Public Document Pack
Resources Directorate David Wilcock Assistant Director (Legal, Governance & Workforce)
Governance & Committee Services Floor 2, Number One Riverside, Smith Street, Rochdale, OL16 1XU
Phone: 01706 647474 Website: www.rochdale.gov.uk To: All Members of the Council Enquiries to: Mark Hardman e-mail: [email protected] Telephone: 01706 924704 Date: Monday, 18th July 2016
Dear Councillor,
COUNCIL
You are requested to attend the meeting of Council to be held in the Council Chamber at Rochdale Town Hall on Tuesday, 26th July 2016 at 6.30pm (or at the rising of the preceding Extraordinary Meeting of the Council, whichever is the later).
Deadlines for submissions in respect of this meeting are as follows: –
Tuesday, 26th July 2016 Noon Notification of questions to representatives on Joint (the day of Council) Authorities and Outside Bodies and to Portfolio Holders and Committee Chairs.
Notification of amendments to proposals and recommendations being submitted to Council.
Notifications should be forwarded to Mark Hardman and Michael Garraway, on behalf of the Chief Executive.
The agenda and supporting papers are attached.
If you require advice on any agenda item involving a possible Declaration of Interest which could affect your right to speak and/or vote, please contact staff in the Governance and Committee Services Team at least 24 hours in advance of the meeting.
Yours Faithfully
David Wilcock Assistant Director (Legal, Governance & Workforce) Rochdale Borough Council
COUNCIL
Tuesday, 26th July 2016 at 6.30pm (or at the rising of the preceding Extraordinary Meeting, whichever is the later)
Council Chamber - Rochdale Town Hall
A G E N D A
Apologies for Absence 1. Mayor's Announcements 2. Declarations of Interest 1 - 2 Members are requested to indicate at this stage any items on the agenda in which they intend to declare an interest. Members are reminded that, in accordance with the Localism Act 2011 and the Council's adopted Code of Conduct, they must declare the nature of any personal or discloseable pecuniary interest required of them and, in the case of any discloseable pecuniary interest, withdraw from the meeting during consideration of the item, unless permitted otherwise within the Code of Conduct. 3. Minutes 3 - 22 To authorise the signing of the minutes of the Annual Meeting of the Council held on 18th May 2016. 4. Notices of Motion To consider following Motion submitted in accordance with Council Procedure Rule 11:-
Zero Tolerance of Hate Crime
To be moved by Councillor Farnell and seconded by Councillor Dearnley:-
“This Council is extremely concerned about the increase in hate crime which has reportedly risen 57 per cent since the EU referendum vote, according to the national Police Chiefs’ Council. We have also seen examples of this in Manchester.
The recent widely reported incident on the tram in Manchester involving alleged racially motivated abuse is appalling. This horrendous display of racial abuse has no place in our society and must not be tolerated.
The United Kingdom and Rochdale has a proud history of celebrating our diversity, which has enriched our country and borough in so many ways and we must have zero tolerance towards those who act in this way.” 5. Appointments Update 23 - 25 6. Place Plan for the Borough 2016-21 26 - 43 7. Food and Feed Service Plan 2016-17 44 - 78 8. Overview and Scrutiny Work Programmes 2016/17 79 - 97 9. Audit and Governance Committee - Annual Report 2015/15 98 - 108 10. Update on the Greater Manchester Devolution Agreement 109 - 112 11. Members' Quarterly Reports 113 - 166 To receive quarterly reports from Members of the Cabinet, Chairs of Township Committees and Chairs of Overview and Scrutiny Committees and to permit questions from Members of the Council. (a) The Leader of the Council and the Cabinet Member for Regeneration (b) The Cabinet Member for Children's Services (c) The Cabinet Member for Adult Care (d) The Cabinet Member for Culture, Health and Wellbeing (e) The Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Communities (f) The Cabinet Member for Business, Skills and Employment (g) The Cabinet Member for Corporate and Regulation (h) The Cabinet Member for Housing and Environment (i) The Cabinet Member for Finance (j) The Chair of Heywood Township Committee (k) The Chair of Middleton Township Committee (l) The Chair of Pennines Township Committee (m) The Chair of Rochdale Township Committee (n) The Chair of the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee (o) The Chair of the Communities, Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee (p) The Chair of the Health, Schools and Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee 12. Representatives on Joint Authorities and Outside Bodies 167 - 178 To receive reports from representatives on any Joint Authority or Outside Body, where received, and to permit questions from Members of the Council to Joint Authority or Outside Body representatives. (a) Report of the Representative to the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority (b) Report of the Representative to the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority (c) Report of the Representative to the Armed/Reserve Forces (d) Report of a Representative to Transport for Greater Manchester 13. Greater Manchester Combined Authority 179 - 217 Minutes of the meetings held 29th April, 27th May and 30th June 2016 for information. 14. Joint Meetings of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and 218 - 227 the AGMA Executive Board Minutes of the meetings held 29th April and 27th May 2016 for information. 15. AGMA Executive Board 228 - 239 Minutes of meetings held on 30th June 2016 for information. DECLARATION OF INTERESTS
IN ACCORDANCE WITH THE CODE OF CONDUCT ADOPTED BY THE COUNCIL ON 25TH JULY 2012, MEMBERS ARE REQUIRED TO DECLARE DISCLOSABLE PECUNIARY INTERESTS, PERSONAL INTERESTS AND PREJUDICIAL INTERESTS (LISTED ON THEIR REGISTER OF INTERESTS).
MEMBERS SHOULD REFER TO THE CODE OF CONDUCT AND/OR THE MONITORING OFFICER AND/OR THEIR DECLARATION FOR FURTHER GUIDANCE
MEETING AND DATE Indicate either Nature of Interest Discloseable Pecuniary Interest OR ……………………………. Personal Interest OR Personal and Prejudicial interest Agenda item Agenda Item 2 Page 1 Page
Signed………………………………………………………………………………………… Please print name…………………………………………………………………………………………..
IF A MEMBER HAS A DISCLOSEABLE PECUNIARY INTEREST THAT HAS NOT BEEN INCLUDED ON THEIR REGISTER SUBMISSION, THEY ARE REQUIRED BY LAW TO UPDATE THEIR REGISTER ENTRY WITHIN 28 DAYS. FAILURE TO PROVIDE PROPER NOTIFICATION IS A CRIMINAL OFFENCE.
THIS FORM, INCLUDING ‘NIL’ ENTRIES, MUST BE GIVEN TO THE GOVERNANCE AND COMMITTEE OFFICER NO LATER THAN AT THE END OF THE MEETING Summary of discloseable pecuniary interests, personal interests and prejudicial interests.
Disclosable pecuniary interests A ‘disclosable pecuniary interest’ is an interest of yourself, or of your partner if you are aware of your partner's interest, within the descriptions set out in the table below. "Partner" means a spouse or civil partner, or a person with whom you are living as husband or wife, or a person with whom you are living as if you are civil partners.
Subject Description Employment, office, Any employment, office, trade, profession or vocation carried on for profit trade, profession or or gain vocation Sponsorship Any payment or provision of any other financial benefit (other than from the Council) made or provided within the 12 month period prior to notification of the interest in respect of any expenses incurred by you in carrying out duties as a member, or towards your election expenses. Contracts Any contract made between you or your partner (or a body in which you or your partner has a beneficial interest) and the Council - (a) under which goods or services are to be provided or works are to be executed: and (b) which has not been fully discharged. Land Any beneficial interest in land which is within the area of the Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council. Licences Any licence (alone or jointly with others) to occupy land in the area of the Borough for a month or longer. Corporate Tenancies Any tenancy where (to your knowledge) - (a) the landlord is the Council: and (b) the tenant is a body in which you or your partner has a beneficial interest. Securities Any beneficial interest in securities of a body where - (a) that body (to your knowledge) has a place of business or land in the area of the Borough; and (b) either – (i) the total nominal value of the securities exceeds £25,000 or one hundredth of the total issued share capital of that body; or (ii) if the share capital of that body is of more than one class, the total nominal value of the shares of any one class in which you or your partner has a beneficial interest exceeds one hundredth of the total issued share capital of that class.
Personal Interests You have a personal interest in any business of the authority where it relates to or is likely to affect - (a) any body of which you are in a position of general control or management and to which you are appointed or nominated by your authority; (b) any body - (i) exercising functions of a public nature; (ii) directed to charitable purposes; or (iii) one of whose principal purposes includes the influence of public opinion or policy (including any political party or trade union), of which you are in a position of general control or management; (c) the interests of any person from whom you have received a gift or hospitality with an estimated value of at least £25.
Prejudicial Interests Where you have a personal interest you also have a prejudicial interest in that business where the interest is one which a member of the public with knowledge of the relevant facts would reasonably regard as so significant that it is likely to prejudice your judgement of the public interest and where that business - (a) Affects your financial position or the financial position of a person or body described above; or (b) Relates to the determining of any approval, consent, licence, permission or registration in relation to you or any person or body described above.
MEMBERS ARE ADVISED TO REFER TO THE FULL DESCRIPTIONS CONTAINED IN THE COUNCIL’S CODE OF CONDUCT ADOPTED ON 25TH JULY 2012. Page 2 PublicAgenda Document Item Pack 3
ANNUAL MEETING OF THE COUNCIL
MINUTES OF MEETING Wednesday, 18 May 2016
PRESENT: The Mayor, Councillor Surinder Biant (in the Chair); Councillors Ali Ahmed, Iftikhar Ahmed, Shakil Ahmed, Daalat Ali, Sultan Ali, Beswick, Cecile Biant, Surinder Biant, Boriss, Brosnan, Burke, Butterworth, Clegg, Cocks, Davidson, Dearnley, Duckworth, Dutton, Neil Emmott, Susan Emmott, Emsley, Farnell, Furlong, James Gartside, Hartley, Heakin, Holly, Howard, Hussain, Kelly, Malcolm, Martin, McCarthy, Meredith, Nickson, O'Neill, O'Rourke, Paolucci, Rashid, Robinson, Rowbotham, Rush, Sheerin, Smith, Stott, Sullivan, Wardle, Wazir, West, Williams, Williams, Winkler and Zaheer
OFFICERS: S. Rumbelow (Chief Executive), P. Kane (Director of Resources), G. Hopper (Director of Children’s Services), M. Widdup (Director of Neighbourhoods), J. Searle (Director of Economy) , D. Wilcock (Assistant Director – Legal, Governance and Workforce) and M. Hardman (Resources Directorate)
ALSO IN ATTENDANCE: Nine members of the public.
APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE: Councillors Bell, Blundell, Brett, Hornby, Joinson, Councillor and Zaman
MAYOR'S ANNOUNCEMENTS 1 The Mayor welcomed newly elected Councillors Wendy Cocks, Irene Davidson, Jane Howard, Peter Malcolm, Susan Smith and Donna Williams to the Annual Meeting of the Council, and referred to the Ceremony held on 9th May 2016 at which they had signed their Acceptance of Office Declarations.
The Mayor further advised that the Mayoral Mace, presented to the Borough of Rochdale by Samuel Turner, Mayor of Rochdale in 1901-02, had undergone substantial restoration and was once again a Mayoral Mace of which the Borough could be rightly proud.
DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST 2 There were no declarations of interest.
ELECTION OF MAYOR 3 On the Motion of Councillor Neil Emmott, seconded by Councillor Dearnley, and supported by Councillor Wardle, it was decided that Councillor Ray Dutton be elected Mayor for the ensuing Municipal Year.
DECLARATION OF ACCEPTANCE 4 Councillor Ray Dutton signed the Declaration of Office and took the Chair.
(The Mayor, Councillor Dutton, in the Chair)
APPOINTMENT OF DEPUTY MAYOR 5 On the Motion of Councillor Dearnley and seconded by Councillor Neil Emmott it was decided that Councillor Ian Duckworth be appointed as Deputy Mayor for the ensuing Municipal Year.
Page 3 MINUTES 6 DECIDED – That the minutes of the meeting of the Council held on 6th April 2016 be approved as a correct record.
LOCAL ELECTION RESULTS 7 The Council received and noted the following results of the local elections held on 5th May 2016:-
Balderstone and Kirkholt - results Election Candidate Party Votes % Richard Farnell Labour 1413 60% Elected William David Candlin UK Independence Party 411 17% Liz Thirsk Liberal Democrats 252 11% George Carpenter Conservative 214 9% James O'Meara Green Party 59 3%
Bamford - results Election Candidate Party Votes % Jane Howard Conservative 1698 49% Elected Mohammad Arshad Labour 1082 31% Michael Foster UK Independence Party 391 11% Peter Clegg Liberal Democrats 203 6% Sarah Croke Green Party 98 3% Castleton - results Election Candidate Party Votes % Billy Sheerin Labour 1713 61% Elected Stephen Sanderson UK Independence Party 744 26% Karen Winkler Conservative 252 9% Jonathan Kershaw Green Party 118 4%
Central Rochdale - results Election Candidate Party Votes % Iftikhar Ahmed Labour 2585 80% Elected Rifat Mahmood Liberal Democrats 192 6% Roger Howarth Conservative 139 4% Andy Littlewood Independent 135 4% Neil Rutter Green Party 110 3% David Fenwick-Finn Trade Unionists and 69 2% Socialists Against Cuts
Page 4 East Middleton - results Election Candidate Party Votes % Malcolm Boriss Labour 1469 57% Elected Robert Mudd UK Independence Party 752 29% Rebecca Howard Conservative 340 13%
Healey - results Election Candidate Party Votes % Shaun O'Neill Labour 1293 43% Elected Andrew Neilson Conservative 856 29% Maureen Kershaw UK Independence Party 516 17% John Rodgers Liberal Democrats 197 7% Thomas Butterworth Green Party 129 4%
Hopwood Hall - results Election Candidate Party Votes % Linda Robinson Labour 1323 52% Elected Angela Gardner UK Independence Party 617 24% Paul Ellison Conservative 584 23%
Kingsway - results Election Candidate Party Votes % Shakil Ahmed Labour 2098 71% Elected David Clayton Liberal Democrats 329 11% Richard Duckworth Conservative 306 10% Mark Hollinrake Green Party 215 7%
Littleborough Lakeside - results Election Candidate Party Votes % John Hartley Labour 1333 47% Elected Robert McLean Conservative 697 25% Ed Aadahl UK Independence Party 578 20% John Swarbrick Liberal Democrats 116 4% A J Rennie Green Party 101 4%
Milkstone and Deeplish - results Election Candidate Party Votes % Allen Brett Labour 2357 77% Elected Angela Coric Liberal Democrats 421 14% Jacqueline Holt Conservative 137 5% Abdus Mir Green Party 129 4%
Page 5 Milnrow and Newhey - results Election Candidate Party Votes % Irene Elizabeth Davidson Liberal Democrats 1622 51% Elected Duncan Hannant Labour 847 26% Michael O'Brien UK Independence Party 537 17% Ahmed Orakzai Conservative 100 3% Alan Ashworth Green Party 92 3%
Norden - results Election Candidate Party Votes % James Gartside Conservative 1601 56% Elected Dobir Miah Labour 575 20% Stephen Mitchell UK Independence Party 424 15% Susan Campbell Green Party 159 6% Keith Swift Liberal Democrats 108 4%
North Heywood - results Election Candidate Party Votes % Liam O'Rourke Labour 1534 71% Elected Anne Shorrock Conservative 353 16% Derrick Drysdale Liberal Democrats 280 13%
North Middleton - results Election Candidate Party Votes % Donna Williams Labour 1371 59% Elected David Winder UK Independence Party 711 30% John Kershaw Conservative 251 11%
Smallbridge and Firgrove - results Election Candidate Party Votes % Amna Mir Labour 1412 55% Elected Neville Westerman UK Independence Party 607 24% Kitt Budd Liberal Democrats 268 11% Leonard Branton Conservative 264 10%
South Middleton - results Election Candidate Party Votes % Peter Joinson Labour 1454 47% Elected Richard Whitaker UK Independence Party 792 25% Bernard Braiden Conservative 688 22% John Wilkins Liberal Democrats 116 4% Peter Cloran Green Party 67 2%
Page 6 Spotland and Falinge - results Election Candidate Party Votes % Wendy Cocks Labour 1505 48% Elected Carl Faulkner Independent 721 23% Matthew Allen Liberal Democrats 434 14% Steven Scholes Conservative 261 8% Mick Coats Green Party 183 6%
Wardle and West Littleborough - results Election Candidate Party Votes % Ashley Dearnley Conservative 1576 60% Elected Stefan Cholewka Labour 537 20% Cathie Cox UK Independence Party 401 15% Joe Kelly Liberal Democrats 132 5%
West Heywood - results Election Candidate Party Votes % Peter Malcolm Labour 1443 58% Elected Lee Seville UK Independence Party 796 32% Keith Taylor Conservative 270 11%
West Middleton - results Election Candidate Party Votes % Susan Smith Labour 1548 64% Elected Warren Mitchell UK Independence Party 699 29% Rachel McLachlan Conservative 167 7%
LEADER OF THE COUNCIL 8 It was moved by Councillor Beswick and seconded by Councillor Daalat Ali that Councillor Richard Farnell be appointed to the office of Leader of the Council for a four year period starting on this day and ending on the day when the Council holds its first annual meeting after the Leader's normal day of retirement as a Councillor, subject to the provisions as detailed in the submitted report.
DECIDED – That Councillor Richard Farnell be appointed to the office of Leader of the Council for a four year period starting on this day and ending on the day when the Council holds its first annual meeting after the Leader's normal day of retirement as a Councillor, subject to the provisions as detailed in the submitted report.
NOTIFICATION OF CABINET AND ASSISTANT APPOINTMENTS, THE ALLOCATION OF PORTFOLIOS TO CABINET MEMBERS AND THE DETERMINATION OF EXECUTIVE FUNCTIONS 9 The Leader of the Council advised of his appointments of Deputy Leader, Cabinet Members and Assistants to Cabinet Members, along with Portfolio Responsibilities as follows:-
Page 7 Portfolios and Portfolio Cabinet Member Assistant to the Responsibilities Portfolio Holder Leader of the Council and Lead for Councillor Farnell Regeneration: Regeneration – Regeneration, Councillor Blundell Communications, Special Projects, GMCA/AGMA and Greater Manchester Relationships
Business, Skills and Employment – Councillor Peter Councillor Meredith Jobs, Business and Intelligence Williams Services, Skills and Employment, and Economic Growth
Deputy Leader and Finance - Councillor Brett Councillor Rashid Revenues and Benefits, Financial Strategy, Financial Management, Accounting, Audit, Risk, and Corporate Debt
Adult Care - Adult Safeguarding, Adult Councillor Iftikhar Councillor Sheerin Social Care, Joint Commissioning and Ahmed Care Strategy, Adult Care Market Strategy, Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Devolution
Children’s Services – Education, Councillor Martin Children’s Social Children’s Social Care, Children’s Care: Safeguarding, Schools, and Joint Councillor Nickson Commissioning - Children Schools: Councillor Heakin Neighbourhoods and Community - Councillor Daalat Councillor Brosnan Townships, Libraries, Community Safety, Ali Voluntary Sector, Community Cohesion, Community Centres
Culture, Health and Wellbeing - Public Councillor Emsley Councillor Zaheer Health, Public Protection, Culture, Leisure, Link for Life Client, Events, Health and Wellbeing Board, Integrated Commissioning Board (Leadership), Drug and Alcohol Commissioning
Housing and Environment - Strategic Councillor Neil Councillor Robinson Housing, RBH Client, Property, Emmott Highways, Environmental Management, Street Lighting Client, Facilities Management, Sustainability/ Low Carbon, Coroners & Registrars
Deputy Leader and Corporate and Councillor Councillor Hornby Regulation - IT, Legal, Planning, Beswick Building Control, Governance, Human Resources, Payroll, Corporate, Health and Safety
Page 8 The Leader of the Council reaffirmed the existing arrangements for joint arrangements and for the delegation of executive functions.
DECIDED – That the appointments by the Leader of the Council of the Deputy Leaders of the Council and of the Cabinet; of the determination of Portfolios; and the re-affirmation of joint and executive arrangements, be noted.
APPOINTMENT OF OPPOSITION/SHADOW PORTFOLIO SPOKESPERSONS 2016/17 10 DECIDED - That the appointments to the posts of Opposition/Shadow Portfolio Spokespersons for 2015/16 be as follows:-
Portfolios Shadow Portfolio Holder
Lead Member for Regeneration Councillor Dearnley Business, Skills and Employment Councillor Gartside
Finance Councillor Clegg Adult Care Councillor Howard
Children’s Services Councillor Sullivan Neighbourhoods and Community Councillor Duckworth
Culture, Health and Wellbeing Councillor Stott Housing and Environment Councillor Winkler Corporate and Regulation Councillor Paolucci
APPOINTMENT OF TOWNSHIP COMMITTEES 2016/17 11 The Assistant Director – Legal, Governance and Workforce invited consideration of appointments to Township Committees.
DECIDED – That (1) the Heywood, Pennines and Rochdale Township Committees comprise all the Members whose Wards are partly or wholly within the respective Township areas; (2) the Middleton Township Committee comprise all elected members from the Hopwood Hall, East Middleton, South Middleton, West Middleton and North Middleton Wards; (3) appointments to Township Sub-Committees, Township Working Parties, Partnership Arrangements and local Outside Bodies be made at the first meeting of the appropriate Township Committee; (4) Chairs and Vice-Chairs of Township Committees and Township Sub- Committees be appointed at the first meeting of the appropriate Township Committee.
POLITICAL BALANCE ON COMMITTEES 2016/17 12 The Assistant Director – Legal, Governance and Workforce reported on the provisions of the Local Government (Committees and Political Groups) Regulations 1990 as they relate to the composition of Committees and Sub-Committees, presented a review of the political balance requirements and sought agreement as to
Page 9 the nomination arrangements for the political groups to nominate for appointments on Committees and Sub-Committees for the 2016/7 Municipal Year.
DECIDED – That (1) the political balance allocation for 2016/17 be noted; (2) those Committees and Sub-Committees with a membership of three be appointed on the basis of two members from the Labour Group and one member from the Conservative Group or Liberal Democrat Group, or as may be determined by the Chief Executive in exceptional circumstances looking to achieve political balance over time.
APPOINTMENT TO COMMITTEES, SUB-COMMITTEES, JOINT COMMITTEES AND COMBINED AUTHORITY/AGMA BODIES 13 The Assistant Director – Legal, Governance and Workforce invited consideration of appointments to Committees, Sub-Committees and Joint Committees, including substitute members, and to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and AGMA bodies for 2016/17.
DECIDED – That (1) the following appointments to Committees, Sub- Committees and Joint Committees, including substitute members, and to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and AGMA bodies for 2016/17 be made -
Communities, Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Conservative (2) Councillor Stott Councillor Winkler
Labour (9) Councillor Butterworth Councillor O’Rourke Councillor Susan Emmott Councillor Wazir Councillor Malcom Councillor West Councillor Meredith Councillor Zaheer Councillor O’Neill
Chair (Labour) – Councillor Butterworth Vice Chair (Conservative) – Councillor Stott
Health, Schools and Care Overview & Scrutiny Committee
Conservative (2) Councillor Gartside Councillor Sullivan
Labour (9) Councillor Sultan Ali Councillor Robinson Councillor Cecile Biant Councillor Rowbotham Councillor Surinder Biant Councillor Smith Councillor Hartley Councillor Zaman Councillor O’Neill
Non-Elected Voting Members (voting rights in relation to education decisions only): Church Representatives (to be notified) Parent Governor Representatives (two vacancies)
Page 10 Chair (Labour) – Councillor Rowbotham Vice Chair (Conservative) – Councillor Sullivan
Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Conservative (2) Councillor Holly Councillor Clegg
Labour (8) Councillor Ali Ahmed Councillor O’Neill Councillor Sultan Ali Councillor O’Rourke Councillor Bell Councillor Rush Councillor Susan Emmott Councillor Donna Williams
Liberal Democrat (1) Councillor Davidson
Chair (Conservative) – Councillor Holly Vice Chair (Labour) – Councillor Sultan Ali
Audit and Governance Committee
Conservative (2) Councillor Dearnley Councillor Gartside
Labour (7) Councillor Butterworth Councillor Malcolm Councillor Bell Councillor O’Rourke Councillor Heakin Councillor Rashid Councillor Joinson
Independent Persons (non-voting) (in respect of elected member conduct issues): Mr. A Underdown and Ms. A Taylor
Chair – Councillor O’Rourke Vice Chair – Councillor Bell
Planning and Licensing Committee
Conservative (2) Councillor Stott Councillor Sullivan
Labour (9): Councillor Surinder Biant Councillor Rush Councillor Brett Councillor Sheerin Councillor Butterworth Councillor Wardle Councillor Susan Emmott Councillor West Councillor O’Neill
Chair – Councillor Wardle Vice Chair – Councillor Surinder Biant
Page 11 Licensing Sub-Committee
Comprises three Members drawn from the full membership of the Planning and Licensing Committee to be appointed on the basis as detailed in the Political Balance report at Item 11. Chair to be appointed at the meeting of the Sub- Committee
Employment and Equalities Committee
Conservative (1) Councillor Clegg
Labour (6) Councillor Ali Ahmed Councillor Robinson Councillor Hussain Councillor Rush Councillor O’Neill Councillor West
Chair – Councillor Hussain Vice Chair – Councillor Ali Ahmed
Charitable Trustee Committee
Conservative (1) Councillor Holly
Labour (4) Councillor Butterworth Councillor O’Neill Councillor Nickson Councillor Sheerin
Chair – Councillor O’Neill The Vice Chair of this Committee has previously appointed at the first meeting.
Appeals Committee
A Panel comprising three Members of Council on the basis as detailed on the Political Balance Report at Item 11 and who have undertaken appropriate training.
‘Grading’ Appeal Committees shall not include Members of the Employment Committee; ‘Grievance’ Appeal Committee shall comprise three Members of Council who have received the appropriate training and three Trade Union representatives.
Chair to be appointed at the meeting.
Disputes Committee
A Panel comprising seven Members of Council who have received the appropriate training (political balance to apply)
Health and Wellbeing Board
Portfolio Holder with responsibility for Health/Public Health Assistant to Portfolio Holder with responsibility for Children’s Services
Page 12 Portfolio Holder with responsibility for Adult Care Leader of the Conservative Chief Executive the Director of Adult Social Services for the local authority the Director of Children's Services for the local authority the Director of Public Health for the local authority a representative of the local Healthwatch organisation for the Borough a representative of each relevant Clinical Commissioning such other persons, or representatives of such other persons, as the Board or the local authority after consulting the Board thinks appropriate. o CVS o GMP (from Safer Communities Partnership)
Statutory requirement – at least one elected member; the Directors of Adult Social Services, Children's Services and Public Health for the local authority; at least one representative of the Clinical Commissioning Group (currently four positions held by Dr Chris Duffy; Dr Musharaff Hussain, Simon Wootton and one vacancy); representative of Healthwatch (currently Jane Jackson); and (for certain business) representative of NHS England (currently Rob Bellingham or nominee).
Integrated Commissioning Board (Sub-Committee of the Health and Wellbeing Board)
To note the Council membership – Portfolio Holder with responsibility for Health/Public Health Portfolio Holder with responsibility for Children’s Services Portfolio Holder with responsibility for Adult Care the Director of Adult Care the Director of Children's Services the Director of Public Health the Director of Resources
The balance of the Board membership appointed by the Clinical Commissioning Group.
Joint Scrutiny Committee for Pennine Acute Hospitals Trust
Councillor Nickson Councillor Stott Councillor Robinson
Substitutes Councillors Sultan Ali Councillor Paolucci-Escobar
Joint Scrutiny Committee for Pennine Care (Mental Health) Trust
Councillor Cecile Biant Councillor Rowbotham Councillor Paolucci-Escobar
Substitutes Councillor Dearnley Councillor Robinson
Page 13 Joint Committee for Strategic Procurement
Councillor Brett
Substitute Councillor Farnell
Lead Member for the Armed Forces, Armed Forces Community Covenant and proposed as the AGMA Lead Member to lead on and promote Armed Forces Community Covenants across Greater Manchester
Councillor McCarthy
SUBSTITUTE MEMBERS 2016/17
Conservative
Communities, Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee (2) Councillor Holly Councillor Howard
Health, Children and Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee (2) Councillor Paolucci-Escobar Councillor Clegg
Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee (2) Councillor Dearnley Councillor Sullivan
Planning and Licensing Committee (1) Councillor Clegg
Employment Committee (1) Councillor Stott
Charitable Trustee Committee (1) Councillor Clegg
Labour
Communities, Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee (3) Councillor Ali Ahmed Councillor Nickson Councillor Burke
Health, Children and Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee (3) Councillor Boriss Councillor Wardle Councillor Mir
Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee (3) Councillor Boriss Councillor Wardle Councillor Cocks
Page 14 Planning and Licensing Committee (3) Councillor Meredith Councillor Zaman Councillor Rashid
Employment Committee (3) Councillor Beswick Councillor Donna Williams Councillor Farnell
Charitable Trustee Committee (3) Councillor Susan Emmott Councillor Robinson Councillor Jean Hornby
Liberal Democrat
Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee (1) Councillor Kelly
GREATER MANCHESTER COMBINED AUTHORITY (GMCA) – APPOINTMENTS AND NOMINATIONS
Greater Manchester Combined Authority
Councillor Farnell
Substitute Councillor Brett
Transport for Greater Manchester Committee
Councillor Burke Councillor Wazir Councillor Duckworth
NW European Programmes Local Management Committee
Nomination only Councillor Farnell
NW Regional Flood and Coastal Committee
Nomination only Councillor Neil Emmott
Health and Social Care Strategic Partnership Board
Councillor Farnell
Substitute Councillor Brett
GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny Pool
Councillor Butterworth Councillor Rowbotham Councillor Holly
Page 15 Scrutiny Link – Councillor Rowbotham
GMCA/AGMA Audit Committee
Nomination only Councillor Butterworth
Nomination only Councillor Brett
ASSOCIATION OF GREATER MANCHESTER AUTHORITIES (AGMA) – APPOINTMENTS AND NOMINATIONS
AGMA Executive Board
Councillor Farnell
Substitutes (in order) – Councillor Brett Councillor Beswick
Police and Crime Panel –
Councillor Farnell
Police and Crime Steering
Councillor Daalat Ali
Greater Manchester Health Scrutiny Committee
Councillor Rowbotham
Greater Manchester Health and Wellbeing Board
Nomination only Councillor Emsley
Planning and Housing Commission
Nomination only Councillor Blundell
AGMA Statutory Functions Committee:
Councillor Emsley
Substitute Councillor Peter Williams
GM Pensions Fund Management Panel
Councillor Brett
Page 16 AGMA Asylum Seekers Executive Board
Nomination only Councillor Daalat Ali
(2) the Monitoring Officer, in consultation with the relevant Group Leader, be authorised to make and confirm any amendments or additions in relation to the above appointments; (3) the Leader of the Council be authorised to submit any further nominations that may be required in respect of appointments to be made by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Association of Greater Manchester Authorities.
APPOINTMENT TO OTHER COUNCIL BODIES 2016/17 14 The Assistant Director – Legal, Governance and Workforce invited consideration of appointments to a number of Council bodies for 2016/17.
DECIDED – That (1) appointments be made to Council bodies as follows:-
Joint Consultative Committee
Conservative (1) Councillor Clegg
Labour (6) Councillor Ali Ahmed Councillor Rush Councillor Brett Councillor Sheerin Councillor Hussain Councillor West
Central Health, Safety & Welfare Committee
Conservative (1) Councillor Clegg
Labour (4) Councillor Ali Ahmed Councillor O’Neill Councillor Hussain Councillor West
Voluntary Sector Partnership Party Leaders
One Member per Group Councillor Daalat Ali Councillor Stott
One Substitute per Group Councillor Heakin Councillor Sullivan
(d) Corporate Parenting Board
Rochdale’s Corporate Parenting Board will be chaired by the Lead member for Children and Family Services; the remaining membership is as follows;
Page 17 6 elected Members; Portfolio Holder with responsibility for Adults Portfolio Holder with responsibility for Housing Opposition spokesperson for Children, Schools and Families Assistant to the Cabinet Member for Children Schools and Families Representative to the Fostering Panel
Nominated Officers; Director of Children’s Services and Senior nominated Officers Deputy Chief Executive/Strategic Director for Corporate Services Health Representative from Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust Adult Services Representative Housing Services Representative
Invitations to attend the Corporate Parenting Board is extended to Corporate Parenting Champions Foster Care Association Representatives
(e) Borough Regeneration Steering Group
Conservative (2) Councillor Holly Councillor Gartside
Labour (9) Councillor Blundell Councillor O’Neill Councillor Cecile Biant Councillor O’Rourke Councillor Brett Councillor West Councillor Butterworth Councillor Peter Williams Councillor Farnell Councillor Zaheer
Chair – Councillor Peter Williams Vice Chair – Councillor Blundell
(f) Democratic Structure Member Working Group and Member Training and Development Steering Group
Conservative (1) Councillor Paolucci-Escobar
Labour (6) Councillor Daalat Ali Councillor Farnell Councillor Brett Councillor O’Rourke Councillor Neil Emmott Councillor Wardle
(g) Social Services Complaints Review Panel:
Cabinet Members with responsibility for Health and Social Care and for Children, Schools and Families, as appropriate, (or their nominees)
(h) Adoption Panel
Councillor Sullivan
Page 18 (i) Fostering Panel
Councillor Hornby
(2) the Monitoring Officer, in consultation with the relevant Group Leader, be authorised to make and confirm any amendments or additions in relation to the above appointments.
APPOINTMENT OF REPRESENTATIVES TO SERVE ON GREATER MANCHESTER JOINT AUTHORITIES 2016/2017 15 The Assistant Director (Legal, Governance and Workforce) invited consideration of appointments to the Greater Manchester Joint Authorities.
DECIDED – That (1) appointments to the greater Manchester Joint Authorities, with the first named being nominated to answer questions in accordance with Section 41 of the Local Government Act 1985, be as follows:-
Fire and Rescue Authority Councillor O’Neill Councillor Mir
Waste Disposal and Regulation Authority Councillor Zaman Councillor Susan Emmott
(2) the Monitoring Officer, in consultation with the relevant Group Leader, be authorised to make any amendments or additions in relation to the above appointments.
APPOINTMENT OF REPRESENTATIVES TO SERVE ON OUTSIDE BODIES 2016/17 16 The Assistant Director – Legal, Governance and Workforce invited the Council to make appointments to a number of outside bodies for 2016/17.
DECIDED – That (1) the following appointments to outside bodies be agreed:-
Local Government Association General Assembly: (4) Councillor Beswick Councillor Dearnley Councillor Brett Councillor Farnell
Rochdale Development Agency: (3) Councillor Dearnley Councillor Peter Williams Chief Executive
Healey Dell Joint Management Committee: (3) Councillor Heakin Councillor Wazir Councillor O’Neill
East Lancashire Railway Trust: (3). Councillor Sheerin Refer to Heywood Township Committee Refer to Heywood Township Committee
Ring & Ride Steering Group: (1) Councillor Wazir
Page 19 Rochdale Town Centre Management Company: (3) Councillor Dearnley Councillor Farnell Chair – Rochdale Township Committee
Groundwork Trust for Rochdale and Oldham: (2) Councillor Stott Councillor West
Rochdale Canal Trust: (2) Councillor Brett Chief Executive Substitute : Councillor Nickson Substitute : Director of Economy
Rochdale Shopmobility Executive Committee: (2) Councillor Cocks Councillor Gartside
North West Regional Association of Education Authorities: Councillor Martin
University of Salford Court: (1) Councillor Martin
DVAW Inter-Agency Working Party: (1) Councillor Robinson
North West Local Authorities Employers Organisation: (2) Chair and Vice- Chair of Employment and Equalities Committee. Councillor Hussain Councillor Ali Ahmed
Rochdale Community Legal Service Partnership): (2) Councillor West Councillor Gartside
Reserve Forces and Cadets Association (1) Councillor McCarthy
Rochdale Boroughwide Housing Board of Directors (2) Councillor Farnell Councillor Rowbotham
Rochdale Boroughwide Housing Board Representative Committee (2) Councillor Rush Councillor Zaheer
Board of the Leisure Trust (Link4Life) (3) - Councillor Butterworth Councillor Sheerin Councillor Paolucci-Escobar
Rochdale Chamber of Commerce Local Council: (1) Councillor Peter Williams
Rochdale Borough Multi-Agency Racial Harassment Forum: (1) Councillor Daalat Ali
Page 20 The Joint Committee of England and Wales for the Civil Enforcement of Parking and Traffic Regulations Outside (formerly the National Parking Service Adjudication Service – Joint Committee): (1) Councillor Neil Emmott
Pennines Prospects Board: (1) Councillor Butterworth
Greater Manchester Forest Partnership: (1) Councillor Rashid
Calder Valley Development Group: (1) Councillor Hartley
Partnerships -
Rochdale Safer Communities Partnership – relevant Portfolio Holder, Assistant to the Cabinet Member and opposition Portfolio Holders to serve on the Partnership
Children & Young People’s Partnership - Relevant Portfolio Holder, Assistants to the Cabinet Member and opposition Portfolio Holders to serve on the Partnership.
(2) the Monitoring Officer, in consultation with the relevant Group Leader, be authorised to make any amendments or additions in relation to the above appointments.
COUNCIL CONSTITUTION 17 The Assistant Director – Legal, Governance and Workforce asked the Council to consider re-affirming the Council Constitution, including arrangements for the discharge and delegation of non-executive functions and the Schemes of Delegation for Officers, Township Committees and Development Control as adopted by the Council on 25th July 2001 and as amended subsequently by the Council.
DECIDED – That (1) the Council re-affirms the Council Constitution, including joint arrangements and arrangements for the discharge and delegation of non- executive functions and the Schemes of Delegation for Officers, Township Committees and Development Control as adopted by the Council on 25th July 2001 and as amended subsequently; (2) the Council notes the earlier determination by the Leader of the Council, of executive arrangements, including joint arrangements, included in the Council Constitution and Schemes of Delegation as adopted by the Council on 25th July 2001 and as amended subsequently; (3) the arrangements for subsequent amendment and updating of the Constitution, as detailed at paragraph 3.4 to the submitted report, including the delegated power to the Monitoring Officer to effect certain changes to the Constitution, be agreed.
CALENDAR OF MEETINGS 2016/17 18 The Assistant Director – Legal, Governance and Workforce sought the agreement of the Council to a revised calendar of meetings for 2016/17 taking account of changes agreed under delegated powers since initial approval of the
Page 21 calendar in February 2016 and consideration of a proposed date for the Annual Meeting of the Council in 2017.
DECIDED – That (1) the revised calendar of meetings 2016/17 be agreed; (2) the date for the next Annual Meeting of the Council be fixed provisionally for Wednesday, 17th May 2017; (3) the Chief Executive be authorised to amend the calendar of meetings further as necessary after consultation with the Mayor and the Chairs of the Cabinet and Committees/Sub-Committees, as appropriate.
UPDATE ON THE CITIES AND LOCAL GOVERNMENT DEVOLUTION ACT 2016 19 The Assistant Director - Legal, Governance and Workforce updated the Council on the status of the Cities and Devolution Act 2016 and the next steps to implementation of the Act. Further Orders, that would require the consent of the Council, would need to be laid by June and September 2016 in order to be in place and implemented by November 2016 and February 2017 respectively.
DECIDED – That (1) the progress of the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016 and the next steps required for implementation be noted; (2) the Chief Executive, in consultation with the Leader of the Council, be authorised to consent to the terms of any Order required to confirm the functions to be undertaken by the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) and the elected Mayor.
Page 22 Agenda Item 5
Subject: Appointments Update Status: For Publication
Report to: Council Date: Tuesday, 26 July 2016
Report of: Assistant Director – (Legal, Author: Mark Hardman Governance & Workforce) Tel: Tel: 01706924704 Author Email: [email protected]
1 Purpose of the report
1.1 To report amendments made to the appointments/nominations made or announced at the Annual Meeting of the Council held on 18th May 2016 and consider any further appointment issues arising
2 Recommendations
2.1 That the Council notes nominations and appointments listed in paragraphs 3.2-3.3;
2.2 That the Leader of the Council considers the nomination of substitute members to the Health and Wellbeing board as detailed at paragraph 3.4;
2.3 That the Council considers delegating the Monitoring Officer, in consultation with the Chief Executive and relevant Directors, to submit nominations of substitute members to the Health and Wellbeing Board as detailed at paragraph 3.5;
2.4 Council Procedure Rule 4 relating to substitution arrangements be amended in light of any resolutions arising from recommendations 2.2 and 2.3 above;
2.5 That the Monitoring Officer, in consultation with the relevant Group Leader, be authorised to make any amendments to the appointments made at Council meetings or to address any further requirements arising before the next meeting of the Council.
3 Background
3.1 At the Annual Meeting of the Council held on 18th May 2016 the Council resolved, in respect of the various appointments made at that meeting, that the Monitoring Officer in consultation with the relevant Group Leader be authorised to make any amendments or additions in relation to the appointments made.
3.2 Since the Annual Meeting, the following amendments to appointments have been made:- Greater Manchester Reform Committee – Councillor Beswick (Nomination by the Leader of the Council forwarded to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority) East Lancashire Railway - the Leader of the Council agreed appointment of Councillor Rush and Mr B Davies with effect from 1st June 2016, pending confirmation by the Heywood Township Committee at its next meeting.
Page 23 3.3 In respect of executive appointments, the Leader advised of the resignation of Councillor Nixon as the Assistant to the Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services (Social Care) on 28th June 2016 and that the position would not be re-appointed to.
3.4 Health and Wellbeing Board – substitution arrangements.
3.4.1 While powers to make substitution arrangements to the Health and Wellbeing Board (HWB) as a Committee of the Council exist, none have been made to date. This issue was raised at a Board meeting held on 30th June 2016. Ordinary substitution arrangements provided for in Council Procedure Rule 4 are premised on politically balanced Committee arrangements that appear inappropriate for this body. It is therefore suggested that an alternate arrangement be determined; alternate provision is already made for the Planning and Licensing Committee and for Township Sub- Committees. Additional appointments to the Board are made by the Board itself, the Leader of the Council and local authority making nominations. The Leader of the Council and the Council respectively are asked to consider the following matters relating to nomination of substitute members to the HWB and Sub-Committees.
3.4.2 Elected members - powers to nominate elected members lie with the Leader of the Council (s194(3) of the Health and Social Care Act 2012).
The Leader of the Council is therefore asked to consider making substitute nominations for the elected membership of the Health and Wellbeing Board that currently comprises - Portfolio Holder with responsibility for Health/Public Health (Councillor Emsley); Portfolio Holder with responsibility for Children’s Services (Councillor Martin) following resignation of the Assistant Portfolio Holder noted in paragraph 3.3 above); Portfolio Holder with responsibility for Adult Care (Councillor Iftikhar Ahmed); Leader of the Conservative Group (Councillor Dearnley).
The Leader of the Council is also asked to consider extending the substitute nominations for the Portfolio Holder members to also cover the Integrated Commissioning Board (ICB), a Sub-Committee of the HWB.
3.4.2 Officers - regarding Officer membership, the Director of Adult Care, the Director of Children's Services, and the Director of Public Health and Wellbeing hold statutory membership of the Board (s194(2) of the Health and Social Care Act 2012), with no specific provision for substitution. The Council has also nominated the Chief Executive to the HWB and the Director of Resources to the ICB.
The Council is therefore asked to consider agreeing to the nomination of Officer substitute members to be forwarded to the HWB, to cover both the HWB and the ICB with the power to make nominations being delegated to the Monitoring Officer following consultation with the respective Officer Board members.
Alternatives considered None.
4 Financial Implications
4.1 None applicable.
Page 24 5 Legal Implications
5.1 The considered appointments are a matter for determination by the Council or by the Leader of the Council as indicated.
5.3 With regard to the Health and Wellbeing Board, as a formal Council Committee Council Officers would ordinarily be debarred from membership by virtue of s104(1) of the Local Government Act 1972. However, this provision is disapplied by virtue of s5 of the Local Authority (Public Health, Health and Wellbeing Boards and Health Scrutiny) Regulations 2013 in respect of a HWB, a sub-committee of such a Board or a joint sub-committee of two or more such Boards.
6 Personnel Implications
6.1 None applicable.
7. Risk Assessment Implications
7.1 There are no specific risk issues for members to consider arising from this report.
8. Equalities Impacts
8.1 Workforce Equality Impacts Assessment
There are no workforce equality issues arising from this report.
8.2 Equality/Community Impact Assessments
There are no equality/community issues arising from this report.
Page 25 Agenda Item 6
Subject: Place Plan for the Borough 2016-21 Status: For Publication
Report to: Council Date: Tuesday, 26 July 2016
Cabinet Member: Leader of the Council
Report of: Assistant Director (Legal, Governance Author: Mark Hardman & Workforce) Tel: Tel: 01706924704 Author Email: [email protected]
1 Purpose of the report
1.1 To present for approval and adoption the recommendations of the Cabinet arising from the meeting held on 11th July 2016 in respect of the Place Plan for the Borough 2016- 21, developed as a refresh of the Sustainable Community Strategy, as part of the Council’s Budget and Policy Framework.
2 Recommendations
2.1 The Cabinet recommends that the Place Plan for the Borough 2016-21, as the refreshed Sustainable Community Strategy 2011-2021, be approved and adopted.
3 Background
3.1 The Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Neighbourhoods advising of the Place Plan for the Borough 2016-21 developed as a refresh of the Sustainable Community Strategy 2011-2021 by the Borough’s Transformational Leaders Group.
Alternatives considered Not applicable.
Consultation undertaken/proposed The Place Plan was considered by the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee at a meeting held on 12th July 2016. In noting the submitted report and Plan, Members commented on presentational issues within the submitted Plan document that pictured locations within the draft Plan were not representative of the whole Borough, and that indicated links appeared to work. These presentational issues, together with a review of names listed in the ‘And did you know that’ section will be addressed by Officers prior to wider circulation of the Plan.
The report of the Director of Neighbourhoods is appended to this report.
Page 26 APPENDIX
Subject: Place Plan Status: For Publication
Report to: Cabinet Date: Monday 11th July 2016 Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee Tuesday, 12th July 2016
Cabinet Member: Cabinet Member for Neighbourhoods and Community Report of: Director of Neighbourhoods Author: Lea Fothergill
Author Email: [email protected] Tel: 01706 924333
Comments from Statutory Monitoring Officer: Yes Officers: Section 151 Officer: Yes Key Decision: Yes
1 Purpose of the report
1.1 To seek the endorsement of the Cabinet to the Place Plan for the Borough developed as a refresh of the Sustainable Community Strategy by the Borough’s Transformational Leaders Group.
2 Recommendations
2.1 That Cabinet agrees to adopt the Place Plan attached at Appendix 1 as the overarching partnership plan articulating the ambition for the Borough for the next 5- years.
2.2 The Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee be requested to note the report
3 Background
3.1 The Council led the development of the Borough’s Sustainable Community Strategy (SCS) 2011-2021 under the direction of the former Pride Partnership (Rochdale’s Local Strategic Partnership). Although the vision and priorities contained within the SCS is for 20- years, the SCS itself is a four-year partnership delivery plan and was due for refresh in 2015 under the leadership of the new Transformational Leaders Group.
3.2 Over the past 12-months, a number of other key partnership strategies have been developed. These include the Safer Communities Plan and the Locality Plan (Co-operating for Better Health and Wellbeing) and a number of other plans are under development i.e. the refresh of the Borough Masterplan and the Economic Plan.
3.3 Accordingly, the Transformational Leaders Group asked for the SCS refresh to produce an overarching Place Plan for the Borough that encompassed the other partnership plans in place or under development.
Page 27 3.4 This has been done using the original SCS as the foundation and utilising the high level outcomes from the other relevant partnership plans (Appendix 1). The plan was approved by the Transformational Leaders Group at its meeting on 9th May.
3.5 The Place Plan is not intended to contain everything we want to do individually as organisations, rather what we intend to do in collaboration with other agencies delivering services in the borough. Some of the issues that are important to local people but not delivered through a partnership arrangement will be tackled through single organisational plans (such as the Council’s Corporate Plan).
3.6 The Place Plan is currently being designed for publication on partners’ websites, and will be refreshed again in 2018. In light of this it is not intended to produce paper copies of the Place Plan.
3.7 Progress towards the high-level outcomes identified in the plan will be monitored by the relevant partnership boards i.e. Health and Wellbeing Board and Safer Communities Partnership etc., with a review being undertaken by the Transformational Leaders Group on an annual basis.
3.8 Partners are now taking the Place Plan through their own internal governance processes, and the Cabinet is therefore asked to endorse and adopt the Place Plan on behalf of the Council.
Alternatives considered
(i) To refresh the Sustainable Community Strategy as a stand-alone document. This option wasn’t considered appropriate given the existence and emergence of other Strategies and Plans and the need to integrate these and the process for managing impact and performance bearing in mind the reduction in resources across partners.
(ii) To do nothing. This option wasn’t considered to be suitable given the need for the borough to articulate its aspiration for the place and its people in one succinct document within a growing and strengthening GM region and the evolving plans for devolution.
4 Financial Implications
4.1 None directly attributable to this report aside from small cost of design which can be found within existing budgets.
5 Legal Implications
5.1 There are no major legal issues. The Council is committed to delivering a vision of a Council which builds success and prosperity and improves the lives and conditions for the people, who live, visit and invest in the Borough.
5.2 The Assistant Director, Legal, Governance & Workforce be authorised to advise appropriate Council Services, as and when required to assist in the delivery of the Place Plan.
6 Personnel Implications
6.1 None
Page 28 7 Corporate Priorities
7.1 The Council’s Corporate Plan underpins the vision and priorities in the SCS and the Place Plan for the Borough.
8. Risk Assessment Implications
8.1 None.
9. Equalities Impacts
9.1 There are no significant equality issues arising directly from this report. The delivery of the outcomes and indeed the vision for the borough will be delivered through a range of partnerships and their appropriate strategies (see para 3.7) and delivery plans. In June 2015 the council engaged with stakeholders to identify their equality priorities and some of the issues raised at that event are reflected in the plan and have been shared with relevant partnerships .Each partnership plan will be underpinned by an equalities impact assessment following normal practice.
Background Papers Document Place of Inspection
Number 1 Riverside, Sustainable Community Strategy 2011-21 Smith Street, Rochdale
Page 29 Appendix A
Place Plan (for the Borough) 2016-21
Our Place - Our Plan Population growth since 2001 has been modest and is anticipated to remain so.
This Plan for the Borough sets out our vision There has been an increase in over 75’s for the next five years and confirms what and over 80’s between 2001 and 2014 we intend to achieve through partnership and our older population is growing working particularly over the next two and is expected to increase by 25% years. between 2012 and 2024.
It confirms our agreed strategic priorities We are becoming more ethnically which underpin everything we do and the diverse with 21% of the total population high-level outcomes or impacts that we from black and ethnic minority intend to deliver which will help to shape our place and improve the lives and populations. conditions for the people, who live, visit and invest here. Rochdale Borough has a relatively young population profile, having seen The Plan is owned by the Borough’s significant growth in 0-4 year olds in the Partnership Board (the Transformational last decade, increasing by 2,000 and Leaders Group) and is delivered through a now accounting for 7% of the range of plans and strategies which are population. managed and monitored through a number of partnerships. It will be refreshed The number of children born in the every two years to ensure that it is relevant Borough has increased from 2554 in a constantly changing environment. (school year 2000-01) to a peak of 3074 (school year 2007-8) and remained at Each individual organisation will align their just below that level until 2012-13. There organisational plans to the priorities in this were 2869 children born in 2014-15. The Plan. effect of this is an increasing pressure on the provision of school places initially at primary school and progressively into Information about the the secondary sector. This growth has Place: also impacted on pre-school services.
Rochdale covers 62 square miles. There are currently over 33,000 children in Rochdale Borough schools and this We have a total population of 212,960, will grow to over 35,500 in 2019-20. the second smallest population in GM. Page 30 Page 1 Deprivation is becoming more Combined Authority and is a major widespread in the Borough with an supporter of devolution of power from increasing proportion of the population central to local control. living in the most deprived 10% of the country. The Borough benefits from swathes of magnificent countryside, Victorian and We are living longer but compared with Edwardian parks and countryside the rest of England and Wales we live attractions and numerous lakes and shorter and less healthy lives and a ten waterways, which are easily accessible. It year difference exists for some people also has some of the finest historic in some of our most deprived areas of architectural buildings in the North West. the Borough. Men in Rochdale live to be 77.2 years compared with those in Our pioneering heritage is recognised on a England and Wales who reach 79.5 world wide scale and our quality business years. Women live to be 80.8 years space, for example Kingsway Business Park, compared with 83.2 years. generates a focus on business growth helping to attract new jobs and talented people. A Distinctive Borough The birth place of the cooperative movement and exuding real Lancastrian Rochdale is closely connected to the warmth, the Borough is a great place to economic growth centres of Manchester, live whether commuting or working closer Leeds and Liverpool and is well placed to to home. capitalise on the opportunities this brings, to ensure that local people have the support they need and can take advantage of employment opportunities across the region.
