Agenda item

Presentation of summary and key findings.

7.1       The Board received a presentation from Ms Erin Murray, SBC Research and Policy Officer, on the Strategic Assessment 2016, which would be the evidence base for the Community Planning Partnership’s Local Outcomes Improvement Plan and the 5 Locality Plans.  This was the third edition of the Strategic Assessment which was a 200 page document and would be available on the website for download (6MB).  The Assessment had been highlighted by Audit Scotland as good practice.  The Strategic Assessment also informed the Health & Social Care Integration Locality Plans, the Community Learning & Development Plan, Police Scotland local plans, and the Scottish Fire and Rescue Service local plans.  Information was given at a Scottish Borders level and, where possible, at a locality level on demographic and household profiles; economy and income; education and learning; life stages/health and wellbeing; community and environment; and public services.  Some of the findings for each theme were shown.  From 2012 to 2037 the total population of the Scottish Borders was not projected to change significantly compared to a projected 8.8% increase for Scotland.  Life expectancy in the Scottish Borders was higher than Scotland.  The Borders railway usage was 22% above forecast at 6 months; over 30% of A class, and 40% of B class, roads required to be considered for maintenance treatment; and there were 35 public electric vehicle charge points across the region.  GVA per capita was lower compared to Scotland and the UK but there was slightly better growth.  Between 2010 and 2015 the Borders economic turnover increased by £313m, representing a 10.9% increase above the 1.3% increase for Scotland (excluding financial and insurance enterprises).  The Borders had more small enterprises and these contributed more of the turnover compared to Scotland.  Gross weekly pay for full time workers followed a similar pattern to GVA, with workplace based wages in the Borders consistently lower than residence based wages.  Job seekers allowance by locality from 2007 to 2016 was the same pattern for all areas but highest in Teviot and lowest in Tweeddale.  There was wide range of footfall in town centres in 2015 per 1000 town population – from 311 in Hawick to 1445 in Melrose.  Fewer children lived in poverty compared to the rest of Scotland although there was a range across the Borders with the lowest at 4.5% and the highest at 27.8% (average 10.9%).  In 2014/15, the Welfare Benefits Service had 2,364 customers who received advice, advocacy or representation and achieved £6.1m in income gains for these customers.  In 2013/14, the Citizen’s Advice Bureaux supported 629 clients with almost £5.5m of debt that increased to 701 clients with over £6.1m debt for 2014/15.  However, in 2014/15, the Bureaux also recorded over £1.7m of financial gain for their debt clients.  Fuel poverty was 43% in the Scottish Borders compared to 36% for Scotland as a whole.

7.2       Between 2011/12 and 2013/14, the proportion of school leavers with the highest SCQF level of 6 or 7 had increased by 5.3% from 58.2% to 63.5%.  In 2012/13 the % of school leavers at a positive destination at 6 months averaged 92.1% varying from 78.3% in Hawick Central to 100% in Hawick North and Berwickshire Central.  From 2012/13 to 2014/15 50% or more of adult learners that completed a learning opportunity thought they had achieved increased skills, increased confidence and increased health and wellbeing.  At Borders College in 2014/15, the number of full time students increased and there was a 69% completion rate compared to a 64% rate for Scotland.  Between 2005 and 2014, the proportion of adults with no qualifications in the Borders decreased from 11.5% to 5.7%.  In 2014, the Research and Development business expenditure per person for the Scottish Borders was £52, well below the £169 for Scotland. With regard to Health and Wellbeing, for the 27-20 month health review, the Scottish Borders had more meaningful assessments and a lower proportion of those with a concern than Scotland.  While the % of child obesity in Primary 1 was lower compared to Scotland (91.% compared to 10.1%), there was a range across the Borders with 5.7% in Cheviot and 13.2% in Berwickshire.  Overall a greater proportion of 13 year olds had ‘never smoked’ compared to 15 year olds, but in 2013 only 56% of 15 year old girls had never smoked, compared to 63% for Scotland.  Type 2 diabetes was the most common on the diabetes register (5,565 of 6,284 registrations), and overall diabetes prevalence was slighter higher than for Scotland.  Compared to a rate of 65% for Scotland, the Scottish Borders had 71% of adults with a BMI of 25 or more.  There was also a higher level of emergency hospitalisations along with an increase in the rate of multiple emergency hospitalisations for people aged 65+.  The % of primary school children taking 2 hours of physical education had increased from 23% in 2009/10 to 89% in 2014/15; 29% of adults took part in 30 minutes of moderate physical activity daily. 

7.3       Parking, speeding and rubbish were the most common neighbourhood issues and 20% had witnessed or experienced anti-social behaviour.  Between 2010/11 and 2014/15, there had been a 15% decrease in recorded crimes in the Borders.  The total tonnage of household waste decreased by 7.2% between 2011 and 2014, but the amount going to landfill increased from 53.3% to 61.4%.  There was a 77% satisfaction rate for kerbside recycling and 68% for Community Recycling Centres.  Total gas and electricity consumption in the Borders had decreased between 2005 and 2014, with household energy efficiency in 2015 at 51.2 ECO (Energy Company Obligations) measures per 1000 households, which was below the level for Scotland (80.3).  Satisfaction with street cleaning was declining but most felt their neighbourhood area was a good place to live.  The 2007-2013 Leader Programme had brought over £3.5m into the Scottish Borders, with the Council’s Community Grant Scheme budget of £132k leveraging in almost £1m to fund projects.  Over 70% surveyed said that growing the economy of the Borders and supporting retailers and businesses was the top priority, with provision of high quality care for older people and tackling poverty and inequality the next highest priorities.  The Council and NHS Borders accounted for over 90% of the public sector budget within the Borders (£626m).

7.4       The next steps were to publish the Strategic Assessment 2016, publish extracts for each Locality, and use the Assessment to inform the development of the Local Outcomes Improvement Plan and the 5 Locality Plans.  In response to a question, Ms Murray advised that the Local Housing Strategy included the data on housing.  Mrs McDiarmid further advised that housing tended to be dealt with at officer level in the Community Planning Partnership rather than Board level, and linked in particularly to the Reducing Inequalities work.  The presentation and links to the Strategic Assessment could be made available to the Board, with links to Locality information sent out as it was produced.      

DECISION

NOTED.