Agenda and minutes

To approve as a correct record and sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 15 October 2012.

The Minutes (copies of which had been circulated) of the meeting held on 15 October 2012 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

Councillors and officers to declare any interests which they have in any of the items on the agenda for the meeting.

Councillors and officers were invited to declare any interests which they had in any of the items on the agenda for the meeting.

The following interests were declared:-

Personal Interests

To consider call-in items (if any).

There were no call-in items to consider.

To consider a report of the Service Director (Adult Care Services).

As part of 2013/14 MTFP budget savings proposals, Adult Social Care has been in the process of carrying out two consultation processes. Specifically these consultations are focused on the proposed introduction of Blue Badge parking permit charges and price constraint on fees paid to residential/ domiciliary care providers.

The consultations are nearly complete and the full results will be available and submitted to the meeting of the Executive on 17 December 2012.  However, headline information on the process and initial findings will be shared with Adult Scrutiny Committee Members at their meeting on 26 November 2012.

The Scrutiny Committee is invited to consider and comment on the consultation responses.

Officer contact: Terry Dafter on 474 4401 or email: terry.dafter@stockport.gov.uk

The Service Director (Adult Social Care) submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) summarising the results of consultation exercises carried out on those proposals contained within the Executive’s Savings Proposals report considered by the scrutiny committees in October 2012 that related to this Scrutiny Committee’s remit.

The Executive Councillors for Adult Care Services (Councillor Daniel Hawthorne) and Supporting Communities (Councillor Mark Weldon) attended the meeting and summarised the individual savings proposals in respect of their portfolios as contained in the report.

The following issues were raised/ comments made:-

·         Further detail was requested in respect of the demographic information completed by respondents to the consultation in relation to changes to Disabled Parking Permits.

·         It was noted that no care home providers had yet indicated that they would seek to introduce ‘top-up’ fees as a result of proposals to constrain the prices for care homes at the current level for 2013/14.  Concern was nonetheless expressed that the pressure of sustaining these funding levels in future years may be such that this may prove unavoidable in the longer term.

·         The Scrutiny Committee welcomed proposals that the Council would seek to investigate ways of assisting care homes by using its own buying power to drive down costs associated with building maintenance, utilities and food provision.

·         Work in respect of the ‘Making Choices Having Control’ disability review was ongoing and a further report would be submitted to a meeting of the Scrutiny Committee in the New Year detailing the progress that had been made to date.

·         It was commented that part of the justification for the restructuring of the Community Safety Unit was the reduction in reports of anti-social behaviour by almost half over the last two years.  Members of the Scrutiny Committee sought reassurance that sufficient resources would continue to be allocated to those geographical areas of the Borough where anti-social behaviour was more prevalent.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted and the comments of the Scrutiny Committee on the Executive’s Savings Proposals be forwarded to the Executive for its consideration.

To consider a joint report of the Service Directors (Adult Social Care) and (Place Development).

The purpose of this report is to provide a detailed overview of performance which relates to the Adults and Communities Scrutiny Committee.

The information is provided in the form of the Quarter 1 2012/13 Portfolio Performance and Resources Reports for each of the Portfolios having functions within the remit of the Adults and Communities Scrutiny Committee namely: Adult Care Services, Health and Wellbeing and Supporting Communities.

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to:-

(1)  Review the current levels of performance.

(2)  Highlight key areas of, and responsibility for, taking forward corrective action to address any existing or forecast performance issues.

(3)  Identify how areas of strong performance and good practice can be shared in other services.

Officer contact: Doug Holland on 474 2976 or email: doug.holland@stockport.gov.uk

The Service Director (Adult Social Care) and representatives of the Service Director (Place Development) submitted a joint report (copies of which had been circulated) providing a detailed overview of performance which related to the Adults and Communities Scrutiny Committee.

Information was provided in the form of the Quarter Two 2012/13 Portfolio Performance and Resources Reports for each of the Portfolios having functions within the remit of the Adults and Communities Scrutiny Committee namely: Adult Care Services, Health and Wellbeing and Supporting Communities.

The Executive Councillors for Adult Care Services (Councillor Daniel Hawthorne) and Supporting Communities (Councillor Mark Weldon) attended the meeting to answer Members’ questions.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         Clarification was sought in relation to the actions that were being taken to improve the quality and effectiveness of the Reablement Service.  In response it was stated that discussions were ongoing with staff in relation to a number of developments at Individual Solutions SK and that a further report would be submitted to a future meeting of the Scrutiny Committee in relation to this matter.