New public buildings, a planned new retail complex, new leisure facilities, good Occupying a central location in the North schools and nationally recognised high West and sitting on the edge of the M62 performing colleges all provide a positive growth corridor, the Borough is platform for progress. advantageously located to continue to develop a strong relationship with these We are part of a wider GM family centres which together provide the largest advancing plans for devolution and the economy in the north as part of the transfer of more fiscal and other powers Greater Manchester (GM) wide and from central to local government. Our government’s aspirations to create a Borough will play its part in creating a more Northern Power House. Rochdale has a competitive city region, focusing on primary and strong relationship with the reshaping our economy and increasing the Manchester City Region as one of ten value of our goods and services (i.e. our districts comprising the Greater Manchester Page 31 Page 2 gross value added) to become a net resilient, in control and successfully contributor to national public finances. managing their lives. We will enable communities to thrive and develop. We value our townships of Rochdale, Middleton, Heywood and the Pennines. Each has its own identity and sense of place. We are committed to “double devolution” and will connect our Borough and townships plans to GM wide initiatives so that local people and their place contribute and influence developments and importantly benefit from any change.
Collaboration is close to our heart and we are working closely with our neighbours in Manchester, Oldham, Bury and Tameside for example, to tackle some of our shared PLACE - We will create safe, resilient, challenges such as budget pressures and flourishing and high quality places where the reshaping and sharing of some services. people choose to live, work and invest
Borough Vision
We aim to grow our economy and develop our Borough through co-operation and partnership, improving the lives of local people and communities.
People, Place & Prosperity
Three priorities keep us focused on delivering our vision. Each has a set of objectives and outcomes that describe success. Details on how we will achieve PROSPERITY - We will encourage business these outcomes are contained in our five growth and enterprise; increase our skills key partnership plans, namely our Borough levels and create the conditions for the Master Plan, Safer Communities Plan, Co- creation of good quality jobs. operating for Better Health & Wellbeing, Housing Statement and Economic Plan. Impact Each priority will be delivered within the context of the emerging plans for We aim to deliver our vision by focusing on devolution, the Northern Powerhouse, the the following high level objectives and Greater Manchester Strategy (Stronger outcomes, community and individual Together), the GM Growth and Reform Plan safety, people and place by : and Taking Charge of our Health and Social Care in Greater Manchester. Safety
PEOPLE - We will safeguard and protect our Safeguarding and protecting vulnerable people and support people of vulnerable children, young people and all ages to be healthier, confident, and Page 32 Page 3 adults and disrupting and dismantling system through new models of care organised crime. and support, which will encourage Reducing crime and increasing appropriate use of hospital, social and confidence and satisfaction. primary care.
Reducing the harm caused by using Ensuring people access high quality drugs and alcohol. health and social care services and feel safe at all times whilst using these Preventing and tackling anti-social services. behaviour. People feeling confident in managing Preventing offending by children and their own health, wellbeing and care young people & reducing adult and knowing how and where to access offending and reoffending. services when they need them.
Promoting community cohesion and Reducing health inequalities and reducing the incidences of hate crime. supporting vulnerable groups.
Health and Wellbeing Spaces
Children and people of all ages getting Supporting the delivery of increased a good start – more Rochdale children housing provision across the Borough to reaching a good level of development support economic growth and meet cognitively, socially and emotionally. current and future housing needs Fewer Rochdale babies will have a low including options to deliver town centre birth weight. housing.
Living well – more Rochdale families Facilitating the bringing forward of adopting healthier lifestyles, becoming private and stalled sites to support economically active and family residential growth. incomes increasing. Creating Urban Growth sites – regenerate infill and brownfield sites in urban areas to widen housing choice.
Improving accessibility to and from the M62 Corridor.
Extending the Metro link to new areas of the Borough and improve heavy rail accessibility.
Maximising the attractiveness and use of Fewer people will die early particularly our waterways – promote the south from cardio-vascular, cancer and Pennines as a tourist and visitor respiratory disease. attraction.
Ageing well – more people will be Promoting and developing M62 priority supported to stay well and live at home corridor employment sites – support and for as long as possible. expand key employment areas.
Creating a financially sustainable Improving retail and commercial integrated health and social care facilities in town centres and assist in Page 33 Page 4 change in peripheral areas of town Transforming services by increasing centres. independence and self-help and creating sustainable demand.
Economy Create financially sustainable systems. What has changed since Increasing educational attainment. 2010? Increasing all skill levels across the Borough. Successes
Increasing Borough employment levels. Since 2010 we have achieved some notable improvements. Local people told Supporting business growth and us then what was important to them and creating and retaining jobs. these improvements reflect some of the issues that were considered a priority and include : Continuously Improving Early Years We are committed to moving the Borough forward, creating a thriving, and more The number of 2 year old children who prosperous place that we can all celebrate access their free early year’s and take pride in. We will ensure that entitlement is much higher than the Rochdale Borough occupies its place at national average. The take up this term the heart of the Manchester City Region, is 84% (national average 76%). benefits from devolution and provides a quality offer to local people, investors and businesses.
The following principles will help to deliver our intentions:
Increased collaborative working across organisations and sectors.
Early help to create a good start in life, promote, support and build personal and community independence and resilience and where possible prevent 88% of our group childcare providers in the need for specialist and complex the private, voluntary and independent services. sector are rated good or outstanding by Ofsted. Integrating commissioning activities so they are based on need are evidence An increase in the number of under 5’s based, of high quality and effectively swimming by over 50% since the targeted. inception of free swimming for this group in 2012. Integrating services to increase the impact and improve outcomes for local people. Adult Care
Older people are supported more to regain their independence and carry Page 34 Page 5 on living at home following discharge As pupil numbers have increased extra from hospital. school places have been planned and delivered with the support and More Carers assessments have taken cooperation of our schools in time to place and there is increased support meet demand. 2500 extra primary for Carers for example through the school places have been provided or Care Act. planned for between 2010 and 2018.
Annual adult care survey satisfaction Good performance at Key stage 1 and results have seen a year on year 2 and primary school performance in improvement with above England general. average for all results in 2014/15. As at December 2015, 92.5% of From the annual survey, the proportion 16/17year olds in the borough of people who use services who said remained in education, employment they feel safe has increased by 15% and training, meeting the raising over the last 2 years and the participation age requirement of the percentage of people who use services DfE. who said those services made them feel safe and secure has increased to There are a large number of children, 89% in 2014/15. over 80% of the 6th form and college population, who have up taken and gone on to further education.
Rochdale Sixth Form College is outstanding and has been named the best college in the country for value added performance.
Hopwood Hall College is the best performing college in Greater Manchester, according to the government’s national success rates Safeguarding Board in place with an league tables. independent chair.
Good partnership working in relation to performance for the Better Care Fund which will be built on in the future integration of Health & Social Care.
Locality working has started to be embedded into practice with more focus on a multi-disciplinary team approach to cases which will provide Health support for all of a person’s health and social care needs. Immunisation rate for children in care is 100% and significantly better than the A new Intermediate Tier Service (ITS) national average. service is delivering really good results. Life expectancy has increased - for Attainment and skills males (77.2 years) and females (80.8
Page 35 Page 6 years) but more to do as still behind national average.
Increased physical activity levels and participation in exercise by improving access to Leisure facilities and providing a range of health and wellbeing projects through our key leisure and cultural partners and through 20 targeted health programmes across the borough, and Almost 500 new jobs and £113 million of 18 physical activity programmes for investment have been brought into the young people and adults. Borough of Rochdale during 2015. The new jobs and investment are a sign of A rise in participation and usage of our growing confidence in Rochdale, leisure sport and cultural provisions to which is seeking to become the best over 2 million visits per year doubling place for business in Greater figures for 2007. Manchester.
An increase in the attendance in Increased the number of high growth children’s swimming lessons by 69%. businesses in the Borough.
An increased number of people using Apprenticeship start numbers in the the fitness facilities by over 300% with Borough for 2014/15 grew at the highest fitness memberships rising from 2570 in rate of any other GM Local Authority, 2007 to over 10500 in 2016. with an increase of over 20% on the previous year.
School leavers entering Apprenticeships directly after school also increased by 26%.
Transport and infrastructure
Metro link - operational in March 2014.
Jobs, employment and training
More young people are in Education, Employment and Training when they leave school rates in the district have increased considerably since 2011. This represents the greatest percentage point reduction in NEET rate of all GM New bus interchange and districts. Currently 5.0% of young people improvements to Rochdale Railway are NEET, lower than the GM average of Station. 5.6%.
Page 36 Page 7 Number One Riverside built and open Since 2014 we have built 83 high for business in March 2013, designed to value homes (at tax band E and be energy efficient using low carbon above). technology. Over the last 5 years a total of 782 A new £10.8 m leisure centre in affordable homes have been Rochdale complementing new facilities delivered across the Borough. in Heywood costing £10.3m and those in Majority of these homes are new Middleton. build properties developed by housing association partners which received grant funding through the Affordable Homes Programme.
Since 2012/13 we have brought 1,219 properties back into use following interventions
Since 2010/11 a total of 6988 households in the Borough have
been prevented from becoming Work completed to reveal the River homeless, achieved through strong Roch and the 800 year old medieval partnership and services bridge supported by Heritage Lottery commissioned or supported through funding of £1.8m. Awarded the joint Strategic Housing and Public excellence in planning for the natural Health funded contracts environment by the Royal Town Planning Institute in 2016.
Superfast broadband roll out will continue throughout the Borough, to reach 99.6% by 2017; the greatest coverage of any place nationally.
Worked in partnership with our leisure providers (Link4Life) to install solar panels to the borough’s three main leisure centres to provide renewable energy and contribute to the borough’s ambition of becoming one of the greenest councils in the country. Communities Housing Reduced crime levels and the number New house building has taken of anti-social behaviour incidents place and is planned across the recorded across the Borough. Borough to meet the needs of a growing population, attracting new Anti-social behaviour rates have residents to the district and declined since 2011/12, although they providing a diverse the housing currently remain above GM levels. offer.
Since 2013/14 we have increased household recycling rates from 34.28% - Page 37 Page 8 39.04% and have over the same period comments and other visually interesting reduced the amount of household methods rather than as a linked appendix) waste that hasn’t been recycled from 126.09 – 103.99 tonnes. The number of school settings in Rochdale that are classed as Carried out new landscaping schemes good/outstanding is 81% (primary, across the Borough to help increase secondary and special schools). pride in our communities. More or our children are in education, employment or training. This is in spite of the fact that 25% of our children aged 0-19 years live in poverty.
Over the last 10 years:
10,800 more borough residents have at least a Level 4 qualification (equivalent to a degree).
We have the largest rights of way 9,700 more borough residents have network in Greater Manchester (552km) at least a Level 3 qualification and we work closely and (equivalent to A levels). collaboratively with neighbouring authorities through the Pennine 15,300 more borough residents Prospects group. have at least a Level 2 qualification (equivalent to GCSE A*-C). We are continuing to tackle perpetrators of environmental crime 10,100 more borough residents such as fly-tipping, littering and dog have at least a Level 1 qualification fouling. We have successfully (equivalent to D-G GCSE). maintained levels of enforcement actions, warnings and prosecutions and There are 4900 fewer borough residents promoted our successful prosecutions. that have no qualifications than 10 years ago. The introduction of a new borough wide Link4Life Extra card providing a Out of work benefit claimant numbers range of reduced cost accessible are falling, partly due to the services and activities for residents who introduction of Universal Credit. This require additional support and help to includes Employment Support access services. Over 3000 residents Allowance which has been falling over now take advantage of the scheme the last year. annually accessing the services and facilities over 123,000 times a year. The Work on new warehouse developments card saves the holder on average totalling 723,000 square feet, including £91.30 per year at our centres. 29% of two new speculative £18.5 million plots all extra card holders are from the 0- at Kingsway and two at Heywood 10% Super Output Areas which are the Distribution Park with a combined value most deprived areas in the borough. of £18 million, has also started.
Companies including car care giant Additional successes (to be Tetrosyl and engineering firm Riley and inserted in the document via bubble Sons have announced moves to the Borough.
Page 38 Page 9 14 new stores (including a new Total kerbside waste arisings have been restaurant) have moved to Rochdale reduced across the Borough with no town centre after taking advantage of significant changes to fly tipping and the council’s £100,000 business rates household waste tonnages in the same sale. period.
Marks & Spencer and Next confirmed A major redevelopment of Denehurst they will be the anchor stores in the Park has taken place with the site being new Town Centre East shopping submitted for a Green Flag award and development. associated positive publicity.
Tackling fuel poverty is a priority and Successfully transferred leisure and our energy efficiency work is helping to cultural services to Link4Life, a social address this problem by making homes enterprise and charitable trust. healthy, warm, and affordable and fit Following further investment, service for purpose in a low carbon economy. improvements and expansion the trust has presided over a substantial Future housing provision will be based increase and participation in the around providing accommodation borough’s leisure and cultural services across a range of tenures which meets encouraging healthier lifestyles and the needs and income profile of the increasing the health and wellbeing of Boroughs residents. people living and visiting the borough.
We are continuing to focus resources Staged the annual two day Feel Good on the prevention of homelessness Festival in the borough attracting more which remains a priority. than 10,000 people in 2015.
Our parks are the pride of the Borough; from Queen’s Park in Heywood to Truffet Park in Langley and Milnrow Memorial Park. In total, the Borough can boast 6 Green Flag Parks with plans in place for even more.
Additional challenges to address (to be inserted in the document via bubble comments and other visually interesting methods rather than as a linked appendix)
Social isolation and loneliness is a key issue. Helping people to lead healthy, independent lives is fundamental to The new recycling and waste collection achieving our long term objective and service has positively impacted on the outcomes. various waste streams since its launch in Adult skill levels in the Borough are October 2015 through to the end of generally low. 15% of our working February 2016. population have no qualifications. This
Page 39 Page 10 is the second worst in Greater Increase third sector and volunteer Manchester. involvement within the borough and across services including sustaining our 36% of the workforce is employed in the parks and access to the countryside. professions and Technical Occupations with 13% in the elementary occupations. And did you know that The Borough average wage levels are …..(inserted in main document as boxes behind the North West and Britain’s but bubble spot lights) are higher than some other parts of GM. Rochdale is recognised as the ‘Birthplace of Co-operation’ following In work poverty is an issue. the rules and principles established 175 The impacts of Welfare Reform have years ago by the Rochdale Pioneers. yet to be fully felt in the Borough but These principles still underlie much of the effects of the bedroom tax, the activity of the Co-op today. Universal Credit and the household A number of talented and famous benefit cap will impact on our most people were born in Rochdale and vulnerable residents. include Gracie Fields, Lisa Stansfield, Bill Hate crimes remain an issue in the Oddie, Anna Friel, Steve Coogan, John Borough. Virgo, Suranne Jones, Jimmy Cricket and Julie Goodyear. Crime is generally higher in Rochdale than the Greater Manchester average The Grade-I Listed Rochdale Town Hall and has risen for the past 2 years. was finished in 1871 and cost £160,000 (valued at £13 million as of 2014) to Domestic abuse incidents have build. It is considered one of the finest increased since 2012/13, although Victorian Town Halls in Britain. increased reporting of domestic abuse is considered positive.
Encourage the provision of a more diverse housing offer including an expanded choice of larger and higher value dwellings, key to achieving an attractive and sustainable borough and helping to increase the wealth profile of the Borough by retaining existing, and attracting new, higher income earning households to underpin the local economy. The Grade 1 listed cenotaph in Rochdale was designed by Sir Edward We need to increase the Boroughs Lutyens and built in 1922. recycling activity. Waste disposal levy increases over the forthcoming years The Arts and Heritage service digitise 2017-19 are anticipated to be and document in excess of 5000 of the significant, possibly five times that of borough’s assets per annum. inflation. Improvements in the other GM authorities in 2016/17 and 2017/ will Middleton Arena which opened in 2009 intensify this financial pressure on the is firmly established as one of the North borough. West’s leading entertainment and leisure venues and has seen a host of Page 40 Page 11 stars perform there since opening, suburbs of Manchester City Centre right establishing itself as a key venue on the into the beautiful Pennine hills, past the comedy circuit with famous artists such beautiful Hollingworth Lake (known as John Bishop, Lee Mack, and Sarah the Weighvers’ Seaport during the Millican among the many comedians Victorian Era). who have performed there. A member of the Heywood family and Edgar Wood - the renowned architect a resident of Heywood Hall was Peter was born in Middleton in 1860. Heywood, a magistrate who, with a party of men, arrested Guy Fawkes John ‘Earthquake’ Milne, credited with during the Gunpowder Plot of 1605. developing the seismograph and an Another member of the family, also early authority on building in called Peter Heywood, was aboard the earthquakes zones, was raised in HMS Bounty when its crew mutinied in Rochdale and later Milnrow. 1789.
Milnrow has been described as "the The southern wing of St Luke's Church, centre of the south Lancashire dialect". well known throughout the area for its John Collier (who wrote under the beautiful proportions and ornate pseudonym of Tim Bobbin) was an carvings, is another suggested to have acclaimed 18th-century caricaturist been one of Hitler's high-priority items and satirical poet from Milnrow who for acquisition had he won the war. wrote in a broad Lancashire dialect. Although difficult to confirm, it is indeed one of the finest examples of its kind in In 2014 Littleborough hosted a section the whole of England. of Stage 2 of Le Tour de France. It was hailed as a massive success, bringing The first edition of the Middleton tens of thousands of people into the Guardian rolled off the presses on town. The Manchester Evening News December 1st 1877 and cost just 1p. estimated that it gave a £1million boost to the local economy. The "Flodden Window", in the Grade-I Listed Church of St Leonard, is thought A cotton loom machine from to be the oldest war memorial in the Littleborough weavers Fothergill & United Kingdom, memorialising the Harvey was converted to weave names of the archers of Middleton who fibreglass after the decline of the fought at the Battle of Flodden Field cotton industry. It went on to produce (1513). the molds that were used to make the Concorde’s nose cone. In 1770, Middleton was a village of 20 houses; during the 18th and 19th The Borough hosts the Rochdale centuries it grew into a thriving and Literature and Ideas Festival each year populous seat of textile manufacture which is fast becoming a major and now has a population of more attraction in the Borough and beyond. than 45,000.
The Grade-II listed Olde Boars Head dates back to the 14th Century and is rumoured to have been visited by Bonny Prince Charlie in 1745.
Future Challenges The Borough has one of the most diverse landscapes in Greater Along with these successes we recognise Manchester – stretching from the Page 41 Page 12 that the Borough continues to face a about how we will achieve success and number of key challenges which includes: deliver our aspirations for the Borough:
To further improve health outcomes and Safer Communities Plan 2015-18 reduce health inequalities. Co-operating for Better Health & Address the imbalance in our housing Wellbeing 2016-21 market and to fundamentally rebalance across GM to support our Borough Master Plan 2016 economic growth potential, meet Housing Statement 2016 residents varied housing demands and enable reductions in dependency. Economic Plan 2016
The need to continue to improve the Townships Plans skills and attainment levels of both our GM Growth & Reform Plan young people and adults and improve the strength of our economy. We have GM “Stronger Together” plans in place to keep a keen focus on this. Greater Manchester Devolution Agreement and Work Programme To improve recycling rates and particularly the cleanliness of our streets GM Strategic Land Use (Spatial Plan) and spaces and continue to and Transport Strategies 2016 regenerate our town centres which are important to local people. GM Health and Social Care Pan – Taking Charge Increase shared services to help us respond effectively to the continued reduction in public finances, to better manage and reduce demand for public services and to meet the challenge of the devolution agenda which will change the nature of public services over the next decade and beyond.
Developing new service delivery models where these can deliver better impact and cost effectiveness.
Supporting policies and plans
Useful Links:
The priorities in this plan will be delivered via the mechanisms identified in the following supporting strategies. By clicking on any of the links below you can find out more
Page 42 Page 13 Page 43 Page 14 Agenda Item 7
Subject: Food and Feed Service Plan 2016-17 Status: For Publication
Report to: Council Date: Tuesday, 26 July 2016
Cabinet Member: Cabinet Member for Public Health and Regulation
Report of: Assistant Director (Legal, Governance Author: Mark Hardman & Workforce) Tel: Tel: 01706924704 Author Email: [email protected]
1 Purpose of the report
1.1 To present for approval and adoption the recommendations of the Cabinet arising from the meeting held on 11th July 2016 in respect of the Food and Feed Service Plan 2016-17 as part of the Council’s Budget and Policy Framework.
2 Recommendations
2.1 The Cabinet recommends that the Food and Feed Service Plan 2016-17 be approved and adopted.
3 Background
3.1 The Cabinet considered a report of the Director of Public Health and Wellbeing providing details of 2015-16 performance and detailing the way the Service proposed to continue to meet the Food Standards Agency’s mandatory guidance on inspection frequency.
Alternatives considered Not applicable.
Consultation undertaken The Food and Feed Service Plan 2016-17 was considered by the Communities, Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee on 13th July 2016. The Committee noted and welcomed the report and, further to the comments in the letter of the Food Standards Agency’s Head of Local Delivery Audit, expressed their own appreciation of the managers and Officers in the Service.
The report of the Director of Public Health and Wellbeing, which includes the correspondence from the Food Standards Agency referred to above, is appended to this report.
Page 44 APPENDIX
Subject: Food and Feed Service Plan 2016-17 Status: For Publication
Report to: Cabinet Date: Monday, 11th July 2016 Communities, Regeneration and Environment Wednesday, 13th July 2016 Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Cabinet Member: Cabinet Member for Public Health and Regulation Report of: Director of Public Health and Author: Nicola Rogers Wellbeing Tel: 01706 924124 Author Email: [email protected]
Comments from Statutory Monitoring Officer: Yes Officers: Section 151 Officer: Yes Key Decision: No
1 Purpose of the report 1.1 This report presents the Council’s Food and Feed Service Plan for the current year. It identifies the scope and demands on the service. It provides details of last year’s performance and details the way the Service proposes to continue to meet the Food Standards Agency’s mandatory guidance on inspection frequency.
2 Recommendations 2.1 Members are recommended to;
2.1.1 accept the Food Standards Agency letter dated 13 June 2016 acknowledging that good progress has been made and continues to be made to ensure the delivery of an appropriate level of official food controls within the Borough (Appendix 1); and
2.1.2 endorse the Service Plan set out in Appendix 2 as the authority’s Food and Feed Service Plan for 2016/17.
2.1.3 the Overview and Scrutiny Committee is asked to note and comment upon the Plan.
3 Background 3.1 The Food Standards Agency (FSA) was formed in 2000 in response to a number of damaging, high profile food scares. The FSA has set out in a Framework Agreement the levels of service to be provided by local authorities for Food Safety (hygiene), Food Standards (labelling and composition) and Animal Feeding stuffs. Local authorities are required to submit returns of both the qualitative and quantitative aspects of work carried out. The FSA carry out audits of local authorities as part of a “rolling programme”, to check complaince
Page 45 with the Framework Agreement.
3.2 It is a requirement of the Framework Agreement that local Food Authorities review their performance on an annual basis. This authority has traditionally chosen to do so by submitting it Food and Feed Plan for consideration by elected members at Cabinet.
3.3 The most recent Food Law Code of Practice (FLCoP) was issued in April 2015 and informs Food Authorities on the execution and enforcement of food legislation. Food Authorities must have regard to this Code when discharging their statutory duties.
3.4 Previously the Code of Practice has acknowledged that Food Authorities would come under varying pressures and many would eventually be unable to meet their inspections programmes. The amended Code advises Authorities to discharge their duties as effectively as possible by using means appropriate to the circumstance. It states the Food Authorities should ensure that enforcement action is reasonable, proportionate, risk-based and consistent with good practice. It guides officers to take account of the full range of enforcement options. The Code acknowledges that interventions are the key to food business operators improving compliance with food legislation. It states that an Interventions Programme is central to a local regulatory and enforcement regime. The Code defines the different types of interventions, the circumstances and frequency in which they should be applied. The intervention ratings determine that more intensive regulation is directed at those businesses that present the greatest risk to public health. This is consistent with a risk based approach allowing professional judgement to apply a proportionate level of regulatory and enforcement activity to each food business.
3.5 In previous years, due to resource pressures and in common with other local authorities, this Council has sought to maximise its efforts by prioritising interventions against businesses considered to pose the highest risk. This approach year on year, resulted in a significant number of premises rated medium and low risk with no interventions undertaken and overdue inspections.
3.6 In March 2015 the FSA conducted a formal inspection of the food safety function. The final report identified a number of areas in need of improvement which included; ensuring sufficient numbers of officers / resources to deliver the full range of enforcement activities, the backlog of overdue interventions / inspections, interventions / inspections need to be carried out at frequencies not less that as specified in the FLCoP; ensure all officers are appropriately qualified, authorised and trained, a review of the Enforcement Policy and ensure identified non-compliance is followed up by appropriate action.
3.7 An action plan was agreed with the FSA to address all the areas identified as in need of improvement. Additional financial resource was identified for the year 2015/16 which enabled the procurement of additional staff and an external contractor to eradicate the backlog of overdue inspections.
3.8 The FSA lead auditor has made two follow up visits to review progress on the action plan. The most recent visit was made on 26 April 2016. Following this visit the FSA wrote to the Chief Executive confirming that the Authority has made good progress and has completed actions to address sixteen of the recommendations in the Audit Report. The letter acknowledged that work continues to address the outstanding recommendations which should be
Page 46 completed during the coming year. The letter also states an intention by the FSA to continue to monitor and visit the Authority until all recommendations and agreed actions have been completed. Finally the letter requested that thanks be passed onto all officers and managers delivering official food controls for their efforts to date and the continuing work to ensure the Authority delivers an appropriate level of official food controls within its area. (Appendix 1)
4. Proposed Food And Feed Service Plan for 2016/17 4.1 A copy of the Council’s Food and Feed Service Plan for 2016/17 is attached to this report as Appendix 2. The plan is retrospective in the sense that it looks back on performance in 2015/16; is current in that it sets out the targets for service delivery in 2016/17; and is forward looking in that it considers the future inspection programme and considers issues which may impact upon the Service in future years. A summary of these issues are set out below;
4.2 Review of 2015/16
4.2.1 Section 6 of the Food and Feed Service Plan in Appendix 2 confirms that increased resources into the Service has resulted in increased performance, increased activity output and increased outcomes. It can be seen that the backlog of food hygiene “due inspections” has virtually been eradicated; 1363 food hygiene inspections were completed leaving only 32 outstanding (2% of due inspections). This is a marked increase on the previous year’s performance when 60% remained outstanding. The number of enforcement actions also increased to 975, the number of food samples taken increased to a total of 66 and the numbers of complaints received about food or food businesses reduced to 343. The percentage of broadly compliant premises is currently 88 %, this is a slight decrease from 90% in the previous year but given the increased numbers of inspections at premises who have not received an inspection for several years, coupled with the increased enforcement actions is a pleasing end of year figure for compliance.
4.2.2 Performance in relation to food standards (labelling and composition) has remained similar to previous years. Limited resources have been targeted at premises posing higher risk, however the majority of medium and lower risk premises have inspections outstanding.
4.2.3 Work in relation to feed was carried out on Rochdale’s behalf by suitably qualified officers from Oldham Council. A total of 16 visits were carried out and 10 alternative enforcement strategies at premises considered lower risk.
4.3 Current Year 2016/17
4.3.1 Section 2.4 of the Service Plan in Appendix 2 confirms that on 1 April 2016 a total of 1668 food premises and 97 feed premises were identified as liable for enforcement purposes. Section 3 of Appendix 2 sets out the range of interventions (including inspections, proactive enforcement and business support and advice) which will be conducted in 2016/17, in accordance with the FSA Code of Practice.
4.3.2 The Service is keen to maintain the improved performance in relation to compliance with the FSA Code of Practice particularly in relation to inspection frequencies. The level of resources needed is obviously dependant on the scale of the inspections programme in future years as well as the current year. The Plan therefore projects the inspection programme over the next 3–5 years
Page 47 to fully understand if the current resources are sufficient to maintain compliance.
4.3.3 It is projected that the current in-house officer resource will leave a shortfall of approximately 400 food hygiene “due Inspections” each year. The recurrent Public Health funding will allow the continued purchasing inspections to plug this gap but this will need to be retendered during the current year 2016/17. These purchased inspections will allow the Service to maintain compliance with the FSA Code of Practice on inspection frequency.
4.3.4 In relation to food standards; the inspection programme has been projected for the next 3-5 years. The impact of shifting from the NTSB risk rating to the FSA risk rating for food standards has had a significant impact and a high number of premises have increased their risk rating. It is therefore acknowledged that the resource for the current year will not facilitate inspections at all the premises due for inspection. It is therefore intended to continue to operate on a risk based inspection programme with priority given to the higher risk premises and where appropriate, inspections will also be carried out at premises subject to complaints.
4.3.5 Moving forward the intention for food standards is to continue to use the resources available to “chip away” at the backlog of food standards inspections. The intention is to use the recurrent Public Health funding to purchase an increased number of inspections by the contractor. It is anticipated that over the next 4 years the food standards backlog can be addressed in this way within existing resource. If the recurrent funding continues after this time, then the Service can continue to comply with the FSA Code of Practice on inspection frequency thereafter. If however, the Council wishes to eradicate the food standards backlog sooner, additional resource will need to be committed.
4.3.6 In relation to Feed, funding provided via Trading Standards North West will facilitate 25 feed inspections and 1 alternative enforcement strategy to be carried out by Oldham Council on Rochdale’s behalf
Alternatives considered None – the authority is obliged to produce an annual Food And Feed Service Plan..
5 Financial Implications 5.1 In addition to mainstream resources existing within the Public Protection Service, a recurrent budget of £100,000 has been committed by Public Health to improve Food Safety in the Borough. This additional funding allows for additional officer resource within the team and the purchase of high numbers of value for money inspections. All available resources need to be maintained to enable future compliance with the Council’s statutory duties. Should the Council wish to clear the backlog of due inspections relating to food standards quicker than planned, then additional resource needs to be committed.
6 Legal Implications 6.1 The work set out in the report is required to allow the authority to best comply with its statutory duties as set out in paragraph 3.1 above. Should the Council fail to provide sufficient resources to undertake and manage the work there will be a breach of its statutory duty as food authority and will be subject to criticism and further challenge by the FSA.
7 Personnel Implications 7.1 There are no Personnel implications arising from this report.
Page 48 8 Corporate Priorities 8.1 This report contributes to the Council's 2014/15 Corporate Plan in the following ways;
Prosperity – more successful and complaint businesses People – increased healthy life and wellbeing
9. Risk Assessment Implications 9.1 In previous years, the Council has been at risk of failing to meet its statutory obligation in terms of meeting the expectations of the FSA with regard to intervention work. As a result of the audit in March 2015 the situation has been acknowledged and addressed in terms of food hygiene. This increased performance needs to be maintained and further work needs to be done to improve performance in relation to food standards. If not, the Council will be in breach if it’s statutory duty.
10. Equalities Impacts 10.1 Workforce Equality Impacts Assessment There are no significant workforce equality issues arising from this report.
10.2 Equality/Community Impact Assessments Approximately 21% of Rochdale’s population are from an ethnic minority background. Those of Pakistani origin form the largest proportion at 10.5%, with other ethnicities such as Bangladeshi and Chinese making up another 4%. The most deprived 3% of areas in the Borough have a bigger proportion of people from minority ethnic backgrounds (up to 30%).
10.3 This part of the population has traditionally included a significant proportion of food business operators and this has resulted in the challenge of a larger proportion of non-compliant food businesses being run by ethnic minorities.
10.4 Two team members speak minority language as well as English. The Team uses interpreters as required. The Team has commissioned resources and on- line training packages in minority languages
Background Papers Document Place of Inspection
Page 49
Mr S Rumbelow Chief Executive Rochdale Borough Council
By email
13 June 2016 Reference: EPA 30/811
Dear Mr Rumbelow
FOOD STANDARDS AGENCY AUDIT OF LOCAL AUTHORITY FOOD LAW SERVICE DELIVERY – ROCHDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL 17 – 19 MARCH 2015
I am writing to you about the above audit of Rochdale Borough Council and the most recent audit follow up visit to the Authority. I am pleased to confirm that the Authority has made good progress and has completed actions to address sixteen of the recommendations in the Audit Report. The visit also confirmed that work continues to address the outstanding recommendations which should be completed during the coming year. We will continue to monitor and visit the Authority until all recommendations and agreed actions have been completed.
I would be grateful if you could pass on my thanks to all officers and managers delivering official food controls for their efforts to date and the continuing work to ensure the Authority delivers an appropriate level of official food controls within its area.
Yours sincerely
John Cragg Head of Local Delivery Audit
Aviation House 125 Kingsway London WC2B 6NH T 01904 232053 E [email protected] Page 50 F Appendix 2 FOOD & FEED SERVICE PLAN
2016 / 2017
PUBLIC HEALTH & WELL-BEING Public Protection Service Business Engagement & Compliance Team
Service Manager / Lead Officer : Nicola Rogers Team Leader (Food Safety): Jackie Hall Team Leader (Food Standards and Feed): Gary Singleton
Page 51 Contents Contents 2 1. Service Aims and Objectives 4 1.1 Aims and Objectives 4 1.2 Links to Corporate Objectives and Plans 4 2. Background 4 2.1 Profile of the Local Authority 4 2.2 Organisational Structure 5 2.3 Scope of the Food & Feed Service 6 2.4 Demands on the Food Service 6 2.4.2 Business Profile – Risk Categories 7 2.4.3 Approved Premises 7 2.4.4 Service Delivery Points 7 2.4.5 External Factors 7 2.5 Enforcement Policy 8 2.6 Document Management 8 3. Service Delivery 8 3.1 Food and Feed Safety Premises Visits 8 3.1.1 Food Hygiene Inspections 8 3.1.2 Food Hygiene Rating Scheme 9 3.1.3 Food Standards Inspections 10 3.1.4 Feed Inspections 11 3.2 Food & Feed Safety Complaints / Requests for Service 12 3.2.1 Food Hygiene 12 3.2.2 Food Standards and Feed 12 3.3 Primary Authority 13 3.4 Advice to Business 13 3.5. Food and Feed Safety Sampling 14 3.5.1 Food Hygiene Sampling Programme: 14 3.5.2 Food Standards Sampling Programme 14 3.5.3 Feed Sampling Programme 14 3.5.4 Arrangements for analysis and examination of samples 14 3.6 Control and Investigation of Outbreaks and Food Related Infectious Disease 14 3.7 Food and Feed Safety Alerts 14 3.8 Liaison with Other Organisations 15
Page 52 3.9 Food and Feed Safety Promotion 15 4. Resources 15 4.1 Financial Allocation 15 4.2 Staffing Allocation 16 4.3 Staff Development Plan 17 5. Quality Assessment 17 6. Performance 17 6.1 Review against the Service Plan 17 6.1.1 Food Hygiene 18 6.1.2 Food Standards 19 6.1.3 Feed 20 6.2 Identification of any variation from the Service Plan 20 6.2.1 Food Hygiene 20 6.2.2 Food Standards 21 6.2.3 Feed 21 6.3 Areas for Improvement 21 6.4 Future Challenges 21 6.4.1 Resources 21 6.4.2 Legislative 22
Page 53 1. Service Aims and Objectives
1.1 Aims and Objectives
Rochdale Council’s Public Protection Service aims to:
ensure as far as possible the safety of food produced, sold and consumed within the Borough;
ensure as far as possible the safety of feed produced, sold and used within the Borough;
ensure as far as possible the safety of primary food production within the Borough;
ensure as far as possible that food and feed meets appropriate quality standards, is correctly labelled and described and is free from contaminants;
identify risks to the safety of food and feed produced or sold within the Borough and to advise and educate food businesses and take enforcement action where appropriate;
support and promote the Food Standards Agency’s Food Hygiene Rating Scheme;
support funded regional working via the Food Standards Agency, the National Trading Standards Board and the Trading Standards North West Food and Feed Groups; and
develop the professional qualifications, competencies and experience of Food and Feed Safety officers.
1.2 Links to Corporate Objectives and Plans
Activities in this Plan directly link to the four key priorities identified in the current Corporate Delivery Plan, ie they are intended to ensure service delivery with co-operative values and ethics at the heart of what we do in relation to People; Place; Prosperity; and Public Service Reform.
2. Background
2.1 Profile of the Local Authority
Rochdale Borough is located in the north-east region of the Greater Manchester conurbation. The Borough covers 62 square miles of which about two-thirds is rural. It is characterised by urban developments of dense housing and industrial areas located along major roadways.
The Borough is divided into four Townships based around the towns of Rochdale, Heywood and Middleton, together with the eastern urban area, the Pennines Township.
Full information about the profile of the Borough can be found on the Council’s website at http://www.rochdale.gov.uk/pdf/2011-Borough-Profile.pdf
Page 54 2.2 Organisational Structure
The Public Protection Service moved location during 2015-16. It is now located within the Public Health and Well-being Directorate under the responsibility of one of the Consultants in Public Health. The Public Health Directorate is restructuring and the proposal out for consultation is that the line management arrangements change and a newly created post of Public Health Specialist becomes responsible for the Public Protection Service. For the purpose of this plan the organisational structure details the existing arrangements within Public Health.
COUNCIL
CABINET
PORTFOLIO HOLDER OVERVIEW & SCRUTINY
PUBLIC HEALTH Director of Public Health
PUBLIC PROTECTION SERVICE Consultant in Public Health
NATIONAL TRADING STANDARDS BOARD CORE FUNCTIONS Feed Funding Service Manager LANCASHIRE COUNTY Lead Officer (Food Safety) SCIENTIFIC SERVICES Lead Officer (Food Standards Public Analyst and Feed) HEALTH PROTECTION AGENCY Food Examiner
FOOD HYGIENE ANIMAL FEED FOOD 3.85 FTE Oldham Trading Standards STANDARDS
0.15 FTE
ICT / APP ADMIN INFECTIOUS SUPPORT SUPPORT DISEASES
0.2 FTE 1 FTE 0.2 FTE
Page 55 2.3 Scope of the Food & Feed Service
The Food Service is provided by Rochdale Council’s Public Protection Service, which is also responsible for a number of other service areas. The following is a list of the main responsibilities:
provide a high quality food service in accordance with the FSA Framework Agreement (April 2010);
undertake programmed food safety and food standards inspections of food premises, with reference to the FSA Code of Practice (April 2015). Available resources are targeted at the higher-risk premises;
carry out investigation of complaints regarding food premises and items of food produced or sold within the Borough (applying risk-based criteria);
liaise with other local authorities in relation to businesses for which the authority acts as Primary Authority and providing advice to these businesses where appropriate;
dealing with basic requests for information and advice from food businesses and signposting where appropriate;
carry out food sampling to check for compliance with composition and labelling legislation. (This work is carried out as part of a planned programme of work funded by the Food Standards Agency);
participate in the AGMA Food Liaison Group, TSNW Food & Agriculture Group and other regional / national agencies; and
control and investigate outbreaks of food-related infectious disease (provided in conjunction with other Public Protection staff).
Feed Service delivery is co-ordinated by Rochdale Council’s Lead Officer (Feed) but the inspection of premises handling animal feed and sampling is carried out by Oldham Trading Standards.
2.4 Demands on the Food Service
2.4.1 Business Profile – Business Types
The breakdown of premises by business type liable for enforcement at 1st April 2016 is as follows:
Page 56 Food Safety Feed Safety (Hygiene and Standards) Primary Producer 9 Co Product Producer (R12) 9 Manufacturer / Packer 31 Stores (R9) 4 Importer / Exporter 1 Distributor (R5) 3 Distributor / Transporter 25 Transporter (R8) 3 Retailers 435 On Farm Mixer (R10/11) 4 Restaurants & Caterers 1167 Pet Food Manufacturer (R6) 1 Supplier of Surplus Food 19 9R7) Livestock Farms (R13) 53 Arable Farms (R14) 1 TOTAL 1668 TOTAL 97
2.4.2 Business Profile – Risk Categories
The breakdown of premises by risk category liable for enforcement at 1st April 2016 is as follows:
Food Hygiene Food Standards Feed Safety
Cat A (Highest Risk) 9 High Risk (A) 29 High Risk 1 Cat B 64 Medium Risk (B) 713 Medium Risk 2 Cat C 418 Low Risk (C) 863 Low Risk 39 Cat D 609 Unrated / Uncoded 63 Unrated 55 Cat E (Lowest risk) 511 Unrated 57 TOTAL 1668 TOTAL 1668 TOTAL 97
2.4.3 Approved Premises
The Authority is responsible for approving premises carrying out specialist processes, which fall within the scope of EC Regulation 853/2004. The numbers of these premises are as follows:
Approved Premises
Dairy Products 6 Meat Products 4 Minced Meat & Meat Preparations 2 Cold Stores 3 TOTAL 15
2.4.4 Service Delivery Points
The Public Protection Service is based at Number One Riverside, Floor 3, Smith Street, Rochdale, OL16 1XU and operates between 8.45am and 4.45pm, Monday to Friday
The service can also be contacted by telephone via the Council’s Contact Centre (0300 303 8871), the Citizens Advice Consumer Service (0345 404 0506), through the website ‘www.rochdale.gov.uk’ and by email ([email protected])
Page 57 2.4.5 External Factors
Approximately 21% of Rochdale’s population are from an ethnic minority background. Those of Pakistani origin form the largest proportion at 10.5%, with other ethnicities such as Bangladeshi and Chinese making up another 4%. The most deprived 3% of areas in the Borough have a bigger proportion of people from minority ethnic backgrounds (up to 30%).
This part of the population has traditionally included a significant proportion of food business operators and this has resulted in the challenge of a larger proportion of non-compliant food businesses being run by ethnic minorities.
2.5 Enforcement Policy
The Council has a Public Protection Enforcement Policy 2015 which covers the requirements for both Food and Feed Safety enforcement. The policy was developed in accordance with the Regulators’ Compliance Code (2014) and the Framework Agreement on Official Feed and Food Controls by Local Authorities (2010). It was formally adopted by Rochdale Council’s Cabinet on 29 June 2015 and is displayed on the Council’s website.
2.6 Document Management
Records of all Food and Feed Safety enforcement work are stored in digital format and are retained for 6 years.
3. Service Delivery
3.1 Food and Feed Safety Premises Visits
3.1.1 Food Hygiene Inspections
Food Hygiene inspections should be carried out on the basis of risk-based prioritisation, in line with the FSA Code of Practice. The Code sets out the frequencies at which routine food hygiene visits to food businesses should be made as follows:
Category Minimum frequency
A Highest risk At least every six months B At least every 12 months C At least every 18 months D At least every 24 months E Lowest risk Alternative enforcement strategies every 36 months
Inspection programme
In previous years, the Section has struggled to undertake a full inspection programme in compliance with FSA Code of Practice due to resource constraints. However, the provision of recurrent funding from Public Health has enabled the Section to recruit a 1.0 fte qualified Food Safety Officer in early 2015 and a further 1.0 fte administrative support officer from August
Page 58 2015 as well as funding the purchase of additional inspections carried out by an external contractor.
The provision of additional one-off funding of £71,000 from Corporate Funds and Public Health (2015/16 only) allowed the purchase of a considerable number of inspections again carried out by an external contractor, as well as funding overtime work to update the Council’s food policies and procedures. Taken together, this funding has allowed the Section to eradicate the historical backlog of inspections due which has built up over many years (particularly regarding the lower risk rated premises).
The challenge for the Service is to now maintain compliance with the FSA Code of Practice inspection frequency. The level of resources needed is obviously dependant on the scale of the inspection programme moving forward. It is necessary to project the programme over the next 3 to 5 years to fully understand if the current resources are sufficient to maintain compliance. The table below provides the details of numbers of inspections due based on current risk ratings;
Food Hygiene
Premises Inspections Inspections Inspections Total No’s due 2016/17 due 2017/18 due 2018/19 Cat A (Highest risk) 9 9 9 9 Cat B 64 64 64 64 Cat C 418 234 186 234 Cat D 609 243 366 234 Cat E (Lowest risk) 511 106 100 100 Unrated 57 69 75 75 TOTAL 1668 725 800 716
With current resources the inspection programme for the current year can be completely fulfilled. The contract for purchasing inspections runs out 31 March 2017. From that time moving forward the in-house officer resource will leave a shortfall of approx 400 “due inspections”. The recurrent Public Health funding will allow us to continue purchasing inspections to plug this gap but this will need to be retendered during the current year 2016/17.
Where appropriate and necessary, inspections will also be carried out at premises subject to complaints. It is anticipated the in-house resource will be sufficient to manage this workload.
Proactive Enforcement
As a result of Public Health funding, the following proactive enforcement work will also be carried during 2016/17 in order to raise compliance in food businesses;
Training project and support for new businesses and non-compliant businesses including the provision of food hygiene manuals, training courses, on-line training in different languages, food allergen leaflets in translated languages – Urdu, Chinese, Punjabi, Polish, & Hindu, on site allergen testing kits in peanuts & gluten, 4 drop in advice sessions, AGMA Healthy Catering Award Scheme in schools Pest Control Initiative in Takeaways Reducing foodborne disease (E. Coli) within catering establishments ‘Love Your Takeaway’ Initiative Increased skills for in-house officers - 3 officers to have basic NLP (behaviour) training
Page 59 Trial black protective clothing instead of traditional white to engage better with food businesses and break regulatory barrier
3.1.2 Food Hygiene Rating Scheme The Service participates in the FSA’s Food Hygiene Rating Scheme. This involves retail and catering businesses being given a food hygiene rating after each full hygiene inspection. They are provided with a window sticker which they are asked to display at their premises. The results are also available through the Council’s website and as part of the Food Standards Agency national scheme.
The ratings allow consumers to make informed decisions about where they may wish to eat or purchase food and will help to improve hygiene standards by publicising information about individual businesses. The ratings are as follows:
0 (Lowest) Urgent Improvement Needed 1 Major Improvement Needed 2 Improvement Needed 3 Generally Satisfactory 4 Good 5 (Highest) Very Good
As of the 1st April 2016, there were 139 food businesses with a rating of 0-2 (non-compliant). Follow up work and enforcement where appropriate is carried out at all non-compliance premises to raise standards and move them back into compliance. A total of 132 revisits were conducted, 28 improvement notices, 24 voluntary closures and 110 advisory letters were issued. This resulted in 70 % of non-compliant premises being inspected during 2015/2016 being moved into compliance as a result of the Service’s interventions.
3.1.3 Food Standards Inspections
Food Standards inspections should be carried out on the basis of risk-based prioritisation. Historically the Service has used the National Trading Standards Board (NTSB) risk rating criteria to risk rate the premises within the Borough. This resulted in a relatively small number of premises being rated as high risk. All of these high risk premises received an inspection however there is large number of medium and lower risk premises. The majority of these lower risk premises were not subject to an inspection. The additional funding however has allowed some in-roads into the backlog of inspections due, however there remains a backlog of inspections in relation to food standards (ie labelling and composition).
The risk rating criteria used by the NTSB are slightly different than the FSA risk rating criteria. For consistency the Service has decided to switch to the FSA risk rating criteria for food standards, thus ensuring that both Food Hygiene and Food Standards follow the FSA risk rating criteria. An exercise was undertaken during 2015/16 to risk rate all the premises within the Borough in line with the FSA criteria. This has resulted in a number of premises moving into category A (highest risk) and more significantly a large number of premises moving from category C (lowest risk) into category B. Moving forward this will have a dramatic impact on the food standards programme as approximately 1000 premises have moved risk category and are now rated higher risk than previously.
The FSA Code of Practice sets out the frequencies at which routine food standards visits to food businesses should be made as follows:
Page 60 Category Minimum frequency
A Highest risk At least every 12 months B At least every 24 months C Lowest risk Alternative enforcement strategies every 60 months
Inspection programme
Due to the required inspection frequency, it is necessary to project the inspection programme over the next 5 years to appreciate the demand on the Section and assess the impact on resources.
The table below provides the details of numbers of inspections due based on the current FSA risk ratings;
Premises Inspections Inspections Inspections Inspections Inspections Total due 2016/17 due 2017/18 due 2018/19 due 2019/20 due 2020/21 No’s A (Highest risk) 29 29 29 29 29 29 B 714 569 479 285 284 285 C (Lowest risk) 859 837 120 120 120 120 Unrated 3 3 5 5 5 5 TOTAL 1605 1438 633 439 439 439
Due to the shift in premises risk rating the current purchasing of inspections will not deal with the backlog of inspections in category B or C. There is a significant backlog of due inspections in the current year and this is as a result of a combination of under resources and the risk rating upward shift of premises.
It is acknowledged that the resource for the current year will not facilitate inspections at all the premises due for inspection this year. It is therefore intended to continue to operate on a risk based inspection programme with priority given to the higher risk premises and where appropriate, inspections will also be carried out at premises subject to complaints.
Moving forward the intention is to continue to increase the number of food standards inspections year on year (within the existing resources) and maintain this increased number of inspections. This will be facilitated by using the recurrent Public Health funding to continue to use an external contractor. The current contract will need to be retendered during the current year 2016/17. It is hoped that by spreading the backlog of medium and lower risk premises inspections over the next 3 to 4 years, the Service can fully comply with and maintain the FSA inspection frequency for food standards.
3.1.4 Feed Inspections
Page 61 In 2013, the Food Standards Agency committed funding to the delivery of animal feed enforcement work via the National Trading Standards Board. Subsequently in 2016/17 funding has been provided through Trading Standards North West for 25 Feed Inspections to be carried out in Rochdale.
The table below details the types of premises and the numbers of inspections and alternative enforcement strategies to be completed during 2016-17;
Alternative Enforcement Inspections Strategies Manufacturer (A1-A8/R1- R4/R6/A11) Co Product Producer - R12 4 Mobile Mixer - R4 Importers Stores - R9 Distributor (A1-A8/R1-R3/R5/A11) 2 Transporter - R8 2 On Farm Mixer - R10 and R11 2 Pet Food Manufacturer – R06 Supplier of Surplus Food - R7 5 1 Livestock farms - R13 9 Arable Farms – R14 Total: 24 1
As none of the qualified officers in this Service have the required competencies and Continual Professional Development, in 2016/17 this work will continue to be carried out on our behalf by Oldham Trading Standards.
3.2 Food & Feed Safety Complaints / Requests for Service
3.2.1 Food Hygiene
Complaints and requests for service in respect of food and the hygiene of food premises are dealt with in line with documented procedures. All complaints received are assessed by the Team Leader (Food), with the level of investigation / action being determined based on the risk to public health arising from the complaint.
We will continue to prioritise the most serious complaints and selection criteria have been developed to determine which complaints will take priority.
Approximately 400 complaints and service requests are expected to be dealt with in 2016/17.
Page 62 All requests for ‘Health Certificates’ are dealt with to enable local businesses to export food. A charge is made for this work. Approximately 100 such requests are expected to be dealt with in 2016/17.
3.2.2 Food Standards and Feed
All food standards complaints are recorded and assessed for further action in line with documented procedures. The possible actions which are available, are included in the Enforcement Policy and are determined by the Team Leader (Commercial Practices) in consultation with the Lead Officer.
The Service expects to receive approximately 40 complaints and requests for trader advice per annum relating to food standards and feeding stuffs. From 1 April 2012 the service previously provided by Consumer Direct was transferred to the Citizens Advice Consumer Service. This situation remains.
3.3 Primary Authority
The aim of the Primary Authority Principle is to increase communication between local authorities dealing with businesses, which have multiple premises located in different parts of the country. It is a legal requirement that regulatory services comply with the Primary Authority Principle. The benefits of the Principle are as follows:
greater enforcement consistency; increased efficiency and reduced enforcement duplication; preventative enforcement through advice on compliance; resolution of conflicts between different authorities and between authorities and businesses; better understanding and awareness of commercial issues; increased understanding of local businesses; and enhanced technical and audit expertise.
The Service does not currently have any Primary Authority Partnership Agreements in place relating to food. Consideration will be given to any businesses who approach the Service during 2016/17 requesting such a partnership agreement.
3.4 Advice to Business
The service will continue to provide assistance to business, to help them to comply with the requirements of legislation and improve compliance. This will primarily take place during routine inspections, complaint investigations and by signposting to extensive online guidance.
All written documentation clearly differentiates between legal requirements and recommendations for business improvements.
As a result of Public Health funding, the following proactive work will incorporate business advice during 2016/17:
Training project and support for new businesses and non-compliant businesses including the provision of food hygiene manuals, training courses, on-line training in different languages, food allergen leaflets in translated languages – Urdu, Chinese,
Page 63 Punjabi, Polish, & Hindu, on site allergen testing kits in peanuts & gluten, 4 drop in advice sessions, AGMA Healthy Catering Award Scheme in schools Pest Control Initiative in Takeaways Reducing foodborne disease (E. Coli) within catering establishments ‘Love Your Takeaway’ Initiative Increased skills for in-house officers - 3 officers to have basic NLP (behaviour) training Trial black protective clothing instead of traditional white to engage better with food businesses and break regulatory barrier
3.5. Food and Feed Safety Sampling
The Food Standards Agency Framework agreement requires local authorities to develop a sampling programme which should include the following:
samples submitted following a complaint; samples taken as part of an investigation of a suspected food poisoning outbreak; and routine sampling, to assess the safety of particular foods.
