people have access to safe, confidential, and trauma-informed guidance within their own community. New Scots English for Speakers of Other Languages (ESOL) Hub The New Scots ESOL Hub, started in early 2024, gives unaccompanied asylum-seeking and trafficked young people in North Ayrshire a safe place to learn English when schools and colleges could not fully meet their needs. Young people get over 17 hours of English lessons each week, along with activities like sports and wellbeing sessions. This helps them feel safe, included, and confident, and supports their health and learning. Since opening, 16 young people have moved on to college ESOL courses, some at higher levels than expected, and others have started vocational training. The Hub helps young people feel they belong, reduces isolation, and gives them important skills for life in Scotland. It is seen as a great example of helping children’s rights and building bright futures. Embedding children’s rights in our housing and homelessness supports Housing and Homelessness Services are progressing work to strengthen the implementation of children’s rights across all service pathways. Engagement with other local authorities and partners has provided insight into established UNCRC-related 47
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13 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION governance, reporting, and operational practices. This will inform improvements to North Ayrshire Housing’s approach and ensure alignment with national expectations and emerging best practice. To support this development, a meeting with the Improvement Service is being arranged to seek expert advice on the Homelessness Prevention Strategy and to explore required updates to housing and homelessness application processes. Legal Services will also develop a clear and accessible statement outlining children’s rights under the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024. This addition will help guide children on their rights during the homelessness application process. MCR Pathways mentoring support The MCR Pathways Young Talent Programme supports care experienced young people and those at risk of becoming care experienced in North Ayrshire. It runs in seven secondary schools, with Largs Academy joining in April 2024. Young people are matched with a volunteer mentor in S3 and meet weekly at school. The programme helps boost young people’s progress in literacy, numeracy, qualifications, and future opportunities. Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund supports The Children and Young People’s Mental Health and Wellbeing Fund’s most recent report highlights in a single year it supports 6,527 children & young people as well as 1,212 family members. 94% of the family members who responded to this feedback indicated a positive change from this support. Working closely with local partners, schools, and health teams meant children got quick and tailored support, including counselling and help with anxiety. Some highlights of what the funding has supported in a single year include: • The Wellness Model now runs in nearly all areas, helping children access support sooner and strengthening referrals to CAMHS. • School Welfare Rights Officers aided 259 families to gain £818,000, improving their wellbeing. • 343 young people earned the SQA Mental Health Award, helping fight stigma and build resilience. • Staff and public accessed Be Amasin’ anxiety resources over 11,000 times. • Project Restore improved attendance, with children reporting benefits from grounding and breathing techniques. • Area Inclusion Workers supported 5,541 children and families, running 64 group and family sessions to build stronger relationships and manage behaviour. 48
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14 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION Children’s voices are put first, ensuring they can thrive at school and in life. Through early intervention and collaboration, barriers are broken down, resilience is built, and support is provided when needed. Closing the poverty-related attainment gap Closing the gap in achievement between North Ayrshire’s least and most disadvantaged young people is one of the Education Service’s five main priorities. Around 45% of local learners live in the most deprived parts of Scotland, more than a third get grants for shoes and clothes, and about one in five children live in poverty after paying for housing. North Ayrshire’s Education Service is focused on helping children affected by poverty reach their potential. Schools receive £4.2 million every year in Pupil Equity Funding so head teachers can support pupils where help is needed most. Head teachers can choose the best ways to use this money for their learners. Besides school funding, the council also provides extra support through central programmes. This includes 21 Excellence and Equity Leads who work in early years settings with the highest levels of deprivation, offering early support to children and families. North Ayrshire Council also receives Strategic Equity Funding each year to help us to close the poverty related attainment gap, although this funding has reduced over the last 4 years. This supports authority-wide projects like the Professional Learning Academy, which trains school staff to help close the attainment gap. The funding also pays for specialist teams in mental health, wellbeing, leadership, data analysis, and strategy to help staff use resources more effectively and support pupils better. Co-designing approaches to reduce child poverty North Ayrshire Council’s Child Poverty Strategy Team, through the Scottish Government’s Fairer Futures Partnership, launched a local project to better understand and reduce child and family poverty in specific areas. Initial research involved meeting families in libraries during school holidays, speaking with 140 Primary 7 Youth Council members about the cost of living, and asking young apprentices about how easy it is to get support online. After this, two local third sector organisations received grants to help design and deliver new ways to support families, working together with the council and community groups. New roles were created to connect families with the right services at community spaces and events, and to spot gaps in support. This work helps families access social and economic support and ensures children and families have a say in decisions that affect them. A shared database is also being developed to list services related to child poverty and wellbeing, which will help staff — and eventually the community — find support more easily. Supporting positive post-school destinations using the Participation Portal The 16+ Participation Portal is a secure online system that brings together education, employability and national partner data to track what young people aged 16–19 are 49
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15 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION doing across a full year. It replaced the previous data hub and allows information from schools, colleges, Skills Development Scotland, HMRC and other partners to be shared, updated and accessed more consistently. The 2025 Annual Participation Measure for North Ayrshire rose to 92.5%, an increase of 0.8 percentage points from the previous year and represents the highest rate recorded locally. The use of the Participation Portal has partly contributed to this recent improvement, as it has improved tracking and reduced the number of young people with an unconfirmed status. This has also supported better analysis of participation data and targeting of local support. By providing more accurate and timely education data and supporting stronger collaboration between services, the Participation Portal is anticipated to support further progress as its use becomes more established in North Ayrshire. Progressing LGBT Youth Scotland Charters Many young LGBT people can feel isolated or face discrimination, so these efforts help schools support them better and make everyone feel they belong. Six schools have either achieved or are working towards higher levels of the Charter, which has four stages: Foundation, Bronze, Silver and Gold, each taking 12–18 months to complete. Greenwood Academy has Silver and is aiming for Gold, while the council’s Youth Services team also holds Silver and deserves recognition. Arran High School, Garnock Community Campus, Largs, Kilwinning, Irvine Royal and Auchenharvie Academies have Bronze and are working towards Silver this year. Progressing equality and non-discrimination in North Ayrshire’s Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) North Ayrshire’s HSCP services are joined up to make sure children and families get the right support, with help that is practical, accessible, and tailored to each family’s needs. Health visiting is available for all children under five, with home visits reducing access barriers and a standard care pathway for everyone. Extra help is offered to those who need it, including targeted support from the Early Years Team, and school nurses testing private ways for young people to reach out. Immunisation teams adapt to families’ situations, providing vaccines at home, in schools, and at community clinics—even helping families who have language barriers make appointments. Whole Family Wellbeing Funding breaks down practical obstacles, making sure all families can access support. The Dietetic Service listens to young people’s views on their nutritional care, works closely with CAMHS and other services for smooth transitions, and uses feedback to improve care plans and quality. Speech and Language Therapy (SLT) helps children communicate in ways that suit them, whether through speech, signing, devices, or pictures. SLT gives families, carers, and teachers tools and training — like Talking Mats and specialist programmes — to support children’s communication at home and in school, making sure everyone can take part in learning and express their views. 50
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16 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION Child’s voice in permanence and adoption processes The Adoption and Permanence Team makes sure children’s voices are at the heart of every decision about their future. This aligns with Article 12 of the UNCRC, which says children have the right to share their views and have them taken seriously. As a result, no child’s permanence plan is now progressed without the child’s views being obtained. To achieve this, Life Journey Workers spend time with children using play and conversation to help them express what they think and feel. These views are written into reports that inform decisions. “Let’s Talk About Me” conversations also bring together people who know the child well to share information, create memory boxes, and help the child prepare for moving to a permanent family. The team is also working with nurseries and schools to hear from younger children using tools like stories and feelings charts. All of this helps make important decisions that truly reflect the views of the child. Expansion of Free School Meals In the last four years, many North Ayrshire schools upgraded their kitchens and dining spaces to support the expansion of Free School Meals. All pupils in primary 1 to 5 are entitled to get free meals, and those in primary 6 and 7 can get them if they qualify for the Scottish Child Payment. Kitchens have better equipment and dining areas have new furniture so more pupils can eat comfortably. Two schools will get bigger dining areas to handle more pupils, so PE lessons won’t be affected by lunch times. The first extension will be finished in late 2026, and the second in 2027. Free school meal expansion (S1–S3) test of change North Ayrshire is part of the Scottish Government’s Test of Change programme, which gives free school meals to S1-S3 pupils in families eligible for the Scottish Child Payment. This started in August 2025 and runs until June 2026. Families have been told about their eligibility, and schools are raising awareness to make sure everyone who qualifies knows and can easily access their meals. Uptake has been strong, helped by clear communication and improvements like pre- ordering and QR codes to make queues quicker. This helps with access to meals and allows the young people to still spend time with friends outside of the school setting if they so wish. Every pupil who asks for a meal will get one, with no stigma or barriers, so no child goes hungry. Period Dignity in North Ayrshire North Ayrshire was the first UK local authority to offer free period products in schools, starting in 2017. The ‘Period Dignity’ brand makes local support easy to recognise. The Council listens to feedback from pupils and staff to keep improving. Free period products are always available in primary and secondary schools, in a private and respectful way. Young people are told about their right to take products whenever needed. 51
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17 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION Free period products are available from any Fairer Food Community Larder in North Ayrshire as well as from all council buildings like libraries, leisure centres, and community halls. Winter Warmer Breakfast in secondary schools The Winter Warmer Breakfast initiative has been running since December 2022 and offers a free breakfast to all secondary school pupils over some of the winter months. Over the last two winters (2024/25 and 2025/26), an average of over 1,000 breakfast items were given out every day. Every school day, all secondary schools will be offering a free breakfast to pupils every morning which includes either a hot roll or two of the following: fruit pot, croissant, cheese scone, pancake or toast. Many young people leave home in the morning without breakfast and this offering which has been well received since its inception, should help sustain learners throughout their morning lessons and help alleviate hidden hunger. Collaboration for Health Equity in Scotland (CHES) North Ayrshire’s CHES programme is a two-year partnership with Public Health Scotland and the Institute of Health Equity, launched in February 2025. The goal is enhance health outcomes in local communities by improving the conditions that contribute to good health. Two national reports have been produced so far that show how poverty leads to poor health and highlight what communities need for good health. In North Ayrshire, a steering group and three workstreams work together to make North Ayrshire fairer for all. This work is helping to provide enhanced support children, young people and families, especially in areas where health can be improved most. The programme uses data and works with local people, focusing on helping everyone get a good start, a good job, and good health. New Scots community-based support A range of support is provided by North Ayrshire Council and local partners to support the New Scots community. This case study provides two examples of local support that enables the New Scot community to develop their skills and further integrate into their local community. The Big Class Experiment helps deliver ESOL lessons to people from many different towns, despite limited staff. By bringing everyone together in one central place, more learners could attend. People were put in groups based on their English level, with materials and tutors matched to their needs. A special table supported Afghan learners with basic literacy. Volunteers helped run the classes and felt more connected. Digital resources were shared for use in other classes. This approach supported up to 40 learners and proved sustainable. Learners liked the targeted help and engaging materials. The experiment is now a key part of ESOL provision, offering flexible and inclusive learning. 52
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18 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION Since May 2025, North Ayrshire Youth Services and ESOL North Ayrshire have worked together to support New Scots aged 15-21. The New Scots Youth Committee meets every two weeks and brings together around 30 young people from different countries. The group helps members settle in Scotland by offering support with education, jobs, culture, and language. Together, they build community, confidence, and leadership through peer support and activities. They run cultural workshops, like name writing in different languages, making crafts, and sharing food from around the world. The group creates resources for schools and community workers to help with integration. They organise university visits and career events to show education and work options, as well as trips to historic sites to learn about Scotland and enjoy the outdoors. The committee also offers a weekly space to practise English and help each other with studies. The video below provides further information: New Scots Youth Group Video D1 8.12.25 53
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19 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION Bronze New Scots DofE Group 54
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20 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION Empowerment: Giving children the knowledge and confidence to use their rights and hold organisations and individuals that affect their lives to account Empowerment is about giving children and young people the confidence and tools to understand their rights and speak up about what matters to them. The work across North Ayrshire supports young people to take part in decisions, influence change, and feel respected in the places they learn, live and spend time. Development of North Ayrshire’s Youth Voice Toolkit Community Learning and Development has created a Pupil Voice Toolkit in North Ayrshire which has been co-designed with young people, educators, and community partners to ensure that learner voice is embedded across all secondary schools. It provides practical guidance, tools, and strategies to help schools create meaningful opportunities for pupils to influence decisions, shape their learning experiences, and participate in school improvement. By fostering a culture of collaboration and respect, the toolkit supports schools in developing inclusive approaches that empower every young person to be heard and valued. North Ayrshire’s Champions Board for care experienced learners Every secondary school in North Ayrshire has a Champions Board for care experienced young people, with over 68 young people regularly taking part. The boards meet every two to four weeks, offering a safe place for young people to share their views, build confidence, and help shape services. Each year, all the Boards join for a big conference to talk about topics that matter most to them. Members get involved in projects like creating apps, raising awareness, organising events, and fundraising. These activities help young people learn about their rights, build leadership skills, and have their voices heard by organisations that support them. Their efforts are recognised with awards and opportunities to learn from each other and take part in national consultations. The Corporate Parenting Team supports the groups, making sure care experienced young people are involved in decisions and North Ayrshire keeps its Promise by 2030. 55
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21 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION Progressing empowerment in North Ayrshire’s Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) Community Link Workers and North Ayrshire Drug and Alcohol Recovery Service (NADARS) staff work closely with advocacy services and carers’ organisations to help people access support and have their voices heard. They signpost to advocacy services like ‘Voiceability’ and help raise awareness of young carers’ rights. Children, young people and parents are supported to access advocacy and legal representation when involved with social work or the children’s hearing system. Every child has a personalised plan to help overcome barriers to participation. Speech and Language Therapy involves children and young people in setting their own goals. Services are delivered flexibly, often near home or school, and digital tools are used to make access easier. Most Early Years settings now have a trained Communication Champion who links with parents, promotes communication-friendly environments, and shares advice from Speech and Language Therapy. They help identify children needing extra support and encourage best practice among staff. Realising children’s rights through the Rights Respecting Schools Award All North Ayrshire schools take part in the UNICEF Rights Respecting Schools Award (RRSA) programme, showing a strong commitment to children’s rights in education. Schools are making good progress — by December 2025, 24 have Bronze, 29 have Silver, and 18 have Gold awards. 56
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22 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION There is now a trained RRSA assessor and plans to appoint a Strategic Lead, who will help manage the programme and secure discounted award costs. A coordinator group has also started to help schools work together and share ideas. Schools say the RRSA programme helps children talk about their rights, builds confidence, and improves school life. Pupils are more involved in making decisions and support each other, creating welcoming and safe environments for everyone. North Ayrshire is clearly committed to children’s rights through this work. 57
