Issue - meetings

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

The report provides a detailed overview of performance which relates to this Scrutiny Committee. The information is provided in the form of the first update Portfolio Performance and Resources Reports for the Economic Development & Regeneration and Communities & Sustainability Portfolios. These provide an update on progress in delivering the portfolio priorities, budgets and capital programmes during 2013/14, and include early performance and financial projections for the year.

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to:-

·         Consider the first update Portfolio Performance and Resource Reports;

·         Review the progress against priorities, performance and budgets for 2013/14;

·         Highlight key areas of and responsibility for taking forward corrective action to address any performance or resource issues; and

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

Officer contact: Gill Lawton/Michael Cullen on 0161 474 3686/4631 or e mail: gill.lawton@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) providing a detailed overview of performance which related to this Scrutiny Committee. The information was provided in the form of the first update Portfolio Performance and Resources Reports for the Communities & Sustainability and Economic Development & Regeneration Portfolios. These provided an update on progress in delivering the portfolio priorities, budgets and capital programmes during 2013/14, and included early performance and financial projections for the year.

The Executive Councillor (Communities & Sustainability) (Councillor Stuart Bodsworth) and Executive Councillor (Economic Development & Regeneration) (Councillor Iain Roberts) attended the meeting to respond to Members’ questions.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

•           The Council’s powers and ability to monitor noise and air pollution, for example from aeroplanes and traffic on heavily used roads.

•           How the Council could improve even further the amount of household waste sent for reuse, recycling or composting. A report was requested to a future meeting of the Scrutiny Committee on the ‘Project 70’ recycling initiative.

•           The number of people using the Stockport Metro Shuttle Bus.

•           The number of Environmental Health Enforcement Officers employed by the Council.

•           The number of people employed by the Contact Centre and the current backlog in dealing with complaints.

RESOLVED – (1) That the report be noted.

(2) That a report on the ‘Project 70’ waste recycling initiative be submitted to a future meeting of the Committee.

To consider a report of the Corporate Director for People.

The report provides an update on progress in delivering the portfolio priorities, budgets and capital programmes during 2013/14, and includes early performance and financial projections for the year for the Health & Wellbeing Portfolio at the end of the first quarter.

Scrutiny Committee is asked to:

a)      Consider the first update Portfolio Performance and Resource Report,  

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

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

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

Mike Harradine/ Simon Finch, 0161 474 4680/ 4019, mike.harradine@stockport.gov / simon.finch@stockport.gov.uk

The Service Director (Commissioning & Transformation) submitted a report of the Corporate Director for People (copies of which had been circulated) providing an update on the delivery of portfolio priorities, budgets and capital programmes for the Health & Wellbeing Portfolio at the end of the first quarter of 2013/14. The report was the first time the Scrutiny Committee had received detailed information relating to the portfolio following the transfer of Public Health functions to the local authority and the realignment of portfolios in May 2013.

The Executive Councillor (Health & Wellbeing) attended the meeting to answer questions from the Scrutiny Committee.

The following issues were raised:-

·         There were a number of performance measures included in the report the achievement of which were not within the direct control of the Council.

·         The reviews of the Public Health contracts were underway, and a number had been completed. There were also a number of very small contracts which were being reviewed.

·         Councillors welcomed the increasing number of those with mental health problems being discharged into the Mental Health Pathway, but queried the proportion of service users this represented.

·         Having agreed definitions used by all those involved in the health economy in Stockport would aid understanding of issues, such as what age range was considered ‘very elderly’. It was also commented that age ranges often did not reflect an individual’s capacities.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted, and the current format of reporting for the Portfolio report continue for the remainder of the municipal year.

To consider a report of the Executive Councillor (Corporate, Customer & Community Services)

(i) The first report provides an overview of progress towards delivering the Council’s Priority Outcomes and budget during 2013/14, based on the Council Plan 2013/15 and the Medium Term Financial Plan 2013/17. It is supported by seven Portfolio Performance and Resource Reports (PPRRs), which are published as background papers to this report and will be considered in detail at the next cycle of Scrutiny Committees.

