Public performance reports
Finance, budgeting and workforce
The Council Plan Connect, outlines our 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 outcomes 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 that focus on key areas of council business. This report outlines the performance in relation to our Finance, Budgeting, and Workforce and how this links to the outcomes of our Value to be ambitious, self-aware, and improving.
Note: Some 2021-22 performances and results were impacted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
The following performance information and indicators relating to finance, budgeting, and workforce measure our efficiency in processing and charging for services and collecting debts and income. Efficient use of public money becomes ever more important as budgets continue to be squeezed and funding becomes more and more scarce. Articles relating to budget setting can be found in the online news pages South Lanarkshire View and information on Budget setting Consultations is also available on the website.
Revenues
Revenue expenditure is the cost of running services: for example salaries, electricity, supplies, and minor repairs. This will be offset by Revenue income or money received from, for example, the sale of goods or services, admission fees, and commissions. In 2021-22 actual revenue funding (excluding Covid GRG) of £823 million was raised from three main sources:
- funding from Scottish Government grants and Non domestic rates - £616 million (75%)
- Council Tax - £143 million (17%)
- Reserves - £64 million (8%)
More on the council's revenue financial information is included in the Annual Report and Accounts.
The savings exercise is an integral part of the budget-setting process, and helps the council to arrive at a balanced budget each year. Resources are asked to identify savings that can be implemented, with minimal impact on service delivery, where possible. The package has included savings arising from efficiencies, charges (both inflationary and non-inflationary), and those with a service impact.
As part of the annual budget setting process, the council undertakes a public consultation exercise involving representatives from the People's Panel and specific interest groups like the Employee Network, Trade Unions, South Lanarkshire Youth Council, Seniors Together, the South Lanarkshire Disability Partnership and Access Panel and Lanarkshire Ethnic Minority Action Group. Online consultation for all members of the public is also carried out and publicised widely using social media. The focus of the consultation changes each year depending on the savings proposed and the budget priorities. The results from the public consultation events are advised to all elected Members. The public is also asked for their views on the budget proposals by emailing savings@southlanarkshie.gov.uk.
Percentage of invoices that were paid within 30 days – Target 90% |
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What this means | 30 calendar days represent the normal credit term period by which debts should be paid. This indicator calculates how many invoices are paid within this timescale. | ||||
Why this matters | This indicator allows the council to keep track of payments to ensure the target is being achieved. | ||||
Our performance and how we compare | Comparator | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | Are we improving? |
SLC | 89.5% | 90.7% | 92.9% | Yes | |
Scotland | 91.7% | 91.8% | 92.2% | ||
How we have performed in improving this public service |
A continued increase in the number of payment runs per week and changes to payment terms in 2021-22 for essential services during Covid led to suppliers being paid earlier than normal. We have now reverted back to standard payment terms and one pay run per week, with the annual target of 90% continuing to be achieved. To see how we compare against other councils, links to the data are available in the 'Benchmarking' paragraph on the Improvement and how we compare page on our website. |
In South Lanarkshire, Council Tax accounts for approximately 17% of the funding required to pay for the range of services that we provide for the residents of the area. It is essential that we not only maximise this source of income by collecting as much as possible of the income due but that we also ensure that the cost of collecting the income is kept as low as possible.
Percentage of income due from Council Tax received by the end of the tax year – Target 94.0% |
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What this means | The amount of Council Tax actually collected is expressed as a percentage of the total amount due in the year. | ||||
Why this matters | This indicator allows efficiencies in the collection of Council Tax to be compared between years. | ||||
Our performance and how we compare | Comparator | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | Are we improving? |
SLC | 95.9% | 95.6% | 96.2% | Yes | |
Scotland | 95.8% | 94.8% | 95.7% | ||
How we have performed in improving this public service |
The improved collection rate is largely due to the full resumption of recovery activity throughout 2021-22. This is in contrast to 2020-21, where recovery action was suspended for the first 4 months of the financial year due to the impact of Covid. South Lanarkshire’s performance continues to be better than the Scottish average. Work to maximise Council Tax income collection will continue in 2022-23, utilising all available recovery methods. To see how we compare against other councils, links to the data are available in the 'Benchmarking' paragraph on the Improvement and how we compare page on our website. |
The Local Government Benchmarking Framework (LGBF) is the result of ongoing work by various agencies including Scottish local authorities, the Improvement Service, SOLACE, and CoSLA to create a framework to enable councils to work together to develop and use performance information in a way that will help understand variations, share good practice and improve services.
