Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED – That in the absence of the Chair and the Vice Chair, Councillor Paul Porgess be elected Chair of the Committee for the duration of the meeting.

To approve as a correct record and sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 4 November 2015.

The Minutes (copies of which had been circulated) of the meeting held on 9 December 2015 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

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

The following interest was declared:-

Personal Interest

There were no call-in items to consider.

To consider a report of the Leader of the Council and Deputy Leader.

The report provides an update on each of the proposals relevant to this committee (as summarised in appendix.1) and reflects completed or ongoing consultation with members, stakeholders and the public. Scrutiny members are invited to consider and comment on the updated proposals appended to this report. This is the final opportunity for the scrutiny committee to comment on draft business cases. Following scrutiny, proposals will proceed to the 16^th December 2015 Executive where they are presented for consideration and approval.

The Scrutiny Committee are invited to consider and comment on the report.

Officer Contact: Andrew Webb on Tel: 474 3808 or email: andrew.webb@stockport.gov.uk

A joint report of the Leader of the Council and the Deputy Leader of the Council was submitted (copies of which had been circulated) providing an update on those Investing in Stockport proposals considered by the Scrutiny Committee in September 2015, following completed or ongoing consultation with members, stakeholders and the public. The proposals had been brought forward by the Executive to respond to the financial challenges facing the Council and in response to the forecasts provided by the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services.

The accompanying documents to the report provided further detail on the following Investing In Stockport proposals:-

·         Preventative Commissioning Strategy

·         0-25 SEND Reform

·         Integrated Prevention and Safeguarding Children and Family Service (Stockport Family)

The Executive Councillor (Supporting Children) (Councillor Wendy Meikle) and the Executive Councillor (Safe and Resilient Communities) (Councillor Shan Alexander)  the Deputy Director of Public Health and representatives of the Corporate Director for People attended the meeting to present the revised proposals and to answer questions.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         The recommissioning of the Drug and alcohol treatment service and working alongside Stockport Family. The Committee noted that there were two new providers in place who were closely aligned with the MOSAIC team.

·         Early Years Childcare – all providers were now considered good or better. Additional funding from the government was being used to provide additional training and the enhanced use of digital technology.

·         Psychology Services – increased service provision through the recruitment of an additional member of staff. In respect to buy back by schools, Councillors suggested that retention of staff was extremely important in view of providing continuity for Service users.

·         Whilst noting there was a proposed budget reduction of £3.2m in the Support Children Portfolio, the Committee welcomed the efforts undertaken to establish a single, fully integrated Stockport Family Service. The Committee understood that whilst there would be whole system change – there would also be significant opportunities to provide the highest quality support to Stockport’s most vulnerable children and families.

·         Councillors noted the cost to the Council for the provision of the Duke of Edinburgh Scheme and that the Council was proposing to transfer direct responsibility for delivery to schools with a transitional package for the first year. Individual schools in Stockport had also been consulted in respect to proposals for future years. Councillors heard that four other local authorities in Greater Manchester had ceased to be directly involved in the provision of the scheme and were of the opinion that Stockport should learn from their experiences. In view of the positive impact that the scheme has they asked the regular updates be provided to future meetings.

·         Special Educational Needs Transport – Councillors acknowledged the considerable efforts made by officers to consult with Service Users. Focus groups had been held with parents, contractors and schools. In light of the fact that many of the proposals and savings would be implemented over the next 12-18mths, Councillors asked that regular reports be brought back to the Committee. Councillors discussed how the needs of users was assessed and how the appropriate form of transport and transport provider was selected.

RESOLVED - (1) That the report be noted.

(2) That the comments of the Scrutiny Committee in relation to the Investing in Stockport proposals be referred to the Executive for consideration.

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for People.

The report outlines the impact of the Local Authorities strategy and action plan for improving outcomes for those pupils eligible for Pupil Premium in 2014/15 including developments for improving outcomes in 2015/16.

The Scrutiny Committee are invited to consider and comment on the report.

Officer Contact: Alan Beswick on Tel: 474 3819 or email: alan.beswick@stockport.gov.uk

Representatives of the Corporate Director for People submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) advising the Scrutiny Committee on the impact of the local authorities’ strategy and action plan for improving outcomes for those pupils eligible for Pupil Premium in 2014/2015 and developments for improving outcomes in 2015/2016.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         Provisional data for 2014/2015 indicated both a closing of the attainment gap between those pupils eligible for Pupil Premium and their peers across a range of indicators at all key stages. Notably, there had been a significant increase in the attainment of the Pupil Premium cohort and for children in Brinnington and Central.

·         The attainment of the Pupil Premium cohort was above that nationally in over 50% of the secondary schools in 2014/2015 which is similar to 2013/2014 although several of the schools who had improved were different from previous years.

·         The Committee heard that the focus on improving the quality of classroom teaching first and then providing strategies and activities outside school hours was more effective.

·         Performance tables for individual schools would be published in January. Councillors discussed the difference between making good progress in conjunction with actual attainment.

·         The transition from primary to secondary, particularly in priority areas, was identified as a key moment when you people required appropriate and targeted support.

·         Attendance and punctuality were extremely important to the efforts to close the attainment gap. The gap was also affected by strong attainment by pupils not in receipt of pupil premium.

·         The role of the Virtual School Head Teacher and Looked After Children designated teachers in provided support to children.

RESOLVED – That the report 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 are invited to consider and comment on the report.

Officer Contact: Stephen Fox on Tel: 474 3206 or email: stephen.fox@stockport.gov.uk

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

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.