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23 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION Participation: Listening to children and taking their views seriously Children and young people are experts in their own experiences, and their views shape how we plan and improve services. Across North Ayrshire, we create spaces where young people can share what is important to them, work with adults on solutions, and influence decisions in meaningful ways. Youth Services-led youth engagement Community Learning and Development support a wide range of youth forums and groups across North Ayrshire to make sure young people can share their views and help shape decisions about things that matter to them, following UNCRC Article 12. These include local Youth Forums, Scottish Youth Parliament members, the Executive Youth Forum, New Scots, Sports Leaders, ASN groups, care experienced young people, LGBT groups, and young carers. These groups work on local and themed projects and speak honestly about important issues. They also team up for bigger projects, bringing different voices together to help improve policies, make positive changes, and encourage more young people to get involved across the area. 58
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24 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION Youth Participation Strategy Community Learning and Development lead on North Ayrshire Council’s Youth Participation and Citizenship Strategy in North Ayrshire. This helps young people have a real say in decisions about their lives and communities. The strategy gives staff practical advice and tools to make sure youth voices are included in projects and services. It encourages creating spaces where young people can shape policies and lead activities. The strategy follows national standards and helps staff feel confident supporting youth involvement. A new version, co-designed with young people and focused on rights, will be launched in 2026. 59
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25 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION Champions Boards in secondary schools The Champions Board lets care experienced pupils in every North Ayrshire secondary school meet regularly to share their views and help make decisions. They lead projects, set priorities, and make sure their ideas are listened to. All boards join at a yearly conference, where young people talk directly to decision-makers about what matters to them. Pupils also help plan events, create tools like the CE4U app, and take part in national discussions. This way, the Champions Board makes sure young people’s voices help shape school and council decisions 60
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26 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION Education School Improvement Planning: engaging learners Learner Executive Groups (junior and senior) have been convened to engage with children and young people on Education Service priorities and issues that matter to them. The current focus is involvement in the evaluation of our current Service Improvement plan and input into the co-creation of the new service priorities. This builds on existing mechanisms for capturing learner views, including Joint Cabinet and the pupil council networks as well as pupil councils and focus groups across all our educational establishments. Progressing participation in North Ayrshire’s Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) Signs of Safety is a way of working that helps families and social workers make plans together to keep children safe and well. It puts children and families at the centre, recognising that families know best about their own lives. Signs of Safety uses simple, friendly language to talk about worries and what needs to happen next, making sure everyone understands and feels listened to. Social workers use special tools to help children understand why they are in care and to let them share their feelings and wishes. The Words and Pictures tool, provides a gentle and clear way to explore, what adults are worried about and why children need extra support or protection. The Three Houses tool, wizards and fairies, and magic carpet tools give children different ways to talk about how they feel and what they hope for, making it easier for them to have a voice in decisions. Some tools also help children see what adults are doing to keep them safe. Safe and Together mapping tools are also used to support children's safety and happiness. Alcohol and Drug Prevention (ADP) work with schools North Ayrshire’s ADP works with schools and partners to teach young people about drugs and alcohol early. Every year, experts run S1 workshops on vaping, safety, stigma, real-life stories, and the effects of substances. In 2024/25, 1,285 pupils took part, helped by Police Scotland, KA Leisure, and Children First. Older pupils at Irvine Royal Academy started a peer mentoring pilot, training to lead the ‘Champions for Change’ sessions in local primary schools. A six-week programme was also designed with young people and taught to Extended Outreach learners, with plans to continue next year. All activities are shaped by what young people say and local issues. Quotes from workshop participants: “It was very educational and I think it changed my perspective on things.” “We heard from people who had used drugs and alcohol themselves. They were open about their experiences and showed us the risks and how it can affect family and friends.” 61
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27 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION The ADP alongside education will continue to offer staff professional learning on local drug tends and harms that responds to local intelligence. In November 2025, the ADP held a staff conference to upskill our staff on current trends, risks and harms, develop partnerships and engagement activity to inform next steps. North Ayrshire’s Joint Cabinet The North Ayrshire Joint Cabinet Meetings give young people a real say in local decisions. Twice a year, pupils from all schools and outreach groups meet with councillors and staff to talk about issues that matter to them. These meetings aim to: 1. Empower young people, letting them help shape local policies and services. 2. Encourage adults and young people to work together on solutions. This supports young people’s right to be heard, as set out by the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). Thanks to these meetings, young people have helped improve mental health support, transport accessibility, and action on climate change. They also gain confidence and learn skills like public speaking and teamwork, and many get involved in more youth activities. 62
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28 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION The council now values youth participation as a key part of their work, with leaders regularly asking young people for their views before making changes. This approach is seen as best practice by national organisations and shows how councils can work with young people as equal partners, not just ask for their opinions. 63
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30 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION Accountability: Organisations and individuals should be accountable to children for the decisions and actions which affect their lives Strong accountability makes sure that rights are not only understood but acted on. By reviewing our policies, checking our legal duties and involving young people in how we design and assess services, we are building a consistent approach that keeps children’s rights at the centre. Examples include updating contracts to follow the rules, making child poverty reports easier to understand, and checking if services meet legal standards for children and families. Revision of procurement terms and conditions The UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) 2024 Act requires the Council and organisations delivering a service on behalf of the council to uphold children’s rights. As a result, the Council has updated its procurement contract Terms & Conditions to clearly say that the suppliers must act compatibly with the UNCRC Act and share evidence to show that they have complied with this if requested. Work is also underway to review and update agreements between the Council and Third Sector providers who deliver services on behalf of the Council as part of a Service Level Agreement. Family-friendly child poverty report Young Modern Apprentices contributed to making the Child Poverty Action Plan Progress Report easier for children and families to understand. Apprentices reviewed sections of the draft report, identified words and areas that were confusing or difficult, and suggested adding a glossary for these terms. Much of the detailed information was considered unnecessary for families, so the recommendation was to focus on main points and include contact details for services in shorter, flyer-style graphics. Based on this feedback, flyers were created, approved, and are due to be published online soon. In future reporting cycles, young people will be involved earlier, with a youth panel established to help shape important documents and guidance from the outset. This approach ensures young people’s views are reflected and that families receive clear, practical information about child poverty and available local support. Assessing legal duties in realising the UNCRC The UNCRC law is still quite new, so everyone is still learning about what the Council’s legal duties are and where problems might come up. Senior staff have been told what is expected of them and can see where more work is needed to meet the rules. Council teams are in charge of this, and they can get legal advice if they need it. In 2025, the legal team worked with national partners to check how things are going and what still needs to be done. This helped the steering group focus on important areas like buying services, working with others, asking people for feedback, dealing with complaints, making financial decisions, and checking how actions affect children’s 65
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31 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION rights. All this work helps make sure services are following the law and putting children’s rights first. Progressing accountability in North Ayrshire’s Health and Social Care Partnership (HSCP) After an NHS A&A board session in April 2024, each director selected a children’s rights champion to help meet UNCRC requirements in their directorate. In North Ayrshire Health and Social Care Partnership (NAHSCP), the Senior Manager for Children and Families (Health) took on this role, with a focus on promoting children’s rights across health and care services. Champions developed short action plans. In NAHSCP, this meant setting out clear steps for improving how children’s rights are supported locally, including ways staff can better identify and address risks to children’s wellbeing. NAHSCP led a benchmarking exercise in late 2024, involving all Heads of Service and Senior Managers. This exercise reviewed current practices, measured how closely services align with UNCRC standards, and identified gaps or risks to children’s rights. Actions were suggested to close these gaps and prevent future breaches. The Improvement Service’s ‘Getting ready for UNCRC Incorporation Framework’ was used throughout. NAHSCP is now working to put these findings into practice, making sure children’s rights are protected in all health and social care activities. 66
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32 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION Raising awareness of the UNCRC with Elected Members Community Learning and Development (CLD) has created training for North Ayrshire’s Elected Members to explain children’s rights and the new UNCRC law in Scotland. The training shows councillors how the law affects their daily work, including making policies and decisions that impact children and families. It also gives practical examples and clear guidance to help councillors understand their responsibilities. This training is part of the council’s promise to keep children’s rights at the heart of everything they do and to make sure young people’s views help shape all council services. UNCRC engagement through Joint Cabinet North Ayrshire Joint Cabinet involves young people in discussions about the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) to understand their knowledge and priorities. Through consultations, workshops, and youth-led discussions, young people raise issues such as mental health, education, equality, and participation. These views are included when planning and reporting on local services, making sure that UNCRC commitments match young people’s real experiences and needs. By listening to young people, local priorities and services better support and protect children’s rights. 67
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34 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION North Ayrshire Council’s UNCRC Steering Group approach to implementation After the UNCRC (Incorporation) (Scotland) Act 2024 became law, North Ayrshire Council set up a Steering Group with senior staff from different services to make sure children’s rights are supported across the Council. Led by the Education Executive Director, the group takes action and checks progress on children’s rights. Since December 2024, the group has: 1. Run a campaign to help staff understand their UNCRC responsibilities 2. Set up support and training, including mandatory online learning for all staff 3. Delivered training for senior staff and councillors 4. Created clear guidance on complaints and made it easier for children to report issues 5. Helped develop a toolkit so children can learn about their rights and have a say in decisions 6. Reviewed progress using the UNCRC Implementation Framework 7. Worked with Education, Housing and Health partners to further strengthen children’s rights The group was established to support services to embed children’s rights and met four times per year to review progress and drive further improvements across services. The 69
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35 OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION group agreed to disband in February 2026 after delivering on the most important key steps and agreeing what work will be taken forward by individual services and the new joint plan for children’s rights, children’s services and child poverty that is led by the Children’s Services Strategic Partnership. 70
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PUBLIC INFORMATION PUBLIC INFORMATION NORTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL 28 April 2026 Cabinet (Education) Title: Proposals for Community Investment Fund (CIF) Expenditure Purpose: To determine applications by Locality Partnerships to allocate CIF funding to proposed projects. Recommendation: That Cabinet: a) Reviews the applications from Irvine Locality Partnership and Three Towns Locality Partnership in line with CIF criteria; b) Approves the CIF application in relation to the Micah Project (see Appendix 1); and c) Approves the CIF application in relation to North Ayrshire Table Tennis Club (see Appendix 2). 1. Executive Summary 1.1 Within its budget for 2017-18, North Ayrshire Council provided an allocation for the creation of an innovative fund to enable communities to address the priorities they have identified through Local Planning Partnerships and within the context of North Ayrshire Community Planning Partnership’s Fair for All Strategy and the Council’s Community Wealth Building Strategy. In June 2021, Cabinet approved a further £1m top-up for the funding, with a further £2m added in November 2021. 1.2 Locality Partnerships have subsequently continued to work on their local action plans and refining proposals for expenditure in line with their locally identified needs. It is a testament to the dedication of the Locality Partnerships and their community partners that proposals continue to emerge to provide creative approaches to addressing local challenges. 1.3 This report brings forward proposals which respond to the specific needs of the local community, and which have been developed based on local circumstances and opportunities. 2. Background 2.1 Within its budget for 2017-18, North Ayrshire Council provided an allocation for the creation of an innovative fund to enable communities to address the priorities they have identified through Locality Planning Partnerships and within the context of North Ayrshire Community Planning Partnership’s Fair for All Strategy and the Council’s Community Wealth Building Strategy. A further £3m was added to the Agenda Item 6 71
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PUBLIC INFORMATION PUBLIC INFORMATION funding in 2021. A summary of the current position on disbursement of CIF monies is summarised in the table below: 2.2 It was agreed that the CIF awards would range between £5,000 and £100,000 for community organisations, as defined in the CIF guidance, in order to support proposals and projects that connect with: • The North Ayrshire Local Outcomes Improvement Plan overarching aim of North Ayrshire: Fair for All, with consideration for how applications contribute to community support for the cost-of-living crisis; • The Community Planning Partnership and locality priorities; • North Ayrshire Council’s values, priorities, and business objectives; and • The Community Wealth Building and Sustainable North Ayrshire Strategies And will also: • Fulfil a compelling need and not duplicate existing services or facilities; • Provide long-term, sustainable, positive results for the greatest number of people possible; • Exhibit project and/or organisational innovation in their approaches to their work in their way of addressing community challenges and in their request to Locality Partnerships and the Council; • Come from (an) organisation(s) that is financially viable (can provide financial statements upon requests) and efficiently and effectively managed. This can include an organisation to be created to deliver the project; • Include options or potential for NAC and CPP employee engagement and volunteering where possible; and • Include measurable outcomes and can report to NAC on outcomes on a Locality Value of CIF from first funding allocation (2017-18) Expenditure to date Value of CIF from second funding allocation (June 2021) Value of CIF from third funding allocation (Nov 2021) Total balance available Irvine £754,000 £1,046,010 £290,000 £580,000 £577,990 Kilwinning £286,000 £438,060 £120,000 £240,000 £207,940 Three Towns £598,000 £1,314,079 £240,000 £480,000 £3,921 Garnock Valley £390,000 £601,103.04 £150,000 £300,000 £238,96.96 North Coast £468,000 £935,761 £170,000 £340,000 £42,239 Arran £104,000 £125,079 £30,000 £60,000 £68,921 TOTAL £2,600,000 £4,460,092.04 £1,000,000 £2,000,000 £1,139,907.96 72
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PUBLIC INFORMATION PUBLIC INFORMATION regular basis. 2.3 The proposal development and application process has been agreed as follows: • Locality Partnerships should continue to engage with their communities and stimulate interest in the CIF. Each Locality Partnership will then strategically access the applications, make links, and look at the funding ‘in the round’. • If the partnership supports a bid, then the group will be encouraged to submit a full application form, which they will decide upon before making a proposal to Cabinet for final approval. • The proposal will go to the next suitable Cabinet for final approval. 2.4 The enclosed application at Appendix 1 has been developed by community partners and North Ayrshire Council officers and are now recommended for approval by Cabinet. The application is summarised below. 2.5 The Irvine Locality Partnership The allocation and funds committed to date are outlined in the table below. The Irvine Locality Partnership CIF allocation to date: £1,624,000 Irvine Digital Officer £84,604* Vineburgh & Fullarton Community Enablers £100,000 Irvine New Town Mens Shed £10,000 Irvine Harbourside Mens Shed £10,000 Irvine Youth Hub £100,000 Irvine Tennis Club £100,000 INPUT £60,000 Children's 1st £97,580 CHAP £91,534 BABCA Community Garden £12,777 Fullarton Outdoor Gym £100,000 Turning Point - Pathways to Progress £96,112 Micah Project £50,000 Irvine Cricket Club £49,500 Impact Arts £87,652 Balance £577,990 2.6 Proposal: Micah Trust (£100,000) (See Appendix 1) 2.6.1 The Micah Project is a Scottish charity which has been operating in Ayrshire since 2020. It works to help families thrive by tackling poverty, reducing social isolation and promoting dignity-based support. The organisation delivers practical interventions including clothing provision, wellbeing activities and community volunteering, and activities which support mental wellbeing. Their activities are supported by a mix of volunteers, donations and grant funding. The charity received a previous CIF allocation of £50,000 to support their establishment as a hub within the Irvine area 73
