Decisions

The Cabinet Member for Communities & Housing approved the legal advertising of the following Traffic Regulation Order and subject to no objections being received within 21 days from the advertisement date the following orders can be made

Proposed Traffic Regulation Order – No Waiting At Any Time

Jones Square

North East side from a point 15 metres South East of the Southerly kerbline of Hempshaw Lane for a distance of 36 metres in a South Easterly direction.

The Central Stockport Area Committee supported the proposals and agreed to fund the £375 costs from the Manor Ward Delegated Budget.

The Cabinet member of Communities & Housing approved the legal notification and removal of a signal traffic calming feature (speed hump) from a set of traffic calming features within a 20 mph limit of St Lesmo Road, Edgeley.

The Cabinet Member for Communities & Housing approved the statutory legal advertising of the Traffic Regulation Orders detailed in Appendices A and B of the report and, subject to no objections being received within twenty one days from the advertisement date, the Orders can be made.

The Cabinet Member for Education approved the following nominations to the listed vacancies for the position of LA Governors.

Nominations                             Vacancy

Kim Jiggens                              Lark Hill Primary

Rachael Wyles                          Lark Hill Nursery

Sabrina Lawlor                          St Winifred’s Catholic Primary

Fiona Bates                               Pownall Green Primary

Direct support for the acquisition and redevelopment of a key site within Merseyway shopping centre in line with the approved Merseyway redevelopment strategy.

Justification for General Exception:

A decision is needed urgently in order to progress redevelopment proposals with a private sector partner before the expiry of an exclusivity period in which the Council has influence over the site in question.

The opportunity to definitively progress this element of the Council’s Merseyway Redevelopment strategy has come about as a result of recently increased interest in the site.  It was therefore not possible to comply with the 28 Key Decision notice period (’Forward Plan’) that a decision was likely to come forward.

If a decision cannot be taken at April Cabinet then it will not be possible to progress the redevelopment scheme and the Council’s exclusivity period over the site in question will expire.  This would lead to the open marketing of the property and an increase in the risk set out in the report of the market bringing forward a solution to the property which is not in keeping with the Council’s overall redevelopment ambitions for Merseyway and the wider town centre.

The Cabinet considered a proposal for the Council to support the acquisition and redevelopment of a key property in Merseyway as part of the Council’s overall strategic approach as agreed in November 2018 and agreed to delegated authority to the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration and Borough Treasurer, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Cabinet Members for Reform & Governance and Economy & Regeneration, to progress the property acquisition and redevelopment proposals and give effect to the recommendations contained in the exempt report.

(Note: the report and appendices contained information ‘not for publication’ that had been circulated to cabinet members only).

The Cabinet considered an update on Council’s activity to supported current and former members of the armed forces, reservists and their families as part of the Council’s commitment to the Armed Forces Covenant and agreed:-

·         that current work in relation to armed forces activities be noted;

·         to reaffirm Cabinet support to the armed forces community;

·         approve the report and the current work on the Armed Forces Covenant within the Council being shared with area committees.

The Cabinet considered an update on progress with the creation of a Mayoral Development Corporation for the Stockport Town Centre West, including the outcome of the GM Mayor’s consultation on proposals and the decision of the GMCA and the Mayor to refer the application to the Secretary of State for approval, and then:

·         Noted the outcome of the consultation;

·         agreed to the GM Mayor’s intention of notifying the Secretary of State of his decision to designate the Stockport Town Centre West area;

·         agreed to the GM Mayor’s intention of notifying the Secretary of State of his decision to create a Mayoral Development Corporation (to be named the “Stockport Town Centre West Mayoral Development Corporation”) to lead the regeneration of Stockport’s Town Centre West area;

·         agreed to the GM Mayor’s intention to initiate the process to recruit and appoint Board members (with relevant appointments made by Stockport Council in agreement with the Mayor);

·         agreed to the GM Mayor’s intention to instruct GMCA and Stockport Council officers to work with Ministry of Housing Communities and Local Government on the development of the necessary legislation, and to delegate approval of the draft constitution for the proposed Corporation to the GMCA Chief Legal Officer, in consultation with the GM Mayor.

The Cabinet received and noted the final report of the Scrutiny Review ‘Undertaking Scrutiny in Stockport’ and requested that the Chief Executive ensure that recommendations within the ‘Undertaking Scrutiny in Stockport’ Scrutiny Review be considered as part of the proposed Governance Review being undertaken in 2019/20.

The Cabinet received and noted the final report of the Scrutiny Review ‘The Council’s Relationships with Academies’ (copies of which had been circulated) and to answer questions from the Cabinet and requested that the

Director for Children’s Services, in consultation with the Cabinet Member for Education, prepare a response to those recommendations in the final report that were addressed to the Cabinet.

The Cabinet also agreed that the Cabinet Member for Education should meet with the Chair of the Children & Families Scrutiny Committee to discuss how best to ensure the timely submission of reports and updates to the Scrutiny Committee as had been recommended in the Scrutiny Review.

The Cabinet considered a proposal for the Council to acquire the former BHS building, identified as a key strategic asset by the Cabinet in December 2017, and agreed to delegate to the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration and Borough Treasurer, in consultation with the Leader of the Council and the Cabinet Members for Economy & Regeneration and Reform & Governance, authority to

•        acquire the former BHS store at a price up to the valuation set out in Confidential Appendix 5;

•        agree the optimum means to hold and manage the asset (together as appropriate with other Council assets);

•        authorise the Head of Legal, Democratic Governance and Estate & Asset Management to take such other steps as were appropriate and necessary to secure the acquisition and ongoing management and regeneration of the asset.

(Note: the report contained information ‘not for publication’ in its appendices that had been circulated to cabinet members only).

The Cabinet considered an update on the successful Greater Manchester bid to the Government’s Department for Digital Culture Media and Sport for £23.8m Local Full Fibre Networks funding (LFFN) and considered proposals for additional financial and officer support to implement the programme. The Cabinet then agreed that

·         agreement in principle be given to the participation of the Council in the programme, the Department for Digital Culture Media and Sport grant funding and signing of appropriate Inter-Authority Agreements and Delivery Management Agreement to deliver the programme;

·         approval be given to the ‘up-front’ capital investment of £740,000 (as described in 5.3 and Appendix A of the report);

·         approval be given the allocation of staff resources including a project manager (as described in 6.2 of the report).

·         delegated authority be given to the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration to enter into any legal document and to take such other steps as were necessary to facilitate the programme;

·         delegated authority be given to the Head of Legal, Democratic Governance, Estates and Asset Management authority do all things necessary or incidental to the implementation of the above-mentioned resolutions.