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Corporate Performance Report 2023-2024 - Quarter 4

Introduction

This report is the end of year corporate performance report for 2023 – 2024. At the end of each quarter, we have produced a report to describe our progress towards achieving the nine performance measures set out in the Annual Operating Plan. The attached report summarises our performance over the whole year.

Overview

This is the end of year corporate performance report and performance has been assessed as either “achieved”, “partially achieved” or “not achieved”. From April 2023 – March 2024, we have achieved seven of our nine performance measures.

The measure ‘improve the quality of Scottish rivers by implementing three river restoration projects’ has been partially achieved. At the beginning of the year, our baseline for this measure was completion of three projects. These projects involve a complex interaction between partners in a challenging environment for construction. We completed two very successful, transformational projects, but it was not possible to start groundworks at the third project on the Glazert in Lennoxtown in the last quarter. This will be completed in 2024.

We partially achieved our fifth performance measure to reduce our own emissions. Our direct emissions reduced by 52% compared to our 2006-2007 baseline. This is impressive progress, however our ambition to reduce by 70% by April 2024 was not possible due to changes in what is included in our emissions inventory and the impact of supply chain issues on, for example, our plans to electrify our fleet. We are pursuing this into next year and hope to have the new vehicles in place shortly.

Recommendations

The Agency Board is asked to:

• Note the organisation’s performance against the nine measures set out in the Annual Operating Plan 2023 – 2024.
• Note that information in this report will be included in the 2023 - 2024 Annual Report and Accounts. With the Annual Report and Accounts having a wider context and different audience, it is anticipated that some of the language used in this report will vary slightly, however the key messaging and status of the performance measure will remain the same.

Performance summary

In our Annual Operating Plan for 2023-2024, we set out nine measures to help us to understand how well we are delivering for Scotland’s environment and the difference we are making to the people of Scotland.

• Implementation of three river restoration projects - Partially achieved
• Increase in the length of rivers where fish movement is not restricted by man-made barriers - Achieved
• Reduction in number of illegal sites in a year - Achieved
• Complete the implementation of an integrate4d and simplified authorisation framework in line with statutory deadlines - Achieved
• Being regenerative by 2023 and net zero in "direct" emissions by 2025 - Partially achieved
• Alerts and warnings issued for all significant flooding events - Achieved
• Complete all planned updated to out flood maps - Achieved
• Percentage of complaints responded to within timescales - Achieved
• Percentage of Freedom of Information (FOI) request and Environmental Information request (EIR) responded to within statutory timescales - Achieved

This is the end of year report covering the period from April 2023-March 2024 and highlights our successes and achievements over the year as well as areas where improvements can be made.

What we have achieved

Improving our water environment

• Implementation of three river restoration projects - Partially achieved
• Increase in the length of rivers where fish movement is not restricted by man-made barrier - Achieved

Water is one of Scotland’s most important assets. It is a fundamental part of our identity as a nation. It contributes to our health and quality of life, supports a rich diversity of wildlife and is an important part of our economy. A significant contribution to improving the water environment is the Water Environment Fund, which we administer on behalf of Scottish Government, working on river restoration projects with partners to create a better environment for wildlife and people. River restoration enhances water quality by reducing pollution and promotes a healthier ecosystem. It also helps mitigate the impact of floods, as restored rivers can better absorb and manage excess water, protecting surrounding areas. These projects can also contribute to improved recreational opportunities, regenerating important green spaces that allow people to recharge and improve their overall well-being - often acting as meeting points for communities to gather for recreational activities, exercise, or simply to enjoy nature.

In 2023-2024 we implemented significant river restoration projects in East Renfrewshire and Fife. On the River Levern one hectare of vacant and derelict land was transformed, creating a new river channel and improved access to high quality green and blue space. On the River Leven we completed restoration work that is part of the River Leven Connectivity Project - a project that aims to develop and build a network of active travel paths next to the river, including the creation of themed gardens and parks, forming a green network making the most of biodiversity and opportunities to learn from the area’s rich heritage.

In 2023-2024 we successfully achieved our target of opening up 69 km of river previously inaccessible to migratory fish. The removal of Garlogie Dam in Aberdeenshire was one of Scotland’s biggest ever dam removals and opened part of the River Dee catchment to Atlantic salmon for the first time in more than 100 years. The removal of Crossmill Weir on the River Levern opened up 3km of river to migrating fish for the first time in a century.

These projects have brought together charities, local environment groups, river trusts, local authorities, government bodies and local communities to effectively collaborate to deliver real benefits and improvements to rivers.

Protecting people and our environment

• Reduction in number of illegal sites in a year - Achieved
• Complete the implementation of an integrated and simplified authorisation framework in line with statutory deadlines - Achieved

As Scotland’s principal environmental regulator, we regulate activities which can harm the environment. This includes activities that could pollute water, air or land; the storage, transport, treatment and disposal of waste; and the management of radioactive substances.

Some operators carry out activities illegally. This means that the operators do not have authorisation for the activities they are undertaking, or that the activity that they are undertaking would have such a detrimental impact on the environment or local communities, the activity would never be authorised. In 2023-2024 we made a commitment to focus on disrupting illegal activity and to take robust action against those who fail to comply with the laws that protect our environment.

In April 2023, we were aware of 327 registered illegal sites across the country, with 58 assessed as posing a high risk to the environment. Through our work we reduced the number of illegal sites by 65, ten of which were high risk.

Activities including burning, illegal waste storage and fly tipping were taking place at an industrial estate in West Lothian. SEPA participated in a multi-agency day where information on each of the tenants, landowners and activities was gathered. Action was taken to ensure the illegal activities ceased and to deter any further illegal activity being carried out at the location.

