Following the input of thousands of Borderers and key stakeholders, a holistic set of proposals has been developed to support a financially sustainable future at Live Borders and improve services and facilities.
A series of recommendations will be discussed at a special meeting of Scottish Borders Council this Thursday 20 November.
The proposals are a packaged programme of ambitious transformation that will deliver:
co-ordinated transformational action which makes Live Borders a slimmer, more efficient, effective and customer focussed organisation, delivering growth, financial sustainability and better services for communities, with the health and wellbeing of the people of the Scottish Borders at its heart;
one-off targeted investment in the Council’s property estate which allows the redevelopment and improvement of key identified facilities, supporting increased usage and income generation and better facilities for communities;
facility changes, including a small number of closures, service re-location/co-location, new operating/management models and community asset transfer which will result in a smaller, but improved, property estate and services.
The joint engagement activities included:
An online survey and Easy Read version – completed by over 1900 individuals and community groups
Face-to-face community drop-in engagement events in 19 communities and at the Border Union Show – attended by over 800 people
Suggestion boxes available in Live Borders facilities – over 800 comment cards completed
21 direct engagement events with identified key community groups and stakeholders, such as community councils, town teams and development trusts
Youth engagement through events, activities and a dedicated survey – input received from over 1300 individuals
Bill Douglas, Chair of Live Borders’ Board of Trustees, said: “I think it is clear from the breadth of recommendations developed that we have listened to our communities and that, wherever possible, we’ve tried to preserve facilities and services.”
