Department of Business Operations and Partnerships
Director: Louise Pringle
Council Headquarters, Eastwood Park, Giffnock, East Renfrewshire, G46 6UG
Phone: 0141 577 3000
website: www.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk
Date: 28 January 2025
When calling please ask for: John Burke (Tel: 0141 577 3026)
Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

TO: Councillors O O’Donnell (Chair); A Anderson (Vice Chair); D Devlin; and K Pragnell.

CABINET
A meeting of Cabinet will be held in the Council Chamber, Council Headquarters,
Eastwood Park, Giffnock, G46 6UG on

Thursday 6 February 2025 at 2.00pm.

The agenda of business is as listed below.
Yours faithfully
Louise Pringle
LOUISE PRINGLE
DIRECTOR OF BUSINESS OPERATIONS AND PARTNERSHIPS

AGENDA
1. APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
2. DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
Members are requested to give notice of any declarations of interest in respect of items
of business on the Agenda.

3. ESTIMATED REVENUE BUDGET OUTTURN 2024-25
Report by Head of Finance (copy attached, pages 3 – 42)

4. HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE PARTNERSHIP – CHARGING FOR NON- RESIDENTIAL CARE SERVICES IN 2025/26
Report by Chief Officer – Health and Social Care Partnership (copy attached, pages 43 – 48)

5. INVESTMENT FOR THE FUTURE – PROPOSALS
Report by Chief Executive (copy attached, pages 49 – 56)

6. DEBT MANAGEMENT FOR COUNCIL TAX, NON-DOMESTIC RATES, SUNDRY DEBT INCOME, HOUSING BENEFIT OVERPAYMENTS AND EMPTY PROPERTY RELIEF, NON-DOMESTIC RATES
Report by Director of Business Operations and Partnerships (copy attached, pages 57 – 64)

7. THE EAST RENFREWSHIRE COUNCIL (DISABLED PERSONS’ PARKING PLACES)(ON-STREET) ORDER 2020 (AMENDMENT NO.3)
Report by Director of Environment (copy attached, pages 65 – 72)


For information on how to access the virtual meeting, please e-mail:-

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A recording of the Council meeting will also be available following the meeting on the
Council’s YouTube Channel

www.youtube.com/user/eastrenfrewshire/videos

This document can be explained to you in other languages and can be provided in alternative formats such as large print and Braille. For further information, please contact Customer First on 0141 577 3001 or email

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You can read Reports/Papers on Council webpage here -

www.eastrenfrewshire.gov.uk/cabinet-060225

31/1/2025

Posted Cllr Ireland facebook page -

www.facebook.com/CllrAIreland/

Cllr Annette Ireland
15 h

❗️Non Residential Care Charges ❗️

I posted this video in December and the decision was delayed then until the next Cabinet meeting on the 6th February (next Thursday).

There is still very real strength of feeling in the local area towards these plans. Residents have stated that the “administration are choosing the most vulnerable people in the local authority to target” and that “This policy is discriminatory towards the most vulnerable in society namely the elderly, the disabled, the learning disabled and those with complex needs who require support.”

I still completely agree that this is the wrong decision and this deliberately places the burden on the most vulnerable who have already had their care packages cut by this administration and I, obviously, completely disagree with any suggestion to bring in means testing and I sincerely hope that the four councillors refuse this paper outright..

If they are, instead, deciding that they want to press ahead, I would ask that they send this over to the Full Council meeting next week on the 26th February, in order that ALL eighteen elected representatives can scrutinise their plans and have their full say on this ridiculous decision.

Post ERC facebook page -

www.facebook.com/eastrenfrewshirecouncil/?locale=en_GB

East Renfrewshire Council
10h

A new report published by the Accounts Commission, the public spending watchdog for local government, has praised the council's 'high-performing' services.

The report outlines that the Council's services excel in many areas and praises the local authority as an example which other councils can learn from.

Education, adult and children’s care, digital transformation, and waste and recycling were all highlighted for praise in the independent Best Value audit report.