3.5.1 Food Hygiene Sampling Programme:
Without FSA funding for food hygiene samples this year, priority will be given to samples from non-compliant businesses and those required during outbreak investigations. It is anticipated 60 samples will be taken in 2016/17.
3.5.2 Food Standards Sampling Programme
For several years the Food Standards Agency has committed funding to food standards sampling work via bids from regional food groups. Subsequently in 2016/17 funding has been provided through Trading Standards North West for 13 food standards samples to be taken in Rochdale.
3.5.3 Feed Sampling Programme
Since 2013, the Food Standards Agency has committed funding to feed sampling work via the National Trading Standards Board. Subsequently in 2016/17 funding has been provided through Trading Standards North West for 4 feed samples to be taken in Rochdale.
3.5.4 Arrangements for analysis and examination of samples
The authority’s Public Analyst is Lancashire County Scientific Services.
The Food Examiner who carries out microbiological analysis of food samples is the Health Protection Agency (Preston Laboratory).
3.6 Control and Investigation of Outbreaks and Food Related Infectious Disease
The Council liaises with a Consultant in Communicable Disease Control (CCDC) from Public Health England Greater Manchester Health Protection Team in all matters relating to the control and investigation of food related infectious disease. When required the CCDC heads the Outbreak Control Team, which is convened in accordance with criteria laid down in the Infectious Disease Outbreak and Control Plan, and includes representatives from the Council.
Page 64 The investigation of suspected outbreaks is carried out in conjunction with the Public Protection Service Communities Team.
3.7 Food and Feed Safety Alerts
Food Alerts are issued by the Food Standards Agency to advise local authorities and consumers of foods which may not comply with food safety standards. These are dealt with in line with documented procedures, which comply with the guidance provided in the FSA Code of Practice ensuring that all food alerts ‘For Action’ are dealt with.
3.8 Liaison with Other Organisations
The Public Protection Service is committed to being involved in liaison with other local authorities, and associated organisations, to achieve consistency and to maintain our level of knowledge and understanding in a rapidly changing area of work. This is done by being actively involved in a number of Groups, including:
AGMA Food Liaison Group; AGMA Public Protection Partnership; Public Health England Greater Manchester Health Protection Team; Public Health England; Trading Standards North West Food & Agriculture Group; Trading Standards North West Feed Group; and The Rochdale Borough Partnership Enforcement Team.
We also have consultation arrangements with other service providers within the Council in respect of:
applications for planning approval; Building Regulations approval; and applications under the Licensing Act 2003.
3.9 Food and Feed Safety Promotion
In addition to the advisory activities carried out to support food businesses set out above, work is continuing to increase awareness of the importance of food safety and healthy eating amongst consumers. This includes the promotion of the Food Hygiene Rating Scheme, AGMA Healthy Catering Award and FSA seasonal campaigns.
The Service is also planning to run 4 “drop-in” sessions, 1 in each Township area. The aim is to advise both businesses and consumers of the importance food safety including food safety tips and practical hand washing techniques with the UV hand wash station.
The Service will also be supporting businesses by the use of technology; The Service has 2 ATP swabbing machines; these immediately detect and quantify cleanliness of surfaces. The Service will also be using allergen testing kits; again providing an immediate indication as to whether food allergens are present. General and bespoke information on food allergens will continue to be provided to businesses and consumers at every opportunity. Events organised by Link4Life are also supported.
4. Resources
Page 65 4.1 Financial Allocation
The Food Hygiene and Food Standards teams have previously been part of separate teams within the Public Protection Service, but from June 2015 are both part of the same section (covering Core functions). However, Food Safety work is not carried out in isolation. As such, figures for financial resources are based on the staffing levels identified in section 4.2 below.
The following is an estimate of the appropriate financial allocation for Food Hygiene and Food Standards officers’ workload in 2016/17;
Food Hygiene Food Standards Expenditure Employee Costs 175,855 15,008 Other running costs 11,000 1,000 Externally Contracted Inspections 50,000 6,000 TOTAL 236,855 22,008
Income Public Health Funding 90,000 10,000 TOTAL 90,000 10,000
NET 146,855 12,008
4.2 Staffing Allocation
The Food Hygiene, Food Standards and Feed functions are co-ordinated by the Lead Officer (Food) and Lead Officer (Feed) in the Public Protection Service. The Service also carries out a wide range of associated functions including Health and Safety, Commercial Practices, Animal Health, Private Water Supplies, Air Quality and Environmental Permitting.
The officers involved in providing Food Hygiene and Food Standards work are professionally qualified, have the appropriate experience and competencies, have knowledge of the Borough’s food business environment and receive at least 20 hours Continuing Professional Development per annum, as required by the FSA’s Code of Practice. They consist of:
Service Manager: (Core) (NR) Lead Officer (Food), Lead Officer (Feed) and responsible for a wide range of other regulatory functions. 10% of time spent on Food and Feed Team Leader: Food Hygiene (JH) 80% of time spent on Food Hygiene work Team Leader: Health & Safety / ICT (GPF) 20% of time spent on Food Safety work Team Leader: Commercial Practices (GS) 15% of time spent on Food Standards work Senior Public Protection Officers (DM, GW, GS) 80% of time spent on Food Hygiene work (KA) 50% of time spent on Food Hygiene work (PM) 35% of time spent on Food Hygiene work
Page 66 Team Leader (LB) 10% of each officer’s time spent on Senior Officer (SA) Infectious disease investigations by Communities Team
Admin Officer (MP) 100% of time on Food Safety work
Feed Safety work is provided by appropriately qualified officers from Oldham’s Trading Standards Service.
4.3 Staff Development Plan
The training and development of staff is essential to ensure that officers are able to carry out their duties effectively. Each year, officers are asked to identify their needs as far as training is concerned during Performance and Development Reviews. Managers then assess these against the needs of the service in order to ensure that the appropriate 20 hours of Continuing Professional Development training are attained.
Training for staff is provided in a number of ways:
induction training for new members of staff; courses provided by the Council’s Communications Team & Virtual College; training provided by the FSA through the AGMA Food Liaison Group and TSNW Food and Feed Groups; courses and seminars provided by external organisations; in-house training including team meetings and instruction provided on-the-job and on a one-to-one basis; and Regional team meetings ie AGMA Food Group.
Officers attending external courses and seminars as appropriate are expected to cascade the learning and give a presentation to the rest of the team. This can range from a simple overview of the event to a more formal presentation providing considerable detail; including copies of hand-outs, etc.
5. Quality Assessment
The documented procedures have been reviewed to verify conformance with the FSA Framework Agreement, relevant legislation, codes of practice, documented policies and procedures. These include:
monitoring of officers work by the Team Leaders and Service Manage; Performance Indicators; team meetings; accompanied inspections; one-to-one meetings with officers; identification of training needs; review of documents; and review of complaints against the service.
6. Performance
Page 67 6.1 Review against the Service Plan
The Service Manager and Team Leaders monitor and review performance against the Service Action Plan at monthly 1-2-1 meetings; team meetings (every 6 weeks); and on an annual basis.
A full annual review is carried out at the end of March each year to enable the LAEMS return to be completed and submitted. Performance data is included in the subsequent years annual Service Plan and is reported to elected members via Cabinet.
Increased resources over the last year have resulted in increased performance, increased activity output and increased outcomes for the Borough. The performance for the year 2015/16 was as follows:
6.1.1 Food Hygiene
Inspections Risk Rating Due Done Outstanding A (Highest Risk) 21 21 0 B 95 95 0 C 254 248 6 D 545 526 19 E (Lowest Risk) 396 389 7 Unrated 84 84 0 TOTAL 1395 1363 (98%) 32 (2%) (709 in 2014/15) (60% in 2014/15)
Risk Rating Broadly Compliant Premises A (Highest Risk) 0 B 32 C 334 D 598 E (Lowest Risk) 507 TOTAL 1471 (88%) (90% in 2014/15)
Enforcement Actions Premises Numbers Voluntary Closure 24
Page 68 Improvement Notice 23 Advisory Notice 975 TOTAL 1022 (652 in 2014/15)
Samples Satisfactory Unsatisfactory 66 microbiological 56 (85%) 10 (10%) analysis (33% in 2014/15)
Complaints Number Food 244 Hygiene of Premises 99 TOTAL 343 (456 in 2014/15)
6.1.2 Food Standards
Inspections Risk Rating
Due Done Outstanding High (A) 7 4 3 Med (B) 176 60 115 Low (C) 1485 7 1481 Unrated 0 0 0 TOTAL 1668 71 (4%) 1599 (96%) (94% in 2014/15)
Risk Rating Broadly Compliant Premises High (A) 17 Med (B) 711 Low (C) 863 TOTAL 1591 (95%) (95% in 2014/15)
Page 69 Enforcement Actions Number Advisory Notice 72 (69 in 2014/15)
Samples Satisfactory Unsatisfactory
20 analysed 14 (70%) 6 (30%)
(24% in 2014/15)
Complaints Number
Food 35 (34 in 2014/15)
6.1.3 Feed
Alternative Category Inspections Enforcement Strategies R6 (Pet Food Manufacturer) 1 0 R7 (Manufacture) 3 0 R8 (Transporter) 1 0 R9 (Storage of feed and feed products) 2 0 R10 (On Farm Mixer) 1 0 R12 (Co Products) 3 0 R13 (Livestock) 5 10 R14 (Arable farms) 0 0 TOTAL: 16 10
6.2 Identification of any variation from the Service Plan
6.2.1 Food Hygiene
All of the planned visits to Category A premises were completed.
Page 70 All of the planned visits to Category B premises were completed.
A total of 1247 visits were carried out at premises of category C-E or unrated, of which 775 were carried out by external contractors. This is a marked increase on performance in previous years and was made possible by the additional funding provided to enable the backlog of “due inspections” to be inspected.
The overdue inspections has now almost been cleared with only 32 outstanding. These will be rolled forward into the current year and these inspections will be conducted in the first quarter of 2016/17.
6.2.2 Food Standards
4 out of the 7 planned visits to high risk premises were carried out.
67 targeted inspections to medium and lower risk premises were carried out by external contractors due to the Public Health funding.
6.2.3 Feed
In 2014/2015 funding was provided through Trading Standards North West for 16 Feed Inspections to be carried out in Rochdale. All 16 of the funded feed visits were carried out, and 10 alternative enforcement strategies were undertaken at considered lower risk. All work was carried out on this Council’s behalf by suitably-qualified colleagues from Oldham Council.
6.3 Areas for Improvement
It is acknowledged that the Public Protection Service was not compliant with the requirements of the FSA’s Code of Practice on inspection frequency in previous years. The audit conducted by the FSA in March 2015 concentrated on food hygiene and raised the profile and priority of this work within the Council. Additional resource and a significant amount of effort by officers and management has been put into place to address this. The Service is very proud that these efforts have virtually eradicated the backlog of “due inspections” for food hygiene.
This has now highlighted the area of food standards as being an area in need of improvement. Priority in this area remains tackling the highest risk, non-compliant, problem food and sampling has concentrated on meat substitution; an area which local intelligence suggests is a problem in the Borough. However further work needs to be done in relation to food standards to enable the Council to meet the FSA Code of Practice on inspection frequency.
The Service plans to increase the numbers of inspections undertaken and has identified 100 “due inspection” to be conducted during 2016/17 in addition to the in house officer resource.
6.4 Future Challenges
The following areas have been identified as challenges to effective, compliant Food Safety and Feed Safety service delivery for 2016/17;
6.4.1 Resources
Page 71 A historical lack of resource within the Service resulted in identification of areas in need of improvement by the FSA in March 2015. It is acknowledged that these areas have and continue to be addressed. The challenge moving forward is to ensure that the Service maintains the improvements made and does not revert back to under-performance.
It is acknowledged that the Service has received additional funding, some of which was one- off, one-year funding and some of which is recurrent. The key however is to maintain an appropriate level of resource to enable compliance with the FSA Code of Practice on inspection frequency.
The current resources available to the Service in 2016/17 allow a variety of interventions to be delivered. In–house officers provide a high quality, consistent service including programmed inspections at the higher risk premises, reactive interventions in relation to complaints and intelligence received, enforcement action, proactive interventions raising awareness for consumers and providing business supporting and bespoke advice. The additional revenue resource funds additional officers and allows the purchase of high numbers of inspections at medium and lower risk premises.
The current contract for inspections and the procurement process has shown that procurement in an open market can drive down unit costs and the purchase of high numbers of inspections can provide high value for money. STaR procurement is currently developing a framework to procure inspections for Stockport, Trafford and Rochdale. It is envisaged that this framework will further drive down costs due to the greater buying power of the 3 local authorities.
The inspection programme has been projected for the next 3-4 years. The impact of shifting from the NTSB risk rating to the FSA risk rating for food standards has had a significant impact and a high number of premises have increased their risk rating.
Existing resource can be used to maintain the frequency of food hygiene inspections using in- house officer resource and the procurement of approx 400 inspections carried out by the contractor.
The Service intends to use the resources available to “chip away” at the backlog of food standards inspections. The intention is to use existing resource to purchase an increased number of inspections by the contractor. It is anticipated that over the next 4 years the food standards backlog can be addressed in this way within existing resource. If however, the Council wishes to eradicate the food standards backlog quicker, additional resource will need to be found.
6.4.2 Legislative
The drive for the mandatory display of Food Hygiene Rating Scores will inevitably result in an increase in requests for re-inspection and rescoring. Decisions are needed on whether recharges will be made to business on a cost recovery only basis for such revisit requests.
Amendment to the Food Law Code of Practice (2015) implementing a requirement to ensure qualified officers have 20 hours continuing Professional Development per annum;
Revised Feed Law Code of Practice (2015);
Food Information Regulations 2014 and the allergen labelling requirement (December 2014) for all food; prepacked and non-prepacked;
Page 72 1
APPENDIX
Equality Impact Assessment
What are you assessing? Please tick the appropriate box below.
Function Strategy Policy Project Other, please specify below x
Service: Section:
Public Health and Well-Being Public Protection
Responsible Officer: Name of function/strategy/ policy/ project assessed:
Nicola Rogers Food and Feed Service Plan 2016/17
Date of Assessment:
23 June 2016
Officers Involved:
N Rogers
1.What is the purpose of the function/strategy/policy/project assessed?
(Briefly describe the aims, objectives and purpose of the function/strategy/policy/project)
The local authority has a statutory duty to enforce Food legislation, relating to both Food Hygiene (cleanliness and suitability of the environment in which food is produced) and Food Standards (labelling and composition of food products). All Food Authorities are monitored on their performance by the Food Standards Agency, to whom annual returns of inspection and other intervention activity must be made.
Page 73 2
The Food and Feed Service Plan for 2016/17 sets out how the authority has performed in 2015/16; its plans for 2016/7; any areas for improvement and future challenges..
2.Who are the key stakeholders?
Food producers and retailers in the Borough
Residents of the Borough and visitors to the Borough who may visit local food premises, or anyone who consumes food labelled in the Borough
Elected members
Authorised officers engaged in Food enforcement activity
The Food Standards Agency
3. What is the scope of this equality impact assessment? That is, what is included in this assessment.
This EIA relates to the enforcement activity undertaken or to be undertaken in relation to food, as set out in the Council’s Food and Feed Service Plan 2016/17.
4.Which needs is this function/strategy/ policy/ project designed to meet?
The needs of:
the Council in its role as Food Authority, being statutorily obliged to undertake a programme of inspections and other interventions relating to food premises in the Borough; the Council’s authorised officers, bearing in mind their limited resource; food premises, who will benefit from an inspection regime which will bring them into contact with the Council’s authorised staff and who will benefit from this engagement; and local residents (and visitors to the Borough) who purchase, consume and experience food produced or labelled within the Borough.
5.Has a needs analysis been undertaken?
As a Food Authority, the Council is obliged to review its performance relating to food on an annual basis. The Service Plan represents this review process.
6.Who is affected by this function/strategy/ policy/ project?
The following are impacted by the Service Plan under consideration:
the Council in its role as Food Authority, being statutorily obliged to undertake a programme of inspections and other interventions relating to food premises in the Borough; the Council’s authorised officers, bearing in mind their limited resource;
Page 74 3
food premises, who will benefit from an inspection regime which will bring them into contact with the Council’s authorised staff and who will benefit from this engagement; and local residents (and visitors to the Borough) who experience food produced or labelled within the Borough.
7.Who has been involved in the review or development of this function/strategy/ policy/ project and who has been consulted? State your consultation/involvement methodology.
Council staff involved in food related enforcement activity
Service Manager
Director Of Public Health and Well-Being
Portfolio Holder
Food Standards Agency (via its review of the action plan from the audit conducted in April 2016)
8.What data have you considered for this assessment and have any gaps in the data been identified. What action will be taken to close any data gaps?
The Council retains a comprehensive database on which details of all inspections / interventions are recorded. The system identifies all known local premises on the basis of risk, and thereby enables a comprehensive risk-based inspection programme to be identified for the subsequent municipal year. This data is at the heart of the proposed Service Plan.
At this moment it is not known precisely how many food premises are managed by persons from particular ethnic groups, although it is suspected that certain types of food business (eg takeaways) are run by and tend to members of the BME communities. It is further suspected – although no firm evidence has yet been gathered – that such premises will tend to be not classed as “broadly compliant” (this being in essence the minimum acceptable standard for a food business). In addition, it is true that premises such as takeaways have previously attracted the attention of the authorities in relation to CSE activity.
9.Are there any other documents or strategies which are linked to this assessment? If so, please include hyperlinks to these documents below, where available.
N/A
10.What impact will this function/strategy/policy/project have on all the protected groups? This includes both positive and potentially negative impacts.
Race Equality
In relation to Rochdale Borough, the 2011 Census confirms the following data on ethnicity. The overall population of Rochdale Borough is 211, 699. Of these, 166, 481 are classified as white British (79%); and 45,218 (21%) as BME. BME groups now account for a greater proportion of the population than was the case in 2001. Pakistani is the largest population among the BME groups and now accounts for 10.5% (22,265) of the total population in 2011, having grown by over 40% over the past decade. Other ethnicities
Page 75 4 such as Bangladeshi and Chinese making up another 4%.
Given this ethnic diversity, it is apparent that many of the Borough’s food premises (particularly restaurants and takeaways) will be owned by persons from particular ethnic groups. As stated above, officers perceive that such premises may form a significant number of the premises classed as falling below the accepted minimum standard of broad compliance. This may well imply the need for greater efforts to be made to support these businesses through not only the inspection regime but also focused training events, literature in community languages, engagement through officers of a BME background etc.
Specific efforts are being made this current year to provide business support and advice in various community languages. The Service has also commissioned online training packages in various community languages and these will be provided free of charge to food business operators.
Disabled People
The issue of disability is not believed to have a significant impact on the safe provision of food within the Borough.
Carers
Compliant food labelling will assist carers of people with significant health needs, food allergies or food intolerances in making informed choices about food and food composition. .
Gender
The issue of gender is not believed to have a significant impact on the safe provision of food within the Borough.
Age
Older and younger people are known to have different dietary requirements usually requiring more fat content within their diet. Appropriate and compliant labelling of food will enable people and their carers to make informed choices about food composition.
In relation to CSE (where takeaways have featured in the grooming of young people), and food officers may have a “disruptive” role to play in premises suspected of such activity.
Armed Forces and Ex-Armed Forces Personnel
The issue of military / civilian status is not believed to have a significant impact on the safe provision of food within the Borough.
Sexual Orientation
The issue of sexual orientation is not believed to have a significant impact on the safe provision of food within the Borough.
Gender Reassignment
The issue of gender reassignment is not believed to have a significant impact on the safe provision of food within the Borough.
Page 76 5
Religion or Belief
Religion / belief is relevant to the provision of food in the Borough in that some premises sell halal or kosher product, and would therefore be subject to specific labelling requirements as appropriate. Appropriate and complaint labelling will allow people practising religious beliefs to make informed choices.
Pregnant Women or Those on Maternity Leave
Pregnant women should avoid certain types of food especially raw eggs, soft cheeses and cured meats. Appropriate and compliant food labelling will enable pregnant women to make informed food choices to protect their health and the health of their unborn child.
Marriage or Civil Partnership
The issue of marital status is not believed to have a significant impact on the safe provision of food within the Borough.
11.What are your main conclusions from this analysis?
There is a need for a piece of research to be undertaken to evaluate the extra efforts taken this year and establish if they have had any impact on compliance with food legislation.
12.What are your recommendations?
That the research and evaluation identified above should be undertaken.
13.What actions are you going to take to address the findings of this assessment? Please attach an action plan including details of designated officers responsible for completing these actions.
See action plan below
Signed (Completing Officer): Date: 23 June 2016
Signed (Head of Service): ______Date:______
Page 77 6
Equality Impact Assessment Action Plan 2014/15
Action Outcome Target Date For Resource Lead Officer Completion Implications
Comparisons of year on year Evaluation of the July 2017 This can be incorporated into N Rogers compliance data statistics. effectiveness of the the annual review of increased training, support performance at year end, and advice provided to food when the annual statistical business operators during returns are being prepared 2016/17. for the LAEMS / Food
Page 78 Page Standards Agency annual return. Agenda Item 8
Subject: Overview and Scrutiny Work Status: For Publication Programmes 2016/17 Report to: Council Date: Tuesday, 26 July 2016
Overview and Scrutiny Committee Chairs: Councillor Butterworth – Communities, Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Councillor Holly – Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Councillor Rowbotham – Health, Schools and Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee
Report of: Assistant Director( Legal, Governance Author: Mark Hardman & Workforce) Tel: Tel: 01706924704 Author Email: [email protected]
1 Purpose of Report
1.1 To present the Work Programmes 2016/17 for the Council’s three Overview and Scrutiny Committees in accordance with Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule No. 7.
2 Recommendations
2.1 That the Council notes the Overview and Scrutiny Committee Work Programmes 2016/17 as appended to this report.
3 Background
3.1 Overview and Scrutiny Procedure Rule OS7 gives the Overview and Scrutiny Committees the responsibility to set their Work Programmes and to report them to the Council.
3.2 The Overview and Scrutiny Committees
The Council has three Overview and Scrutiny Committees that were established at the Annual Meeting of the Council held on 15th May 2015 and which work to terms of reference agreed at that meeting. In establishing the Committees, the Council agreed the following broad remits for each Committee: -
The Communities, Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee brings together both the physical and skills aspects of economic regeneration with the supporting work of services such as leisure, highways, housing, environmental services etc, that provide the opportunities for work and the improvement of life experiences for our communities.
Page 79 The Communities, Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee is the Council’s “crime and disorder” committee for the purposes of the s19(1) of the Police and Justice Act 2006 which requires local authorities to have a ‘crime and disorder’ Overview and Scrutiny Committee to review and scrutinise decisions or actions in relation to the discharge of crime and disorder functions, and to make reports or recommendations to the local authority or the executive with respect to the discharge of those functions. This function is linked to the local crime and disorder reduction partnership (the Rochdale Safer Communities Partnership).
The Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee scrutinises the supporting corporate services of the Council, maintains a ‘strategic’ overview of the Council, and deals with the scrutiny of corporate policy development and the annual budget setting process.
The Health, Schools and Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee brings together developing linkages around the Health and Wellbeing Board such as integrated commissioning; joint interests such as safeguarding; the joint/partnership working with NHS Heywood Middleton Rochdale Clinical Commissioning Group (CCG), and the existence of a common regulator (in the Care Quality Commission) across relevant Council services and those of other parties who might be expected to have an involvement in the Committee.
The Health, Schools and Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee has been delegated most of the Council’s health scrutiny functions, as established initially by s7 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 and extended by the s190 of the Health and Social Care Act 2012 which added powers for the receipt referrals from Healthwatch and the extension of the health scrutiny function from NHS bodies only to also encompass providers of health services commissioned by NHS England and the CCG, including GP practices, pharmacies, opticians and private or voluntary bodies.
The detailed terms of reference for each Committee are attached as Appendix 1 to this report.
3.3 Overview and Scrutiny Committees, Portfolios and Directorates
The ‘headline’ roles of each Committee, as set against the Cabinet Member Portfolio roles and the responsibilities of the Council’s Directors, are as follows:-
Committee Headlines Portfolio Director
Economy and Regeneration Leader Regeneration Safer Communities (Regeneration) Neighbourhoods Communities, Partnership Business, Skills Public Health Regeneration Partners or key contractors and Employment and Wellbeing and (eg. RDA, RBH, L4L) Housing and Environment Communities Environment Local Development Neighbourhoods Framework and Communities Housing Culture, Health Environment and Wellbeing Highways Licensing
Page 80 Townships Finance Resources Service development and Neighbourhoods Neighbourhoods Corporate delivery (Corporate (Corporate Partners or key contractors Services) Services) (eg. Agilysis) Corporate Performance Monitoring Finance Monitoring Annual budget development Scrutiny of ‘corporate’ policies Health scrutiny (CCG, Culture, Health Public Health Pennine Acute, Pennine Care, and Wellbeing and Wellbeing Health, Healthwatch, NHS England, Adult Care Adult Care Schools and CQC etc) Children’s Children’s Care Health and Wellbeing Services Services (including scrutiny of the Health and Wellbeing Board) Partners or key contractors (eg. Inspired Spaces) Child and Adult Social Care Early Help and Schools Safeguarding Integrated Commissioning
3.4 Overview and Scrutiny Activities
In determining their work programmes, the Overview and Scrutiny Committees have due regard to the statutory roles for the overview and scrutiny of the Council’s executive as required by s21 if the Local Government Act 2000:-
Consultation on the Budget and Policy Framework
The Council’s Policy Framework comprises those polices and strategies that are required either by law or at the Council’s own discretion to be approved or adopted by the full Council on the recommendation of the Cabinet and having been consulted upon through the overview and scrutiny function. The Council’s annual budget and council tax setting is required to follow the same process.
Scrutiny of Executive Decisions - The "Call-in" Process
Should two or more Members feel an executive decision made by the Cabinet or other body exercising delegated executive powers should be further considered, they can, within a set timescale, “call-in” the decision for scrutiny by submitting a formal notice with reasons and a supporting statement. Once confirmed as in order, the relevant Overview and Scrutiny Committee considers the decision and the related report, the reasons given for the call in, and the response of the decision maker represented by the Chair or other member of the decision maker. The Committee may either confirm the decision, or refer the matter back for reconsideration, or refer to Council for a view as to whether the decision is contrary to the budget or policy framework.
Operational and Financial Performance Management
The Overview and Scrutiny Committees consider the Directorate Plans produced for each of the Council’s Directorates as they apply to their particular terms of reference. As well as advising of the work programmes for the services within each Directorate,
Page 81 the Plans also set the indicators to be reported as part of the performance management framework. The Committees are then able to call for more detailed reports on areas of identified concern. A number of further corporate reports are also presented considering the Council’s financial performance, together with matters such as complaints and staff sickness. The performance of various Council partners and contractors are also considered by the Committees.
Setting the agenda
Overview and Scrutiny Committees determine their own agenda through the ongoing work programming process, which includes the opportunity for individual members to include items relevant to the business of the Committee on an agenda. This provision enables the Committees to review or scrutinise decisions made, or other actions taken, in connection with any function which is the responsibility of the executive. The option also exists to consider matters that are not the responsibility of the executive and matters which affect the Borough or its inhabitants.
3.5 2016/17 Work Programmes
The appended work programmes have been considered by the Committees at the following meetings, and signed off by the respective Chairs in consultation with the Governance and Committee Manager – Communities, Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings held on 15th June and 13th July 2016; Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings held on 14th June and 12th July 2016; and Health, Schools and Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee meeting held on 29th June 2016.
The Committees have noted that the 2015/16 Municipal Year saw the establishment of the three Committees and a period of organisational change, including the senior management structure. As such, 2016/17 now offers a period of review and development. The Committees have committed to considering wider use of opportunities outside of formal meetings to consider business, including the use of study groups, briefings and ‘round table’ events. Development options will be brought forward and considered as the Municipal Year progresses.
The 2016/17 Work Programmes submitted to this meeting of the Council will be kept under review by Officers and submitted for formal updating each Committee meeting. Support for the Committees is led by Governance and Committee Services, with lead roles being undertaken by the Governance and Committee Manager (the Council’s ‘Scrutiny Officer’) and a Senior Governance and Committee Officer.
The individual Work Programmes are attached as follows: -
Appendix 2 Communities, Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings held on 15th June and 13th July 2016; Appendix 3 Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee Appendix 4 Health, Schools and Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee
4 Financial Implications
4.1 None
Page 82 5 Legal Implications
5.1 The statutory requirements for a local authority overview and scrutiny function, including scrutiny of crime and disorder functions and of health, are referenced within the report and reflected within the Council’s Constitution.
6 Personnel Implications
6.1 None
7 Corporate Priorities
7.1 This report and the approaches adopted towards overview and scrutiny assist the Council in addressing the six principles of Corporate Governance adopted by the Council within the Annual Governance Statement, particularly with regard to the taking informed and transparent decisions which are subject to effective scrutiny.
8. Risk Assessment Implications
8.1 None applicable
9. Equalities Impacts
9.1 Workforce Equality Impacts Assessment
There are no workforce equality issues arising from this report.
9.2 Equality/Community Impact Assessments
There are no equality/community issues arising from this report.
There are no background papers to this report.
Page 83 APPENDIX 1
TERMS OR REFERENCE
Communities, Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee
To be responsible for scrutiny of partnerships or key contractors (eg. RDA, RBH, L4L); Regeneration; Local Development Framework; Neighbourhoods and Communities; Housing; Environment; Highways and Licensing, and for overview of the respective Portfolio Holders and Directors. To respond to consultation by Cabinet on relevant policy development proposals. To scrutinise the in-year performance of relevant Council Services, partnership bodies and other appropriate bodies, in accordance with the Council’s Quarterly Performance Management Framework and against approved Directorate Plans, where appropriate. To scrutinise the discharge by the Responsible Authorities within Rochdale Safer Communities Partnership of their crime and disorder functions as set out in the Police and Justice Act 2006. To instigate the appropriate action in response to adverse service performance. To scrutinise inspection reports and associated action plans produced by external agencies (where appropriate to this Committee). To review and scrutinise executive decisions where appropriate to this Committee in accordance with the Council’s Constitution, which have been called-in by Members of the Council. To receive reports, where appropriate, from the Council’s representatives on outside bodies, and to direct representatives to report to the Council, where appropriate. To commission, scope and oversee studies and reviews relating to relevant Council Services and issues directly affecting the Borough and, where appropriate, to make recommendations to the Cabinet arising from such studies and reviews. To consider Directorate Plans in line with Council Policy.
Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee
To be the responsible Committee for scrutiny of Townships generally; corporate service development and delivery; for scrutiny of partnerships or key contractors (eg. Agilysis); corporate performance monitoring; corporate financial monitoring and the annual budget development consultation, and for overview of the respective Portfolio Holders and Directors. To respond to consultation by Cabinet on relevant policy development and the annual budget proposals. To scrutinise the in-year performance of Council Directorates and other appropriate bodies, in accordance with the Council’s Performance Management Framework and against approved Directorate Plans, where appropriate. To scrutinise in-year budget performance. To instigate the appropriate action in response to adverse service performance. To scrutinise inspection reports and associated action plans produced by external agencies (where appropriate to this Committee). To review and scrutinise executive decisions in accordance with the Council’s Constitution, which have been called-in by Members of the Council. To receive reports, where appropriate, from the Council’s representatives on outside bodies, and to direct representatives to report to the Council, where appropriate. To commission, scope and oversee studies and reviews relating to Council Services and issues directly affecting the Borough and, where appropriate, to make recommendations to the Cabinet arising from such studies and reviews. To consider Directorate Plans in line with Council Policy.
Page 84 Health, Schools and Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee
To be the responsible Committee for the Council’s health scrutiny function (with the exception of any referrals to the Secretary of State arising from statutory consultations being referred to Council for determination); for scrutiny of Health and Wellbeing (including scrutiny of the Health and Wellbeing Board, particularly with reference to joint commissioning proposals arising between the Council and the CCG with regard to health and social care arrangements); and for scrutiny of partnerships or key contractors (eg. Inspired Spaces), Child and Adult Social Care; Early Help and Schools; Safeguarding, and for overview of the respective Portfolio Holders and Directors To respond to consultation by Cabinet and the Health and Wellbeing Board on relevant policy development proposals. To scrutinise the in-year performance of relevant Council Directorates, partnership bodies and other appropriate bodies, in accordance with the Council’s Performance Management Framework and against approved Directorate Plans, where appropriate. To instigate the appropriate action in response to adverse service performance. To scrutinise inspection reports and associated action plans produced by external agencies (where appropriate to this Committee). To review and scrutinise executive decisions where appropriate to this Committee in accordance with the Council’s Constitution, which have been called-in by Members of the Council. To receive reports, where appropriate, from the Council’s representatives on outside bodies, and to direct representatives to report to the Council, where appropriate. To scrutinise Safeguarding arrangements, including consideration of Safeguarding Boards’ Annual Reports To commission, scope and oversee studies and reviews relating to relevant Council Services and issues directly affecting the Borough and, where appropriate, to make recommendations to the Cabinet arising from such studies and reviews. To consider Directorate Plans in line with Council Policy. To be the Council body identified to receive issues and reports from Health Watch To consider, as relevant, reports from the Care Quality Commission as part of the wider health scrutiny considerations. To receive minutes of the joint health scrutiny bodies.
Page 85 APPENDIX 2
COMMUNITIES, REGENERATION AND ENVIRONMENT OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE
Work Programme 2016/2017
1. The Work Programme for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee 2016/2017 has been compiled mindful of the key scrutiny functions that are set out in the Local Government Act 2000 and subsequent legislation and as set out in the Council’s Constitution. In brief, these are to hold the executive to account and to maintain an oversight of the delivery of Council services. This is undertaken principally through the following means:-
Scrutiny of Executive Decisions through the ‘Call-in’ process; The consideration of Budget and Policy Framework proposals for consultative purposes; The consideration of a range of performance monitoring/management data; The specific consideration of individual service issues as may be specified by the Committee.
2. The Committee’s Work Programme has been prepared on the basis of known items at this time. Scheduling of some business remains to be determined and this is reflected in the Work programme.
3. The following table highlights issues where there is either an agreement or an anticipation that specific items may come forward. Other issues will be brought forward as indicated above.
15th June 2016 Work Programme To consider the Committee’s Work Programme for 2016/2017 Call-in/Member items/other referrals Performance Monitoring (4th Quarter Performance management and 2015/2016) – including: monitoring Rochdale Safer Communities Partnership Rochdale Development Agency Guidelines and Standards for For information Residential Development Supplementary Planning Document Directorate Plan Updates (4th Quarter Performance management and 2015/2016) monitoring Neighbourhoods Directorate Economy Directorate (incorporating RDA) Directorate Plan 2016/17 – 2018/19 Performance management and Neighbourhoods Directorate monitoring Economy Directorate (incorporating RDA) Discretionary Crisis Fund – Six Performance management and month update report monitoring
Page 86 Boxing Day Floods Review of responses to a significant incident GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny Pool Minutes
13th July 2016
Work Programme To note the Committee’s Work Programme for 2016/2017 Call-in/Member items/other referrals Food and Feed Plan 2016/17 Performance management and monitoring Performance Monitoring (1st Quarter Performance management and monitoring 2016/2017) – including: Street Lighting PFI Contract Link4Life – six month update report Performance monitoring and management GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny Pool Minutes
7th September 2016
Work Programme 2016/2017 Update Call-in/Member items/other referrals Performance Monitoring (1st Quarter Performance management and monitoring 2016/17) Rochdale Safer Communities Partnership Directorate Plan Update (1st Quarter Performance monitoring and management 2016/2017) Neighbourhoods Directorate Economy Directorate (incorporating RDA) Rochdale Boroughwide Housing – six Performance monitoring and management month update report Performance Monitoring of Registered Annual Report - scrutinising performance Provider Partners Rochdale Riverside Programme Committee item Timescale GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny Pool Minutes Minutes
9th November 2016
Work Programme 2016/2017 Update Call-in/Member items/other referrals Performance Monitoring (2nd Quarter Performance monitoring and management 2016/17) – including: Street Lighting PFI Contract Rochdale Safer Communities Partnership Gambling Licensing Policy Consultation on statutory legislation Licensing Policy Update Consultation on statutory legislation
Page 87 7th December 2016
Work Programme 2015/2016 Update Call-in/Member items/other referrals Directorate Plan Update (2nd Quarter Performance monitoring and management 2016/2017) Neigbourhoods Directorate Economy Directorate (incorporating RDA) Discretionary Crisis Fund – six month Performance monitoring and management update report GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny Pool For information/discussion
8th February 2017
Work Programme Update Call-in/Member items/other referrals Performance Monitoring (3rd Quarter Performance management and monitoring 2016/2017) – including: Street Lighting PFI Contract Rochdale Safer Communities Partnership Link4Life – Six month update report Rochdale Boroughwide Housing – Six month update report GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny Pool
5th April 2017
Work Programme 2016/2017 Update Call-in/Member items/other referrals Directorate Plan Update (3rd Quarter Performance monitoring and management 2016/2017): Neigbourhoods Directorate Economy Directorate (incorporating RDA) GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny Pool
Other business to be scheduled
Riverside Development Informal meetings of members of this and of the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee to be convened as the project approaches key milestones or as directed by the Chairs of the two Committee, in consultation with the Director of Economy. Renewable Energy The scope and scheduling of this item to be determined.
Page 88 APPENDIX 3
CORPORATE OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE
Work Programme 2016/17
1. The Work Programme for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee 2016/17 has been compiled mindful of the key scrutiny functions that are set out in the Local Government Act 2000 and subsequent legislation and as set out in the Council’s Constitution. In brief, these are to hold the executive to account and to maintain an oversight of the delivery of Council services. This is undertaken principally through the following means:-
Scrutiny of Executive Decisions through the ‘Call-in’ process; The consideration of Budget and Policy Framework proposals for consultative purposes; The consideration of a range of performance monitoring/management data; The specific consideration of individual service issues as may be specified by the Committee.
2. The Committee’s Work Programme has been prepared on the basis of known items at this time. Scheduling of some business remains to be determined and this is reflected in the Work Programme.
3. The following table highlights issues where there is either an agreement or an anticipation that specific items may come forward. Other issues will be brought forward as indicated above.
14th June 2016 Work Programme To consider the Committee’s Work Programme for 2016/17 Call-in/Member items/other referrals Update on the Cities and Local Government For information Devolution Act 2016 Directorate Plan Updates (4th Quarter Performance management and 2015/16) monitoring Resources Directorate Neighbourhoods (Corporate Services) Directorate Directorate Plans 2016/17 Performance management and Resources Directorate monitoring Neighbourhoods (Corporate Services) Directorate Boxing Day Floods Committee item GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny Pool - minutes
Page 89 12th July 2016
Work Programme To note the Committee’s Work Programme for 2016/2017 Call-in/Member items/other referrals Performance Monitoring (4th Quarter Performance management and 2014/2015) – including: monitoring Corporate Sickness Absence statistics Corporate Complaints 2015-16 Corporate Plan: Annual Performance management and Performance Dashboard monitoring Place Plan (Sustainable Communities Policy Framework Strategy) Corporate Plan 2016 - 19 Policy Framework Revenue Finance Outturn 2015/16 Financial scrutiny Capital Finance Outturn 2015/16 Financial scrutiny Collection Fund Outturn 2015/16 Financial scrutiny Savings Outturn 2015/16 Financial scrutiny P2 Revenue Finance Update 2016/17 Financial scrutiny P2 Capital Finance Update 2016/17 Financial scrutiny P2 Collection Fund Update 2016/17 Financial scrutiny P2 Savings Update 2016/17 Financial scrutiny Budget 2017/18 Guidelines, Timetable and Budget development Public engagement Review of the Local Council Tax Support Consultation Scheme for 2017/18 GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny Pool - Minutes
6th September 2016
Work Programme 2016/2017 To note the Committee’s Work Programme for 2016/2017 Call-in/Member items/other referrals Update on the Greater Manchester Committee item Devolution Agreement Agylisis – positional report Committee request Flood Resilience Plan Committee request Insurance Claims Analysis – Annual Report Performance management and monitoring Local Government Ombudsman’s Annual Performance management and Review 2015/16 monitoring Savings Programme 2017/18 and 2018/19 Budget development GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny Pool - Minutes
11th October 2016
Work Programme 2016/17 To note the Committee’s Work Programme for 2016/2017 Call-in/Member items/other referrals Performance Monitoring (1st Quarter Performance monitoring and 2016/17) – including: management
Page 90 Corporate Sickness Absence statistics Corporate Complaints Medium Term Financial Strategy 2017/18 – Policy Framework 2021/22 Saving Programme 2017/18 and 2018/19 - Budget development Proposals for Consultation Capital and Revenue Budget Update Financial scrutiny 2016/17 - 2019/2020 GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny Pool - Minutes
8th November 2016
Work Programme To note the Committee’s Work Programme for 2016/2017 Call-in/Member items/other referrals Directorate Plan Updates (2nd Quarter Performance monitoring and 2016/2017) management Resources Directorate Neighbourhoods (Corporate Services) Directorate Discretionary Fees and Charges Budget development 2017/18 Review of the Local Council Tax Support Consultation Scheme for 2017/18 Capital Investment Strategy Committee request (item arising from Resources Directorate Plan) GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny Pool - Minutes
8th December 2016 (special meeting, to be confirmed)
Saving Programme 2017/18 and 2018/19 Budget development
20th December 2016
Work Programme To note the Committee’s Work Programme for 2016/2017 Call-in/Member items/other referrals Performance Monitoring (2nd Quarter Performance management & 2016/17) – including: Monitoring Corporate Sickness Absences Corporate Complaints Organisational Development Strategy Committee request (item arising from Resources Directorate Plan) P6 Revenue Finance Update 2016/17 Financial scrutiny P6 Capital Finance Update 2016/17 Financial scrutiny P6 Collection Fund Update 2016/17 Financial scrutiny P6 Savings Update 2016/17 Financial scrutiny Saving Programme 2017/18 and 2018/19 Budget development Budget Update 2017/18 - 2019/20 and Budget development outcome of Autumn Statement 2016 GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny pool – Minutes
Page 91 7th February 2017
Work Programme To note the Committee’s Work Programme for 2016/2017 Call-in/Member items/other referrals Budget Update including Confirmation of Budget development Provisional Funding Position and Dedicated Schools Grant Settlement Capital and Revenue Budget 2017/18 - Budget development 2019/20 Local Government Act 2003 Report on the Budget development Robustness of the budget Treasury Management Strategy Policy Framework MTFS 2017/18 - 2020/21 Policy Framework Pay Policy Statement Linked to budget development GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny pool – Minutes
4th April 2017 (re-scheduling of this meeting into March 2017 to be considered)
Work Programme To note the Committee’s Work Programme for 2016/2017 Call-in/Member items/other referrals Performance Monitoring (3rd Quarter Performance monitoring and 2016/17) – including: management Corporate Complaints Corporate Sickness Absence Directorate Plan Updates (3rd Quarter Performance monitoring and 2016/17): management Resources Directorate Neighbourhoods (Corporate Services) Directorate P9 Revenue Finance Update 2016/17 Financial scrutiny P9 Capital Finance Update 2016/17 Financial scrutiny P9 Collection Fund Update 2016/17 Financial scrutiny P9 Savings Update 2016/17 Financial scrutiny Asset Management Strategy - Update Committee item GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny Pool - Minutes
Other business to be scheduled
Riverside Development Informal meetings of members of this and of the Communities, Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee to be convened as the project approaches key milestones or as directed by the Chairs of the two Committee, in consultation with the Director of Economy. Single Improvement Plan Committee request - scheduling to be confirmed. The Directorate Plan notes that “the Single Improvement Plan … will not be finalised until the new Corporate Plan for 2016-19 has been approved by the Council” (scheduled for October 2016).
Page 92 Public Service Reform Committee request - scheduling to be confirmed. GM Developments and A key theme for the Committee; the content and Preparing Members for scheduling of Committee considerations to be Devo Manc confirmed. Boxing Day Floods – IT A report on the results of IT flood resilience testing to be resilience testing - Report scheduled. on the results following IT flood resilience testing
Page 93 APPENDIX 4
HEALTH, SCHOOLS AND CARE OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE
Work Programme 2016/17
1. The Work Programme for the Overview and Scrutiny Committee 2016/17 has been compiled mindful of the key scrutiny functions that are set out in the Local Government Act 2000 and subsequent legislation and as set out in the Council’s Constitution. In brief, these are to hold the executive to account and to maintain an oversight of the delivery of Council services. This is undertaken principally through the following means:-
Scrutiny of Executive Decisions through the ‘Call-in’ process; The consideration of Budget and Policy Framework proposals for consultative purposes; The consideration of a range of performance monitoring/management data; The specific consideration of individual service issues as may be specified by the Committee.
2. The Committee’s Work Programme has been prepared on the basis of known items at this time. Scheduling of some business remains to be determined and this is reflected in the Work Programme.
3. The following table highlights issues where there is either an agreement or an anticipation that specific items may come forward. Other issues will be brought forward as indicated above.
29th June 2016 Work Programme 2016/17 To consider the Committee’s Work Programme for 2016/17 Call-in/Member items/other referrals Directorate Plan Updates (4th Quarter Performance management and 2016/17) monitoring Children’s Services Adult Care Public Health and Wellbeing Social Care Complaints – 4th Quarter Performance management and 2015/16 monitoring Adult Care Market Oversight Report Performance management and monitoring Oral Health update Final report of the Scrutiny Study Group Local Provider of Services for People with HMR – CCG consultation report Learning Disabilities Review of the Care Act 2014 Joint Health Scrutiny Committees - minutes GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny Pool Minutes
Page 94 4th August 2016
Work Programme 2016/17 To note the Committee’s Work Programme for 2015/2016 Call-in/Member items/other referrals HMR CCG – Update Health Scrutiny Social Care Complaints – Annual Report Performance management and 2015/16 monitoring HealthWatch Rochdale – Annual Report Performance management and monitoring Schools Final Outturns and Reportable Performance management and Surplus 2015/16 monitoring Joint Health Scrutiny Committees - minutes GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny Pool Minutes
14th September 2016
Work Programme 2016/17 Update Call-in/Member items/other referrals Pennine Acute NHS Trust - Update Health Scrutiny Rochdale Borough Safeguarding Children Performance management and Board – Annual Report 2015/16 monitoring Rochdale Borough Safeguarding Adults Performance management and Board – Annual Report 2015/16 monitoring Joint Health Scrutiny Committees - minutes For information GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny Pool Minutes
16th November 2016
Work Programme 2016/17 Update Call-in/Member items/other referrals Pennine Care NHS Trust - Update Health Scrutiny Performance Monitoring: Performance monitoring and Inspired Spaces management Directorate Plan Update (2nd Quarter Performance monitoring and 2016/17) management Children’s Services Adult Care Public Health and Wellbeing Joint Health Scrutiny Committees - minutes GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny Pool Minutes
15th December 2016
Work Programme 2016/17 Update Call-in/Member items/other referrals HMR CCG – update Health Scrutiny Joint Health Scrutiny Committees – minutes GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny Pool Minutes
Page 95 21st February 2017
Work Programme 2016/17 Update Call-in/Member items/other referrals Pennine Care NHS Trust – update Health Scrutiny (Community Mental Health Services) Rochdale Borough Safeguarding Children Performance monitoring and Board – Six Month Update management Rochdale Borough Safeguarding Adults Performance monitoring and Board – Six Month Update management Joint Health Scrutiny Committees - minutes GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny Pool Minutes
30th March 2017
Work Programme 2016/17 Update Call-in/Member items/other referrals PAHT - Update Scrutiny of provider Directorate Plan Update (3rd Quarter Performance management and 2016/17) monitoring Children’s Services Adult Care Public Health and Wellbeing Performance Monitoring (3rd Quarter Performance management and 2016/17): monitoring Social Care Complaints Market Oversight Report Performance management and monitoring Performance Monitoring: Inspired Spaces Performance management and monitoring Joint Health Scrutiny Committees - minutes GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny Pool Minutes
Other business to be scheduled
School Admissions and A briefing around procedures followed in respect of Allocation of Places school admissions and the allocation of both primary and secondary school places. Provision of sexual health Informal ‘round table’ session for Members and Officers services with the providers and commissioners of services. Locality Plan The Committee will be consulted on significant policy proposals at the appropriate time. Young People’s Mental To consider recommendations of a recent report of the Health Children’s Society. Drug and Alcohol Services To consider commissioned services. Elderly Carers To consider the needs of elderly carers. Dementia Care Pioneers To consider the contribution the Committee could make for the Borough to be considered a Dementia Care Pioneer.
Page 96 Childhood Obesity To consider the current position in the Borough and means to address this issue. Complex Safeguarding To consider progression of new legislation Oral Health Members’ Group to meet periodically to review Oral Health Study outcomes and progress.
Page 97 Agenda Item 9
Subject: Audit and Governance Committee Status: Publication Annual Report 2015/16
Report to: Council Date: Tuesday, 26th July 2016
Chair of the Audit and Governance Committee: Councillor O’Rourke
Report of: Director of Resources Author: Ian Corbridge
Author Email: [email protected] Tel: Tel: 01706925452
1 Purpose of Report
1.1To comply with best professional practice, the Audit and Governance Committee has been advised to complete an annual report for submission to the Council on the work undertaken by the Audit and Governance Committee during the year.
1.2 Attached at Appendix A is the Annual Report for 2015/16 prepared by the Chair of the Audit and Governance Committee in consultation with the Head of Internal Audit and agreed by the Audit and Governance Committee at a meeting held on 27th June 2016.
2 Recommendations
2.1 That the Annual Report for 2015/16 by the Audit and Governance Committee be noted.
Reason for recommendation
2.2 To comply with best practice identified within the CIPFA publication: Audit Committee: Practical Guidance for Local Authorities and Police 2013 and in order to demonstrate accountability.
3 Background
3.1 Given its role in the governance structure and in promoting the principles of good governance, the Audit and Governance Committee should be clear how it supports one of the key principles: accountability. It is also important that the Audit and Governance Committee is, in turn, held to account on the extent to which it has fulfilled its purpose. Aside from the Audit and Governance Committee’s requirement to support the Authority’s accountability to the public and stakeholders, and support accountability within the Authority, it is also important that the Committee itself is held to account.
3.2 The Annual Report for 2015/16 presented in Appendix A is the means by which the Audit and Governance Committee demonstrates its accountability to the Council, as the overall governing body of the Authority.
Page 98 Alternatives considered
3.3 No other options were considered as the production of an Annual Report aligns with best practice guidance.
4 Financial Implications
4.1 There are no financial implications arising from this report.
5 Legal Implications
5.1 There are no legal implications arising from this report.
6 Personnel Implications
6.1 There are no personnel implications arising from this report.
7 Corporate Priorities
7.1 This report supports the Council’s overall corporate objectives of ensuring that governance arrangements remain strong across the Council, particularly throughout this period of significant change.
8. Risk Assessment Implications
8.1 The key risk of not producing an Annual Report is that the Audit and Governance Committee does not demonstrate clear accountability and does not therefore comply with best professional practice.
9. Equalities Impacts
9.1 Workforce Equality Impacts Assessment
There are no workforce equality issues arising from this report.
9.2 Equality/Community Impact Assessments
There are no equality/community issues arising from this report.
Background Papers Document Place of Inspection None
Page 99 Appendix A
Audit and Governance Committee Annual Report 2015/16
1. FORWARD
By the Chair of the Audit and Governance Committee 2015/16 Councillor Liam O’Rourke
I am pleased to present the Audit and Governance Committee’s Annual Report. It records our progress in providing the degree of independence, questioning, and thoroughness required across a wide range of control and corporate governance matters
During the year, the Committee met on several occasions and received reports in connection with the full range of issues that fall within our remit.
This report indicates the breadth of the Audit and Governance Committee’s work in ensuring that every aspect of the Council’s work should be compliant with standards and transparent to its stakeholders. Increasingly, the Committee is receiving reports on items such as the new Public Sector Internal Audit Standards which ensure that we are being kept up to date on recent internal audit developments as well as dealing with relevant Council business. I believe that this Annual Report demonstrates our value to the Council and the public in ensuring that improvements to the governance of the Authority are being delivered.
As Chair, I believe that the Audit and Governance Committee has provided a valuable contribution to the development of standards and protocols across a wide range of governance areas during what has been a challenging year and has proved its worth in helping to ensure that these are implemented across the Council in an effective and compliant way.
Looking forward, the Council is facing a period of unprecedented change in order to continue to achieve the required budget savings and comply with new statutory requirements. The need to maintain effective controls and standards in our public services is vital and I believe that a strong Audit and Governance Committee is essential to ensure that the Council achieves its objectives effectively in these areas. It is my intention in the future that the Audit and Governance Committee will operate in a more proactive manner regarding risks to the organisation and, in conjunction with officers, continue to identify key risks and ensure that appropriate actions are taken in direct response to these in a timely manner.
On a personal level I would like the Committee to continue its work on strengthening the Council’s democratic and governance procedures, especially when we consider the massive shift taking place in local government.
