West Lothian Council to invest additional £5 million in communities

"West Lothian Council has unveiled a series of wide ranging plans that will result in an additional £5million being invested in positive outcomes for local people.

Jobs and training opportunities for young people, increased support for vulnerable families through early intervention and an increased focus on renewable energy are the three main areas which will benefit as a result of the comprehensive £5 million investment package.

The additional money is a result of an under spend on this year’s budget. The under spend was achieved mainly through proactive workforce planning combined with effective financial management across the council.

Council Leader Peter Johnston explained: “Through efficient use of resources we have been able to save just over £5 million.

“We are committed to ensuring that every penny will be invested back into our communities and benefit the most vulnerable people in West Lothian.

“At a time when there’s lots of doom and gloom surrounding the state of public finances, this substantial investment is fantastic news for the residents of West Lothian. As opposed to cuts, we are creating new skills for the workforce and our communities.

“We have been proactive on our approach to workforce planning and worked alongside the trade unions to effectively protect jobs whilst facing reductions in our budgets.

“We have managed to reduce our staffing numbers without the need for compulsory redundancies.

“We have continually said that there was a need to work in more modern and flexible ways to deliver services with fewer resources available and this additional funding illustrates what can be achieved with good financial management.”

The additional £5million will be spent over a three year period on three areas. They are:

1. Employment for young people
Almost half of the investment, £2.4 million, will be spent on delivering employment and training opportunities for young people, who are one of the groups, affected most by high levels of unemployment.

Councillor Johnston added: “We are absolutely committed to providing employment and training opportunities for our young people. We are investing in projects which will not only provide much needed jobs, but help hundreds of young people gain access to training and life experience outside of the classroom. This type of support not only provides short term benefits but is also an investment in the future.

The projects include:
• Funding additional training and employment opportunities for young people, including modern apprenticeships. The move will result in 40 additional (two year) Modern Apprenticeships, 60 full time job opportunities through a West Lothian Jobs Fund and 250 Wage Subsidies to employers for recruiting young unemployed people (100 16-17 year olds and 150 18-24 year olds).
• Delivering accredited vocational courses in all secondary schools to improve the skills of young people and focus on improving employment opportunities and positive destinations for schools leavers.
• Establishing a valued vocational workshop space at West Calder High School to deliver college accredited courses for motor mechanics and building skills. This resource will be accessed from across all West Lothian secondary schools.

2. Preventative spending in early years
£2million will be allocated to early intervention projects for children and families. Councillor Johnston added:

“There is a huge amount of evidence which highlights the importance of investing in early years and early intervention, which has been a key area for the council for a number of years, particularly through our Life Stages programme.

“Early intervention is hugely important for children and families who come from difficult backgrounds and experience inequality and serious challenges at an early stage in their lives.

The projects include:
• Developing a web based advocacy service for looked after children and providing hardware and training and development facilities.
• Developing a specialist service to engage with families to help them overcome crisis situations and find solutions to their problems. The service is called Families Included.
• Providing enhanced nurture in primary schools and support to help the transition from primary to secondary school for pupils that need it most. This helps increase attainment and positive outcomes for pupils.

“We recognise that when you act early and invest in preventative provision you are essentially spending to save, whilst enabling vulnerable young people achieve their full potential.

“By targeting problems affecting our communities today, we can help reduce the bigger problems of tomorrow, which are often more expensive and more damaging for our communities and individuals.

“A key outcome of the new Families Included project is that we anticipate reduced long-term costs for public sector bodies, including the council, health and the police. For example, diverting even one child from the families involved entering a residential school or secure unit would reduce costs by around £150,000 and £250,000 per annum respectively.

“These figures highlight the importance of early intervention and that is why we are providing additional funding in this area.”

3. Delivering a sustainable future through renewables and sustainable technology

Councillor Johnston added: “We are investing £786,000 in renewables and sustainable technology. By investing in this area now, we are effectively preparing for the future to ensure that we are on the front foot in an increasingly important area of growth.

“With rising fuels costs and the introduction of the new ‘carbon tax’, combined with the already high costs associated with energy usage, we are investing in renewables as a way of creating jobs, reducing energy consumption and reducing future costs.

The projects include:

• Investing in renewable technology, especially solar panels, to help reduce energy consumption and subsequent costs.
• Training opportunities for existing council staff to develop new skills in the renewables industry, which is an area of growth. The investment will mean that the council will be able to develop its own capabilities to deliver and maintain renewable technology, rather than have to buy in external expertise.
• The council is aiming to have 30 properties with solar panels, including offices, schools and partnership centres. However, the council will also look at ways to install solar panels to council homes helping to reduce energy consumption and costs for residents.

Councillor Johnston added:
“We could have held off and invested the money in future years, but by accelerating the £5 million of spending now we can invest it in local people to help deliver priority services, provide more efficient ways of working and enhance future opportunities for economic growth.

“Essentially by spending now, we are investing in the future and helping to put West Lothian in a stronger position in the years to come.”

Local Government Minister Aileen Campbell said:
"It is encouraging to see West Lothian Council making the most of their resources in the current financial climate to boost the local economy.
"West Lothian Council are using the efficiencies they have made to benefit communities, and in particular young people. This is a welcome and powerful example.”

Damien Yeates, Chief Executive of Skills Development Scotland added:

“We’re delighted that West Lothian Council has shown its commitment to ensuring positive outcomes for people across the area through this considerable investment in providing jobs and training opportunities.

“This funding will help young people in to the world of work and will go some way to ensuring that West Lothian businesses have appropriately trained workforces. This in turn will greatly benefit West Lothian’s economy.”