·         The significant reduction in the level of sickness absence observed at Individual Solutions SK since the Quarter One Performance Report was welcomed.

·         In respect of the Payment by Recovery/ Results project, it was commented that there had been examples in the past of patients being discharged from services too early and the hope was expressed that the increase in discharges observed since the commencement of the project would not see a resultant increase in the occurrence of this problem.

·         The indicative results from the case-finding pilot undertaken in Brinnington were requested.  In response, it was stated that a report would be submitted to the next meeting of the Scrutiny Committee in relation to this matter.

·         Marple had been selected for a ‘locality based integrated working pilot’ as it was the biggest single sender of older people to Stepping Hill Hospital and was home to a number of larger nursing homes.  The evidence had shown that by working proactively in this area with GPs and nursing homes there was the potential to reduce demand on acute hospital admissions and improve the health outcomes for those older people.

·         The ‘My Care My Choice’ online care marketplace was well used, however it was acknowledged that traditional interactions with service users would remain important, particularly for those who were unable or not equipped to use web-based services.

·         A discussion took place around Portfolio Outcome 4 which related to the provision of housing and the failure to meet the targets within this Outcome.  In response, it was stated that the Outcome should be framed in the context of the difficult housing market and that there had been a significant improvement in the number of homes that were being provided.

·         Further information was requested in relation to the current status of the bidding process for the site of the former Fir Tree Primary School.

·         The Scrutiny Committee noted that two additional Welfare Rights Officers had been appointed, and Members requested additional information on the impact that these appointments had made on the waiting times for appeal representation resulting from the migration of people from Incapacity Benefit to the Employment Support Allowance.

·         The work to address the number of empty properties in the Borough was encouraging.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider a joint report of the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services, Service Director (Place Development) and the Chief Executive of Stockport Homes,.

The report details a future a draft rent strategy for the years 2012 – 2017, in order to frame the annual rent increases following on from the thirty year business plan and asset management plan approved in February 2012 for the Housing Revenue Account.

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to consider the draft strategy and express their views as part of the consultation process.

Officer contact: Michael Cullen on 474 4631 or email: michael.cullen@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Service Director (Place Development) submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) detailing a future draft Rent Strategy for the years 2012-2017 in order to frame the annual rent increases following on from the 30 year business plan and asset management plan approved in February 2012 for the Housing Revenue Account.

The Executive Councillor for Supporting Communities (Councillor Mark Weldon) also attended the meeting to answer Members’ questions.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         Consultation with tenants was being undertaken through three ‘Stockport Homes’ HUBS’ sessions, the first of which was held on 22 November 2012.

·         Concern was expressed in relation to the impact of the introduction of benefit-capping for under-occupied properties.  It was stated that Stockport Homes had put in place measures to mitigate the impact of the changes, including the appointment of two advisors to assist tenants with the change and giving people the opportunity to move into more suitable accommodation.

·         A discussion took place around the challenges that Stockport Home would face in the future as a result of payments of benefits direct to tenants, particularly in relation to the collection of rents and service charges.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider a report of the Democratic Services Manager.

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to note the résumé of the meeting of the Safer Stockport Partnership held on 5 September 2012.

Officer contact: Viki Shaw Tel: 474 3209; e-mail: viki.shaw@stockport.gov.uk

The Scrutiny Committee considered a résumé (copies of which had been circulated) of the meeting of the Safer Stockport Partnership held on 5 September 2012.

RESOLVED – That the résumé of the meeting of the Safer Stockport Partnership held on 5 September 2012 be noted.

To consider a report of the Democratic Services Manager.                                                        

The report sets out planned agenda items for the Scrutiny Committee’s next meeting and Forward Plan items that fall within the remit of the Scrutiny Committee.

The Scrutiny Committee is invited to consider the information in the report and put forward any agenda items for future meetings of the Committee.

Officer contact: Damian Eaton 474 3207 email: damian.eaton@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Democratic Services Manager submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) setting out the planned items for the Scrutiny Committee’s next meeting and Forward Plan items which fell within the remit of the Scrutiny Committee.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.