Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Assistant Director – Legal & Democratic Governance.

At the Budget Council Meeting on 23 February 2023, approval was given to the allocation of £0.260m to fund the creation and administration of a Ward Discretionary Budget to provide each ward with an additional discretionary sum of £10,000 to spend on ward priorities.

This report details the proposed governance arrangements for the making of allocations from the Ward Discretionary Budget and the delegation arrangements for the making of decisions with regard to those proposed allocations.

The Area Committee is recommended to:-

(1) Note that each ward has been allocated an additional discretionary sum of £10,000 to spend on ward priorities.

(2) Give approval to the identification of those priorities, or proposed allocations, on a ward-by-ward basis.

(3) Work with officers to draw up formal costed proposals that have the full support of all Members of the ward for submission to a future meeting of the area committee for recommendation to the Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources.

Officer contact: Vicki Bates on 0161 474 3219 or email: vicki.bates@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Assistant Director - Legal and Democratic Governance (Monitoring Officer) submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) outlining the creation and administration of a Ward Discretionary Budget to provide each ward with an additional discretionary sum of £10,000 to spend on ward priorities.

The report also detailed the proposed governance arrangements for the making of allocations from the Ward Discretionary Budget and the delegation arrangements for the making of decisions with regard to those proposed allocations.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         Members queried the expected unanimity of ward councillors in identifying uses for the funding.

·         Members sought assurance that the discretionary budget would not be a substitute for ongoing Council projects which would otherwise be funded separately.

·         Bredbury Green and Romiley ward councillors suggested the following areas could for the subject of proposals for use of the funding:-

o   Accessible equipment for local parks.

o   Viability studies for schemes such as a crossing in Romiley.

o   Improvements to Goyt Valley Park and Overdale Park.

o   Improvements in the District Centres at Bredbury and Berrycroft.

o   Cycle schemes in Bredbury Green and Romiley to Stockport.

·         Bredbury and Woodley ward councillors suggested the following areas could for the subject of proposals for use of the funding:-

o   Improvements at local parks and play areas.

o   Highways improvements on Redhouse Lane including road surfacing and chicanes.

o   Provision of CCTV in the area.

o   Viability studies for improvements in the area.

RESOLVED - (1) That the report be noted.

(2) That ward councillors work with officers to draw up formal, costed proposals that have the full support of all councillors for the relevant the ward for submission to a future meeting of the area committee for recommendation to the Cabinet Member for Finance & Resources.