The Council’s Performance and Resource Framework has been refreshed for 2013/14 to not only reflect the change in the number and remit of Executive Portfolios, but also to provide a more strategic focus through a new Leader’s Report, included elsewhere on the agenda. The key purpose of the Corporate Report is to provide an overview of performance in relation to the Council Plan and to monitor the Council’s budgets and savings. A narrative overview, focusing on highlights and exceptions is intended to complement the more detailed focus and content of the Portfolio Reports, and will have an increased focus on the delivery of the Council’s savings plans.

For the first and third quarter, the Corporate Report will also incorporate the Treasury Management Review, providing an overview of the economy alongside the Council’s investment and borrowing activities. 

More detailed First Quarter Portfolio Performance and Resource Reports are available on the Council’s website at

http://democracy.stockport.gov.uk/mgIssueHistoryHome.aspx?IId=15270

(ii) The second report is the Leader’s Report for the period April – June 2013 and accompanies and complements the Corporate Performance and Resources Report.

The Executive is asked to;

·         Review progress against delivering Council Plan priorities, portfolio outcomes and capital schemes alongside budget out-turns contained within the report;

·         Approve the virements to the Revenue Budget set out in section 2.2.4;

·         Note the cash limit and non-cash limit forecast positions for 2013/14 as set out in sections 2.3 and 2.6;

·         Endorse the move to the next stage of the development of the procurement shared service as set out in paragraph 2.4.2;

·         Approve the virement of £0.385m from non-cash limits to the Adult Care Services Portfolio and £0.791m from non-cash limits to the Communities and Sustainability Portfolio as set out at paragraph 2.6.5;

·         Note the Retained Schools Budget and Housing Revenue Account forecast positions as set out in sections 2.7 and 2.8;

·         Approve the contributions to/from earmarked reserves and balances as set out in section 2.9 and note the resulting reserves and balances positions;

·         Note the latest position for the 2013/14 Capital Programme as set out in section 3.1;

·         Approve the changes to the Capital Programme as set out in 3.1.5;

·         Approve the resourcing of the Capital Programme as set out in section 3.4;

·         Note the changes to the 2012/13 Capital Programme out-turn set out in section 3.5;

·         Identify key areas for further investigation and responsibility for taking forward corrective action to address any existing or forecast issues or risks.

Officer contact: Peter Owston / Christine Buxton, 0161474 3274/ 4124, peter.owston@stockport.gov.uk / Christine.buxton@stockport.gov.uk

The Executive Councillor (Corporate, Customer and Community Services) submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing the Executive Meeting with an update on progress in delivering the Council's Priority Outcomes and budget in the first quarter of 2013/14.

The Leader of the Council (Policy, Reform & Finance) also submitted her first ‘Leaders Report’ (copies of which had been circulated) that provided a strategic overview of Council activity as well as an update on AGMA and Combined Authority activity, and a copy of the report of the recent LGA Peer Review.

Executive councillors highlighted key issues relating to their portfolios.

RESOLVED - That

·         the Corporate Performance and Resources – First Quarter Update 2013/14 and the Leaders Report (April to June) be noted;

·         the virements to the Revenue Budget set out in section 2.2.4 be approved;

·         the cash limit and non-cash limit forecast positions for 2013/14 as set out in sections 2.3 and 2.6 be noted;

·         the move to the next stage of the development of the procurement shared service as set out in paragraph 2.4.2 be endorsed;

·         the virement of £0.385m from non-cash limits to the Adult Care Services Portfolio and £0.791m from non-cash limits to the Communities and Sustainability Portfolio as set out at paragraph 2.6.5 be approved;

·         the Retained Schools Budget and Housing Revenue Account forecast positions as set out in sections 2.7 and 2.8 be noted;

·         the contributions to/from earmarked reserves and balances as set out in section 2.9 be approved and the resulting reserves and balances positions be noted;

·         the latest position for the 2013/14 Capital Programme as set out in section 3.1 be noted;

·         the changes to the Capital Programme as set out in 3.1.5 be approved;

·         the resourcing of the Capital Programme as set out in section 3.4 be approved; and

·         the changes to the 2012/13 Capital Programme out-turn set out in section 3.5 be noted.