Read more here:

orlo.uk/1EDb2

Audit Scotland

+++++
LATEST COMMENTS
+++++


- I totally disagree with that report .
It is actually unbelievable how our council is treating the most vulnerable in the community right now ?
6h

- Absolute nonsense. Who did they speak to?. It's shocking how the most vulnerable people in East Ren are being treated by our council at the moment.
5h

- Disagree re education
Lot cut backs with support teachers impacting on learning
8h

We are valued members of East Renfrewshire Council community - how can you do this to us ?

- To post this on the day that the 4 person Cabinet at East Renfrewshire take a vote on a proposal to charge the most vulnerable in the community - learning disabled especially - takes a lot of nerve.
6h

- The way the council are treating the most vulnerable in society right now is an absolute disgrace and to publish this report while all this is going on is incredibly insensitive!
6h

- Unanimous vote by 4 (yes only 4 out of 18 sitting councillors) to push through the proposal to charge for non residential care. So it’s a done deal. Proposal was put together by Working Group, members of which sat on the IJB who accepted the proposal and put it to Cabinet that consisted of members of the Working Group and the IJB. Since when was marking your own homework deemed professional.
4h

- Karen at a bare minimum this proposal should have been moved to a full council meeting for a vote, otherwise how is it fairly reviewed.
4h

- Agreed Stephen and this may still happen if other councillors ‘call it in’. This will result in the proposal going to full council
3h

- East Renfrewshire Council you are posting this following a year of *massive* cuts to social care and on the day that you vote to introduce social care charging. More than 2/3 of the people affected will have significant learning disabilities. Surely East Ren can find people with broader shoulders from whom to raise revenue?
4h

- Excellent! I’m going to assuming that at todays social work review they will not remove my adults sons direct payments then? Good to know seeing as you are excelling at adult care.
6h

- As we left it was reported that there is a £2.14 million underspend in East Renfrewshire Council and they are targeting vulnerable residents to recoup £1.5 million
4h

- Karen not to worry they will use this tax on benefits of the vunerable to help cover the £1.2M overspend on the, currently priced at, £6M refurb of the council offices. Although they have reduced that from the potential £2.4M overspend that certain councillors tried to push through.
4h


- We were asked by the Leader of the council what we would suggest regarding the financial deficit and we suggested (1) use the Strathclyde pension Fund money that you have been given to shore up the HSCP for another year allowing time for meaningful consultation and collaboration with stakeholders and to put services in place that would support our young people or (2) reject the overspend on the refurbishment of council offices in Giffnock (and by the way what is wrong with the new build council offices in Barrhead ?) and plough that into the HSCP - amazing that we have to try to tell the council how to be prudent with their funds k
3h

- Are we not mentioning the complete disregard for the most vulnerable group in our society? Or is their opinion not to be included in this assessment either?
6h

- When was the data for this collected? I can assure you that I don't know anyone who has felt supported in at least the last six months that relies on adult care
4h

- Sorry, but dialogue with local people was completely absent during recent planning and construction of Neilston Learning Campus. Even now ERC officials will not engage directly with affected residents. Overall, it's been a very disappointing and alienating experience.
10h

- Douglas Currie did the community council make a representation?
8h

- My son who cannot read or write received ‘his’ letter letting him know about the proposed cuts… Included there was a social story that he would not be able to understand. How is this fair? Terrified each year about cuts. The most vulnerable people in society seem to be forgotten.

- East Renfrewshire Council are you listening ?
3h

- Yes East Renfrewshire Council are you listening and will you respond?
3h

- Sinéad Joanne they’ll likely respond by closing the comments on this post. That’s their usual MO….
2h

- Posting this whilst take take taking from the most vulnerable people in our community.
I have no words. ?
1h

- Valued members of East Renfrewshire Council Community


- The East Renfrewshire Council tagline of ‘working to create a fairer future with all’ rings somewhat hollow today.
2h

6/2/2025

Post Cllr Annette Ireland facebook page -

www.facebook.com/CllrAIreland/

Cllr Annette Ireland
1h

? Means Tested Charges Introduced ?

Today the four councillors who make up the Cabinet from East Renfrewshire’s current administration chose to introduce means tested charges for non-residential care.

I am so incredibly disappointed by this decision.

This is an attempt to claim, from some of the hardest hit residents in East Renfrewshire a total of £1.5 Million pounds.

At the same meeting they announced that they have a £2.14 Million underspend this year in the Council’s finances.

And it was reported in December that costs for the works on the council HQ have risen by almost £1.5 Million.

