Public performance reports

The Council Plan Connect 2022-27 is the strategic document that explains how we will use our influence and deliver services, acting on the issues that matter to our residents and communities. From this, each Resource produces an annual Resource Plan to support the delivery and achievement of the council plan. IMPROVe is the council’s performance management system which enables the progress of the actions detailed in the Council Plan and the Resource Plans to be tracked. Resource Plan performance is monitored, reported, and scrutinised by Resource Management Teams on a quarterly basis and by Committees throughout the year. The Council Plan performance is monitored, reported, and scrutinised by the Corporate Management Team and the Performance and Review scrutiny Forum at the end of Quarter 2 and Quarter 4.

The performance management reporting system uses a traffic light format with the following definitions to give a status report on each measure:

In the monitoring reports, measures classified as ‘red’ are considered in detail, and key achievements for the reporting period are listed.

Self-assessment and the improvements arising from self-assessment are key elements of Best Value. In 2016, the council adopted a new approach to the council-wide self-assessment and improvement programme, developed to better target improvement activity through a proportionate and risk-based methodology. The cornerstone of the approach is an annual horizon-scanning exercise carried out by each Resource, which looks to identify service areas or activities which may benefit from further examination and self-assessment and to build up a picture of the council's self-assessment profile, providing assurances of our continuous improvement and Best Value commitments.

We review our procedures regularly and seek to expand and improve the information gathered in the horizon-scanning exercise to ensure it is as comprehensive as possible. For example, in consultation with all Resources, we recently added the following sources of self-assessment/improvement activity to the scope of the exercise:

• Consultations/surveys: the findings often result in changes/improvements to services or policies
• Complaints: we listen and act on complaints. This is evidenced in the ‘you said, we did’ examples published annually on the council’s website: Complaints performance

Our current and ever-evolving horizon-scanning exercise is evidence that this risk-based continuous improvement and self-assessment activity is embedded in the culture and activities across South Lanarkshire Council Resources and services, and that updates are reported appropriately. It should also be noted that where applicable, the Public Service Improvement Framework (PSIF) approach (checklist, consensus, and improvement sessions) will continue to be considered for self-assessment on services/functions identified for improvement – it is an efficient, effective, and inclusive model, resulting in clear measures of success and actions to deliver meaningful change, is tried and tested within South Lanarkshire Council and throughout many Scottish Local Authorities and the Police, Fire, and Integrated Joint Board communities.

Finance and Corporate Resources: The Transformational Review Programme focuses on driving continuous improvement and delivering efficiencies to benefit customers, communities and organisations, as well as addressing and minimising the Budget Gap.

During 2023-24, the following council-wide reviews were reported on and progressed through the Council’s Corporate Management Team Efficiencies group. A number of these reviews remain ongoing to identify efficiencies in future years:

• Overtime
• Procurement
• Management Structure
• Charging – (Roads, Transportation and Fleet)
• Office accommodation
• South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture

Audit Scotland commented in their Annual Audit Report 2024, that ‘the council’s transformational change programme is underway to help the council achieve a balanced budget, and support medium and long term financial plans.’

The Transformational Change Programme that is underway will be a series of cross cutting reviews, not focussed on one Resource, but on council-wide activities. The reviews will start in 2024-25, and the council anticipates they will deliver savings across the term of the three year Budget Strategy. The reviews include:

• Charging: options for full cost recovery where possible
• Procurement: further consideration of procurement practices/options
• Overtime: review of overtime practices and spending
• Management Structure: review to ensure correct balance between management and the staff they oversee
• Digital Transformation / Customer Contact: review of the use of technology and how the Council and its customers interact
• Property: right size use of property and looks to meet Net Zero targets
• Consideration of in-house and procured services
• Loans Fund: consider any further benefits through Loans Fund accounting
• Depot Rationalisation: rationalising the number across Resources
• Fleet Reduction: reducing this where efficiencies can be identified

Progress on each cross-cutting review will be presented to the Performance and Review Scrutiny Forum (PRSF). In addition, service departments are considering their own service areas, and a programme of reviews will also take place to inform savings for the coming year. As these service reviews progress, proposals will be presented to Members for approval as part of the Budget setting process

