North Ayrshire: the Place to Be”

Appendix 1

North Ayrshire Council Plan 2012/17

“North Ayrshire: the place to be”

1 North Ayrshire Council Plan 2012/17 “North Ayrshire: the place to be”

1. Foreword

This Council Plan describes our aims and ambitions for the next five years, setting out a vision for North Ayrshire and outlining the way we seek to achieve it. It is important so that the general public, Council employees, our community planning partners, and outside scrutiny bodies have a clear view of this vision.

The Plan outlines the transformational change within Council to deliver better services and to address the challenges of an increasing older population and reducing public sector funding. It describes the values which guide our activities and how we will approach the challenges ahead.

We can only achieve our vision for North Ayrshire by working closely with our partners, our communities and by actively engaging with local people.

2. North Ayrshire: The Place

North Ayrshire is unique, beautiful and varied: a microcosm of Scotland at its best. With its rugged coastline, superb beaches and the dramatic islands of Arran and the Cumbraes, it is proud of its past and of its present.

Historic towns, with modern sporting, leisure and adventure opportunities and ancient ruined castles, are linked both by heritage and by a strong sense of place.

Communities are vibrant and individual, and traditional festivals such as Marymass and the Largs Viking Festival, are expressions of this.

Tourism is an important feature of the area and outdoor pursuits such as golf and water sports, and historic attractions such as Kilwinning Abbey Tower and the North Ayrshire Heritage Centre, bring together residents and visitors to share these experiences.

In North Ayrshire, we will assist and support communities to take advantage of their unique places and talents to develop their own aspirations and to plan for their future.

3. Our Vision for 2022

North Ayrshire: the place to be

A significant body of work has already been completed with our partners in setting out our long-term vision for North Ayrshire. It is detailed in the North Ayrshire

2 Economic Development and Regeneration Strategy 2010-20. “North Ayrshire: the place to be” summarises our vision that North Ayrshire will be:

 Vibrant – With more businesses and jobs located in the area, and revitalised town centres.  Diverse – There will be a diverse range of businesses and industries in North Ayrshire, attracting a wide range of people to live and work in the area.  Connected – North Ayrshire will be well-connected to ensure individuals and businesses can take advantage of opportunities outside the area. North Ayrshire will have a clear role in the wider Glasgow City Region.  Ambitious – Individuals and businesses will be ambitious, making the most of what North Ayrshire has to offer and taking advantage of the connections to elsewhere. The public sector will be ambitious for North Ayrshire as a whole and ensure the supports are in place to help individuals and businesses to realise their ambitions.  Visible – Individuals, businesses, policymakers and funders will have a clear sense of what North Ayrshire can offer them.

As a Council, we are uniquely placed to shape North Ayrshire’s future. The Council is the only organisation dedicated solely to North Ayrshire and all its people. We are the largest employer and the largest investor in the area. We have a key role in directing North Ayrshire’s physical and human resources to achieve success.

North Ayrshire Council is committed to tackling the challenge presented by three decades of economic decline and to drive forward initiatives that bring about renewal and new opportunities.

By creating a fresh pride and enthusiasm for the area’s heritage and future, we will promote a rejuvenated North Ayrshire, strongly connected to its people and clear about the key role they have in shaping its future.

This vision statement describes the Council’s ambitions and aspirations for North Ayrshire over the next ten years. The Council’s vision is:-

“North Ayrshire: the place to be”

3.1 Key principles

Our vision is based on the following common principles which guide the development of our future plans: -

1. a belief that some of the best solutions to problems come from making new connections between people, local areas, organisations and ideas; 2. a commitment to the belief that progress comes from trying out new ways of working and from innovative thinking; 3. an inclusive approach based on a belief that mutual support is vital to success;

3 4. a focus on developing and expanding the resilience and capacity of communities; and 5. a belief in the promotion and sharing of excellence in all that we do.

3.2 Vision Themes and Core Objectives

Our vision for North Ayrshire is based on four themes which link to our four core objectives: -

1. Regeneration 2. People and Communities 3. Aspirations and Ambitions 4. Improving Services

1. Regeneration Core Objective 1 – Regenerating our communities and increasing employment

Our regenerated town centres will help to form essential connections between people and their local areas. Working with other organisations, we will encourage new thinking and ideas to build a thriving North Ayrshire, making it a great place to live and to work.

