Issue - meetings

Jennie Neill submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) detailing the Council’s proposals, as part of its Medium Term Financial Plan, to further exploit opportunities for integration of children’s and education services, as well as reduce duplication and implement best practice. The document was currently subject to consultation with stakeholders.

Comment was made that if the approach being adopted was an all-age outcome focus, it was essential that partners were also aligned with this, and that within the Council there were decisions needed on place based, asset based, outcomes focussed working.

RESOLVED (1) – That the report be noted.

(2) That the Children and Education Review Group be recommended to give consideration to the comments made by the Board.

To consider a report of the Cabinet Member for Economy and Regeneration

The Summer Review of the Medium Term Financial Plan highlights the continued uncertainty, complexity and volatility facing local government funding - presenting significant challenges for local citizens and their local public services. The Cabinet is currently in the second year of its Medium Term Strategy and work has been underway to further understand the budget choices available to the Council. The Cabinet is progressing the implementation of the first phase of its medium term strategy – taking forward the proposals developed over the course of 2019/20 and agreed at Cabinet in February this year.

The Cabinet is keen to seek views from Scrutiny on these plans.  There will be further opportunity to discuss the proposals and reflect on consultation feedback where relevant, at the Committee’s meeting in November, ahead of Cabinet decision making on 17 December. In order to enable broad engagement on Cabinet’s plans, Scrutiny Committees are receiving the full report and suite of appendices relevant to their remit.

The Scrutiny Committee is invited to comment on the report and the proposals presented within the report relevant to the remit of this committee. This report is accompanied by a guiding note (appendix 1) to advise which proposals are relevant to their committee.

Officer Contact: Holly Rae, 0161 474 3014, holly.rae@stockport.gov.uk

The Cabinet Member for Economy and Regeneration submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing the opportunity for the Scrutiny Committee to comment on the Medium Term Financial Programme and on the development of proposals which had been agreed by the Cabinet in February 2019.

The Cabinet Member for Economy and Regeneration (Councillor David Meller) attended the meeting to respond to Members’ questions.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         A Member requested more information on the pilot for the allocation of community rent awards through the Stockport Local Fund and was requested to contact the Cabinet Member for Inclusive Neighbourhoods.

·         With regard to the Council’s commitment to be a Radical Digital Council, the Scrutiny Committee debated the Council’s website and in particular the interface between the community and the Council. It was suggested that either a scrutiny review on the Council’s website was undertaken, a Member Focus Group established on similar lines to the Digital by Design Steering Group and end users asked for their views on the difficulties they encountered with the website .A discussion also ensued on how the Council assisted residents who did not possess the required level of digital skills to use the Council’s website.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider a report of the Cabinet Member for Children, Family Services and Education.

The Summer Review of the Medium Term Financial Plan highlights the continued uncertainty, complexity and volatility facing local government funding - presenting significant challenges for local citizens and their local public services. To do this responsibly, whilst also supporting the ambition for Stockport, the Cabinet introduced a medium term strategy (fig.1) in 2018 to frame the choices the Council will make about its budget, both next year and in future years.

The Cabinet remain committed to engaging widely on proposals and this report includes those draft proposals that fall within this Committee’s remit. Alongside any new proposals this paper also includes an update on those proposals which were agreed for further development by Cabinet in February 2019.

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

Officer Contact: Holly Rae on Tel: 0161 474 3014 or email: holly.rae@stockport.gov.uk

The Cabinet Member for Children, Family Services and Education submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing the opportunity for the Scrutiny Committee to comment on the Medium Term Financial Programme and on the development of proposals which had been agreed by the Cabinet in February 2019.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         Councillors discussed the response to the SEND inspection undertaken in September 2018 by Ofsted and the Care Quality Commission. They noted the excellent work undertaken by officers in the Directorate and thanked them for their efforts.

·         The impact of proposed savings on staffing.

·         The successful efforts undertaken to recruit and increase the number of Foster Carers – it was acknowledged that this was a continuous challenge and that the ambition was always to place children in care within the borough.

·         The Chair sought assurances that every effort would be made to mitigate the impact of the proposals on individuals effected by the SEND Transport proposals.

·         The Committee discussed in detail the proposal relating to Stockport Local Transport and noted the Cabinet Members response in respect to the mitigating measures that will be put in place in an effort to protect the most vulnerable children and young adults.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider a joint report of the Cabinet Member for Sustainable Stockport and the Cabinet Member for Inclusive Neighbourhoods.