Social Work Resources: Transformation and Service Improvement Programme has progressed during 2023-24 in relation to the following services:

The Whole Family Wellbeing (WFW) Fund Partnership Steering Group has been established to review the design and delivery of children’s services in South Lanarkshire, supporting whole system transformational change required to reduce the need for crisis intervention, and a shift towards prevention and early intervention. Proposals include extending the Pathfinder initiative in schools, contributing to the Family Support Hub model across the four localities in South Lanarkshire, investment in the parenting support groupwork pathway, and extending Family Group Decision Making (Children 1st). SWC 6 March 2024

Justice Social Work Services (JSW), in partnership with Hamilton Sheriff Court, were awarded funding from CORRA to develop a two-year test of change Alcohol and Problem-Solving Court. The project, which began in December 2023, has adopted a public health approach through the newly created Recovery Orientated Justice Service (ROJS), supporting those in conflict with the law whose offending is related to their substance use to permanently exit the justice system. The wider aims of the project are to reduce drug use levels that are harmful to those within the justice system and prevent drug-related deaths. SWC 28 June 2023

Education Resources Committee: Self-evaluation is a fundamental, long-standing and valuable element of the Scottish education system. It lies at the heart of our improvement activity with Education Resources in South Lanarkshire, providing schools and establishments with the framework required to reflect on their performance, identify areas for improvement and implement change. In supporting all our schools, nurseries and services, we increase empowerment and accountability, help identify tailored interventions and improve relationships. This culture of continuous improvement leads to better outcomes for all learners.

Our central quality improvement team of professional advisers carry out regular visits to all schools and nurseries throughout the year to support this practice in line with national frameworks such as How Good Is Our School? / Early Learning and Childcare? And the Scottish Attainment Challenge.

In addition to our work with establishments, we contribute regularly to the corporate Transformational Review programme and report regularly to committee on key review activity within our services such as Community Learning and Development 3 Year Plan, Youth, Family and Community Learning Update and our Standards and Quality report produced annually to evaluate our overall performance and progress.

Housing and Technical Resources: During 2023-24, the following service reviews were undertaken by Housing and Technical Resources:

• Property Services Review – ongoing service review
• Factoring Review – ongoing service review 

Community and Enterprise Resources: During 2022-23, Community and Enterprise Resources, in conjunction with North Lanarkshire Council, undertook a service review of Business Gateway, which covers activity in both North and South Lanarkshire. This service is currently carried out by an external provider with the contract due to come to an end at the end of February 2024. Following the service review, it has been agreed that the service will now be brought in-house and hosted by North Lanarkshire Council on behalf of both local authorities. The new service will commence on 1 March 2024. 

Waste Review – The review of the waste service to consider options for the kerbside collection service; the provision of Household Waste Recycling Centres (HWRCs) and opportunities for depot improvements, continued throughout 2023-24.

Our external auditors, Audit Scotland, report annually on how well the council is complying with BV responsibilities, namely, 'to make arrangements to secure continuous improvement in the performance of their functions’: Auditors Report.

The key conclusions from the Best Value work for 2023-24 included:

• Our Workforce Plan 2022-25 is supported by detailed service level plans, however, there is an opportunity for this to have a more strategic focus
• We are using digital technology to support new ways of working, but have not yet set out how we plan to use digital technology to shape our future workforce
• Audit Scotland’s follow-up work of Best Value improvement recommendations from 2022-23 concluded that the council has now addressed these recommendations

Previously, Audit Scotland highlighted an area of good practice: ‘South Lanarkshire Council has worked collaboratively with the Local Government Improvement Service to achieve the most value from the Local Government Benchmarking Framework, by developing a subset of indicators which align with the Outcomes detailed in the new Council Plan, in a way that helps drive improvement, based on its strategic priorities.’