In Fife, a licensed site was running an illegal waste activity as a side business. Through enforcement action this unlicensed waste business is no longer in operation.

We developed our understanding of where other illegal sites were operating through engagement with the public and the reporting of environmental events, which has increased through the year. With this, a further 63 illegal sites were identified, with 22 assessed as posing a high risk to the environment. We have tackled eight of these, including three posing a high risk. We end the year with a total of 317 registered illegal sites.

During 2023-2024 we met all key areas of progress and milestones towards full implementation of an Integrated Authorisation Framework that brings all our main regulatory regimes – covering water, waste, radioactive substances, and pollution control – into a single framework. The Integrated Authorisation Framework is a key part of our commitment to regulatory reform. It will deliver an integrated risk-based and proportionate system of environmental regulation that helps bring those we regulate into compliance quickly, easily, and cost-effectively.

This year we worked closely with the Scottish Government to develop and consult on proposals. We provided specialist technical and policy expertise, hosted a series of stakeholder engagement events to raise awareness about consultations and to share understanding about the changes proposed.

We have also continued our programme of digitising our regulatory services and have launched a new online application service to apply, pay for and obtain new private sewage treatment system authorisations.

Reducing emissions

• Being regenerative by 2030 and net zero in "direct" emissions by 2025 - Partially achieved

With our environment on the frontline of the global crises of climate change and biodiversity, we must also take steps to reduce our own impacts. Our direct emissions have reduced by 52% compared to our 2006-2007 baseline. This is impressive progress, however our ambition to reduce by 70% by April 2024 was not possible due to changes in what is included in our emissions inventory and the impact of supply chain issues on, for example, our plans to electrify our fleet. We are pursuing this into next year and hope to have the new vehicles in place shortly.

We have explored opportunities to reduce emissions from our buildings and travel, and options to share workspaces with other organisations. As a result, Ministers approved our preferred option to move into shared offices with the City of Edinburgh Council – halving our emissions at that site - and closed our Glenrothes office. We will continue to seek opportunities for shared services and on collaborating with key stakeholders and partners.

Adapting to climate change - Flooding

• Alerts and warnings issued for all significant flooding events - Achieved
• Complete all planned updates to our flood maps - Achieved

The year was marked by long and repeated periods of unsettled weather where unprecedented rainfall and flood events were experienced. Flooding can have devastating impacts on people, on activities, and on the natural and built environment.

We delivered our role as Scotland’s National Flood Forecasting and Warning Authority, issuing all alerts and warnings on time to people, businesses, and communities to help them take action to protect themselves. As part of our role we advised civil contingency responders before and during flood events as part of Scotland’s multi-agency emergency planning and incident response.

This year, the total number of alerts and warnings (953), and messages issued were the highest in the 13 years of the Floodline service. For comparison, the average annual total number of alerts and warnings is 582 and the previous record was of 829 alerts and warnings in 2019-2020.

We upheld our commitment to the people of Scotland to complete all planned updates to our flood maps. Partner organisations such as Local Authorities, Emergency Services and parts of Scottish Government also use these maps. We published an updated version of our flood maps in November 2024 which extended the information previously available to include significantly improved coastal mapping for Northeast Scotland, Orkney Islands, and the Outer Hebrides.

For the first time, these maps included a representation of the impact of wave action on coastal flood hazard. This allows all users of the maps to make better informed decisions about the risk of flooding to coastal regions. The updated maps also included a set of new extreme water levels.

We have ensured that users of the maps have guidance to help them interpret the maps and how they can support their flood risk management and planning activities.

Customer service

• Percentage of complaints responded to within timescales - Achieved
• Percentage of Freedom of Information (FOI) requests and Environmental Information Requests (EIR) responded to within statutory timescales - Achieved

We have a strong focus on delivering high-quality services. We are continually trying to innovate and deliver efficiencies. Doing this helps us improve our services. We work closely with other organisations and will also continue to open our doors to enable communities and businesses to connect with us and help us to design the services they use.

We value our customers and place great importance on handling and responding to customer service complaints in a timely manner. This year we have responded to 88.6% of customer service complaints against a target of 85% within statutory timescales.

Similarly, we are committed to providing the information our customers request. The percentage of Freedom of Information requests and Environmental Information requests we responded to within statutory timescales has improved steadily over the year. This has been due to a range of development work to meet increasing demands, and a focus on resourcing. For 2023-2024, our target was to improve performance so that we are responding to at least 82% of requests within statutory timescales by the end of March 2024. Our mean performance for March 2024 was 95.7%.

Looking forward

As we move into the new financial year, our new Corporate Plan for 2024-2027 has been published and has been followed by our Annual Operating Plan for 2024-2025. We are refreshing our strategic planning and performance framework to strength the golden thread running from Government priorities and policies, through our Corporate Plan and Annual Operating Plan and down to operational delivery. The Annual Operating Plan identifies a small suite of performance measures that we will publicly report on and be held accountable to. Through these performance measures we will continue and further enhance our commitment to Scotland’s environment, the people of Scotland and our people, for reform and improvement.

More detailed descriptions of our performance measures can be viewed on our website.

Dashboard summary

Red, Amber, or Green (RAG) status descriptions

• Green: Achieved or is on course to being achieved.
• Amber: There may be problems or some minor slippage, but solutions have been found to keep the measure on track to being achieved.
• Red: Major issues have been identified and solutions are still being worked on. The measure is likely to be delivered late or not at all.