Finally, I would like to acknowledge the excellent work of the members of the Audit and Governance Committee and the supporting officers during the past year.
Page 100 2. BACKGROUND
2.1 What drives governance policy?
The Council is responsible for ensuring that its business is conducted in accordance with the law and proper standards, and that public money is safeguarded, properly accounted for, and used economically, efficiently and effectively. In discharging this overall responsibility, the Council is also responsible for ensuring that there is a sound system of control which facilitates the effective exercise of the Council’s functions and which includes arrangements for the management of risk.
Effective corporate governance is a fundamental feature of any successful public sector organisation. Corporate governance initially became a major issue after several high profile failures in the private sector, such as Enron and Worldcom. As a result there were several reviews, the Cadbury and Hempel Committees for example, directed at improving governance specifically in the private sector.
The trend for strengthening governance arrangements then spread from the private sector to the public sector and resulted in the joint Chartered Institute of Public Finance and Accountancy (CIPFA)/Society of Local Authority Chief Executives (SOLACE) document Delivering Good Governance in Local Government - a Framework. The Framework was structured around the six core principles found in the Good Governance Standard for Public Services drawn up by an independent commission established by CIPFA, the Office for Public Management (OPM) and the Joseph Rowntree Foundation.
A sound corporate governance framework involves accountability to service users, stakeholders and the wider community, within which authorities take decisions, and lead and control their functions, to achieve their objectives. It thereby provides an opportunity to demonstrate the positive elements of an authority's business and to promote public confidence.
Rochdale Borough Council has adopted a local Code of Corporate Governance based on the following six core principles which underpin and define the meaning of good governance:
(i) Focussing on the purpose of the authority and on outcomes for the community and creating and implementing a vision for the local area; (ii) Members and officers working together to achieve a common purpose with clearly defined functions and roles; (iii) Promoting the values of the authority and demonstrating the values of good governance through behaviour; (iv) Taking informed and transparent decisions that are subject to effective scrutiny and managing risk; (v) Developing the capacity and capability of Members to be effective and ensuring that officers, including statutory officers, also have the capability and capacity to deliver effectively; and (vi) Engaging with local people and other stakeholders to ensure robust local public accountability.
2.2 Why do we need an Audit and Governance Committee?
While there is no statutory obligation to have such an arrangement, audit committees are widely recognised as a core component of effective governance and therefore reflect good practice. Rochdale’s Audit and Governance Committee is properly constituted and, as such, is given sufficient authority and resources by the Council. In
Page 101 effect, the Committee has the right to obtain all the information it considers necessary and to consult directly with senior managers. In line with best practice from both the public and private sectors, the Audit and Governance Committee can report its observations and concerns directly to the Council.
A local authority has a duty to ensure that it is fulfilling its responsibility for adequate and effective internal control, risk management, and governance, as well as the economy, efficiency and effectiveness of its activities. The Audit and Governance Committee has a key role in overseeing and assessing the internal control, risk management, and corporate governance arrangements and advising the Council on the adequacy and effectiveness of these arrangements.
Good corporate governance requires independent, effective assurance about the adequacy of financial management and of management arrangements for achieving the organisation's objectives. These responsibilities require an independent and challenging approach. Through these mechanisms, Committee Members are able to use their skills and experiences to influence the Council’s governance, internal control processes, and risk management arrangements.
An effective committee can bring many benefits to the Council including: • increasing public confidence in the objectivity and fairness of financial and other reporting; • providing additional assurance through a process of independent and objective scrutiny; • raising awareness of the need for internal control and the implementation of audit recommendations; and • reinforcing the importance and independence of internal audit.
2.3 What does an Audit and Governance Committee do?
The Audit and Governance Committee’s main responsibilities are to oversee the Council’s corporate governance arrangements, the work of Internal Audit, and the Council’s response to external audit and other external inspections.
This purpose is reflected in the Committee’s terms of reference which are reviewed and adopted each year by Full Council (attached at Appendix 1).
The Committee advises the Council on all matters relating to its corporate governance. In doing so, the Committee receives scheduled reports on the following matters:
• reviewing the operation and compliance with the Council’s Code of Corporate Governance and making recommendations on its content;
• keeping the Council's Anti-Fraud and Corruption Policy under review and making recommendations to the Council on the content and operation of that Policy;
• reviewing and approving the Annual Governance Statement and ensuring that;
they properly reflect the risk environment; there is reliable evidence to support the disclosures made; and, that any necessary improvement actions are being taken;
• approving the Annual Statement of Accounts;
Page 102 • receiving and reviewing the external auditor’s opinion on the Annual Statement of Accounts, and monitoring management’s responses to the issues raised by external audit;
• overseeing Internal Audit’s operations, in particular:
receiving any internal audit strategies, Charter, audit plans, and considering progress against such plans as necessary through quarterly reports to Committee; receiving Annual Reports on Internal Audit and counter-fraud activities;
reviewing the progress and adequacy of management’s response to Internal Audit’s recommendations, and matters arising from Internal Audit reports;
• receiving the external auditor’s Annual Audit Letter, Audit Plans, and any other reports and significant matters deemed necessary by the external auditor;
• reviewing the progress and adequacy of management’s response to external audit recommendations; and
• receiving reports on the Risk Management Strategy and the monitoring and review of risk management, in order to consider the effectiveness of arrangements.
2.4 How do Officers Support the Committee?
The Audit and Governance Committee is supported by:
• The Director of Resources as Section 151 Officer who is responsible under the law for ensuring the proper administration of the Council’s financial affairs and who has overall responsibility for the arrangements in this area;
• The Monitoring Officer who is required by law to ensure that the Council acts within its legal powers at all times;
• The Head of Internal Audit who has a key role to play in supporting the Committee because of the importance of the Internal Audit service to governance; and
• Any other officer of the Council as required.
3 FINANCIAL YEAR 2015/16
This Annual Report for 2015/16 produced by the Audit and Governance Committee has been prepared in accordance with the CIPFA best practice publication ‘A Toolkit for Local Authority Audit Committees’. The report demonstrates how the Audit and Governance Committee has fulfilled its terms of reference and how it is fully committed to helping to improve the Council’s governance and control environments during what should prove to be another very challenging year ahead.
The Committee’s activities during 2015/16 were designed to make a positive contribution to the continual improvement of governance arrangements across the Council, as well as performing the statutory roles as identified in the Constitution.
Page 103 4 SOME KEY INFORMATION
4.1 Audit and Governance Committee Membership
The Audit and Governance Committee has 9 core Members, together with two further independent members to support standards related issues. Throughout 2015/16 these members were as follows:
Councillor Liam O’Rourke - Chair Councillor Andy Bell - Vice-Chair Councillor Neil Butterworth Councillor Ray Dutton Councillor James Gartside Councillor Kieran Heakin Councillor Peter Joinson Councillor Aasim Rashid Councillor Peter Winkler Ann Taylor (independent) Andrew Underdown (independent)
4.2 Key Features of the Audit Committee and its Operation
The Committee meets CIPFA’s definition of best practice as illustrated below:
Best Practice Expectation Met Comment
Independence Independent √ The Committee reports to the Council from the executive and scrutiny Number of 3 to 5 members √ The Committee has 9 Members Members Number of Aligned to √ The frequency of meetings, 4 or 5 times a meetings business needs year, complies with best practice and ensures all core business is completed in a timely manner. Other meetings may be scheduled if deemed appropriate to support business needs. Co-option To be considered √ Training is currently provided to relative to skills increase Members’ skills; this is assessed on an ongoing basis to ensure the Committee continues to be effective and to determine future training requirements. Terms of Accord with √ The Committee has adopted Reference suggested the CIPFA recommended model Terms Of best practice Reference and these are reviewed annually to ensure that they remain fit for purpose. Skills and Members have √ General and specific training is training sufficient skills provided to increase Members’ for the job skills, with an induction for new Members and ongoing assessment of any specific needs to inform future training plans.
Page 104 4.3 Meetings and Attendance
In line with best practice, the Audit and Governance Committee normally meets 5 times per year in June, August, September, December and March.
Attendance by Members in 2015/16 was over 81%.
5 CORE ACTIVITY 2015/16
5.1 Terms of Reference
The Audit and Governance Committee’s Terms of Reference are comprehensive, cover all main areas and are attached at Appendix 1 to this Annual Report. The Committee’s work and outcomes in each of its areas of responsibility are summarised in the following subsections.
5.2 Internal Audit
The Audit and Governance Committee: • Approved Internal Audit’s Annual Audit Plan; • Considered regular reports produced by the Head of Internal Audit highlighting internal audit work completed, Internal Audit performance against key indicators and any significant issues arising during the period; • Considered the Head of Internal Audit’s Annual Report and assurance opinion on the Council’s control environment; • Ensured internal and external audit plans were complementary and provided optimum use of the total audit resource; • Received updates and an Annual Report on Internal Audit’s counter fraud remit and activities undertaken; • Approved Internal Audit’s Quality Assurance and Improvement Programme to ensure compliance with the Public Sector Internal Audit Standards; and • Monitored the progress made in the implementation of high and medium priority audit recommendations through regular reports received from Internal Audit.
We continue to provide support to the Internal Audit service to ensure management is responsive to recommendations made and agreed.
5.3 External Audit
The Audit and Governance Committee: • Considered the external auditor’s Audit Plan and audit fee; • Considered progress against the plan presented by the external auditor; • Received and considered all external audit and inspection reports issued in the year and considered management’s response to them, ensuring robust and thorough responses; • Reviewed the external assurances report and took appropriate actions in response to risks presented; • Considered the Value for Money conclusions and ensured appropriate actions were being taken to address any issues and challenges arising; • Considered the external auditor’s Annual Audit Letter; • Considered reports on the risk and challenges being faced by Rochdale both now and into the future to ensure that an appropriate response and action was being taken by the Council; and Considered a report on grant claims certifications.
Page 105 We continue to provide support to external audit to ensure management is responsive to recommendations made and agreed.
5.4 Risk Management
The Audit and Governance Committee: • Received details of the Risk Management system, how it works and arrangements in place for mitigating risks; • Considered regular reports from the Risk Manager on developments within both Service based and Corporate Risk Registers to ensure the Members are aware of any emerging risks across the Council and the extent to which the Risk Management Strategy is being embedded; and • Considered and challenged the Corporate Risk Register resulting in amendments being made by the Leadership Team.
We continue to provide support to promote effective Risk Management policies and procedures across the Council and ensure best practice is achieved.
5.5 Internal Control and Governance
The Audit and Governance Committee: • Considered and approved the updated Governance Framework for the Council; Agreed the Council’s Annual Governance Statement and action plans to improve identified weaknesses; Considered the Council’s response to the Audit Commission’s fraud report of November 2014 entitled “Protecting the Public Purse” to ensure that sound governance and counter-fraud arrangements are in place and are working as intended; • Considered and approved changes to the Council’s Employee Code of Conduct, subject to revisions proposed by the Members; and • Considered and approved changes to the Scheme of Delegation to Officers as it relates to the initiation of Traffic Regulation Order procedures in the light of anomalies which had been identified.
The Annual Governance Statement is a key document which summarises the Council’s governance arrangements and the effectiveness of the arrangements during the year.
5.6 Accounts
The Audit and Governance Committee: • Received training and guidance on the preparation of the Annual Statement of Accounts and the key issues which should be considered prior to approval; • Received and considered the external auditor’s report on the accounts, and ensured that the Council responded appropriately to the auditor’s comments and recommendations; and • Reviewed and approved the Annual Statement of Accounts, considering whether appropriate accounting policies have been followed and whether there are any concerns arising from the financial statements or from the audit that need to be brought to the attention of the Council.
5.7 Specific Issues
The Audit and Governance Committee also considered reports and presentations on the following specific issues during the period: • A draft Risk Based Verification Policy for Housing Benefit and Local Council Tax Support Claims in advance of scrutiny at a future meeting of the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee and consideration for approval by Cabinet;
Page 106 • Developments made in procurement strategies and procedures and future challenges through a presentation by the Director of STAR procurement hub; and • A report which provided an update on complaints made pursuant to the Members Code of Conduct.
6. PLANS FOR 2016/17
During 2016/17 the Audit and Governance Committee has consolidated the progress that has been made in previous years, and going forward will look to develop further and become the recognised champion of good governance for the Council, helping to support and address many of the issues which may arise in such a challenging and difficult environment. Our priorities for 2016/17 are to continue to meet our duties as specified in the Constitution by developing and building on our current status as well as responding to and implementing any requirements arising out of the Public Sector Internal Auditing Standards and the Local Audit and Accountability Act 2014. For 2016/17 we will:
• Continue to develop the effectiveness of the Audit and Governance Committee to review all governance issues identified; • Develop the proactive nature of the Committee to facilitate actions by officers to ensure that risks are identified earlier in the process and remedial actions taken in a more timely fashion in response; • Continue to drive up standards to ensure the Council is able to meet the demanding requirements of the external inspection and assessment regime; • Continue to review all governance arrangements to ensure the Council adopts the very latest best practice; • Continue to support the work of Internal and External Audit and ensure appropriate responses are given to their recommendations; • Ensure we maintain and further improve our standards in relation to the production of accounts; • Continue to support the Council to manage the risk of fraud and corruption; • Continue to develop the Audit and Governance Committee to review risk and partnerships’ issues in order to safeguard public sector interests; • Oversee the development of audit plans to evaluate and test controls in operation over complex and developing areas such as integrated health and social care; and • Equip existing and any new Members to fulfil our responsibilities by providing more detailed and effective training on all key areas of responsibility including financial arrangements and risk management, governance and audit.
Councillor Liam O’Rourke (Chair) Rochdale Borough Council Audit and Governance Committee June 2016
Page 107 Appendix 1
Audit and Governance Committee Terms of Reference
• To discharge non-executive functions as set out in Part 3 to the Constitution relating to: o Statement of accounts, pensions etc; o Miscellaneous functions; for example constitutional matters (including contract rules, designation of statutory officers etc); electoral matters, maladministration etc); • Standards/Code of Conduct issues; • In exercise of the functions of the CIPFA recommended ‘audit committee’: o To approve the Annual Governance Statement and monitor achievement; o To approve the Internal Audit Charter; to review and approve the Internal Audit Annual Plan and the Risk Management Strategy, considering the effectiveness of the proposed audit programme in providing adequate assurance over arrangements for governance, risk management and internal control; to consider Internal Audit reports arising from the Internal Audit Annual Plan, ensuring that adequate management responses are made in respect of the findings of audit investigations, and particularly monitoring the outcomes of responses to individual significant adverse reports on financial management and internal control; to consider the Internal Audit Annual Report and to ensure the implementation of appropriate action; o To review the adequacy of the Anti-Fraud and Corruption Strategy and related policies and procedures, to ensure their application and effectiveness; o To consider the External Audit Plan, the external auditor’s annual letter, relevant reports and the annual report to those charged with governance on issues arising from the audit of the Annual Statement of Accounts; and o To review the Council’s Risk Registers.
Page 108 Agenda Item 10
Subject: Update on the Greater Manchester Status: For Publication Devolution Agreement Report to: Council Date: Tuesday, 26 July 2016 Cabinet Thursday, 4th August 2016 Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee Tuesday, 6th September 2016
Report of: Assistant Director (Legal, Governance Author: Mark Hardman & Workforce) Tel: Tel: 01706924704 Author Email: [email protected]
1 Purpose of the report
1.1 To update Members on the progress of various matters relating to Greater Manchester Devolution Agreement.
2 Recommendations
2.1 That the report be noted.
3 Background
3.1 Council, Cabinet and the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee received an update report on the progress of the Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016 at their meetings held in May and June 2016. This report updates Members on various matters related to wider devolution issues since that time.
3.2 Consultation on Governance Review and Scheme
As reported previously, it is a legal requirement that a public consultation is undertaken where additional functions are to be conferred upon the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA). The consultation was undertaken between 21st March and 18th May 2016. Consultation responses must be considered by the Secretary of State before draft orders are laid in Parliament; responses were submitted on 7th June 2016, and reported to the GMCA on 30th June 2016.
3.3 Bus Services Bill
The Greater Manchester (GM) Agreement between the GMCA and the Government contained a commitment from the Government to introduce a Buses Bill within this Parliament. This will enable the directly elected GM Mayor to decide whether to use the Bus Services Bill’s franchising powers in Greater Manchester.
Bus franchising would see the transport authority specifying service requirements in a series of contracts, and GM would have the ability to decide routes, frequencies, fares and quality standards for all buses, rather than these being determined by the market, as is the case for most of the current network. The Department for Transport (DfT)
Page 109 have published an overview document setting out the objectives for the Bus Services Bill to grow passenger numbers; tackle air quality; improve bus services for passengers; enable a thriving and innovative bus sector; and help cities and regions unlock opportunity and grow their economy.
The Bill entered the House of Lords with First and Second Readings on 19th May and 8th June 2016, being generally welcomed, though it was acknowledged there was significant further work to be undertaken, particularly in ensuring that associated guidance and secondary legislation was fit for purpose. The Minister gave an assurance, “that secondary legislation and guidance required for the authorities to take forward the provisions in the Bill will be prepared in time for the upcoming mayoral elections.”
The Bill is now passing through the Lords Committee stage, with matters including vehicle emissions, local authority governance, free travel for homeless families and students, franchising, partnership schemes and a national organisation for bus passengers being considered. It is envisaged that the Bill will pass through the House of Commons during the autumn, with an expectation a number of amendments will be proposed in both the Lords and in the Commons, and the GMCA was advised that Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) will continue to work with key legislative stakeholders during the Bill’s passage through Parliament.
3.4 Justice Devolution
The Criminal Justice element of the GM Agreement, which agreed that the role of Police and Crime Commissioner will be merged with that of the GM Mayor, would also see Greater Manchester, the Ministry of Justice, The National Offender Management Service, the Youth Justice Board and other relevant parties work together over the next 12 months to identify and agree areas for implementation post April 2017. The GMCA and partners believe that a joined-up justice system is vitally important for improving the efficiency of our public services and delivering improved social benefits for our population, and are committed to being an early implementer and a test-bed for innovative approaches of delivering new models of integrated offender management and justice services, which reflect the needs of local populations.
The GM Justice Devolution ambition is to jointly identify what needs to change to ensure the criminal justice system functions and delivers more effectively, and reduces offending and threat and harm to society; deliver effective integrated offender management functions across GM; move justice and resettlement closer to home where possible; strengthen the focus on rehabilitation, including greater focus on prevention and reduction of harm; forge a partnership between GM, the Ministry of Justice and the National Offender Management Service, community sector, providers and statutory partners for the benefit of the population; improve outcomes for victims through targeted early intervention and prevention initiatives; and build upon the work undertaken by the GM Justice and Rehabilitation Executive Board.
A GM Justice Devolution Partnership event on the 7th July 2016 saw the Interim GM Mayor sign of Memoranda of Understanding between the GMCA and the Ministry of Justice, the National Offender Management Service and the Youth Justice Board respectively, the event also allowing for ensuring engagement with a wide range of local partners at the earliest stage in devolution discussions.
Page 110 3.5 Health and Social Care
The Health and Social Care Partnership Board made up of 37 NHS organisations and councils is overseeing devolution and taking charge of the £6bn health and social care budget with a vision to see the greatest and fastest improvement to the health, wealth and wellbeing of the 2.8 million people in the towns and cities of GM.
The GM Strategic Plan and ten locality plans are based on transformation themes and will link the £450m transformation funding (aiming to make radical improvements) with the £6b mainstream investment to help achieve the above vision. The process to allocate the first £60m of transformation funding in 2016/17 has commenced and all localities will be supported to apply in 2016/17.
Among issues being progressed are – A plan to provide every child in GM with the best start in life. The Start Well vision will ensure every child grows up in a nurturing environment, with access to public service support helping youngsters to fulfil their potential as they move into primary and secondary education; A review of Adult Social Care across GM has been commissioned to look at a range of areas including investing in prevention and early intervention, support for people at home, and fit for purpose residential and nursing homes; The Taking Charge Together campaign delivered in February and March, supported by all Partnership members and many other bodies in GM, was a first step in a conversation with the public about their role in taking charge of their own health and wellbeing; and Significant progress has been made with the Department of Health and NHS England in relation to attracting additional national investment for Information Management and Technology (IM&T) via the Department of Health Digital Transformation Fund. GM has a detailed IM&T Strategy aiming to give all staff across the GM health and social care system access to information about residents and service users which recognises unique strengths of individual people, their families and their communities.
4 Financial Implications
4.1 There are no specific financial implications associated with this report, the matters detailed being provided for information.
5 Legal Implications
5.1 There are no specific legal implications associated with this report, the matters detailed being provided for information.
6 Personnel Implications
6.1 None applicable.
7 Corporate Priorities
7.1 None applicable.
8. Risk Assessment Implications
8.1 There are no specific risk issues for Members to consider arising from this report.
Page 111 9. Equalities Impacts
9.1 Workforce Equality Impacts Assessment
There are no significant workforce equality issues arising from this report.
9.2 Equality/Community Impact Assessments
There are no significant equality/community issues arising from this report.
There are no background papers to this report. However, further details on matters contained in this report can be found in reports submitted to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, 30th June 2016 Agenda for GMCA, 30th June 2016 and to the Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Partnership Board 30th June 2016 Agenda for GM HSC Partnership, 30th June 2016
Page 112 Agenda Item 11a ROCHDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL CABINET MEMBER REPORT TO THE COUNCIL
REPORT OF THE LEADER OF THE COUNCIL AND THE CABINET MEMBER FOR REGENERATION TO THE MEETING OF THE COUNCIL ON TUESDAY, 26TH JULY 2016
Thank you Mr Mayor for the opportunity to report to the council on the latest developments and various matters relating to the Regeneration, Communications, Strategic Projects and Greater Manchester Relationships Portfolio.
I will speak firstly about the various town centres across the borough and then move onto business parks and other matters.
ROCHDALE TOWN CENTRE Rochdale Riverside (Genr8) Rochdale town centre continues to be a major priority for the council. Following the announcement that M&S and Next have completed agreements for new stores in the newly branded ‘Rochdale Riverside’ development, the scheme has been given a further boost after Reel Cinema announced it will occupy the site. The cinema operator, which has 15 outlets nationwide, will open a six screen cinema in the development. We will continue to secure other tenants and hope to make further announcements soon. It is hoped the signing of Reel and future announcements will boost the evening economy with the arrival of family orientated restaurants and other leisure provision. Genr8 are continuing to progress the design and layout of the preferred scheme and their design team are fully engaged and working towards the submission of a detailed planning application later in the year. In the meantime site investigation work has been taking place across the entire site, with an anticipated start on-site forecast for early 2017.
The legal agreement for the remaining tenant of Telegraph House, who is to be relocated into the Post Office building on The Esplanade, has now been completed and work at the Post Office has started. Once complete, the remaining tenant will be relocated and work can start to demolish Telegraph House in the summer. Once demolished, this will complete the clearance programme needed to make way for the Rochdale Riverside retail & leisure development.
Rochdale Town Hall The Stage 1 Heritage Lottery Bid for the “Restoration & Revival” of the Town Hall was submitted in December 2015. The Heritage Lottery Fund was very enthusiastic about Rochdale Borough Council’s plans to revitalise our fantastic town hall, and have asked us to refine our bid and resubmit it in December 2016. The competition for lottery grants is always exceptionally fierce, and on this occasion, 12 different organisations from across the country were collectively bidding for £142m from a £54m pot. Often these schemes are unsuccessful with the first application and we were disappointed to learn that there were only five funded projects which were all in the South of England. As a result we have asked questions in Parliament of the Heritage Lottery Fund’s approval process. Meanwhile, we are continuing with the key parts of our Town Hall restoration plan, including the newly refurbished Clock Tower dining room that is now open to the public.
River Reopening project The river reopening scheme was officially unveiled on Saturday 25th June with a day of music, activities and celebration in the town centre. Representatives from our partners in the project, The Environment Agency and The Heritage Lottery Fund were in attendance to officially open the scheme. It was fantastic to see so many local residents and community groups in attendance, including one of our oldest residents, Alice Nicholson, who can recall a time when work took place to last cover the river. Feedback from the lottery was extremely positive and the completion of the project demonstrates Rochdale’s ability to deliver community-led regeneration projects which will stand the borough in good stead when presenting future funding bids. The reopening of the river provides a further complementary attraction to support our wider regeneration strategy in Rochdale Town Centre and encourage further investment, businesses and visitors into the Borough. Page 113 The project has, so far, won five regional and national awards and continues to be shortlisted for more.
In May, the project won the prestigious Royal Town Planning Institute award for excellence in planning for the natural environment, the only project in the North of England to have been nominated. I am delighted to say we have since won two categories at the North West Construction Awards. The Heritage Award recognises the achievement of high standards in the repair, reuse and revitalisation of the region's historic places. The project was also judged by the panel of experts to be the best of the nine projects in the Manchester sub-regional project of the year. We have also received the Considerate Constructor Silver award for safety and considerate treatment of staff and stakeholders and the Green Apple award for environmental management.
Baillie Street public realm improvements Designs for the new paving along Baillie Street and lower Yorkshire Street are currently being finalised. The scheme will improve the surfacing and install natural stone paving to complement that used around the recently completed river reopening scheme and to enhance the conservation area. The works are expected to start later in Summer 2016 and once complete will provide a comprehensive high quality treatment around this part of the town centre.
Market A feasibility study to evaluate the business case for the market and consider options for the relocation of the outdoor market and an indoor market hall has been completed. The study undertaken with Quarterbridge Ltd, a market specialist who has worked on other North West markets, has recommended that the outdoor market is located on The Butts adjoining the recently completed river re-opening scheme. It is proposed to submit a planning application for the outdoor market during Summer 2016. The options for an indoor market are still being reviewed.
Business Rates Scheme Since the launch of the business rates support scheme in Rochdale town centre last year, there has been a flow of new private sector investments into the town. A total of 11 properties have been awarded grants, making a total of 15 vacant properties that have been let. As it enters the second year, there has been further interest in the scheme, and other councils are looking to follow our lead. The scheme has been so successful that we have extended it to provide a further 30% discount in the third year of occupation. We have also extended the scheme to Heywood and Middleton town centres and we are currently in the process of formally launching the extended scheme.
Independent Retail Business Support Scheme Following the decision by the Government to end retail business rates relief we have decided to provide extra support to new independent retailers setting up a shop in our town centres. The scheme provided a grant of up to £5,000 for fit-out/shop fronts for eligible retailers. Work is on-going to finalise the terms and conditions of this new scheme.
Rochdale Railway Station Construction work is taking place to form an additional platform at Rochdale railway station together with track and signalling improvements between Rochdale and Manchester Victoria. The platform works are nearing completion following which there will be some overnight track and signalling works. These improvements will provide for an additional hourly Arriva North service to operate through Victoria linking Rochdale directly with other locations in the North West. This is likely to commence in December 2016. The completion of the Ordsall chord rail link will provide a direct Trans Pennine express rail service to Manchester airport via Piccadilly. Following the completion of the subway reopening scheme last year, we are working with Network Rail and the new rail franchisee to secure further improvements at the station to enhance the entrance and facilities for rail users including the matching refurbishment of the subway entrance.
Maclure Road Fire Station The Fire Service Museum, working in partnership with the council and the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Service, has resubmitted an enhanced bid to the Heritage Lottery Fund to acquire and refurbish the former fire station building into an enhanced museum attraction with hospitality and conferencing facilities. We are expecting a decision to be made by the lottery in the autumn. This would be a unique attraction within Greater Manchester and in this location attract visitors to the area and complement other Page 114 heritage projects and support regeneration around the railway station. If successful, the building would be transferred to the council’s ownership along with opportunities for the council to utilise the upper floor of the building for complementary purposes which would support the viability of the museum.
MIDDLETON TOWN CENTRE Edgar Wood & Middleton Townscape Heritage Initiative Work has begun to restore the Edgar Wood-designed former Guardian newspaper buildings on Market Place. The works to the building which is now home to an Indian restaurant includes the reinstatement of a number of architectural features and a new shopfront; returning the buildings to its original proportions and making a huge contribution to an improved street scene on Market Place. Work will also shortly begin on 51-53 Rochdale Road and later in the summer, the Edgar Wood Staircase and
Exedra in Jubilee Park. The Jubilee Library, which was subject to grant in 2014, won the People’s Prize at the Borough Design Awards earlier this month. Officers are developing a number of other projects for completion before the end of the THI in 2017, most notably the Long Street Methodist School.
Improvements to Northern Gateway to Middleton Town Centre Works funded through the Capital Programme to improve the northern gateway in to Middleton town centre are progressing to budget and timescale. Paving works along Market Place, Long Street, Mellalieu Street and Rochdale Road will be completed by the end of July. Officers are engaging with local businesses and landlords to deliver a property improvement scheme along the gateway and a number of new businesses have opened within this area during this period.
Middleton Triangle The public realm and property improvement scheme is progressing. The Greenmoor paving has now been pre-ordered and work is due to commence in July. Discussions are ongoing with the tenants and owners for the property improvements along Fountain Street and Long Street. It is hoped to make a start on the property improvements in the next couple of months.
Warwick Mill (“Red Warwick”) Representatives of G-Suite, the owners of Warwick Mill - who have secured planning permission and listed building consent for the £50m redevelopment of Warwick Mill for use as a Chinese Business Centre - have advised that they will be tendering for a main contractor over the next three months with a view to starting work on the conversion of the mill complex in September. It is expected to take around 12 months for the works to be completed.
BUSINESS PARKS
Kingsway Business Park Over the next six months, over 400,000 sq ft of new employment space will come to the market at Kingsway Business Park offering job opportunities for local residents and strengthening Kingsway’s importance in the regional economy. These are: the “Kingsway 216” warehouse and distribution building adjacent to the M62 which will be completed next month. A successful promotional event was held recently at the building which served to raise the profile of Kingsway across the region and negotiations are at an advanced stage with a potential occupier; and, the four speculative units at Plot K which are on course for completion in December 2016 which will add a variety of buildings ranging in size from 35,000 sq ft to 75,000 sq ft to the Kingsway portfolio. Occupier interest is already being expressed in a number of these units. In addition to these schemes which are currently under construction, other activities include: David Wilson Homes submitting a planning application for a further 73 new homes on land between The Hornet pub and their current development, with the intention of moving seamlessly on to this second phase once construction is complete on the current phase of 167 houses; expected by the end of 2016. There are ongoing negotiations relating to a number of other serious development enquiries which are still being pursued for Kingsway which I hope to report on over the next few months.
Page 115 Hareshill Business Park (Heywood) Work has completed on the 95,000 sq ft ‘Link 95’ unit at Hareshill Business Park and this is now available to the market and is being marketed through the RDA’s Business & Investment Team.
Heywood Distribution Park The two new developments which started last year – one 145,000 sq ft and the other 70,000 sq ft – were completed in May and we are hoping to secure occupiers for these in the next few months. There is also interest in the last remaining plot on HDP which could accommodate around 500,000 sq ft.
Stakehill Industrial Estate Commercial Estates Group has recently completed a deal to sell a formerly vacant unit at Stakehill Industrial Estate to Howard Tenens, a distribution company based in Gloucestershire. This 300,000 sq ft unit will be the subject of a major refurbishment programme with Tenens commencing initial operations from a smaller unit next door. Tenens are new to the borough with their nearest distribution centres currently located in Cheshire and West Yorkshire. Rochdale Development Agency is in discussion with them to ensure that where possible job opportunities are made available to local residents.
OTHER REGENERATION ACTIVITY M62 J19/South Heywood Area Wide Improvement Programme The approval by Transport for Greater Manchester in June of the Outline Business Case for the new road linking Junction 19 of the M62 with the Heywood Employment area confirms the funding allocation of £6.8m from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority. Public engagement events for the new road and associated development were held in Birch and Heywood in mid-July. Detailed design work continues on the preferred road alignment with a planning application expected in late 2016.
COMMUNICATIONS The council’s communications team continues to secure very positive local and regional media coverage for the borough which is helping us show that we are a very special place and an important part of the Greater Manchester community.
Thanks to the work of the team our river re-opening project in Rochdale town centre has garnered several positive headlines and been featured a number of times on regional television and radio news shows. The official opening event was a real success and the feedback we are getting from residents and visitors shows that it is a worthy addition to our beautiful and historic town centre. The team is now promoting this year’s Rochdale Half Marathon, 10K and Fun Run; the 2016 Literature and Ideas Festival and, of course, this year’s Feel Good Festival; which attracted a record audience last year.
The Big Clean 2016, which is making our borough a much cleaner and greener place, has also been promoted and communications have been showing the fantastic work that has been carried out and the wonderful floral displays that we have added to a number of locations across the townships.
I am also pleased to say that many of my colleagues took advantage of the social media training organised by communications and that almost two thirds of our councillors are now Tweeting. This demonstrates that we are engaging with our communities and showing the world what we are really about.
We will continue to make our voices heard both here and further afield – showing our residents that we are responding to their concerns and fighting for their futures. Communications is vital to this aim and I am pleased that our ambitions, our innovative work and our desire to make the real Rochdale known are being realised.
Brexit I have warned the government not to abandon the Northern Powerhouse project in the wake of the EU referendum election and to ensure areas outside major cities do not get left behind. Is it any wonder whole swathes of the country outside most of our main cities rejected the chance to remain part of the European Union? Page 116 What people in our great cities, particularly London, and the government must finally realise is that the lifestyles they enjoy are out of reach of the majority. That is because in this country we have an unequal funding system that sees the majority of public investment go to a handful of places – but mainly London. A 2014 report showed that London gets 24 times as much spent on infrastructure per resident than some areas of the north. Last year another report showed that the 10 areas receiving most funding for education were all London boroughs. Half of the 10 with the lowest amount of funding were in the north. London gets the majority of the UK’s transport budget while workers in our region must travel to work on grotty trains that were deemed unfit for the south decades ago.
There are many other examples of the north of England and places like Rochdale losing out at the expense of London. As the fallout from the EU referendum continues London must heed the lessons of 23 June and ensure that the areas that rejected its vision of the future are not left stuck in the past. The north needs the investment that has helped London and other cities grow. Without it, we are unlikely to ever create a financially-viable Britain outside the EU.
Councillor Richard Farnell Leader of the Council and Portfolio Holder for Regeneration
Thank you Mr Mayor, I will be pleased to answer any questions from Members of the Council about these or any other matter relating to the Portfolio.
Page 117 Agenda Item 11b
ROCHDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL
CABINET MEMBER REPORT TO THE COUNCIL
REPORT OF THE CABINET MEMBER FOR CHILDREN’S SERVICES TO THE MEETING OF THE COUNCIL ON TUESDAY, 26th JULY 2016
Thank you Mr. Mayor for the opportunity to report to the Council the latest developments on matters relating to the Children’s Services Portfolio.
Primary Place Allocation
This year the Authority had 2947 on time applications from Rochdale residents for a Reception class place in primary schools and I can report that 88.8% of children secured their first preference (last year it was 88.9%) for a school place whether in the Borough or outside. In all, 95.8% of children secured one of their preferences (96.2% last year) in or out of the Borough. Since the closing date a further 116 applications have been received.
All children who applied on time were offered a school place on the offer date. Late applications are still being submitted, and these are being processed.
Youth Service
The 2016 Children’s Champion Elections have been completed by Rochdale Youth Service supported by Primary Schools across the Borough. This culminated in an event at the Town Hall on Monday 27th June hosted by the outgoing Champion Zara Shah and her Deputy Stephanie Webb. 7618 children took part in the election process this year voting in Hannah Nazir as the new Children’s Champion and Madeleine Bamford as her Deputy.
As well as additional local daytime activities in Youth Centre settings, the Youth Service has arranged a series of Boroughwide events that will take place throughout the summer holidays. Activities include Triathlon, Alternative Olympics, Fishing, Mountain Biking, Forest / Bushcraft skills days, trips to the beach in Wales, Music in the Park, trips to theme parks and exam result support days. Further information is available on the Council website. Youth Service staff and young people would like to thank Councillors for their financial support from Township funds to support the summer programme.
Quality of Private, Voluntary and independent Early Years Settings
As of 1 July 2016, 94% of PVI group settings have an Ofsted grade of good or better. Of 69 settings with a grade, 10 are outstanding, 55 good and 4 require improvement. There are currently an additional 16 settings which are either proposed providers or newly registered and await an Ofsted grade. The 11 settings undergoing re-registration all have an historic Ofsted grade of good or above. 84% of active childminders with an EY inspection grade are good and above. Rochdale currently has grades above the North West average, which is 82% of childminders at good and above and 90% of settings at good and above.
Quality of Schools in the Borough
Schools in Rochdale Borough are showing improved levels of progress. Of the 88 schools; 2 have no current inspection judgement, 13 require improvement to be good.
Page 118 So far, 17 schools have been inspected since September 2015. Of these, 76% were judged to be good, with 35% of these improving from RI to good. Six schools have improved from RI to good since September 2015. These are Howard St, Moorhouse, Harwood Park, St Josephs RC, Meanwood, St John’s RC . Of the other seven primary schools inspected, all 7 maintained their previous judgement of good. 2 schools received their second RI judgement but have evidenced improvement since the previous inspection. There has been a decline at one academy from good to RI. One school has dropped from RI to inadequate and as a result will be subject of an academy order from the Department of Education.
All inspection outcomes have been in line with the LAs assessment of their outcome.
The school year started with 5 schools identified under the formal designation of Schools Causing Concern, two schools have since exited successfully from the process. The council is offering a structured combination of support and challenge to the other three schools.
The overall picture is that 86% of schools are currently judged to be good or better - this is an improvement from 78% at the beginning of the school year.
Education Health and Care Plans (EHCP) - Year 2 progress up date
Members will be aware that children with significant and complex needs are now required to have an EHCP. We ended the first year of the introduction of the EHCP with us achieving 100% of new EHCP issue within 20 week time scale.
To date in Year 2, there has been a 32% increase in EHC Plans being issued and the team has still achieved 100% of assessments completed within the 20 week time scale. The service is on target to undertake all of this years required conversions of SEN Statement to EHC Plans, thus meeting government targets.
Annual Autism Conference
On the 26th April 2016 we hosted the first annual Autism Conference. The conferences aim was to raise awareness of Autism Spectrum Condition (ASC). It was led by officers who work within SEN services. It provided schools, parents and other professionals with an insight into ASC. The guest speakers at the event were Dean Beadle who shares his experiences of life with Asperger’s Syndrome and outline his positive outlook on his diagnosis, and the author and comedian John Williams who created “My Son’s not Rainman” a show based on his life bringing up his 12 year old son who has autism. Also at the event the CAMHS launched the new multiagency stepped care model for ASC and a range of stalls provided by autism services and organisations.
Annual Special Educational Needs Parent Carer Information Days
On the 14th June 2016 we hosted the first of our annual SEN Parent Carer Information Days. The event was a combination of information sharing, networking and consultation sessions. There were over 35 organisations present on the day offering information and advice. We had performances by children from Springside School and Newlands School and we showed a newly created film by Rochdale Young People talking about Autism.
Feedback from both events was extremely positive.
Page 119 Meeting the Needs of Cared 4 Children
The numbers of children being Cared for by the council has reduced significantly with a 17% reduction in Cared 4 Children compared to its highest level of 559 in 2014/15. This means performance in Rochdale is approaching that of statistical neighbours. The Independent Reviewing service has contributed to this improvement in partnership with the Cared 4 Children Service. Both services have had a focus on achieving permanence for children and young people whilst avoiding drift and delay in planning. The continued high level of adoption performance reported to this council in April has also a key contributor to this improving picture.
In addition performance on placement stability remains strong. By ensuring that children are placed in the right placement at the right time we have reduced the numbers of moves our Cared for Children experience and at the end of the reporting year only 5.8% of our Cared 4 Children had experienced 3 or more moves. This is a reduction from 7.96% the previous year.
Our Big Day
The event – a resounding success - was attended by 379 children young people and supporters. It was hosted by Manchester University Vice Chancellor, Lemn Sissay and motivational speaker Richard McCann, both of whom grew up in care. Their support and encouragement of the children and young people along with music, entertainment and day long activities, provided those attending with a very positive experience. Staff from the service gave their time as volunteers, demonstrating to Councillor Heakin and myself their true commitment as good corporate parents.
Increasing Placement choice
We have continued to have a focus on increasing the numbers of foster carers recruited with a further 22 foster carer families being recruited during the last year. This means we can place children locally in accordance with their needs and provide local services to support them. The target for the current year is to exceed this figure, to continue the progress being made.
Councillor Donna Martin Portfolio Holder for Children’s Services
Thank you Mr. Mayor, I will be pleased to answer any questions from Members of the Council about these or any other matter relating to the Children’s Services Portfolio
Page 120 Agenda Item 11c
ROCHDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL CABINET MEMBER REPORT TO THE COUNCIL
REPORT OF THE CABINET MEMBER FOR ADULT CARE TO THE MEETING OF THE COUNCIL ON TUESDAY, 26th JULY 2016
Thank you Mr. Mayor for the opportunity to report to the Council the latest developments on various matters relating to the Adult Social Care Portfolio.
Operations and Service Capacity The Care Act is now one year old and the service has recently reviewed the impact of the first full year of implementation. As we expected, there has been an increase in the number of new assessments requested, and also of the number of Carers Assessments completed. The Care Act brought in a new duty to assess the needs of informal family and friend carers and a new national eligibility criteria to determine if a carer is entitled to support in their own right. I am pleased to report that this has resulted in a significant increase in carer’s assessments and in carer’s personal budgets and other forms of support being made available. The service has just completed the final national stocktake regarding the implementation of the Care Act, although we will continue to monitor the impact locally throughout 2016/17.
In my last report I referred to the pressures on our local hospital system, and especially the number of people attending A and E departments. This has continued. The local health and care system is under continued increased pressure and, unfortunately, the number of people who are not able to be seen and treated in A and E within the national 4 hour target is increasing. Adult Social Care is working very closely with NHS colleagues to do all we can to assist in improving this, especially supporting people to stay out of hospital and making sure discharges from hospital are as timely and efficient as possible. While our local social care performance on delayed discharges is good compared to others, there is still difficulty in discharging some people who have more complex care needs, for example those people who do not have mental capacity to make their own decisions about their care. Work is ongoing with NHS colleagues to develop new processes which meet legal requirements in relation to assessments, but also minimise avoidable delays in transferring people from hospital.
The Local Adult Care Provider Market Adult Social Care has a legal duty under the Care Act to ensure that there are sufficient local providers of the right quality and type to meet the needs of our population. Adult Social Care also has a duty to ensure that any action it takes (including setting fee levels) does not destabilise the local provider market. This is proving to be an ongoing challenge. Even with the increase in fee levels made available to providers in 16/17, providers still struggle to recruit and retain the number and quality of staff they need. This is a national as well as a local issue.
The Care Quality Commission inspects and grades adult care providers. There are 4 grades: inadequate, requires improvement, good and outstanding. Most care providers, nationally and locally, are judged as either requiring improvement or good. Our local market is comparable to others in similar local authorities. Our ambition however, is to increase the number of good providers, and to increase the capacity of adult care providers. As more and more people are cared for outside of hospital, social care providers play an essential role in the whole health and care system.
Adult Social Care is currently working with our local providers to develop ways of commissioning and supporting business planning that will support providers to be more resilient and to increase quality and productivity in future years. I expect there to be a continued pressure on fee levels and on the need to improve the salaries of care workers in the private and voluntary sector; also to increase the recognition of their work and the Page 121 value our society places on it. This work forms part of our ‘Locality Plan’ that I will refer to later in my report.
New Local Health and Care Integrated Teams The new Community Health Neighbourhood Teams, commissioned by HMR CCG, are now operational. The RBC Adult Social Care teams are working alongside this new service, with a view to developing a fully integrated approach during 2016/17. Work is ongoing with local GPs, Primary Care Teams, Community Health Teams and Adult Social Care regarding how all services can come together as an integrated Local Care Organisation. This is part of the health and care devolution work as developing an integrated care organisation is a requirement. A workshop on this is scheduled for the end of July so I look forward to proposals being developed regarding a Local Care Organisation in our borough in August 2016.
As part of our local provider integration work, I am also pleased to report that we have now brought the social care Transfer of Care and Reablement services under joint NHS and RBC management, with the service now being led by Katie Foster (from 1 June 2016).
Greater Manchester Health and Social Care Integration and Devolution Members will be aware that RBC and HMR CCG is operating a shadow pooled budget for Adults Health and Social Care during 2016/17. Budgets are being planned and monitored through the new Integrated Commissioning Board, with a view to implementing a formal pooled budget from 2017/18.This year the formal pooled budget is limited to the Better Care Fund. Our local Better Care Fund budget and associated planning requirements has recently been approved by NHS England.
Alongside the work to develop a Local Care Organisation which I referred to above, there is continuing work to develop our ‘Locality Plan’. The Locality Plan will describe the new models of care and support that need to be in place over the next 5 years. The objective of the Locality Plan is to increase the health and wellbeing outcomes for our population and also to put more cost effective models of health and social care in place – so that our local system becomes financially sustainable. This is a major challenge as the current system is not affordable. There is a considerable amount of work currently being undertaken to develop this plan. The next version is due to be completed by September 2016, this is part of the Devolution work programme. This is an essential development as our Locality Plan must be approved by the GM Partnership Board prior to any transformation funding being made available. The financial challenges are similar across all GM authorities. I am attending a meeting with Lord Peter Smith and all the other Cabinet Members for Adult Social Care in the next few weeks, to share information about the challenge and discuss proposals about how Adult Social Care can contribute to the future devolution work.
Performance I meet regularly with the Director of Adult Social Care to review performance. I am pleased to report that most performance expectations have been met for 2015/16 and new targets agreed for 2016/17. Our local service outturns are benchmarked in a national report, which is due to be released later in July. I will then be able to provide Members with information which shows how our local services compare to others in similar local authorities. I will provide more information on this matter in my next report to Council.
Councillor Iftikhar Ahmed Portfolio Holder for Adult Care
Thank you Mr. Mayor, I will be pleased to answer any questions from Members of the Council about these or any other matter relating to the Adult Care Portfolio
Page 122 Agenda Item 11d
ROCHDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL CABINET MEMBER REPORT TO THE COUNCIL
REPORT OF THE CABINET MEMBER FOR CULTURE, HEALTH AND WELLBEING TO THE MEETING OF THE COUNCIL ON TUESDAY 26TH JULY 2016
Thank you Mr. Mayor for the opportunity to report to the Council the latest developments on various matters relating to the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Portfolio.
Public Health
The main focus of the Public Health specialist team has been the further development of the Rochdale Borough Locality Plan, with the team leading the refinement of our plans around how we support local people to maintain good health, reduce risks of disease and self-manage long-term conditions. This plan sets out the ambitions of the Council and CCG in preventing and managing health and wellbeing in the borough, supporting integrated health and social care commissioning and provision. The plan places a strong focus on prevention as one of the six key work streams.
The integration of health and social care is one of the key mechanisms for achieving substantial savings in relation to public service spend and the work of the team is now focusing on budget savings proposals for 2017/8. These will support the Council’s wider savings programme and also enable us to meet the further central annual cut to our Public Health Grant as announced in 2016/17 (i.e. the anticipated further cuts for 2017/18, 2018/19 and 2019/20)
Work has also taken place on developing a programme of commissioning work with HMR NHS CCG on Prevention and Wellbeing in particular the commencement of the NHS ‘Test Bed’ for which Rochdale CCG was selected as one of only a few sites. This innovative approach seeks to identify individuals with risks for long-term conditions and manage these risks to reduce the risk of hospitalisation and disability. This programme, together with the implementation of the National Diabetes prevention programme and NHS Health Checks programme presents a unique opportunity for early identification of Rochdale Residents with regard to the risks of long-term conditions.
As we know, our allocation from the Department of Health was reduced by 7.6% in 2016/7 which amounted to a cut of £1,465,000 with future years’ cuts amounting to an additional recurrent £434k year on year. The team has therefore been working to meet these cuts through substantial service redesign. Thus a number of major commissioning programmes are underway via the Locality Plan as part of this process.
Firstly the redesign of community health and wellbeing services will present an opportunity to take stock of a range of programmes delivered across the Council including our highly valued ‘Living Well’ Service. These services provide crucial interventions to improve a range of health outcomes including reducing the high levels of obesity, tobacco use and physical inactivity which remain the biggest causes of early death and long-term disability for Rochdale residents. The service hosted an inspiring Health and Wellbeing Conference at Hopwood Hall College on the 30th of June to celebrate the excellent work being done in our local communities and by voluntary sector partners to improve local people’s health and wellbeing. We heard from CVS, HMRCCG, Early Break and Community Centres about how they are changing people’s lives now, and the potential to do more together in the future. An awards ceremony was held in recognition of the commitment of organisations and individuals who had gone the extra mile to make a difference. This is an exciting time for the council, the CCG and the voluntary sector as we commit to work together as equal partners to maximise our potential to improve health and wellbeing in the borough.
1 Page 123 The redesign of early years’ children’s services toward an integrated or partnership approach is well underway. This will bring together a range of early years’ services such as children’s centres, the health visiting service and some NHS services to enable the reduction of duplication and support closer partnership working to ensure the best possible support for families. In order to increase breastfeeding maintenance, work continues to develop the National Childbirth Trust, Breastfeeding Welcome Scheme. In Quarter 1, 5 additional businesses signed up to the scheme. I personally promoted the scheme with a Public Health colleague within the Littleborough area. There has been a significant increase in the numbers of pregnant women smokers referred to the Living Well Integrated Healthy Lifestyle Service (LWIHLS) (stop smoking). The LWIHLS has developed an action plan to ensure that levels of referral are maintained and to increase the poor conversion rate (from setting a quit date to achieving a 4 week quit). Working in partnership with NHSE and CCG colleagues planning has also begun in relation to the national influenza immunisation programme 2016/17.
In 2016/17, certain individuals are advised to receive flu vaccination including: • all children aged two to seven (but not eight years or older) on 31 August 2016 • all primary school-aged children in former primary school pilot areas • those aged six months to under 65 years in clinical risk groups • pregnant women • those aged 65 years and over • those in long-stay residential care homes • carers The priority group for this year’s programme is healthy children aged 2, 3 and 4 years.
A draft communication plan has been developed and opportunities for front line staff to take up the influenza vaccination are also being planned. Links have been established between Intrahealth (the organisation commissioned by NHSE to deliver the programme to primary school age children, Years 1, 2 and 3) and Head Teachers so that early plans can be put in place to deliver the programme successfully.
Our Drugs and Alcohol service is undergoing redesign toward a different service model which is focused upon supporting individuals to remain in recovery. The service will place a greater emphasis on alcohol to reflect the changing balance between drugs and alcohol addiction nationally and locally. Discussions have also been held with our neighbouring boroughs to review the feasibility and opportunity for us to jointly commission these services on a larger footprint in the future as per the ambitions of Greater Manchester Devolution arrangements and as has already been achieved for Sexual Health Services. The implementation of the new sexual health service across Rochdale, Bury and Oldham is well underway and we are working closely with our colleagues at Virgin to ensure our services have a safe transition to the new provider.
This year, the team will be leading an innovative programme of work funded through the Locality Plan Transformation Fund in relation to how we work with our local residents to reduce demand via social marketing approaches, ie working with local residents to change our approach from one that based on ‘doing for’ toward one which is founded on ‘doing with’.
Domestic abuse is an issue which affects the lives of many people in the borough and for families, especially children for whom there is often a long-lasting impact. Funding for domestic abuse services is supported from multiple budgets across the council and including public health, adult care, community safety, children’s services, the CCG, the police and crime commissioner and charities and the team are leading the work in relation to commissioning these services including prevention and early intervention.
Lastly, the highly successful Cardiac Smart initiative which has increased access to lifesaving defibrillators and essential resuscitation skills across the borough got a special 2 Page 124 mention for excellence at the Faculty of Public Health Annual conference in July, and its success continues to be recognised as it has also been nominated for a UK Heart Safe award, our thanks to the team.
Link4Life
Corporate Update: Board of Trustees: Link4Life have secured 3 additional trustees to the Board. These individuals bring expertise from the corporate, social enterprise and educational sectors, and skills include; culture, arts and heritage, financial and audit, education. The board now has only one vacancy remaining with 15 out of 16 positions now filled.
Armed Forces Covenant: Link4Life have committed to the continuation of their support of the Armed Forces Covenant. Usage by members of the Armed Forces in Link4Life sites in 15-16 was 6135 and above the target of 5000.
Operational Update: Big Games: To date 4 Big Games events have taken place, Springfield Park, Kingsway Sports Centre, Littleborough Sports campus and Middleton Arena, with over 3000 people attending so far. All events have been well supported, the under 5’s offer has been extended this year and warmly welcomed. The events have promoted the extensive Link4Life offer. Remaining events are to be held in Rochdale (Broadfield Park/Touchstones - 9th July) and Heywood (Queens Park -10th July).
Rochdale Leisure Centre - Fitness Equipment Capital Investment: Investment of c£500,000 has gone into new layout and equipment at Rochdale Leisure Centre fitness suite. The suite re-opened on Saturday 2nd July 2016, with brand new Cardio-Vascular equipment including internet connectivity, increased size of free-weight zone, new flooring in functional, free-weights and resistance zones and a NEW functional training zone. Initial customer feedback has been excellent.