There are a number of external regulatory, scrutiny, or inspection organisations for local government, including:

• Audit Scotland
• Education Scotland
• Care Inspectorate
• Accounts Commission | Audit Scotland
• The Scottish Housing Regulator
• His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary in Scotland
• His Majesty's Fire Service Inspectorate in Scotland
• NHS Quality Improvement Scotland
• The Scottish Government
• SOLACE
• Mental Welfare Commission for Scotland

Note: The Care Inspectorate (CI) reports are published in partnership with the local authority. The CI is responsible for follow-up action.

Examples of activities, per Resource, during 2023-24 include:

Social Work Resources

The Care Inspectorate is the independent scrutiny and improvement organisation responsible for regulating and inspecting care and support services for adults, children and criminal justice social work services. During the period 2023-24, the Care Inspectorate conducted inspections within two South Lanarkshire residential services, Meldrum Gardens care home for older people and Station Road children’s house. Grades are reported nationally on the Care Inspectorate website for public information. Care Inspectorate Datastore

A national review of secure care pathways was completed in July 2023 by the Care Inspectorate. A small number of children, under the age of 18, may require a secure form of residential care where there is significant risk to themselves or others in the community. This review aimed to highlight the significant factors that help promote young people’s rights, safety and wellbeing within a secure setting, and examples of good practice were reflected. There was also a recognition of variability and inconsistency in the work carried out across Scotland and a range of key improvement actions were provided for corporate parents, along with reflective questions for staff and managers. Secure Care Pathway Review 2023

Education Resources

In 2023-24, 16 educational establishments were inspected by Education Scotland in South Lanarkshire. The outcomes were as follows:

Detailed inspection reports for our schools, nurseries and wider service provision can be found on the Education Scotland website.

Housing and Technical Resources

The Scottish Housing Regulator (SHR) is an independent regulator of Registered Social Landlords (RSL) and local authority housing services in Scotland.

The SHR monitor, assess, report and intervene (as appropriate) on Landlords performance of housing activities. This means how they deliver services to:

• tenants;
• people who are homeless;
• Gypsy/Travellers who use official sites provided by these landlords; and
  factored owners.

All social landlords must provide the SHR with information on their performance in achieving the outcomes and standards in the Charter by completing an Annual Return on the Charter (ARC). The SHR uses the landlords' ARC to report on progress in achieving the Charter outcomes and standards and uses this information to inform their regulatory assessments.

Each year, landlords must also assess their performance and provide an update to the SHR by submitting an Annual Assurance Statement, giving assurance against the following: -

• The regulatory requirements
• All relevant standards and outcomes
• All relevant legislative duties

The Care Inspectorate carried out inspections in relation to:

- Housing Support Service for homelessness

- Sheltered Housing Services

South Lanarkshire Council continues to engage with the Care Inspectorate on a regular basis in relation to a range of Registered housing support services, submitting regular updates as required, attending information sessions in relation to the relatively new assessment framework, and seeking advice as we complete the self-assessment process against the framework.

Community and Enterprise Resources

Food Standards Scotland (FSS) carried out an audit in February 2023 and provided South Lanarkshire Council with the audit report in August 2023. The report advised FSS was reasonably assured that the council‘s food law controls were adequate and highlighted areas where procedures could be improved. Environmental Services completed the audit action plan during 2023-24 and FSS was happy with the actions taken and closed the audit off in May 2024.

An annual review is carried out by Good Governance lead officers across the council in line with the national framework resulting in a Statement of Assurance which is approved and reported to the Corporate Management Team, Risk and Audit Scrutiny Committee, and Executive Committee. Improvement actions/measures are included in Resource Plans, as appropriate.

Following their review as part of the 2024 audit, Audit Scotland concluded that ‘the council has effective and appropriate governance arrangements for delivery of its plans’.

In South Lanarkshire, we try to make sure all of our policies and services meet people's needs. To help us achieve this, we need to know the views of people who use or might use our services, and so we use Consultations.

Education Resources: Our consultation requirements are governed mainly by the Schools (Consultation) (Scotland) Act 2010. This legislation mandates that we must engage in robust, transparent, and fair consultation processes when proposing significant changes to our education provision.