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PUBLIC INFORMATION PUBLIC INFORMATION and the distribution of packs for children up to age 4. The proposed award would take the total funding to the organisation to £150,000 and above the normal CIF £100,000 threshold. The Locality Partnership are aware of this. 2.6.2. This application seeks £100,000 over two years to deliver the Getting a Great Start project across the Irvine locality. The project will provide universal Primary 1 starter packs for every child starting school, alongside heat-press equipment and free school badges for all primary schools. This will allow families to use low-cost unbranded clothing while still meeting school uniform requirements. Intended outcomes include reducing the cost of starting school, improving children’s confidence and wellbeing at a key transition point, alleviating financial pressure on families, increasing volunteering and employability opportunities, and reducing textile waste. The funding will also cover staff and volunteer costs and assist with establishing a Community Interest Company (CIC). The Micah Project operates across Ayrshire; the proposed award is expressly for provision of support within the Irvine locality. 2.6.3. The proposal aligns strongly with Irvine Locality Partnership priorities. It supports alleviating poverty by reducing uniform costs; enhances mental health and wellbeing by reducing stress for families and helping children feel included and prepared; supports skills and work opportunities through volunteering and skills development opportunities; and champions green health and the natural environment by promoting reuse and reducing textile waste. It also aligns with the work of the CHES (Collaborating for Health Equity in Scotland) programme, which has highlighted early years and ‘Good Start’ as the priority for targeted delivery within Irvine. 2.7. The Three Towns Locality Partnership The allocation and funds committed to date are outlined in the table below. The Three Towns Locality Partnership CIF allocation to date: £1,318,000 Ardrossan Community Development Trust £25,000 Three Towns Growers £100,000 The Training Station £50,000 Ardrossan Castle Heritage Society £17,912 Raise Your Voice For Ardeer £100,000 Ardrossan Community Sports Hub £43,320 Winton Circus Playpark £48,288 Ardrossan Community Development Trust - Development Officer £53,100 Raise Your Voice For Ardeer – increased cost for multipurpose hub) £130,000 Ardrossan Community Association (Whitlees) £48,586 Ardrossan Community Sport - Winton Park 3G £100,000 CHAP – Advice Outreach £45,767 Ardrossan Scouts £100,000 Saltcoats Active Lifestyle Group (SALT) £45,600 Stevenston Community Council – Street Signage £29,988 Three Towns Community Shed £56,850 Hayocks Tenants and Residents Association Project – funding ringfenced by Locality Partnership while match funding sought. £100.000 Ardrossan Winton Rovers – Stand Roof £100.000 Three Towns Growers – Community Hub £49,240 74
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PUBLIC INFORMATION PUBLIC INFORMATION Ardrossan Bowling Club £20,000 Saltcoats Vics £50,428 Balance £3,921 2.8. North Ayrshire Table Tennis Club (£3,921) (See Appendix 2) 2.8.1. North Ayrshire Table Tennis Club (NATTC) is a well-established community sports club founded in 2001 and affiliated with Table Tennis Scotland and the West of Scotland Table Tennis League. The club operates across North Ayrshire, including the Three Towns and island communities, delivering inclusive table-tennis opportunities for people aged 6 to 90. It runs nine active venues and four school clubs, supported by a strong volunteer base, qualified coaches, and a robust governance structure. NATTC has a strong track record of sustainability, significant prior investment in equipment, and repeated recognition for its achievements. 2.8.2. The application seeks £3,921 from the Community Investment Fund as a contribution to salary costs to increase the working hours of the club’s Development Officer. This is matched by £29,500 in other funding, including club income. The Development Officer will strengthen coaching capacity, mentor young volunteers and support progression to UKCC coaching qualifications. The project aims to increase participation, improve quality and consistency of delivery, create volunteering and employment pathways for young people, and support the club’s programme of events. Intended outcomes include increased activity levels, reduced social isolation and improved wellbeing for participants, and improved sustainability for the club. 2.8.3. The proposal aligns with Three Towns Locality Partnership priorities by promoting the local economy and tourism through attracting visitors to sporting events in the area; maximising use of community facilities for training and events; increasing civic pride by positioning North Ayrshire as a national centre for table tennis; and improving community wellbeing through inclusive, accessible physical activity. The project also addresses inequality by offering low-cost participation, free access to events, accessible indoor venues, and targeted opportunities for young people. 3. Proposals 3.1 That Cabinet: a) Reviews the applications from Irvine Locality Partnership and Three Towns Locality Partnership in line with CIF criteria; b) Approves the CIF application in relation to the Micah Project (see Appendix 1); and c) Approves the CIF application in relation to North Ayrshire Table Tennis Club (see Appendix 2). 4. Implications/Socio-economic Duty Financial 4.1 CIF funding is allocated from within existing resources. 75
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PUBLIC INFORMATION PUBLIC INFORMATION Human Resources 4.2 None. Legal 4.3 None. Equality/Socio-economic 4.4 The purpose of Locality Planning is to reduce inequalities, increase community cohesion and advance community empowerment. Each of the CIF proposals is tested against that purpose before being presented to Cabinet. Climate Change and Carbon 4.5 Environmental and sustainability along with climate change and carbon reduction opportunities are considered in relation to each CIF application. Key Priorities 4.6 The proposals contained within the report support the North Ayrshire Council Plan strategic aims. • To transition to a wellbeing economy, delivering prosperity, wellbeing and resilience for local people. • We will have active, inclusive, and resilient communities. • A Community Wealth Building Council that is efficient and accessible, maximising investment and focusing resources towards our priorities. Community Wealth Building 4.7 The applications support the following pillars of community wealth building: • Financial Power: Listening to communities and local enterprises to maximise the impact of financial investment and grow local business, enhance innovation and empower communities. • Land and Assets: Maximising the function and ownership of local physical assets for the benefit of communities and enterprises. Islands Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA) 4.8 None. United Nations Rights of the Child (UNCRC) 4.9 The proposals support the rights of children and young people through offering better access to facilities, in particular supporting the right to play and the right to be part of their community. Consumer Duty 76
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PUBLIC INFORMATION PUBLIC INFORMATION 4.10 None. 5. Consultation 5.1 The proposals contained within this report have been developed by the Locality Partnerships, through consultation with local people, including young people. David W. Hammond Executive Director (Communities & Housing) For further information please contact Rhonda Leith, Head of Service (Connected Communities), on 01294 324415. Background Papers Appendix 1: CIF Application Micah Project Appendix 2: CIF Application North Ayrshire Table Tennis Club 77
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Community Investment Fund Application Form: Irvine Locality The CIF will support proposals and projects that: • Connect with: o The North Ayrshire Fair for All Inequalities Strategy; o the Community Planning Partnership and Locality priorities; and o North Ayrshire Council’s values, priorities and business objectives. • Fulfil a compelling need and do not duplicate existing services or facilities; • Provide long-term, sustainable, positive results for the greatest number of people possible; • Exhibit project and/or organisational innovation in their approaches to their work in their way of addressing community challenges and in their request to Locality Partnerships and the Council; • Come from (an) organisation(s) that is financially viable (can provide financial statements upon request) and efficiently and effectively managed. This can include an organisation to be created to deliver the project; • Include options or potential for NAC and CPP employee engagement and volunteering where possible; and • Include measurable outcomes and can report to NAC on outcomes on a regular basis. When to apply and how? • LPs should continue to engage with their communities, and stimulate interest in the CIF. The Locality Partnership will then strategically assess the applications, make links and look at the funding ‘in the round’. • If the partnership supports a bid then the group will be encouraged to submit a full application form, which they will decide upon before making a proposal to Cabinet for final approval. • The finalised proposal will go to the next suitable Cabinet for final approval • Forms should be returned to your Locality Co-ordinator, by email if possible: Elaine Baxter Irvine Locality Coordinator Economy and Communities Community Development Team Redburn Community Centre Dickson Drive Irvine KA12 9EW Email: ebaxter@north-ayrshire.gov.uk Tel: 01294 313593 Mob: 07814418453 Support and information will be available for groups who are not successful. For more information see the guidance form here: http://www.northayrshire.community/wp-content/uploads/sites/60/2018/06/community- investment-fund-guidance-notes-17-12-17.pdf 78
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APPLICATION FOR FINANCIAL ASSISTANCE Community Investment Fund 1. Details of your organisation Name of Organisation: Micah Project SCIO SC052123 Postal Address for Correspondence: ........................................................................................... Name of Contact Person: Helen Hogg Position in Organisation: Charity Lead / CEO Contact Telephone Number : E mail address 2. Brief description of your organisation Please include - [a] Legal status, e.g. voluntary organisation, public/private limited by shares or guarantee; [b] How long has organisation been in existence? [c] Aims & objectives; [d] General activities or services provided; The Micah Project exists to help families thrive by meeting practical needs with dignity and care. Through simple, sustainable initiatives, we support households to flourish, feel connected, and build hope for the future. [a] Legal status The Micah Project is a Scottish charity, SCIO and community organisation operating on a not-for-profit basis, supported by volunteers and funded through donations and grants. [b] How long has the organisation been in existence? The Micah Project has been supporting families and communities in Ayrshire since 2020 and a registered charity since November 2022 [c] Aims & objectives The Micah Project aims to help families thrive by tackling the effects of poverty, reducing social isolation, and promoting sustainability. Its objectives include enabling 79
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equitable access to essential items, repurposing preloved clothing to reduce waste, and building strong, supportive community networks rooted in dignity and respect. [d] General activities or services provided The project provides Twice Treasured clothing boxes, school uniforms, and essential household items; runs Sew New wellbeing workshops that repurpose preloved textiles; and offers community-focused programmes that support mental wellbeing, reduce isolation, and promote sustainable living. It operates through local hubs where volunteers sort donations, prepare orders, and engage with families from all backgrounds. 3. Title and summary of proposal Tell us a bit about your idea. Please describe in as much detail as possible, what the funding will be used for. Please include where it will be held / delivered, who is your target audience, who will benefit from it and how and indicate any partners that are involved. Please include - [a] What outcomes your organisation wishes to achieve; [b] Is this a new service / project? [c] Does a new organisation need to be set up? Getting a Great Start – P1 Starter Packs & School Badges Proposal Summary Getting a Great Start is an early-intervention project providing Primary 1 Starter Packs of school uniform for every child starting school in Irvine’s primary schools. As well as these packs each primary school will receive a heat press and starter pack of school badges through the Badge it initiative reducing the cost of the school day significantly with respect and dignity. Giving real choice to parents. This new initiative ensures that all children receive an equal start regardless of means and encourages participation and engagement from parents at an essential part of their child’s educational journey. The project will be delivered across 2/3 years with the funding in place for 2 years. The project will be delivered in partnership with all participating primary schools and Parent Councils, supported by volunteers and local community networks. 80
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Project Description Starting P1 is an exciting but costly time for families. Uniform expenses, school-specific items, pressure to navigate a new environment and expectations often creates stress and inequality. Getting a Great Start lessens these barriers by providing every new P1 pupil with a Starter Pack containing: • 2 polo shirts • 2 jumpers in their school colours • A Gym bag • Gym shorts • A handmade knitted teddy made by volunteers and community members • A voucher for 2 free school badges (heat pressed on) to link with our badge initiative • A photo keyring for parents/carers • A wee surprise gift such as magnetic letters to encourage early literacy and play This mix of practical items and thoughtful touches helps every child feel prepared, welcomed, and valued on their first day of school. Badge it Badge It is a practical, poverty busting idea from The Micah Project that reduces the cost of school uniforms for families across North Ayrshire by heat-pressing affordable school badges onto low-cost, unbranded clothing. 81
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School uniforms represent a significant financial burden for many families, and badged jumpers — often £15–£20 each — are one of the most expensive items. The Badge It service allows families to buy supermarket-priced jumpers or cardigans for as little as £2–£5, and then have a school-approved badge applied for a fraction of the usual cost. This creates an immediate saving while ensuring children can still wear appropriate, branded uniform with pride and dignity. It also allows a genuine choice for parents between higher priced alternatives and unbadged clothes. If we are truly seeking to be ‘fairer to all’ this is a great option. Where the Project Will Be Delivered & Target Audience • All P1 children in the Irvine locality. This universal approach protects dignity, avoids stigma, and ensures every child has an equal start. • All primary schools in the Irvine locality. • Distribution will take place directly through schools, ensuring a smooth, universal, dignity-based process. • Parent Councils will help coordinate badge distribution and provide feedback. • Community volunteers will support packing sessions, knitting teddies, and creating “wee surprises.” Who Will Benefit and How: Children will benefit through: • Arriving at school prepared and confident • Feeling included and equal to peers • Having comforting items (like the knitted teddy) that support emotional wellbeing Parents/carers benefit by: • Reducing financial pressure at a key transition point • Feeling valued and supported by their school community • Receiving a keepsake (photo keyring) that strengthens family engagement 82
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Schools benefit through: • Stronger relationships with families • Fewer uniform-related issues & more preloved uniform engagement • Better engagement from children and parents Communities benefit through: • Increased volunteering opportunities • Intergenerational connection (e.g., knitters) • Reduced waste through responsible uniform purchasing Project Partners • All participating primary schools • All Parent Councils • Community volunteers and knitting groups • Local businesses involved in uniforms or sponsorship • The Micah Project and the future CIC organisation. This project will help establish a CIC from the charity, which will: • Provide long-term, sustainable support for schools • Reduce reliance on grant funding • Create a robust structure to use minimal profits from the badging back into the area, increase employment and training opportunities. 4. What difference will this project make within the locality and to local services and programmes? Please include - [a] How you will approach reducing inequality [b] How this proposal fits with Irvine’s priorities of: 1. Supporting Skills and work opportunities 2. Enhancing our mental health and wellbeing 3. Alleviating poverty 4. Championing Green Health and the Natural Environment 83
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How We Will Approach Reducing Inequality The Getting a Great Start – P1 Starter Packs & School Badges initiative directly tackles inequality at one of the earliest and most significant transition points in a child’s life. By providing universal, dignity-based support for every new P1 child, we reduce the financial pressures that disproportionately affect families experiencing poverty, unemployment, or cost-of-living strain. Our approach reduces inequality by: • Ensuring every child—regardless of background—starts school prepared and confident. • Removing financial and social barriers linked to uniform costs. • Providing consistent support across entire school clusters, reducing postcode- based disparities. • Offering non-stigmatising, universal provision rather than targeted, means-tested help. • Strengthening the connection between families, schools, and community supports from the beginning. • Involving volunteers, knitters, Parent Councils, and community groups to build a shared approach to early intervention. This project aligns directly with the North Ayrshire Fair for All Inequalities Strategy, the Community Planning Partnership priorities, and North Ayrshire Council’s commitment to fairness, dignity, prevention, and community-led solutions. [b] How This Proposal Fits with Irvine’s Local Priorities 1. Supporting Skills and Work Opportunities • Volunteers engaged in assembling packs, heat pressing badges, knitting teddies, and helping with logistics gain practical skills, confidence, and community experience. • The long-term development of a CIC creates new opportunities for volunteering, employability, and skills development in textile care, community delivery, stock 84
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control, early years support, and circular-economy activities. This is important if the charity is to be able to become less reliant on grant funding. • Parent Councils and school staff develop stronger collaborative working, which supports family engagement and community empowerment. Outcome: Increased volunteering, skills growth, and pathways into community-led employability opportunities. 2. Enhancing Our Mental Health and Wellbeing • Families experience reduced stress and anxiety at school-start time due to lower financial pressure. • Children feel confident, included, and emotionally supported (helped especially by the handmade community knitted teddies). • A positive start to school supports long-term mental wellbeing and resilience. • Volunteers benefit from social connection, routine, and purpose—especially older adults involved in knitting and packing. • Early intervention boosts stability in family life, which supports healthier relationships and reduces emotional strain. Outcome: Improved emotional wellbeing for families, children, and volunteers, strengthening the community’s collective mental health. 3. Alleviating Poverty The project provides: • Essential uniform items at no cost. • Free school badges so families can use low-cost unbranded clothing. • Advice and signposting to local supports through the starter pack materials. • A universal programme that removes stigma often associated with financial assistance. • A long-term CIC model that enables sustainable provision independent of future grant cycles. 85
