Welcome to Trafford Council Candidates Application Pack 1 Content Page Welcome Letter 3 Our Priorities and Values 4 About the Council 5 Political Composition 5 Leadership Team 6 The Executive 6 About the Area 6 Economic Growth 7 Place Shaping 8 Skills & Employment 9 Health & Wellbeing 10 Sport & Physical Activity 11 2 Dear Candidate, I am delighted that you are interested in our Social Work vacancy opportunities here at Trafford Council. Our vision is all about our People and our Place and I’m totally committed to making Trafford a place that all residents can feel proud of. We want everyone in the borough to feel safe and welcome here and for businesses and communities to thrive. Our absolute priority is to address the stark inequalities in health and life chances and ensure that every child and young person has a fair start in life and families can prosper. We have excellent parks and green spaces, thriving town centres and major cultural and leisure destinations including a dedicated arts centre, theatre and the Intu Trafford Centre – one of the UK’s largest shopping destinations. We are also at the heart of the commuter belt with Manchester Airport, and major UK motorway and rail networks on our doorstep. Our sporting heritage in Trafford is an incredibly important part of our long history as is being the birthplace of the NHS. Our focus on improving the health and well-being of our people is directly linked to our Sports and Physical Activity Strategy to get every resident in Trafford moving more to aid healthier lifestyles. We are also working closely with NHS Trafford CCG and with Providers to ensure that the totality of our resources are aligned to a clear and cohesive commissioning strategy that maximises the Trafford pound. As a Council, we are open, collaborative and forward-thinking, exploring every opportunity to innovate and regenerate. Shaping our future communities with our partners through direct investment and collaboration, it is heartening to see that in the context of such significant funding challenges, our aspirations remain so high. We already have a good story to tell and we are incredibly proud of what we do. I hope that you will be enthused by the opportunity to join us and thank you again for your interest. Yours Sincerely, Cllr Andrew Western Leader of Trafford Council 3 Our Priorities and Values Delivering our promises: Bringing Trafford's priorities to life Our Corporate Strategy sets out the seven main priorities we are working towards to help make Trafford a great place to live, learn, work and relax. Our Values Our EPIC values - Empowering, People Centred, Inclusive and Collaborative will act as a cornerstone for how we work with each other, our partners and our residents to deliver our corporate plan, priorities and ultimately our vision: “Working together to build the best future for all our communities/everyone in Trafford” 4 About the Council We are a vibrant forward-thinking council that puts ‘People and Place’ at the heart of everything we do. We are involved with a range of exciting and innovative projects with private and public sector partners to ensure the borough remains a great place to live and work. These include the creation of the UA92 University and Civic Quarter regenerations. On a sporting level, the Cricket World Cup is coming to Lancashire CCC’s Emirates Old Trafford ground and we are also a host venue for the Rugby League World Cup. The outstanding recent GCSE results in Trafford make our schools one of the best in the UK and are another reason why Trafford is one of the most sought-after areas of the country in which to live. In addition, our One Trafford Partnership with Amey PLC provides a broad range of council services such as domestic and business waste collection, highway management and maintenance, parks and green space maintenance, facilities and estates management and a range of technical consultancy services. Since 2010, we have continued to provide high quality services across the borough – despite central government budget cuts. We have successfully reduced expenditure by £161.47m over this period, while having one of the lowest council tax levels in the country. This has been no easy challenge for a low funded, low tax authority like Trafford and has only been achieved by a strong culture of innovation and robust financial management. Political Composition Following the elections on 2 May 2019, Labour has majority control. We have an elected Leader and Cabinet structure. The full council is made up of 63 locally elected councillors representing 21 wards who make decisions on how to improve local services on behalf of residents. Political composition for 2019/2020: Party Seats Labour 36 Conservative 20 Liberal Dems 4 Green Party 3 5 Leadership Team We have a very talented and dedicated workforce across our seven new directorates. The day-to-day management of the council and its services is carried out by the Corporate Leadership Team. Sara Todd, Chief Executive Sarah Saleh, Corporate Director of People Richard Roe, Corporate Director of Place Jill McGregor, Corporate Director of Children’s Services Diane Eaton, Corporate Director of Adult and Wellbeing Services Nikki Bishop, Corporate Director of Finance & Systems Jane Le Fevre, Corporate Director of Governance & Community Strategy The Executive The Executive is responsible for all key decisions and the strategic management of services, and acts in line with the policy framework and budget of The Council. It consists of the Leader of the Council and nine other Executive Councillors, each of whom holds an Executive Portfolio. Most of the important decisions are made by the Executive collectively, although Executive Councillors can take some decisions individually within their area of responsibility. About the Area Trafford is a thriving, diverse, prosperous, and culturally vibrant borough at the heart of Greater Manchester. 6 The borough is world famous for, and proud to be, home to the internationally renowned cultural and sporting attraction of Manchester United Football Club, Lancashire Cricket Club, Intu Trafford Centre, the famous cobbles of Coronation Street and the remarkable Imperial War Museum. We also boast Trafford Park, one of Europe’s biggest business parks, in our portfolio and have 14,000 businesses in the region. We have huge plans and fantastic opportunities for investors and developers. Through our development plans, as part of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework, our ambition is to grow our housing stock, regenerate our towns, drive footfall into our town centres and further improve the local environment for our growing and young population. Trafford has much to be proud of. Our council tax is one of the lowest in the North West and we are also renowned as the safest borough in Greater Manchester. Our schools are among the highest performing in the UK and we are the birthplace of the National Health Service. Our borough is recognised as an economic powerhouse and, as a key player on the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, we continue to influence decision making, investment and future planning across the region. We are a key asset to the region, contributing more than £7.1bn to the Greater Manchester economy. We are at the heart of the global internet infrastructure, due to our close proximity to the only internet exchange in the UK outside London. This unparalleled digital infrastructure has already attracted a multitude of digitally connected businesses to locate in Trafford – including Equinix Telecity’s acclaimed £25m data centre. Trafford has bold ambitions and plans to rethink the traditional problems faced by local authorities and respond positively to the challenges we face. With all this in mind, and much more, we are excited about what the future holds. Economic Growth With around 14,000 businesses, ranging from cutting edge digital and creative companies to advanced manufacturing and green technology, Trafford is the most economically competitive area with the most talented labour pool in the North West. It is economically diverse, hosting international businesses such as Kellogg’s, L’Oreal, Adidas, Unilever, and Procter and Gamble within Trafford Park – the first business park in Europe and still one of the largest and most successful. 7 Excellent transport and motorway links are just one of the many attractions for businesses. Trafford is near Manchester International Airport, major national motorways and a proposed high-speed rail link which will connect it to the rest of the country in less than two hours. The development of HS2 on our doorstep, with the Manchester Airport station located within Trafford, will only make us more appealing. The borough is already served by the Metrolink and a £350m extension through Trafford Park is due to be completed by 2020. This will be vital for investment and employment, opening up greater commuter links in the area. This infrastructure will provide a further boost to the vibrant local economy, while respecting the outstanding natural and historical assets. Our plan is to build 23,000 homes by 2035 and create 1.12m square metres of new employment space. Trafford is home to 14,000 businesses employing 163,000 people. Trafford Park is one of the largest and most successful industrial estates in Europe and employs around 38,000 people. We are one of the most economically competitive areas in the North of England with £7.1bn of economic output per annum. Place Shaping Trafford is just a stone’s throw away from Manchester city centre, making it ideally positioned for the millions of visitors it receives each year. The Council plays an important strategic role in shaping the future communities with our partners, through our influence and our direct investment.