Council unveil investment plans

Oct 6 2011 by Marjorie Kerr, West Lothian Courier

NEW plans have been unveiled by West Lothian Council to invest cash in projects aimed at boosting jobs and living standards in the county.

Jobs and training opportunities for young people, increased support for vulnerable families and an increased focus on renewable energy are the three main areas which will benefit from the £5m investment package.

The additional money is a result of an underspend on the local authority’s budget for this year.

And the council say the savings were achieved mainly through workforce planning and financial management across the council.

Between April 2010 and September 2011, the authority reduced its staff by 455 through voluntary severance and they say they have actively redesigned their services in recent months.

Council leader, Peter Johnston, explained: “We are committed to ensuring that every penny will be invested back into our communities and benefit the most vulnerable people in West Lothian.

“As opposed to cuts, we are creating new skills for the workforce and our communities.”

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

Employment for young people – almost half of the investment, £2.4 million, will be spent on delivering employment and training opportunities for young people.

Preventative spending in early years – £2 million will be allocated to early intervention projects for children and families.

Delivering a sustainable future through renewables and sustainable technology.

The projects aimed at boosting employment among 16 to 24-year-olds include funding additional training and employment opportunities for young people which 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; delivering accredited vocational courses in all secondary schools to improve skills and improve employment opportunities for school leavers and establishing a vocational workshop space at West Calder High School to deliver college accredited courses for motor mechanics and building skills, which will be accessed by all West Lothian secondary schools.

The council’s preventative spending aims to help vulnerable children and families and includes developing a web-based advocacy service for looked-after children and providing computers, training and development facilities; developing a specialist service, called Families Included, to help families overcome crisis situations; and provide enhanced support to help the transition from primary to secondary school for pupils that need it most.

The plans for a £786,000 investment in renewables and sustainable energy 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; ways to install solar panels to council homes to reduce energy consumption and costs.