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This reduces both immediate financial hardship and the inequality caused by high uniform costs. Outcome: Direct reduction in household financial pressure and a measurable impact on the cost of starting school. 4. Championing Green Health and the Natural Environment The project contributes to environmental goals by: • Promoting affordable unbranded clothing (often lower carbon and more sustainable to produce). • Reducing demand for multiple branded items, cutting textile waste and environmental impact. • Encouraging responsible purchasing and reuse, aligned with circular economy principles. • Mobilising community volunteers—especially knitters and clothing sorters—to support sustainable practices. • Establishing a CIC model that embeds environmental responsibility into long- term operations. Outcome: Reduced textile waste, lower uniform consumption impact, and a stronger culture of sustainable community practices. Overall Local Impact This project strengthens early intervention, reduces inequality, improves wellbeing, and builds a practical, community-led model that supports families across Irvine. It addresses immediate financial need while also contributing to long-term resilience, sustainability, and community cohesion—supporting local services, schools, Parent Councils, and families in a joined-up way consistent with NAC values and Locality priorities. 86
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5. Please give an overview of the engagement that has taken place in relation to the project Please include the number of people that have been engaged with/ consulted Overview of Engagement and Consultation Over the past year, the Micah Project has undertaken extensive engagement and consultation to shape and refine the Getting a Great Start – P1 Starter Packs & School Badges initiative. Our approach has been firmly rooted in listening to families, schools, and community partners to ensure the project meets real needs and delivers long-term value for the locality. Pilot Programmes We have delivered two pilot programmes for Badge it in - • Louden Montgomery Primary School, Irvine • Glebe Primary School, Irvine These pilots have been running for approximately 24-12 months, allowing us to evaluate the Badge It model in real school environments. Both pilot schools have expressed strong support for the initiative and would be among the first to benefit from having their own heat press and badges, improving long-term sustainability. School Engagement Headteachers consistently describe the project as a “win–win situation”—reducing costs for families, improving equality, simplifying uniform adherence, and strengthening relationships between schools and the community. Feedback has consistently highlighted: • The high cost of uniform as a barrier for families • Appreciation for a universal approach with no stigma • Enthusiasm for using badges on unbranded clothing to lower costs 87
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• Strong support for early intervention at the P1 transition • A desire from schools to work in partnership to expand the model • Recognition that the knitted teddy and small “surprise” add real emotional value to children Local Development already underway • Irvine Royal Academy already operates its own badge pressing, demonstrating local capacity and validating the wider model. • Several headteachers have expressed interest in shared heat-press equipment being available cluster-wide being able to share equipment would bring together clusters at events (one event we ran had over 300 families just for badging) • The groundwork for collaborative working across Irvine’s school clusters is already in place. Summary The level of community consultation demonstrates both a high level of community buy- in and a clear, evidenced need for the project. The proposals presented are shaped directly by this engagement and are ready for expansion across the locality. 6. Please tell us how the project will be managed Please include - [a] How the finances will be managed [b] Does the proposed project contribute to volunteering or employment opportunities in Irvine? Please include the number of volunteering opportunities and employment opportunities [c] If there are any staff requirements, please outline your HR plans [d] Is there evidence of partnership working in relation to the project within Irvine locality? How the Project Will Be Managed [a] Financial Management The project will be managed by The Micah Project, transitioning into the newly forming CIC by the end of the 2 years, which will provide a sustainable governance and financial structure for long-term delivery. 88
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Finances will be managed through: • A dedicated project budget held within The Micah Project. • Oversight by our Treasurer and the Project Lead • Termly financial monitoring and reporting to the Board • Clear procurement processes for uniforms, badges, and materials • Use of SAGE accounting software to ensure transparency and compliance • Ability to provide financial statements to NAC upon request This structure ensures accountability, compliance with charitable and CIC regulations, and long-term sustainability of the project. [b] Contribution to Volunteering & Employment Opportunities in Irvine This project offers significant new opportunities for volunteering, skills development, and community participation across the Irvine locality. Volunteering Opportunities We anticipate 100-150 volunteer roles, including: • Heat-pressing and badge production • Preparing and sorting P1 Starter Packs • Knitting community teddies • Stock organisation and logistics • Supporting school distribution days • Parent Council volunteers helping with pop-up Badge It sessions • Admin and data support for monitoring outcomes These roles are accessible to people of all ages and abilities, supporting skill development, confidence building, and social connection. Employment Opportunities We anticipate 2-4 part-time paid roles emerging as the project grows, focused on: • Coordination of uniform and badge production • Logistics and operational support • School and community partnership liaison 89
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These roles will support longer-term sustainability and reduce reliance on grant funding. [c] Staff Requirements and HR Plans As the project grows, we intend to recruit part-time staff to coordinate the uniform and badge service. HR plans include: • Providing clear job descriptions and contracts aligned with Scottish employment law • PVG checks for any staff or volunteers working with children/families • Induction and training in safeguarding, confidentiality, and volunteer management • Ongoing supervision and support from the Project Lead • Policies for recruitment, health & safety, and data management • Fair, inclusive recruitment aligned with equalities legislation Volunteer roles will be supported through an induction process, training on badge pressing and equipment, and safe working guidance in line with our HR framework. [d] Evidence of Partnership Working Within the Irvine Locality This project is built on strong existing partnerships across Irvine schools, Parent Councils, and community organisations. Engagement and collaboration to date includes: • Pilot programmes in Louden Montgomery Primary and Glebe Primary, running for around a year • Active involvement from Parent Councils helping shape badge use and pack distribution • Partnership with community volunteers, knitting groups, and local churches • Alignment with existing locality priorities on poverty reduction, wellbeing, volunteering, and supporting families 90
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As mentioned in the feedback Headteachers have consistently described the initiative as a “win–win situation for everyone”, highlighting improved equality, reduced stress for families, and stronger school engagement. This project therefore builds on a proven foundation of cooperation within the Irvine locality and strengthens the local ecosystem of support around families. 7. Amount of funding being requested Please supply details of the amount of funding being requested and any other funding you have had over the past 5 years, both financially and ‘in kind’. Amount requested: £100,000 over 2 years to deliver the Getting a Great Start – P1 Starter Packs & School Badges initiative across the Irvine locality. This funding will cover pack contents, badge production, volunteer support, staff coordination, logistics, monitoring, and contribution towards the establishment of a CIC to sustain the project long-term. Please include detail on - [a] Breakdown of costs if available; [b] Recent quotations where appropriate [a] Breakdown of Costs £100,000 Focus: • P1 Starter Pack contents (uniform items, gym kits, teddies, letters, surprises): £40,000 - 2 x P1 Starter pack - Average of 35 Children per school across 12 schools, Allows for contents and support staff hours to pack. • Badge vouchers & heat-press & Badges materials for 12 Primary schools - £12,000 - Includes Heat Press £500, Training £250, Badges £250 • Volunteer coordination & training: £1,500 • Monitoring & evaluation, admin, printing, and data support: £2,000 • Rent, Logistics, storage, fuel, and equipment use: £30,000 (50% off project costs Rent - Stevenston - £18,000 pa, Delivery costs £12,000 pa x2years) - 91
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• Project Lead Salary - £40675.20 (1 x 24 hours @ £15.00 per hour =£18,720 + NI contributions 1497.60 + expenses £120 = £20,337.60 x2 Total: £126,175.20 This budget includes inflation-aware costs for clothing, printing, heat-press consumables, and equipment maintenance. We are also applying for other funding but are able to confirm £10,000 in funding from supporters of the project towards this project. [b] Quotations and Cost Assurance We have gathered indicative quotations from: • School uniform suppliers for bulk polo shirts and jumpers • Badge manufacturer for iron-on woven badges • Heat-press equipment suppliers • Local craft suppliers for knitted teddy materials and “wee surprise” items These quotations confirm that the above budget is realistic and represents good value for money. Previous Funding (Past 5 Years) The Micah Project has operated largely through small community grants, donations, and in-kind support. As well as CIF funding for clothing packs. We have not previously received large-scale government or local authority funding for uniform-based early intervention work. This project represents a significant expansion built on proven community pilots. This strong blend of in-kind resources and local buy-in demonstrates the project’s credibility, sustainability, and community backing. 92
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8. Monitoring and evaluation process Please include detail on – [a] What monitoring and evaluation processes are planned/ in place The Getting a Great Start – P1 Starter Packs & School Badges project will be monitored and evaluated using a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods to ensure measurable, transparent outcomes that can be reported regularly. 1. Data Collection and Tracking We will collect clear data for each stage of delivery, including: • Number of P1 Starter Packs distributed (per school, per cluster, per year) • Number of badges produced and applied • Number of volunteers involved and volunteer hours contributed • Number of families accessing support or attending pop-up Badge It sessions This data will be recorded using spreadsheets and digital tools overseen by the Project Lead. 2. School Feedback Regular feedback will be sought from Schools and will include: • Children's readiness and confidence at school start • Uniform adherence and equality indicators • Parent/carer engagement • Staff reflections on the impact of the project 3. Parent/Carer Feedback Parent views will be gathered through: • Short surveys included with packs • Conversations at Parent Council meetings • Pop-up sessions and follow-up conversations 93
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This will capture: • Financial impact • Reduced stress/worry • Ease of preparing children for school • Suggestions for improving pack contents We will measure the project’s impact in relation to: • Reducing inequality • Improving mental health and wellbeing • Alleviating poverty through reduced uniform costs • Increasing volunteering opportunities • Supporting sustainable, circular-economy practices Each outcome will be evidenced through data & feedback. 94
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COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FUND THREE TOWNS LOCALITY PARTNERSHIP OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION The CIF will support proposals and projects that: • Connect with: o the Community Planning Partnership (CPP) and Locality priorities; and o North Ayrshire Council’s (NAC) values, priorities and business objectives. • Fulfil a compelling need and do not duplicate existing services or facilities; • Provide long-term, sustainable, positive results for the greatest number of people possible; • Exhibit project and/or organisational innovation in their approaches to their work in their way of addressing community challenges and in their request to Locality Partnerships and the Council; • Come from (an) organisation(s) that is financially viable (can provide financial statements upon request) and efficiently and effectively managed. This can include an organisation to be created to deliver the project; • Include options or potential for NAC and CPP employee engagement and volunteering where possible; and • Include measurable outcomes and can report to NAC on outcomes on a regular basis. When to apply and how? • LPs should continue to engage with their communities and stimulate interest in the CIF. The Locality Partnership will then strategically assess the applications, make links and look at the funding ‘in the round’. • If the partnership supports a bid then the group will be encouraged to submit a full application form (attached), which they will decide upon before making a proposal to Cabinet for final approval. • The finalised proposal will go to the next suitable Cabinet for final approval. • Forms should be returned to your Locality Officer, by email if possible: Denise Fraser Locality Officer (Three Towns) Community Development Team St John's Primary School Morrison Avenue Stevenston KA20 4HH Email: denisefraser@north-ayrshire.gov.uk Mob: 07770 825129 For more information see the guidance form here: https://northayrshire.community/wp- content/uploads/2018/06/community-investment-fund-guidance-notes-17-12-17.pdf 95
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COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FUND THREE TOWNS LOCALITY PARTNERSHIP OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION 1. Details of your organisation Name of Organisation NORTH AYRSHIRE TABLE TENNIS CLUB Postal Address for Correspondence Click or tap here to enter text. Name of Contact Person WILLIAM MAIN Position in Organisation TREASURER / FOUNDER Telephone Number Click or tap here to enter text. Email Address Total amount of funding requested: £3921 Match funding (if any): See breakdown below (£19500.00) 2. Brief description of your organisation Please include its legal status, aims and objectives, activities or services provided and how long it has been in existence. North Ayrshire Table Tennis Club (NATTC) founded in 2001. The club is a community sports club, affiliated to Table Tennis Scotland and the West of Scotland Table Tennis League and is fully constituted and governed by a committee voted in by its members. NATTC aims to give people of all ages, within the three towns and across North Ayrshire the opportunity to come along to our 24 table, Table Tennis centre at St. Matthews. All abilities and backgrounds can participate together from as young as 6 to 90 years of age. The club has grown from strength to strength with a response to community need for smaller venues popping up all over North Ayrshire including our Island communities. Playing regularly delivers major social, physical and mental well-being benefits – addressing some of the major health challenges in society today: 96
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COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FUND THREE TOWNS LOCALITY PARTNERSHIP OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION • Its simplicity makes it particularly effective at helping the inactive become more active • It can be played in schools, sports centres as well as village halls, community centres and day-care centres reaching into communities of all sizes • We have a pathway at the club for all abilities from grass roots to international level • We had a vision 24 years ago to introduce table tennis to the community of North Ayrshire, hence the name. We have covered most areas, and now Saltcoats is one of the main venues in the UK for table tennis visitors and major events • The club has invested £28,000 over the past few years in new tables and equipment, and we have a total of 62 table tennis tables and 160 safety surrounds in venues within our remit. This is to meet the demand for table tennis within the local area. We have 9 active venues throughout North Ayrshire and 4 school clubs, with more planned. • The club currently hold the title of sports club of the year, winning it for the 2nd time, previously in 2013, and are the only club to have won this prestigious award twice. • The club pride themselves on sustainability and with excellent facilities coaches, partners and a strong committee we are in our 25th year with our membership continuing to grow year on year. 97
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COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FUND THREE TOWNS LOCALITY PARTNERSHIP OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION 3. Title and summary of proposal Tell us about your idea. Please describe in as much detail as possible, what the funding will be used for. Please include: • where it will be held / delivered • who is your target audience • who will benefit from it and how • any partners that are involved. Our proposal is to increase the working hours of our Development Officer in order to meet growing demand within the club and to strengthen the pathway for developing new coaches and volunteers. The enhanced Development Officer role will provide structured leadership, mentoring, and training to our part‑time coaches and volunteers, ensuring they are fully equipped to deliver high‑quality sessions that meet the needs of our expanding membership. Funding will support both the extension of the Development Officer’s hours and the progression of new and existing coaches towards UKCC coaching awards. These qualifications are essential for maintaining high coaching standards and ensuring safe, inclusive, and developmentally appropriate practice across all sessions. New coaches will train alongside the Development Officer, benefiting from hands‑on supervision, guided learning, and opportunities to build confidence in delivering sessions independently. Our coaching team is made up predominantly of young people aged 16 and above. By investing in their development, we provide meaningful opportunities for young people to identify their strengths, develop leadership skills, and gain recognised qualifications. As a club, we have a strong track record of supporting young people into positive destinations, with many progressing into further training, employment, or continued volunteer roles as a direct result of the experience and support they receive. Community wealth building continues to be a major objective of the club through the years and for the future. The club have invested into the three towns and continue to help promote the local economy and tourism by staging major events in Saltcoats. In addition to these objectives: • We actively focus on building active and strong communities by using table tennis as a means. • Providing children and young people opportunities to take part in a fun, healthy and active experience. 98
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COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FUND THREE TOWNS LOCALITY PARTNERSHIP OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION • We are tackling social isolation and improving wellbeing by being inclusive of all ages, skill levels and abilities. • We are utilising social media to promote the reach of the club across North Ayrshire. • Assist training skills to encourage paid employment. • We would like to leave a legacy to the community by owning or naming the table tennis centre as a centre of excellence and dedicate this to someone. • We could not have achieved all we have over the past 24 years without the continued partnerships we have enjoyed, such as Arran CVS, TACT, NAC, KA Leisure and Active Schools • The club has been successful in obtaining funding for capital equipment and due to this we have and are increasing our membership monthly and now into wintertime our club will be increasing venue hire to run more sessions. 4. What difference will this project make within the locality and to local services and programmes? Please include: • The outcomes you aim to achieve • How you will approach reducing inequality • How this proposal fits with the Locality Partnership priorities of 1. Promoting the Local Economy and Tourism 2. Regenerating Community Facilities 3. Increasing Civic Pride and Community Engagement, Improving Community Wellbeing. Over the past year, North Ayrshire Table Tennis Club (NATTC) has become a major host venue for national and international table tennis events following the long‑term closure of Bells Sports Centre in Perth. With the support of previous funding to upgrade our equipment and promote St Matthew’s Academy as a high‑quality competition venue, Table Tennis Scotland has moved a significant number of major events to St Matthew’s and to Inverclyde. NATTC took on these opportunities at short notice, putting North Ayrshire on the map as a national centre for table tennis. This shift has brought substantial benefits to the locality: Major Events Hosted in North Ayrshire: Inverclyde Sports Centre 99