Our main objective is to build a vibrant local economy with more businesses and jobs. We will be a key location for doing business where people aspire to live and work. We will be the place to invest for growth, with better road and rail transport links and with revitalised town centres.Supporting people, particularly young people, into employment and stimulating training opportunities is vital. Through our schools, our young people will be confident, aspirational individuals who are well prepared for the future.

Providing employment programmes and promoting economic development opportunities to help more people into work will bring many advantages, including benefits to their health and wellbeing. More people will be economically active participants in society and will live healthier and longer lives. We are committed to supporting health and wellbeing through our services, and to tackling the health inequalities between our communities.

2. People and Communities Core Objective 2 - Protecting Vulnerable People

Working closely with our communities will be vital so that we build on all of our strengths we have and agree together about the changes which are needed to make North Ayrshire a better place. This will involve making sure that everyone is included from all age groups and from different backgrounds so that our services and facilities meet everyone’s needs.

We will focus on families and recognise that getting it right for children is key to a thriving society.

We will ensure that our most vulnerable citizens are supported, protected and able to participate in their community. We will be fair and inclusive, ensuring that the services we deliver meet the needs of all of our communities.

We will support communities to grow and develop opportunities for the active engagement and participation of all its citizens by listening to local needs and aspirations.

We will work with our communities to make North Ayrshire an attractive, safe and sustainable place for people of all ages. This will involve building on the strengths within our communities and empowering them to develop their existing assets.

We will focus on finding joint solutions to difficult problems alongside our Community Planning partners, communities, businesses and the third sector.

3. Aspirations and Ambitions Core Objective 3 – Improving Educational Attainment

We have high expectations for North Ayrshire. We will raise the confidence and ambition of our young people from an early age to achieve all that they can. Allowing people to develop, learn and improve their skills will help them in achieving their personal ambitions. We will match the skills of people to emerging opportunities.

We will ensure that young people have the knowledge and skills to make the most of every opportunity.

Re-vitalising our civic pride in North Ayrshire will come about through celebrating our achievements and developing our sense of community which thrives in our local areas. We are proud of North Ayrshire, its people and its environment, and will do all we can to make sure that it prospers.

4. Improving Services Core Objective 4 - Operating more efficiently and effectively

We aim to provide the best services to our residents and to be one of the top performing Councils in Scotland.

We will seek to improve our services and to reduce any duplication or inefficiency, working closely with our public, private and voluntary sector partners. This will involve trying out new approaches and being innovative in how we deliver services within available resources, including ways of preventing the social and economic problems affecting our communities.

We will be an efficient, more innovative and flexible organisation, adapting to change. Recognised for innovation and modern thinking, we will continually review our performance so that we are more efficient and effective. We will ensure that we obtain value for money and deliver high quality services.

5 Our workforce will be highly skilled and professional, with the knowledge and abilities to commission and deliver high quality services. Partnerships with other organisations and working together with neighbouring Councils will help to make best use of public money. Integrating services so that they are delivered seamlessly across agencies will improve our customer service.

North Ayrshire Council is confident for the future. Regeneration and new investment will provide employment and educational opportunities. We will empower our citizens and improve our services to become more efficient and effective in all that we do. In this way we will be the place to be.

4 Strategic Framework

The Scottish Government is committed to delivering faster, sustainable economic growth with opportunities for everyone across Scotland. Working together over the last five years, the Scottish Government and local government have brought about a significant change in how Scotland is governed with a new outcomes-focussed approach.

The Christie Review of Public Services (2010) set out the “Four Pillars of Public Service Reform”. These are:

 A decisive shift towards prevention  Greater integration of public services at a local level driven by better partnership, collaboration and effective local working  Greater investment in the people who deliver services through enhanced workforce development and effective leadership  A sharp focus on improving performance, through greater transparency, innovation and use of digital technology

The need for radical change in the way services are delivered is heightened in North Ayrshire due to several factors including:

 A declining and ageing population  Persistent issues of deprivation, worklessness and health inequalities; and  The impact of national proposals for Welfare Reform

4.1 Early Intervention

High levels of deprivation in North Ayrshire and the impact this has on the development of very young children has highlighted the need for early action by both us and our partners. The benefits of providing resources to support early years intervention are now well established. We are committed to providing more resources for early years intervention. This will mean we will also need to provide support for children and families who are in need in the meantime. We are carrying out an early intervention and prevention programme and have approved funding to deliver it.