The final results for Scotland for 2021-22 were published by the Improvement Service in March 2023. To coincide with this, see the report detailing all our LGBF results with contextual information, comparison with the Scottish results and explanatory narrative.
Cost indicators are detailed and explained in full under the appropriate service Public Performance Report. A summary of the indicators and the status is included below:
Cost indicators These indicators use financial data to calculate the cost of providing services. To see how we compare against other councils, links to the data are available in the 'Benchmarking' paragraph on the Improvement and how we compare page on our website. |
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Indicator | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | Are we improving? |
Cost per primary school pupil | £6,018 | £5,963 | £6,177 | No |
Cost per secondary school pupil | £7,573 | £7,538 | £7,715 | No |
Cost per pre-school pupil | £7,242 | £8,557 | £9,933 | No |
The gross cost of children looked after in residential-based services per child per week | £3,297 | £3,650 | n/a | n/a |
The gross cost of children looked after in a community setting per child per week | £289.46 | £277.50 | n/a | n/a |
Older persons (65+) home care costs per hour | £24.74 | £25.50 | £28.56 | No |
Average weekly cost per person (age 65+) in residential care | £585 | £659 | £708 | No |
Cost per attendance at sports facilities | £2.92 | £54.05 | £5.90 | Yes |
Cost per library visit | £3.17 | £6.09 | £4.76 | Yes |
Cost per museum visit | £3.09 | £13.49 | £3.52 | Yes |
Cost of parks and open spaces per 1,000 population | £26,915 | £32,076 | £29,493 | Yes |
Net cost of waste collection per premise | £81.24 | £81.87 | £81.10 | Yes |
Net cost of waste disposal per premise | £103.15 | £113.48 | £106.47 | Yes |
Net cost of street cleaning per 1,000 population | £18,433 | £16,020 | £16,538 | No |
Spend per km of road | £17,386 | £20,056 | £18,090 | No |
Cost of trading standards per 1,000 population | £3,226 | £2,911 | £3,330 | No |
Cost of environmental health per 1,000 population | £11,721 | £12,549 | £12,450 | Yes |
Cost per planning application and building services per application | £5,118 | £4,334 | £4,405 | No |
Investment in economic development and tourism per 1,000 population |
£47,216 | £44,293 | £69,538 | No |
The cost per dwelling of collecting council tax |
£6.83 | £6.63 | £6.90 | No |
Gross value added (GVA) per capita |
£21,411 | £19,447 | n/a | n/a |
(Figures correct as at 31 January 2023). An explanatory narrative for the movements in performance above can be found in the LGBF results report for 2021-22 |
As demand for services is increasing and cost pressures are rising, local authorities are feeling the financial pressure which is impacting budgets. Local authorities are also facing higher levels of scrutiny over their decision-making, with Audit Scotland stating that “although no council is currently using reserves which risk their financial resilience, they would continue to have an interest in how councils set their reserves policies and utilise those reserves as funding pressures continue in the coming years.” Creating a common set of financial sustainability measures that are comparable across all Scottish local authorities, will support robust discussions around financial decision-making, on the robustness of budgets.
