We Asked, You Said, We Did

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

We received 938 responses to the online 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.

Councillors met on 29 February 2024 and agreed the £161.5 million revenue budget for 2024/25. All respondents’ views were taken into account. Savings of £5.383m were approved.

Council also agreed to freeze council tax rates. Most locally set fees and charges will increase by 6.7%

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

We asked for comments on the Community Asset Transfer Request in order to inform the assessment of its likely impact on outcomes for the community.

Respondents gave examples of the community benefits they expected and the drawbacks they saw in the proposal.  

On 22nd September 2023, the applicant withdrew the CAT Request.  Accordingly, we will not complete an assessment of the proposal and it will not be put to Committee for a decision.

Whether there was anything missing from the Charter or how we could improve it?

Feedback included response times being consistent, no matter how the customer has contacted the Council.

The Charter was updated based on the feedback received and approved by Council on 6 October 2023. You can read the new charter on our website.

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?

By 2030 Clackmannanshire Council aims to deliver the following outcomes:

• Improved economic performance with more, better paid jobs and development opportunities for local people
• Sustainable health and social care and improved quality of life for our residents
• Improved choices and chances through raising attainment and skills development opportunities
• More services designed, developed and delivered in partnership, including with our communities
• Greater integration with our partners
• Greater resilience and independence within our communities to minimise the impacts of poverty and inequality
• Clear strategies and innovations which place Clackmannanshire in a leading role in meeting climate challenge

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?

The priority themes for Clackmannanshire Council as set out in Be the Future are:

Sustainable Inclusive Growth  

We will take steps to tackle poverty, inequality and the cost of living crisis.

We aim to maximise the opportunities for local people and businesses through our improved economic performance.

We will also establish standards, delivery models and strategies which allow Clackmannanshire to play a leading role in meeting the climate challenge and protecting our built and natural environment.

Empowering families and communities

We will place people at the heart of service delivery.

We aim to prioritise service users, family and community participation and leadership in developing and delivering solutions.

We will work in partnership to build individual; family and community skills in support of social and financial independence. 

Health and wellbeing

We aim to improve the environment, quality of life and ease of access to services.

Enhanced wellbeing will also provide greater participation opportunities as a consequence of improving economic performance in Clackmannanshire.

Delivering increased wellbeing also aims to promote equitable growth.

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. 

Customers and staff were asked about the future of face-to-face reception services at Kilncraigs.

We received 543 responses with high levels of dissatisfaction with the current arrangements and strong support for re-opening Kilncraigs reception. 

The survey results were reported to the Council's Senior Leadership Group who agreed to work towards a planned re-opening in 2023. 

We asked for voting experience feedback during the Local Government Election 2022.
 

A variety of ideas and proposals regarding polling places and equipment were put forward. The responses received were mainly positive. Where building issues were identified these will be reviewed prior to next election, however we are restricted by the buildings available and the Electoral Commission guidance.

Our aim is to improve the voting experience for the voter, if it is within our influence to do so. All comments were considered and taken on board and wherever possible, we will ensure the voter experience is positive.

We consulted on the proposed permanent relocation of the Clackmannanshire Secondary and Primary Support Services to The Orchard, Tullibody.

There were 39 responses to the question: Do you agree with the proposal to permanently locate the Secondary and Primary Support Services to The Orchard, Tullibody? 25 responded yes and 14 responded no.

Council decided to permanently relocate Clackmannanshire Primary and Secondary School Support Services to its current site in Tullibody from 23 June 2022 at its meeting on that date.

 

We asked for feedback on proposals to increase Council Tax and fees and charges by 5.4%.

Fees and Charges increase – approximately 53% of respondents said that a 5.4% would have no or minimal impact; 25% said it would have some impact but they would probably still use the services; and 22% said that it would have a significant impact, and may stop using the services

Council Tax increase – approximately 66% of respondents disagreed that Council Tax should rise by 5.4%, whilst 32% agreed. The reasons for disagreeing are predominantly related to wider rises in the cost of living and the negative impact this is having on families.

Council agreed to increase council tax by 3% and to increase fees and charges by 5.4%.

To enable us to continue our capital investment at current levels the business plan requires a minimum of 3.1% (on average £2.34 per week) increase this year. Do you feel this increase would be appropriate?

Of those respondents indicating a preference, the majority said an increase of 2.1% was appropriate.

Clackmannanshire Council agreed a rent rise of 3.1% for 2022/23.

We asked for feedback on current and future leisure and wellbeing provision.

There was clear evidence from the survey that a swimming pool is required. Other feedback included: younger people want multi sports opportunities, fully accessible facilities are required, personal wellbeing, family time and mental wellbeing scored highly, after swimming, outdoor activities such as walking, cycling, open spaces were most frequently used currently and gym and fitness classes continue to be important.

The Council agreed a capital budget of £16.8 million for the creation of a Wellbeing Hub in Alloa. Officers are working with expert advice and support from sportscotland to engage with clubs, governing bodies, partners, major institutions, equalities groups and other stakeholders on the creation of modern and sustainable leisure and wellbeing facilities in Clackmannanshire.

We asked for feedback on the proposal to discontinue early learning and childcare provision at ABC Nursery.

Main themes from comments received were around cost and availability of alternative childcare, the building condition, ABC Nursery current provision and location, staffing, 1140 hours provision and financial concerns.

On 24 June 2021 at a meeting of the Clackmannanshire Council, it was decided to implement a closure proposal and to permanently discontinue ABC Nursery as a school. 