6 Building on the existing good work by our services to support prevention, this programme is expanding parenting programmes, creating early years centres, increasing family support services, introducing family nurse partnerships, operating a new multi-agency domestic abuse team and improving outcomes for children in care.

An example of progress in this area is the Council’s ambitious one year training programme to equip around 450 staff in Early Years services across all agencies to provide consistent and effective parenting support for families.

4.2 Integrating Services

Improving the integration of our services at a local level is being developed in partnership with our Community Planning Partners. Our new neighbourhood planning approach will ensure that public sector resources are targeted at those local areas most in need in North Ayrshire, delivering successful outcomes for our local communities. These resources will be delivered in the most efficient and effective way possible. The neighbourhood approach provides clear opportunities for greater joint working through aligning our resources, sharing our buildings and creating joint delivery teams in neighbourhood areas.

In addition, there will be a more integrated health and social care service delivered to older people by the Council and NHS Ayrshire and Arran as national proposals for this new service are developed during the next year.

4.3 Working together with our communities

North Ayrshire’s communities play an increasingly vital role in shaping and improving our services. During the past two years we have held a series of Straight Talking sessions with representatives from 150 local organisations and community groups. The sessions allowed us to meet local people and listen to their views on the best way to address the financial challenges ahead. Straight Talking was well received and we will build on a number of areas as a result, including volunteering and increasing community engagement.

We recognise the growing importance of being able to effectively engage with residents and communities as we aim to deliver more effective and efficient services to meet residents’ immediate and future needs. We intend to build on the strengths in our communities and to engage more closely with them during the next five years to shape and change how our services are delivered.

Our ambitions for North Ayrshire cannot be achieved without the active involvement of residents, communities and voluntary groups. Working in partnership is crucial to achieving our vision and our core objectives.

4.4 Workforce development and effective leadership

We have been working on new ways of recruiting and training employees based on behaviours or “competencies”, such as communication, customer focus and effective working relationships. This will help to ensure that our workforce is clear about what is expected of them by the Council in performing their role and to influence its culture

7 more generally. The “competencies” are also built into an annual review process to allow managers to discuss with their staff how they have performed against each competency.

We have undertaken a major exercise to listen to our employees’ views through a recent survey. This will allow us to obtain a better understanding of the issues affecting employees and what more needs to be done to improve services. Through ‘North Ayrshire Achieves’ we are keen to recognise the excellent service delivered by our excellent employees and to show off the talent which we have within our organisation.

A Strategic Leadership Development programme has been launched for our most senior managers to enhance their leadership skills and to ensure that we are providing opportunities for staff to learn in order to take on further leadership positions in the future.

Elected members also play a significant leadership role, acting as a voice of the community and representing its interests. Community leadership takes the form of local democratic leadership; leadership through partnership; and communities leading themselves.

4.5 Improving Performance and Services

We have introduced a Change Programme to improve services in an innovative way and to address the challenges facing us, such as the increasing older population and the reduced funding available to us. This approach is a change from simply seeking small savings across all services to a more radical, in-depth review of the way we deliver services and how this can be done more efficiently and in a way which meets local needs more effectively.

The Change Programme has involved a range of specific projects within services to alter the way they are provided.

In addition to the changes within the Council’s main services, there have also been moves to improve efficiency in the use of Council vehicles and our buildings. A review of our support services, including Information Communications Technology, Human Resources, Finance, Legal, Communications and Facilities Management has been carried out. This has involved examining other ways of providing these services to ensure that they are delivered as efficiently as possible.

In future, change will not be a separate process or programme but will be integrated as standard into service reviews so that it is a natural part of our culture. The increasing demands on the Council in future years will continue to drive the need to adapt services, ensuring that they are as efficient and effective as possible.

A performance management culture has been embedded into the Council through our strategies, policies and processes so that we take action based on the facts about our performance. In promoting the benefits of performance management we hold learning events and we share good practice across services.

8 A new, more robust focus on self-assessment is at the heart of our approach to performance management and improvement. Benchmarking across services identifies common areas for improvement and we are participating in Quality Scotland’s “Levels of Excellence” scheme.