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COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FUND THREE TOWNS LOCALITY PARTNERSHIP OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION • Scottish National Championships for Seniors and Juniors (3‑day event, 140 players) – March 2025 and again in 2026 • Scottish Parkinson’s International Tournament (90 players from across the UK and Europe) – confirmed again for August 2026 St Matthew’s Academy • Scottish National League – 48 clubs competing across two weekends: December 2025 and February 2026 • The North Ayrshire Open – 3‑day competition with over 200 players from across the UK • The first ever Scottish International Match: Scotland vs Ireland – two‑day event hosting 40 international visitors • Multiple West of Scotland and schools'competitions • Six consecutive weeks of competitive events hosted locally These events attracted high‑level participants, international visitors, the Provost and other civic leaders, resulting in around 246 hotel bed nights being booked locally, alongside extensive spend in local hospitality and retail. Increased footfall also generated significant revenue for KA Leisure and for community facilities that would otherwise be quiet at weekends. Building on this momentum, NATTC has already secured two major events for June 2026, including the prestigious British Premier Cup, which will be televised live. We are inviting clubs and school pupils from across Scotland, helping young people to be inspired and encouraging them to discover the “stars of tomorrow.” Outcomes the Project Will Achieve This proposal will further grow the club’s impact in the locality by: • Expanding capacity at St Matthew’s through new equipment and additional space • Increasing participation in table tennis across all ages • Encouraging families to be active in a safe, accessible, warm indoor environment • Increasing footfall and income for KA Leisure and St Matthew’s during off‑peak times 100
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COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FUND THREE TOWNS LOCALITY PARTNERSHIP OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION • Supporting local regeneration through increased visitor numbers and hospitality use • Creating new pathways for young people into coaching, leadership, volunteering and employment • Opening new community venues using our older tables as satellite sites • Increasing visibility of local sport, supported by Ayrshire Film Company, with over 10,000 annual viewers across in‑person and streamed events • Promoting inclusive and free access to local sporting events, removing barriers to participation NATTC will address inequalities by: • Providing free access to local competitions and events for spectators, encouraging involvement regardless of financial circumstances • Offering coaching apprenticeships and qualifications for young people aged 16+, particularly those who may not access traditional training pathways • Creating low‑cost opportunities to be active, especially important for families experiencing financial hardship • Ensuring accessible indoor facilities that allow participation year‑round, removing barriers linked to weather, transport and cost • Working with Active Schools to deliver annual coaching programmes for North Ayrshire sports students, widening opportunity and raising aspirations • Establishing new community table tennis venues so people in different areas can access sport locally How the Proposal Aligns with Locality Partnership Priorities 1. Promoting the Local Economy and Tourism • Major events attract players, families, officials and spectators from across Scotland, the UK and Europe • Hundreds of hotel bookings and increased footfall in local restaurants, shops and transport • Televised events raise the profile of Saltcoats and North Ayrshire nationally 101
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COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FUND THREE TOWNS LOCALITY PARTNERSHIP OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION 2. Regenerating Community Facilities • St Matthew’s and KA Leisure facilities become recognised national event venues • Increased usage during quiet periods helps sustain community assets • Older equipment is repurposed to create new community venues and bring unused spaces back into activity 3. Increasing Civic Pride and Community Engagement • Hosting national and international events showcases what the area can achieve • Local people are encouraged to attend events for free and feel part of something significant • Young people become leaders, volunteers and coaches, strengthening community connection • The presence of civic leaders (e.g., the Provost) builds pride and visibility 4. Improving Community Wellbeing • Encourages physical activity for all ages in a welcoming, inclusive environment • Reduces social isolation through club engagement, volunteering and events • Offers structured activities that support physical and mental wellbeing • Provides positive pathways for young people, including training and employment opportunities 5. What engagement has taken place in relation to the project? Please include the number of people who have been engaged with or consulted as well as the range of people. This project is built on long‑term, sustained engagement with a wide range of partners, community groups, and participants across North Ayrshire and beyond. NATTC has grown through strong relationships, extensive community outreach, and continuous collaboration with new and existing stakeholders. 102
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COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FUND THREE TOWNS LOCALITY PARTNERSHIP OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION The club actively seeks new partners and responds to community needs as they emerge. As recently as last week, NATTC was approached by new learning and disability groups requesting support, demonstrating trust in the club’s inclusive approach and the growing demand for accessible table‑tennis activities. Membership continues to grow year on year across all ages and abilities. The club now regularly supports large numbers of local residents, families and young people, with over 280 attendees in a single week—a record for NATTC. Of these, 170 people attended sessions across the Three Towns area, highlighting deep local engagement and strong community demand. NATTC operates highly active social media platforms, posting seven days a week to promote events, celebrate achievements, and highlight opportunities for involvement. This consistent engagement keeps the community informed and connected, strengthens visibility of the club’s work, and encourages new people to join sessions or attend events. The club maintains a weekly programme across several locations, with total attendance figures recorded from the week commencing 4th January showing sustained participation and ongoing engagement with large numbers of community members. The evidence of this engagement further demonstrates the proposal to extend the Development Officers role as the club continues to grow from strength to strength. 6. How will the project be managed? Please include: • How the finances will be managed • Does the proposed project contribute to volunteering or employment opportunities in Three Towns? Please include the number of volunteering opportunities and employment opportunities • If there are any staff requirements, please outline your HR plans The project will be managed by the NATTC Executive Committee, who oversee governance, safeguarding, financial monitoring and delivery across all club activities. Finances are managed through monthly invoicing from the self‑employed Development Officer/Coach, 103
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COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FUND THREE TOWNS LOCALITY PARTNERSHIP OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION with each invoice and timesheet verified and signed off by two Executive Committee members. The proposal increases the hours of the Development Officer to support the growth of sessions across the Three Towns and to lead the development of new volunteers and coaches. The post will also support a new “pop‑in and play” shopfront model planned for Saltcoats, increasing community access and volunteering opportunities. The project creates strong pathways into coaching and employment. NATTC will support volunteers and young people aged 16+ to obtain their UKCC coaching awards, enabling them to run sessions alongside the Development Officer. This strengthens local employment prospects and supports long‑term club sustainability. The club currently has 25 volunteers, with numbers continuing to grow. 7. Amount of funding being requested Please supply details of funding being requested and any other funding you have had over the past 5 years, both financially and “in kind”. NATTC funding over the last 5 year period: Year Funder / Grant Amount Notes 2021 Youth Scotland Grants (x3) £3,000 3 × £1,000 Stanley Morrison Trust £1,000 Community Enterprise – Adapt & Thrive £5,000 COVID Recovery COVID Recovery Grants Amount not specified General COVID support 2022 NAVT Grant (Year 1 of 3) £10,000 Awarded Nov 2022 PB (Participatory Budgeting) £2,000 Community Benefit Fund £4,000 2023 Mental Health & Wellbeing (Arran CVS – Year 1) £10,000 Cecchini’s £1,000 Stanley Morrison Trust £3,600 Aria Grant (Capital – WK & Millport) £9,000 UK Shared Prosperity Fund £10,200 Capital – TT Centre St Matthews Lottery Fund £3,000 Coronation Event 104
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COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FUND THREE TOWNS LOCALITY PARTNERSHIP OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION TTS Prize Money £3,700 2024 Mental Health & Wellbeing (Arran CVS – Year 2) £7,000 Stanley Morrison Trust £2,000 PB (Participatory Budgeting) £1,000 2025 Mental Health & Wellbeing (Arran CVS – Year 3) £5,000 Mental Health & Wellbeing (Arran CVS – Year 4) £7,000 PB (Participatory Budgeting) £2,000 Table Tennis England £2,500 Table Tennis Scotland £2,000 Cecchini’s £1,000 Aria Grant (Capital – WK & Millport) £8,000 In Kind Funding - we have had so much support over the past 5 years since covid from many local companies and a huge number of volunteers. This helped us recover well from covid, which in turn resulted in our club increasing our membership dramatically due the demand from the older generation, many of whom were socially isolated. Amount of funding requested (£) 3921 Please give a breakdown of cost and recent quotations where appropriate. Item Cost Quotation Supplied (Y) Contribution to salary costs of £3921 See below Please give a breakdown of details of match funding (if any) Funder Amount Funding Secured (Y/N) Irvine Table Tennis Club £3500 YES Nattc £6000 YES Arran CVS £10000 NO,Decision on 28th feb. 3‑Year Financial Forecast (2026–2029) - For Development Officer Salary Costs 105
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COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FUND THREE TOWNS LOCALITY PARTNERSHIP OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION Assumptions • Salary requirement remains £23,100 per year. • Arran CVS funding provides £10,000 per year in Years 1 & 2 of this forecast. • CIF funding contributes £3,921 in Year 1. • Table Tennis Scotland/sport Scotland award expected to begin Year 2 (conservative est. £8,000 per year). • Membership, sponsorship and fundraising income grows annually. Year 1: May 2026 – April 2027 Income Source Amount Arran CVS (Year 5) £10,000 CIF contribution £3,921 Membership income £5,000 Sponsorship £2,000 Fundraising £3,000 Total Income £23,921 Salary Cost £23,100 Surplus/Deficit +£821 Summary: The post is fully funded in Year 1 with a small surplus. Year 2: May 2027 – April 2028 Income Source Amount Arran CVS (Year 6) £10,000 Expected TTS/sportscotland contribution £8,000 Membership income (growth) £6,500 Sponsorship (growth) £3,000 Fundraising (growth) £3,500 Total Income £31,000 Salary Cost £23,100 106
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COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FUND THREE TOWNS LOCALITY PARTNERSHIP OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION Surplus/Deficit +£7,900 Summary: With new sport Scotland/TTS funding and membership growth, NATTC becomes comfortably stable and begins building reserves for Year 3. Year 3: May 2028 – April 2029 Income Source Amount Expected TTS/sportscotland contribution £8,000 Membership income (further growth) £8,000 Sponsorship £4,000 Fundraising £4,000 Event income (major events & satellite venues) £5,000 Total Income £29,000 Salary Cost £23,100 Surplus/Deficit +£5,900 Summary: By Year 3, NATTC is fully self‑sustainable, even without Arran CVS funding. Growth in events, memberships, sponsorship and satellite venues provides long‑term stability. Overall Summary • Year 1: Role fully funded with CIF, Arran CVS, and club income • Year 2: Additional sportscotland/TTS funding increases stability • Year 3: NATTC becomes fully self‑sufficient through club income, events, and sponsorship 8. Monitoring and evaluation process Please include detail on the monitoring and evaluation processes planned or in place. 107
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COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FUND THREE TOWNS LOCALITY PARTNERSHIP OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION The club has established a robust and long‑standing monitoring and evaluation framework that ensures all activity across our venues is consistently reviewed, measured, and improved. Our processes include the following: 1. Regular Monitoring and Reporting • The club holds monthly management meetings, during which progress, challenges, and updates from all venues are reviewed. • The Development Officer produces monthly monitoring reports. These reports are distributed to the Managing Committee and include updates on participation, venue activity, community engagement, and project performance. • At the Annual General Meeting (AGM), a full year‑end summary report is presented. This provides a comprehensive review of activity both on and off the tables, demonstrating overall performance and impact. 2. Tracking Participation and Engagement • The club maintains accurate attendance records across all sessions and venues. • These records allow us to measure: o Number of people attending o Frequency of participation o Growth in membership and community reach • Participation data forms a core part of how we assess the benefits and reach of NATTC’s work. 3. Measuring Individual Impact • We collect regular feedback and impact stories that highlight how individuals have benefited from the club’s activities. • Each participant is supported to set realistic, personalised goals, enabling us to monitor progress and outcomes over time. • This approach ensures our evaluation is not only statistical but also focuses on personal development and wellbeing. 108
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COMMUNITY INVESTMENT FUND THREE TOWNS LOCALITY PARTNERSHIP OFFICIAL INFORMATION OFFICIAL INFORMATION 4. Strong Governance and Long‑Term Stability • The club has operated a robust management system for over 20 years, supported by longstanding founders, committed volunteers, and long‑term funders. • Our governance structures ensure that: o Monitoring processes are consistent and accountable o New and ongoing initiatives are managed effectively o Standards off the table match the quality of performance on the table 5. Annual Reporting • We produce a comprehensive Annual Report that brings together all monitoring data, evaluations, impact assessments, and governance information. • A copy of the latest Annual Report is available and can be provided for your review, showing all monitoring processes in full detail. 109
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NORTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL 28 April 2026 Cabinet Title: Consultation Response: Accelerating Home Building Purpose: To seek Cabinet approval of the proposed response to the Scottish Government consultation on accelerating home building. Recommendation: That Cabinet approves the proposed consultation response at Appendix 1. 1. Executive Summary 1.1 The Scottish Government is undertaking a consultation on options aimed at helping to increase the rate at which homes are built on sites that have been identified for housing development. ‘Accelerating home building - incentives and penalties to speed up housing delivery’ was published on 5 February 2025; the consultation period is open until 30 Apri 2026. Four options are identified by the consultation: the introduction of fiscal measures to tackle inactivity or slow build-out; intervening where build-out rates are unreasonably slow; reducing procedural time and costs for SME developers; and diversifying outputs from deliverable land. 1.2 The proposed response to the consultation (Appendix 1) considers that options presented in the paper to introduce fiscal penalties, new reporting duties, and the revocation of consents could serve as a disincentive to housebuilding, inadvertently making development less attractive or viable. This could be felt more keenly in areas like North Ayrshire, where development viability can be more marginal. Adhering to the established principle of a ‘plan-led’ planning system and supporting the preparation and adoption of a new generation of local development plans is considered a more appropriate way for the planning system to contribute to the acceleration of home building, enabling the allocation of new sites. 2. Background 2.1 The Scottish Government declared a national housing emergency in May 2024. To inform the planning system’s response, the ‘Planning and the housing emergency delivery plan was published in November 2024. One of 23 actions within the delivery plan is to “identify mechanisms to stimulate the build-out of housing sites with planning permission, in line with a plan-led approach”. The 2025 Programme for Government noted that this could include land assembly, build-out rates and fiscal measures. The ‘Accelerating home building - incentives and penalties to speed up housing delivery’ Agenda Item 7 111
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consultation paper is seen as a starting point for a discussion about possible measures that could be deployed to accelerate the build-out of housing in Scotland. 2.2 Several factors influence the number of homes which are built each year. Although land-use planning can often be cited as the primary reason for delays, following a grant of planning permission significant other barriers to delivery often remain. In mid- 2024, the Scottish Government made a high-level estimate that planning permission was in place for at least 164,000 homes across Scotland which had not yet been built. For context, there were 18,347 homes completed across the country in the year to the end of September 2025. 2.3 The key factors influencing development rates are broadly summarised within the paper as: absorption rate, viability and business choices. This essentially concerns the profitability of a site based on cost and market assumptions around returns; risk and liability for the public sector, a theory that the more land that has planning permission in place, the more reluctant some local authorities may be to support additional applications, particularly where substantial existing consents are not being built-out, due to the potential additional infrastructure costs and risks to associated resource budgets; and capacity and motivation of the applicant. Planning permission may be sought but without clear commitment to progressing development in the foreseeable future. 2.4 Taking account of research, solutions from elsewhere in the UK and current data, the consultation considers a range of potential incentives and penalties which could be deployed to overcome current barriers to housing delivery. The four options are summarised below, alongside the proposed summary response. Option 1: Introduce fiscal measures to tackle inactivity or slow build-out 2.5 Option 1 proposes using fiscal incentives and/or penalties to speed up the build‑out of housing sites by linking tax reliefs or additional charges to whether development progresses within an agreed timeframe. This could include applying relief or supplements to taxes such as the Scottish Building Safety Levy or Land and Buildings Transaction Tax, introducing taxes on allocated or consented sites that are not brought forward, or adapting models used in England and Ireland to encourage landowners to release or develop land more quickly. The consultation asks whether fiscal incentives or taxes would accelerate build‑out rates, which charges should be targeted, whether relief should be full or variable, who should pay any tax, how it should be calculated, whether it should operate nationally or locally, how revenues should be used, and what evidence exists on how such measures affect development behaviour. 2.6 The proposed response recognises that financial incentives could, in theory, support quicker build‑out rates where viability is the core constraint, but stresses that development rates are influenced by wider factors including developer capacity, utilities, infrastructure, and market conditions. The introduction of new taxes or levies on allocated or consented sites, is not supported. Aside from the complexity of establishing new fiscal measures and defining reasonable timescales for development, such measures could distort markets and further undermine viability in marginal areas. Alternative, targeted approaches to address site‑specific constraints are considered more appropriate than broad fiscal tools. Option 2: Monitor build-out rates and intervene where these are unreasonably slow 112