National Profile - Awards and Partnerships: Active8me was nominated for a National Sports Award, and finished in the top 3 out of over 100 nominations. The Functional Fitness programme has been asked to showcase the programme at National Leisure Industry Week in September. At the Rochdale Diversity Awards, we won the Community Award for the Friday Night Project in partnership with the Youth Service and were nominated for the ‘The More than Dance programme’ Skills4Sport candidates won an award for best student at Hopwood Hall Neighbourhood Learning Deprived Communities Award at KYP and young people from Rochdale have won the opportunity to attend Wimbledon on 28th June as part of the Pop-Up Tennis project. The Rochdale Strollers AFC won a recent walking football tournament which took place at the Bolton Macron Stadium. We are also working in partnership with Ingeus to use walking football for team building and social integration. The Arts and Heritage team have secured a new partnership with the National History Museum in London and Sage Gateshead to develop our cultural programmes.
Touchstones – The Art café has now opened. In addition the Museum is running a very successful Dementia Café across the Borough with dementia sufferers using object handling sessions from the museum collection. The Arts and Heritage Team have run three of nine 'Gone But Not Forgotten' workshops at libraries across the borough sharing information about the First World War with members of the public.
3 Page 125 Health and Wellbeing: We are working closely with Pennine Acute and Pennine Care in the delivery of externally funded health and wellbeing programmes across the Borough. In addition, we have completed a six week course for 20 Asian ladies at the Deeplish community centre, and the Active Living gentle exercise sessions have now expanded to include all the main sites with eight classes throughout the week.
Children and Young People Activities: There were 854 attendances on Go4it holiday activity programmes over Easter and May holidays. The summer fun programme will offer local residents sports, arts, drama, dance, music events and swimming. 2 New Energy clubs have been started offering a rolling programme for young at Rochdale Leisure Centre (8-12years) and Middleton Arena (5-7years).
Events Management
For the period April – June there have been 43 events across the borough. Despite the unsettled weather we have had recently, our residents have turned out in force to celebrate both traditional and fun community events. In addition to sporting and charity activities, other notable successes have been: St George’s Day Parades Pentecost, Corpus Christi and Whit Walks Community celebrations for the Queen’s 90th Birthday Milnrow & Newhey and Norden Carnivals Littleborough Food and Drink Festival Heywood 1940’s Day
The Council held two events to commemorate the Queen’s 90th Birthday. On 24th April, the Rochdale borough was proud to take part in a beacon lighting event created by the Queen’s Pageantmaster and which saw over a thousand beacons lit across the United Kingdom, Channel Islands, Isle of Man and UK Overseas Territories. On 12th June the Mayor hosted a 90th Birthday Commemorative Afternoon Tea at the Town Hall to thank the Unsung Heroes of our borough who were nominated by members of the public and Councillors for the voluntary work they do within their communities.
The completion of the project to open the River Roch in the town centre culminated in a wonderful heritage themed celebration day on 25th June. In addition to the formal speeches and ribbon cutting there were plenty of attractions for all the family including, performances, dressing up, street games. Victorian carousel, heritage vehicle exhibition, storytelling and information and activities about the river itself. We had excellent feedback and media coverage about the project and the celebration day.
Councillor Janet Emsley Portfolio Holder for Culture Health and Wellbeing
Thank you Mr. Mayor, I will be pleased to answer any questions from Members of the Council about these or any other matter relating to the Culture, Health and Wellbeing Portfolio
4 Page 126 Agenda Item 11e
ROCHDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL CABINET MEMBER REPORT TO THE COUNCIL
REPORT OF THE CABINET MEMBER FOR NEIGHBOURHOODS AND COMMUNITIES TO THE MEETING OF THE COUNCIL ON TUESDAY, 26th JULY 2016
Thank you Mr. Mayor for the opportunity to report to the Council the latest developments on various matters relating to the Neighbourhoods and Communities Portfolio.
Safer Communities
Increasing confidence & satisfaction priority has been promoting our alley-gating scheme, encouraging residents to sign up if they live in areas affected by crime. The promotion highlighted how the scheme can reduce the chances of burglary and other benefits including reduction in fly-tipping and increased community spirit. It also mentioned the ‘Alley in Bloom’ competition to be run later in the year. These messages were shared in local newspapers, local radio and social media. Communications have also been undertaken to inform residents of new legislation in regards to new psychoactive substances (legal highs). In light of the legal high incidents that occurred in the Rochdale borough interviews were conducted for regional news outlets and social media messages were shared. Other communications work has been focussed on community cohesion; promoting events taking place across the borough for St. George’s Day and charity work for Retrak UK, conducted by our principal community cohesion officer, in partnership with Greater Manchester Police.
Reducing crime A significant programme of CCTV upgrade works has been completed in and around Rochdale Town Centre, providing much improved, HD quality images and incorporating new areas including the Memorial Gardens and Wet Rake. This camera provides valuable coverage of a busy area of retail and night time premises, transport facilities and residential accommodation.
The Domestic Abuse Working Group is progressing a number of significant initiatives, including implementation of a multi-layered behaviour change programme for those involved in domestic abuse incidents. The first element went live in May, with the following two elements due to do so in September. All will be the subject of relevant promotion and publicity, both to agencies and to potential participants.
We have recently concluded one of two Domestic Homicide Reviews that have been running since last year. The other review was pended for a time, due to delay in the trial and in being able to engage with the victim’s family. This review will be due to re- commence in July and be concluded in September. A further review is to commence shortly and scheduled to be concluded early next year.
Programme STRIVE, our early intervention domestic abuse initiative, is now benefitting from having a dedicated scheme co-ordinator, who commenced duties last month. Joanne Dunn is well underway with pushing up the number of visits undertaken, co-ordinating onward referrals to support agencies and producing relevant outcome data for evaluation purposes.
Prevent and Tackle Anti-Social Behaviour We have ended the year on target for reduction in ASB incidents, continuing the long-term downward trend and reflecting the good work of Crime & ASB Officers and their counterparts in RBH and other housing providers in intervening early to resolve issues. Page 127 Preventing offending by children & young people The Youth Offending Service continues to operate across Rochdale and Bury. The service is working closely with the Police across the two Boroughs to tragedy young people entering the system for the first time and providing alternative disposals to charge where appropriate. This enables the YOS and the Police to divert young people from the criminal justice system and reduce the number of first time entrants by providing robust out of Court Disposals. The YOS is also working with the other youth offending Services across greater Manchester as part of the Devolution Manchester programme for Youth Justice. This includes looking at the centralised court services for young people.
Reduced adult re-offending Following the Government’s implementation of the Transforming Rehabilitation Programme in June 2014, the National Probation Service has had responsibility for all Court work and management of those offenders who pose a High or Very High Risk of Serious Harm, as well as those eligible for Multi Agency Public Protection Arrangements. This includes all registered sex offenders. The implementation of the Offender Rehabilitation Act which requires offenders sentenced to under 12 months custodial sentences to be subject to a period of supervision from either the National Probation Service or one of the 21 Community Rehabilitation Companies, has presented challenges, particularly as this group of offenders known as the “revolving door” offenders are often the most difficult to engage and secure compliance. In addition, the NPS in Bury, Rochdale and Oldham has experienced acute staffing shortages and high workloads.
Notwithstanding the significant challenges, we have seen month on month improvements in assisting offenders to successfully fulfil the requirements of their Community Orders/Suspended Sentence Order (May 2016 - 81%) and Licences or Post Supervision Sentence Periods (May 2016 - 83%). The NPS continues to forge strong working relationships with Rochdale partners in order to work together to protect the public, prevent further victims and repeat victimisation and reduce re-offending.
Developing Community Cohesion We organised a number of family orientated events to celebrate St Georges Day on the 23rd April such as the flag raising, family craft sessions, face painting and balloon modelling. This event increases in popularity each year and was well attended by families and young children.
We also recognised the International Day Against Homophobia, Bi-phobia and Trans- phobio (IDAHOBIT) by raising the rainbow flag and delivering a number of multi-agency stalls engaging the public by raising awareness of Hate crime.
Other events we have supported include - Rochdale Diversity Awards - Youth project aimed at developing school based interventions designed young people on the periphery of gang violence
As part of our statutory obligations we are also continuing to raise awareness of Prevent and how organisations can access support to safeguard and prevent vulnerable people from radicalisation and extremism.
Equalities
An informal review is taking place on the council’s statutory obligations to Equality which will identify and inform short term actions in this area.
Page 128 Townships
The first Township Committees of the new municipal year took place in May and June, Members were appointed to Committees and sub-structures. Committees received a number of presentations, including Cartwheel Arts, the Langley Environmental Management Scheme and details of changes to the local policing model. Residents attended the open forums to raise a number of issues, including river pollution, submission of a petition for a school crossing, details of the planning process, the J19 link road and anti-social behaviour in parks. Reports were submitted in relation to TRO objections and a number of land/building disposals.
The Townships Plan was considered by all four committees and was approved. The plan for 2015 and 2016 will run until December 2016 by which time a new three-year plan will have been developed in line with the Council’s corporate plan.
Township Funds have been agreed for 2016/17, delegated sub-committees will meet from the end of June to consider projects and schemes.
Libraries, Customer Services and Advice
Libraries are integral to support digital inclusion in the borough. Libraries provide residents with the access, support, skills and motivation to survive and thrive in the digital world. All libraries offer free Internet access and free Wi-fi. Over the next few months over 100 extra PCs will be installed in libraries across the borough, to help residents. Thirteen of the libraries now have IT Support Volunteers who offer IT training and support with access to sites such as UniversalJobMatch, Benefits Online and the Council Website. The library service has developed a partnership with the Department for Work and Pensions, jointly running monthly sessions in 7 libraries for jobseekers – improving their IT skills and employability, and helping them with the UniversalJobMatch site. Digital support is also offered in various libraries by Barclays Digital Eagles and 02.
Libraries in the borough are all heavily used by children and their families. The library service manages the local implementation of the national Bookstart initiative. Introducing young families to books and reading and increasing the communication and language of young children from 0-3. Sessions are held in 7 libraries. Bookstart is proven to improve children’s language and communication. We celebrated National Bookstart Week on June 9th with a Bookstart Bear Picnic in the Park at Springfield Park, which was attended by hundreds of people. Lego clubs have recently started at Alkrington Library, Langley Library, Balderstone Library and Wardle Library. This year’s Summer Reading Challenge is entitled the “Big Friendly Read” and focusses on the books of Roald Dahl. All libraries will be full of 4-11 year olds, with several libraries hosting Roald Dahl themed events. Read and Feed has begun at Smallbridge Library. Funded by Pennines Township, all children joining the Summer Reading Challenge at Smallbridge Library will receive a free lunch at the library throughout the summer holiday.
In June Middleton Library won the Rochdale Borough Design Awards People Choice Award. The library has recently been refurbished, remodelled and returned to its former glory. The publically voted People’s Choice award reflects how highly residents of Middleton value Middleton library. Pennines Township recently funded the refurbishment of the upstairs space in Milnrow Library. This means for the first time for many years the upstairs of the library is being used by library customers and groups. A Yoga session run by Link4life is an example of how the space is being used.
More acts have been announced for Rochdale Literature and Ideas Festival 2016. This year’s festival will be October Wednesday 19 October - Monday 24 October 2016. Confirmed artists include authors and comedians Mark Steel and Jennie Éclair, Page 129 internationally acclaimed author Joanne Harris MBE and author Ann Cleeves. There are many more big names to be announced. It promises to be bigger and better than ever. Rochdale Citizens Advice Bureau continues to operate the Council’s Welfare, Housing and Debt Advice Contract. We have extended the Contract with CAB for 2016-17, requiring them to see a greater number of people face-to-face and represent more people at appeals in Court. They deal with people through the telephone advice line and hold face to face appointments in 13 venues across the borough.
Emergency Planning & Business Continuity
A review is taking place of the Council’s Emergency Plan by the new Head of Neighbourhood Services with support from the Greater Manchester Civil Contingencies Resilience Unit (CCRU) that all 10 AGMA authorities contribute to. The review will take account of lessons learnt from the Boxing Day floods.
The Council is also seeking further support from the Civil Contingencies Resilience Unit to review and test our business continuity plans, which are prepared by each council service.
Voluntary Sector
A review of Community Centre and other Voluntary Sector leases continues in order to ensure the Council provides a consistent and transparent approach to lettings, one aspect is that the Council plans to revisit its monitoring arrangements for activity during the course of 2016/17. The Voluntary Sector partnership is considering proposals to refresh its membership and terms of reference. A proposal on this matter from the Chief Executive Officer of Rochdale CVS was tabled at the meeting on 11th February and is due for further consideration at the meeting on March 17th. Additionally, proposals relating to the further development of the Voluntary Sector in Rochdale are being considered as part of the Rochdale Locality Plan and a specification for how this may be achieved is underway. To support this development, the Council has dedicated some funding from its Public Health grant which will assist partners to identify opportunities for growth and the strengthening of the sector going forward.
Councillor Daalat Ali Portfolio Holder for Neighbourhoods and Communities
Thank you Mr. Mayor, I will be pleased to answer any questions from Members of the Council about these or any other matter relating to the Neighbourhoods and Communities Portfolio
Page 130 Agenda Item 11f
ROCHDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL CABINET MEMBER REPORT TO THE COUNCIL
REPORT OF THE CABINET MEMBER FOR BUSINESS, SKILLS AND EMPLOYMENT TO THE MEETING OF THE COUNCIL ON TUESDAY, 26th JULY 2016
Thank you Mr. Mayor for the opportunity to report to the Council the latest developments on various matters relating to the Business, Skills and Employment Portfolio.
Business Growth and support: We continue to promote the services of the Greater Manchester Business Growth Hub for the benefit of local businesses. The Business Growth Hub, established in 2011 acts as a central point for accessing an integrated set of business support services in Greater Manchester whether they be provided directly by the Hub, or externally by other providers in the public or private sector. The Hub was instrumental in managing support from the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) on the support for businesses during the aftermath of the Boxing Day Floods and will be taking a similar role in adapting support to businesses following the EU Referendum result.
Since my last report the dedicated Rochdale Borough Business Growth Advisor has worked intensively with several businesses, including one that is currently investing £100k in a complete refurbishment of their building, with some of this work being undertaken by another Rochdale business. The local knowledge of the Business & Investment Team allows such referrals to take place, encouraging local spend.
As I mentioned in my last report, the council is providing practical support to those businesses that have been identified as having significant growth potential, by the Business Growth Adviser. In the last few weeks we have approved one grant, enabling a business to purchase some innovative equipment, allowing them to offer a new product to their clients, creating 8 new jobs. A financial support scheme is also being developed to encourage the take up of empty shops in town centres. This will contribute to fit-out or shop front improvements. The level of enquiries continues to grow and we have received 29 property enquiries, since April with 13 of these being from businesses currently located outside of the borough. The remaining enquiries are from businesses that have outgrown their current site and are looking for expansion space within the borough. The Team works with around 50 live enquiries at any one time, and these can range in size from a small company employing 2 or 3 people, up to a large business looking to employ 250 plus staff.
The Team attends networking events across Greater Manchester promoting our business offer and making contacts with businesses and professional advisors who may consider Rochdale as a place to do business. On the back of one such meeting, John Searle, Director of Economy was asked to speak at a Place NW M60 Towns Conference. This allowed us to speak about the investment and development taking place in Rochdale town centre, alerting people to the opportunities that will arise. In addition, Steve Rumbelow has spoken at an Insider Property Conference alongside Genr8, the developers of the Rochdale Riverside retail and leisure development.
The RDA continues to maintain contact with G-Suite, the Chinese owners of Warwick Mill in Middleton, and in May we hosted a delegation of Chinese investors and the Chinese equivalent of UKTI (United Kingdom Trade and Investment) to talk about the opportunities the mill offers both Chinese businesses and also local ones looking to grow through the export market.
We are coming towards the end of the flood recovery grant process and the Council will have approved 50 grants and paid out around £154,477 to help businesses recover from the Boxing Day Floods. This is in addition to the £500 emergency payments and business Page 131 rate relief. The total financial support to businesses (excluding resilience payments) is almost £400,000. The focus now is on supporting businesses to take steps to improve resilience should we suffer similar floods again.
The Council and EU-funded Business Start Up advice service which was delivered by Blue Orchid, finished in December. This was due to be replaced by a new Greater Manchester EU-funded service but there have been delays with this starting due to protracted negotiations between DWP and DCLG which now faces further uncertainty due to the Referendum result as the funding is not contractually committed. Therefore the Council is exploring filling the gap with an on-line support system for potential new business starts and a Business Basics Workshop after the summer holidays.
Skills: The latest skills data shows that the number of borough residents of working age has increased at every skill level and the number with no qualifications has decreased
Skills level (examples of Change in borough residents: qualifications) Increase over 12 months Increase over 24 months L4 (degree equivalent) +2000 +4200 L3 (A levels/BTEC) +1700 +5000 L2 (GCSE grades a*-c) +1000 +5800 L1 (foundation grades) +1100 +4600 Source – APS
At the end of last year, there were 700 fewer borough residents with no qualifications than in the previous 12 months. Whilst the improvement is good and sustained, the borough’s skill levels are still below the Greater Manchester and national average and employers are reporting skill shortages in areas such as construction, manufacturing and digital sectors. Employment and wage rates increase with skills levels so it is fundamental that a key focus remains on skills improvement to increase the prosperity of the borough. Devolution agreements between Greater Manchester and the government include the devolving of the Adult Education budget. This will enable the funding of training to meet needs of the local economy along with the reorganisation of the further education sector in Greater Manchester. This will give Rochdale Council a level of influence we have not had before, but the challenge is to ensure that training is accessible; both by public transport and entry requirements, particularly for our young people, and that the lack of local people with the skills businesses need, is not a barrier to growth. To increase our level of influence, we are seconding a member of staff to the Greater Manchester Team to assist with this work.
Employment: The latest employment rate for the borough has increased by 1.1% to 64.5% (88,700 residents, an additional 2100). Unemployment has fallen by 0.2% and is now lower than the unemployment rate in Oldham, Manchester and Salford. The borough’s self- employment rate is 8.4% (12,100 residents), an increase of 0.5% on the previous quarter. This rate is higher than other GM districts of Oldham, Manchester, Salford and Wigan. However, whilst an increasing self-employment rate can be an indicator of entrepreneurial activity, there will be an element of residents for whom the self-employment route taken as a result of not securing employment. The latest data shows that the number of residents on out-of-work benefits has fallen slightly this quarter in all age groups. However, the borough still has a higher rate than all but 3 (Oldham, Salford and Bolton) of the other GM boroughs The Working Well Expansion programme, which is the main employment support agreed with government under the Devolution Agreements, has had over 400 referrals received so far. The programme is open to a wider group of people and includes a large number of lone parents alongside ESA and JSA customers. The programme, following from the Page 132 successful Working Well Pilot, has also expanded the support available which will now include increased access to mental health support and skills provision.
Place Based Working Employment and skills support was a key feature of the Kirkholt pilot and evaluations are now complete and validated, showing a return of £3.68 for every £1 invested and resulting in changed lives from amongst the most vulnerable and complex members of the community. Plans are underway to extend the pilot; treating Kirkholt as “business as usual” whilst continuing to measure the impact, and beginning a new programme in another neighbourhood of the borough. This new programme will be an “Early Adopter” for the Greater Manchester Place Based Working programme through which bids will be made for additional resources and will be co-ordinated by a multi-agency team led by the Council’s Skills and Employment Team. Following detailed analysis of data, Cabinet has agreed that College Bank and Falinge is the place where this approach is likely to have the greatest impact. The programme is being designed with an emphasis on skills improvement, employment and inclusive growth.
Community Champions A review of the impact that the volunteer Community Champions have made throughout 2015/16 has calculated a Social Return on Investment of £932,000. The data takes into account the value of helping to get people into work and training, as well as things like improved mental health and the desire to get out and about more often Over 800 people in the borough have been trained as community champions and they helped over 1,000 people last year. Many community champions also gain employment using the skills they gained during their time as a volunteer. The council-run community champion’s programme, which is one of the only schemes of its kind in Greater Manchester, sees volunteers help people with things like literacy and IT, job hunting and training. People can approach the champions direct, or they are sometimes referred through other organisations, such as JobCentre Plus and Adult Care.
Jan Haslam, has been volunteering for three years and helps people with benefits and debt advice, as well as doing literacy sessions in children’s centres. She said: “I think people sometimes find it easier to talk to people who are not professionals, so the champions programme really breaks down barriers. I find that because the people you work with know you’re not being paid, in other words you’re there purely because you want to help them and for no other reason, it boosts their self-esteem. “One of my clients had mental health problems, which were made worse when she was bullied at work and then dismissed. She ended up getting into arrears with rent and her confidence was so low, She could barely bring herself to leave the house. Now she is getting help from me and has started therapy and medication, I have helped her sort her housing issues out and with my support she has landed a job with the DWP. She is very grateful for the support and said she couldn’t have done it without the champions programme. It’s changed her life.”
Councillor Peter Williams Portfolio Holder for Business, Skills and Employment
Thank you Mr. Mayor, I will be pleased to answer any questions from Members of the Council about these or any other matter relating to the Business, Skills and Employment Portfolio
Page 133 Agenda Item 11g
ROCHDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL CABINET MEMBER REPORT TO THE COUNCIL
REPORT OF THE CABINET MEMBER FOR CORPORATE AND REGULATION TO THE MEETING OF THE COUNCIL ON TUESDAY, 26th JULY 2016 Thank you Mr. Mayor for the opportunity to report to the Council the latest developments on various matters relating to the Corporate & Regulation Portfolio.
LEGAL, GOVERNANCE & WORKFORCE
Governance & Committee Services A welcome event as part of the new member induction was held on 19 May where the newly elected members were welcomed by the Leader of the Council and the Chief Executive, received presentations and had the opportunity to meet members of the Leadership Team and other key supporting Officers. The Team has produced its first edition of the Member Training and Development Calendar and will be looking to develop this over the coming months. I would recommend Members take a look at the Calendar.
Elections On 1 July 2016, the total electorate had increased to 161,555 from 151,637 when the register was published on 1 December 2015. This is an increase of 6.5% (9918 electors). This compares to an electorate of 160,364 immediately before Individual Electoral Registration (IER) came into force.
The team organised and successfully delivered the local elections on 5 May and the EU Referendum on 23 June. The turnout for the local elections was 35% and 66% for the EU Referendum for the borough with a record number of electors registering to vote by post– 25801.
The next annual canvass of electors will start in August and the new electoral register will be published on 1 December 2016.
The Council successful hosted a visit from European Election Observers on Referendum Polling day.
Property & Litigation Team The Property Legal Team continue to support the Council’s town centre regeneration program and the Junction 19 Scheme.
The Litigation Team has recently successfully defended over £125,000 of contractual claims against the Council.
The Insurance Team are currently preparing for the reprocurement of insurance arrangements due in 2017.
Human Resources:
Sickness absence The number of days for sickness absence per full time equivalent employee (FTE) for 2015/16 is 7.62 days. This is a reduction of 1.18 days per FTE from the previous year. Whilst this did not meet the challenging target we set ourselves of 7.30 days , this means is that we have had £637k worth of productive time across the organisation (including schools) this improvement is significant from 2014/15.
Phase 2 Pay and Grading Senior Manager Review Members will recall that staff have undergone a pay and grading review to ensure that they are paid in line with the requirements of the national pay agreement. Additionally, the Page 134 Council as a good employer, aims to ensure that pay is assessed in an open and fair way and avoids equal pay claims. It is now the Council’s plan to complete the final phase and assess the pay of managers. The Council will endeavour to ensure that the outcome is met from within existing budgets and represents value for money for the residents of the borough.
Implementing the budget savings for 2015/6 As part of the support HR provided to services in making budget savings, 8 employees were successfully redeployed who had been placed at risk of redundancy. This saved the Council approximately £70, 000 in redundancy pay and importantly kept 8 staff in jobs.
PLANNING
Development Management The number of planning applications submitted to the Council remains high, a sign of continued economic investment in the Borough. 443 Planning applications have been received this financial year to date representing an increase of 4% on the equivalent period last year.
The Housing and Planning Act 2016 came into effect in May and introduces a number of reforms which include:-
Tougher performance targets for the determination of planning applications, halving the time the Council will have to determine planning applications without refunding fees. The concept of alternative providers being able to compete with the Council to process planning applications Further powers for Government to intervene in plan making.
We are working to fully understand the implications of these changes and to ensure the planning service will continue to perform above any tightened targets for planning performance
Core Strategy The Council has set a new housing target of 460 houses to be built every year in the Borough.
The Planning Inspector issued the Council with a list of his proposed modifications he feels are necessary in order to take the strategy forward. These modifications appear minor and were those which the Council put forward given most recent changes to evident and national planning guidance. The Council carried out a six week consultation on these modifications which concluded in April and responses made were forwarded on to the Inspector. The inspector’s report is now with the Planning Inspectorate for final checking and is expected to be with the Council imminently.
Building Control Following the Boxing Day floods of 2015 a landslip to the rear of properties at Whitfield Lodge continues to pose significant problems for the residents of 9 properties. This led the Council to issue notices preventing the occupation of these properties. The Council funded a site investigation of the land/wall to better understand the risks that may exist should further land movement affect the properties which remain mostly unoccupied. Officers are continuing to provide as much support as possible to these affected residents and a meeting is due to take place with the Insurers.
Safety At Sports Grounds Enforcement Meetings of the Safety Advisory Group (SAG) for Spotland Stadium continue to be held Page 135 every quarter, whilst during performance inspections and an Annual Safety Inspection of the full stadium fabric has been recently completed by the Building Control team – the report will be provided to the new stadium owners in the near future.
ICT Customer Access The Contact Centre was an integral part of the Council’s response to the Boxing Day floods. A dedicated 24/7 ‘Flood Helpline’ number was set up and promoted as a single point of contact for information, advice and support. Hundreds of calls were taken – and in fact, continue to be taken - from residents and businesses alike to claim the financial support on offer, and feedback from customers about the service was excellent. It’s testament to the dedication of the Contact Centre staff that they provided this important service whilst working in N1R throughout this period which, of course, was itself badly affected by the floods and had no heating.
The Contact Centre supported the Elections Team through both the local elections and the EU referendum by handling all customer enquiries throughout this busy period, including extending opening hours on the days the polls were open.
The two services which the public contact the most are Revenues & Benefits and Environment Management. We are working hard to ensure that people can access more information on these services through the Council’s website.
The Customer Feedback Team has worked with Members and Leadership Team to improve the format and quality of customer complaints and feedback reporting to Overview and Scrutiny Committee, presenting information in a simpler and more meaningful way.
Information, Digital and Business Solutions Work continues on the new citizen portal MyAccount site, with the aim to have an updated version ready for the public in August. This will be followed by a campaign to increase public take up for those services that can be accessed online.
Information and Communications Technology (ICT) The EU Referendum on 23rd June was successfully supported from an ICT perspective with no major issues.
As Portfolio Holder I intend to conduct a review of the service Members receive from IT. Once I have completed this review I will report back on any improvements we can make.
CORPORATE PERFORMANCE
The Performance against targets contained in the Directorate Plans at the end of Quarter 4 (end March 2016) have now been reported to the three Overview and Scrutiny Committees. We will now focus on ensuring that the priorities for the current year are delivered and we continue to improve outcomes for the Borough.
Councillor Jacqueline Beswick Portfolio Holder for Corporate and Regulation
Thank you Mr. Mayor, I will be pleased to answer any questions from Members of the Council about these or any other matter relating to the Corporate & Regulation Portfolio
Page 136 Agenda Item 11h ROCHDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL
CABINET MEMBER REPORT TO THE COUNCIL
REPORT OF THE CABINET MEMBER FOR HOUSING AND ENVIRONMENT TO THE MEETING OF THE COUNCIL ON TUESDAY, 26th JULY 2016
Thank you Mr. Mayor for the opportunity to report to the Council the latest developments relating to my first report as Portfolio Holder for Housing and Environment. I would like to take this opportunity to thank the former Portfolio Holder, Councillor Jacqui Beswick, for all her efforts and achievements which have led to many of the successes reported below.
ENVIRONMENTAL MANAGEMENT
Waste Collection Service – Recycling Since the introduction of the new collection service recycling levels have reached a record high for Rochdale and continues to increase month on month: • 58.4% for June 2016 compared to 42.6% in June 2015 • 55.8% for Quarter 1 2016/17 compared to 38.2% in Quarter 1 2015/16
These figures contribute to the significant and ongoing financial savings that are being delivered by the Waste Collection Service in order that more Council money can be spent on other essential services.
Waste Collection Service – New Service roll out Not only have we continued to improve on our recycling, we have also significantly reduced the number of missed bin collections by around 65% on last quarter and complaints regarding missed bin reports are now at an all-time low.
Recycle for Greater Manchester campaign (R4GM) R4GM are currently door knocking households on 6 paper and card collection rounds - engaging with residents to upsize their slim blue recycling bin or to order a blue bin if they do not have one. Door knocking started last week and will continue for the next four to five weeks. The six paper and card collection rounds are: • Moorclose and Green Hill areas of Middleton • Darnhill area of Heywood • Trub and Kirkholt areas of Rochdale • Kirkholt and Buersil Head areas of Rochdale • Stoneyfield area of Rochdale • Newbold Brow and Belfied areas of Rochdale
National Recycling Association Awards Our recent efforts and the success of our new service led to Rochdale being shortlisted for two awards at the National Recycling Awards 2016. I’m pleased to report that despite tough competition from across the nation Rochdale went on to be voted the winners for both award categories which were: • Best Communications Campaign – in promoting the new recycling service • Best Food Waste Recycling initiative
Street Services – Clean & Green The additional resources into Street Services have made a visible impact especially in some of our more built up areas where we are now carrying out more manual litter clearance. Not only are the improvement clear for everyone to see, but these are backed up by a recent upturn in positive comments and compliments relating to our clean & green activities. I’m pleased to confirm that funding has now been secured to continue this extra street cleansing investment for the remainder of the financial year.
Cemetery Improvements Work to improve facilities at Rochdale Crematorium Chapel and the Children`s Garden have been completed.
Repairs to the walls at Dearnley Cemetery have been completed and further work at St Andrews Church is due to start very soon.
Environmental Enforcement The Environmental Action Unit continues to enforce environmental legislation within the Borough.
Page 137 1 Between April and June this year: 6 individuals were convicted by Bury & Rochdale Magistrates Court of a total of 7 environmental offences. 5 cases were dealt with by way of formal caution 4 cases were referred to legal services for prosecution. 104 statutory notices were served for accumulations of waste on land, statutory nuisances, abandoned vehicles and other environmental issues. Many more issues have been dealt with without the need for formal enforcement action.
Historically, we are in the season where traveller encampments cause disruption and adverse environmental impact both on Council and on private land throughout the Borough. We have dealt with 5 unlawful encampments in this period and are committed to dealing with these occurrences immediately on discovery.
The Enforcement Unit alongside Street Services have also participated fully in the Spring Clean, handing out Bowlee Nursery vouchers to litter champions and undertaking increased numbers of high visibility patrols to deter littering and dog fouling.
In addition to the current enforcement activity summarised above, Environmental Management have now been challenged to take advantage of new legislation in dealing even more quickly and more visibly with environmental crime for example the ability to issue fixed penalty notices of up to £400 for fly tipping offences. The Enforcement Policy is currently under review and will come before Cabinet at the earliest date possible in order to start using these powers and to send out a clear message that tackling environmental crimes is a priority we take seriously.
Rochdale Town Centre Public Realm Environmental Management have complemented the River Opening public realm improvements with 12 large planters in the Town Centre between Riverside and the new river opening.
With 4 additional large planters by the train station and 4 replacement hoops fitted to the Town Hall porch for new hanging baskets, 24 ‘hay rack’ style baskets have also been installed to create more attractive walkways between Rochdale Memorial Gardens and York Street and from York Street to Toad Lane heritage area.
The new flower installation at the Edinburgh Way / Roch Valley Way junction has received many plaudits online and in person. In fact, we have been approached by a motoring media company who want it on their magazine cover.
Across all Townships, there have been a total of 29 extra and enhanced floral displays.
Also as part of the Spring clean, all town centres and many district areas have benefited from a deep clean of the footpaths and street furniture to remove grime, graffiti and chewing gum. Over 200 instances of large and small scale graffiti have also been removed from across the borough.
Parks Improvement Denehurst Park gardening club has been established and is working with the new on-site gardeners to improve the appearance of the park.
Restoration of the historic garden features is well under way and a new orchard has been planted.
The new Skate Park at Balderstone has been completed and is the result of hard work by Kirkholt Millions as well as EM Officers and has had very welcome support from Veolia Environmental Trust and Rochdale CVS
HIGHWAYS, PROPERTY AND FACILITIES MANAGEMENT
HIGHWAYS At Townhead junction a right filter arrow has been installed for traffic travelling from Yorkshire Street to Whitworth Road. River reopening was officially opened on 25th June 2016 Christmas Tree Island, Lower Yorkshire and Bailee Street improvements are due to start between mid -July and Mid – August. With completion due in March 2017.
Page 138 2 The public realm works in Long Street Middleton is substantially complete and Middleton Gardens Triangle is due to start on 11th July 2016. The work is of high standard and has received very positive feedback. Junction 19 Outline Business Case has been approved and we are continuing with detail design. Planning application is due in October and the works are due to be completed 2020/21. Highways are working on gully and culvert repairs to damage caused by the Boxing Day floods using funds from the council and DfT. Town centre parking has been amended to provide more spaces for shoppers. Mellor Street and Spodden bridge repairs start on site in mid – July Other structure works due on site this year include Edenfield Road and Todmorden Road retaining walls.
HIGHWAYS (Street Lighting) The street lighting five year replacement programme was completed in May this year, which was 2 months ahead of programme. On completion of the final milestone 24,536 existing street lights and signs had been removed and replaced with 24,854 new energy efficient street lights and illuminated signs. In the last period, the Service Provider has continued to repair street lighting faults within an average of three working days
PROPERTY (Projects & MPS) The Schools Capital Maintenance Programme for 16/17 is currently being delivered with the majority of the construction ready to commence at the start of the schools summer holidays – total value approx. £2.3m; In addition the team has been commissioned by Early Help & Schools to deliver additional capacity to 4 primary schools for the 2016/17 or 17/18 academic year – construction has commenced at one school and is due at another one from 11th July. Construction at the remaining schools is scheduled to commence within the next two months – Total value £2.8m The Asset Management Group Maintenance Programme for 16/17 has been agreed and planning and design has commenced for delivery once the schools capital maintenance has been delivered in September 2016. The Managed Property Services Team (MPS) continues to successfully deliver reactive and planned maintenance to all the Council’s property and schools portfolio and continues to receive good feedback from the end clients.
PROPERTY (Technical/Building Surveying) To date this year the service has receive circa £600K confirmed School Direct commissions and are covering a multitude of refurbishments and new builds. Surveying team commissioned to complete phase 4 condition surveys to 12 Primary schools. Service team are leading on the Music Service temporary relocation to Rochdale Town Hall from the Highwood Centre Norden. Delivering Schools Capital Programme for Education - 18 schemes to Primary Schools throughout the borough to be delivered over the summer break - total budget 2.1 million. Schemes include re- roofing, new boilers and replacement pipework to some of our older schools. Service team commissioned to deliver Mechanical/Electrical AMG schemes this financial year - Green Lane Re-wire, Princess Street Heating amongst a collective programme of 1.7 million Schools have commissioned Technical Services on a three year (SLA) servicing contract - commissions to date 350k (the first of its kind). Technical Services and FM are working towards a more joined up approach on all school delivery works combining in a single SLA which will be implemented for next April.
FACILITIES MANAGEMENT – Schools The Local Authority Catering Association (LACA) recently held its annual catering competition. Shirley Murphy, Facilities Manager Area Support Manager won the bronze award for her gluten free courgette buns and flapjacks. This is a nationally recognised award within the catering industry. 10 more FM kitchen junior schools have been selected by Environmental Health to be assessed for the gold standard Healthy Catering Award. The results of the assessments will be known by October 2016. 9 Schools have now taken up the offer of FM managing the schools food waste on their behalf. It is hoped that more schools will come on board after September. This is the first of its kind in Rochdale with regards to food waste.
Page 139 3 FACILITIES MANAGEMENT - Town Hall The Clock Tower dining room has successfully opened showing a 100% increase in income compared to the same time last year. The dining room will open on a Saturday from September. Overall commercial bookings are exceeding the 20% increase target for 2016/17. Tourism figures are up by 34% on this period last year.
STRATEGIC HOUSING
Private rented sector housing and Rogue Landlords The Private Rented Sector Team have continued to address substandard housing conditions and threats of illegal eviction within the rented sector. The team have received 62 Private Tenant Complaints so far this year and have successfully resolved 49 cases. The team also deals with the very serious issues of harassment and illegal eviction, having prevented 19 such evictions so far this year.
Impending changes to legislation regarding the actions of managing agents will see increased regulation of the private rented sector, which will be implemented by Strategic Housing.
The team’s work with the Partnership Enforcement Team, PET, has generated the following outputs: 30 proactive visits made by the multi-disciplinary team this year as the continuation of work started under Operation Maverick. Offences uncovered have included human trafficking, modern slavery, child sex exploitation and links to organised crime
Empty Properties The Empty Property Team have continued to assist owners in bringing their empty properties back into use and, for the first time, the number of long term empty properties has been brought below 900 through returning them to occupation. Where appropriate, the Empty Property Team has continued to use enforcement powers to ensure properties are brought back into use, including Empty Dwelling Management Orders (EDMO) and Enforced Sales. An important aspect of the team’s work is dealing with the anti-social behaviour and criminal activity that is often associated with empty properties and will always respond to complaints from the public and elected members regarding empty properties. To date 73 owners have been served with EDMO notices. 35 owners of empty properties have entered into leasing arrangements with our housing association partners and the Bond Board. There are 5 enforced sales pending. These enforced sales allow the council to recoup its expenditure and costs through taking control of the property and then selling it, which also ensures that the property changes hands. Over £165,000 owed to the council has been recovered as a direct result of working to bring empty properties back into use. The Empty Property Team are able to offer a number of schemes to property owners that will bring their empty property back into use.
Energy Efficiency In the last financial year, the Council’s successful implementation of the Green Deal Communities (GDC) programme led to government grant of £1.36m being used to improve the energy efficiency of over 430 private sector homes, within some of the borough’s most economically challenged neighbourhoods across Rochdale, Heywood and Middleton townships. The £1.36m represented 26% of the grant available to AGMA authorities, the highest spend treating the greatest number of properties. In addition, through collaborative working, we assisted another AGMA borough in delivering their programme. The GDC programme has now ended and the council has negotiated further external grant funding that will allow the programme to continue to improve the energy efficiency of some of the borough’s poorest performing private sector homes.
Two further external grant funding agreements are currently under consideration, which will provide funding for: 200 solid wall properties to receive internal and external insulation. Replacement of 100 central heating boilers. Both of these schemes will operate boroughwide. Both funders are prepared to extend these schemes but are possibly subject to policy changes made at a national level.
Page 140 4 Affordable Housing A total of 4 affordable housing schemes for rent are currently on site and further 2 schemes are due to commence in the next few weeks. All 6 schemes are being developed by registered provider partners and have received grant funding through the Affordable Homes Programme 2015-18. The schemes are located at: Argyle Street, Heywood – 14 bungalows Longridge Drive, Heywood – 23 houses and 3 bungalows Queens Drive, Rochdale – 11 houses Daventry Road, Rochdale – 11 flats Mary Street, Heywood – 37 houses Milnrow Road, Rochdale – 37 houses
The above schemes will deliver a total of 136 new affordable homes 62 of which will be completed in 2016/17
Housing on former Council Owned Sites Property sales on the Keepmoat Homes scheme at Furrows Park/Martindale Crescent in Middleton are progressing well. The position as at 27th May 2016 was as follows:- Of the 108 properties to be developed on the site 86 have been sold, 20 properties are at exchange of contracts or reservation stage and only 2 properties were still available. 69% of completed sales on the scheme have utilised the governments help to buy scheme.
Keepmoat Homes are also progressing well on the Dean Street site in Rochdale. A total of 77 properties are being developed on the site and as at 27th May 2016 the position was as follows: 66 properties had been sold. 9 properties were at the exchange or reservations stage and 2 properties had not been released. 33% of completed sales on the scheme have utilised the governments help to buy scheme.
Countryside Properties are progressing well on the Nile Street site in Rochdale. The scheme will provide 69 homes for private rent. As at 4th July 2016 the position was as follows: 6 properties were occupied Reservations had been taken in respect of 12 properties. Countryside Properties are due to complete development work on the site in early November 2016.
Countryside Properties have recently commenced development of a private rent scheme on George Street, Heywood. A total 42 new homes are to be built on the site.
Homelessness Despite effective services and strategies, demand for assistance remains consistently high. The number of contacts recorded by the Homelessness service has increased year on year since the introduction of welfare reform. The service has undertaken approximately 1500 housing options appointments each year for the last 2 years and number of statutory assessments has remained fairly constant at around 1,000 per year.
Approximately one third of households seeking assistance are ‘Family’ households while two thirds are single or childless households. Most households are supported through housing options and prevention, but those that are deemed as in a priority group include households experiencing domestic abuse, households at risk of homelessness due to ending of an assured short hold tenancy, and those leaving asylum accommodation.
Strategic Housing Services under the direction of the Joint Homelessness Board and in partnership with stakeholders and service providers are currently refreshing the Boroughs Homelessness Strategy. The Strategy will reflect the continued priority to assist households through prevention with an emphasis on improved partnership working. In the previous year we reported just short of 1900 preventions to the Department for Communities and Local Government.
PROPERTY (ESTATES & ASSETS)
Cabinet on 06 June 2016 approved the adoption of the Council’s revised Asset Strategy for 2016 to 2019. The Strategy provides the Council’s ambitions for the continual development of its property services and improvements in the performance of the Council’s property portfolio. The Strategy defines the Council’s ambition for its assets as:
Page 141 5 To hold fewer but more efficient assets To facilitate improving Council and partner services To realise maximum value from the estate To support economic growth
In pursuance of the theme of “fewer assets”, so far in 2016/17 the Council has completed the disposal of assets valued at £372k. Capital receipts from sales in excess of £2m are expected during the course of the year. Key sites that are likely to be sold include the sites of the former Mossfield and Balderstone Schools.
The Council’s industrial estate remains 100% occupied, with rental levels increasing.
The Council has also pledged support to a number of community associations across the borough that lease their premises from the Council and are often responsible for keeping their buildings in repair. Funds are to be made available over the next 4 years for the Council to offer to undertake specified categories of repairs to identified properties, subject to the Council first undertaking a condition survey.
SUSTAINABILITY/LOW CARBON
Rochdale Council is at the forefront of a Greater Manchester programme of securing funding to install energy saving measures in both schools and public buildings. This will strengthen the council’s reputation as a leading authority in the transition to a low-carbon economy, saving public money whilst also reducing our environmental impact.
The latest energy saving initiatives for public buildings and schools involve £500K of Salix funding, split £360K and £140K respectively.
In addition to this the Chamber House farm initiative will be revisited along with a new proposal on the Kingsway development site for the installation of a new 1MW Solar
CORONERS SERVICE
The Coroners hosted service continues to experience increasing demands. Death referrals have increased from 2800 in 14/15 to 3058 in 15/16. The projections for 16/17 are a further increase to around 3200. It is not the case that more people are dying but that more deaths require investigation by the Coroner for a variety of reasons. The support service we jointly provide to the Coroner on behalf of Rochdale, Oldham and Bury is under considerable strain and we are currently negotiating with our local authority partners and the Coroner to provide additional resources to ensure that the Coroner can provide the right level of service to bereaved families.
There are additional problems with the closures of Magistrates’ Court and the County Court at Oldham that the Coroner uses for inquests with a Jury or inquests that involve prisoners. We are currently looking at options to adapt the Phoenix Centre and the Coroner is currently using TOPS Business Centre in Heywood as a temporary arrangement.
REGISTRARS SERVICE
The Registrars Service continues to provide an excellent service from the recently refurbished accommodation at the Town Hall, working with Town Hall staff to provide wedding ceremonies for a range of budgets to people choosing to take advantage of the growing popularity of the Town Hall and Town Centre for ceremonies and functions.
Councillor Neil Emmott Portfolio Holder for Housing and Environment.
Thank you Mr. Mayor, I will be pleased to answer any questions from Members of the Council about these or any other matter relating to the Portfolio
Revision published 25 July.
Page 142 6 Page 143 7 Agenda Item 11i ROCHDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL
CABINET MEMBER REPORT TO THE COUNCIL
REPORT OF THE CABINET MEMBER FOR FINANCE MEETING OF THE COUNCIL ON WEDNESDAY, 26th JULY 2016
Thank you Mr Mayor for the opportunity to report to the Council the latest developments on various matters relating to the Finance Portfolio. I am pleased to present my report to Council as Portfolio Holder for Finance.
a) Finance
2015/16, 2016/17: The Statutory Accounts for 2015/16 closed on the 31st March 2016 and were submitted to our External Auditors Grant Thornton on the 6th June 2016. The Auditors make a judgement for both the accuracy and standards of the accounts alongside making an assessment regarding the financial resilience and value for money. Their final assessment will be reported to Audit & Governance Committee on 8th August 2016.
Services are incurring expenditure against their current approved 2016/17 budgets with a period 2 forecast of a £100k overspend for the year after consideration of allocations from budget pressure funding, this will be addressed and updated position provided in future reports.
We are continuing to make investments in the capital programme, taking into account re- phasing the 2016/17 Capital Programme is £43.3m in total.
The Collection Fund, which includes both business rates and council tax, is currently forecasting a surplus and the Council’s share of this surplus is £2.6m due, in the main, to better collection rates. This surplus will be considered as part of 2017/18 budget setting
2017/18, 2018/19: The Council has to set a balanced budget for 2017/18 before the 11th March 2017. A budget report was agreed at Cabinet on the 6th June setting the proposed timetable, the revenue assumptions for budget planning and the principles to be adopted. Cabinet also gave an in principle agreement to accepting the Government’s four year minimum settlement offer.
The Council’s future budget position is challenging as government funding continues to be reduced and the need for local services continues to grow. The financial pressures and savings required have now become more uncertain following the vote to leave the European Union. The economy is expected to slow down as the shock waves of the “Brexit” remain unclear causing uncertainty for public funding both from central government and locally collected. Financial planning monitoring and reporting will be paramount through these rapidly moving times and I will provide further reports to Council as more information becomes available.
b) Revenues & Benefits
Direct Debit: Collection of council tax and business rates is crucial to enable the Council to have the resource to fund essential services to residents. I’m pleased to report that collection is improving.
Direct Debit is our preferred method of paying council tax. At the end of May, 76.5% of all council tax paid (£13.0m) had been collected by Direct Debit, this is an increase from the same time last year of £0.8m. Further take-up activity is being planned during 2016/17 and I have asked that officers look to increase this to 80%, noting that in the current economic climate this is very challenging.
E:\moderngov\Data\AgendaItemDocs\7\2\0\AI00020027\$anjy2hbk.docPage 144 1 Council Tax Collection Update: At 31 May, 19.5% of council tax due had been collected; this is exactly same as last year. Collection from working-age residents receiving Local Council Tax Support is 15.5%, which is also the same as last year. The target is to achieve 94.5% overall collection by the end of the financial year and we are on target to achieve this.
£1.0m of council tax arrears was collected to the end of May, compared with £0.99m at the same time last year. The target is to further improve arrears collection by the end of the financial year.
Business Rates Collection Update: I’m very pleased to report that Rochdale had, for the 2nd year running, the best collection rate in Greater Manchester in 2016/17 at 98.5%.
At 31 May, 18.5% of business rates due had been collected; this is 0.3% better than the same time last year. The target is to maintain the 2015/16 collection performance of 98.5% - we are on target to do this.
£0.4m of business rate arrears was collected to the end of May, compared with £0.3m at the same time last year. The target is to further improve arrears collection by the end of the financial year.
Housing Benefits: The Council currently processes housing benefit on behalf of Central Government in line with a national scheme. I can report that the maximum period before a claim is worked on is still around the target of 2 weeks.
Whilst we are dealing with increasing workloads following the introduction of Universal Credit, referrals from HM Revenues and Customs (HMRC) and more recently preparing for the reduction to the level of the Benefit Cap, our actions continue to focus on reducing waiting times for processing claims, maintaining accuracy and delivering a good customer experience.
Discretionary Housing Payments: the latest position is 605 awards; totalling £188,076 from the annual DWP grant for 2016/17 of £535,391. Funding has been increased in 2016/17 to provide local relief around benefit cap cases. We aim to fully utilise the Government’s funding again this year.
Blue Badges: processing of Blue Badges remains up-to-date with all applications being dealt with in a timely manner.
Local Council Tax Support: the Council operates a Local Council Tax Support Scheme, claims are assessed alongside housing benefit claims and timescales for completion are consistent. An awards policy is in place to consider awards of Discretionary Council Tax Support from the hardship fund. I have agreement from my Cabinet members to consult on changes to this scheme for 2017/18 and will be reporting back on the outcome of this consultation before any final decisions are taken.
d) Internal Audit
Annual Report 2015/16: A report was presented to the Audit and Governance Committee on 27 June 2016 summarising the work of Internal Audit during 2015/16 and the Head of Internal Audit’s opinion on the effectiveness of the Council’s overall control environment, governance and risk management for 2015/16. This report and opinion also forms part of the Audit & Governance Committee considerations when decision is made to approve the Annual Governance Statement and Annual Statement of Accounts for 2015/16, this meeting will take place on 8th August 2016.
E:\moderngov\Data\AgendaItemDocs\7\2\0\AI00020027\$anjy2hbk.docPage 145 2 The report evaluated the assurance provided through independent means, including Internal Audit and external audit, as well as external agencies such as Ofsted. No specific areas of concern were highlighted through this summary.
From all the work undertaken during the year, whilst recognising that no systems of control can provide absolute assurance, the Head of Internal Audit concluded that a reasonable level of assurance can be given that the Council’s overall control framework remains adequate and generally being complied with.
Annual Fraud Report 2015/16: A report was presented to the Audit and Governance Committee on 27 June 2016 summarising the various actions and measures that have been taken during 2015/16 to mitigate the risks of fraud through work delivered by Internal Audit, which now also includes the Counter Fraud Team. It also outlined some of the areas of emerging fraud risk and the Council’s strategic and operational arrangements for managing these risks.
In terms of performance, of particular note was the Counter Fraud Team which achieved £282,033 in additional savings and recovery of overpayments from their investigation of 230 cases in 2015/16. Furthermore a total of 36 sanctions were achieved, consisting of 10 prosecutions, 8 formal cautions and 18 fines for fraud. Working with National Fraud Initiative over £122,000 is in the process of being recovered.
An evaluation of Rochdale Council’s response to fraud risks was also undertaken by reference to 2 nationally recognised publications, Protecting the English Public Purse and Fighting Fraud Locally. This demonstrated that Rochdale responds very positively to the risk of fraud and fully supports the counter fraud culture across the organisation.
Risk Management: The effectiveness of risk management reporting has improved throughout the organisation. Through the recording of risks within risk registers, service management teams have a recognised method to report the risk management progress in their Service, including risks requiring escalation. Risk information is supplied in regular updates to the Leadership Team, Governance Board and the Audit and Governance Committee Members to facilitate decisions with greater knowledge of the potential impact of risk. The Leadership Team also proactively manage risks listed under the Corporate Risk Register. Currently there are no corporate or service based risks with a red residual risk rating.
Rochdale Council won the 2016 Resilience Award at the Alarm Risk Awards held on 27 June in Manchester, for our emergency response to the winter floods of 2015, particular recognition was received for the business continuity achieved due to the flooding.
Councillor Allen J Brett
Portfolio Holder for Finance Thank you Mr Mayor, I will be pleased to answer any questions from Members of the Council about these or any other matter relating to the Portfolio
E:\moderngov\Data\AgendaItemDocs\7\2\0\AI00020027\$anjy2hbk.docPage 146 3 Agenda Item 11j
ROCHDALE METROPOLITAN BOROUGH COUNCIL
TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE CHAIR’S REPORT TO THE COUNCIL
REPORT OF THE CHAIR OF THE HEYWOOD TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE TO THE MEETING OF THE COUNCIL ON WEDNESDAY 26TH JULY 2016
Heywood 1940’s Day This year’s Heywood 1940's Day on Saturday the 18th June 2016 was another great success with record crowds in attendance throughout the entire day. The heavily decorated Town was thriving, vibrant and busy. Charities raised funds and local businesses benefited. The Event date was chosen to support Armed Forces Week and it worked superbly, with a large Parade marching through the packed Town Centre. Visitors and exhibitors travelled from as far away as Kent, all praised our town for its friendly atmosphere and the effort and funding put in by the Council and local businesses. Amongst the biggest crowd pleasers were the Spitfire, Hurricane and Messerschmitt replica planes and mock up Battle of The Somme Trenches trailer. The highlight of the day was a fly over by a Spitfire which circled over the Town several times.