Total useable reserves as a % of council annual budgeted revenue |
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What this means | This indicator is calculated as the ratio of total usable reserves to council's annual budgeted revenue. | ||||
Why this matters | This measure has been incorporated to provide an indication of the level of how a council is placed to meet unforeseen events. A low level of unallocated reserves may be a sign that a council could struggle if any unknown financial surprises were to occur. | ||||
Our performance and how we compare | Comparator | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | Are we improving? |
SLC | 13.29% | 18.33% | 14.74% | No | |
Scotland | 16.95% | 23.66% | 24.44% | ||
How we have performed in improving this public service |
The council has seen a slight reduction in useable reserves as a percentage of the council budget. While there was an actual increase in the level of useable reserves (as a result of the Loans Fund Review and also the carry forward of residual COVID funding at the end of 2021-22), there was a greater increase in the council’s annual expenditure Budget, meaning that arithmetically, the percentage of useable reserves to annual budget reduces. The important factor to consider is the purpose and use of reserves, and the fact is that the council is clear on what reserves we have, and their purpose of them. The carrying forward of Covid funding will diminish as it is utilised in the coming year, however, the use of Loans Fund Review Reserves will affect the figures for the next few years and will be a main part of the reason for our increased level of reserves. The key factor is that the reserves are sufficient. |
Ratio of financing costs to net revenue stream - General Fund |
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What this means | This indicator is one of the Prudential indicators currently published by councils during their budget setting process. | ||||
Why this matters | This is an indicator of affordability and highlights the revenue implications of existing and proposed capital expenditure by identifying the proportion of the revenue budget required to meet financing costs, net of investment income. | ||||
Our performance and how we compare | Comparator | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | Are we improving? |
SLC | 7.76% | 5.32% | 5.18% | Yes | |
Scotland | 7.19% | 6.24% | 5.89% | ||
How we have performed in improving this public service |
This ratio shows a minor reduction in the council’s ratio of financing costs to net revenue stream. The overall reduction reflects reduced loan charges combined with an increase in income (Council Tax, NDR and Non Ring Fenced Government Grants). The position reflects the product of strategic, sustained capital investment in schools and roads over more than twenty years. |
Ratio of financing costs to net revenue stream - Housing Revenue Account |
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What this means | This indicator is one of the Prudential indicators currently published by Councils during their budget setting process. | ||||
Why this matters | This is an indicator of affordability and highlights the revenue implications of existing and proposed capital expenditure for the HRA, by identifying the proportion of the revenue budget required to meet financing costs, net of investment income. | ||||
Our performance and how we compare | Comparator | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | Are we improving? |
SLC | 16.83% | 16.31% | 16.04% | Yes | |
Scotland | 22.56% | 22.91% | 22.12% | ||
How we have performed in improving this public service |
There is a minor reduction in percentage terms. |
Support services as a percentage of total gross expenditure |
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What this means | This indicator calculates the proportion of total running costs of councils which is spent on support services. | ||||
Why this matters | This high-level indicator is important because it provides information on the level of support that is required in each council for front-line services. | ||||
Our performance and how we compare | Comparator | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | Are we improving? |
SLC | 4.01% | 3.59% | 3.87% | No | |
Scotland | 3.97% | 4.03% | 4.07% | ||
How we have performed in improving this public service |
There has been a small increase in the cost of support as a percentage of the total budget – this is a combination of an increase in support costs and also an increase in the total net budget. These result in an overall minor increase in the percentage. |
Financial sustainability looks forward to the medium and long term to consider whether the council is planning effectively to continue to deliver its services or the way in which they should be delivered. As part of their Auditors Report 2022 (Section 3) our external Auditors prepare an update on how well, or otherwise, the council is complying with this.
The percentage of the highest paid 5% of employees who are women |
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What this means | This indicator provides a picture of the current gender balance in more senior posts. | ||||
Why this matters | The delivery of quality services is dependent on a trained and motivated workforce, and it is essential that councils’ employment policy reflects their commitment to equal opportunities. This helps identify areas of potentially unfair or discriminatory practices. | ||||
Our performance and how we compare | Comparator | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | Are we improving? |
SLC | 51.98% | 55.27% | 56.71% | Yes | |
Scotland | 56.74% | 58.06% | 58.96% | ||
How we have performed in improving this public service |
There has been an increase in the proportion of women in the top 5% earners in the Council between 2020-21 and 2021-22. We continue to work in line with our current policies and processes to ensure that our female employees at that top end (which can shift depending on where the 5% falls), are being progressed appropriately. Our picture is improving year on year and we need to keep a focus on that along with the work that we continue to do in line with our equalities duties. |
The gender pay gap |
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What this means | This indicator provides a picture of the gap in pay between men and women employed by councils. | ||||