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2.7 Option 2 explores strengthening powers for planning authorities to monitor development progress and intervene when construction is significantly slower than expected, including enhanced reporting requirements, build-out schedules, completion notices, and potentially revoking planning permission if progress remains unreasonably slow. Drawing from recent reforms in England, the proposal considers extending existing Scottish powers to require regular reporting, enable deadlines for completion, or cease permissions that remain inactive. The consultation seeks views on whether to introduce these powers, whether a legal framework for progress reporting is needed, whether permissions should be revocable without compensation where progress is too slow, how “reasonable” progress should be defined, and any evidence on how greater reporting and oversight might influence build-out rates. 2.8 The creation of new reporting or intervention powers are not supported. The proposed consultation response notes that extensive monitoring already exists through quarterly returns to the Scottish Government, Housing Land Audits, and established engagement with landowners and developers. A reasonable build-out rate will vary widely by site and will change over time, making standardised targets unworkable. Additional reporting requirements, or powers such as revoking planning permission, are viewed as increasing administrative burden, complexity, and risk—potentially slowing delivery rather than accelerating it. Option 3: Reduce procedural time and costs for SME developer 2.9 Option 3 aims to make it easier and cheaper for SME housebuilders to bring forward small sites by reducing planning burdens, simplifying requirements, and potentially expanding the development hierarchy to introduce more tailored, streamlined processes for small and very small developments. Possible changes include fast-tracking smaller applications, simplifying national policy requirements, providing clearer advice on information requirements, and developing rules-based policies specifically for small sites. The consultation asks whether legislation should amend the development hierarchy, how many categories it should include, whether creating more categories would speed up delivery, whether policy requirements should be rationalised or replaced with rules-based approaches, whether clearer guidance on information requirements would help, what additional opportunities such categorisation might create, and whether these changes would particularly benefit SMEs. 2.10 While acknowledging the important role SME developers can play in delivering new homes in Scotland, particularly on smaller sites, the proposed consultation response does not support amending the development hierarchy or introducing streamlined processes for smaller sites, arguing that the current system already allows proportionate and pragmatic handling of planning applications. It emphasises that North Ayrshire already delivers among the fastest determination times in Scotland and that planning is not the primary barrier for SMEs, which instead face challenges relating to finance, skills, and capacity. The Council argues that the focus should be on raising planning performance standards nationally and supporting SME capability, rather than creating new tiers or “fast-track” processes. Option 4: Diversifying outputs from deliverable land 2.11 Option 4 recommends increasing the diversity of housing types and tenures delivered on larger sites to improve market absorption rates and thereby accelerate build-out, drawing on research showing that homogenous tenure mixes slow delivery. This could involve strengthening existing NPF4 requirements, influencing site selection in LDPs, or introducing legislation requiring mixed-tenure development above a defined 113
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threshold, ensuring broader housing choice and partnership-based delivery. The consultation asks whether greater diversity would increase build-out rates, whether legislation should mandate diversity on larger sites, whether SMEs would benefit from such diversification, and what evidence exists on how mixed tenure and varied housing types influence delivery pace. 2.12 The proposed response supports the principle of diversified housing types and tenures as part of creating mixed, sustainable communities but is cautious about using legislation to mandate specific mixes on sites. It considers local development plans are the more appropriate mechanism for guiding diversity, allowing flexibility to respond to local housing needs and site-specific circumstances. While SMEs may benefit from opportunities to deliver specific products on larger, de-risked sites, the response notes that more evidence is needed to show that increasing diversity would directly accelerate build-out rates, even though it remains supportive of a diverse pipeline overall. 2.13 The consultation response concludes with a call to allow the new development planning system, introduced by the 2019 Planning Act, to be afforded the opportunity to achieve the aims of its formulation and for new LDPs to allocate genuinely deliverable housing land to support the acceleration of home building in Scotland. Reference is made to our own Adopted Local Development Plan as an example of a whole system, plan-led approach to promoting new development in North Ayrshire and delivering new homes at an increased rate. 3. Proposals 3.1 It is recommended that Appendix 1 is approved by Cabinet as the Council’s response to the ‘Accelerating home building’ consultation. 4. Implications/Socio-economic Duty Financial 4.1 The proposed response underlines the Council could not support any proposed fiscal land use planning measure which would have a detrimental financial impact to local authorities. Human Resources 4.2 None. Legal 4.3 None. Equality/Socio-economic 4.4 None. Climate Change and Carbon 4.5 None. 114
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Key Priorities 4.6 The consultation is directly relevant to the key activity of increasing the number of homes in North Ayrshire through a mix of private and social developments and bringing empty buildings back into use under the Council’s strategic aim to transition to a wellbeing economy, delivering prosperity, wellbeing and resilience for local people. Community Wealth Building 4.7 None. Islands Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA) 4.8 None. United Nations Rights of the Child (UNCRC) 4.9 None. Consumer Duty 4.10 None. 5. Consultation 5.1 The Planning Service has sought the views of colleagues in the Housing and Regeneration services in preparing the consultation response. DAVID W. HAMMOND Executive Director (Communities & Housing) For further information please contact Alistair Gemmell, Strategic Planning Manager, on 01294 324021. Background Papers Appendix 1 – Draft NAC response to ‘Accelerating home building - incentives and penalties to speed up housing delivery’ consultation 115
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Appendix 1 – Draft NAC Response Accelerating home building - incentives and penalties to speed up housing delivery: consultation Option 1: Introduce fiscal measures to tackle inactivity or slow build-out 1) Could fiscal incentives offering relief to other charges help to accelerate build-out rates? Yes/No/Unsure. Please explain your answer. Any incentive that makes delivering housing less expensive/more profitable could support and accelerate the build out of sites with planning permission. In practice, however, there are many factors that influence development rates. Some of these are highlighted in the consultation paper. Not all these reasons relate to viability, costs and market assumptions around returns. The capacity and motivation of applicants, including their approach to risk, is identified as a key issue in North Ayrshire, historically, alongside issues with utilities providers; speeding up these and other statutory consents could help unblock sites and improve pace where developers are willing and able. On some sites incentives will not be required, while on others the level of incentive required to make the site viable – or to prompt faster build-out rates – may be substantial. Accordingly, alternative approaches to supporting the commencement of consented sites and increasing built-out rates which more directly address the issue or issues effecting viability on any given site would be a more appropriate solution than establishing new fiscal measures and all the complexities this would entail. a) Which charges / taxes / levies could the incentives be applied to? Please explain your answer. The consultation paper highlights the Scottish Building Safety Levy (SBSL) and Land and Buildings Transaction Tax (LBTT) as examples of charges, taxes or levies incentives could be applied to. The SBSL is not expected to be introduced until April 2028, subject to Parliament approval, and has a very specific purpose to provide funding for Scotland’s Cladding Remediation Programme. LBTT is paid by house purchasers. While a reduction or waiving of this tax would have the effect of reducing the cost of buying a new home, and consequently may improve affordability for buyers and increase demand, it would not be a direct incentive to developers to increase build rates. North Ayrshire Council could not support any fiscal measure which would have a detrimental financial impact to local authorities. One approach could be to increase planning application fees for housing developments, with a partial rebate when the development is completed. This may act to reduce speculative applications, enabling the planning system to focus on proposals most likely to deliver new homes, while incentivising construction. b) Should relief be in the form of full exemptions or variable rates? Please explain your answer. Whether the relief should be full or variable will be dependent on the specific charges, taxes or levy under consideration. The more pertinent question is at what level incentives would be 116
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set. This would determine whether relief should be in the form of full exemptions or variable rates. Variable rates would allow for flexibility in the application of the approach but would add complexity. c) Could a tax impact differently on different types of land owners? Please explain your answer. Further clarity is required on this question, as it is unclear what ‘types’ of tax, and landowners, this question refers to. Nil response. d) Please provide any evidence of how fiscal measures linked to other charges would impact development finance to influence built out rates. We are not aware of any relevant evidence. 2) Should we introduce a tax on sites which have been allocated for residential development and/or have permission for homes, but are not being built out as expected, as set out in option 1? Yes/No/Unsure. Please explain your answer. No. Taxing sites which have been allocated for residential development and/or have permission for homes but are not being built out as expected is not supported. A taxation regime could be a significant disincentive to housing development, both in North Ayrshire and nationally. Any proposal – such as fiscal penalties, new reporting duties, or revocation of consents as proposed elsewhere within the paper – have the potential to distort or destabilise local housing markets, which are shaped by national economic conditions and local market realities. These proposals may inadvertently make development less viable, particularly in marginal markets such as North Ayrshire, where viability challenges, developer capacity and external infrastructure constraints already significantly influence build-out rates. a) Should this apply to allocated sites, sites with permission, or both? Allocated sites/Sites with permission/Both. Please explain your answer. Notwithstanding that introducing a tax is not supported, it would be unreasonable to apply a tax, effectively retrospectively, to sites allocated within existing Local Development Plans and extant planning consents. b) How should the tax be calculated? Please explain your answer. Taxing sites which have been allocated for residential development and/or have permission for homes but are not being built out as expected is not supported. c) Who should be required to pay the tax? Please explain your answer. Taxing sites which have been allocated for residential development and/or have permission for homes but are not being built out as expected is not supported. d) Should the tax operate as a local or a national tax? Local tax/national tax. Please explain your answer. Taxing sites which have been allocated for residential development and/or have permission for homes but are not being built out as expected is not supported. e) How should any income be used? Please explain your answer. Taxing sites which have been allocated for residential development and/or have permission for homes but are not being built out as expected is not supported. 117
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f) Please provide any evidence of how a tax connected to sites allocated or permitted not being built out would influence build-out rates. We are unaware of any evidence that demonstrates how a tax connected to sites allocated or permitted not being built out would influence build-out rates. Option 2: Monitor build-out rates and intervene where these are unreasonably slow. 3) Should we bring forward powers for reporting on development progress and powers to intervene where it is considered to be unreasonably slow, as set out in option 2? Yes/No/Unsure. Please explain your answer. No. Local planning authorities already monitor private sector housing starts and completions on a site-by-site basis via quarterly NB2 returns to the Scottish Government. Other tenures are also monitored within the scope of Scottish Government’s quarterly housing statistics publication. Annually, planning authorities engage with landowners and developers in the preparation of Housing Land Audits, to gather information to inform future programming of completions on sites which form the housing land supply. In this context, it is not considered that specific powers for reporting on development progress or imposing reporting requirements on developers are either necessary or would speed up housing delivery. What is a ‘reasonable’ build out rate will be different for regional area and respective site, based on a wide range of factors such as site abnormals and infrastructure requirements; house-types; developer capacity; and market conditions, and is therefore be difficult to establish and agree with the relevant developer. What is ‘reasonable’ may also change over the course of the development, and include impacts from external factors. Furthermore, revoking planning consents is considered unlikely to accelerate housing development, and the threat of doing so is unlikely to be a factor in encouraging timely completions. Rather, the possibility that planning permissions may be ceased represents an additional risk that may inhibit development, particularly for ‘difficult to develop’ sites and/or in marginal market areas. Overall, the ‘powers’ referred to in the question are thought more likely to increase the administrative and regulatory burden on planning authorities, potentially at the cost of the ability to support delivery; increase timescales, complexity, potential for conflict and risk to developers, all of which would have the opposite impact to that desired. a) Should this include creating a legal framework for reporting on development progress? Yes/No/Unsure. Please explain your answer. No. It is our view that a legal framework is not required to underpin reporting on development progress. This effectively already occurs via quarterly NB2 returns. b) Should there be a power for planning permission to be revoked, without compensation being payable, where reporting demonstrates that progress is unreasonably slow? Yes/No/Unsure. Please explain your answer. No. The revocation of planning consents where build out rates that do not meet artificially set levels is not supported, due to the increased burdens; timescales; complexity; potential for conflict; and risks such an approach would introduce into the planning system and delivery of housing in Scotland. 118
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Taking away consents would increase timescales for bringing development forward and increase the risk of stalled sites. c) How would the pace of development be set and agreed – for example how would reasonable-ness be measured? Please explain your answer. What is a ‘reasonable’ build out rate will be different for each site, depending on factors including the developer; infrastructure requirements; site conditions and local housing market. We envisage the expected pace of development would need to be proposed by the developer themselves and agreed with the planning authority. d) Please provide any evidence of how reporting on development progress would influence build-out rates. We are unaware of any evidence that supports the premise that reporting on development progress would influence build-out rates. Option 3: Reduce procedural time and costs for SME developers. 4) Should we bring forward legislation to amend the development hierarchy, to enable us to introduce more streamlined planning processes on planning applications for smaller sites, as outlined in option 3? Yes/No/Unsure. Please explain your answer. Any amendment to the development hierarchy is not supported. It is important that the development management regime remains robust if it is to deliver on the wider aspirations of the Scottish planning system beyond just housing delivery, as defined by NPF4 and relating to climate change; biodiversity; health and wellbeing; delivering an inclusive wellbeing economy and placemaking. Within existing statutory requirements, local planning authorities already have discretion to adopt a commensurate and pragmatic approach to dealing with all applicants, in relation to the information required to be submitted and the interpretation of policy. This also extends to areas where discretional charging is imposed by planning authorities, for example in relation to pre-application advice and discharging conditions. North Ayrshire Council has chosen not to impose such charging to support development within the area. Our overall approach has still enabled us to maintain the quickest determination times for major and local housing developments (7.9 weeks and 6.7 weeks respectively in 2024/25), while determining 100% of applications with a processing agreement within agreed timescales. SME developers can play an important role in delivering new homes in Scotland, particularly on smaller sites, but face a number of challenges relating to capacity, access to finance and expertise. Thriving SMEs are more likely to support local communities (rather than shareholders) and have a clear role in supporting community wealth building approaches. Collectively, our focus should be on supporting SME house builders by building their capacity; access to development finance and skilled workers; and to navigate the statutory requirements in relation to all the consents required to deliver development; it is not considered the answer lies in ‘fast -tracking’ planning applications – all planning applications should be determined as quickly as practically possible. In Dreghorn, North Ayrshire, the support received from North Ayrshire Council’s planning department has been acknowledged by the developer of eight bungalows. Axius Group are quoted as saying “from the start of the process… their open, pragmatic approach demonstrates a strong commitment to encouraging investment in the area – an attitude that, 119