Battle of The Somme Centenary A poignant and moving 100 year anniversary commemorative Memorial Service to the Battle of The Somme was held on Saturday the 18th June 2016 in Heywood Memorial Gardens, the Service was very well attended. Four newly fitted bespoke commemorative benches were dedicated as part of the Service, two were funded by Heywood Township, one by Heywood Rotary Club and one by Veteran John Harris Patron of The Lancashire Veterans Association. Many thanks to Councillor Alan McCarthy for organising the Event and to the Council Leader for taking part and making a speech and all other fellow Heywood and Rochdale Councillors who attended.
Remembrance Gardens Four World War commemorative benches have been installed in the Memorial Gardens and were dedicated in the Battle of the Somme centenary anniversary commemorative Service held as part of the Heywood 1940’s Day on Saturday the 18th June. Heywood Township provided a World War One and a Lest We Forget bench and worked with local Groups to provide another two, The Heywood Rotary Club purchasing a World War One bench and the Heywood Armed Forces Covenant Partners, The Lancashire Veterans Association purchasing a World War Two bench.
Armed Forces week The Town gave huge support to Armed Forces week, the 1940’s Day was chosen to show support and the Town was wonderfully and colourfully dressed up with flags and bunting and many shops decorated up, a Military Parade took place where the Veterans and Cadets were constantly applauded through the Town by massive crowds. The Armed Forces Flag was raised by The Patron of The Lancashire Veterans Association as part of a large Service and flew proudly.
Unsung Heroes Many thanks to the organisers of the Unsung Heroes Event and in particular to Councillor Janet Emsley, the event was very well attended and Heywood was very well represented.
Heywood In Bloom Heywood in Bloom (HIB) continues to bring the Community together and has engaged with national chain Morrison’s Community Team who have assisted and donated together with ever growing and continuing support, fund raising and donations by Heywood small businesses for the benefit the Town, as do Groups such as the Heywood Rotary Club, Page 147 Friends of Queens Park, Friends of Hopwood Park and The Charities Fete Committee. HIB have purchased another tiered planter, two wrap around pole flower baskets, four saddle baskets and a pole to hold four flower baskets. A wooden picture frame was made and placed on RBC land across from the lights at Pilsworth Road junction, even more plants were planted up in the brick planters between the Phoenix Centre and Civic Centre to increase the sensory garden, all planters were chosen to be in keeping with the RBC Town scheme. HIB negotiated with BT to create a display on a strip of their land which was previously an eye sore.
HIB have been busy in allotment weeding and planting and now have lots of different vegetables growing. Primary school children and nursery children will be coming into the allotment to learn about growing vegetables. HIB will continue to plant spring bulbs across Heywood in the autumn involving local children. HIB have worked closely with our Township Councillors to purchase a litter bin with match funding for a local primary school. The dedication event was attended by Mayor Ray Dutton councillors, Jacqueline Beswick, Peter Rush and Liam O’Rourke where a large Penguin bin was placed in the playground of Harwood Park which adds to the successful Township recycling scheme. The route for this year’s North West RHS entry was carefully chosen and judged on Wednesday the 13th July 2016, an update on the awards will be included in the next Report.
Heywood Gateways Many thanks to Environmental Management for improving every gateway in to Heywood, the Team took time out to inform the Township of the positions of the displays types of plants to compliment all our Gateways and main roads, this will boost the chances of our Heywood In Bloom Group to attain a Gold Award in this year’s competition, having achieved Silver in last years.
Charities Fete Heywood Township has given funding towards our ever popular Charities Fete for this year’s Event and is working with the Committee to put on an even better Event this year on Sunday the 4th September 2016.
Walter Lomax Many thanks to Walter Lomax, ex Councillor and up till recently the Chair of The Friends of Queens Park Group, for all his hard work and dedication to improving Queens Park over the last thirty years.
Darnhill Festival The thirteenth Darnhill Festival took place on Saturday the 2nd July 2016 and celebrated the water Cycle. Six Heywood primary schools took part in the workshops, five short plays inspired by the water Cycle were performed and a carnival arts workshop programme created a vibrant celebration of rivers, seas and rain. There was a procession and a full programme of entertainment, something for everyone.
Hopwood Park The Friends of Hopwood Park hosted a successful Hawaiian themed ‘Fun in the Sun’ event on Saturday the 9th July 2016 on Hopwood Park which included children’s activities, face painting, archery, stalls, food, drink and music, many people from all walks of life attended.
East Lancashire Railway Heywood Township called and held a meeting with the newly in post Chair of the East Lancashire Railway Board following a controversial press release, as a result of that meeting the Township has seen a marked positive difference in communications with The Board and will be receiving recognition and the setting up of a Vintage Tea Room paid for by the Board, this is good for Heywood who look forward to a positive future working with the ELR and bringing visitors to the Town. Page 148 Recycling Success Many thanks and congratulations to Councillor Jacqui Beswick and her team for all the hard work put in to achieving continuing increasing recycling rates for kerbside collections, such as from 42.6% in June 2015 to 58.4% in June 2016 or from 38.2% in quarter one 2015/16 to 55.8% in quarter one 2016/17 and wining the Best Public Sector Communications Campaign and Best Food Waste Initiative at the National Recycling Awards 2016. Both awards relate to the new recycling collection service. The Bartec system has now been installed in all collection vehicles. This allows for real time monitoring of bin collections and the reporting of contaminated bins and bins that are not presented. The system also provides information on excess bins, side waste and any access issues in real time which we then issue to the Supervisors or Participation Officers to investigate reducing the need for residents to contact the Call Centre.
Police and Community Safety Inspector Andy Fern has taken charge of Policing Heywood Township as part of the Greater Manchester Police reorganisation. He prides himself in giving the very best service that he possibly can and expects these standards from all his staff. He is very passionate about Partnership working, Heywood Township are looking forward to working with him and his Team to make Heywood a better place, together with all the very active groups in the Town. Over the coming months his Team will be doing their utmost to arrest criminals, bring in wanted offenders and see that justice is served. They are having reports of sneak-in burglaries due to insecure doors and windows, and the team will be out and about trying to highlight insecurities Anti-social behaviour is also an issue at this time of year, there is a lot of work ongoing by the team and by partners which will continue.
Councillor Peter Rush Chair of Heywood Township
Thank you Mr. Mayor, I will be pleased to answer any questions from Members of the Council about these or any other matter relating to the Heywood Township Committee.
Page 149 Agenda Item 11k
ROCHDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL
TOWNSHIP CHAIR’S REPORT TO THE COUNCIL
REPORT OF THE MIDDLETON TOWNSHIP CHAIR TO THE MEETING OF THE COUNCIL ON WEDNESDAY 20TH JULY 2016
Thank you Mr Mayor for the opportunity to report to the Council the latest developments on various matters relating to the Middleton Township.
We have held the following Township Committees, sub-committees and working parties in the last cycle:
1. Township Committee Middleton Township Committee Meeting took place once during this period, on Thursday 26th May 2016.
At the start of the meeting the Chair and Vice Chair were elected for the 2016-17 municipal year.
The meeting was attended by around 7 members of the public, and during the Open Forum the following questions were raised:
Committee considered a number of issues raised by residents including; waste bins on Mellalieu Street, Business Rates on properties on Long Street, new paving on Long Street, vehicles parking on pavements, traffic calming measures request for Mellalieu Street, consultation and engagement for the ‘Your Place’ environmental scheme on Langley, ongoing works in Jubilee Park.
Members received a presentation from one of the Middleton Inspectors on local policing changes.
The Committee approved minutes from previous meetings of Middleton Township Committee, Middleton Township Devolved Funding and Services Sub-Committee and Middleton Planning Sub-Committee.
Members received the following reports; Township Delegated Decision Arrangements for 2016-17, Middleton Township Committee Appointment 2016-17, Township Plan 2015-16, Middleton Township Funds 2015-16 and 2016-17 and Disposal of land at Hanson Close.
2. Township Sub-Committees and Working Parties The cycle of sub-committees commences this quarter, and some of the issues raised are detailed below:
Regeneration The Middleton Regeneration Group discussed a number of issues such as Warwick Mill, Middleton Triangle, Stakehill Industrial Estate, Tonge Hall and Hopwood Old Hall.
Planning Middleton Planning Committee has taken place twice during this quarter, on the 13th April and again on 17th May.
A number of applications were considered at the April meeting; a two story extension and creation of a hard standing play area at Bowlee Park Community Primary School were deferred to a special meeting of the Sub-Committee, a residential development of 34 dwelling near Mills Hill Road were approved, the erection of a 2 two story dwelling on Peach Bank was approved. Page 150 Following the Members decision to defer the Bowlee Park Community Primary School application this was reconsidered at the May meeting and Members granted planning permission.
Middleton Environment & Culture Forum The Middleton Environment and Culture Forum meeting has not taken place during this quarter.
Devolved Funding and Services There hasn’t been a scheduled meeting of Middleton Devolved Funding & Services sub- committee in the past quarter.
PACT Meetings (Police and Community Together) held this quarter; East – 19th May 2016 South – 14th June 2016 West – 1st June 2016 North – 9th June 2016 Hopwood Hall – 2nd June 2016
Events
Mayday 2016 Middleton’s annual Mayday event took place on Monday 2nd May and despite initial awful weather the event was well attended by the community and a great day had by all.
Armed Forces Week Flag Raising Ceremony The Armed Forces week flag raising ceremony took place on Friday 24th June 2016 and was attended by a number of veterans. Middleton Township would like to thank the Mayor and Mayoress, Middleton Royal British Legion, Reverend Martin Short and young musicians from Wardle Academy for their attendance at the service held.
Page 151 Middleton Memorial Gardens It was agreed by Middleton Members to purchase two memorial benches commemorating the Great War and World Ward 2.
Good News Public Realm / Long Street Improvement Works Works are continuing on the public realm works on Long Street and Market Place.
Rochdale Borough Design Awards Middleton Library was honoured to win the People’s Choice Award at the Rochdale Borough Design Awards in June. The award, which was voted for by the public demonstrates that Middleton Library is a popular building and service.
Building Improvement Grants Middleton is delighted that funding has been secured to undertake improvements to improvements to business frontages within the ‘Middleton Triangle’ area and is looking forward to seeing the works on some of the town centres historic buildings commence.
Thank you Mr Mayor. I will be pleased to answer any questions from Members of the Council about these or any other matters relating to the Middleton Township Committee.
Councillor June West Middleton Township Chair
Page 152 Agenda Item 11l
ROCHDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE CHAIR’S REPORT TO THE COUNCIL
REPORT OF THE CHAIR OF THE PENNINES TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE TO THE MEETING OF THE COUNCIL ON TUESDAY, 26th JULY 2016
Thank you Mr. Mayor for the opportunity to report to the Council the latest developments on various matters relating to the Pennines Township Committee.
Highways
The Highways Service has commenced on the capital programme for 2016/18.These are programmed to deliver improved traffic flow through the Pennines villages and will start in April. The following works, part of the capital programme, due for completion by March 2017: - Todmorden Road Retaining Walls
We are carrying out further investigation and repair works on drainage gullies and culverts affected by the Boxing Day floods and working on a long term solution to Calder Avenue
Library Service
Libraries are being well used across the Pennines Township, particularly to support customers in the following priority areas: Health and Wellbeing; digital inclusion; skills, jobs and business support; reading and literacy; early years and stronger families; preventing social isolation – particularly with the elderly.
There are weekly events and activities at every Pennines library including IT Training sessions, Bookstart Bear clubs, reading groups and now Lego clubs. Pennines Township recently approved funding for a new lego club at Wardle Library, which also hosts a code club for children. . Following Pennines Township Funding, the upstairs of Milnrow Library is now able to be used by community groups inside and outside of library hours. A new Yoga session has recently started in the upstairs room. When not in use by groups, the room provides valuable study space for library customers.
All the Pennines libraries will be full of 4-11 year olds joining in with this year’s Summer Reading Challenge, entitled the “Big Friendly Read”. It focusses on the books of Roald Dahl with several libraries hosting Roald Dahl themed events. To encourage as many children as possible to join in with this reading scheme and to ensure children are well fed during the summer holiday, Pennines Township has funded the Read and Feed initiative at Smallbridge Library. All the children who join the Summer Reading Challenge at Smallbridge Library receive a free lunch at the library every day it opens, throughout the summer holiday. A fantastic launch event was held on July 21st with local author and story- teller Jennie Bailey, and many children have already benefitted from the Read and Feed scheme.
More acts have been announced for Rochdale Literature and Ideas Festival 2016. This year’s festival will be October Wednesday 19 October - Monday 24 October 2016, and includes events at some Pennines venues including Harehill House.
Youth Service
Young people throughout the Pennines have been involved in educational based conversations and programmes with the youth workers; these include teenage pregnancy, dangers of drugs and alcohol, sexual health, health and nutrition and anti-social behaviour amongst others. Page 153 Milnrow Youth Centre have been participating in a series of consultations on issues such as health for the Public Health report, domestic abuse for RBSCB and a consultation on the issue of ‘no smoking’. Young people watched a series of videos and voted for the video they felt had the biggest impact. The elected video will be shown in cinemas across the country.
We have managed to retain two youth club sessions at Smallbridge Library, the focus has been on attaining an element of ‘open access’ whereby young people access the provision and services and participate in an educational based theme, the current theme on a Tuesday evening is healthy eating. On Wednesday evenings young people have been learning about Ramadan. In line with the Youth Services Ramadan educational resource pack the young people are planning to deliver a series of fund raising events which include the annual Macmillan Coffee morning and a Community Cohesion football tournament in partnership with Meadowfield Community Centre in August.
Young people from across the Pennines participated in the Ramadan Iftari event on Tuesday 28th June 2016 which was hosted by the Youth Service at Moss Street Youth Centre, the Iftari event was the conclusion of this month’s educational theme delivered by the Youth Service which enabled young people to learn about the Islamic month of Ramadan and analyse the similarities amongst the Islamic, Christianity and Jewish faiths. Youth workers believe that the resource and theme has enabled young people to challenge some of their stereotypical views in a safe environment. Detached work continues across the Pennines in hot spot areas. We are currently continuing to monitoring reports of ASB in Wardle and planning outdoor sports activities with young people in Stansfield. The youth bus continues to be a successful place for young people to visit, not only do they feel safe on it but they have also been involved in planning summer holiday activities and used the on-board computers to access the internet to revision websites in preparation for their exams.
Community Safety Work tackling anti-social behaviour (ASB) in the Private Housing Sector continues which includes tenants in private rented property, and owner occupiers. All parties are advised regarding the impartiality of Crime and Anti-Social Behaviour Prevention Officers (CASBPO) and are written to and dealt with accordingly.
ASB procedures include individual warning interviews, tenancy warning letters, and landlord warnings regarding their responsibilities. CCTV is sometimes deployed in cases where the identity of ASB perpetrators is unknown in a public place. Officers work closely with other Services including Environmental Protection with regard to noise nuisance, Highways with regard to car parking issues and Environmental Management with regard to fly-tipping. ASB complaints are received via various channels.
Safeguarding Vulnerable People is also a huge responsibility when dealing with ASB complaints as more and more often people who are identified as alleged perpetrators may suffer from mental health issues which require sensitive intervention. Therefore it is necessary to involve the NHS Mental Health Team to ensure that they are represented fairly and also access the help they need too.
Officers have been dealing with a wide range of issues some of which include, youths playing football in the Street which is a is a low level seasonal issue; securing of Dale Mill Page 154 to prevent intruders, the community have been reassured that there are no squatters within the Mill; Inspecting the CCTV in Milnrow along Dale St following concerns that is wasn’t operational; the T-junction at Harbour Lane has been identified as a problem for drivers as their visibility is impeded by vehicles parked on the corner of the road and pavement obstructing pedestrians, Highways are dealing with this matter; the former Lady Barn public house has been targeted by vandals and criminal damage in recent months. Officers are working with the Planning Department to identify the owners to request additional security measures are installed on the site.
Community News
Read and Feed, Smallbridge Library
This Township funded project was launched on the first day of the summer holidays at Smallbridge Library in conjunction with the Boroughwide Summer Reading Challenge. Children from local primary schools who join the popular reading challenge will receive a free lunch on Mondays, Thursdays and Fridays. Not only will this encourage continuation of reading and learning during the school holidays but will also provide some continuation of free school meal provision too. This is a pilot scheme and it is hoped we can continue with it in the future.
Wardle Bowling Club and Pavilion
Plans are underway to upgrade the paths and gardens within the garden and bowling green site. Pennines Township has funded much needed maintenance and drainage work within the gardens and Bowling Green and the Council are funding the work to replace the current unsafe and uneven flags around the bowling green and the garden. The Bowling Club members have been very much a part of this project and have been consulted at every stage. Plans are likely to start in the Autumn once the bowling season is finished. We are also looking at ways in which to recognise the importance of the pavilion as a War Memorial.
Littleborough Food Festival
Once again the festival proved popular providing the crowds with, food demonstrations, a food trail within the shops, food hub and street party themed seating areas. The event was able to grow substantially this year helped by the grant awarded by Pennines Township from the Town Centre Fund. The event was great in publicising what Littleborough has to offer and the benefits of shopping local. The organisers did a fantastic job and are thanked for their time and effort in making this a successful event.
Ellenroad Engine House
Pennines Township has recently contributed to a project to upgrade the visitor experience at Ellenroad Engine House. The project is to refurbish part of the engine room and to improve the emergency fire escape. This will provide a much improved and safer environment for the public and will hopefully attract more visitors
Councillor John Blundell Pennines Township Committee Chair
Thank you Mr. Mayor, I will be pleased to answer any questions from Members of the Council about these or any other matter relating to the Pennines Township Committee
Page 155 Agenda Item 11m ROCHDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL
TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE CHAIR’S REPORT TO THE COUNCIL
REPORT OF THE CHAIR OF THE ROCHDALE TOWNSHIP COMMITTEE TO THE MEETING OF THE COUNCIL ON TUESDAY, 26th JULY 2016
Thank you Mr. Mayor for the opportunity to report to the Council the latest developments on various matters relating to the Rochdale Township Committee.
Rochdale Town Hall The Stage 1 Heritage Lottery Bid for the “Restoration & Revival” of the Town Hall was submitted in December 2015. The Heritage Lottery Fund was very enthusiastic about Rochdale Borough Council’s plans to revitalise our fantastic town hall, and have asked us to refine our bid and resubmit it in December 2016. The competition for lottery grants is always exceptionally fierce, and on this occasion, 12 different organisations from across the country were collectively bidding for £142m from a £54m pot. Meanwhile, we are continuing with the key parts of our Town Hall restoration plan, including the newly refurbished The Clock Tower dining room that is now open to the public.
Rochdale Town Centre Public Realm Designs for the new paving along Baillie Street and lower Yorkshire Street are currently being finalised. The scheme will improve the surfacing and install natural stone paving to complement that used around the recently completed river re-opening scheme and to enhance the conservation area. The works are expected to start later in Summer 2016 and once complete will provide a comprehensive high quality treatment around this part of the town centre.
River Re-opening Project The project to re-open the River Roch in the heart of Rochdale Town Centre completed in June 2016. The town’s historic bridge, which has sections dating back to the medieval period, has been exposed as part of this project, which helps reduce flood risk, attract new wildlife and will further enhance the town’s heritage assets.
Rochdale Remembers the Somme As Township Chair I was proud to attend the commemorations to remember the Somme in both Heywood and Rochdale, and to lay a wreath on behalf of Rochdale Township. I also attended the armed forces flag raising ceremonies. Members are invited to visit the cenotaph where the new memorial benches have now been installed.
Street Lighting PFI The street lighting replacement works in Rochdale are now complete. The replacement programme was completed in May this year, which was two months ahead of programme.
Following a six year break, the Eid lights have been reinstated on Milkstone Road. The ten new Eid features were switched on on the 6th of June and stayed on until the 8th of July. There will be a further switch on in September for the next Eid celebration.
Highways
At Townhead junction a right filter arrow has been installed for traffic travelling from Yorkshire Street to Whitworth Road. Christmas Tree Island, Lower Yorkshire and Bailee Street improvements are due to start between mid -July and mid – August, with completion due in March 2017.
The 2 year forward works programme commenced in April and updates will be given to Township at my regular meetings with Officers from the Highways and Engineering Service. I continue to meet with Highway Champions along with the Cabinet Member for Housing and Environment, to discuss highways issues across the Borough. Page 156 Youth Service Youth Workers and young people have been working on a number of projects across the Township. Newbold and Kingsway have been planning and building a pushcart. Young people will be attending Limefield park in Middleton and race other young people across the borough as part of a fun day. Several have shown interest in taking part in dance and dee-jaying workshops at Moss Street Youth Centre. We have attracted volunteers from the community with skills to delivery specific specialist workshops which has been very successful.
Youth Workers from Rochdale organised an Iftari event (breaking fast) held at Moss Street youth centre, where 80 young people were in attendance from across the borough to break fast together. They observed prayers read out by young people, poems compiled and read out by young people about being good neighbours and caring for the community. Young people had the opportunity ask questions about Ramadan and Eid. All took part in a collective prayer which was very powerful.
We have several detached sessions taking part during the week at different nights to engage with those involved in ASB, drugs and alcohol. We have engaged the young people in promoting healthy lifestyles in the youth centre to help them learn about the dangers of using drugs and excessive amount of alcohol. The detached team have been busy with reports on increased ASB across the township and are making contact with groups of young people and actively diverting them into our provision. We have planned a comprehensive summer programme with many outdoor educational events taking place, all the publicity will be shared near to the time.
Community Safety
Work in the last quarter concentrated in Rochdale Town Centre and the immediate surrounding areas such as Broadfield Park. After a spate of serious incidents connected with “legal highs” awareness work has been carried out, warning of the dangers of taking such substances and the risk to heath when doing so.
Enforcement work was also carried out on premises that have been linked to selling “legal highs” with one business in particular being closed down. Work has also continued as Community Safety work in Partnership with the Town Centre Policing Team to reduce on- street drinking and begging within Rochdale Town Centre. The latest sweep was carried out on the 20th May.
A number of Landowners and Landlords have been contacted as part of the operation to reduce street drinking in the Town Centre. Hot Spot areas have been identified as areas where the drinking takes place and the Landowners have been requested to make improvements to their land/property to prevent this activity taking place.
Extensive work has been carried out in Broadfield Park in conjunction with Environmental Management to reduce anti-social behaviour around the bowling greens. Historically the green has been plagued By ASB resulting in damage to the green and disruption to matches. Working with the bowling club a new gate has now been erected and generic locks provided for all of the other gates. Some defensive planting has also taken place in the form of shrubbery being placed at certain points to reduce access to the bowling greens. The bowling greens are now part of the Town Centre Policing Team’s patrol plan and early indications suggest that these measures have contributed in reducing incidents of anti-social behaviour.
The usual core duties carrying out ASB case work within the private rented sector has continued with increased volumes during the fine dry spell in mid-May. The complex case work has involved tenancy terminations, tenancy warning letters, landlord warnings and the fitting of CCTV to identify the perpetrators of ASB all taking place. Page 157 Off Road Biking in Mandale Park has been reported by residents to the Community Safety Officer who has liaised with GMP and requested that they deploy their Off Road Bike Unit. Additionally Community Safety and GMP have undertaken a site visit to identify all the entrances/exits at Mandale Park which are maintained by Environmental Management. There are at least half a dozen areas which leave this land exposed to off road biking despite there being several signs around the park. Rochdale PCSOs were deployed on each entrance /exit on a mini operation Saturday 18/06/16, no off road bikes entered the park but intelligence has been provided to them regarding where bikes are being repaired. GMP are liaising with the Housing Association who owns the property as tenancy conditions are being breached.
Metrolink meeting held on Tuesday 21/06/16 The 2nd meeting was held at Rochdale Police Station and GMP figures indicated that since March 2016 there has been a reduction in ASB incidents being reported. It was acknowledged by the Chair that joint partnership working between Community Safety, GMP, TfGM, Youth Services Outreach Team have had an impact upon the number of incidents occurring. Meanwhile GMP will be co-ordinating another Operation Gateway with GMP Specials, TfGM, Community Safety and Youth Services.
Rochdale Township Committee The Committee received a presentation around local Policing changes. A member of the public raised concerns about off-road biking in Mandale Park to which the Police responded. Reports considered included Township Funds, the Townships Plan 2015 and 2016 and disposal of a number of properties.
Feel Good Festival Planning continues for the Feel Good Festival which will take place on the 19th and 20th August.
Rochdale Township & Area Forums
The first quarter area forums took place during May, June and July, some of the issues raised were as follows:
Balderstone and Kirkholt Community Meeting Residents raised concerns about the increase in the presence of mini-motorbikes and received assurances that GMP are actively targeting offenders. Details of a pedestrian crossing upgrade on Queensway, redevelopment of The Strand and the skate park were given, and it was confirmed that three new streets on the former Hill Top School site are to be named after painters – Lowry, Constable and Stubbs.
Bamford and Oakenrod Area Forum A presentation was given about the Tree of Time, Rochdale Borough Timebank which is a way for organisations and individuals to share resources, skills and knowledge. There was also a presentation on GP Care Services. The meeting also discussed school parking problems, the presence of Japanese Knotweed and welcomed the transformation of the Town Centre.
Brimrod, Marland and Sudden Area Forum The recent meeting was very well attended with a number of residents voicing concern about a proposal to fund the closure of Half Acre Lane. Other issues discussed included fly-tipping, grass cutting and weeds. The forum noted the siting of the Mini (car) floral display at Sudden junction.
Castleton Area Forum Healthwatch Rochdale attended to inform the forum about the work that they are doing. There were concerns about anti-social activity on the Mayfield Estate, traffic issues around Royle Barn Road and a discussion about plans for the former Woolworths Site. There was also confirmation that a notice board for the Slattocks area is due to be installed. Page 158 Central Rochdale Area Forum There were a number of concerns regarding traffic, particularly congestion in some areas, and speeding in others. There was also a street lighting presentation during which residents raised a number of concerns in relation to poor lighting/dark areas, removed lighting columns, the placement of replacement lighting, street lights on all the time, street lights never on, street lights coming on and off and a view that street lighting levels were better in previous years.
Healey Area Forum The main topics of discussion included concerns raised over speeding on Shawclough Road, traffic problems on Syke Road and options for improvements to Syke Pond. In an attempt to progress these matters it was agreed to undertake a traffic survey on Shawclough Road, arrange a meeting within the community with a Highways representative and to establish a Syke Pond Steering Group.
Kingsway Area Forum Residents were pleased that two additional lighting columns have now been installed on Witley Road, and that promised works on the Metrolink line have been carried out. There was discussion about the safety of the junction at Kingsway/Moss Ave; RTAC has since approved funding for a traffic regulation order at this location. There were concerns about a planned extension to St. Peter’s School with residents worried that this may add to the already unacceptable levels of congestion.
Milkstone & Deeplish Area Forum A representative of the Senior Citizens Forum attended to encourage residents of the area to join the SCF. The forum brings together senior citizens from across the Township and would like the ward to be represented. A number of issues were discussed, including fly- tipping and litter.
Norden Area Forum The focus of the recent meeting was largely related to planning matters. There was a detailed discussion in relation to two proposed traffic regulation orders and whether or not they would be promoted as a single order. There was also a discussion relating to the wind farm.
Sparth Area Forum Residents reported issues related to pot-holes, parking and alley-gating. There was discussion around possible removal of double yellow lines, and in relation to the increase in incidences of off-road biking on Mandale Park.
Spotland and Falinge Area Forum An extensive debate took place concerning the problems being experienced by residents because of vehicles accessing the road that joins Dellar Street and Churchill Street. A variety of options were put forward to deter this from happening. Other issues raised during the meeting included concerns over a skate park being established, double yellow lines being introduced without some residents being aware of this and the future of the TBA site. The Forum also discussed venues for future meetings and was made aware of the Township Funds that were available for 2016/2017.
Councillor Shaun O’Neill Rochdale Township Committee Chair
Thank you Mr. Mayor, I will be pleased to answer any questions from Members of the Council about these or any other matter relating to the Rochdale Township Committee
Page 159 Agenda Item 11n
ROCHDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL CORPORATE OVERVIEW & SCRUTINY COMMITTEE CHAIR’S REPORT TO THE COUNCIL
TUESDAY, 26th JULY 2016 Thank you Mr. Mayor for the opportunity to report to the Council the latest developments on various matters relating to the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
The Committee has met on two occasions thus far in 2016/17, on 14th June and 12th July 2016, both of which proved to be productive and interesting meetings and it was good to meet new Members who have recently been appointed to this Committee.
14th June 2016
Cities and Local Government Devolution Act 2016 The Committee received a report updating Members on the Cities and local government Devolution Act 2016, which of course prepares the legal setting for the elections for the position of an Executive Mayor for Greater Manchester in May 2017.
Directorate Plans 2015/16 Quarter Four Performance Reports The Committee scrutinised a report which presented the position at the end of Quarter 4 of the activities contained in the Resources Directorate Plan 2015/16 and the Neighbourhoods (Corporate Services) Directorate Plan 2015/16. The report consulted the Committee on Directorate Plans for 2016/17. In scrutinising budget performance the Committee requested that further consideration be given to future setting of the calendar of meetings so as information provided to the Scrutiny Committee is as up to date as possible.
Boxing Day Floods Further to the Committee’s meeting on 30th March we received a presentation which addressed the relevant corporate issues raised by the major flooding incident that affected the Borough on Boxing Day 2015, including remedial actions in case such an incident was to happen in the future. A report will be submitted to a future meeting of the Committee on the results of the testing of the Council’s ‘resilience’ in terms of addressing future such occurrences.
12th July 2016
Corporate Complaints The Committee scrutinised a report that provided Members with details of complaints received by Services during the fourth Quarter of 2015/16 (January - March).
Corporate Health Staffing Indicators The Committee scrutinised a report that provided Members with a summary of the performance of Council Services against the Corporate Health Performance Indicators for staff in the 4th Quarter 2015/2016. The final outcome for the year was 7.62 sickness absence days per FTE employee of the Authority. This compared to a challenging target of 7.30 days per FTE which represented a significant improvement on previous years. If schools staff are excluded this the figure would increase to 9.65 days lost for FTE ‘core’ Council staff. During the scrutiny of these figures it was confirmed that the outcomes for the year on both measures were that Rochdale was the best performing authority in Greater Manchester.
Corporate Plan The Committee received reports which detailed performance across the Authority in terms of delivery against the previously established Corporate Plan priorities for 2015/16. The reports included a ‘dashboard’ which highlighted progress against the Plan which showed Page 160 that overall that the slightly worsening position this year compared to 2014/15, although it should be noted there were different measures this year. The committee scrutinizes this report at an overall corporate level and the concerns that we raised within individual Directorates have been noted for the appropriate Scrutiny Committee, to pick up for further examination. The Committee was also consulted on the Council’s proposed Corporate Plan 2016 - 2019. The Plan’s priorities had been established following discussion with the cabinet and the Township Committees. The report is due for submission to Council in October 2016 for approval.
Place Plan The Committee was consulted on a report that sought endorsement from the Council of the Place Plan for the Borough that was developed as a refresh of the Authority’s Sustainable Community Strategy.
Financial Outturn Reports 2015/16 The Committee received a series of reports that had been prepared by the Director of Resources, which outlined the Council’s financial position at the end of 2015/16. The reports included: Revenue Finance Outturn, Capital Finance Outturn, Collection Fund Outturn and Savings Financial Outturn. Each of these reports demonstrated sound financial management by the Director of Resources and her staff.
Finance Update Reports 2016/17 The Council received reports that informed Members of the Council’s ongoing financial position in 2016/17 to enable decision making and action where appropriate. The report covered updates on the Revenue Budget, Capital Budget, Collection Fund and Savings.
Budget 201/18 – 2019/20 The Committee received a report that had previously been approved by the Cabinet which outlined the guidelines and timetables for the submission of financial reports during the ensuing Municipal year
Council Tax Support Scheme The Committee was consulted on proposals for the Local Council Tax Support Scheme in 2017/18.
GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny Pool The Committee considered minutes of the most recent meetings of the GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny Pool. As one of the Council’s three nominated Members it is interesting to note the developments that are taking place across the Greater Manchester region. Decisions are being made that affect directly the residents of Rochdale. The role of the GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny Pool will of course increase in significance as this municipal year progresses and we draw closer to May 2017 when elections are due to held for the position of Executive Mayor of Greater Manchester.
Work Programme 2016/17 The Committee considered proposals for its 2016/17 Work programme at both of the two meetings referred to above. I am satisfied that the Work Programme is sufficiently robust and a separate report detailing the Work programme is on the agenda of this Council meeting.
Councillor Mike Holly – Chair – Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
Thank you Mr. Mayor, I will be pleased to answer any questions from Members of the Council about these or any other matter relating to the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
Page 161 Agenda Item 11o
ROCHDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL
COMMUNITIES, REGENERATION AND ENVIRONMENT OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE CHAIR’S REPORT TO THE COUNCIL
COUNCIL - TUESDAY, 26th JULY 2016
Thank you Mr. Mayor for the opportunity to report to the Council the latest developments on various matters relating to the Communities. Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
The Committee has met on two occasions thus far in 2016/17 on 15th June and 13th July 2016. The second of these meetings was chaired by the Vice Chair, Councillor Ann Stott and I should extend my thanks to her for stepping in for me.
15th June 2016
Rochdale Safer Communities Partnership - Monitoring - Quarter 4 - 2015/16 The Committee considered a performance report in respect of the Rochdale Safer Communities Partnership in respect of the fourth quarter 2015/16 (January – March). In considering this report the Committee requested that a future report to the Committee include details of the impact of the criminalisation of the substances formerly known as ‘legal highs’. The Committee also requested that future RSCP quarterly performance reports be co-presented by senior officers representing Greater Manchester Police, wherever possible.
Directorate Plans The Committee scrutinised a report which presented the positions of the Neighbourhoods and Economy Directorates at the end of Quarter Four (31st March 2016), of the activities contained in the Economy Directorate Plan 2015/16 and the Neighbourhoods Directorate Plan 2015/16, and to present their Directorate Plans 2016/17 to Members of the Committee.
Discretionary Crisis Fund The Committee scrutinised a report which updated us of activities of the Discretionary Crisis Fund’s performance over the second six month period of 2015/16 (October – March). It was pleasing to note that the Fund has been operating well in the study period.
Rochdale Development Agency Performance Monitoring Report The Committee scrutinised a report that provided us with performance information on the activities of the Rochdale Development Agency (RDA) which were undertaken on behalf of the Council, for the fourth quarter of 2015/16 (January - March). In receiving the report we were informed that there had been significant progress recently in terms of developing Kingsway Business Park. And we received clarification on the governance arrangements of the RDA and in doing so confirmed that both the Leader of the Council and the Council’s Chief Executive were members of the RDA Board.
Boxing Day Floods We received a presentation which addressed the relevant corporate issues raised by the major flooding incident that affected the Borough on Boxing Day 2015 including remedial actions in case such an incident was to happen in the future. The Committee were advised that in the event of a major flooding ‘disaster’ at Number One Riverside the Council’s ICT service had in place resilient ICT systems with two data centres which were physically separated. The Council reassuringly had the capacity to restore some key services such as telephones, e-mails and websites within the first hour of a flood and a limited number of critical applications within the following few hours.
Page 162 Supplementary Planning Document The Committee scrutinised a report of the regarding guidelines and standards for the Council’s Residential Development Supplementary Planning Document, the report having previously been considered by the Cabinet where the report’s recommendations were approved.
13th July 2016
Link4Life The Committee scrutinised a report of the Rochdale Boroughwide Cultural Trust which provided information relating to the performance of the Trust, trading as Link4Life, during the second six month period of 2015/16 (October 2015 – April 2016). The Committee welcomed the attendance of the Portfolio Holder, Councillor Emsley, and senior staff from Link4Life who spoke to the report. The continued improvement of Link4Life’s performance was enthusiastically welcomed and the breadth of services and activities on offer was duly noted.
Food and Feed Service Plan 2016-17 The Committee scrutinised a report which presented the Council’s Food and Feed Service Plan for 2016/17. It identifies the scope and demands on the service, providing details of last year’s performance and details the way the Service proposes to continue to meet the Food Standards Agency’s mandatory guidance on inspection frequency. Members considered the report in detail and were pleased to note the progress that was being made.
Street Lighting PFI Contract The Committee scrutinised a report which addressed concerns that had been raised by Members, at previous meetings of this Committee and of the former Overview and Scrutiny Committee in relation to the performance and monitoring of the Street Lighting PFI project. In considering this report Members noted the continued improved performances in this regard that I had referred to in a previous report of mine to the Council in January 2016. Members noted the revised future reporting arrangements in terms of street lighting operations and the council can be assured that we will continue to monitor these operations very carefully.
Work Programme 2016/2017 The Committee considered its Work Programme for 2016/2017 and approved its submission to this Council meeting where it is to be considered as a separate agenda item. In developing the Work programme it is noted that the ‘core’ functions of the Committee are covered and in addition I intend to look in detail at issues surrounding renewable energy and a specific task and finish group around this subject should be up and running by the time I next report to Council on October where I will update Members further.
The Committee has reaffirmed its wish for more informal meetings including with Members of the Corporate Overview and Scrutiny Committee regarding the Rochdale Riverside initiative, which is a potentially exciting development for the town centre.
We continue to develop a structure of continuous Overview and Scrutiny where the meeting acts more for communication and ratification, while scrutiny occurs on an ongoing basis throughout the year. A robust schedule of work has been developed and we continue to concentrating on relevant high risk areas of the Council’s business.
Page 163 Reporting and communication provide ongoing challenges but I do feel that with the support of ICT we moving in the right direction, especially in terms of report formatting and the presentation of the type of information that Members want to scrutinise.
Councillor Neil Butterworth – Chair - Communities, Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
Thank you Mr. Mayor, I will be pleased to answer any questions from Members of the Council about these or any other matter relating to the Communities, Regeneration and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
Page 164 Agenda Item 11p
ROCHDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL
HEALTH SCHOOLS AND CARE OVERVIEW AND SCRUTINY COMMITTEE CHAIR’S REPORT TO THE COUNCIL
COUNCIL - TUESDAY, 26th JULY 2016
Thank you Mr. Mayor for the opportunity to report to the Council the latest developments on various matters relating to the Health, Schools and Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
This is the first report of the new Municipal Year and covers the Committee’s meeting held 29thJune 2016
Oral Health Scrutiny Study Group The Committee considered a report of the Oral Health Scrutiny Study Group which had been established to gain an understanding of the prevalence and severity of dental decay amongst the Borough’s residents, especially amongst five year old children and to examine recommended actions for inclusion in the local Oral Health Improvement Strategy 2016 - 2020. The Study was therefore closely linked to the development of the Borough’s Oral Health Improvement Strategy and was concerned with improving health outcomes for service users in the Rochdale Borough which should improve healthy life and wellbeing outcomes. As a consequence, this directly linked into the ‘People’, ‘Place’ and ‘Prosperity’ corporate priorities of the Council. Due to the fact that this issue was closely linked to proposals for the devolution of functions and services to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority it was agreed that the Study Group, which of course is chaired by the vice Chair, Councillor Sullivan, would continue to meet for approximately another six months.
Care Act 2014 The Committee received an informative presentation which detailed the Council’s duties, roles and functions under the Care Act 2014.
Market Oversight Report We received a report which asked us to consider the market oversight report which provides quality assurance information for services commissioned by the Adult Care service for 2015/16. The Adult Care Service commissions external provider services to deliver a range of Care services to adults with eligible social care needs. The Adult Care Commissioning team assures the quality of these services and the Care Quality Commission also regulates some of the services and the market oversight report presented quality assurance information for the whole of 2015/16.
Directorate Plans The Committee scrutinised a report that presented details of progress in the fourth quarter 2015/2016 (January – March) towards targets contained in the Adult Care, Children’s Services and the Public Health Directorate Plans 2015/2016.
Social Care Complaints The Committee received a report that provided us with a summary of Adult and Children’s Social Care complaints received during the fourth quarter 2015/2016 (January – March).
Provision of Services for People with Learning Disabilities We received a very good presentation from representatives of the Heywood, Middleton and Rochdale NHS Clinical Commissioning Group to report who were commencing a period of consultation on proposals for the development of learning disability services in the Borough. Due to time constraints we were unable to devote quite the time to this that we would have liked and therefore deferred this matter tour next meeting. Page 165 GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny Pool At Annual Council I was nominated me to be the lead member on the GMCA/AGMA Scrutiny Pool and in this regard I will be presenting information throughout the year in support of this role. So far in 2016/17 the Scrutiny Pool has met twice. The first meeting June was a single tem agenda meeting regarding TfGM proposals whilst the second meeting took the form of a workshop examining the proposed role of GMCA/AGMA and where the Scrutiny pool fits in with that process.
Subject to parliamentary deliberations next May we will be electing a Mayor for the Greater Manchester region, of which the Rochdale Borough is an integral part. The Mayor will have executive powers to make decisions that will affect the day to day lives of the Borough’s residents so, with this in mind, it is important that the Scrutiny Pool holds the decision makers to account and I am sure I will be ably assisted in this regard by my fellow Rochdale colleagues on the Scrutiny pool Councillors Butterworth and Holly.
The Work programme is the subject of a separate item on this meeting’s agenda but I am confident that the Programme reflects the challenging and diverse remit of the Committee and we will continue to strive to effectively scrutinise the providers of health, social care and education throughout 016/17.
Councillor Sara Rowbotham - Chair, Health, Schools and Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
Thank you Mr. Mayor, I will be pleased to answer any questions from Members of the Council about these or any other matter relating to the Health, Schools and Care Overview and Scrutiny Committee.
Page 166 Agenda Item 12a
ROCHDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL
REPORT OF THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE GREATER MANCHESTER FIRE AND RESCUE AUTHORITY
TO THE MEETING OF THE COUNCIL ON 26th JULY 2016
Thank you Mr. Mayor for the opportunity to report to the Council the latest developments on various matters relating to Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority.
Rochdale Borough
Rochdale Borough KPI/Indicator Total at the end of Quarter 1 2015/16 Total at the end of Quarter 1 2016/17 Incident Increase/Decrease to 2015/16 Quarterly % Increase/Decrease to 2015/16 Required Q1 Target for 2016/17 % Increase/Decrease to Quarterly Target All Fires 345 274 71 21% 366 25.00% Accidental Dwelling Fires 42 42 0 0% 44 4.54% Number of Non-Domestic Fires 16 16 0 0% 11 45.45% Percentage of ADFs with a Working Smoke Alarm 80.95% 73.81% 8.82 9% 80% 8.61% Number of Deliberate Fires 242 176 66 27.27% 236 25.42% Deliberate Primary Fires 49 36 13 27% 47 23.40% Deliberate Secondary Fires 193 140 53 27.46% 189 25.92% Number of Injuries from Fire 3 6 3 100% 1 600% FADAs (False Alarm due to Apparatus) 90 94 4 4.25% 86 8.51% Percentage of fires confined to the room of origin 90.48% 88.10% N/A 3% 95% 7.26%
All Fires During Q1 2016/17 the GMFRS Performance portal identifies 274 fires in Rochdale Borough. This represents a 21% decrease in fires in comparison to Q1 2015/16 and a 25% reduction against our target for Q1.
Rochdale Borough has performed extremely well against figures recorded during the previous year Q1 2015/16. Compared to 2015/16 Q1 Figures Rochdale Borough have reduced:
All fires by 20% Remained at the same levels on accidental dwellings and non-domestic fires Number of deliberate fires by 27% Number of deliberate Primary fires by 27% Number of deliberate secondary fires by 27.5%
We have though recorded increases in the percentage of AFD with a working smoke alarm has reduced from 80.95% to 73.81%
The number of injuries from Fire has increased from three persons to six persons Rochdale Borough has though appeared to struggle against some targets set for Q1 2016/17.
We have maintained reductions in: All fires - 25% Deliberate fires – 25.42% Deliberate Secondary Fires – 25.92% Accidental dwelling fires 4.54% Deliberate primary fires 25.42%
We have though missed our target for: Non domestic fires 45% Percentage of AFD with a working smoke alarm 8.61% Injuries from fire 600% FADAs 8.51% Page 167 Fire confined to room of origin reduced by 7.26%
Accidental Dwelling Fires For Q1 we have seen an increase (42) against the Corporate KPI target which is set at 34. Although there has been no increase recorded against last year’s figures which were also 42. Heywood/Middleton recorded 18 ADF against a target of 16 and Rochdale/Pennines recorded 24 against a target of 18.
Amongst the stations there’s a pretty even split of incident numbers, within the wards the worst affected are:
Rochdale/Pennines Kingsway (4 incidents) these involved 2 cooking and 1 candles. Milkstone/Deeplish (4 incidents) these involved 2 electrical, 1 cooking and 1 CDSM Milnrow/Newhey (4 incidents) these involved 2 cooking incidents and one dementia related incident.
Heywood/Middleton South Middleton (4 incidents) these involved Cooking, candles and electrical. West Heywood (3 Incidents) these involved cooking and electrical Hopwood Hall (3 incidents) these involved electrical and cooking North Heywood (3 incidents) these involved cooking
Accidental Dwelling Fire Incident Examples Hillcrest Road Rochdale. Fire discovered by 6 year old in bedroom of the property. Tea light candles are believed to have started this fire and were observed right throughout the property. Potential for young children to come in contact with fire. Occupants were referred to the contact centre. Community Safety Advisor (CSA) informed and Smoke alarms installed by crews. Occupants were leaving the property and provided forward details to ensure their next dwelling would have a full safe and well visit.
Count Street Rochdale Cooking Related Fire at 04:33 hours which resulted in a baby being transferred to hospital and six people being led to safety by FRS Personnel. Occupiers included a six year old autistic boy who had woken up in the early hours, proceeded to go downstairs and cook something in the microwave causing light smoke in the house. Occupiers were given fire safety advise and further smoke alarms were fitted. Also advised to disconnect the microwave and cooker at night in the near future and a CSA is now dealing with this case.
Albert Street Rochdale Kitchen fire involving carelessly discarded items next to gas hob that had been left on after cooking had finished. Concerns were raised by neighbours that the occupier was suffering early signs of dementia due to repeatedly locking herself out and other related issues. Crews identified use of candles and mild hoarding. The occupier also had no recollection of leaving the cooker hob on. A full safe and well carried out at the property and a risk note entered onto OIS for the property. Safeguarding procedures were instigated and a full safe and well visit conducted.
Two fires identified to have occurred at the Hutton House, flat complex Rochdale. a. Occupier fell asleep whilst smoking a cigarette which ignited his shirt and he suffered burns to his chest and abdomen and burns to the side of his face. Fire resistant bedding provided to the occupant. b. Fire caused by Candle burning a bunch of plastic flowers on dining table. Out on arrival of fire service. No injuries to occupants. Occupants did not speak English and so a Polish interpreter was contacted via language line to relay safety information from watch commander. Details passed to CSA for further investigation. PAIROFF completed by WM, CSA Rod Holmes informed who will make a visit to the site to advise occupants. The Business Safety Adviser (BSA) and team leader are now in Page 168 consultation with the owners of this property. This property has a number of issues with regards to residents and visitors and is known for drugs and prostitution. Company have to make cuts so may result in a further decrease of staff. BSA will provide update.
Non Domestic Fires Sixteen incidents for Q1 2016/17. This is the same total as Q1 2015/16. The target for Q1 2016/17 was 12 which equates to a 33% increase of such incidents. Two incidents at Rochdale were recorded as cooking;
All incidents are known to the CSA and BSA
Deliberate Primary Fires 36 Incidents recorded. Highest incident by Rochdale wards are Kingsway (5) and Healey (4). Of the 26 incidents in Rochdale there were 7 incidents involving houses and 7 incidents involving cars.
Heywood’s largest ward is North Middleton (3). Of the 10 incidents in Heywood there were 7 incidents involving motor vehicles.
Rochdale Borough personnel will continue to work proactively with our partners to reduce such incidents.
Incidents of note: Three deliberate fires in the week flowing the 22nd May 2016 in vicinity of Bentley St. One Incident involved forced entry by forcing the front door at 9 Bentley Street, (currently unoccupied property) and a deliberate fire started on the stairs. It is considered that this may be a dispute between neighbours and landlord. Police informed and currently investigating. Fire safety advice provided.
Second arson attack on property at Wood Street Middleton. Property visited by BSA who discovered it to be insecure and severely damaged by fire. The managing agent was informed that the property in its present secure state posed a risk to adjoining properties if again subjected to an arson attack. Due to previous lack of action to secure this property Rochdale Planning were also contacted and have forwarded this matter onto one of their Enforcement Officers.
Deliberate Secondary Fires 140 incidents recorded against a Target of 148. The major wards involved in Deliberate secondary fires was Balderstone/Kirkholt – 18 Milkstone/Deeplish – 13 Spotland/Falinge – 12 Littleborough Lakeside – 10.
There were 11 repeat call locations – The main offenders being Iceland Frozen foods and Manchester Golf Club.
Crews remain proactive in addressing this area of concern and have undertaken all necessary local partner communication.
Page 169 Loose refuge is the main culprit. Addressing this relies upon a number of factors such as education, removal, partner agencies and fire safety/BSA input.
Incidents of Note Two further incidents occurred on land in close proximity to Iceland Supermarket, Well I th Lane, Rochdale during Q1 2016/17. This follows on from 6 incidents during the previous quarter. Iceland Store Manager was contacted and he asked the company to contact the landlord and ask for all fly tipped rubbish to be removed. He has also requested additional CCTV and in consultation with the BSA implemented staff procedures to reduce risk. The landlord has not been forthcoming in moving fire risk or putting measures in place to reduce access for fly tipping, therefore Environmental Management Enforcement Officers from Rochdale Council were asked to visit the site by GMFRS and are now pursuing the landlord of the land at Iceland legally. During the previous quarter Q4 2015/16 Rochdale fire crews were called a number of times to Alice Street Rochdale. This resulted in a full multi agency response to resolve this issue of the occupant calling for emergency services and turning emergency services out to her neighbour. Two further incidents occurred during early April. One directed at her neighbour, the other where she was found to be drunk and abusive by firefighters. A safe and well visit has been completed at the property although the occupant is still refusing agency help and is in danger of losing the tenancy of her home. Following a multi-Agency meeting she has been informed that if she to phone the emergency services which now stands at over 40 Calls via the 999 system there may be serious consequences for herself. No further calls to this address since April.
Rochdale Fire Crews attended a fire on allotments at the rear of Crescent Road, Sudden, Rochdale, which destroyed a security fence and a large outbuilding. Residents complained that the allotment which was destroyed had not been used/tended to for a long time and the buildings were in a poor state of disrepair. The CSA and Environmental services were informed of this fire and potential future risk due to poor state of repair. The Greenspace and Countryside development Officer mobilised Environmental Wardens who removed any obvious flammable materials and secured the site. They also served Notices to Quit on the two plot-holders involved for non-cultivation and will allocate plots to new people as and when they are available.
In close proximity to Crescent Road Firefighters attended 2 incidents in the vicinity at Eskdale Avenue Rochdale. The first being a bin outside a row of shops and the second more serious incident being some abandoned furniture at the rear of 58 Kingsland Road being set alight and spreading to the fence, gate, and shed. GMP and the environmental department at Rochdale Local Authority have been informed and a target 100 completed in the area focusing on wheelie bin safety as it looks like anything left outdoors is being targeted.
Number of injuries from fire Rochdale Borough Recorded 7 casualties from fire, of which six incidents were accidental and 1 deliberate. Six of these properties had smoke alarms of which only four operated correctly. Rochdale recorded five casualties from fire which is a significant increase. All of these incidents were captured and investigated by our borough teams.
Page 170 Albert Street - Kitchen fire involving carelessly discarded items next to gas hob that had been left on after cooking had finished. Slight smoke inhalation. Moorland Avenue - Rug brought into contact with gas fire. Slight smoke inhalation. Hutton House - Occupier fell asleep whilst smoking, burns to upper body
False Alarms due to apparatus – 94 recorded
There have also been 15 repeat call incidents the majority of which are addressed below in the BSA Update.
Incidents of note: Hutton House, Henry Street Rochdale has had 17 False alarms since July 2014 and three during Q1 2016/17. The Business Safety Adviser (BSA) has been informed and is aware of these incidents. The scheme manager has been contacted and a visit has now been arranged with the Fire Safety Officer. It is hoped that a number of Safe and Well visits will be secured during this process of communication. At Avro Court, Aspinall Street Middleton four false alarms were reported this quarter, 3 fires, 18 incidents in the past 12 months. BSA visited this property concerned about the number of incidents. She reiterated the need for training and identified that the staff do not investigate if there is a fire or false alarm on alarm actuation. This property contains some high risk individuals so the Fire safety team have been notified and offered to provide a FS talk to staff and tenants. At Ian Fraser Court, Queensway, Rochdale crews had identified this property as a problem with regards to the occupant boiling food dry. The lady appeared a little confused. She already has additional alarms that are linked to a care line. This issue has been forwarded to the BSA to link with the property to determine if further measures are necessary.
Rochdale Fire Station Community Room Activity During Q1 2016/17 All the Borough Fire Stations have been used as polling stations over Q1 2016/17 including a Polling Station on 5 May 2016 and EU Referendum on 23 JuneMay 2016 Rochdale Fire Station Community Room - Training to business owners and their staff (4 sessions of 15 people) with Rochdale Council (Food and public protection) the attendees were either new business owners or business owners who are failing at food hygiene standards. GMFRS arranged to visit at least 27 of the businesses from these sessions.