A key aspect in any consultation, however is the inclusion of the voice of the child and the importance of listening to and considering the views of children and young people, ensuring their perspectives are taken into account in decision-making processes. This aligns with the principles of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). By incorporating the voice of the child, our consultations become more inclusive and reflective of the needs and experiences of those directly impacted by educational decisions. This approach not only empowers children and young people but also leads to more informed and effective outcomes.

In 2023-24, this has included consultation on matters such as participatory budgeting, school transport and the potential reconfiguration of some services.

Housing and Technical Resources: 

• Annual rent consultation
• To meet the requirements of the Scottish Social Housing Charter, Housing and Technical Resources are required, on a 3-yearly cycle, to carry out tenant satisfaction surveys.
• Customer Involvement Strategy (2024-29) – public and stakeholder consultation undertaken and new strategy approved by Housing and Technical Resources Committee in February 2024.
• Anti-Social Behaviour (ASB) Strategy (2024-29) – public and stakeholder consultation undertaken and new strategy approved by Executive Committee in March 2024.
• Local Heat and Energy Efficiency Strategy – public and stakeholder consultation undertaken in Feb/Mar 2024, and new strategy approved by Executive Committee in June 2024.

Finance and Corporate Resources: Annual budget consultation

Community and Enterprise Resources: During 2023-24, Enterprise and Sustainable Development Services undertook a consultation in relation to Hamilton Town Centre master plan which seeks to bring about transformational change for the town centre. An extensive 6-week consultation exercise was undertaken in April 2024 which included a ‘consultation shop’ being established in the shopping centre with officers and design team members in attendance over a 3-week period. A dedicated website was established together with a video, scaled model and questionnaire. In excess of 3,000 residents/shoppers engaged with the consultation, including local school children. This masterplan is now being refined to take on board comments, where possible, and is moving toward the delivery stages. Further public consultation will be undertaken on both the Hamilton and East Kilbride Masterplans at key milestones through the project delivery.

Social Work Resources:

• Care at Home South Lanarkshire wide service user annual survey.
• South Lanarkshire Health and Social Care Partnership successfully launched Care Opinion across all social work services in 2023, enabling people using our services and their carers to share feedback on their experiences. The process is specifically designed to promote a culture of transparency, learning and sharing of good practice. Justice Social Work Services have adopted a tailored approach, with the support of Care Opinion Champions, to encourage and support staff to engage service users in reflective discussions about their experiences. This personalised support has contributed to the creation of a trusted environment where service users feel confident and valued.

The council’s Annual Report and Accounts contain very detailed financial information but also a summary of highlights of the year from the Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive Officer. This is audited by our external auditors Audit Scotland and we obtained a ‘clean’ audit certificate. This audit opinion and other judgments on the council’s financial sustainability and management, governance, transparency, and Best Value are included in the Annual Auditor's Report (AAR).

South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture Annual Report 2023 outlines the work and highlights the financial information for the Leisure Trust which delivers all leisure and cultural activities on behalf of the council.

Resource Plans are prepared each year by all council Resources to outline the key developments they intend to take forward in the year. Performance and actions relating to Assets can be found in the following Resource Plans:

• Finance and Corporate Resource Plan
• Community and Enterprise Resource Plan
• Education Resource Plan
• Housing and Technical Resource Plan
• Social Work Resource Plan

Further information can also be found in the Improvement and how we compare page on the council's website.

Twice a year, performance reports are presented to council committees on progress against the Resource Plans. In addition, reports detailing progress against the Council Plan Connect Outcomes are prepared. See Quarter 2 (September) and Quarter 4 (March - year end) performance reports for further information.

More information on our outcomes can be found in the Council Plan Connect and also the Annual Performance Spotlights.

Local Government Benchmarking Framework (LGBF) allows councils to work together, to use performance information in a way which will help understand variations, share knowledge, expertise and good practice, with a view to making improvements. For more information and links relating to this framework go to the 'Benchmarking' paragraph on the Improvement and how we compare page on our website.

The information contained within this report reflects the position based on the data available at the time of publication (March 2025)