The report sets out the response of the Cabinet to the ongoing financial challenges facing the Council and seeks the views of the Scrutiny Committee on budget proposals related to communities and housing.

The Committee is invited to comment on the report and the proposals presented within the report relevant to the remit of this committee.

Officer contact: Holly Rae on 0161 474 3014 or email: holly.rae@stockport.gov.uk

The Cabinet Member for Sustainable Stockport (Councillor Sheila Bailey) and the Cabinet Member for Inclusive Neighbourhoods (Amanda Peers) submitted a joint report (copies of which had been circulated) setting out the response of the Cabinet to the ongoing financial challenges facing the Council and seeking the views of the Scrutiny Committee on budget proposals related to communities and housing.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         The report identified a commitment on the part of the Cabinet to ensuring that inclusion ran through the design of services, however this appeared at odds with the proposal to make a budgetary reduction of £315,000 from within the proposal for the Stockport Local Assistance Scheme that would impact some of the most vulnerable residents in Stockport.

·         It was suggested that the Cabinet should look to make savings in areas other than those such as the Stockport Local Assistance Scheme.

·         It was stated that at this stage the Cabinet’s preferred model for the reconfiguration of the approach to delivering crisis support in Stockport would be based around the ‘support focussed model’ identified as Model 2 within the report, however, this remained subject to full consultation.

·         There had been constructive discussions with TLC in relation to the proposed budgetary reduction of £1m.

·         A discussion took place in relation to the impact of the proposals that affected in TLC on the winter maintenance programme.  In response, it was stated that this had been evaluated on the basis of the relatively mild winters in recent years, although it would be subject to a degree of  contingency to allow the service to cope in the eventuality of harsher conditions.

·         It was stated that there could be no guarantees in relation to the impact of the savings proposals for Life leisure on the programmes that they were able to deliver.

·         Further work needed to take place to support those residents who were unable to use digital media to access Council services.

·         Notwithstanding the proposed reductions in the budget for street cleansing, it was stated that residents should not see a change in the quality of the service being currently experienced as the saving was being achieved by not filling existing vacancies.

RESOLVED – That the Cabinet be recommended to give consideration to the comments of the Scrutiny Committee in the formulation of its proposals for presentation to the Scrutiny Committee on 28 October 2019.

To consider a report of the Cabinet Member for Adult Care and Health

The report sets out the response of the Cabinet to the ongoing financial challenges facing the Council and seeks the views of the Scrutiny Committee on budget proposals related to adult social care and health.

The Committee is invited to comment on the report and the proposals presented within the report relevant to the remit of this committee.

Officer contact: Holly Rae, 0161 474 3014, holly.rae@stockport.gov.uk

The Cabinet Members for Adult Care & Health (Councillor Jude Wells) and for Inclusive Neighbourhoods (Councillor Amanda Peers) submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) setting out the Cabinet’s initial response to the Summer Review of the Council’s finances and the indicative savings requirements for the 2020/21 financial year. The report comprised a serious of business cases setting out proposals for service changes that would generate efficiencies and savings and within the remit of the Scrutiny Committee. The draft proposals were currently subject to public consultation before being considered by the Cabinet in December 2019.

The Directors of Adult Social Care and Public Health also attended the meeting to respond to technical questions.

The Scrutiny Committee made comments and asked questions on the individual business cases as follows:-

Support Funds

·         Concerns were expressed that both options set out in the proposal would result in vulnerable residents receiving less support and that while the integration of disparate but connected activity seemed a laudable aim, it really amounted to reductions. Councillors expressed disappointment that the Council was being forced into such difficult decisions regarding funding for such important services.

·         Councillors asked questions about the application processes involved in the two models, the signposting to other support and avoiding repeat applications.

·         Councillors stated a preference for the model set out in Option 2.

Public Health and Preventative Commissioning

·         Disappointment was expressed that despite an emphasis given to prevention, there was an associated reduction in staffing.

Managing demand on Adult Social Care and Children’s and Young People Social Care

·         The benefits of working more collaboratively with other Greater Manchester councils to develop and invest in local provision to reduce the reliance on more expensive out of area provision was suggested, as were opportunities for in-sourcing.

·         Clarification was sought on the reasons for the increasing SEND pressures, and multiple possible factors were suggested as explanations, including better and earlier diagnosis, better recording, increasing births in areas of deprivation and the link between deprivation and SEND.

·         In response to further detail on possible measures to reduce demand it was suggested that options could include shifting resources ‘up-stream’ to more preventative and early intervention models as well as managing price demand from external provision.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.