Agenda and minutes

To approve as a correct record and sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 5 March 2015.

The Minutes (copies of which had been circulated) of the meeting held on 5 March 2015 were approved as a correct record.

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 agenda items for the meeting.

The following interest was declared:-

Personal Interest

To consider call-in items (if any).

There were no call-in items to consider.

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Place Management and Regeneration

The Annual Portfolio Performance and Resource Reports (PPRR) for the Communities & Sustainability and Economic Development & Regeneration Portfolios are presented for consideration by the Committee. These provide a summary of progress in delivering the portfolio priorities and budgets over the year and specifically during the fourth quarter of 2014/15. They include full-year out-turn performance and financial data for each Portfolio, or forecast/provisional data where this was not yet available.. The reports also included a the final position for the 2014/15 portfolio savings programmes.

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to:-

a)    Consider the Annual Portfolio Performance and Resource Reports,  

b)   Review the progress against priorities, performance, budgets and savings targets for 2013/14;

c)    Highlight key areas of and responsibility for taking forward corrective action to address any performance or resource issues.

d)   Highlight any significant issues or changes to be fed back to the Executive alongside the Corporate Performance and Resource Report; and

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

Officer contacts Joe Conmee/Michael Cullen on 0161 474 5396/4361 or email: joseph.conmee@stockport.gov.uk/michael.cullen@stockport.gov.uk

The Corporate Director for Place Management and Regeneration submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) detailing the Annual Portfolio Performance and Resource Reports for the Communities and Sustainability, and Economic Development and Regeneration Portfolios. The report provided a summary of progress in delivering the portfolio priorities and budgets over the year and specifically during the fourth quarter of 2014/15. They included full-year out-turn performance and financial data for each Portfolio, or forecast/provisional data where this was not yet available. The report also included the final position for the 2014/15 portfolio savings programmes.

The Executive Councillor (Supporting Places) (Councillor Martin Candler) and the Executive Councillor (Thriving Economy) (Councillor Patrick McAuley) attended the meeting to respond to Members’ questions.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         With regard to Performance Indicator C & S,08, the amount of residual household waste collected per household had reduced which was a cause for concern. The Corporate Director advised that education and awareness raising were ongoing.

·         With regard to Performance Indicator C & S.09, there had been a slight reduction in line with national trends of the amount of household waste sent for reuse, recycling or composting.

·         How the Council could encourage people who lived in flats to recycle more and the role of Community Recycling Officers in encouraging people to recycle more and what to recycle.

·         The playground refurbishments undertaken during Quarter 4 had been funded from monies allocated by the Council and commuted sums from developments in the respective areas.

·         There had been some difficulties with the first phase of the use of preventative slurry seal on footways. Some Members expressed concerns about the quality and consistency of the finish, sustainability ,attention to detail. and how long the surface would last.

·         With regard to Performance Indicator C & S 17, the additional time a journey on the route ‘County Boundary to Stockport via A6’ would take on a day with high delays relative to a day with typical delays for the 0730-0930 time period was raised, together with the effect on air quality if there were long traffic delays.

·         A Member requested a copy of the footway survey data and carriageway survey data referred to in Performance Indicators C & S. 04a and C&S.04b.

·         A discussion ensued on Performance Indicator C&S.16 regarding the number of casualties resulting from road traffic collisions. A representative of the Corporate Director clarified that Traffic Officers looked at these figures when examining accident blackspots and the need for traffic calming measures, as opposed to the number of traffic collisions.

·         The park and ride scheme at Melford Grove, Hazel Grove was a commercially run scheme instigated by Stagecoach, primarily for the 192 service between Hazel Grove and Manchester.

·         Reference was made to the contractor appointed to undertake the restoration work at Bramall Hall having entered voluntary administration. Work had currently ceased on site and the project team was working as a matter of urgency to rectify the situation and ensure that works recommenced on site as soon as possible.

·         The Scrutiny Committee debated the issue of free car parking in the district centres and Members requested a review of the evidence on free car parking in the district centres.

·         A Member requested the timeframe for the feasibility study to be completed for A6 to Manchester Airport Relief Road scheme to be extended from Hazel Grove to the M60 at Bredbury.

RESOLVED – (1) That the report be noted.

(2) That an examination of the effectiveness of Slurry Sealing be included in a report on the Highways Investment Programme to a forthcoming meeting of this Scrutiny Committee.

(3) That a copy of the most recent footway survey data and recent carriageway survey data referred to in Performance Indicators C&S .04a and C&S.04b be sent to Members of the Scrutiny Committee.

(4) That a report which reviewed the evidence on free car parking in the district centres be submitted  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Place Management and Regeneration

The report provides an evaluation of the Employment Incentive Pilot project that was developed as an idea during the Scrutiny Review of Employment and Skills carried out in 2014. The intention of the pilot project was to assess if customers could be incentivised to remain in employment if they received a regular monthly payment in addition to any salary that they were receiving. The project was aimed at customers who had been out of work for at least six months and who were committee to gaining and remaining in employment.

