Agenda item

(a)    Kelso Skate Park – presentation from Kelso High School students and 

  Youth Learning Team (CLD Service)

 

(b)     Electric Vehicle Charging – Update

 

(c)     Community Choices – Participatory Budgeting Update

 

(d)     Cheviot Community Assistance Hub Update

 

SECTION 2: LOCAL PRIORTIES 

4.1       Kelso Skate Park

Clare Malster, Locality Development Co-ordinator reported that unfortunately the Kelso High School Students were unable to attend the meeting.

 

4.2     Electric Vehicle Charging Update

It was reported that through funding from the UK Community Renewal Fund, Scottish Borders Council was currently taking forward a region wide feasibility study to identify future EV vehicle charging demand and the commercial opportunities to create a regional delivery model to attract private investment and operation.  This approach recognised the Scottish Government’s new approach to funding charging infrastructure through private sector investment.  In the National Transport Strategy 2 Delivery Plan and the recently published Transport Scotland and Scottish Futures Trust report on delivering EV Infrastructure, they both highlight that the public sector had supported the growth in EV vehicles through initial infrastructure and, now the market had reached maturity, it was time to leverage private sector investment into the country to deliver the wider infrastructure required to hit the Net Zero targets over the next 20 years.

 

The feasibility study acknowledged that with the size and dispersed population of the Scottish Borders, it would make it difficult to attract private sector investment equitably across the region.  Therefore the study was looking to engage with sectors in the Scottish Borders (business, tourism etc.) and communities to quantify the future charging demand and to provide guidance on forming partnerships to procure investment from the private sector collectively.  This would enable the region to gain economies of scale / critical mass and maximising the coverage of private investment.

 

The public consultation was expected to go live w/c 4 April and run to the end of June.  This would include stakeholder workshops expected to take place mid-April – early May. There would be specific workshops for community councils which would help on a locality basis.  The information would be circulated as soon as it was available.

 

4.3     Community Choices – Participatory Budgeting Update

It was reported that at their meeting on 22 February Scottish Borders Council received an update on the organisation’s approach to Participatory Budgeting (PB).  In 2017 CoSLA announced that Council Leaders had agreed that at least 1% of local government budgets would be subject to Participatory Budgeting by the end of the financial year (2020/21) with the aim of giving communities more influence over decisions on how funding was spent in their local area.  However with the majority of PB work stopping in response to the pandemic CoSLA and Scottish Government recognised the exceptional circumstances brought about by the ongoing pandemic, and the impact this had had on the ability of local authorities to meet the 1% Framework Agreement by the end of March 2022.  Scottish Government and CoSLA Leaders have renewed their commitment to meeting the 1% target and the Framework Agreement had been revised to allow a degree of flexibility in meeting the deadline, alongside the importance of embedding social renewal within future mainstream PB activity.

 

The PB target of 1% was not about identifying a separate or additional resource, it was principally about involving communities in decisions regarding existing resources.  The 1% was the minimum target and can comprise both revenue and capital expenditure.  In taking this forward it was recognised that training for both officer and communities would be beneficial.  Many partners attended the training workshops that were run by SCDC at the tail end of last year, which covered topics including what was PB, where did it come from what was community empowerment, what are the barriers and opportunities; and community engagement. The slides and breakout room write ups had been circulated.

 

The Council was forecasting to spend £3.970m on PB activity during 2021/22. The minimum target is £2.332m.   This was made up as follows:

 

·         Community Fund - £372,000

·         Build Back a Better Borders Recovery Fund - £443,000

·         Foodbanks and Fareshare support - £127,000

 

Officers meet regularly with local foodbanks, Fareshare outlets and other food networks across the Borders. Utilising the Financial Hardship Fund enabled direct communication from these groups in relation to lived experience, and also about what type of financial support would be most useful to them in reducing food insecurity across the Borders with dignity and respect.

 

·         Play parks - £78,000

Newtown Primary School had been involved in the design of the pattern of the wet pour safety surface of Newtown St Boswells Play Park, and this was a good example of how to involve communities in making choices.

 

·         Hawick Flood Scheme Active Travel Network – £2,950m

Engagement had taken place with community groups in the Hawick area throughout the Hawick Flood Scheme project and the outcomes of these discussions had resulted in direct changes to the design of the Scheme and budget spend including the inclusion of the Hawick Active Travel Network. 

 

A really good example of PB at a local level was Peebles High School where pupils had been awarded funding from Tweeddale Community Fund and the Democratic Society to run their own PB project in relation to making improvements in the school.  The pupils were keen to share their experiences with any groups interested in doing something similar with the School. 

 

So moving forward, what next?