4.6 Single Outcome Agreement

The Council leads the North Ayrshire Community Planning Partnership. Its Single Outcome Agreement is the foundation for effective partnership working and sets out our shared ambitions for North Ayrshire.

In July 2009, the Council signed up with the Scottish Government and its community planning partners to the North Ayrshire Single Outcome Agreement (SOA) 2009/12 - A Better Life. This has recently been reviewed and an interim SOA and action plan have been produced. A new, updated Single Outcome Agreement will be developed for 2013/17. This will include clear, agreed outcomes, indicators and targets for which all partners will be jointly accountable.

The Council Plan and our action plan describe how we will deliver our SOA commitments, as well as our own priorities. Many of the actions in the SOA action plan are also included in the Council Plan action plan. This clearly demonstrates the strong connection between the two plans.

Each Council service produces an annual plan on the way it intends to improve the delivery of its services. These service plans have been used to inform this overarching Plan setting out the Council’s direction.

There is a “golden thread” linking high level objectives to down to what individual employees do on the ground. Service plans ensure that there is clear responsibility for the indicators and the actions included in the SOA Action Plan and the Council Plan. An example of this is the action within the SOA and the Council Plan Action

9 Plans 2012/13 to implement the Economic Development and Regeneration Strategy. This action is incorporated into the Chief Executive’s Service Plan 2012/13.

5. Our Values

We make sure that our values run through all of our activities and are central to all the services we deliver. They are:

5.1 Treating people respectfully, fairly and equally

We are committed to ensuring that all of our services are accessible to all of our communities and meet everyone’s needs. The Council is an equal opportunities employer and will do all it can to promote equality and to tackle discrimination.

The Council has developed processes which assess the impact of its policies and plans on disadvantaged groups. This can highlight efficiencies and other benefits, as well as any potentially adverse impacts, and are applied at the appropriate level to ensure that our policies and functions are fair and sustainable.

5.2 Reflecting sustainability in our decision-making

Ensuring that the environment is enhanced and protected and that we have environmental monitoring systems in place is vital to our future. We will consider the future implications of our decisions to ensure that North Ayrshire continues to be an attractive place to live and work. Taking this long-term outlook means identifying risks and opportunities early so we can take the necessary steps to improve the sustainability of North Ayrshire for future generations.

5.3 Striving for continuous improvement

We are committed to continuous improvement, a value strongly connected to our programme of change, ensuring we are as flexible and efficient as possible. By carrying out service reviews, planning, and making sure we listen to staff and customers we can find out how to improve our services. Performance management is fundamental to continuous improvement. Effective performance management requires co-ordinated systems for planning and review that enable key decision- makers to take action based on performance information. It also needs management systems to be complemented by a culture that encourages appropriate attitudes and behaviours.

The Council is aiming to ensure that by 2014 it will have sector-leading performance management systems and a supporting performance culture in place.

10 6. Our Monitoring

The Council produces an Annual Performance Report which details its progress in achieving the core objectives in the Council Plan. It provides a balanced view of the Council’s progress and its overall performance for the public. Reports on progress in implementing the Council Plan action plan will be submitted every six months to the Cabinet and Scrutiny and Petitions Committee.

The Council has developed key performance indicators which are used to monitor progress in achieving its objectives. These provide evidence as to whether our core objectives are being achieved.

North Ayrshire Performs

We measure our performance using specified statutory performance indicators set by Audit Scotland and collected from all Scottish councils, along with local performance indicators specific to North Ayrshire. This information is published on the Council’s website at www.north-ayrshire.gov.uk.

Council Plan Action Plans

The Council has an annual action plan which describes the work we will carry out to implement the plan and to achieve our four core objectives. This is updated each year to reflect new initiatives and developments. The action plan can also be found on our website.

A five-year action plan which describes our longer-term proposals and strategies to achieve our core objectives is summarised below.