We asked for your ideas on the future use of the site and surrounding area.

A variety of ideas and proposals were put forward for the site and surrounding, including the future of the buildings on the site.

Architecture and Design Scotland produced a detailed report on the consultation about Glentana and the wider area called Alva Pathfinder. The Council is reviewing the report and doing further engagement with stakeholders before bringing forward final proposals for the Glentana site.

We asked for your views on the number of members your community council should have to represent you legitimately, and on the boundaries of your community council to ensure it reflects a natural community.

Respondents variously suggested larger numbers, smaller numbers and agreement on the existing numbers.

Many said an overriding consideration was that the number of members on the community council had to be practical.

There were proposals to change the boundaries of some community councils, including a suggestion to split the largest into smaller areas.

We agree that the number of members has to allow the community council to function as well as be in proportion to the size of the community and we do not feel applying a formula based on population size is practical.  Most community councils did not feel a change in their membership number was necessary. We trust that the current numbers have largely worked in practice and have proposed to keep the composition of all nine community councils as is. 

There was a sound rationale put forward for a change to the boundary shared by Muckhart and Dollar Community Councils.  This change has community support and we are proposing to adopt this change.

We understand the perception that one large area is too big, and we will keep this under review.  In the meantime, the community council in question supports the rationale for combining these areas into one large area a few years ago and it still appears to be valid.  

 

We asked staff how the coronavirus pandemic has affected their wellbeing.

1006 members of staff responded to this survey with 54% rating their mental wellbeing as ‘excellent’ or ‘good’ and 60% stating that the Council supported them to balance work and caring responsibilities.

The Council-wide Staff Survey for 2020 was reviewed and amended to better represent the key priorities which the pandemic has created. This includes a renewed focus on staff health and wellbeing, remote working, and effectiveness of internal communications processes.

We asked for your views on changing the school holiday pattern, which would involve taking the last week off the summer break with pupils returning to school in the second week in August and having a 2 week October holiday.

83% of Clackmannanshire respondents said that they would prefer 2 weeks in October and a shorter summer holiday.

Refer to People Committee meeting of 30/1/20 at which the results of the consultation were reported on.

Following the results of the consultation across Clackmannanshire, Falkirk and Stirling it was agreed that the new pattern of school term dates including a 2 week October holiday will start from August 2022.

Public engagement ran from 9^th January to 1^st February 2019.  We put forward a range of options for savings and feedback was received via a variety of methods.

The budget engagement attracted a mixed reaction from the public. We received 696 responses to the online survey.

Three public events were held, we received letters and written representations, held meetings with parent council, young peoples’ groups and 3^rd sector organisations/groups impacted by the proposals.

Four petitions were also received and these were presented to the Place and People Committees on 19 February 2019.

Councillors met on 6th March 2019 and agreed the budget for 2019/20. All respondents’ views were taken into account. Savings of £4.810million and growth of £1.4m were approved

Capital Receipts of £2.041m were used to support the budget and Council Tax has been increased by 4%.

A new Funding Officer post has been created to maximise income opportunities for the Council and a Transformation Fund of £500,000 has been created to support the Council's transformation programme.

The Council continues with the corporate redesign programme as approved by Council in March 2019.

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

Clackmannanshire Council is proposing to change the primary schools Admissions Policy so that pupils that can demonstrate affiliation to the RC church by means of baptismal certificate, would remain entitled to enrol at their catchment denominational school in these circumstances, but all other pupils would be required to submit a placing request.

It is proposed that the revised policy would take effect from school session 2019/20 but that the revised policy would not apply to children currently attending either of the two Roman Catholic Primary schools.

 

21 responses were received to the online consultation. 14 of these agreed with the change and 7 disagreed. A response to those who disagreed is contained in the report.

At public meetings, Church representatives and parents had no objections. The Education Scotland report detailed no objections.

 

Based on the feedback from the consultation process and the conclusions of the Education Scotland report, a report will be made to the meeting of the People Committee of Clackmannanshire Council on 14 March 2019 recommending acceptance of the change in the Admissions policy.

We asked what you thought about our draft British Sign Language Plan.

We promoted engagement on the plan through our website, the local newspaper and social media. We also used BSL videos and shared our messages with local and national partner organisations, including community councils, Clackmannanshire Third Sector Interface, the Sensory Centre in Camelon and the British Deaf Association.

We gathered views in different ways:

• Public meetings in the Speirs Centre, Alloa during August and September 2018

• An online survey

• Comments by email

You told us:

There is a general lack of understanding around deafness and BSL. It is often assumed, incorrectly, that D/deaf people should be able to easily communicate through written English

• It can be very difficult for a D/deaf BSL to find the information they need on websites because it is usually only presented in English

• Customer service staff in many organisations do not know what to do when a D/deaf person makes an enquiry

• Families with D/deaf children said that courses in BSL were expensive and often involved long journey times to take part

• There is a lot of misunderstanding about the value of BSL to D/deaf people. In particular, there is often an assumption that cochlear implants negate the need for a visual language, but it is important distinguish what is essentially a medical intervention from the social and cultural benefits offered by BSL

• There is significant local demand for learning at least some BSL

We made some changes to the draft BSL plan. It was approved by Clackmannanshire Council on 25th October 2018.

The plan is available in BSL at: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCYsYiplr_vHP0M3XvnJ7w1w/videos?view=0&shelf_id=1&sort=dd