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if adopted more widely, could help stimulate much-needed housing development across other council regions." The planning system plays a vital role in consenting development proposals that will enable new homes to be built as part of sustainable, liveable and productive places, in accordance with a plan-led system. A more appropriate focus would be on making sure that planning performance standards are met across the country, including by ensuring planning departments are adequately resourced and other barriers to performance are address through appropriate action plans. a) How many categories should be defined by the development hierarchy, and what size of development should these cover? For example, four categories, that define major, medium, small and very small developments. North Ayrshire Council consider the existing three categories – National, Major and Local – are sufficient, for the reasons set out in the response to Question 4(b) below. b) What are your views on, and do you have any evidence relevant to whether creating more categories in the development hierarchy might have an overall effect of speeding up or slowing down build-out of housing? Creating more categories in the development hierarchy would add unwelcome complexity to the system for both developers and communities. All applications - regardless of scale – must be determined on their own merits and accordance with the development plan unless material consideration indicate otherwise, with appropriate opportunities for community consultation. North Ayrshire Council’s view is that increasing the existing development categories (national, major and local) would not have any impact on speeding up build-out of housing and would compromise the integrity and efficacy of the existing categories. c) What are your views on whether we should review and rationalise policy requirements in NPF4 for smaller housing sites, or introduce a new rules-based policy for smaller housing sites? The evidence presented in the consultation paper on the number of homes with planning permission which have not yet been built indicates that the planning system is consenting an adequate sufficiency of homes and the key issues relate to the subsequent implementation of these permissions. North Ayrshire Council does not support amendments to NPF4 prior to the first generation of new-style LDPs coming on stream, or the introduce a new rules-based policy for smaller housing sites without clearer evidence that such changes would be beneficial and therefore required. A new generation of LDPs, informed by NPF4 and new Local development plan guidance, underpinned by a new process (including Evidence Reporting and Gate Check), are expected to play a significant role in accelerating home building through allocations and, where required, policies that reflect local and regional circumstances. It is important that the ethos of a plan-led planning system in Scotland is upheld. Furthermore, Masterplan Consent Areas (MCAs) offer the opportunity to promote site assembly and frontload planning consent as an incentive to investment in and support the development of smaller sites. d) Do you think that further advice on planning application information requirements would support faster delivery of housing on smaller sites? Yes/No/Unsure. Please explain your answer. 120
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Yes. Further advice on planning application information requirements would always support applicants – landowners and developers – to navigate the planning system and obtain consents more efficiently; creating greater consistency between planning authorities would support developers operating in more than one planning authority area. This may support faster delivery of housing on smaller sites, where these sites are ‘shovel ready’ and consent is the only impediment to delivery. North Ayrshire Council’s position on steadfastly maintaining the provision of free pre- application advice for all categories of development should be noted. This position is being maintained, in general to achieve excellence in customer service and efficiency in decision making, but also specifically to receptively respond to development proposals and to support these where appropriate. It should also be noted that positive feedback on this position has been received from all housebuilders operating in North Ayrshire, and by Homes for Scotland. e) Do you think there are any further options that creating more categories in the development hierarchy might open up, further to those outlined in option 3? Yes/No/Unsure. Please explain your answer. Unsure. No other options obvious. f) Do you think that this measure would have any particular benefits for SME housebuilders? Yes/No/Unsure. Please explain your answer. No. As noted above, North Ayrshire Council considers that the focus should be on supporting SME housebuilders more widely, rather than introducing a ‘more streamlined’ planning processes on planning applications for smaller sites. More fundamentally the number of SMEs operating nationally, and particularly in areas out with the Central Belt, has not recovered to the levels existing prior to the 2008 financial crisis. Option 4: Diversify the output from deliverable land. 5) Do you think that encouraging more diverse housing outputs across the pipeline of deliverable housing land would increase the pace of build-out? Yes / No / Unsure. Please explain your answer. Unsure. Encouraging more diverse housing outputs across the pipeline of deliverable housing land is supported regardless, in the context of delivering mixed communities. Developers are generally building family homes that don’t provide enough flexibility for ageing and accessibility requirements. In North Ayrshire, there are a number of owner- occupiers on our housing waiting lists as the private sector can’t meet their needs. a) Should we use legislation to require a diversity of housing types and tenures on sites above a certain threshold? Yes/No/Unsure. Please explain your answer. No. This would not work in practice, could not be enforced and would be unresponsive to local or regional housing need. Rather than legislation, it is considered that LDPs could be more prescriptive as to the diversity of housing types and tenures on sites, with appropriate mixes established through the development planning process controlled via development management. b) Do you think that this measure would have any particular benefits for SME housebuilders? Yes/No/Unsure. Please explain your answer. 121
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Yes. It is possible that SMEs could be offered greater opportunities to construct particular types or tenure of homes on larger sites which are ‘derisked’ by volume housebuilders. c) Please provide any evidence of how increasing diversity would influence build-out rates. Further options 6) Do you have any other suggestions for measures which could use levers available, or which could be put in place through the planning system, to deliver more homes at pace? While acknowledging the impetus to ‘do something’ within the realm of the planning system to deliver more homes at pace in the context of a housing emergency, further evidence is required which highlights the specific problems that are within the scope of the planning system to address. Evidence presented in the consultation paper highlights that, in mid-2024, planning permission was in place for at least 164,000 homes which have not yet been built; based on the annual completion rate of 18,347 homes in the year to the end of September 2025, this represents an 8.9-year supply of consented housing land. This would indicate that the planning system is currently delivering an adequate number of consents. Housebuilders consider this number to be lower once deliverability is factored in, and that gets to the crux of the matter – deliverability and viability. The planning system is delivering an adequate number of consents, however, not enough of these sites are being implemented by landowners and developers. Further research is needed on the reasons for this in order to find appropriate solutions and to take proportionate and meaningful action to increase housebuilding. Scotland’s most recent round of planning reform, despite commencing over ten years ago, is still effectively in its infancy. It is less than three years since the commencement of new development planning regulations and every planning authority in Scotland is expected to have a new style LDP in place by May 2028. This new system must be afforded the opportunity to achieve the aims of its formulation and for new LDPs to allocate genuinely deliverable housing land. a) Please provide any evidence of how these potential measures would influence build-out rates. In the preparation of our adopted Local Development Plan (LDP2), North Ayrshire Council worked proactively with the development industry, through Homes for Scotland (HFS), to take an approach that jointly looked to stimulate the housing market in North Ayrshire. LDP2 sought to allocate proven effective sites, which were backed by builders with a track record, in order to have a transformational impact on the housing sector by stimulating demand and demonstrating that land values and sales rates in the region could prove viable and thereby promote other interests. The collaboration included jointly refreshing the housing land audit, to truly understand the scale of the land supply that could be realistically considered deliverable; capturing market intelligence rather than rigid defence of historic allocations; and a new approach to site assessment that focussed on deliverable sites with a clear delivery programme and site details. 122
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Seven additional housing allocations were approved by Council in April 2018 and submitted to Examination in October 2018. Five sites were supported by the Examination which reported in July 2019. The Local Development Plan was adopted in November 2019. Even prior to the adoption of the Local Development Plan, attention turned to supporting housing developers to bring forward planning applications that would allow them to move quickly to develop newly allocated sites. For example, planning permission was granted in December 2019 for two of these sites, in accordance with the newly adopted LDP. By March 2025, this approach had delivered 258 new homes, with a further 737 under construction. Overall, private sector housebuilding has increased from an average a 169 per annum in the six years to March 2019 to an average of 240 in the six years since. Contributing to this 42% increase are other, long-established sites which are now coming forward as housebuilder interest and confidence in North Ayrshire has grown. Our latest Housing Land Audit anticipates this rate of building within the private sector will be maintained over the next six years; this does not take account of any new sites allocated in LDP3. This evidence demonstrates a whole system, plan-led approach to promoting new development in North Ayrshire and delivering new homes at an increased rate. Development planning and development management processes have, wherever possible, provided certainty to the developer that has allowed them to move rapidly from proposing the site for inclusion in the Local Development Plan to building and selling new homes in little more than four years. The above approach has resulted in significant development of housing in areas of North Ayrshire that have not previously been attractive to housing developers. This, in addition to wider Council and community work, is contributing to transformational change within North Ayrshire communities. The planning system’s role in accelerating home building should be plan led. The new generation of Local Development Plans has the potential to accelerate home building across Scotland in a manner that creates sustainable, liveable and productive places without the need for efforts being diverted into establishing and overseeing new fiscal measures; revoking planning consents or undermining current successful development management processes. 123
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NORTH AYRSHIRE COUNCIL 28 April 2026 Cabinet Title: Roads, Structures and Street Lighting Maintenance Programme 2026/27 Purpose: To seek Cabinet approval of the proposed Roads, Structures and Street Lighting Maintenance Programme for 2026/27 Recommendation: That the Cabinet (a) notes the approach taken to determining the asset maintenance programme for roads, structures and street lighting; (b) approves the maintenance programme for 2026/27, as shown at Appendix 1; and (c) notes that the programme will be issued to the Locality Planning Partnerships for information. 1. Executive Summary 1.1 North Ayrshire Council has a statutory obligation under the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984 to manage and maintain its public road network. The adopted road network within North Ayrshire has a total length of 1054km. The core roads assets are currently estimated at a value of approximately £1.7billion. 1.2 The Council’s Roads Service has adopted an asset management approach to road maintenance to allocate available road maintenance funds to locations that will offer the most beneficial return on the investment. 1.3 The Roads Asset Management Plan (RAMP) follows the recommendations contained within the ‘Well Maintained Highway’s Code of Practice, ensuring that the Council’s statutory obligations as delegated Roads Authority are met. 1.4 In complying with the Code of Practice, an effective regime of inspection, assessment and condition recording is well established which assists in not only providing a road network for the future but one that promotes social inclusion and contributes to economic growth within the area. This approach also ensures the Council is providing value for money on any investment attributed to road maintenance. 1.5 The proposed Roads, Structures and Street Lighting Maintenance Programme 2026/27 is attached in Appendix 1. The Programme is based Revenue and Capital budgets approved at the Council’s budget setting meeting on 25 February 2026. Agenda Item 8 125
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2. Background 2.1 North Ayrshire Council is responsible for the maintenance of the adopted local road network including lighting and structures assets as well as its other non-adopted road assets. However, the Council has no responsibility for the maintenance of the Trunk Road Network which falls to Transport Scotland and their management contractor, Amey. The Trunk Road network includes the A78, the A737 from Kilwinning to the Renfrewshire Boundary and A738 from the Pennyburn Roundabout to the A737 Dalry Road Kilwinning. 2.2 North Ayrshire Council’s roads are the Council’s largest community asset and play a vital role in supporting the local and wider economy by facilitating the movement of people, goods and services and connecting people with economic and social opportunities. 2.3 The proposed Roads, Structures and Street Lighting Maintenance Programme for 2026/27 has been developed in accordance with the strategy contained within the Roads Asset Management Plan (RAMP) to deliver the maximum return on investment and ensures the provision of an effective road network throughout North Ayrshire. 2.4 Road Condition is measured nationally through the Scottish Road Maintenance Condition Survey (SRMCS). The measure in place, the Road Condition Index (RCI), records the percentage of the Council’s roads which should be considered for maintenance. North Ayrshire’s RCI has been improving steadily in recent years. The 2023 figure of 34.8%, improved to 32.5% in 2024, and is currently at 30.6%, published 2025 figure. The Council’s ranking amongst the 32 Local Authorities for the Road Condition Index has also improved from 22nd in 2023 to 10th in 2025. 2.5 The estimated carriageway maintenance backlog figure for North Ayrshire is currently £38.5m. The ‘steady state’ figure for maintaining our roads at present condition is £5.5m per year. The approved capital budget supported by revenue funding is £8.3m for 2026/27. This level of investment is greater than the ‘steady state’ figure and will therefore contribute to an improvement of the road network. 2.6 Road lighting condition is measured through programmes of structural and electrical assessment and testing and is complemented through the ongoing review of age profile and material type life expectancy. The results are categorised and recorded in the lighting asset management database to inform a prioritised list of replacement schemes. Lighting is allocated an annual Capital budget of £1m to address a ‘steady state’ position of maintaining our lighting at present annualised depreciation rate. The programme of carriageway investment will see carriageway investment in locations yet to be included within the prioritised lighting condition criteria. This will be addressed by some reprofiling and by the provision within the carriageway works of installing regular road crossings and ducting to allow lighting improvement works when reaching prioritisation status based on their condition at future investment cycles. 2.7 Bridge and retaining wall condition is also evaluated through a robust inspection programme. General inspections are undertaken every 2 years, while an in-depth ‘principal inspection’ is carried out every 6 years and the results of the inspections are 126
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used to inform work programmes. The results of the inspections are input into a Structures database which is then used to calculate an average Bridge Structure Condition Index (BSCIav) based on the total number of assets. The BSCIav is currently 82.76 (2024/25 figure) which is within the ‘good’ classification of 80 to 90. Structures have an allocated capital budget of £560,000. 2.8 Details of how condition assessments are carried out and how roads, structures and lighting locations are prioritised for inclusion in our maintenance programme are provided in Appendix 2. The assessment matrix used for scoring and ranking structures for inclusion in the Structures Maintenance Programme is attached in Appendix 3. 2.9 The road maintenance programme in 2025/26 mitigated high inflationary cost increases through two factors - by forecasting higher projected costs and building this into the programme early in the financial year and, secondly, the Roads Minor Works Framework Contract price being held for the first 6 months of the year. Works completed by the operational team and any works tendered since then were subject to inflationary rises in material and plant costs as well as contractor price increases. The 2026/27 road maintenance programme has been prepared using increased rates from 2025/26 costs to allow for further inflationary rises in costs and to ensure that programmed works can be completed. 2.10 The following locations are being carried over from the 2025/26 maintenance programme. This resulted from lack of contractor availability, design changes and ferry restrictions: • Lovat Street, Largs • B714 Dalry Road, Saltcoats • B896, Millport • Park Terrace, Lamlash 2.11 The following structures contracts are being carried over from the 2025/26 maintenance programme, with feasibility and design works ongoing. This was due to adverse weather resulting in various coastal erosion (Ring Road Arran) and landslip (B871 West Kilbride) issues across the network. These unforeseen activities required urgent attention, resulting in the need to reallocate funding and staff resource from these planned projects to design and manage the unplanned repairs. • Lynn Drive Footbridge, Kilbirnie • Kirkland Road Footbridge No.2 Glengarnock (B777) • Barrie Terrace, Ardrossan • Catacol Bridge (C147) • Culvert West of Ballymeannoch (C147) 2.12 Given the availability of ferry bookings, programmed works will be restricted to a fixed number of weeks. As a result of this, the programme for Arran will be limited to five weeks. Any works that can’t be completed within that time, will be carried over to a future year’s programme. 2.13 The roads investment funding agreed at the Councils budget meeting on 25 February 2026 will require significant resource to plan, design and deliver the investment in 2026/27. In addition, and similarly with previous years, unforeseen circumstances, like 127
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weather events or land slips may have an impact on the delivery of the programme together with the availability of contractors and materials required to complete the programme. Should the service not be able to deliver the full programme in the current financial year, any works not complete will be carried forward into 2027/28. 3. Proposals 3.1 That Cabinet notes the approach taken to determining the asset maintenance programme for roads, structures and street lighting. 3.2 That Cabinet approves the maintenance programme for 2026/27, as shown at Appendix 1. 3.3 That Cabinet notes that the programme will be issued to Locality Planning Partnerships for information. 4. Implications/Socio-economic Duty Financial 4.1 The Roads, Structures and Street Lighting Maintenance Programme will be delivered from approved 2026/27 Capital and Revenue budgets of £8.3m. Estimated costs are detailed within the appendices. Human Resources 4.2 Delivery of the programme will be met from existing staff resources and appropriate contractors. Legal 4.3 North Ayrshire Council has a statutory obligation to manage and maintain its public road network under the terms of the Roads (Scotland) Act 1984. Equality/Socio-economic 4.4 There are no equality implications. The maintenance programme contributes to the Council’s socio-economic duty, as well-maintained roads are essential for the social and economic prosperity of North Ayrshire. Climate Change and Carbon 4.5 Effective programming and management of these assets will assist in reduced carbon associated with mobilisation of unplanned reactive maintenance resources and extends the use of assets in a cost effective and sustainable manner. 128
