Public performance reports

Economic development

The Council Plan Connect outlines our priorities and outcomes for 2022-27. Connect Outcomes should not be seen in isolation, they interact with each other and as we achieve success in one, we move closer to success in others. In delivering our vision to ‘improve the lives and prospects of everyone in South Lanarkshire’ our priorities show how our work links with our partners including our Community Planning Partners.

For daily updates, stories and what’s going on in your area, visit our information and news website South Lanarkshire View.

Each year we produce Annual Performance Spotlights which summarise how we have performed in achieving our Connect Outcomes. To complement these we have created a suite of individual Public Performance Reports which focus on key areas of council business. This report outlines our performance in relation to our Economic Development Service and how this links to our Economy outcome for thriving business, fair jobs and vibrant town centres.

The South Lanarkshire Economic Strategy 2022-27 focusses on the three key themes of sustainable economic development; People, Place and Business

People - South Lanarkshire's greatest asset is our people
Place - South Lanarkshire is a great place to start, grow and locate a business
Business - South Lanarkshire's many and diverse businesses are resilient and continue to thrive.

In partnership with local communities, voluntary agencies, the private sector and other public organisations, the council aims to promote employment creation, social inclusion, physical development and sustainability.

Number of businesses assisted by our Economic Development team (via grants, loans or property advice)

Target - 1,200 businesses

What this means
The council provides a range of advice and financial help for businesses based in the South Lanarkshire area. Financial help is provided through the Business Support Grant and Business Loans Scotland. The council also provides advice to businesses through Business Gateway and the Lanarkshire Property Advice Service. This indicator identifies the number of businesses assisted by the council via these grants, loans or property advice.

Why this matters
The council has a key role in ensuring that there is an environment that is as supportive as possible to the circa 10,000 active businesses that are located within South Lanarkshire as well as new start up and micro businesses. As in most areas across Scotland, small businesses are the bedrock of the economy of South Lanarkshire and the council recognises that it needs to focus its efforts on the development of these businesses. Early intervention, preventative advice and pre-start care are all important in helping companies achieve a stable financial position.

Our performance and how we compare

Comparator	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24	Are we improving?
SLC	2,679	1,615	829	No
Scotland	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

How we have performed in improving this public service
The Business Support service supported 829 business during 2023-24, significantly lower than the target of 1,200. There are a number of contributing factors that have led to the reduction in the number, including that the Business Growth Grant did not open until August 2023, there were less face-to-face events such as business exhibitions or meet the real buyer events. The Business Support section was also impacted by reduced resources, in particular a reduction in the number of staff within the team.

Number of jobs created or sustained as a direct result of our Economic Development team’s intervention

Target - 500 jobs

What this means
This indicator identifies the number of jobs being created or sustained (saved) per year as a direct result of the above intervention by the council.

Why this matters
The council recognises that it needs to focus its efforts on the development of those businesses which have growth potential. For this reason, council assistance provided in the way of grants, loans or property advice is directed towards helping businesses invest and employ more people, increase turnover and develop new products and markets.

Our performance and how we compare

Comparator	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24	Are we improving?
SLC	1,095	1,256	646	No
Scotland	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

How we have performed in improving this public service
646 jobs were created or sustained during 2023-24 as a direct result of Economic Development intervention, exceeding the target of 500.

Eligibility criteria for SLC Business Growth Grant was amended in August 2023, from then on applications were only accepted for projects that led to direct job creation or net zero.

Value of sales generated by businesses as a direct result of our Economic Development team’s intervention.

Target - £5 million

What this means
This indicator identifies the value of sales generated by businesses as a direct result of the above intervention by the council.

Why this matters
The council recognises that it needs to focus its efforts on the development of those businesses which have growth potential. For this reason, council assistance provided in the way of grants, loans or property advice is directed towards helping businesses be more competitive and increase turnover and profit.

Our performance and how we compare

Comparator	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24	Are we improving?
SLC	£22.11 million	£13.11 million	£14.49 million	Yes
Scotland	N/A	N/A	N/A	N/A

How we have performed in improving this public service
Increased sales figure derived exclusively from additional sales from Business Support Grants. The strong performance reflects the effectiveness of business support across South Lanarkshire, the effectiveness of grant support and the hard work and dedication of the business community.

Number of business gateway start-ups per 10,000 population

What this means
This indicator provides the rate of business gateway start-ups per 10,000 population.

Why this matters
This high-level indicator is important because new business formation is a good indicator of how conducive we are to entrepreneurship in the business environment. Small businesses make up 92.5% of the business base and 40.2% of employment in South Lanarkshire. They are the lifeblood of local town centres and communities, and a fundamental aim of the council is to improve the business creation and growth of small businesses in the area.

Our performance and how we compare

Comparator	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24	Are we improving?
SLC	15.71	16.20	13.00	No
Scotland	14.41	14.30	13.60	No

Immediately available employment land as a % of total land allocated for employment purposes in the local development plan

What this means
Available employment land is undeveloped land allocated for employment use (Class 4, Class 5 and Class 6) in Local Plans or which has valid planning consent.

Why this matters
The availability of land for development is a significant factor that affects local economic growth, and it falls within the council’s local development planning powers to influence this. This measure shows how ‘investor ready’ and competitive the council is in providing infrastructure to do business.

Our performance and how we compare

Comparator	2021-22	2022-23	2023-24	Are we improving?
SLC	12.73%	12.1%	12.1%	-
Scotland	27.19%	22.8%	24.5%	-

How we have performed in improving this public service
The level of immediately available employment land has been recognised as a challenge which needs to be considered in the drafting of the Local Development Plan 3 (LDP3). This work is underway and through the call for sites process it is anticipated the position can be addressed

We will take forward the following key areas for improvement:

Continue to work with the Business Gateway to enhance and expend the service following their transfer to an in-house delivery model hosted by North Lanarkshire Council (NLC)
Deliver programmes, services, and events to businesses around key sectors, locations, and themes (for example food and drink, tourism, construction, low carbon, innovation, internationalisation, collaboration, and young enterprise)
Refocus and grow the council’s position and potential for inward investment through improved marketing, engagement and support
Implement a suite of key strategies and plans, all of which are inherently linked to the key themes of sustainable economic development, including:
- South Lanarkshire Economic Strategy
- Tourism Strategy
- Inward investment
- Social Enterprise Strategy
Deliver the masterplan visions for Hamilton and East Kilbride while continuing to support town centres across South Lanarkshire
Progress action to further understand the factors that influence the level of local spending and identify further opportunities for local spend

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 economic development can be found in the Community and Enterprise Resource Plan.

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 Priorities are prepared - see Quarter 2 performance reports for further information.

More information on our council priorities 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. At the core of the framework is an agreed suite of performance indicators. We report the results for these indicators, over time, on the website.

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