Councillor Shaun O’Neill Councillor Amna Mir
Members of the Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority
Thank you Mr. Mayor for the opportunity to report to the Council the latest developments on various matters relating to Greater Manchester Fire and Rescue Authority.
Page 171 Agenda Item 12b
ROCHDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL REPORT OF THE REPRESENTATIVE OF THE GREATER MANCHESTER WASTE DISPOSAL AUTHORITY
TO THE MEETING OF THE COUNCIL ON 26th JULY 2016
Thank you Mr. Mayor for the opportunity to report to the Council the latest developments on various matters relating to Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority.
Last Authority meeting At the Annual General Meeting (AGM) of the Authority on 10th June 2016, Councillor Nigel Murphy was unanimously appointed as Chair of the Authority. Councillor Murphy became a Member of the Authority in 2007 and has a wealth of knowledge and experience in waste and recycling. For the past two years he has held the role of Vice Chair of the Authority and Chair of the Waste Management Committee.
GMWDA also welcomed ten new members. New appointments were made to the Authority’s three committees. Councillor Tony Cummings, Labour Member for Bury, was appointed as Vice Chair of the Authority and Chair of the Waste Management Committee.
Former Chair of the Authority, Councillor Catherine Piddington, Labour Member for Tameside, was appointed as Vice Chair of the Authority and Chair of the Resources Committee.
Councillor Michael Young, Conservative Member for Trafford, was appointed as Deputy Chair of the Waste Management Committee and Councillor David Lancaster, Labour Member for Salford, was appointed as Deputy Chair of the Resources Committee.
Jackie Njoroge continues as the Independent Chair of the Audit and Standards Committee, supported by Deputy Chair Councillor Philip Fitzpatrick, Labour member for Tameside.
Contract Update
In 2015/16 the recycling rate for the GMWDA areas was 44% with 77.9% of waste being diverted from landfill (all figures subject to final verification by the Environment Agency, anticipated to be complete in September 2016). Works to remediate tank corrosion issues are progressing through the defect rectification process at the Longley Lane and Cobden St sites with works anticipated to be fully completed by the end of the 2016/17 financial year. Works at the Reliance St and Bredbury sites are completed with both plants fully operational and generating electricity from the waste processed.
The Thermal Power Station (TPS) at Runcorn has operated ahead of expectations in 2015/16 and processed c.345kt of fuel from the GMWDA facilities. The facility has continued to operate well in April and May of 2016/17 and is forecast to process more fuel this year and to contribute to a target of 83% diversion from landfill.
Communications Update
Recycle for Greater Manchester (R4GM) and Rochdale Council are currently running a campaign to target residents who are not recycling all of their paper and card (newspapers, magazines, cardboard, tetra pack). The campaign started in June and will continue until the end of November 2016. The targeted areas are Kirkholt/Castleton, Buersil/Kirkholt, Queensway/Deeplish, Middleton (Moorclose/Greenhill), Newbold/Belfield and Heywood/Darnhill.
Page 172 The campaign’s priority is to target those who do not have a blue bin (non-participating), and then secondly to target those who have a small bin – encouraging residents to swap their bin for a larger one. The campaign is being delivered through door-step engagement to reinforce what can be recycled, deliver an information leaflet and facilitate the ordering of missing bins.
In order to gain community engagement in the campaign R4GM are working with community centres, residential groups and schools through the delivery of a number of recycling activity sessions.
Post participation monitoring will be conducted following the intervention and compared against pre monitoring to assess any change in behaviour.
Targets Forecasts are showing that our target of 50% recycling for the nine Districts in Greater Manchester recycling will be achieved in 2017/18. Recycling performance has dramatically increased of late, with some good results from our recent collection changes here in Rochdale. Figures reported from Rochdale Council show that since introducing the three weekly collections recycling has increased. In May 2016 the kerbside recycling rate was 55.8%, and in June this rose again to 58.4%.
Councillor Mohammed Zaman Councillor Susan Emmott Members of the Greater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority
Thank you Mr. Mayor, I will be pleased to answer any questions from Members of the Council about these or any other matter relating to the Grater Manchester Waste Disposal Authority.
Page 173 Agenda Item 12c
ROCHDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL
REPORT OF THE LEAD MEMBER FOR THE ARMED FORCES TO THE MEETING OF THE COUNCIL ON WEDNESDAY, 26th JULY 2016 Thank you Mr Mayor for the opportunity to report to the Council the latest developments on various matters relating to the Armed Forces military covenant.
Rochdale remembers The Somme A service was held at the town’s Cenotaph on Sunday 10 July at 3pm. A march through Rochdale town centre took place taking on a new high profile route down Yorkshire Street and across the newly opened bridge. The march was led by the King’s Division Band which included Veterans, cadets and associations from across the borough as the local community came together to remember the fallen.
Memorial Benches 16 Memorial benches are starting to roll out across the Borough. The black iron benches represent both world wars with 3 designs being available. These benches have been funded through Township funding with an additional two being funded in Heywood by The Lancashire veterans Association and Heywood Rotary Club, an addition bench request and funding from the Lancashire Fusiliers Rochdale Branch is warmly welcomed.
Page 174 Somme Service Heywood As well as the Armed Forces Flag being raised on the 18th June Heywood held a Somme 100 service marking 100 years since the bloodiest day in British military history. The service took place in a crowded memorial gardens and also included dedication of four memorial benches.
Raising of the Armed Forces Flag The Armed Forces Flag was raised on the 24th June in Middleton, Rochdale, Milnrow and Littleborough. Armed Forces Day was held on 25th June and the raising of the Armed Forces flag shows our support as a community.
Rochdale Hornets Wheelchair Rugby Rochdale Council in Partnership with The Rochdale Hornets Foundation and Link4Life has been successful with a bid to start a Wheelchair Rugby Team. The team will be geared towards veterans and the wider community. A committee has been formed and training has started once a week with 12 to 15 members attending already.
Wheelchair Rugby Four Nations As part of the above successful bid Rochdale along with Wigan will host the Wheelchair Rugby Four Nations between England, Scotland, Ireland and Wales. The event will take place on Fri 23rd, Sat 24th September in Rochdale and the final will be held in Wigan on the 25th September this year. Rochdale will host the launch part on the Friday evening at the Town Hall followed by the Saturday games at Kingsway Sports Centre.
Welfare Welfare work has continued since the last report. Due to flood damage the Thursday drop in has been cancelled but should start again shortly. One to One support is still available for veterans by contacting the Armed Forces Officer.
AGMA Due to developments within AGMA our Armed Forces Officer has been asked to Chair the AGMA Armed Forces Meetings. The first meeting has taken place and we are now looking at ways to develop the Armed Forces Covenant across AGMA. This will done by supporting other authorities across AGMA and looking for future funding opportunities to support our Armed Forces Family.
Rochdale Veterans Breakfast Club The Veterans Breakfast Club is held at the newly refurbished Clock Tower Dining Room at Rochdale Town hall. A subsidised breakfast is provided for Veterans and Dependants every Thursday between 09.00 am and 10.30 am and started on the 2nd June 2016. The Council Armed Forces Team in Partnership with The Royal British Legion was successful with a Council Innovation Fund bid.
Freedom of the Borough of Rochdale for Major Edmund T Gartside TD DL Major Edmund T Gartside TD DL MA has been made an Honorary Freeman of the Borough, the highest civic honour we can bestow on an individual. The Freedom of the Borough was awarded to Major Gartside, 82, at a special ceremony held at Rochdale Town Hall on Friday (8 March).
Cllr Alan McCarthy Lead Member for the Armed Forces
Thank you Mayor, I will be pleased to answer any questions from Members of the Council about these or any other matter relating to the Armed Forces.
Page 175 Agenda Item 12d
ROCHDALE BOROUGH COUNCIL
REPORT OF THE REPRESENTATIVE TO THE TRANSPORT FOR GREATER MANCHESTER COMMITTEE TO THE MEETING OF THE COUNCIL ON 26TH JULY 2016
Thank you Mr Mayor for the opportunity to report to the Council the latest developments on various matters relating to the Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM) Committee.
The Greater Manchester Transport Strategy 2040
I reported to April Council meeting that the draft Greater Manchester Transport Strategy 2040 which looks to the future of public transport across our Greater Manchester had been agreed for consultation to occur over the summer period.
That consultation commenced on 4th July, and runs through to 26th September. I would encourage all Councillors and the public to consider the proposals and respond to the consultation exercise - 2040 Strategy. Following the consultation it is hoped to determine the final Strategy later in 2016.
Metrolink
I have met recently with representatives of Metrolink, TfGM, Ward Councillors, GMP, Crime & ASB staff and the Youth Service to discuss incidences of anti-social behaviour at a number of locations on the Metrolink line in the Borough. The meetings have been very productive and this multi-agency response has resulted in a reduction in the number of incidents during recent months. I will continue to meet with the group on a regular basis to monitor progress and to ensure that we continue to work in partnership to address any issues.
In-uniform service personnel and reservists are now able to travel for free on Metrolink after the system joined a national scheme which recognises the military’s contribution to the nation. Metrolink, which has had a tram named ‘Lancashire Fusiliers’ in the fleet since 2006, has traditionally offered free travel to service people on Armed Forces Day, but the new arrangement means it is now available on trams every day from 25th June 2016.
The Bus Network
I forwarded all Members advance notification of forthcoming changes to the bus network that were to be reported to the Bus Network and TfGM Services Sub-Committee in order to get feedback on any proposals coming forward in your areas. I had a very limited response. However, given the recent report had several service withdrawals and frequency reductions in the Borough, I thought it timely to remind members that TfGM, like the Council, has to deliver savings and these become more difficult to identify year on year. This inevitably impacts on the subsidised bus network, and TfGM Committee uses a developed methodology for considering subsidised services which includes matters such as patronage, value for money and other criteria including accessibility.
The Sub-Committee met on 8th July. On the commercial network, we were advised of the withdrawal of Monday to Friday daytime and all Saturday journeys on the 24 (Rochdale/ Thornham – Manchester) leaving just peak journeys, and of the withdrawal of daily daytime journeys between Rochdale and Shaw on the 182 (Rochdale - Manchester), though some weekday peak journeys extend from/to Milnrow. The availability of alternate provision means that no action from TfGM is proposed at this time. However, an assessment of the withdrawal of Sunday daytime services on the 415 (Oldham – Alkrington – Middleton), including usage and lack of alternate provision, has resulted in a short term contract being granted. A number of frequency reductions were also noted. Page 176 On the subsidised network, the operator of services 443, 444, 445 and 448 in Rochdale indicated a significant cost increase to continue these services. These additional costs could not be agreed to, and an alternate network considered to offer benefits for certain areas whilst maintaining services to the areas affected was agreed to be implemented from September 2016– Service 448 to be withdrawn and partially replaced with new daytime, off peak, hourly service 441 Rochdale – Foxholes and new hourly daytime service 440 Rochdale - Syke via Infirmary on the same route as current evening and Sunday 440 journeys; Service 444 to be withdrawn and partially replaced by new service 442 Rochdale – Bury Road – Bamford – Norden to operate Monday to Saturday, mainly hourly; and Daytime service 445 to be withdrawn and partially replaced by revised Service 443 to operate Rochdale – Cutgate – Elmsfield – Shawfield – Cutgate – Rochdale Circular.
Due to a decline in patronage that has seen the cost of subsidy increase, TfGM has reluctantly agreed to withdraw a number of evening services on services 444, 447 and 456 across Rochdale, Norden, Littleborough and Wardle.
I also pursued a member query relating to service 462 in Milnrow. Unfortunately TfGM were only able to partially reinstate this service together with service 451. In order to keep costs to an acceptable level it was necessary that the bus is used to meet school requirements in the Rochdale area. This enabled protection of these services and the contract has recently been extended until October 2017. While the resultant gaps in the timetable inconvenience passengers and are unpopular, they do allow a limited level of service to areas that otherwise would be left unserved. The relatively low number of unique passengers who have no alternative is not sufficient to justify a regular frequency as the costs are prohibitive.
Bus Hailer Initiative
A new initiative to help make bus travel easier for visually impaired people across Greater Manchester has been launched. TfGM has teamed up with the charity Henshaws, which supports people with sight loss to design new, free products for registered blind or partially sighted people, including a fluorescent orange pass wallet and a yellow bus hailer.
To help make travel less challenging, the new products indicate to bus drivers that visually impaired passengers may require additional assistance, prompting them to offer this instantly. The bus hailer is a flip pad that consists of bold and embossed numbers and letters, with the braille version underneath. Users select the number of their bus and display it to oncoming traffic, signalling to the bus driver that they need to stop. The word ‘bus’ can be displayed if users are unsure of their bus number.
Railways
TfGM reported in May on the completion of works on improved facilities being providing at rail stations in Greater Manchester. This included works to provide real time information screens, public announcement systems and passenger help points as well station-wide CCTV, and works in this programme at Castleton and Smithy Bridge stations has now been completed. Providing customer information facilities so it is clear when and where trains are due and providing help points all contribute to a more pleasant and assured travel experience. The improvements were carried out under the National Stations Improvement Programme (NSIP), with match funding provided by TfGM as part of its Rail Station Improvement Strategy (RSIS). Since 2008, TfGM has delivered improvements at 46 rail stations across Greater Manchester as part of the RSIS programme.
Page 177 Smart Ticketing
I have reported previously to Council on issues relating to smart ticketing. I am pleased to advise the Council that a one-ticket smart solution for buses and trams across Greater Manchester, will be introduced next year. By the end of 2017, the ‘get me there’ smart cards, currently available separately on a limited basis on Metrolink and on buses, will be extended for use across both the tram and bus networks, and more places and different ways to pay for ‘get me there’ will be introduced. This will improve customer service, and take TfGM forward on the delivery of integrated ticketing across Greater Manchester.
Sustainable Travel
TfGM, on behalf of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, has successfully secured the country’s equal highest funding award from the Department for Transport’s (DfT) Sustainable Travel Transition Fund following a national competition. The award, representing 12% of the £20.6m being given by the DfT for 23 sustainable travel initiatives across England, will see a range of schemes being delivered to encourage people to consider sustainable and active travel choices, particularly for journeys to work.
During the next 12 months, more than 12,000 free and discounted bus and tram tickets will be made available to jobseekers, as well as free recycled bikes and accessories through the Bike Back to Work scheme. Workplace experience in the transport sector will also be provided as part of the Train, Learn, Drive, Earn project. Getting more people cycling and walking, and helping people back into work, are key priorities for TfGM and the Combined Authority, and this funding will bring significant benefits to our region.
, comfortable, inter-urban network, mostly Thank you Mr Mayor, I will be pleased to answer any questions from Members of the Council about these or any other matter relating to the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee
Councillor Phil Burke Councillor Shah Wazir Transport for Greater Manchester Committee
Page 178 Agenda Item 13
DECISIONS AGREED AT THE GREATER MANCHESTER COMBINED AUTHORITY MEETING HELD ON FRIDAY 29 APRIL 2016 AT GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE HEADQUARTERS
GM INTERIM MAYOR Tony Lloyd (in the Chair)
BOLTON COUNCIL Councillor Cliff Morris
BURY COUNCIL Councillor Mike Connolly
MANCHESTER CC Councillor Richard Leese
OLDHAM COUNCIL Councillor Jean Stretton
ROCHDALE MBC Councillor Richard Farnell
SALFORD CC Councillor David Lancaster
STOCKPORT MBC Councillor Sue Derbyshire
TAMESIDE MBC Councillor Kieran Quinn
TRAFFORD COUNCIL Councillor Sean Anstee
WIGAN COUNCIL Councillor Peter Smith
JOINT BOARDS AND OTHER MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE
GMFRA Councillor David Acton GMWDA Councillor Nigel Murphy TfGMC Councillor Andrew Fender
OFFICERS IN ATTENDANCE
Steven Young Bolton Council Mike Owen Bury Council Howard Bernstein Manchester CC Carolyn Wilkins Oldham Council Steve Rumbelow Rochdale MBC Jim Taylor Salford CC Eamonn Boylan Stockport MBC Steven Pleasant Tameside MBC Jill Colbert Trafford Council Donna Hall Wigan Council Andrew Lightfoot GM Director of Public Service Reform Rachel Pykett GM Public Service Reform Mark Hughes Manchester Growth Company Simon Nokes New Economy
Page1 179 Adam Allen Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner Clare Regan Office of the GM Interim Mayor Peter O’Reilly GM Fire & Rescue Service Ian Hopkins GM Police Jon Lamonte TfGM Liz Treacy GMCA Monitoring Officer Richard Paver GMCA Treasurer Julie Connor Head of GMIST Sylvia Welsh ) Greater Manchester Kerry Bond ) Integrated Support Team Ross MacRae GMCA Media Lead
55/16 APOLOGIES
Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Mayor Ian Stewart (Salford), Margaret Asquith (Bolton), Theresa Grant (Trafford), John Bland (GMWDA), Councillor Cath Piddington (GMWDA).
56/16 CHAIR’S ANNOUNCEMENTS AND URGENT BUSINESS
The GM Interim Mayor made the following announcements: i. The funeral of Derek Bowden, former Leader of Bury Council, was to be held later in the day. The thanks of the GMCA be placed on record, for the contribution Derek made as a member of Association of Greater Manchester Authorities (AGMA) and the North West Regional Assembly (NWRA) during his time as Leader of Bury Council.
ii. The thanks of the GMCA be placed on record for the contribution GM Police made to the Hillsborough nquest, stressing the importance of ensuring the lessons learned from the tragedy are recognised and strategies implemented to ensure such an incident can never be repeated
GM Police and Crime Commissioner’s Ethics Committee has been tasked with examining the ethics of the situation with a view to developing a strategy to respond to such an incident to reassure the public that GM Police is prepared.
The GM Interim Mayor also asked that all the emergency services providers within Greater Manchester undertake a similar review with a view to developing a co-ordinated strategy across emergency service providers. He also emphasised the importance of people having confidence in the Whistle Blowing structures was also highlighted.
.
Page 2180 57/16 DECLARATIONS OF INTERESTS
Councillor Kieran Quinn declared a prejudicial interest, as Chair of the GM Pension Fund, in the Evergreen Loan Book Disposal reports to be considered at Items 15 and 20 on the agenda.
58/16 MINUTES OF THE GMCA MEETING HELD ON 18 MARCH 2016
The minutes of the GMCA meeting held on 18 March 2016 were submitted for consideration.
RESOLVED/-
To approve the minutes of the GMCA meeting held on 18 March 2016 as a correct record.
59/16 FORWARD PLAN OF STRATEGIC DECISIONS OF GMCA
Consideration was given to a report of Julie Connor, Head of the Greater Manchester Integrated Support Team, which set out the Forward Plan of those strategic decisions to be considered over the next four months.
RESOLVED/-
To note the Forward Plan of Strategic Decisions as set out in the report.
60/16 GREATER MANCHESTER DEVOLUTION: UPDATED INTEGRATED IMPLEMENTATION PLAN
Tony Lloyd, GM Interim Mayor, presented a refreshed version of the Implementation Plan, which reflects the latest agreement announced as part of the March 2016 Budget Settlement and the work underway to implement Greater Manchester’s previous agreements.
The plan also brings together all the elements of the four agreements to date and highlights key milestones and tasks, timescales, requirements of Government and risks.
RESOLVED/-
To endorse the GM Devolution Integrated Implementation Plan.
61/16 CLIMATE CHANGE AND LOW EMISSIONS STRATEGIES IMPLEMENTATION PLAN 2016-20
Councillor Sue Derbyshire presented a report outlining how the responses received from the Climate Change and Low Emissions Strategies’ Implementation Plan (2016-2020) consultation have been taken into account in the revised Plan and to seek final approval of the Plan.
Page3 181
The working relationship between the public and private sector is continuing with work underway to collate and measure information provided by the sector on the metrix.
Work will to continue to build on Greater Manchester’s success to realise its ambitions and access funding streams. Greater Manchester does now need to focus on measures beyond 2020 and to identify resources going forward to ensure Greater Manchester remains a world leader in the area.
There are numerous examples of good practice across Greater Manchester which does need to be shared to ensure everyone has the ability and knowledge on how to contribute to reducing low carbon emissions. Addressing the gap does need to be recognised as a priority and embedded in working practices, including building standards.
RESOLVED/-
1. To agree the Draft Climate Change and Low Emissions Strategies’ Whole Place Implementation Plan for Greater Manchester, detailed at Annex 1 of the report.
2. To note the consultation feed back and how it has been incorporated into the format and content of the revised draft, detailed at Annex 2 of the report.
3. To agree to delegate authority to Councillor Sue Derbyshire, Portfolio Leader for Planning, Housing and Environment and Steve Rumbelow, Portfolio Chief Executive for Low Carbon to final amendments arising from the GMCA, and to agree the final design of the plan prior to publication,
62/16 INDUSTRY REVIEW BY SHAW AND HENDY - CP5 KEY TFGM PROGRAMMES
Councillor Richard Leese presented a report detailing Sir Peter Hendy’s review on the network rail enhancement delivery programme and the recommendations arising from the review undertaken by Nicola Shaw on the future shape and financing on Network Rail.
The meeting was reminded that there needed to be a balance between increasing capacity across the conurbation as a whole and retaining and developing a level of local services and connectivity to the lines.
The two new rail franchises will include the introduction of new rolling stock, providing bigger and better quality vehicles. The rolling stock for the Transpennine franchise will be sourced from the North East of England. Greater Manchester does have supply chain for railway manufacture and
Page 4182 maintenance providing growth opportunities for businesses in and around the Greater Manchester area.
RESOLVED/-
1. To note the content of the Hendy consultation response.
2. To note the summary of contents from the Shaw Report.
63/16 NORTHERN TRANSPORT STRATEGY SPRING 2016 REPORT
Councillor Richard Leese introduced a report updating members on the Northern Transport Strategy: Spring 2016 Report and to focus upon specific issues relating to Greater Manchester.
Member’s attention was drawn to the National Infrastructure Commission report, which was positive on the whole in relation to short terms measures, however it could have been stronger in terms of longer term investment. The potential new road link from Manchester to Sheffield and a new rail link from Liverpool via Manchester Airport across the Pennines as part of High Speed 3 proposals, which will provide intercity and local rail services were highlighted.
Work has now been concluded on the Independent Economic Review, with a meeting of Leaders and LEP chairs held earlier in the week, where there was a broad consensus of support. The Independent Economic Review will be finalised and launched together with the Northern Powerhouse Economic narrative early in June.
RESOLVED/-
To note the content of the report.
64/16 DEFINING A RAIL PLAN IN 2016
Tony Lloyd introduced a report outlining the rationale for revising the ten year TfGM Rail Plan, detailing the consultation methods which will be used throughout the course of the study. He emphasised that the rail network does need to be adequate to service the communities of Greater Manchester.
It was suggested that the review should include a review of station patronage, to reflect the growth in Greater Manchester and the requirement for increased access to local services. Potential to consider the utilisation Stockport to Manchester Victoria freight line to access capacity was also highlighted.
The meeting was reminded that rail is only part of the transport solution and does need to be considered in the context of an integrated multi model transport network, requesting partners from across the transport sector to be invited to participate in the stakeholder consultation.
Page5 183 RESOLVED/-
1. To note the report and approve the proposed consultation methods and timescale.
2. To agree the review of station patronage and connectivity to local rail services be addressed on the new Rail Plan.
3. To agree that partners from across the transport sector be included in the key stakeholder consultation.
65/16 HIGHWAYS REFORM UPDATE
Tony Lloyd introduced a report providing an update on the progress and achievements to date following implementation of the collaborative working arrangement in April 2015 and the next phase of work.
RESOLVED/-
1. To note the progress and achievements on Highways Reform in 2015/16 and the on-going work in 2016/17.
2. To agree that a report on Asset Management be submitted to the GMCA in October 2016.
66/16 AREA BASED REVIEW
This item was withdrawn from the agenda, a report will be submitted to the GMCA meeting scheduled for 27 May 2016.
67/16 MANCHESTER GROWTH COMPANY BUSINESS PLAN
Councillor Richard Leese introduced a report presenting the Manchester Growth Company Business Plan for the 2016-17 financial year.
Good progress has been made since 2014 to bring together Economic Solutions and the Manchester ‘family’ of companies (Marketing Manchester, MIDAS and New Economy) under a single management, governance and accountability framework, to provide the GMCA and the Local Enterprise Partnership with clear oversight.
The full Manchester Growth Company Business Plan was included in the report to be considered in Part B (confidential) of the agenda, due to the inclusion of commercially sensitive information, and has been approved by the Manchester Growth Company Board with input from Local Authority Chief Executive portfolio leads and chief officers. Alongside the plan was an agreed performance reporting framework to allow oversight on core Manchester Growth Company deliverables.
RESOLVED/-
Page 6184
1. To note the report and priorities for 2016/17.
2. To note the information contained within the Part B (confidential) report.
68/16 GREATER MANCHESTER LAND & PROPERTY UPDATE
Councillor Sue Derbyshire introduced a report providing an update on the progress on the emerging strategic approach to land and property across the conurbation, following on from the Greater Manchester Land and Estates: Delivering ‘One Public Estate’ at Greater Manchester Level report submitted to GMCA in December 2015.
The meeting was assured that there will be political oversight of the work by ensuring the GMCA bid to Phase 4 of the One Public Estate is considered by the Planning and Housing Commission in advance of approval by the GMCA.
It was suggested and agreed to rename the proposed GM Land and Property vehicle as Panel rather than a Board.
Councillor Sue Derbyshire undertook to circulate the One Public Estate bid to all Leaders.
RESOLVED/-
1. To approve the establishment of a Greater Manchester Land and Property Panel as described at section 2 of the report, and that this Panel reports to the GMCA via the Planning and Housing Commission to allow dissemination of information to Greater Manchester Local Authorities.
2. To agree that officers work up a range of suitable proposals for inclusion in a single GMCA bid to Phase 4 of the One Public Estate Programme for consideration by the Planning and Housing Commission in advance of consideration by the GMCA.
3. To delegate authority to Eamonn Boylan, Lead Chief Executive for Planning and Housing, in consultation with Councillor Sue Derbyshire, Portfolio Leader for Planning and Housing, to finalise and submit the GMCA bid to Cabinet Office, following agreement with the Planning and Housing Commission, Leaders and Chief Executives.
4. To approve the establishment of a two year fixed term post, fully- funded from the Greater Manchester One Public Estate grant award, as set out in section 2 of the report.
69/16 EVERGREEN LOAN BOOK DISPOSAL
Eamonn Boylan introduced a report providing an update in relation to the continuity of the North West Evergreen Fund.
Page7 185
A further detailed report was circulated in Part B (confidential) of the agenda providing further details.
RESOLVED/-
1. To note the report and to endorse the approach being taken to ensure continuity of investment capacity throughout 2016.
2. To note the information contained within the Part B (confidential) report.
70/16 GREATER MANCHESTER INVESTMENT FRAMEWORK AND CONDITIONAL APPROVAL
Councillor Kieran Quinn introduced a report seeking approval for a loan to Access Systems UK Limited and Harworth Estates Investments Limited (Logistics North Phase 2). The loans will be made from recycled Region Growth Fund and Growing Places monies. The report also provided an update on the Smartlife project.
A further detailed report was circulated in Part B (confidential) of the agenda giving further details of the projects.
RESOLVED/-
1. To agree that the project funding applications by Access Systems UK Limited , (loan of £900,000) and Harworth Estates Investments Limited (loan of £3,000,000) be given conditional approval.
2. To delegate authority to Richard Paver, GMCA Treasurer and Liz Treacy, GMCA Monitoring Officer, to review the due diligence information and, subject to their satisfactory review and agreement of the due diligence information and the overall detailed commercial terms of the transactions, to sign off any outstanding conditions, issue final approvals and complete any necessary related documentation in respect of the loans at 1) above.
3. To agree the changes to the commercial terms of the Smartlife funding, as contained within the Part B (confidential) report.
71/16 GREATER MANCHESTER HOUSING INVESTMENT FUND
Councillor Sue Derbyshire introduced a report seeking approval of a Greater Manchester Housing Fund loan of £3,577,000.
A further detailed report was circulated in Part B (confidential) of the agenda providing further details of the loan.
RESOLVED/-
Page 8186
1. To approve the loan as detailed in this and the accompanying Part B (confidential) report.
2. To agree Manchester City Council be recommended to prepare and effect the necessary legal agreements in accordance with its approved internal processes.
Page9 187 DECISIONS AGREED AT THE GREATER MANCHESTER COMBINED AUTHORITY MEETING HELD ON 27 MAY 2016 AT STOCKPORT TOWN HALL
GM INTERIM MAYOR Tony Lloyd (in the Chair)
BOLTON COUNCIL Councillor Linda Thomas
BURY COUNCIL Councillor Rishi Shori
MANCHESTER CC Councillor Richard Leese
OLDHAM COUNCIL Councillor Jean Stretton
ROCHDALE MBC Councillor Richard Farnell
SALFORD CC City Mayor Paul Dennett
STOCKPORT MBC Councillor Alexander Ganotis
TAMESIDE MBC Councillor Kieran Quinn
TRAFFORD COUNCIL Councillor Sean Anstee
WIGAN COUNCIL Councillor Peter Smith
JOINT BOARDS AND OTHER MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE
GMFRA Councillor David Acton GMWDA Councillor Nigel Murphy TfGMC Councillor Andrew Fender
OFFICERS IN ATTENDANCE
Margaret Asquith Bolton Council Mike Owen Bury Council Geoff Little Manchester CC Carolyn Wilkins Oldham Council John Searle Rochdale MBC Jim Taylor Salford CC Eamonn Boylan Stockport MBC Steven Pleasant Tameside MBC Theresa Grant Trafford Council Donna Hall Wigan Council Andrew Lightfoot GM Director of Public Service Reform Mark Hughes Manchester Growth Company Simon Nokes New Economy Adam Allen Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner Paul Argyle GM Fire & Rescue Service Ian Pilling GM Police Jon Lamonte TfGM
Page 1188 Liz Treacy GMCA Monitoring Officer Richard Paver GMCA Treasurer Julie Connor Head of GMIST Sylvia Welsh ) Greater Manchester Paul Harris ) Integrated Support Team Bridget Aherne GMCA Head of Communications Ross MacRae GMCA Communications
72/16 APOLOGIES
Apologies for absence were received on behalf Councillor Cliff Morris (Councillor Linda Thomas attending) Sir Howard Bernstein (Geoff Little attending) and Steve Rumbelow (John Searle attending).
73/16 CHAIR’S ANNOUNCEMENTS AND URGENT BUSINESS
Order of Business
The Chair suggested that the Area Based Review at item 9 on the agenda be deferred pending consideration of the Part B Area Based Review report at Item 17 on the Agenda.
RESOLVED/-
To agree to defer considerations of the Area Based Review at item 9 pending consideration of the Part B Area Based Review report later on the agenda.
74/16 GMCA CHANGE IN MEMBERSHIP
The Chair highlighted changes to the GMCA membership and extended a welcome to new members Councillors Rishi Shori (Bury), Alex Ganotis (Stockport) and the City Mayor (Salford), Paul Dennett.
RESOLVED/-
To note the following changes in membership as appointed by the Local Authorities:
Local Authority Member Substitute Bury Councillor R Shori Councillor J Lewis Salford Mr P Dennett Councillor J Merry Stockport Councillor A Ganotis Councillor W Wild
75/16 DECLARATIONS OF INTERESTS
There were no declarations of interests regarding any item on the agenda made.
Page2 189 76/16 MINUTES OF THE GMCA MEETING HELD ON 29 APRIL 2016
The minutes of the meeting of the GMCA held on 29 April 2016 previous meeting were submitted for consideration.
RESOLVED/-
To approve the minutes of the GMCA meeting held on 29 April 2016 as a correct record. . 77/16 FORWARD PLAN OF STRATEGIC DECISIONS OF THE GMCA
Consideration was given to a report setting out those strategic decisions that are to be considered by the GMCA over the upcoming four months.
RESOLVED/-
To note the Forward Plan of Strategic Decisions, as set out in the report.
78/16 GREATER MANCHESTER LOCAL ENTERPRISE PARTNERSHIP – MINUTES OF THE MEETING HELD ON 18 MAY 2016
The Minutes of the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership (GMLEP) meeting which took place on 18 May 2016 were submitted for information
RESOLVED/-
To note the minutes of the GMLEP meeting held on 18 May 2016.
79/16 GREATER MANCHESTER COMBINED AUTHORITY ORDER CONSULTATION
Tony Lloyd, GM Interim Mayor introduced a report providing members with an update on the public consultation undertaken regarding the GMCA governance review and scheme (Phase 1) and an analysis of the responses received.
RESOLVED/-
1. To note the process undertaken with regard to the GMCA governance review consultation and the analysis of the responses received, as set out in the report.
2. To agree that the GMCA Monitoring Officer be authorised to finalise the report for submission to the Secretary of State, subject to consultation with the Interim GM Mayor.
Page 3190
80/16 AREA BASED REVIEW
Further to Minute 73/16 above, consideration of this item was deferred until later in the Agenda. Minute 88/16A below refers.
81/16 ATLANTIC GATEWAY INFRASTRUCTURE PRIORITIES
Councillor Richard Leese introduced a report presenting members with the criteria for selection of Greater Manchester infrastructure priorities in relation to the Atlantic Gateway. In addition, a small number of Greater Manchester priorities within the context of Atlantic Gateway were identified and it was noted that these will be reflected in the draft Atlantic Gateway Infrastructure Priorities that will be considered by the Atlantic Gateway Board, subject to individual Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership (GM LEP) or joint GM LEP and GMCA agreement.
Members noted that the Atlantic Gateway Board has an agreed list of infrastructure priorities that it is looking to update. The process to update this included the development of an agreed set of criteria to identify GM LEP area priorities relevant to the Atlantic Gateway.
Members also noted that GM LEP at its meeting on 16th May 2016 supported the recommended infrastructure projects.
Councillor Leese also informed members that he had been reassured that the Atlantic gateway Board still played an important strategic role in supporting the development of proposals for the Gateway.
RESOLVED/-
To agree that the Greater Manchester Strategy priorities identified in the context of Atlantic Gateway are appropriately reflected in the draft Atlantic Gateway Infrastructure Priorities as set out in the appendix to the report.
82/16 GREATER MANCHESTER HOUSING PROVIDERS CONTRIBUTION TO PUBLIC SERVICE REFORM AND MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING
Eamonn Boylan introduced a report on the role the Housing the Providers Group play in developing new approaches to growth, public service reform and the management of Place as the GMCA’s strategy is rolled out and the development of a Memorandum of Understanding between GMCA and the GM Housing Providers Group.
Cath Green, Chief Executive, First Choice Homes Oldham, on behalf of Greater Manchester Housing Providers provided the meeting with an overview of the role of GM Housing Providers in supporting Public Service Reform and the overall aims of the Memorandum of Understatnding.
Page4 191 Members welcomed the report and highlighted the need to be mindful of the language and terminology used relating to social housing and residents, with a reminder that the focus does need to be on improving standards of service.
Housing affordability and the availability of finance are a key issues for Greater Manchester’s residents and the growth agenda.
It was suggested an agreed that 6 monthly updates be submitted to the GMCA.
RESOLVED/-
1. To note the progress that has been made across the GM Housing Providers Group in agreeing a coordinated position in supporting the achievement of the GM Strategy.
2. To approve the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) between the GMHP and GMCA, subject to appropriate amendments to language.
3. To agree that local integration arrangements coordinated by each local authority incorporate local Housing Providers.
4. To agree that six monthly updates be submitted to the GMCA.
83/16 GREATER MANCHESTER INVESTMENT FUND – STATUS OF FUNDS
Councillor Kieran Quinn, presented a report providing Members with an update on the detail on the Greater Manchester Investment Funds.
RESOLVED/-
To note the report.
84/16 GREATER MANCHESTER HOUSING FUND ANNUAL REPORT 2015/16
Eamonn Boylan introduced a report informing members of the outturn position of the Greater Manchester Housing Fund for 2015/16 and the position in relation to the indemnity entered into by each Local Authority in relation to the GM Housing Fund.
The report discharged the semi-annual reporting obligations under the indemnity for the period 1 November 2015 to 31 March 2016.
The Chair commented that the mix of tenures, including social housing and affordable properties does need to be reviewed across Greater Manchester.
Members were advised that work continues to progress Greater Manchester’s Strategy, together with discussion with Her Majesty’s Treasury, via the Greater Manchester Land Programme and the development of opportunities to bridge the funding gap.
Page 5192
RESOLVED/-
1. To note the outturn position of the Greater Manchester Housing Fund for 2015/16 and note that there has been no requirement for the Greater Manchester Local Authorities to account for any impairment as a result of the performance of the Fund. 2. To agree that a further report be brought to a future meeting of the GMCA which will identify specific housing requirement and opportunities.
85/16 GREATER MANCHESTER HOUSING INVESTMENT APPROVAL RECOMMENDATIONS
Eamonn Boylan, provided a report which sought GMCA approval of a GM Housing Fund loan of £1,374,323 to The Brickworks (Bury) Ltd for the construction of 24 three and four bedroom houses on the former Walmerlsey brickworks site in Bury
A further detailed report was circulated in Part B (confidential) of the agenda providing further details of the loan .
RESOLVED/-
1. To approve the loan as detailed in this and the accompanying Part B report.
2. To agree to recommend to Manchester City Council that it prepares and effects the necessary legal agreements in accordance with its approved internal processes.
86/16 EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC
RESOLVED/-
That, under section 100 (A)(4) of the Local Government Act 1972 the press and public should be excluded from the meeting for the following item of business on the grounds that this involves the likely disclosure of exempt information, as set out in paragraph 3, Part 1, Schedule 12A of the Local Government Act 1972 and that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.
87/16 AREA BASED REVIEW
Councillor Sean Anstee introduced a report providing members with an update on the likely final stages of the Area Based Review (ABR).
Members requested that the meeting be adjourned at the conclusion of this item before moving back into Part A of the agenda to discuss the public Area Based Review Report.
RESOLVED/-
Page6 193
To note the report
MEETING ADJOURNED
RECONVENED GMCA MEETING
88/16A AREA BASED REVIEW (ITEM 9) PART A
Following consideration of reports providing an update on the Area Based Review process and likely outcomes, it was :-.
RESOLVED/-
The Greater Manchester Combined Authority notes the proposed outcomes of the Area Based Review process for Greater Manchester. Throughout this Government led process, GMCA has been trying to ensure that the future needs of the Greater Manchester economy and GM learners are met, rather than just a focus on institutional architecture. The review has focused only on FE Colleges and Sixth Form Colleges, and mainly on SFA funding, rather than on the whole post 16 learning architecture in GM and GM’s overall aspirations around both Growth and Reform.
On this basis the GMCA remains to be convinced that some of the proposed outcomes deliver the integrated learning infrastructure that is needed, taking GM as a whole, rather than focusing institution by institution. GMCA welcomes the aspiration in some of the proposals, feels others do not go far enough and has concerns that some will deliver short term solutions, but may not be viable in the future to address the needs of individuals and the economy. There are still significant questions to be answered about the curriculum offer across the proposed outcomes, which will need to be addressed both in the short term, and via the longer term commissioning role that GMCA will have in relation to the devolved Adult Education Budget.
We welcome the fact that GMCA will have a leadership role in the implementation phase but request that the Secretary of State gives GMCA, working with Government, the power to make further changes to these proposals should it become clear, in the implementation phase, that the current options cannot deliver a GM wide learning infrastructure that meets needs, in high performing and financially viable institutions which are embedded within the overall Greater Manchester strategy and will help with the Government’s productivity agenda to grow the economy and deliver more holistic support to individuals and communities.
Page 7194 DECISIONS AGREED AT THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE GREATER MANCHESTER COMBINED AUTHORITY, HELD ON THURSDAY 30 JUNE 2016 AT GUARDSMAN TONY DOWNES HOUSE, DROYLSDEN
MEMBERS PRESENT-
GM INTERIM MAYOR Tony Lloyd (in the Chair)
BOLTON COUNCIL Councillor Cliff Morris
BURY COUNCIL Councillor Rishi Shori
MANCHESTER CC Councillor Sue Murphy
OLDHAM COUNCIL Councillor Jean Stretton
ROCHDALE MBC Councillor Richard Farnell
SALFORD CC City Mayor Paul Dennett
STOCKPORT MBC Councillor Alex Ganotis
TAMESIDE MBC Councillor Kieran Quinn
TRAFFORD COUNCIL Councillor Sean Anstee
WIGAN COUNCIL Councillor Peter Smith
JOINT BOARDS AND OTHER MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE
GMFRA Councillor David Acton GMWDA Councillor Nigel Murphy TfGMC Councillor Andrew Fender
OFFICERS IN ATTENDANCE
Margaret Asquith Bolton Council Mike Owen Bury Council Howard Bernstein Manchester CC Carolyn Wilkins Oldham Council Steve Rumbelow Rochdale MBC Jim Taylor Salford CC Eamonn Boylan Stockport MBC Steven Pleasant Tameside MBC Joanne Hyde Trafford Council Donna Hall Wigan Council Peter O’Reilly Chief Fire Officer, GM Fire & Rescue Service Ian Hopkins Chief Constable, GM Police Jon Lamonte Chief Executive, TfGM
Page 195 1 Mark Hughes Manchester Growth Company Simon Nokes New Economy Adam Allen Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner Clare Regan Office of the GM Interim Mayor Liz Treacy GMCA Monitoring Officer Richard Paver GMCA Treasurer Andrew Lightfoot Deputy Head of the Paid Service Julie Connor Head of GMIST Sylvia Welsh ) Greater Manchester Paul Harris ) Integrated Support Team Ross MacRae GMCA Media Lead
89/16 WELCOME AND APOLOGIES
Donna Hall, GMCA Secretary, extended a welcome to those present. An apology for absence was received and noted from Councillor Richard Leese and Members noted that Councillor Sue Murphy was attending as Councillor Leese’s substitute.
90/16 APPOINTMENT OF CHAIR
The GMCA Secretary reported that pursuant to part 5A, section 4 of the GMCA Constitution, Members were required to note the appointment of the Greater Manchester Interim Mayor as the Chair of the GMCA.
RESOLVED/-
To note the appointment Tony Lloyd, Greater Manchester Interim Mayor, as the Chair of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) for 2016/17, as set out in part 5A, section 4 of the GMCA Constitution.
Tony Lloyd, GM Interim Mayor in the Chair
91/16 APPOINTMENT OF VICE CHAIRS
Pursuant to Part 5A, section 4 of the GMCA Constitution, the Chair sought nominations for the appointment of at least 2 but no more than 3 Vice Chairs of the GMCA for the 2016/17 municipal year, with no one political group holding all the vice-chair positions on the Combined Authority.
Nominations for the appointment of Councillors Sean Anstee (Trafford) and Richard Leese (Manchester) were moved and seconded.
RESOLVED/-
To agree the appointments of Councillors Sean Anstee (Trafford) and Richard Leese (Manchester) as Vice Chairs of the GMCA for 2016/17.
Page 196 2 92/16 GMCA CONSTITUTION
RESOLVED/-
To note the GMCA Constitution.
93/16 GREATER MANCHESTER APPOINTMENTS AND NOMINATIONS 2016/17
A report of Donna Hall, GMCA Secretary, was presented which sought the approval of Members on the appointments and nominations of A) portfolio responsibilities for 2016/17; B) GMCA appointments and nominations received from the GM local authorities to Greater Manchester statutory bodies; C) nominations received from Greater Manchester local authorities for appointment to GMCA and AGMA bodies; and D) requests for GMCA appointments to other outside bodies for 2016/17.
RESOLVED/-
1. To approve the revised Portfolio areas of responsibilities for 2016/17 and to agree portfolio leads as follows :-
Portfolio Leader Health and Social Care Peter Smith Planning and Housing Richard Farnell Low Carbon, Waste and Environment Paul Dennett Investment and Finance Kieran Quinn Skills and Employment Sean Anstee Children’s Services Cliff Morris Economic Strategy including Richard Leese Internationalisation and Marketing and Business Support Reform Tony Lloyd Police, Crime, Civil Contingencies and Fire Rishi Shoril Transport Tony Lloyd Fairness, Equalities and Cohesion Jean Stretton Culture, Arts and Leisure Alex Ganotis Criminal Justice Tony Lloyd
Page 197 3 2. To approve the following Deputy Portfolio members for 2016/17:-
Area Deputies
Bolton Linda Thomas Ebrahim Adia
Bury Jane Lewis Jane Black
Manchester Sue Murphy Afia Kamal
Oldham Abdul Jabbar Barbara Brownridge
Rochdale Aasim Rashid Donna Martin
Salford Paula Boshell John Merry
Stockport Mark Hunter Wendy Wild
Tameside Brenda Warrington Lynn Travis
Trafford Dylan Butt Linda Blackburn
Wigan Jenny Bullen Jo Platt
3. To agree that the Interim Mayor will consult with Portfolio Leads and report back proposals for portfolio responsibilities for Deputies for agreement at the GMCA July.
4. To agree that Portfolio Leads and Chief Executive Portfolio Leads be requested to review their current respective portfolio brief and refresh in order to ensure that priorities going forward are captured. To also specify areas of responsibility for Deputy Portfolio Leads, for report back and agreement by the GMCA in July 2016.
Page 198 4 5. To note the following appointments by local authorities to the Greater Manchester Combined Authority for 2016/17:-
District Member Substitute Member
Bolton Cliff Morris (LAB) Linda Thomas (LAB) Bury Rishi Shori (LAB) Jane Lewis (LAB) Manchester Richard Leese (LAB) Sue Murphy (LAB) Oldham Jean Stretton (LAB) Abdul Jabbar (LAB) Rochdale Richard Farnell (LAB) Allan Brett (LAB) Salford Paul Dennett (LAB) John Merry (LAB) Stockport Alex Ganotis (LAB) Wendy Wild (LAB) Tameside Kieran Quinn (LAB) John Taylor (LAB) Trafford Sean Anstee CON) Alex Williams (CON) Wigan Peter Smith (LAB) David Molyneux (LAB)
6.. To agree to delegate authority to Donna Hall, Secretary of GMCA in consultation with the Chair of GMCA, to appoint 5 GMCA members or substitute members (4 Labour and 1 Conservative) to the Standards Committee for 2016/17, noting a provisional meeting is scheduled for 18 July 2016.
7. To note that the GMCA, in December 2015 appointed 1 Co-opted Independent Member, Geoff Linnell, to act as the Chair of the Standards Committee and 1 Independent Person, Nicole Jackson, to assist the Monitoring Officer and Hearing Panel in dealing with allegations that members of the GMCA have acted in breach of the GMCA’s Code of Conduct. The term of office of these appointments is for 4 years with effect from 18 December 2015.
8. To note the following appointments by local authorities to the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee for 2016/17:-
District Members
Bolton (3) David Chadwick (LAB) Guy Harkin (LAB) Stuart Haslam (CON) Bury (2) Noel Bayley (LAB) Jamie Walker (LAB) Manchester (5) Andrew Fender (LAB) Chris Paul (LAB) Naeem Hassan (LAB) Azra Alia (LAB) Dzidra Noor (LAB) Oldham (3) James Larkin (LAB)
Page 199 5 Norman Briggs (LAB) Howard Sykes (LIB DEM) Rochdale (3) Shah Wazir (LAB) Philip Burke (LAB) Ian Duckworth (CON) Salford (3) Robin Garrido (CON) Roger Jones (LAB) Barry Warner (LAB) Stockport (4) Geoff Abell (LIB DEM) Annette Finnie (CON) Tom Grundy (LAB) John Taylor (LAB) Tameside (3) Warren Bray (LAB) Doreen Dickenson (CON) Peter Robinson (LAB) Trafford (3) David Hopps (CON) June Reilly (CON) Michael Cordingley (LAB) Wigan (4) Mark Aldred (LAB) Lynne Holland (LAB) Eunice Smethurst (LAB) James Grundy (CON)
9. To note the appointments by local authorities to the Health and Social Care Strategic Partnership Board for 2016/17 as follows:-
District Member Substitute Member
Bolton Cliff Morris (LAB) Linda Thomas (LAB) Bury Rishi Shori (LAB) Trevor Holt (LAB) Manchester Richard Leese (LAB) Sue Murphy (LAB) Oldham Jean Stretton (LAB) Abdul Jabbar (LAB) Rochdale Richard Farnell (LAB) Allan Brett (LAB) Salford Paul Dennett (LAB) John Merry (LAB) Stockport Alex Ganotis (LAB) Wendy Wild (LAB) Tameside Kieran Quinn (LAB) Brenda Warrington (LAB) Trafford Sean Anstee CON) Alex Williams (CON) Wigan Peter Smith (LAB) David Molyneux (LAB)
10. To approve the appointment of the GMCA Chair, Tony Lloyd and the two Vice Chairs, Councillor Sean Anstee and Richard Leese, to the Greater Manchester Local Enterprise Partnership for 2016/17.
11.. To agree to appoint Councillor Paul Dennett, as the GMCA Low Carbon portfolio holder, to the GM Low Carbon Hub Board for 2016/17.
Page 200 6 12. To note the appointment of Tony Lloyd, GM Interim Mayor to the Greater Manchester Land Commission.
13. To agree to appoint the portfolio leads for Economic Strategy, Planning & Housing and Investment Strategy & Finance to the Greater Manchester Land Commission for 2016/17.
14. To note the appointments by local authorities to the Joint GMCA and AGMA Scrutiny Pool for 2016/17, as follows:-
District Member
Bolton Kevin McKeon (LAB) Andrew Morgan (CON) Debbie Newall (LAB) Bury Jane Black (LAB) Roy Walker (CON) Rachel Skillen (LAB) Manchester Ahmed Ali (LAB) Angeliki Stogia (LAB) Matt Strong (LAB) Oldham Colin McLaren (LAB) Elaine Garry (LAB) Garth Harkness (LIB DEM) Rochdale Neil Butterworth (LAB) Michael Holly (CON) Sara Rowbotham (LAB) Salford David Jolley (LAB) Jillian Collinson (CON) John Walsh (LAB) Stockport Iain Roberts (LIB DEM) Yvonne Guariento (LAB) John McGahan (CON) Tameside Kevin Welsh (LAB) John Bell (CON) Gill Peet (LAB) Trafford Pamela Dixon (CON) Michael Young (CON) Barry Brotherton (LAB) Wigan Pam Stewart (LAB) John O’Brien (LAB) Eddie Houlton (CON)
15. To appoint Councillor Jean Stretton as the GMCA member to the Joint GMCA and AGMA Audit Committee for 2016/17.
16. To appoint the following 3 GMCA Substitute members to the Joint GMCA and AGMA Audit Committee, from the nominations received from the local authorities for 2016/17
Page 201 7 Rochdale Allen Brett Salford John Merry Stockport Wendy Wild
17. To agree to appoint the GM Interim Mayor, Tony Lloyd and the two GMCA Vice Chairs Councillors Richard Leese and Sean Anstee to the Regional Leaders Board for 2016/17.
18. To agree to delegate authority to the Secretary of GMCA in consultation with the Chair of GMCA, to determine appointments to the following bodies in 2016/17:-
i. Joint GMCA and AGMA Audit Committee (Scrutiny Pool appointments). ii. Greater Manchester Investment Board. iii. Atlantic Gateway Board. iv. NW European Programmes Local Management Committee. v. Greater Manchester European Structural Fund (European Programmes) Local Management Committee. vi. North West Flood and Coastal Committee.
94/16 GMCA ANNUAL GOVERNANCE STATEMENT
Richard Paver, GMCA Treasurer, introduced a report which provided members with the Annual Governance Statement for the GMCA, covering the period April 2015 to March 2016 for consideration by Members
RESOLVED/-
1. To note that the Annual Governance Statement was approved for recommendation to the GMCA by the Audit Committee at its meeting on 15 April 2016.
2. To approve the Annual Governance Statement for 2015/16.
3. To agree that the Annual Governance Statement be signed by the Head of Paid Service and GM Interim Mayor on behalf of the GMCA.
