To receive a report from the Executive Leader and other members of the Executive on the conduct of Executive business since the last Council Meeting.
Minutes:
The Leader of the Council (Policy, Reform & Finance) (Councillor Sue Derbyshire) welcomed the work by Oxford Innovation as the newly appointed manager of the Stockport Business Incubator which was based at Houldsworth Mill, Reddish.
The announcement by the government on 27 November 2013 of £640 million of investment towards the modernisation of Post Office branches was also welcomed.
Finally, Councillor Derbyshire reported that the Council’s corporate banking contract was due to be put out to tender during 2014, and further that the Council had received notice from its current bank, the Co-operative Bank, that it would not seek to submit a tender for this contract.
The Executive Councillor (Lifelong Learning and Achievement) (Councillor Shan Alexander) provided an update on the Council’s 100:100 Apprenticeship Scheme which had aimed to employ 100 apprentices within 100 days. It was reported that the scheme had secured 203 apprenticeships within the 100 day target period and she extended her thanks to all those employers which had participated in the scheme.
The Executive Councillor (Communities and Sustainability) (Councillor Stuart Bodsworth) reported that Stockport was the highest performing Council in the North West for recycling its waste and one of the highest performing in the country and thanked local residents for their diligence which ensured that funding could be better used to provide local services rather than disposing of household waste.
The Executive Councillor (Adult Care Services) (Councillor Keith Holloway) provided an update on the review that had been undertaken on services for people with disabilities with a particular focus on transport services. It was stated that the cost of providing the service as part of block contract were high and that there were risks associated with continuing the service in its current form. The Council had commenced a consultation on the current service and potential options for the future and which would end on 10 December 2013. The final proposals for the future of the service would be submitted to a meeting of the Adult Care Services and Housing Scrutiny Committee early in the New Year.
It was further reported that the Stockport Clinical Commissioning Group had allocated additional funding to Adult Social Care to assist with the provision of services through the winter period and that it would be used specifically to strengthen the rapid response service.
Councillor Holloway also stated that January 2014 would see the launch of the Stockport One service in the Marple and Werneth areas of Stockport which aimed to provide an integrated health and social care service located within local GP practices.
The Executive Councillor (Health and Wellbeing) (Councillor John Pantall) reported that the government had recently announced that they would be undertaking an independent review of cigarette packaging in England. Councillor Pantall welcomed the review as part of wider efforts that the Council had undertaken with regard to smoking cessation.
It was further reported that a consultation would take place during 2014 with regard to the development of a Public Health Strategy for Greater Manchester which would provide an emphasis on early intervention and prevention with the overarching aim of reducing demand, promoting independence and reducing inequalities.
Finally, Councillor Pantall reported that in October 2013 a bid for funding from the Integration Transformation Fund had been submitted through the Health and Wellbeing Board.
The Executive Councillor (Economic Development and Regeneration) (Councillor Iain Roberts) reported that as part of the Liberal Democrat Group’s budget proposals for 2014/15, proposals would be submitted for £100 million of investment in Stockport’s highway network.
The Deputy Leader of the Council (Corporate, Customer and Community Services) (Councillor Mark Weldon) reported on the half year collection rates for Council Tax and advised that although there had been a slight drop in the collection rate, direct comparisons were difficult as residents now had the option to pay over 12 months rather than 10 months. It was further reported that all of Stockport’s comparator authorities had also experienced a reduced collection rate and that Stockport had experienced a smaller reduction.
Councillor Weldon referred to an article which had recently appeared in the Stockport Express which referred to an increase in court summons for non-payment of Council tax having increased by over 50% in the last year. Councillor Weldon stated that these figures had been based on half year statistics and extrapolated to cover the full year period. It was reported that the actual increase had been less than 10% and the number of people in receipt of Council Tax support and receiving court summons for non-payment was in line with expectations for the population of Stockport.