Issue - meetings

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

The report presents for consideration the mid-Year Portfolio Performance and Resource Reports (PPRR) for the Supporting Adults and Thriving Economy Portfolios. These provide a summary of progress in delivering the portfolio priority outcomes through the Investing in Stockport programme and other key projects during the first half of 2015/16, with updates on key activity during the second quarter. They include forecast performance data (where this is available) and projected financial data for the Portfolios, along with an update on the portfolio savings programmes. 

The Scrutiny Committee are invited to consider and comment on the report.

Officer Contact: Karen Kime on Tel: 474 3575 or email: karen.kime@stockport.gov.uk

Representatives of the Corporate Directors for People and Place Management & Regeneration submitted a joint report (copies of which had been circulated) detailing the Mid-Year Portfolio Performance and Resource Reports for the Supporting Adults Portfolio and the housing element of the Thriving Economy Portfolio.  The report provided a summary of progress in delivering the priority outcomes through the Investing in Stockport programme and other key projects during the first half of 2015/16, with updates on key activity during the second quarter of 2015/16, and included forecast performance data and projected financial data for the Portfolios, along with an update on the portfolio savings programmes.

The Executive Councillors for Supporting Adults (Councillor Keith Holloway) and Thriving Economy (Councillor Patrick McAuley) attended the meeting to respond to questions from the Scrutiny Committee.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         Further information was requested on how the new Alliance for Positive Relationships had been delivering services since it was established two months ago around prevention and support for families with domestic abuse as part of a collaborative approach amongst Stockport Without Abuse, Stockport Women’s Centre, Relate (Greater Manchester South) and Stockport Homes.

·         Effective communication with the Pennine Care NHS Foundation Trust was a significant element of the risk associated with the legal non-compliance identified in the report.  It was stated that communications with Pennine Care would naturally be more complex by virtue of their extensive operation across five local authority areas, although good links had been established which should serve to mitigate against this.

·         It was commented that demographic pressures in the Learning Disabilities service had contributed to the portfolio deficit of £0.269m and that it was proposed to partially redress this through redundancies.  Clarity was requested on whether this would entail any compulsory redundancies.  In response it was stated that consultants had been engaged to examine a number of areas within Adult Social Care which would merit further detailed investigation and which were currently under consultation.  As part of this, redundancies of any nature could not be excluded as an option.

·         In response to a query about the feasibility of meeting the target of 10.6% for the proportion of adults with a learning disability in paid employment, it was stated that the Council was working closely with a number of potential providers of employment and that Stockport was outperforming many other local authorities in this regard.

·         A discussion took place in relation to the alternative means of transportation that had been offered to users of the former Adult Social Care Assisted Transport Service which had included the use of taxis.  It was confirmed that discussions had taken place with providers in relation to the provision of additional vehicles which had been adapted for this purpose.  Clarity was requested on how and when a review would be undertaken of the suitability of the alternative arrangements that had been put in place for service users.

·         In response to a query in respect of the proposed use of the £3m of earmarked reserves, it was stated that the pooling of budgets with the Stockport Clinical Commissioning Group would provide additional flexibility to handle pressures across social care and health services.  It was further stated that it was not possible at this stage to identify when the earmarked reserves would be released.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.