South Lanarkshire Council is working on problematic areas, and progress has been made.
There are areas across the authority which can have a significant impact on the council’s governance arrangements.
Progress on the significant areas, highlighted within the Annual Governance Statement 2020/2021, was discussed at the Risk and Audit Scrutiny Committee meeting on Wednesday.
Out of the 14 areas identified, the most notable issues include the council’s progress with the COVID pandemic and COVID recovery, its response to financial challenges and economic recovery and renewal.
Actions taken by the council, in response to the pandemic include continuous monitoring of national guidance and implementing further measures when required and maintaining resilience arrangements.
The authority has made some progress with this, including providing appropriate resource measures in schools and educational facilities to reduce the risk of transmission in these establishments.
In the progress report, the council’s COVID recovery actions were outlined, as conditions improve, the authority aims to deliver the right services appropriately for the benefit of residents.
The council will continue to develop and implement the Resource Recovery Framework which is monitored through resource and service management teams.
Another area identified in the annual governance statement is the financial challenges the authority has faced, there has been a reduction in council funding which has led to difficulties in maintaining front line services.
In response to this, additional funding from the Scottish Government will be used to support households financially impacted by COVID.
For economic recovery and renewal, it has been agreed that the recovery work to date will be reviewed and a new economic strategy for the area will be launched for 2022 to 2027, which is yet to be approved by the new administration following elections in May.
Actions the authority has taken so far include a socio-economic analysis of the pan-Lanarkshire area, and establishment of sub-groups focussed around people, places and business themes and a full review of existing strategies.
Councillors at the committee meeting welcomed the annual governance statement and the progress that has been made to date.
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