Council Plan Action Plan 2012/17

Core Objective 1. Regenerating our communities and increasing employment

To do this we will:

 Implement the Economic Development and Regeneration Strategy  Develop our Enterprise Area to create high quality jobs  Roll out a programme of town centre regeneration initiatives  Deliver the Council House building programme  Increase young people’s employability and job readiness

2. Protecting vulnerable people

To do this we will:

 Develop an early intervention and prevention programme  Improve multi-agency working on domestic abuse

11  Promote physical and outdoor activity strategies to support good health  Implement the anti-social behaviour strategy to enhance community safety  Prevent homelessness and ensure unintentionally homeless people have access to permanent housing

3. Improving educational attainment

To do this we will:

 Develop Curriculum for Excellence to improve young people’s attainment  Provide assistance to school leavers when moving into education, training or work

4. Operating more efficiently and effectively

To do this we will:

 Integrate the Change Programme into services to support an improvement culture  Implement the Communications Strategy to keep staff and customers informed  Improve performance management to measure progress more closely  Monitor the Capital Programme to ensure spending plans are achieved

North Ayrshire Council Plan Glossary of Terms

Benchmarking Benchmarking involves comparing the Council’s performance with that of other Councils to show improvement and learn from best practice.

Community Planning This is a statutory duty on the Council under the Local Government in Scotland Act 2003. The aims of community planning are to make sure people and communities are genuinely engaged in the decisions made about the public services which affect them and for organisations to work together in providing better public services.

Competencies Competencies are the collection of behaviours that employees must have or must acquire to do a job. They should not be confused with ‘competence’ which is the general ability to do a job, taking into account knowledge and skills.

Continuous Improvement Continuous improvement is an ongoing effort to improve services. It involves reviewing how they are delivered to improve efficiency, effectiveness and flexibility.

Golden Thread The “golden thread” links high level objectives to down to individual employees’ personal development plans. Service plans ensure that there is clear responsibility for the indicators and the actions included in the SOA Action Plan and the Council Plan.

Integrated Health and Social Care The integration of health and social care will change the way NHS Ayrshire and Arran and the Council work together and in partnership with the third and voluntary sectors. These changes aim to ensure that patients, service users and carers receive an improved, more integrated service.

Neighbourhood Planning Approach A “neighbourhood planning” approach, or “locality planning”, involves planning and delivering services at a local neighbourhood level. This includes analysing the needs of that neighbourhood and tailoring services appropriately. It also involves co- location and joint delivery where appropriate.

Outcomes-focussed Being outcomes-focussed involves ensuring that the Council considers the results of what it does which will change the quality of life or life opportunities of people in North Ayrshire, rather than describing the activities or services it provides.

Performance Management Performance management involves setting clear outcomes and priorities, developing action plans for the delivery of outcomes, deciding how to measure progress on outcomes, monitoring progress and assessing the impact of outcomes on the Council and on local communities.

Self-assessment Self-assessment is a process of reviewing current performance and making clear judgements about it based on evidence which supports the findings and proposed actions.

Single Outcome Agreement The Single Outcome Agreement is the core strategic document for the Community Planning Partnership and sets out the overarching context for partnership working in North Ayrshire. It provides a vision for the area, priorities to be addressed and outcomes to be achieved.

Appendix 1

Factfile

Population North Ayrshire is situated approximately 25 miles south-west of Glasgow. It includes the islands of Arran and Cumbrae. More than three-quarters of our population lives in urban areas or accessible small towns, with the remaining population living in rural areas.

North Ayrshire’s population was estimated to be 135,180 in 2010. It is forecast to fall by 4.3% in the period to 2033, compared to a projected increase in Scotland’s population of 7.3%. North Ayrshire’s younger population (0-15 years) is set to decrease by 12%, and its working age population by 15.3%. The pensionable age population, however, is predicted to rise by 26.6% by 2033.

North Ayrshire currently has a slightly higher proportion of older people and a lower proportion of people of working age than Scotland as a whole. In broad terms, the Garnock Valley, North Coast, Cumbrae & Arran areas have a generally older population, whereas the Irvine, Kilwinning, Dreghorn & Springside and Three Towns areas have higher proportions of younger people.

North Ayrshire has a relatively small ethnic minority community (0.7% of the population compared with 2% for Scotland).

