Page 4 - Annual Report 2022 / 2023

Welcome
As chair of hub South West, it is my pleasure to introduce our Annual Report for 2022/23.
The past year has continued to be an incredible journey for hub South West and I am immensely proud of the team for their drive, commitment and achievements to date.
While the economic environment in Scotland is proving to be challenging, it is also creating new opportunities for hub South West and our participants.
The political agenda in Scotland is moving towards a strong focus on the delivery of flourishing regional economies and hub South West remains the ideal strategic fit to deliver this.
During the past 12 months, the hub South West team have been relentless in their focus in engaging with our participants and regional stakeholders.
A real statement of our intent to develop these relationships was the recruitment of a dedicated Community Wealth Building and Social Value Manager, further strengthening partnerships with local authority initiatives, local colleges, Developing Young Workforce offices and Chambers of Commerce.
A unique feature of the hub business model is
the support provided to SMEs through our build programmes and the various “hub clubs”, where local and regional businesses can actively participate in our extensive build programme. This regional business focus remains a key strategic pillar for our business going forward and will ensure we continue to deliver the best possible economic value add to the regional economies of Ayrshire, Lanarkshire, and Dumfries and Galloway.
Newmains and St Brigid’s Community Hub North Lanarkshire Council
One of my overriding passions is to ensure the skills landscape in our territory is linked to the economic strategy.
Over the past year we have been working with partner institutions to develop a long-term skills strategy that is aimed at deriving benefits from our projects on an overall programme basis, rather than on a project-by-project basis. When tendering our projects, the outputs of these projects are now being set at this holistic programme level and I am particularly proud of the progress we have made in articulating the benefits of our business in this way.
Over the past year alone, the team have delivered £138 million of projects and this has translated into a cumulative total of 761 jobs being created, 725 apprenticeships being supported and a staggering £375m being recirculated into our regional economies.
This is not by chance. Our Chief Executive
Michael Ross and his wider team remain highly motivated and customer focused to deliver the best possible outcomes for our participants across our territory. I would like to conclude by thanking all our participants, contractors, sub-contractors, our professional services teams and our many stakeholders for your remarkable support during what has been another successful year.
Dr. Willie Mackie
Chairman
hub South West Scotland Ltd
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