Clackmannanshire Consultation Database

We asked for feedback on a range of officer policy savings proposals as well as proposals to increase council tax and fees and charges.

We received 433 responses to the survey. The public engagement also included direct engagement with a number of stakeholders seeking to understand potential impacts and mitigations in the context of an accompanying draft Equality and Fairer Scotland Impact Assessment.

One petition on the officer proposal relating to the review of early learning and childcare centre provision was received and heard at a special Council meeting in advance of the budget meeting.

Councillors met on 9 March 2023 and agreed the £152.184m revenue budget for 2023/24. All respondents’ views were taken into account. Savings of £3.814m were approved.

Council tax will increase by 5% and some fees and charges will also increase by 5%.

Officers saving proposals that were agreed are:

• review of community access points/libraries;
• review of early learning and childcare centre provision;
• review of the delivery of secondary education; and
• changes to waste.

Officers saving proposals that were not agreed are:

• extending the primary school lunch break;
• review of home to school transport; and
• review of funding to the voluntary and third sector.

A report on the proposal connected with the transition to net zero will come to a future council meeting.

Details of all budget decisions made can be accessed on our website.

Phase 1 of the 2023/24 budget engagement took place between 6 December 2022 and 8 January 2023.

We asked you for feedback on the Council’s priorities and also what you like about living in Clackmannanshire and what could be improved.

We also asked about the issues that matter the most to you and how we should conduct future consultation and engagement activity.

We asked: What is the best thing about living in Clackmannanshire?

You said: The best things were

• our open and green spaces and parks;
• the quality of schools and education;
• Clackmannanshire people and communities and the good transport links.

Other things you told us you like are affordability of housing, access to supermarkets, roads and the proximity of Clackmannanshire to other major towns and cities.

We asked: What parts could be improved?

You said: Transport links; culture and leisure facilities; quality of schools and  education and open and green spaces and parks were the parts you would like to see improved.

Other aspects that could be improved included community safety, tackling anti-social behaviour and parking and enforcement; activities for young people; general appearance and maintenance of the area and local bus services.

We asked: What issues are you most concerned about personally?

You said: 

• Cost of living;
• anti-social behaviour;
• education and schools and
• leisure and sport.

These were however closely followed by

• crime and community safety;
• local environment;
• public transport;
• poverty and inequality and
• social care.

We asked: Are these outcomes the right ones?

You said: Most of you (75%) said these outcomes felt right, however were ambitious and many of you wanted to see more detail on how these outcomes would be delivered.

Other suggestions you provided include:

• investment in social and affordable housing to meet families needs;
• making Clackmannanshire a safe and desirable place to live with a focus on community safety and diversionary activities for young people;
• improvement in roads and transport infrastructure including public transport (to access employment and services), active travel and cycle networks;
• improving health and wellbeing through leisure and sports (specifically the new swimming pool/hub) and
• improving education in the broadest sense including school infrastructure, attainment, positive outcomes beyond attainment and adult learning opportunities.

We asked: Are these priority themes the right ones?

You said: Most of you (75%) said these priority themes felt right.

12% of you suggested other priorities which included

• providing services that help vulnerable people who need them most and doing more to raise awareness of these services;
• being more public facing for communities and members of the public;
• investing more in green spaces, parks and play equipment;
• delivering the new swimming pool;
• investing more in education, schools/outcomes for young people and
• supporting more people into, and back into, employment.

We asked: Regarding future consultation, what is your preferred way for engaging with the Council?

You said: Most of you (86%) stated a preference for online consultation/surveys followed by social media (52.1%) and public meetings (43%).

Other suggestions include using the Alloa Advertiser, putting information out with Council Tax bills, and making use of ‘you said we did’ functionality.

The Council is undertaking a 4-phase programme of engagement to shape its budget decisions for the next 5 years.

Phase 2 took place from 25 January 2023. 

The Council is proposing to relocate Lochies School to The Pavilions at Alloa West.

We received 104 responses to the online public consultation. Seventy-nine percent of the respondents were in favour of the proposal and 21% were not.

The main reasons given by those that opposed the proposal were about access to the site, issues with possible flooding, parking and congestion.

The Council has created a joint programme for the Wellbeing Hub and Lochies School developments at The Pavilions.