Practical proposed steps for Scottish Borders.
The stages explain what should happen first. They are not promised completion dates. Funding, powers and ongoing costs need to be established before a proposal is adopted.
Proposal
Learn from the new school in use
Peebles High is occupied by pupils.
Real use can reveal what works before further school investment.
Evidence
Who could lead: Scottish Borders Council.
- Start now
Collect pupil and staff feedback on the new spaces.
- Over the next few years
Resolve defects and access problems.
- Over the longer term
Review use, energy bills and maintenance over time.
How to judge progress
Starting point: Completion and occupation recorded in the capital strategy.
Measure: Publish the results of occupation, not only opening celebrations.
Trade-off: New buildings alone do not prove improved learning outcomes.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Peebles High School →
Proposal
Explain how leisure changes affect existing users
The council plans changes at both Teviotdale and Tweedbank.
Modernisation can alter which activities and spaces are available.
Evidence
Who could lead: Scottish Borders Council.
- Start now
Publish current and proposed activities side by side.
- Over the next few years
Provide realistic alternatives during work.
- Over the longer term
Review participation after reopening.
How to judge progress
Starting point: May 2026 investment decision.
Measure: Track access for existing users as well as new customers.
Trade-off: Changing a facility can benefit some activities while displacing others.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Teviotdale and Tweedbank leisure renewal →
Proposal
Build inclusion into Hawick’s new school
Hawick High’s replacement is now under construction.
The next stages can test how the building serves different pupils.
Evidence
Who could lead: Scottish Borders Council.
- Start now
Publish accessible design and transition arrangements.
- Over the next few years
Test the building with pupils and staff before handover.
- Over the longer term
Review participation and use after occupation.
How to judge progress
Starting point: July 2026 construction milestone.
Measure: Separate building completion from educational outcomes.
Trade-off: Construction around school life requires careful phasing.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Hawick High School replacement →
Proposal
Match long-term buildings to an ageing population
The capital strategy identifies growth in the older share of the population.
Future service capacity and accessible facilities need to reflect that change.
Evidence 1 · Evidence 2
Who could lead: Scottish Borders Council.
- Start now
Publish the age and service-demand assumptions used in investment.
- Over the next few years
Test leisure and community designs with older residents.
- Over the longer term
Review buildings and services as needs change.
How to judge progress
Starting point: 2026/27 capital strategy’s demographic outlook.
Measure: Use observed demand as well as population forecasts.
Trade-off: Resources must balance older residents’ needs with schools and family services.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Peebles High School →
Teviotdale and Tweedbank leisure renewal →
Proposal
Make room for homes people can afford
The average home price is £193,000 (July 2026) in Scottish Borders council area. This is about £3,000 lower than the Scotland average for the same month.
Housing costs matter most alongside earnings and the number of affordable homes available. A local average cannot tell us whether a particular household can afford its home.
Who could lead: The housing and planning authorities, housing associations and developers.
- Start now
Publish the local waiting list, temporary accommodation and affordable-home delivery figures together.
- Over the next few years
Test proposed housing sites against affordable-home need, access to work, school places and water capacity.
- Over the longer term
Check whether completed homes reduce unmet need, rather than counting planning permissions as delivery.
How to judge progress
Starting point: The average home price is £193,000 (July 2026) in Scottish Borders council area.
Measure: Affordable homes completed, households waiting, time in temporary accommodation, and rent compared with local earnings.
Trade-off: More homes can put pressure on infrastructure and land. Affordability requirements also affect development viability.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Evidence: Average home price →
Proposal
Plan homes and care around an older population
26.3% of people in Scottish Borders council area were aged 65 or over (20 March 2022). People aged 65 or over ranged from 21% in Galashiels and District to 31.8% in Kelso and District — a gap of 10.8 percentage points.
Age alone does not mean poor health or a need for care. Accessible homes, reliable transport and support close to home matter as people get older.
Who could lead: Adult social care, local health services, housing providers and transport authorities.
