Community Planning Update – CPP Board June 2026
The agenda and papers for the most recent meeting of our CPP Board are available on the East Ayrshire Council Website.
Children’s Voices
Ensuring that local children and young people have a say, in the development and delivery of services for them, has been a key priority for partners over the last year.
Young people have been encouraged to engage with us, directly, in person, online and through our third sector partners, to let us know what they think about the services that we provide and what is important to them.
Their views are strongly reflected in the UNCRC Update Report and Annual Report on Children and Young People’s Services which were presented to the CPP Board.
A separate Corporate Parenting Action Plan update was also shared, reflecting our partnership commitment to our care experienced young people.
The Board heard that local young people are currently taking part a Joint Strategic Needs Assessment exercise, to inform the development of our new Children and Young People’s Services Plan 2026-2029. The new plan will be presented to the Board at its next meeting in September.
Trauma
Understanding the impact of trauma on our service users, employees and the wider population of East Ayrshire was the focus of one of the reports presented to the Board.
Experience of trauma can manifest in many different ways and, from a CPP perspective, can contribute to a range of partnership issues, such as school exclusions, rates of homelessness, anti-social behaviour, drug & alcohol related harms and death, mortality rates & health outcomes and staff absence from work.
Partners agreed the development of a new Trauma-Informed and Responsive Services Action Plan, to help embed this approach across our CPP.
Depopulation
Demographic Change is one of the key challenges that public services have to address. East Ayrshire has an aging population, with no natural growth – statistics show that the former coalfield areas in the south of the authority are forecast to see the greatest decline, and that our only growth will come from people moving into East Ayrshire, specifically the commuter areas around Kilmarnock in the north.
Demographic change is an issue for public services because of changing demand – more older people with complex needs requiring support and fewer younger/working people to provide that support. A reducing population also impacts on the funding that will come in to East Ayrshire, as Scottish Government funding for local authorities is often based on population numbers.
The Board endorsed a Strategic Approach to Demographic Change, a report which set out this background and also some of the strategic actions that the partnership can take to respond to, mitigate and influence our changing demographics.
Third Sector Interface
Our third sector partners play a key role in our CPP, supporting our shared priorities and reaching people who won’t engage with more formal agencies. Third sector groups and volunteers are supported locally by CVO East Ayrshire, who act as our third sector interface. In their presentation to the Board, the CVO shared insights into the pressures on volunteers, with greater demand for services and people demonstrating more complex needs. They also showcased some of the good work that is taking place, such as the Grow Together family wellbeing hubs.
The next CPP Board meeting will take place on 17 September 2026.