95/16 SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS 2016/17
RESOLVED/-
To approve the planned cycle of meetings as outlined below:-
Friday 29 July 2016 - Bury Friday 26 August 2016 - Manchester Friday 30 September 2016 - Trafford
Page 202 8 Friday 28 October 2016 - Salford Friday 25 November 2016 - Oldham Friday 16 December 2016 - Bolton Friday 27 January 2017 - Wigan Friday 24 February 2017 - Rochdale Friday 31 March 2017 - GMPCC Friday 28 April 2017 - Stockport Friday 26 May 2017 - Tameside Friday 30 June 2017 - Bury
Page 203 9 DECISIONS AGREED AT THE ORDINARY MEETING OF THE GREATER MANCHESTER COMBINED AUTHORITY, HELD ON THURSDAY 30 JUNE 2016 AT GUARDSMAN TONY DOWNES HOUSE, DROYLSDEN
GM INTERIM MAYOR Tony Lloyd (in the Chair)
BOLTON COUNCIL Councillor Cliff Morris
BURY COUNCIL Councillor Rishi Shori
MANCHESTER CC Councillor Sue Murphy
OLDHAM COUNCIL Councillor Jean Stretton
ROCHDALE MBC Councillor Richard Farnell
SALFORD CC City Mayor Paul Dennett
STOCKPORT MBC Councillor Alex Ganotis
TAMESIDE MBC Councillor Kieran Quinn
TRAFFORD COUNCIL Councillor Sean Anstee
WIGAN COUNCIL Councillor Peter Smith
JOINT BOARDS AND OTHER MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE
GMFRA Councillor David Acton GMWDA Councillor Nigel Murphy TfGMC Councillor Andrew Fender
OFFICERS IN ATTENDANCE
Margaret Asquith Bolton Council Mike Owen Bury Council Howard Bernstein Manchester CC Carolyn Wilkins Oldham Council Steve Rumbelow Rochdale MBC Jim Taylor Salford CC Eamonn Boylan Stockport MBC Steven Pleasant Tameside MBC Joanne Hyde Trafford Council Donna Hall Wigan Council Peter O’Reilly Chief Fire Officer, GM Fire & Rescue Service Ian Hopkins Chief Constable, GM Police Jon Lamonte Chief Executive, TfGM Mark Hughes Manchester Growth Company
Page 204 1 Simon Nokes New Economy Adam Allen Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner Clare Regan Office of the GM Interim Mayor Liz Treacy GMCA Monitoring Officer Richard Paver GMCA Treasurer Andrew Lightfoot Deputy Head of the Paid Service Julie Connor Head of GMIST Sylvia Welsh ) Greater Manchester Paul Harris ) Integrated Support Team Ross MacRae GMCA Media Lead
96/16 . APOLOGIES
An apology for absence was received and noted from Councillor Richard Leese. Members noted that Councillor Sue Murphy was in attendance as his substitute.
97/16 CHAIR’S ANNOUNCEMENTS AND URGENT BUSINESS a. Supporting British Industry
The Chair suggested that Greater Manchester should look to utilise local resources where possible, particularly in relation to the procurement of steel, and undertook to write to the Business Secretary to understand how this could be developed further. b. GM Procurement Practices
Referring to a recent legal case regarding the black listing of active trades unionists, the Chair commented that this was an opportune time to examine GMCA’s procurement processes and requested that a paper on this matter be brought to a future meeting of the GM Combined Authority. c. Community Cohesion
The Chair noted that following recent incidents of hate crime, districts and partners were working together to address such incidents.
98/16 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
There were no declarations of interest made by any Member in relation to the items on the agenda.
99/16 MINUTES OF GMCA MEETING HELD ON 27 MAY 2016
The minutes of the previous GMCA meeting held on 27 May 2016 were submitted.
Page 205 2 RESOLVED/-
To approve the Minutes of the GMCA meeting held on 27 May 2016 as a correct record.
100/16 FORWARD PLAN OF STRATEGIC DECISIONS
Consideration was given to a report which advised Members of those strategic decisions that were to be considered by the GMCA over the upcoming four months.
RESOLVED/-
To note the Forward Plan of Strategic Decisions, as set out in the report.
101/16 MINUTES a. Joint GMCA and AGMA Executive Scrutiny Pool
The minutes of the Joint GMCA and AGMA Executive Scrutiny Pool meeting, 10 June 2016 were submitted.
RESOLVED/-
To note the minutes of the Joint GMCA and AGMA Executive Scrutiny Pool meeting, 10 June 2016. b. Transport for Greater Manchester Committee (TfGMC)
The minutes of the TfGMC meeting, held on 10 June 2016 were submitted.
RESOLVED/-
To note the minutes of the TfGMC meeting, held on 10 June 2016.
102/16 OUTCOME OF THE EUROPEAN UNION REFERENDUM
Tony Lloyd, GM Interim Mayor read out the following statement on the outcome of the recent referendum on European Union membership.
People in Greater Manchester and the UK spoke clearly last week and we will now leave the European Union.
"This was not the outcome GM Leaders had campaigned for but we all now have a duty to ensure that we work together and forge the best future for Greater Manchester.
Our city-region has a long and proud history of being outward and market facing. Working constructively with other city-regions in Europe, with international investors and business, will remain a key part of our strategy in the future. We know that our future success will depend on forging even stronger
Page 206 3 international relationships to support the growth and development of Greater Manchester's economy in an increasingly complex global economy.
We recognise the referendum result will pose new challenges to Greater Manchester both in the short and medium term. We are focussed on how we remain an attractive place for international investment and where local businesses can feel confident to invest.
The future of EU funding will also be a focus for GM Leaders. Communities across Greater Manchester have benefitted from EU funding for many years and Leaders will work hard to protect that income. We will seek urgent discussions to clarify what will happen to our European funding while we negotiate to leave the EU and how the UK Government plans to replace it.
GM Leaders have already started to work on how we respond to these challenges and others following the Brexit vote. GMCA officers will bring forward a detailed report for our next meeting for further discussion.
However, Thursday's result also made clear that people want to see decisions made closer to home by local leaders who are in touch with their communities. The case for further devolution has never been stronger and Greater Manchester will continue to lead the way in bringing powers to local communities.
Finally, to all Europeans living and working in Greater Manchester, you are welcome here. We are proud you have chosen to make GM your home and we will always appreciate the contribution you make to our city-region."
In receiving the statement, Members made the following comments:-
a. That any negotiations should make the case for strengthening the redistribution of powers to Greater Manchester and confirm the Government’s support for the Northern Powerhouse. b. That GM should be formally included in the national negotiations at an appropriate level given its population size and economic contribution within the UK c. The GMCA and GM Local Authorities and partners had an important role to play in addressing legislative issues around housing, employment and skills. d. That immigration issues, the current system and residents’ concerns are important issues for discussion and we should listen to our residents. e. That GM should seek to ensure that commitments to the Northern Powerhouse and other critical investments important to GM are protected.
RESOLVED/-
That the GMC strongly endorses the Statement with the additional comments noted above.
Page 207 4
103/16 GMCA GOVERNANCE REVIEW: GMCA ORDER
Tony Lloyd, GM Interim Mayor introduced a report which summarised the second phase of a review of the functions and governance arrangements of the GMCA.
Members noted that the second phase focuses on those arrangements for Fire and Rescue and Waste functions within a newly integrated Combined Authority from 1 April 2017, Transport (Mayoral and non Mayoral functions and funding), Education, Training, Skills and Employment Functions. Overview and Scrutiny arrangements and Public Sector equality duties were also included.
RESOLVED/-
1. To note the outcome of the review and the draft Scheme, as set out at Appendices A and B to the report.
2. To endorse the conclusion of the review that the making of an Order to confer on the GMCA the additional functions in the Scheme and the associated revisions to the governance arrangements would be likely to improve the exercise of statutory functions in Greater Manchester.
3. To note the implications of the Public Sector Equality Duty, as set out in the report.
4. To approve and publish the scheme pursuant to section 112 of the Local Democracy, Economic Development and Construction Act 2009, as amended.
5. To approve the use of statutory Charge as the means of providing a smoothing mechanism to ensure that Council Tax payers are no worse- off as a result of funding the Mayoral transport proposals.
6. To approve the arrangements for public consultation on the proposals in the scheme and to authorise the Head of Paid Service, GMCA, in consultation with the Interim Mayor, to provide the Secretary of State with a summary of the consultation responses.
7. To delegate authority to the Head of Paid Service, GMCA in consultation with the Interim Mayor and Vice Chairs of GMCA to agree the terms of the Orders required to implement the devolution deals.
104/16 GMCA CONSULTATION ON GOVERNANCE REVIEW AND SCHEME PHASE 1
Tony Lloyd, the GM Interim Mayor, introduced a report which provided Members with a summary of the responses of the Greater Manchester Consultation on Governance review and Scheme (phase 1).
Page 208 5
RESOLVED/-
To note the report.
105/16 BUS SERVICES BILL UPDATE
Tony Lloyd, GM Interim Mayor introduced a report summarising the Bus Services Bill which had recently been published in Parliament and set out the potential implications the introduction of the Bus Bill posed for Greater Manchester.
A Member highlighted that the enactment of the Bus Service Bill was fundamental to the establishment of a Mayoral Combined Authority for GM and also that Bus Franchising would enable simplified ticketing arrangements and the use of more efficient, low emission vehicles across Greater Manchester.
RESOLVED/-
1. To welcome the publication of the Bus Services Bill.
2. To instruct officers to continue to work to ensure that the Bus Services Bill can deliver the practicable tools required to fulfil GM’s transport objectives.
3. To request officers to report back on progress of the Bill as it passes through Parliament.
106/16 JUSTICE DEVOLUTION
Tony Lloyd, GM Interim Mayor introduced a report which provided Members with an update on the ongoing devolution agreement discussions with the Ministry of Justice, National Offender Management Service and the Youth Justice Board.
RESOLVED/-
1. To note the progress being made in relation to our devolution agreement discussions with the Ministry of Justice, National Offender Management Service and the Youth Justice Board.
2. To agree that delegated authority to sign off the Memorandums of Understanding (MOU) with the Department is given to the Head of Paid Service, GMCA, in consultation with the Interim Mayor.
3. To note that there is a Justice Devolution Partnership Event planned for the 7 th July, which the Secretary of State for Justice is planning to attend and at which the MOUs will be published.
Page 209 6 4. To approve the Justice Devolution logo for use in stakeholder and public communications.
107/17 REFRESHING THE GREATER MANCHESTER APPROACH
Tony Lloyd, GM Interim Mayor introduced a report which provided an overview of a number of strategically significant workstreams currently underway to support the delivery of Greater Manchester’s growth and reform ambitions and suggested that, in light of this work, and in response to the changing context in which Greater Manchester is operating, it is now timely to develop a refreshed and revised economic strategy for Greater Manchester. Members noted that this revised strategy will reassess the issues and opportunities that Greater Manchester needs to address to ensure that all parts of the conurbation can play a strong and positive economic role in supporting future growth and maximising the ability of residents to share the benefits of that growth. The report proposes that a seminar for Leaders, Chief Executives and relevant officers is arranged in July or August 2016 to provide the opportunity for a collective re-examination of the Greater Manchester strategic approach.
Members also noted the work of the RSA Inclusive Growth Commission, and the importance of a GM submission to the Commission’s open call for evidence to ensure that the full range of issues of relevance to Greater Manchester are considered by the Commission.
In addition, the report also provided an overview of work currently underway to develop a strategy for public engagement, including work by The Campaign Company to test current levels of awareness of the role and work of the GMCA and proposals to develop a ‘brand identity’ and profile strengthening campaign for Greater Manchester.
RESOLVED/-
1. To endorse the proposal to revisit and refresh the Greater Manchester Strategy in the light of the changing context in which Greater Manchester operates and to reflect the wide ranging work underway to deliver our Growth and Reform objectives and the development of the GMSF and the associated Investment Strategy.
2. To endorse the proposal for a seminar(s) for Executive Members with portfolio responsibility for economic development, convened by Sir Richard Leese as portfolio holder for Economic Strategy, to ensure that all are fully sighted on the findings of the Deep Dive analysis and the emerging evidence base under development to support the Greater Manchester Strategy.
3. To endorse the proposal to arrange a seminar(s) for Leaders, Chief Executives and relevant officers at the end of July or August 2016 to provide an opportunity to review both the Greater Manchester strategic approach and the emerging framework for public engagement.
Page 210 7 4. To endorse the proposal to develop a Greater Manchester submission to the call for evidence issued by the RSA Inclusive Growth Commission to ensure that the full range of issues of relevance to GM are considered by the Commission.
5. To give delegated authority to the Portfolio Holder for Communications to finalise the proposal to develop a ‘brand identity’ for Greater Manchester.
6. To agree that a further report be presented to a future meeting of the Combined Authority.
108/16 GREATER MANCHESTER GROWTH DEAL – CONDITIONAL AND FULL APPROVAL GATEWAY
Tony Lloyd, GM Interim Mayor introduced a report which informed Members of the outcome of a number of Gateway Reviews and recommend that the Salford Bolton Network Improvement Bolton Delivery Packages 1 and 7 (Raikes Lane Junction Improvements & Bolton Bus Stop Upgrades) are granted Full Approval.
RESOLVED/-
1. To grant Full Approval for the Salford Bolton Network Improvement Bolton Delivery Packages 1 and 7. 2. To note the recent completion of Gateway Reviews on a number of Growth Deal schemes and that Conditional Approval on these schemes has been achieved.
109/16 POTENTIAL EVERGREEN HOLDING FUND NOVATION
Eamonn Boylan, Portfolio Lead Chief Executive for Investment Strategy and Finance, presented a report which set out the key principles of the proposed Evergreen Holding Fund novation and sought the approval of the GMCA to the transaction.
RESOLVED/-
1. To note the contents of the report and endorse the approach being taken to novate NWUIF to GMCA. 2. To authorise the establishment of “NewCo” as the corporate structure as set out in this report. 3. To delegate authority to the Chief Executive, the Section 151 Officer, Chief Investment Officer and Monitoring Officer to finalise the terms of and enter into any legal documents or agreements necessary to facilitate the above recommendations.
Page 211 8
110/16 METROLINK PHASE 3 EVALUATION
Tony Lloyd, GM Interim Mayor introduced a report setting out the early findings from monitoring and evaluation activity relating to Metrolink Phase 3.
RESOLVED/-
To note the update report on Metrolink Phase 3 Evaluation and that the full research report was to be included on to the www.greatermanchestrer- ca.gov.uk website.
111/16 DRAFT GREATER MANCHESTER TRANSPORT STRATEGY 2040 AND 5-YEAR DRAFT DELIVERY PLAN 2016/17-2021/22
Tony Lloyd, GM Interim Mayor introduced a report which set out the approach to reviewing and approving the draft versions of the Greater Manchester Transport Strategy 2040 and first 5-year Delivery Plan (2016/17-2021/22), and to confirm the arrangements for a 12-week public consultation, commencing on 4 July 2016.
RESOLVED/-
1. To note the draft Greater Manchester Transport Strategy 2040 document and that minor changes have been made under delegated authority following legal review. 2. To approve the associated draft 5-year Delivery Plan, covering the period 2016/17-2021/22. 3. To note the arrangements for a 12-week consultation due to commence on 4 July 2016.
112/16 SMART TICKETING UPDATE
Tony Lloyd, GM Interim Mayor introduced a report which sought the approval of the GMCA of plans to extend the range of Smart Ticketing, to include multi- modal and Metrolink products and sets out proposals for new account based payment systems which complement the Smart Ticketing service and will make travel easier across Greater Manchester.
RESOLVED/- 1. To support TfGM’s plans to extend the availability and range of Smart Ticketing to Metrolink and multi-modal on Smart cards; 2. To note the activity underway and the proposed delivery timescales, to develop a business case for a future ‘contactless account based’ payment service.
Page 212 9 3. To note TfGM’s ongoing participation in Transport for the North’s (TfN) development of a Smart Ticketing/account based proposition that facilitates easier connections across the north of England.
113/16 CO-COMMISSIONING WORK AND HEALTH PROGRAMME
Councillor Sean Anstee introduced a report which provided Members with an update on GM’s work with the Department for Work & Pensions (DWP) to co- commission the new Work & Health Programme, which is the successor to the Work Programme. The programme will be the national mainstream welfare to work provision for long-term benefit claimants and those out of work due to ill health or disability, which GM has an ability to design to our own requirements.
The report also provided information on the potential scope, scale, investment requirements and outcomes of the programme.
A further report which provided additional, commercially sensitive information regarding the national Work and Health programme, and appeared in Part B of the agenda was taken as read as part of Members discussions on this item.
RESOLVED/-
1. To note the significant opportunity to design, procure and manage the Work & Health Programme for GM.
2. To note how GM’s devolved control of health, skills and European Social Fund budgets provides an opportunity to develop an integrated ‘eco- system’ of support for some of our most vulnerable workless residents.
3. To agree to develop the Phase 2 application for CFO in conjunction with GMCA Finance.
4. To note the establishment of a task & finish group of the JCB Working Group to develop an investment proposition for the Transformation Fund for the Work & Health Programme.
5. To note the opportunity of the Health Innovation Fund and support a GM submission.
6. To note and support the proposed commissioning strategy for the Work & Health Programme.
7. To agree to delegate authority of the GMCA Treasurer and Portfolio Lead Chief Executive to progress the W&H commissioning on behalf of Combined Authority.
8. To agree for further reports to be provided to the Combined Authority at key junctures in the commissioning process in September, December 2016 and March 2017.
Page 213 10 9. To note the recommendations contained in the commercially sensitive Part B Co-commissioning Work and Health Programme at Item 32 on the agenda.
114/16 NORTH WEST HIGH SPEED RAIL REGIONAL SKILLS STRATEGY
Councillor Sean Anstee introduced a report which provided an update to Members on the developments regarding the North West High Speed Rail Regional Skills Strategy and the development of GM actions in response to the strategy.
Members noted that the strategy identifies the following five strategic priorities:-
1. A 20 year vision to help rebalance the economy and contribute to the Northern Powerhouse 2. Create a truly employer led rail sector skills system with joined up higher level vocational pathways 3. Develop hub and spoke model to work with the national High Speed College in Birmingham with a focus on upskilling the existing workforce 4. Ensure a supply of Apprentices to meet employer demand from the rail industry 5. Use HS2 opportunity to promote and increase STEM take up from young people
In welcoming the report, a Member suggested that officers should also provide details of the strength of skills provision in the engineering sector, options to fund apprenticeships for people over 24 years old and to engage and work with neighbouring districts of Cheshire East and Warrington.
RESOLVED/-
1. To note the update, priorities and outcomes of the North West High Speed Rail Skills Strategy, as set out in the report and subsequent comments from Members.
2. To note the actions proposed to develop a GM response to the Strategy, as set out in the report.
115/16 ESTABLISHMENT OF A GREATER MANCHESTER ENERGY COMPANY Tony Lloyd, GM Interim Mayor introduced a report which provided Members with an update on the work taking place to explore the potential for a GM Energy Company.
A further report which provided additional, commercially sensitive information regarding the establishment of a Greater Manchester Energy Company was taken as read during Members’ discussions on this item.
Page 214 11
RESOLVED/-
1. To note the content of the report and, in particular, the increasingly competitive nature of the UK energy supply market which impacts on the ability of GM to launch a viable supply business on a “go it alone” basis. 2. To agree that further work should be focussed on the potential for GM to enter into a joint venture (JV) arrangement, in particular evaluating what the benefits and risks of such an arrangement would be. 3. To agree that a further report should be presented to the GMCA in September.
4. To note those recommendation contained in the commercially sensitive, Part B report referred to at Item 34 of the Agenda.
116/16 GMCA REVENUE OUTTURN 2015/16
Councillor Kieran Quinn presented a report informing members of the revenue outturn for 2015/16 and notes the position on reserves. The reports also seeks approval from Members to approve the transfer of funds to earmarked reserves and requests submitted for carry forward of underspends in to 2016/17.
RESOLVED/-
1. To note the GMCA transport revenue outturn position for 2015/16 is in line with budget after transfers to earmarked reserves.
2. To note the GMCA Economic Development and Regeneration revenue outturn position for 2015/16 which shows a favourable position of £0.933 million after transfers to earmarked reserves.
3. To approve the contribution to earmarked Economic Regeneration and Development reserves as summarised in paragraph 3.1 to report.
4. To approve the contribution of £20.398 million to earmarked transport reserves as detailed in paragraphs 4.2 – 4.6 to the report.
5. To note the TfGM revenue position for 2015/16 shows a favourable position of £0.500 million against budget as detailed in paragraph 5 to the report.
6. To note the position on reserves as detailed in paragraph 6 to the report.
7. To note the carry forward requests as detailed in paragraph 7 to the report. Any approved carry forward requests will be funded, as appropriate from the balance declared on the general reserves as at 31 March 2016. Approval for carry forward requests will sought in the
Page 215 12 Revenue budget update presented in July 2016.
8. To note that the statement of accounts will be completed by 30 June 2016 and signed by the GMCA Treasurer in accordance with audit requirements.
9. To note that the final outturn position is subject to the completion of the annual external audit to be finalised by 30 September 2016 and reported to the GMCA Audit Committee at its meeting on 16 September 2016.
117/16 GMCA CAPITAL OUTTURN 2015/16 AND 2016/17 PROGRAMME
Councillor Kieran Quinn presented a report which informed Members of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority capital outturn for 2015/16.
RESOLVED/-
1. To note the 2015/16 outturn capital expenditure compared to the forecast position presented to GMCA in January 2016. 2. To approve the addition of £0.2 million to the capital programme budget for 2016/17.
118/16 GREATER MANCHESTER INVESTMENT FRAMEWORK – CONDITIONAL APPROVAL
Councillor Kieran Quinn introduced a report which sought Greater Manchester Combined Authority approval for a loan to Zuto Limited. Members noted that the loan will be made from recycled monies.
A further report which provided additional, commercially sensitive information regarding the Greater Manchester Investment Framework was taken as read during Members’ discussions on this item.
RESOLVED/-
1. To agree that the project funding application by Zuto Limited, (loan of £1,000,000) be given conditional approval.
2. To delegate authority to the Combined Authority Treasurer and Combined Authority Monitoring Officer to review the due diligence information and, subject to their satisfactory review and agreement of the due diligence information and the overall detailed commercial terms of the transaction, to sign off any outstanding conditions, issue final approvals and complete any necessary related documentation in respect of the loan at a) above.
Page 216 13 3. To note the recommendations contained in the in the commercially sensitive, Part B report referred to at Item 35 of the Agenda.
119/16 EXCLUSION OF PRESS AND PUBLIC
Members noted that as the commercially sensitive information was taken as read during the consideration of Co-Commissioning Work and Health Programme (Minute 113/16), Establishment of a Greater Manchester Energy Company (Minute 115/16) and Greater Manchester Investment Framework – Conditional Approval (Minute 117/16), the recommendation to exclude members of the press and public would not be moved.
120/16 CO-COMMISSIONING WORK AND HEALTH PROGRAMME
CLERK’S NOTE: This item was considered in support of the Part A Co- Commissioning Work and Health Programme report at Minute 113/16 above.
121/16 PROPOSAL FOR GREATER MANCHESTER TO BE DESIGNATED A DEFRA PIONEER CITY REGION
CLERK’S NOTE: This item was withdrawn.
122/16 ESTABLISHMENT OF A GREATER MANCHESTER ENERGY COMPANY
CLERK’S NOTE: This item was considered in support of the Part A paper on the Energy Company for Greater Manchester at Minute 115/16, above.
123/16 GREATER MANCHESTER INVESTMENT FRAMEWORK – CONDITIONAL APPROVAL
CLERK’S NOTE: This item was considered in support of the Part A the Greater Manchester Investment Framework report at Minute 117/16 above.
Page 217 14 Agenda Item 14
DECISIONS AGREED AT JOINT GREATER MANCHESTER COMBINED AUTHORITY AND AGMA EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING HELD ON FRIDAY 29 APRIL 2016 AT GREATER MANCHESTER POLICE HEADQUARTERS.
GM INTERIM MAYOR Tony Lloyd (in the Chair)
BOLTON COUNCIL Councillor Cliff Morris
BURY COUNCIL Councillor Mike Connolly
MANCHESTER CC Councillor Richard Leese
OLDHAM COUNCIL Councillor Jean Stretton
ROCHDALE MBC Councillor Richard Farnell
SALFORD CC Councillor David Lancaster
STOCKPORT MBC Councillor Sue Derbyshire
TAMESIDE MBC Councillor Kieran Quinn TRAFFORD COUNCIL Councillor Sean Anstee
WIGAN COUNCIL Councillor Peter Smith
JOINT BOARDS AND OTHER MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE
GMFRA Councillor David Acton GMWDA Councillor Nigel Murphy TfGMC Councillor Andrew Fender
OFFICERS IN ATTENDANCE
Steven Young Bolton Council Mike Owen Bury Council Howard Bernstein Manchester CC Carolyn Wilkins Oldham Council Steve Rumbelow Rochdale MBC Jim Taylor Salford CC Eamonn Boylan Stockport MBC Steven Pleasant Tameside MBC Jill Colbert Trafford Council Donna Hall Wigan Council Andrew Lightfoot GM Director of Public Service 1
Page 218 Reform Rachel Pykett GM Public Service Reform Mark Hughes Manchester Growth Company Simon Nokes New Economy Adam Allen Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner Clare Regan Office of the GM Interim Mayor Peter O’Reilly GM Fire & Rescue Service Ian Hopkins GM Police Jon Lamonte TfGM Liz Treacy GMCA Monitoring Officer Richard Paver GMCA Treasurer Julie Connor Head of GMIST Sylvia Welsh ) Greater Manchester Kerry Bond ) Integrated Support Team Ross MacRae GMCA Media Lead
21/16 APOLOGIES
Apologies for absence were received on behalf of Mayor Ian Stewart (Salford), Margaret Asquith (Bolton), Theresa Grant (Trafford), John Bland (GMWDA), Councillor Cath Piddington (GMWDA)
22/16 CHAIRS ANNOUNCEMENTS AND URGENT BUSINESS
There were no announcements from the Chair or any items of urgent business.
23/16 DECLARATIONS OF INTERESTS
There were no declarations of interest received.
24/16 MINUTES OF THE JOINT GMCA AND AGMA EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING HELD ON 26 FEBRUARY 2016
The minutes of the Joint GMCA and AGMA Executive Board meeting held on 26 February 2016 were submitted for consideration.
RESOLVED/-
To approve the minutes of the Joint GMCA and AGMA Executive Board held on 26 February 2016.
2
Page 219 25/16 FORWARD PLAN OF STRATEGIC DECISIONS OF THE JOINT GMCA AND AGMA EXECUTIVE BOARD AND AGMA EXECUTIVE BOARD
Consideration was given to a report of Julie Connor, Head of the Greater Manchester Integrated Support Team, which set out the Forward Plan of those strategic decisions to be considered over the next four months.
RESOLVED/-
To note the Forward Plan of Strategic Decisions as set out in the report.
26/16 MINUTES OF THE JOINT GMCA AND AGMA SCRUTINY POOL MEETING HELD ON 8 APRIL 2016
RESOLVED/-
To note the minutes of the Joint GMCA and AGMA Scrutiny Pool meeting held on 8 April 2016.
27/16 MINUTES OF THE JOINT GMCA AND AGMA AUDIT COMMITTEE MEETING HELD ON 15 APRIL 2016
RESOLVED/-
1. To note the minutes of the Joint GMCA and AGMA Audit Committee held on 15 April 2016.
2. To approve the Audit Committees recommendation to delegate authority to Richard Paver, GMCA Treasurer the power to pursue any restructuring, rescheduling or redemption opportunities available, including if it requires changes to the Treasury Management Strategy. Any changes required to the Strategy will be reported to members at the earliest opportunity.
28/16 GMCA AND AGMA NOMINATIONS AND APPOINTMENTS 2016/17
RESOLVED/-
To note that letters will be sent to all Chief Executives in early May requesting nominations from their respective Local Authority, to the GMCA and AGMA Executive, Statutory Bodies, Committees and outside bodies for 2016/17.
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Page 220
29/16 GREATER MANCHESTER REFORM BOARD OVERVIEW
Tony Lloyd presented a report setting out the role of the newly established Greater Manchester Reform Board and providing a summary of key reports considered at the first meeting of the Board. The report also sought approval of a specific funding request to support the continued development of the GM Leadership and Workforce Development workstream.
He emphasised that the delivery of reform across Greater Manchester, including health, was critically important.
Members were supportive of the proposals but the point was made that Pubic Service Reform is primarily a Local Authority function and that this should be reflected in the terms of reference for the new Reform Board. Some of the language within the terms of reference also needs to be reviewed for the same reasons.
Going forward the membership of the Board should be reviewed to include political representation. It was suggested and agreed that that a committee of Local Authority Lead members with responsibility for Reform could be established to meet alongside the Board to provide political oversight of the progress of work.
It was also suggested the Board be renamed as the Greater Manchester Reform Partnership Board to reflect that the successful delivery of Reform across Greater Manchester can only be achieved with all partners working together.
Engagement with the Trade Unions and workforce does need to continue to ensure buy-in of the ethos of reform.
It was also suggested that Eamonn Boylan, Lead Chief Executive for Housing and Planning should be included as a member of the Board to provide a link to Greater Manchester’s growth priorities, particularly in connection with the One Public Estate initiative.
RESOLVED/-
1. To note the report.
2. To approve the Reform Framework and support its implementation alongside the roll-out place-based integration across Greater Manchester.
3. To approve the funding request for £222k from the GM Development Fund to support the GM Leadership and Workforce Development workstream.
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Page 221
4. To agree that the terms of reference for the new Board be reviewed to reflect that responsibility for the delivery of reforming public services remains with Local Authorities.
5. To agree the new Board be called the Greater Manchester Reform Partnership Board.
6. To agree that a Committee of Local Authority Lead members with responsibility for Public Service Reform Executive Members be established to meet alongside the Greater Manchester Reform Board.
7. To agree that Eamonn Boylan, Lead Chief Executive or Planning and Housing, as a member of the Greater Manchester Reform Board.
30/16 REVIEW OF SERVICES FOR CHILDREN
Councillor Cliff Morris presented a report providing an update on the Review of Services for Children which forms part of the Greater Manchester Devolution Agreement.
The GM Interim Mayor, on behalf of members, thanked Councillor Cliff Morris, portfolio Leadere and Jim Taylor, lead Chief Executive for the Services for Children, for the good progress made with the review.
RESOLVED/-
1. To note the progress made on the Greater Manchester Services for Children review since the last report to the Board.
2. To agree the key proposals and opportunities that have been identified through the development of the Business Cases and the proposed Target Operating Model which will support the delivery.
3. To note the next steps for the review including the proposals to draw down government funding at a GM level fund in order to support the implementation of the proposals.
4. To agree to place on record thanks for the work and progress made on the review of children’s services.
5
Page 222 31/16 GREATER MANCHESTER SPATIAL FRAMEWORK
Councillor Sue Derbyshire Portfolio presented a report, providing an update on the recent consultation and the ongoing work to develop a Greater Manchester Spatial Strategy, emphasising the timeline, to ensure districts are compliant with Government requirements, highlighting the importance of addressing resource issues. Councillor Derbyshire reminded the meeting that Planning and Housing Executive members are invited to attend each Planning and Housing Commission meetings.
RESOLVED/-
1. To note the report.
2. To agree the approach to assessing development viability of existing supply set out in Section 5 of the report.
3. To agree the approach to developing the spatial strategy outlined in Section 6 of the report.
4. To agree the resourcing proposals in Section 8 of the report.
5. To agree that a further report be submitted to members in May outlining the preferred growth option, the implications for land supply and the draft consultation report.
32/16 BROWNFIELD LAND REGISTER PILOT
Councillor Sue Derbyshire Portfolio presented a report detailing the scope, aim and timescales of the pilot for the eight constituent Local Authorities of the second round brownfield land register pilot.
Councillor Derbyshire assured members that planning permission principles will enable Local Authorities to retain oversight of planning applications, the Government pilot will help show how processes will work.
RESOLVED/-
1. To agree to accept funding from DCLG on behalf of the eight Greater Manchester Local Authorities and fund the Commission for New Economy Ltd and Salford City Council’s ICT team to deliver the project.
6
Page 223 2. To agree that a further report be submitted to the Joint GMCA and AGMA following completion of the Pilot.
33/16 IAN STEWART AND COUNCILLOR MIKE CONNOLLY
The GM Interim Mayor reminded the meeting that Ian Stewart would be retiring from his position as City Mayor of Salford and that Councillor Mike Connolly was standing down as the Leader of Bury Council, to take up the position of Mayor. As Ian Stewart could not attend the meeting the GM Interim Mayor passed on to members a written message he had sent. He thanked both Ian Stewart and Mike Connolly on behalf of himself and members for the work and commitment to GMCA and AGMA.
RESOLVED/-
1. To place on record thanks to Ian Stewart for his work as a member of the GMCA and as portfolio lead for Business Support and Business Finance.
2. To place on record thanks to Mike Connolly for his work as a member of the GMCA and the Chair of the Police and Crime Panel.
7
Page 224 DECISIONS AGREED AT THE JOINT GMCA AND AGMA EXECUTIVE BAORD MEETING HELD ON FRIDAY 27 MAY 2016 AT STOCKPORT TOWN HALL
GM INTERIM MAYOR Tony Lloyd (in the Chair)
BOLTON COUNCIL Councillor Linda Thomas
BURY COUNCIL Councillor Rishi Shori
MANCHESTER CC Councillor Richard Leese
OLDHAM COUNCIL Councillor Jean Stretton
ROCHDALE MBC Councillor Richard Farnell
SALFORD CC City Mayor Paul Dennett
STOCKPORT MBC Councillor Alexander Ganotis
TAMESIDE MBC Councillor Kieran Quinn
TRAFFORD COUNCIL Councillor Sean Anstee
WIGAN COUNCIL Councillor Peter Smith
JOINT BOARDS AND OTHER MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE
GMFRA Councillor David Acton GMWDA Councillor Nigel Murphy TfGMC Councillor Andrew Fender
OFFICERS IN ATTENDANCE
Margaret Asquith Bolton Council Mike Owen Bury Council Geoff Little Manchester CC Carolyn Wilkins Oldham Council John Searle Rochdale MBC Jim Taylor Salford CC Eamonn Boylan Stockport MBC Steven Pleasant Tameside MBC Theresa Grant Trafford Council Donna Hall Wigan Council Andrew Lightfoot GM Director of Public Service Reform Mark Hughes Manchester Growth Company Simon Nokes New Economy Adam Allen Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner Paul Argyle GM Fire & Rescue Service Ian Pilling GM Police Jon Lamonte TfGM Liz Treacy GMCA Monitoring Officer Richard Paver GMCA Treasurer Page 225 1 Julie Connor Head of GMIST Sylvia Welsh ) Greater Manchester Paul Harris ) Integrated Support Team Bridget Aherne GMCA Head of Communications Ross MacRae GMCA Communications
34/16 APOLOGIES
Apologies for absence were received on behalf Councillor Cliff Morris (Councillor Linda Thomas attending) Sir Howard Bernstein (Geoff Little attending) and Steve Rumbelow (John Searle attending).
35/16 CHAIRS ANNOUNCEMENTS AND URGENT BUSINESS
There were no announcements from the Chair or any items of urgent business.
36/16 DECLARATIONS OF INTERESTS
There were no declarations of interest received.
37/16 AGMA EXECUTIVE BOARD CHANGE IN MEMBERSHIP
RESOLVED/-
To note the following changes in membership as nominated by districts:
Local Member Substitute 2nd Substitue Authority Bury Councillor R Shori Councillor J Lewis Councillor T Holt Salford Mr P Dennett Councillor J Merry Councillor P Boshall Stockport Councillor A Ganotis Councillor W Wild Councillor K Butler
38/16 MINUTES OF THE JOINT GMCA AND AGMA EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING HELD ON 29 APRIL 2016
The minutes of the Joint GMCA and AGMA Executive Board meeting held on 29 April 2016 were submitted for consideration.
RESOLVED/-
To approve the minutes of the Joint GMCA and AGMA Executive Board held on 29 April 2016 as a correct record.
Page 226 2 39/16 FORWARD PLAN OF STRATEGIC DECISIONS OF JOINT GMCA AND AGMA EXECUTIVE BOARD
Consideration was given to a report setting out those strategic decisions that were to be considered by the GMCA over the upcoming four months.
RESOLVED/-
To note the Forward Plan of Strategic Decisions, as set out in the report.
40/16 UPDATE ON GREATER MANCHESTER SERVICES FOR CHILDREN REVIEW
Jim Taylor presented a report providing Members with an update on the latest position on the GM Services for Children Review.
RESOLVED/-
To note the progress of work and the next steps for the Greater Manchester Services for Children Review, in particular the discussions with Department for Education regarding resources.
Page 227 3 Agenda Item 15
DECISIONS AGREED AT THE ANNUAL MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION OF GREATER MANCHESTER AUTHORITIES EXECUTIVE BOARD, HELD ON THURSDAY 30 JUNE 2016 AT GUARDSMAN TONY DOWNES HOUSE, DROYLSDEN
MEMBERS PRESENT-
GM INTERIM MAYOR Tony Lloyd (in the Chair)
BOLTON COUNCIL Councillor Cliff Morris
BURY COUNCIL Councillor Rishi Shori
MANCHESTER CC Councillor Sue Murphy
OLDHAM COUNCIL Councillor Jean Stretton
ROCHDALE MBC Councillor Richard Farnell
SALFORD CC City Mayor Paul Dennett
STOCKPORT MBC Councillor Alex Ganotis
TAMESIDE MBC Councillor Kieran Quinn
TRAFFORD COUNCIL Councillor Sean Anstee
WIGAN COUNCIL Councillor Peter Smith
JOINT BOARDS AND OTHER MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE
GMFRA Councillor David Acton GMWDA Councillor Nigel Murphy TfGMC Councillor Andrew Fender
OFFICERS IN ATTENDANCE
Margaret Asquith Bolton Council Mike Owen Bury Council Howard Bernstein Manchester CC Carolyn Wilkins Oldham Council Steve Rumbelow Rochdale MBC Jim Taylor Salford CC Eamonn Boylan Stockport MBC Steven Pleasant Tameside MBC Joanne Hyde Trafford Council Donna Hall Wigan Council Peter O’Reilly Chief Fire Officer, GM Fire & Rescue Service Ian Hopkins Chief Constable, GM Police Jon Lamonte Chief Executive, TfGM
Page 228 1 Mark Hughes Manchester Growth Company Simon Nokes New Economy Adam Allen Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner Clare Regan Office of the GM Interim Mayor Liz Treacy GMCA Monitoring Officer Richard Paver GMCA Treasurer Andrew Lightfoot Deputy Head of the Paid Service Julie Connor Head of GMIST Sylvia Welsh ) Greater Manchester Paul Harris ) Integrated Support Team Ross MacRae GMCA Media Lead
41/16 APOLOGIES
An apology for absence was received and noted from Councillor Richard Leese. Members noted that Councillor Sue Murphy was in attendance as his substitute.
42/16 APPOINTMENT OF THE CHAIR OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD
Pursuant to Section 10.2 of the AGMA Constitution, Donna Hall, AGMA Secretary, sought nominations for the appointment of Chair of the AGMA Executive Board for the 2016/17 Municipal Year.
A nomination for the appointment of Tony Lloyd, GM Interim Mayor was moved and seconded.
RESOLVED/-
To agree that Tony Lloyd, GM Interim Mayor be appointed as Chair of the AGMA Executive Board for the 2016/2017 municipal year.
GM Interim Mayor, Tony Lloyd In the Chair.
43/16 APPOINTMENT OF VICE CHAIRS OF THE EXECUTIVE BOARD
Pursuant to Section 10.3 of the AGMA Constitution members of the Chair sought nominations for the appointment of at least 2 but no more than 3 Vice Chairs AGMA Executive Board for the 2016/17 Municipal Year, with no one political group holding all the vice-chair positions on the Board.
Nominations for the appointment of Councillors Sean Anstee (Trafford) and Richard Leese (Manchester) were moved and seconded.
RESOLVED/-
Page 229 2 To agree the appointments of Councillors Sean Anstee (Trafford) and Richard Leese (Manchester) as Vice Chairs of the AGMA Executive
44/16 CONSTITUTION
RESOLVED/-
To note the AGMA Constitution, as agreed by the Executive Board in November 2015
45/16 GREATER MANCHESTER APPOINTMENTS AND NOMINATIONS 2016/17
A report of Donna Hall, AGMA Secretary was presented which sought approval of Members to A) AGMA appointments and nominations received from the GM local authorities to Greater Manchester statutory bodies; and B) appointments to other AGMA outside bodies for 2016/17
Resolved/-
1. To note the appointments from local authorities to the AGMA Executive Board for 2016/17 as follows:-
District Member Substitute Member
GMCA Tony Lloyd GM Interim Mayor Bolton Cliff Morris (LAB) Linda Thomas (LAB) Ebrahim Adia (LAB) Bury Rishi Shori (LAB) Jane Lewis (LAB) Trevor Holt (LAB) Manchester Richard Leese (LAB) Sue Murphy (LAB) Bernard Priest (LAB) Oldham Jean Stretton (LAB) Abdul Jabbar (LAB) Barbara Brownridge (LAB) Rochdale Richard Farnell (LAB) Allen Brett (LAB) Jacqui Beswick (LAB) Salford Paul Dennett (LAB) John Merrry (LAB) Paula Boshell (LAB) Stockport Alexander Ganotis (LAB) Wendy Wild (LAB) Kate Butler (LAB) Tameside Kieran Quinn (LAB) John Taylor (LAB) Jim Fitzpatrick (LAB) Trafford Sean Anstee (CON) Alex Williams (CON) John Lamb (CON) Wigan Peter Smith (LAB) David Molyneux (LAB) Christopher Ready (LAB)
Page 230 3 2. To note the Associate Members of AGMA namely, GM Fire & Rescue Authority, GM Police & Crime Commissioner, GM Waste Disposal Authority and the GM Local Enterprise Partnership
3. To note the appointments from local authorities to the Police and Crime Panel for 2016/17 as follows:-
District Member
Bolton Cliff Morris (LAB) Bury Rishi Shori (LAB) Manchester Richard Leese (LAB) Oldham Jean Stretton (LAB) Rochdale Richard Farnell(LAB) Salford Paul Dennett (LAB) Stockport Alex Ganotis (LAB) Tameside Kieran Quinn (LAB) Trafford Sean Anstee (CON) Wigan Peter Smith (LAB) Co-opted member Diane Curry Co-opted member Maqsood Ahmad
4. To note the Police and Crime panel re-appointed the 2 co-opted members Diane Curry and Maqsood Ahmad to the Police and Crime Panel in 2015/16 a further 3 year term of office, to be reviewed in 2018/19.
5. To note the appointments from local authorities to the Police and Crime Steering Group (as detailed in the report) 2016/17 as follows:-
District Member
Bolton Derek Burrows (LAB) Bury Tamoor Tariq (LAB) Manchester Nigel Murphy (LAB) Oldham Barbara Brownridge (LAB) Rochdale Daalat Ali (LAB) Salford David Lancaster (LAB) Stockport Sheila Bailey (LAB) Tameside Joe Kitchen (LAB) Trafford John Lamb (CON) Wigan Kevin Anderson (LAB)
6. To approve the appointment of the GMCA Police and Crime portfolio holder, Tony Lloyd to the Police and Crime Steering Group 2016/17.
Page 231 4 7. To note the appointments from local authorities to the GM Health Scrutiny Committee and their substitutes for 2016/17 as follows:-
District Member Substitute Member Bolton Champak Mistry (LAB) Susan Howarth (LAB) Bury Annette McKay (LAB) Vacancy Manchester Glynn Evans (LAB) Vacancy Oldham Colin McLaren (LAB) Elaine Garry (LAB) Rochdale Sara Rowbotham (LAB) Vacancy Salford Margaret Morris (LAB) Vacancy Stockport Laura Booth (LIB DEM) John Taylor (LAB) Tameside Gill Peet (LAB) Vacancy Trafford Patricia Young (CON) Angela Bruer-Morris (CON) Wigan John O’Brien (LAB) Nigel Ash (LAB)
8. To agree that the GM Health and Wellbeing Board is no longer required due to the newly established Health and Social Care governance structures and should therefore be disbanded.
9. To note the appointment of the GM Interim Mayor to the Greater Manchester Reform Board.
10. To approve the appointment of 9 Members, nominated by the local authorities to the Greater Manchester Reform Committee for 2016/17 and note the current Rochdale vacancy, as follows:-
District Member
Bolton Ebraham Adia (LAB) Bury Rishi Shori (LAB) Manchester Sue Murphy (LAB) Oldham Barbara Brownridge (LAB) Rochdale To Be Advised Salford John Merry (LAB) Stockport David Sedgewick (LAB) Tameside Jim Fitzpatrick (LAB) Trafford Sean Anstee (CON) Wigan Terry Halliwell (LAB)
11. To agree the nominations by local authorities to the Statutory Functions Committee for 2016/17, as follows:-
Page 232 5 District Member Substitute Member Bolton Madeline Murray (LAB) Cliff Morris (LAB) Bury Judith Kelly (LAB) Vacancy Manchester Bernard Stone (LAB) Vacancy Oldham Graham Shuttleworth Steven Bashforth (LAB) (LAB) Rochdale Janet Emsley (LAB) Peter Williams (LAB) Salford Ann Marie Humphreys Jane Hamilton (LAB) (LAB) Stockport Tom McGee (LAB) Wendy Wild (LAB) Tameside Jackie Lane (LAB) Vacancy Trafford Bernard Sharp (CON) Dylan Butt (CON) Wigan Paul Kenny (LAB) Bill Clarke (LAB)
12. To approve the appointment of 10 members, nominated by the local authorities to the GM Pensions Fund Management Panel 2016/17, as follows:-
District Member
Bolton Mike Francis (LAB) Bury Joan Grimshaw (LAB) Manchester Angeliki Stogia (LAB) Oldham Brian Ames (LAB) Rochdale Allen Brett (LAB) Salford Paul Wilson (LAB) Stockport John Pantall (LIB DEM) Tameside Kieran Quinn (LAB) (Chair) Trafford Alan Mitchell (CON) Wigan Terry Halliwell (LAB)
13. To agree to grant authority to the AGMA Secretary, in consultation with the Chair of the AGMA Executive, to determine appointments to the following bodies in 2016/17:-
i. the Planning and Housing Commission. ii. the Asylum Seekers Board. iii. the Halle Board. iv. the People’s History Museum Board. v. the Council of Governors for the Christie Hospital NHS Foundation Trust.
Page 233 6 46/16 SCHEDULE OF MEETINGS
RESOLVED/-
To agree that meetings of the AGMA Executive Board will take place on the same day as the GMCA, as required, with the dates and venues being the same as those reported to the GMCA Meeting held earlier on the morning of 30 June 2016, as follows
Friday 29 July 2016 - Bury Friday 26 August 2016 - Manchester Friday 30 September 2016 - Trafford Friday 28 October 2016 - Salford Friday 25 November 2016 - Oldham Friday 16 December 2016 - Bolton Friday 27 January 2017 - Wigan Friday 24 February 2017 - Rochdale Friday 31 March 2017 - GMPCC Friday 28 April 2017 - Stockport Friday 26 May 2017 - Tameside Friday 30 June 2017 - Bury
Page 234 7 This page is intentionally blank
Page 235 8 DRAFT MINUTES OF THE DECISIONS AGREED AT THE ORDINARY MEETING OF THE ASSOCIATION OF GREATER MANCHESTER AUTHORITIES EXECUTIVE BOARD, HELD ON THURSDAY 30 JUNE 2016 AT GUARDSMAN TONY DOWNES HOUSE, DROYLSDEN
MEMBERS PRESENT-
GM INTERIM MAYOR Tony Lloyd (in the Chair)
BOLTON COUNCIL Councillor Cliff Morris
BURY COUNCIL Councillor Rishi Shori
MANCHESTER CC Councillor Sue Murphy
OLDHAM COUNCIL Councillor Jean Stretton
ROCHDALE MBC Councillor Richard Farnell
SALFORD CC City Mayor Paul Dennett
STOCKPORT MBC Councillor Alex Ganotis
TAMESIDE MBC Councillor Kieran Quinn
TRAFFORD COUNCIL Councillor Sean Anstee
WIGAN COUNCIL Councillor Peter Smith
JOINT BOARDS AND OTHER MEMBERS IN ATTENDANCE
GMFRA Councillor David Acton GMWDA Councillor Nigel Murphy TfGMC Councillor Andrew Fender
OFFICERS IN ATTENDANCE
Margaret Asquith Bolton Council Mike Owen Bury Council Howard Bernstein Manchester CC Carolyn Wilkins Oldham Council Steve Rumbelow Rochdale MBC Jim Taylor Salford CC Eamonn Boylan Stockport MBC Steven Pleasant Tameside MBC Joanne Hyde Trafford Council Donna Hall Wigan Council Peter O’Reilly Chief Fire Officer, GM Fire & Rescue Service Ian Hopkins Chief Constable, GM Police
Page 236 9 Jon Lamonte Chief Executive, TfGM Mark Hughes Manchester Growth Company Simon Nokes New Economy Adam Allen Office of the Police & Crime Commissioner Clare Regan Office of the GM Interim Mayor Liz Treacy GMCA Monitoring Officer Richard Paver GMCA Treasurer Andrew Lightfoot Deputy Head of the Paid Service Julie Connor Head of GMIST Sylvia Welsh ) Greater Manchester Paul Harris ) Integrated Support Team Ross MacRae GMCA Media Lead
47/16 APOLOGIES
An apology for absence was received and noted from Councillor Richard Leese. Members noted that Councillor Sue Murphy was in attendance as his substitute.
48/16 CHAIR’S ANNOUNCEMENTS AND URGENT BUSINESS
There were no announcements or items of urgent business made.
49/16 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST
There were no declarations of interest made by any Member with regard to any item on the agenda.
50/16 MINUTES
The Minutes of the Joint GMCA and AGMA Executive Board meeting, held on 27 May 2016 were submitted.
RESOLVED/-
To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 27 May 2016 as a correct record.
51/16 FORWARD PLAN OF STRATEGIC DECISIONS
Consideration was given to a report which advised Members of those strategic decisions that were to be considered by the AGMA Executive over the upcoming four months.
RESOLVED/-
To note the Forward Plan of Strategic Decisions, as set out in the report.
Page 237 10 52/16 AGMA REVENUE OUTTURN 2015/16
Councillor Kieran Quinn introduced a report which informed Members of the revenue outturn position for 2015/16 and to note the position on reserves.
RESOLVED/-
1. To note the revenue outturn position for 2015/16, as detailed in section 1 to the report, which is an underspend of £689,000 after contributions to earmarked reserves. 2. To approve the contribution of £11,954,000 to earmarked reserves as detailed in paragraphs 1.6, 1.7, 1.12 and 2.3 of the report, noting, in particular, the contribution of £1,894,000 to the earmarked reserve for the Business Rates Pool which is new from 2015/16. 3. To note the position on reserves as detailed in section 2. 4. To note that there is no longer a requirement for a separate external audit of the AGMA Annual Accounts from 2015/16.
53/16 GREATER MANCHESTER PUBLIC REFORM BUDGET
The GM Interim Mayor, Tony Lloyd introduced a report which provided an update on the expenditure from the GM Transformation Challenge (TCA) Award and Development Fund budgets. The report requests approval of further allocations from these funds to support the continued embedding of the GM Reform Principles.
RESOLVED/-
1. To note current commitments against these budgets during 2016/17, in line with previous decisions by AGMA to allocate funding to support GM devolution, implementation of locality based reform initiatives and the roll-out of GM-Connect. 2. To approve £150,000 from the Development Fund be allocated to support the embedding behaviour change in our reform work, inline with the reform principles previously approved by AGMA. 3. To approve a £500,000 contribution to support the work of Health Innovation Manchester, to be funded from the Development Fund and the TCA funding allocated to GM-Connect. 4. To approve £218,000 from the Development Fund to deliver the GM Growth and Inclusion Review. 5. To approve £218,000 from the Development Fund to support the development of the GM Life Chances Investment Fund that was agreed in the further March 2016 GM devolution agreement with Government. 6. To note the cost of £701,560 in relation to the development of Health and Social Care (H&SC) work (including support to localities in preparation of submissions to the H&SC Transformation Fund) as
Page 238 11 detailed in paragraph 2.1(c) and approve the underwriting of £401,560 of this spend from the Transformation Challenge Award (TCA) budget, with the remaining £300,000 offset against the planned contribution to the H&SC Partnership budget. This funding will be reimbursed from the H&SC Transformation Fund once approved.
54/16 GREATER MANCHESTER BROWNFIELD LAND REGISTER PILOT Eamonn Boylan, Portfolio Lead Chief Executive for Planning and Housing, presented a report which provided the AGMA Executive Board meeting with an update on the Brownfield Register Pilot being completed with funding support from the Department of Communities and Local Government.
RESOLVED/-
1. To note the report, particularly the Greater Manchester Brownfield Register Pilot Lessons set out in section 3 to the report and the methodology for creating and identifying sites at Appendix A to the report.
2. To agree to delegate authority to the Lead Chief Executive for Planning & Housing to approve the submission of the pilot register and key issues raised to DCLG.
55/16 GREATER MANCHESTER JOINS THE ROCKEFELLER FOUNDATION’S 100 RESILIENT CITIES NETWORK
Mike Owen, Portfolio Lead Executive for Civil Contingencies presented a report which provided an update to the AGMA Executive Board on the successful outcome of Greater Manchester’s application to join the Rockefeller Foundation’s 100 Resilient Cities Network.
RESOLVED/-
To note that Greater Manchester has been successful in joining the 100 Resilient Cities Network and will have access to resources along the following four pathways:
a) financial and logistical guidance for establishing the position of Chief Resilience Officer. b) support to develop a resilience-building strategy. c) access to tools, service providers and partners from the private, public and non-profit sectors to implement the resilience strategy. d) access to the 100 Resilient Cities Network offering collaboration and learning with resilience experts worldwide.
Page 239 12