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to endorse the recommendations in the report.

Officer Contact: Richard Mortimer on 0161 474 3864 or email: richard.mortimer@stockport.gov.uk

The Corporate Director (Place Management and Regeneration) submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing an evaluation of the Employment Incentive Pilot project that had been developed as an idea during the Scrutiny Review of Employment and Skills which had been carried out in 2014. The intention of the pilot project was to assess if customers could be incentivised to remain in employment if they received a regular monthly payment in addition to any salary that they were receiving. The project was aimed at customers who had been out of work for at least six months and who were committed to gaining and remaining in employment.

The report showed how many participants took part, their background, how much had been spent and what participants spent their money on. The report showed how many people had remained in work and attempted to demonstrate how the scheme had been an important factor in certain participants remaining in work.

The Executive Councillor (Thriving Economy) (Councillor Patrick McAuley) attended the meeting to respond to Members’ questions.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         Although useful information was contained in the report, it would be beneficial to have more information about the people who took part in the pilot project in order to gauge the success of the scheme.

·         Flexibility within the structure of the payments was important.

·         Concern was expressed about what some of the payments had been used for.

·         The pilot project should be evaluated independently.

RESOLVED – (Seven for, two against) (1) That the remaining funding of £812 be spent on this project.

(2) That the pilot project continue for another year, further information be gathered from the participants, support workers continue to track participants and a further report be submitted to a meeting of the Scrutiny Committee in twelve months’ time.

(3) That the funding for the next year be £300 per person and that this be paid in one of the following three ways:-

·         The focus remaining on encouraging people to remain in  work and £50 be paid per month for six months;

·         The scheme be a balance between support into work and encouraging people to remain in  work and be paid as follows:-

-       Month 1 – £100

-       Month 2 - £50

-       Month 3 - £50

-       Month 4 - £50

-       Month 5 - £25

-       Month 6 - £25

·         The case worker using the £300 for each case in a manner which they believed to be best for the individual customer with a maximum of £100 in any one month.

(4) That all the payment methods continue to be available, but that vouchers become the predominant method to balance choice and speed, prior to any review of the approach to the administration of the project.

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Place Management and Regeneration

The report provides an overview on the importance of encouraging cycling and an update on the various activities the Council and its partners undertake to promote cycling.

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to note the report and comment on the approach to encourage cycling within Stockport.

Officer Contact: Sue Stevenson on 0161 474 4351 or email: sue.stevenson@stockport.gov.uk

The Corporate Director for Place Management and Regeneration submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing an overview of the importance of encouraging cycling and providing an update on the various activities that the Council and its partners undertook to encourage cycling.

The Executive Councillor (Supporting Places) (Councillor Martin Candler) attended the meeting to respond to Members’ questions.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         Support was given to the principle of segregated cycling and trying to avoid possible conflicts between motorists and cyclists.

·         A Member queried whether the amount of money spent on cycling initiatives was appropriate for the number of people who used them.

·         A number of individual cycle schemes had been monitored in Greater Manchester in order to identify the type of interventions that encouraged cycling but this had identified that a bespoke approach was required for each situation and that the background context of the location was influential in future cycle usage.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for Place Management and Regeneration

The report advises the Scrutiny Committee of the outcome of the Working Party set up to consider the issues detailed in the report regarding Visitor Permit Parking.

The Scrutiny Committee is requested to recommend to the Executive:-

·         that any person in possession of Leisure Key Band A who applies for a visitor parking permit, be granted it at half price from the 2016/17 financial year.

·         that the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration be requested to undertake an internal review of visitor parking permits for care workers employed by the Council in all zones that they require.

·         that the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration be requested to further investigate the possible misuse of the visitor parking permit system in the borough and take appropriate action to prevent it.

Officer Contact: Paul Lawrence on 0161 218 1940 or email: paul.lawrence@stockport.gpov.uk

The Corporate Director for Place Management and Regeneration submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) regarding the outcome of the Working Party set up to consider the issues detailed in the report regarding Visitor Permit Parking.

The Working Party had recommended:-

·         that any person in possession of Leisure Key Band A who applied for a visitor parking permit, be granted it at half price from the 2016/17 financial year.

·         that the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration be requested to undertake an internal review of visitor parking permits for care workers employed by the Council in all zones that they require.

·         that the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration be requested to further investigate the possible misuse of the visitor parking permit system in the borough and take appropriate action to prevent it.

The intention was, should the proposals be introduced, that Officers would be pro-active in advising residents in possession of Leisure Key Band A that it would be granted at half price from 2016/17.

The Executive Councillor (Supporting Places) (Councillor Martin Candler) attended the meeting to respond to Members’ questions.

RESOLVED – That the proposals be supported and that a review take place in twelve months’ time, should they be introduced by the Executive.

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: David Clee on 0161 474 3137 or email: david.clee@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 Committee’s next meeting and Forward Plan items which fell within the remit of the Scrutiny Committee.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.