Following the SCDC training webinars being delivered to Council officers covering PB including why it was important to the Council and our communities and what the Council’s responsibility regarding PB was.  CoSLA had launched a PB briefing for Elected Members, which was live on the Improvement Service Website.

 

Additional areas being considered in relation to a PB approach for 2022/23 include:

 

·         Place Based Investment Programme

·         community food growing

·         skate parks

·         pupil voice in relation to school meals

·         climate change & net zero

·         period poverty, and

·         demand led transport

These will contribute to the Councils minimum target of £2.430m for 2022/23

 

In conclusion, the approach being taken was to embed PB as a way in which the Council does its business and therefore would evolve. It would be delivered via mainstreaming routes rather than the small grant or one off budgets, which had previously been the focus, and would take time to develop and refine as we learn what works best for our communities. To ensure that the Council achieved this it was essential that we train and develop key officers across the organisation to consider PB in their service and spending plans.

 

4.4     Cheviot Community Assistance Hub Update

David Peebles, Community Engagement Officer explained that the Cheviot Community Partnership meetings took place every second Thursday on line and lasted approximately an hour to give support, to share networks and focus on specific needs within the community.

There was a mailing list of 70 people representing Care, Social Services, Housing, Youth Groups, Third Sector and Scottish Borders Council.  Relevant individuals and organisations were invited to each meeting to speak to the group around an agreed subject. Since February, Mental Health has been the focus with leadership from Steph Mackenzie from the NHS Borders Health Improvement Team, Clare Malster and myself.

 

The starting point was Public Mental Health Interventions, which highlighted what could be done.

·         On a Primary level – the locality could map what assets were in place to  promote Mental Health Wellbeing and promote these.

·         On a Secondary Level – there was probably more that could be done

·         On a Third Level – ongoing activities were required to keep well, eg lunch clubs, craft sessions, walking groups and youth groups.

·         A community approach was required, the NHS could not do this alone.

During the last meetings, the following speakers and organisations had presented:-

 

Ross Irvine – Emotional Wellbeing & Mental Health Service Cheviot Youth whose remit was to provide free to access counselling to all over age 8, with a particular specialism in those aged between 8 and 25 and are an approved placement provider for BACP HND course available at Borders College

Currently running and planning for the future:

o   Dads only Program

o   Parenting in the teenage years

o   Anger in the family program

o   Brick by Brick - autism

o   All stars – resilience against bullying

o   Seasons for growth – grief and loss approach

 

Lyndsay Hornigold – Dementia Adviser - Alzheimers Scotland who was hoping to open a Dementia café in Jedburgh.

 

Paul Roberts – Foodbank had recognised that the Economic profile of the people being referred was changing and they were now seeing people they would not previously have expected to require a food bank

 

Cheviot Togs who received funding from Build Back Better Fund, were able to provide free clothing on a referral basis. This service is available across Cheviot and Teviot area and would include school uniforms

 

Lisa-Jane Dock – NHS 24 mental health services which provided the following services

·         Self help guides for those with mild to moderate symptoms

·         Mental health Hub available 24/7 on 111

·         NHS inform website

·         Breathing Space – free confidential telephone support 6pm- 2am Mon-Thurs, 24hrs at the weekend on 0800 83 85 87

 

Lizzie McLeish & Nic White - Children & Young People Community Health & Wellbeing

Their two main areas of focus on:-

The Service Directory - which was looking to be a one stop shop for services, children, young people and families to establish different opportunities/support that can be accessed within the Borders that would support with emotional health and wellbeing for children and young people.

 

The Training Matrix which was looking at skilled and informed levels of training available in the Scottish Borders across different areas that could affect emotional health and wellbeing eg Healthy Eating, Sleep, Self Harm, Substance Use and Tobacco and other areas.

 

Kirsty – Kooth was a free online mental health & emotional wellbeing service. The service was commissioned for those aged 11 – 18 living in Scottish Borders. There was also a Kooth magazine available for young people which included a creative space where users could contribute their poetry, articles etc. and a good mood playlist available every Monday on Spotify.

 

Rosin Lynch – Togetherall Borders was a free online mental health support with peer support, combined with 24/7 clinical rigour, which empowers people to share feelings anonymously, break isolation and receive empathy – all in a safe place.

 

Steph MacKenzie – NHS Borders Health Improvement Team

A multi-agency steering group was in place and a great deal of training and capacity building had been carried out during the pandemic.  Currently developing a 3 year action plan for mental health and suicide prevention and looking at what could be done in the communities.

 

The aim was to compile all relevant information together as a resource. If anyone was interested in participating in the meetings, please contact David Peebles - David.Peebles@scotborders.gov.uk or Clare Malster - CMalster@scotborders.gov.uk

 

DECISION

NOTED.