- Start now
Compare the location of older residents with access to care, shops and transport. Start by checking the different needs in Kelso and District and Galashiels and District; census differences are not proof of unmet demand.
- Over the next few years
Prioritise home adaptations and care capacity in places with the clearest unmet need.
- Over the longer term
Build accessible homes and joined-up care into local development plans.
How to judge progress
Starting point: 26.3% aged 65 or over; 20 March 2022. People aged 65 or over ranged from 21% in Galashiels and District to 31.8% in Kelso and District — a gap of 10.8 percentage points. 20 March 2022; 11 of 11 current wards have comparable figures.
Measure: Waits for home adaptations and care, avoidable hospital stays, and accessible homes delivered.
Trade-off: Services need skilled staff and ongoing funding. Age profiles alone cannot measure unmet care need.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Evidence: People aged 65 or over →
Proposal
Connect local skills to local opportunities
32% of people aged 16 or over had a degree or higher (20 March 2022) in Scottish Borders council area. People aged 16+ with a degree or higher ranged from 22% in Hawick and Denholm to 45.2% in Tweeddale West — a gap of 23.2 percentage points.
Qualifications show one part of the skills available locally. They do not show whether people have secure jobs or work that uses those skills.
Who could lead: Employers, colleges, universities and the relevant skills authority.
- Start now
Compare vacancies and employer needs with training available to local residents. Start by checking the different needs in Tweeddale West and Hawick and Denholm; census differences are not proof of unmet demand.
- Over the next few years
Link training to real jobs, including routes for people without formal qualifications.
- Over the longer term
Track sustained employment and earnings after training, not just course starts.
How to judge progress
Starting point: 32% with a degree or higher; 20 March 2022. People aged 16+ with a degree or higher ranged from 22% in Hawick and Denholm to 45.2% in Tweeddale West — a gap of 23.2 percentage points. 20 March 2022; 11 of 11 current wards have comparable figures.
Measure: Sustained jobs, earnings and training completion for residents who face barriers to work.
Trade-off: Training takes time and cannot create demand for jobs on its own. Qualifications are not a complete measure of ability.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Evidence: People aged 16+ with a degree or higher →
Evidence: People aged 16+ with no qualifications →
Proposal
Target safety work where problems repeat
Recorded-crime figures cover the whole Scottish Borders council area; they do not identify individual wards.
These are police-recorded crimes under Scottish counting rules. They cannot be ranked alongside the mapped incidents shown for other UK nations.
Who could lead: The local police force, council community safety team and relevant services.
- Start now
Check recurring places and categories alongside local police priorities and residents’ reports.
- Over the next few years
Test focused prevention and support, with a comparison period agreed before the work starts.
- Over the longer term
Publish whether problems fall, move elsewhere or return, and adjust the response.
How to judge progress
Crime evidence and coverage →
Starting point: Use the dated, complete periods shown in Crime and safety; keep anti-social behaviour separate.
Measure: Comparable recorded incidents, repeat victimisation and residents’ reported experience; never a single crude league table.
Trade-off: More reporting can increase recorded crime. Enforcement and support may work differently for different problems.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Proposal
Turn published plans into visible progress
3 named local projects or plans have official evidence in this collection.
A published plan makes responsibilities and intentions easier to inspect. It does not prove that funding is secured or that promised benefits have arrived.
Who could lead: The named project owners and council scrutiny bodies.
- Start now
Put the scope, owner, funding position and next milestone in one public place.
- Over the next few years
Report delivery against the agreed scope and explain delays or changes.
- Over the longer term
Check the benefits residents actually receive after completion.
How to judge progress
Starting point: The dated stages in Projects; unknown costs and funding remain unknown.
Measure: Milestones met, costs against the approved budget, and measured outcomes after delivery.
Trade-off: Delivery reporting takes staff time, but a launch announcement alone cannot show value for money.
Cost: No costed delivery assessment has been established here. These are proposed sequences, not funded promises or completion deadlines.
Peebles High School →
Hawick High School replacement →
Teviotdale and Tweedbank leisure renewal →