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Key Priorities 4.6 Effective management of these assets contributes to a number of Council plan objectives ensuring that North Ayrshire is well-connected with effective infrastructure and that we maximise resources and provide value for money. Community Wealth Building 4.7 The maintenance programme contributes to Community Wealth Building through community benefits clauses associated with maintenance contracts. It is also the case that a proportion of the maintenance programme is also delivered in-house by the Roads Operations Team and Building Services. Islands Communities Impact Assessment (ICIA) 4.8 The works programme on the Isle of Arran will be limited to a 5-week delivery period. Local stakeholders will be notified once the programme has been confirmed. United Nations Rights of the Child (UNCRC) 4.9 None Consumer Duty 4.10 None 5. Consultation 5.1 The maintenance programme will be shared with each Locality Partnership. RUSSELL McCUTCHEON Executive Director (Place) For further information please contact Gary Wilson, Senior Manager Neighbourhood Services (Roads), on 01294 324810. Background Papers 0 129
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Street Town Location Estimate Cost B7049 Wilson Street Beith New Street to 30 Wilson Street £110,000 Kings Road Beith B7049 Jct to Muirpark Road £52,500 Glebe Road Beith Glebe Road to Glebelands Way £25,000 Jamieson Way Beith Full Length £27,500 Kirk Road Beith New Street to Scholars Wynd £20,000 Mains Avenue Beith Full Length £40,000 Manuel Avenue Beith Full Length £45,000 Mid Road / Elms Place Beith Mains Avenue to the joint in Elms Place £30,000 Braehead Place Dalry Full Length £30,000 Merksworth Avenue Dalry Full Length £40,000 New Street Dalry Main Street to B714 Townend Street £60,000 St Palladius Terrace Dalry From B714 including section of Courthill Street £40,000 Reek Street Gateside Main Street to Geilsland Junction £55,000 Balgray Road Glengarnock Full Length £30,000 Davidson Avenue Glengarnock B777 to Smith Avenue £27,500 Garnock View Glengarnock B777 to Caledonian Road £47,500 Grahamston Avenue Glengarnock Full Length £95,000 Holms Road Glengarnock Full Length £20,000 Longbar Avenue Glengarnock Full Length £47,500 Smith Avenue Glengarnock Donaldson Ave to Longbar Ave (Inc Cul-de-sac) £47,500 A760 Bridgend Kilbirnie Muirend to Montgomery Court (including tesco ent.) £60,000 A760 Camphill Reservoir Kilbirnie Between Routdaneburn and South Camphill (Half & Full Panels) £60,000 A760 Radio City Roundabout Kilbirnie Full Length £45,000 B780 Newton Street Kilbirnie Ladysmith Road to Bankfaulds Avenue £110,000 Auchenhove Crescent Kilbirnie Full Length (Including Cul-de-sacs) £135,000 Castle Drive Kilbirnie Full Length £60,000 Craigton Road Kilbirnie Full Length £40,000 Munro Drive Kilbirnie Full Length £32,500 B7081 Dreghorn / Springside Roundabout Dreghorn Full Length £42,500 Annick Drive Dreghorn Townfoot to Broomlands Road (Include part of the Townfoot Junction) £32,500 Corsehill Mount road Dreghorn Monach Gardens to Lismore Drive £80,000 A71 Greenwood Interchange Eastbound on slip Irvine Full Length £110,000 A71 Greenwood Interchange Westbound off slip Irvine Full Length £110,000 A735 Irvine EAC Boundary to EAC Boundary £212,500 A736 Bank Street Irvine Woodlands Avenue and Thornhouse Avenue £92,500 B7080 Greenwood Interchange Irvine Both North & South Roundabouts £142,500 B7080 Long Drive Irvine Between Taylor Drive Roundabout and Hill Roundabout £237,500 B7080 Long Drive Irvine Greenwood North to Newmoor Roundabout (include layby 300m2) £117,500 B7080 Long Drive Irvine Northbound between the Greenwood Roundabouts £52,500 B769 Middleton Road to EAC boundary Irvine Part Length Sections £75,000 Shawalton Road Irvine Drybridge towards Shewalton £227,500 Bensley Avenue Irvine Full Length £65,000 Cairnsgarroch Way Irvine Full Length £57,500 Doura Drive Irvine Full Length £12,500 Lamont Drive Irvine Full Length £62,500 Lanfine Way Irvine Full Length £52,500 Lomond Place Irvine Full Length £105,000 Pladda Crescent Irvine Ppatch in Pladda Wynd Junction & No.9 £12,500 Portland Place Irvine Full Length £72,500 Portland Road Irvine Full Length £185,000 Rubie Crescent Irvine Full Length £65,000 Sourlie Terrace Irvine Full Length £40,000 Towerlands Road Irvine Towerlands Roundabout to Crammond Way £90,000 Braeside Kilwinning Full Length (Including 39 - 49 David Gage Street and to 53 Baid Avenue) £37,500 Burns Place Kilwinning Full Length £20,000 Highfield Street Kilwinning Full Length £30,000 Hillcrest Place Kilwinning Full Length £37,500 Innerwood Road Kilwinning Viaduct Circle to nibs at Woodwynd £60,000 Killermont Place Kilwinning Full Length £67,500 Morville Crescent Kilwinning No 8 to No 32 £37,500 St Winnings Road Kilwinning A738 Byres Road to Road End £47,500 St Winnings Well Kilwinning Full Length £62,500 Waterside Road Kilwinning Full Length £85,000 The Causeway Fairlie A78 to Slipway £22,500 Barr Crescent Largs Full Length £77,500 George Street Largs Full Length £62,500 Harper Crescent Largs Full Length £35,000 Lovat Street Largs Full Length (carry forward from 25/26) £0 Scott Crescent Largs Full Length £15,000 Scott Street Largs A78 to just past Gogoside Drive £135,000 Spalding Drive Largs Full Length £87,500 Balloch Crescent Millport Full Length £65,000 Provost's Loan Millport Full Length £27,500 The Crescent Skelmorlie Halketburn Road to Sandybrae Road £52,500 Corsehill Drive West Kilbride A78 to no.9 £147,500 Glen Road West Kilbride Main Street to Glenside Crescent £25,000 Orchard Street West Kilbride Including Western Terrace Junction & Alton street Junction £85,000 South Road West Kilbride Full Length £20,000 B780 Dalry Road Ardrossan Stanley Road to Chapelhill Mount mini roundabout £180,000 Hunter Avenue Ardrossan Loanhead Road to North Junction with Barrie Terrace. Include South junct with Barrie Terrace. £55,000 Queens Drive Ardrossan Central Quadrant to Stanley Road £50,000 Dockhead Street Saltcoats Full Length £50,000 Argyle Road Saltcoats Sharphill Road to Jacks Road £132,500 Rennie Place Saltcoats Up to the gates at factory place £40,000 Thomas Campbell Street Saltcoats Full Length £40,000 B752 Caledonian Road Stevenston Full Length £122,500 B780 Saltcoats Road / Canal Street Stevenston Full Length £184,500 Afton Road Stevenston New Street to Main Street £65,000 Hayocks Road Stevenston Number 44 to Number 135 £70,000 Hillside Street Stevenston Three section - Moorpark Road West to Arthur Street, Muir Drive Junction, Ho96 to Roundabout £80,000 MAINLAND ROADS PROGRAMME 2026 - 2027 Carriageway Resurfacing 130
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Lumsden Place Stevenston Roundabout to School Gates £5,000 Various Various Patching Contract £250,000 £6,452,000 131
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Street Town Location Estimate Cost C99 Dalry Junction with C57 at Blair bridge south to Smithy Cottage West £100,000 C99 Dalry South Lodge to the U16 Cockenzie Junctoin £58,000 C20 Benslie Benslie B785 (Both legs) to Burnbrae Cottage £73,000 C87 Kilwinning Dalgarven through to Gateside Farm £54,000 U22 Kilwinning Lochwood Farm towards U55 £42,000 U29 Kilwinning B778 to Monkreddan Farm £32,000 U46 Moncur Kilwinning End of Previous Surfacing to High Moncur £25,000 U46 Moncur Kilwinning B785 to Mid Moncur Access £6,000 B899 Millport 2 sections - Ballikillet Farm & at Millport speed limit signs £32,000 C118 Meigle Skelmorlie A78 to Meigle House £28,000 £450,000 Street Town Location Estimate Cost Cheeywood Drive Beith Full Length £44,000 Newton St Kilbirnie Avils Hill to Walker Street £15,000 Castlepark Footpaths Irvine Various sections £40,000 Belleisle Close and Hoylake Square Kilwinning Remote Footpath between belleisle close and hoylake square £30,000 Corsehill Drive West Kilbride odd numbers from A78 trunk road to house number 17 £21,000 Burns Terrace Ardrossan Both Sides (include Afton Place & Armour Place) £65,000 Stanley Drive Ardrossan Slabbed footway both sides £22,000 Mulgrew Avenue Saltcoats Numbers 10 - 32 £13,000 £250,000 Structure Town Project Estimate Cost Stanley Place Footbridge Saltcoats Refurbishment / repaint £60,000 Lynn Drive Footbridge Kilbirnie Steel repairs and repainting £90,000 Barrie Terrace Ardrossan Strengthening design £50,000 Kirkland Road F/B No. 2, Glengarnock Glengarnock Repairs to concrete slab, beam repainting and parapet upgrade £80,000 Bungle Burn Bridge A736 Irvine Parapet upgrade and general repairs £80,000 Dalgarven Mill Bridge Kilwinning Concrete repairs, pier / scour protection works £60,000 South Newmoor Bridge A71 Irvine Expansion Joint Replacement £25,000 £445,000 Area Town Streets Inlcuded Estimate Cost Bute Terrace / George Street Millport Bute Terrace, George Street, Barend Street £202,155 Milton Quadrant / High Street Kilbirnie Milton Quadrant, High Street,Ladyland Drive £92,311 Northacre / Greystones Kilwinning North Acre, Greystones £47,747 Meadowfoot Road Area West Kilbride Meadowfoot Road, Satirlie Crescent, Curbieshaw Drive, Meadowside £108,227 Pantonville Road West Kilbride Pantonville Road £66,846 Yerton Brae / Overtoun Crescent West Kilbride Yerton Brae, Overton Crescent, Overton Drive £92,311 Victoria Park Area Saltcoats Kerr Avenue, Townhead Road, Millar Road, Smith Drive, Cunninghame Road £105,045 Springvale Place Saltcoats Springvale Place £12,733 Dykesmains Road Saltcoats Dykesmains Road £35,015 Column Structural Testing Various Various Locations £50,000 Lighting Deteriorated Column Replacements Various Various Locations £150,000 £962,390 Lighting Deteriorated Infrastructure Replacements Structures Projects Footway Resurfacing Screeding 132
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Street Town Location Estimate Cost Various Various Jet Patcher £50,000 A841 Main Street Whiting Bay Sections along Main Street £37,000 B880 String Road Brodick to Blackwaterfoot End of New surface at Monyquil to new surface before Glenloig £270,000 B880 String Road Brodick to Blackwaterfoot New surface prior to Glenloig to New surface after Glenloig £115,000 C147 Catacol Craigard to Joint at new surface £57,000 C147 Imachar Downhill S Bends to North of SSE Substation £172,000 C147 Dougarie North of Dougarie (Dougarie Point to Dougarie) £128,000 C147 Machrie At Old Byre Visitor Centre to Machrie Moor Road £188,000 C147 Ross Sliddery C147 at the junction with the Ross Road north to new surface £58,000 C147 Tormore Blackwaterfoot Crochandoon to Rowanbank £183,000 Park Terrace Lamlash A841 to Benlister Road (Carried over from 25/26) £0 Trareoch Road Whiting Bay Full Length £40,000 £1,298,000 Structure Road Project Estimate Cost Catacol Bridge C147 Replacement feasibility study £45,000 Culvert West of Ballymeanoch C147 Retaining wall strengthening £70,000 £115,000 Area Town Project Estimate Cost Invercloy Car Park Brodick LC/01/26 £37,610 £37,610 Carriageway Resurfacing Structures Projects ARRAN ROADS PROGRAMME 2026 - 2027 Lighting Deteriorated Infrastructure Replacements 133
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Appendix 2 Condition Assessment and Prioritisation Process 1.1 The Audit Scotland Follow-up report, Maintaining Scotlands Roads published in August 2016 stated that Councils should use their RAMPs to establish long term investment plans for maintaining the road network taking into acount whole-life costing and treatment options. 1.2 As part of the Roads Asset Management process, annual condition assessments are carried out on the public road network as part of the inspection regime. All locations are assessed using a risk based approach. 1.3 Condition assessments are carried out simultaneously with the Safety Inspections in accordance with the pre-determined timescales contained within our Safety Inspection Manual. All faults noted during these inspections are logged within our electronic Routine Maintenance System (RMS). 1.4 For carriageways, to take account of whole-life and different treatment options the carriageway maintenance programme is developed using road asset management principles. Lifecycle planning is at the core of this approach and takes into account, hierarchies, condition and local community priorities. Preventative treatments are used to prolong the life of carriageway surfaces before their condition deteriorates and requires extensive resurfacing. 1.5 The main factors considered are:- • Road Condition – based on detailed visual inspection and the Scottish Road Maintenance Conditions Survey (SRMCS). • Road Hierarchy – this takes account of the strategic importance of the road and is determined from our Local Transport Plan. • Assistance to Council and Community Priorities – this takes account of other priorities such as economic development, access to shops, amenity housing or schools. 1.6 Carriageways and footways are both condition assessed and scored in accordance with the assessment table below. These condition scores, RCI data, road hierarchy information and priorities information as above are utilised through our electronic WDM Scheme Manager to target locations for improvement works in order to optimise investment. 134
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Appendix 2 Assessment Table CONDITION Extent 1 (Acceptable) 2 (Safe but poor appreance) 3 (Minor deterioration) 4 (Major deterioration) 1 - Up to 25% 5 9 13 2 – 25% to 50% 6 10 14 3 – 50% to 75% 7 11 15 4 – 75% to 100% 4 8 12 16 Each location is also reviewed at least once a year depending on its location within the Roads Hierarchy as part of the routine inspection process. 1.7 There are various types of surfacing materials and processes available depending on the particular road type, location and level of existing deterioration. Options available for treatment include preventative measures such as surface dressing and resurfacing options such as screeding, resurfacing (inlay and overlay), depending on the severity of deterioration full reconstruction may be the most effective option. 1.8 The level of investment associated with works can vary depending on restricted working arrangements, traffic management required and the extent of preparatory works necessary to enable resurfacing. There is also an additional uplift for island working of up to 50% for works on Arran and Cumbrae. 1.9 Street Lighting column replacement is prioritised through non-destructive strength testing to determine the level of deterioration associated with the columns. Following testing, columns are categorised within the Asset Management database for road lighting. 1.10 Testing is carried out in accordance with the Institute of Lighting Engineer's Technical Report No.22 Managing a Vital Asset: Lighting Supports as well as UK Lighting Board Code of Practice: Well-lit Highways. 1.11 Once results are input, the database then compares these results against the more general age profile to determine a final list of priority repairs. This produces recommendations in order of priority for both individual units and whole streets or areas. 1.12 Recommendations are generally categorised as Category A through K as follows: 135
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Appendix 2 A: Immediate replacement B: Replace urgently or reinspect within 6 months C1: Column Material failure, replace as soon as possible or reinspect within 1 year C2: Bracket failure, sleeve where possible or replace unit within 1 year D: Foundation failure, realign, reinstate and reinspect within 6 months E: Material approaching failure, replace as part of planned maintenance programme or reinspect within 2 years F: Material approaching failure, replace as part of planned maintenance programme or reinspect within 5 years G: Condition reasonable, but age expired and certified insured for 2 year periods until replaced H: Condition reasonable, but age expired and certified insured for 5 year periods until replaced I: Acceptable condition but age expired and insured for 5 years periods until replaced. J: Sound condition but age expired & visually poor (evidence of concrete cracking etc.) K: Sound condition and not age expired – no current requirement for strength structural inspection, visual only at planned maintenance cycle. 1.13 Where non-urgent replacement recommendations (Category F through to J) are on an individual column basis, the data is further analysed to determine a percentage value for recommended replacement numbers against the balance of units in a street. If this figure exceeds 30% then the entire street will be considered for higher prioritisation which will address the design class standard of the street beyond individual replacement for safety reasons only. 1.14 The structures programme is identified based on the structures prioritisation matrix which ranks assets based on a number of factors including its condition, safety, and usage. 136
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Structure Name: Enter score based on the description in the following coloured cells Date when the scoring is carried out: Priority Ranking for structure capital programme Structure Net score % of Maximum Score total Score No. Factors Score Input 1 Type of Bridge 1 Score 1 if road bridge and 0 if foot bridge Culverts, Subways which carry road shall be considered as road bridge as per this scoring system. Structures which carry only pedestrians, cyclists and equestrians shall be considered as footbridge. NA 2 Route Factor 40 Score based on NAC route hierachy Route hierachy 0 0% Cat 2 - SPT/ NAC strategic routes - 40 Cat 3a - Main distributor routes - 30 Cat 3b - secondary distributor routes - 20 Any other category - 10 Routes serving fewer than 5 properties - 5 3 HGV Restriction 60 Score based on weight capacity Weight restriction 0 0% factor 3 tonnes - 60 7.5 to 13 tonnes tonnes - 50 18 tonnes - 40 26 tonnes - 30 No weight restriction - 0 4 Condition factor 10 Score based on the condition of the bridge Sliding score based on 0 for very good condition to 10 for poor condition. (10 - (BCI crit/ 10)) 0 0% 5 Deterioration factor 10 Score based on the rate of deterioration of the structure Sliding score based on 0 for very slow deterioration to 10 for rapid deterioration 0 0% 6 Pedestrian factor 20 Score based on pedestrian usage. Bridges with footways of heavy pedestrian usage shall score a maximum of 30. Structures with footways in heavily used urban areas score 20. Score 20 if route is access to a school or railway station. Apply a sliding scale going down to 0 for rural structures without footways. 0 0% 7 Flooding factor 40 Score based on the potential for the existing structure to contrubute to flooding A structure that makes no contribution to flooding risk will score 0. Structures that are know to increase the risk of flooding due to restrictions in width or soffit height will score 30. 0 0% 8 Scour factor 60 Score based on risk of collapse due to expose to scour in heavy flow conditions Risk of collapse of structure due to scouring. Structures which have been deterioted severely because of inadequate scour protection and on verge of collapse score maximum. Scour risk based on a sliding scale. 0 0% 9 Parapet Condition Factor 15 Score based on the condition of the parapets Structures with substandard Parapets with poor conditon will score 15 . Structures with substandard parapets with a 'monitor only' recommendation will score 10. Structures which have parapets to current standards will score 0. 0 0% 10 Parapet Risk Factor 10 Score based on risk in the event of a parapet collapse leading to high risk injuries and human casualties. What is the likelihood of severe injury or even death while the parapet is open to use considering the condition of the structure. Risk based on a sliding scale. -5 100% Structure Name: Additional commentry 137
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11 Delay factor 10 Score based on whether existing restrictions such as limited width cause delays at the structure Structures where delays are caused by width, weight, height or other restrictions such as traffic lights will be given a score higher than zero. Delays less then 2 minutes at peak times will score 5 and longer than 2 minutes will score 10. Score maximum if fire station, railway station or hospital affected by delay. 0 0% 12 Structure Risk factor 10 Score based on risk in the event of a Structure collapse leading to high risk injuries and human casualties. What is the likelihood of someone getting a high risk injury or even death while the structure is open to use considering the condition of the structure. Risk based on a sliding scale. 0 0% 13 Maintenance factor 20 Score based on maintenance required to keep the existing structure open. Score based on known maintenance history and requirement. No maintenance requirement will score 0. Listed structures score 15. 0 0% 14 Diversion factor 10 Score based on the length of the diversion route if the structure is closed in an unplanned manner with no finite time limit. Score based on diversion length. Any diversion equal to or more than 20 miles scores 20. Score 1 for each 2 miles of diversion up to 20. Score 10 if a road closure adversly affects a fire or railway station or hospital. Score 10 if there is no alternative diversion. 0 0% -5 Note maximum score that can be achieved for road bridge= 500 Priority level Chart Structure Name: Date of Scoring: 00-Jan-00 Priority Level Indicator Overall works (500) Structure works (100) Parapet works (70) Scour Protection (60) Level Score Level Score Level Score Level Score No Action Rquired Low Priority Medium Priority High Priority Immediate action required Note : Works are divided above into three sub categories as each work can be independent and each has its own significance in terms of attention required. 138