Why this matters | Employers are required (under Section 7 of The Equality Act 2010 (Specific Duties) (Scotland) Regulations 2012) to publish a single gender pay gap figure, which is the percentage difference between men’s and women’s hourly pay, excluding overtime. The delivery of quality services is dependent on a trained and motivated workforce, and it is, therefore, essential that councils’ employment policy reflects their commitment to equal opportunities. The indicator provides a picture of the current gender pay gap between male and female employees. This will help councils to identify areas of potentially unfair or discriminatory practices as well as provide a baseline for measuring improvement over time. The indicator does not deal with equalities relating to ethnicity, disability, or sexual orientation. | ||||
Our performance and how we compare | Comparator | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | Are we improving? |
SLC | 5.08% | 4.83% | 4.00% | Yes | |
Scotland | 3.40% | 3.66% | 3.54% | ||
How we have performed in improving this public service |
Although the gender pay gap position in South Lanarkshire Council is improving, South Lanarkshire’s performance compares less favourably to some other councils where they have outsourced services with predominantly female workforces. Personnel services carry out regular Equal Pay Audits to monitor pay to identify any unfair, unjust, or unlawful practices that impact pay, and take appropriate remedial action. We will continue to plan and implement actions in partnership with trades union representatives in the line with the principles of ‘Delivering a fairer future’; provide training and guidance for those involved in determining pay; monitor pay statistics annually in addition to conducting council-wide Equal Pay Reviews in accordance with our equalities duties. The council has living wage accreditation. We have restructured and streamlined Pay Grades and levels to ensure consistency and fairness across all levels. We continue to implement our Delivering a Fairer Future policy with a focus on areas identified with specific occupational segregation anomalies. |
Sickness absence days per teacher |
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What this means | This indicator calculated the sickness absence days per teacher. | ||||
Why this matters | Sickness absence in the public sector is widely regarded as being a significant cost to councils. This indicator is important because it allows councils to compare these rates and establishes which councils are dealing effectively with this issue. This indicator looks at the effectiveness of the HR function in terms of impact on the overall levels of sickness absence for teachers through the development of processes and procedures, and training for managers. Services should aim to reduce the number of shifts/days lost through sickness absence over time. | ||||
Our performance and how we compare | Comparator | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | Are we improving? |
SLC | 7.25 | 5.12 | 7.24 | No | |
Scotland | 6.35 | 4.16 | 5.84 | ||
How we have performed in improving this public service |
The number of days lost due to sickness has increased compared to 2020-21, largely due to the level of absences returning to pre-lockdown levels following the relaxation/ removal of Covid-19 with people returning to their normal place of work. Actions We have provided additional HR support to assist managers to enable appropriate actions and supports to be in place in line with our Maximising Attendance Policy, including a dedicated Maximising Attendance team ( 3 x officers and 2 x assistants) and also producing reports to enable activity to be monitored. |
Sickness absence days per employee (non-teacher) |
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What this means | This indicator calculated the sickness absence days per employee (non-teacher). | ||||
Why this matters | Sickness absence in the public sector is widely regarded as being a significant cost to councils. This indicator is important because it allows councils to compare these rates and establishes which councils are dealing effectively with this issue. This indicator looks at the effectiveness of the HR function in terms of impact on the overall levels of sickness absence in the service through the development of processes and procedures, and training for managers. Services should aim to reduce the number of shifts/days lost through sickness absence over time. Sickness rates tend to vary considerably between services, and the rates for operational staff within the fire & rescue service are generally high in comparison with the public sector average. This is explained in part by the hazardous nature of the work, and the special needs in respect of fitness. This indicator is defined in accordance with ‘Value for Money in public sector corporate services’ (May 2007) and amended guidance issued in June 2011, published on behalf of the joint UK audit bodies. | ||||
Our performance and how we compare | Comparator | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | Are we improving? |
SLC | 12.76 | 10.11 | 12.98 | No | |
Scotland | 11.90 | 9.71 | 12.43 | ||
How we have performed in improving this public service |
The number of days lost due to sickness has increased compared to 2020-21, largely due to the level of absences returning to pre-lockdown levels following the relaxation/ removal of Covid-19 with people returning to their normal place of work. Actions We have provided additional HR support to assist and guide managers to enable appropriate actions and supports are in place in line with our Maximising Attendance Policy, including a dedicated Maximising Attendance team (3 x officers and 2 x assistants) and also producing reports to enable activity to be monitored. |
Claimant count as a % of working age population |
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What this means | This measure calculates the number of people of working age claiming either jobseeker’s allowance or Universal Credit, as a percentage of the working age population. | ||||
Why this matters |
Employability is a key national policy objective and local authorities are currently working to deliver a range of employment support programmes. These schemes often include working in partnership with commercial and third sector providers. Data is sourced from ONS Nomis - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics |
