Issue - meetings

To consider a joint report of the Corporate Directors for People and Place Management & Regeneration.

The document is the Annual Portfolio Performance and Resource Report (PPRR) for the Adult Care Services, and Economic Development and Regeneration Portfolios for 2014/15. This provides a summary of progress in delivering the portfolio priorities and budgets over the year and specifically during the fourth quarter of 2014/15. It includes full-year out-turn performance and financial data for the Portfolio, or forecast / provisional data where this is not yet available. The report also includes the final position for the 2014/15 portfolio savings programme.

In addition to the Adult Care Services Portfolio Report, the Committee is also asked to review the housing elements of the Economic Development and Regeneration Portfolio Report, with the remainder of this being considered separately by the Environment and Economy Scrutiny Committee.  

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to:

(a)       Consider the Annual Portfolio Performance and Resource Report; 

(b)       Review the progress against priorities, performance, budgets and savings targets for 2014/15;

(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;

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

Officer contacts: Adult Care Services (Gaynor Alexander/ Simon Finch on 474 3186/ 4019 or email: gaynor.alexander@stockport.gov.uk / simon.finch@stockport.gov.uk

Economic Development and Regeneration (Joe Conmee/ Michael Cullen on 474 5396/ 4631 or email: joseph.conmee@stockport.gov.uk / michael.cullen@stockport.gov.uk

Representatives of the Corporate Director for Services to People and the Corporate Director for Place Management and Regeneration submitted a joint report (copies of which had been circulated) detailing the Annual Portfolio Performance and Resource Reports for the Adult Care Services, and Economic Development and Regeneration Portfolios.  The report provided a summary of progress in delivering the portfolio priorities, budgets and capital programmes during 2014/15, and included out-turn performance and financial data for the Portfolio. The report also included a progress report and updated risk assessment of the portfolio savings programmes.

The Executive Councillor (Supporting Adults) attended the meeting to answer Members’ questions.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

Adult Care Services

·         A discussion took place with regard to any difficulties there had been with the implementation of the provisions Care Act.  In response it was stated that the first year had not been particularly onerous for the Authority; however it was anticipated that the next year would pose a greater challenge with work continuing to take place to ensure that capacity was in place to meet anticipated levels of demand.

·         The Council worked closely with Stockport CCG to ensure the quality of service provided by private home care providers.

·         Work was currently taking place to assess the suitability of the price paid by the Council for the provision of care which would involve examination of the business models of private providers and access to their accounts.  Members requested that an update be provided to a future meeting of the Scrutiny Committee in respect of this work.

·         It was noted that the recruitment and retention of staff within care providers was notoriously difficult and a root and branch examination of this would be taking place.

·         Further clarity was requested around why there had been a decline in overall satisfaction from adults with mental health problems in settled accommodation.  In response it was stated that this statistic did not correlate with the Council’s anecdotal understanding of the situation and further work was taking place to assess the data to identify what was taking place.

Economic Development and Regeneration (Housing)

Further information was requested on the implications for Stockport on the recently announced changes to the Right to Buy scheme which would extend the provisions of the scheme to those properties managed by housing associations.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.