This was a decision badly taken, with very limited information available right now on how this will affect people, the very people who we should be protecting and certainly not making life even harder for.

This was a deliberate choice taken today and a bad one.

You can view recording of Cabinet Meeting on Council youtube channel here -

www.youtube.com/user/eastrenfrewshire/videos

9/2/2025

Current Comments to Cllr Annette Ireland facebook post above

www.facebook.com/CllrAIreland/



- Would be very willing to support any action to reverse this decision if there is anything we can do collectively as ER residents. It’s outrageous and should be a priority for our council.

2d

- Count me in.

1d

- same happy to be involved

1d

- and me

10h


- Can we bring this to ER residents and name the Councillors who voted for this. Can it be reversed

2d


- Scandalous decision?
The impact this will have on the individuals,their families,carers etc is enormous.

1d


- Honestly feels like yet another attack on disabled people and their families. My mum has been waiting for support from carers for over six months. We know of other residents in the community who faced similar lack of support and service. To know they've done this with an underspend is, quite frankly, shocking; especially when they spend so much time telling us about all the services they wish to cut

1d

- been described as going for low hanging fruit. Disgusting, shameful and absolutely unforgivable.

16h

- Well done for bringing this to everyone’s attention, it is Shameful ?‍♀️

21h

- If it helps, I have emailed the following to Ward 5 councillors if anyone wants to copy, paste and tweak.

You can find your local councillors on the East Ren website.

It has come to my attention that East Renfrewshire Council has, by a unanimous vote of 4 (yes only 4 out of 18 sitting councillors), pushed through a proposal to charge for non residential care. Is this now a done deal?

This proposal was put together by a Working Group, members of which sat on the IJB who accepted the proposal and put it to Cabinet that consisted of members of the Working Group and the IJB.

Since when was marking your own homework deemed professional?

To say that I am horrified by this is an understatement. This is a tragedy for the most vulnerable in our community.

I am ashamed that ERC are considering following the poor decisions of other authorities like sheep instead of being examples for the rest of society as we have been in the past.

Others doing this is a poor excuse. We can and should do better.

The nerve of East Renfrewshire Council publishing their Accounts Commission report on the same day they voted to charge the most vulnerable in society for their care is particularly disturbing.

You should be ashamed.

I know I am.

The following are just a few suggestions to address this:

(1) Utilise the Strathclyde pension Fund money, that you have available, to shore up the HSCP for one year allowing time for meaningful consultation and collaboration with stakeholders and to put services in place that would support our young people.

(2) Reject the £2 million overspend on the refurbishment of council offices in Giffnock (and by the way what is wrong with the new build council offices in Barrhead?) and plough that into the HSCP

(3) Use the £2.14 million underspend that you hold to support the HSCP.

Firstly, however, I propose that all 18 councillors vote on this proposal as a matter of urgency.

This will provide a more balanced approach and will also inform how we vote in the next election.

I look forward to your feedback and support on this subject.
Yours

16h

- Shameful

2d

- Awful !

1d

- On the ball as usual Annette Ireland - Cllr ,great to see someone actually fighting for constituents! Too much faffing around town centre issues and not the very people who voted for them,well done !

22h

- It is absolutely disgusting. What as residents can we do?

1d

Allan Steele
I respect your willingness to speak up as an independent voice. I will be happy to join you in challenging the administration in this regard from an independent stand point. And thank you for communicating this so clearly. Good on you.

19h

- A stunning silence from other Councillors. Hugely to my surprise. Wondering if disabled community is a pawn in a local political game?

- What can we do to help? Well done you for highlighting this, will share x

1d

-
They've just clawed back 3k of underspend from me mainly because COVID and unavailable carers. That's just what happens. Funny thing is I've had that underspend for years and they take it now. Oh and my SDS well it's not really self directed. I can only use it for PA support even if other things I could purchase might achieve my outcomes. But look my situation isn't as bad as others, I just think they're Scrooge's right now and there is something dodgy going on. The charging policy and taking back unspent funds, it's not a coincidence.

15h

- This is a disgrace...we know who we shouldn't be voting in at the next election

23h

- public sector never worked anywhere else , have no idea of best practice
incompetence training the next generation of incompetence
1d