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Our performance and how we compare | Comparator | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | Are we improving? |
SLC | 3.5% | 6.3% | 3.8% | Yes | |
Scotland | 3.3% | 6.1% | 3.7% | ||
How we have performed in improving this public service |
As of March 2022, 3.8% of the working age population in South Lanarkshire are claimant unemployed, marginally above the Scottish average of 3.7% (the benchmark figure). The gap between the local and national claimant unemployment rates has narrowed over the past year indicating good progress against the benchmark. Analysis of the trend in claimants for the period up to March 2022 also indicates that the claimant counts locally have been falling consecutively for the past 13 months, and now stands at the lowest level recorded in South Lanarkshire for 2 years (since the first COVID-19 lockdown in March 2020). The position of South Lanarkshire relative to the other council areas has also been improving over the past 12 months, with the authority ranking 21st out of 32 councils for claimant rate in March 2022, compared to 22nd out of 32 in March 2021. Council-operated employability programmes continue to contribute to the overall claimant count reduction moving unemployed people from welfare to work. This is in part reflected in current levels of employment in South Lanarkshire, where the percentage of the working age population in work (for the 12 months up to March 2022) is at 78.1%, the highest-level ever recorded, and well above the Scottish average (74.4%). (SLC does not contribute to this result in isolation – it should be pointed out that there are many external factors affecting the data). |
Claimant count as a % of 16-24 population |
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What this means | This measure calculates the number of people aged 16 to 24 claiming either jobseeker’s allowance or Universal Credit, as a percentage of all 16 to 24 year olds. | ||||
Why this matters |
Employability is a key national policy objective and local authorities are currently working to deliver a range of employment support programmes. These schemes often include working in partnership with commercial and third sector providers. 16 to 24 year olds have been disproportionately affected by the pandemic. Schemes like The Young Persons Guarantee and No One Left Behind are being administered locally to improve opportunities for young people to get into work. Data is sourced from ONS Nomis - Official Census and Labour Market Statistics |
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Our performance and how we compare | Comparator | 2019-20 | 2020-21 | 2021-22 | Are we improving? |
SLC | 4.4% | 7.8% | 3.7% | Yes | |
Scotland | 3.9% | 7.2% | 3.7% | ||
How we have performed in improving this public service |
As of March 2022, the percentage of the 16-24 population unemployed and claiming benefits stands at 3.7%, equal to the Scottish average (the benchmark). The gap between the local and national claimant unemployment rates has narrowed over the past year, signifying appreciable progress against the benchmark. It is also worth noting that the current rate of 16-24 claimants in South Lanarkshire is the lowest recorded for over 4 years, and has dropped below the working age population (16-64) average of 3.8% for the first time. The impact of Covid adversely impacted the younger client groups compared to the general age working population. This was largely due to young people leaving university and college with limited job opportunities due to economic lockdowns, business closures, and furlough. Young people were disproportionately affected in 2020-21 with more young people working in the service sector, particularly hospitality bared the brunt of the pandemic. Council operated employability programmes contribute to the overall claimant count reduction moving unemployed people from welfare to work. Other Local Employability Partners (LEPs) and providers deliver employability services including the national Fair Start Scotland (FSS) programme which also moves clients into work. The on and off flows of claimant unemployment will vary month to month subject to changes in the labour market. (SLC does not contribute to this result in isolation – it should be pointed out that there are many external factors affecting the data) |
The council’s Annual Report and Accounts contain very detailed financial information but also a summary of highlights of the year from the Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive Officer. This is audited by our external auditors Audit Scotland and we obtained a ‘clean’ audit certificate. This audit opinion and other judgments on the council’s financial sustainability and management, governance, transparency, and Best Value are included in the annual Auditor's Report (AAR).
South Lanarkshire Leisure and Culture Annual Report outlines the work and highlights the financial information for the Leisure Trust which delivers all leisure and cultural activities on behalf of the council.
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 Revenues and costs can be found in the following Resource Plans:
- Finance and Corporate Resource Plan
- Community and Enterprise Resource Plan
- Education Resource Plan
- Housing and Technical Resource Plan
- Social Work 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 Outcomes are prepared. See Quarter 2 and Quarter 4 performance reports for further information.
More information on our objectives 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. For more information and links relating to this framework go to the 'Benchmarking' paragraph on the Improvement and how we compare page on our website.
The information contained in this report reflects the position based on the data available at the time of publication (March 2023).
- Public performance reports
- Assets
- Benefits and funding administration
- Children and families social work
- Community care
- Justice social work
- Economic development
- Education of children
- Environmental health and trading standards
- Housing and homelessness
- Leisure and culture
- Planning and building standards
- Finance, budgeting and workforce
- Roads and lighting
- Street cleaning and grounds maintenance
- Sustainable Development and Climate Change
- Waste management
- Working with communities
- Assessment and review