Unemployment North Ayrshire has experienced high levels of unemployment for many years. In March 2011 12.1% of people aged over 16 were unemployed, the highest rate in Scotland. This compares to a national unemployment rate of 7.8%. Youth unemployment is also a significant problem, with almost a third (31.7%) of young people aged between 16 and 24 being unemployed in March 2011. The Council

15 wards with consistently high unemployment rates are concentrated around Irvine and the Ardrossan, Saltcoats and Stevenston areas. The wards in these areas have rates that are more than double the Scottish average. This has had a severely detrimental impact on our people and our communities and has resulted in high levels of deprivation within many of our towns.

In May 2011 there were 18,850 people in North Ayrshire claiming one of the main benefits available to working age people. This is 22% of the working age population, significantly above the Scottish average of 16.5%.

Deprivation The Scottish Index of Multiple Deprivation 2009 showed that North Ayrshire is ranked 5th highest in Scotland in terms of the percentage of datazones that fall within the 15% most deprived areas in Scotland. Increasing levels of deprivation have had a major impact on the area with all of the associated effects that this has on physical and mental health, homelessness, alcohol and drug misuse, levels of crime and violence, and on our communities more generally.

Economic Climate The changing economic climate presents challenges for North Ayrshire which is already in a position of acute disadvantage compared to Scotland as a whole. The recession will continue to cause the loss of local jobs, including the high-value, high-wage jobs we are seeking to retain and to grow, and the manufacturing jobs which have already been in decline since the 1980s. These manufacturing jobs are also at risk from global competition. A high proportion of jobs are in the public sector. There will undoubtedly be an impact from the recession on the employability and wider regeneration programmes we have underway.

The Council has to manage the effects of the recession on its own services and we are monitoring the potential increase in demand on services which may occur. At the same time, it has a role in supporting people and local businesses through these difficult times. The Council’s position as a major local employer and its leadership role gives it a central position in helping local businesses to rebuild the economy and stimulate growth. We are determined to revitalise the local economy and to make it more resilient.

16 The Economic Development and Regeneration Strategy sets out our strategic goals to become a leading location for doing business and to tackle worklessness. Being responsive to the needs of businesses and working in partnership with them will help us to achieve these goals

The Council is committed to developing the skills of its employees and to offering training places throughout the organisation to assist in tackling the impact of the recession in North Ayrshire.

Local Development The Local Development Plan to be adopted in 2013 will set out the areas of North Ayrshire that should be Plan regenerated and those that should be protected from development during the next two decades. The new plan's proposed vision is to encourage improvement by creating more jobs, providing an attractive place in which to live and work, and boosting tourism.

Key issues for the Plan will be regeneration of the Irvine, Kilwinning, Three Towns and Garnock Valley areas, with a focus on town centres. Priorities for economic development will be at Hunterston and Ardeer. Tourism promotion will aim to attract new people and to change perceptions about the area, promoting its recreational opportunities and its local environment. Improving transport links to Glasgow and throughout Ayrshire will also form an important part of the Plan.

Local Housing Our Local Housing Strategy’s vision for the next five years is “Working together to achieve quality homes Strategy and neighbourhoods”. Its six outcomes are:

 The supply and quality of housing better meets needs and aspirations  Fewer people become homeless  Housing support measures promote independent living  Housing is sustainable and contributes to stable communities  Access to high quality information and advice has improved  The strategic process is open, transparent and accountable

17 It is anticipated that the total number of households will increase by 200-350 each year to 2016, which is significantly lower than the Scottish average. It is forecast that the number of single parent and single person household will increase by 2018 while the number of family households will decrease significantly. Housing stock is mainly in private ownership (66%), followed by social housing (29%) and private rented dwellings (5%).

Health Improvement There are significant differences in the health of people living in the wealthier parts of North Ayrshire compared to its more deprived areas. Men in Kilwinning (Whitehirst Park) have an average life expectancy which is 15 years longer than men in Irvine (Fullarton). Our communities have persistently poorer health compared to Scotland as a whole.

The North Ayrshire Community Health Partnership Profile 2010 showed that the area is worse than the national average in almost half of the 59 health indicators used. Mortality rates are significantly higher and life expectancy is lower than the Scottish average. More than one in five people (22%) have a long term illness, health problem or disability, compared to the Scottish average of 20%.

Health and wellbeing is affected by a wide range of influences such as our environment, social and economic factors, personal and family circumstances and lifestyle. The Council has an important role to play in influencing some of the wider factors involved, for example, in education and employment opportunities.

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