Issue - meetings

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

In January 2019 Area Committee was informed of the creation of the Neighbourhoods Team (appendix A). This report provides an update and outlines the duties of the officers within the team.

The Area Committee is recommended to comment on and note the report.

Officer contact: Ian Walmsley on 0161 474 4382 or email: ian.walmsley@stockport.gov.uk

Peter Cooke (Neighbourhoods Manager, Stockport Council) and Jane Bardsley (Senior Neighbourhood Officer, Stockport Council) attended the meeting and submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing an update on the creation of the Neighbourhoods Team and outlining the duties of the officers within the new team.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         It was proposed that officers in the Neighbourhoods Team would continue to have regular meetings with councillors to discuss issues of concern.

·         Members would continue to need to have direct contact with officers rather than relying solely on online forms to report problems.

·         It was stated that the use of online forms would ensure that issues are directed to the most appropriate officers.  It was commented that in the past, officers in the Neighbourhoods Team had been redirecting issues to highways officers which built in additional delay.

·         Councillors often became involved in issues after residents had already completed online forms but had not received a response or the issue had not been resolved.  As a result, councillors would need to maintain direct contact with officers to escalate such issues.

RESOLVED – That Peter Cooke and Jane Bardsley be thanked for their attendance.

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

In January 2019 Area Committee was informed of the creation of the Neighbourhoods Team (appendix A). This report provides an update and outlines the duties of the officers within the team.

The Area Committee is recommended to comment on and note the report.

Officer contact: Ian Walmsley on 0161 474 4382 or email: ian.walmsley@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Corporate Director for Place Management and Regeneration submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing an update on the creation of the Neighbourhoods Team and outlining the duties of the Officers within it.

Officers also reported on a proposal to hold a Neighbourhood Day of Action in each area of the Borough.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         The purpose of the changes was to give the area of work more of a neighbourhood focus and increase the resilience of the team.  It was clarified that the proposals were financially neutral.

·         Brinnington and Central Ward Councillors requested that the Ward be split into two for the purposes of the Neighbourhood Day of Action, with one event in Brinnington and one in the town centre.

·         The Council needed to publicise its responses to issues through its social media channels. Members were advised that the Neighbourhoods Team would have its own twitter account and utilise the Council’s website to publicise issues.

·         The new structure would mean a change of job role for a number of staff who would require training as a result. It was important that the changes were embraced by Officers and that they felt connected to the area of the borough for which they were responsible.

·         The regular highways meetings between Ward Councillors and Officers worked well so it was hoped that the proposed regular meetings with the Neighbourhoods Team would be equally productive.

RESOLVED – (1) That the report be noted.

(2) That Mark Calderbank be thanked for the work he undertook as the former Public Realm Officer for the Central Stockport area.

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

In January 2019 Area Committee was informed of the creation of the Neighbourhoods Team (appendix A). This report provides an update and outlines the duties of the officers within the team.

The Area Committee is recommended to comment on and note the report.

Officer contact: Ian Walmsley on 0161 474 4382 or email: ian.walmsley@stockport.gov.uk

[DE1] Charlotte Nicholls (Neighbourhoods Manager, Stockport Council) and Adam Cunningham (Senior Neighbourhood Officer, Stockport Council) attended the meeting and submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing an update on the creation of the Neighbourhoods Team and outlining the duties of the officers within the new team.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         There had not been a material change in the rate of fly tipping following the introduction of restrictions on the number of visits each vehicle could make to Household Waste Recycling Centres.

·         Concern was expressed in relation to reports that residents had been turned away from Household Waste Recycling Centres after arriving on foot.  In response, it was stated that it was the policy that residents were unable to walk into the site, however any waste they had should be able to be handed to staff.

·         It was commented that the Area Committee had been well served by the former Public Realm Inspectors that had been assigned to the area and members expressed their gratitude for their hard work and dedication.

·         While acknowledging the move towards driving the reporting of issues online, members expressed the view that it was important for councillors to maintain a personal relationship officers.

·         Marple was well served by community groups that cared for and looked after green spaces.

RESOLVED – That Charlotte Nicholls and Adam Cunningham be thanked for their attendance.

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

In January 2019 Area Committee was informed of the creation of the Neighbourhoods Team (appendix A). This report provides an update and outlines the duties of the officers within the team.

The Area Committee is recommended to comment on and note the report.

Officer contact: Ian Walmsley on 0161 474 4382 or email: ian.walmsley@stockport.gov.uk

Charlotte Nicholls (Neighbourhoods Manager, Stockport Council) and Adam Cunningham (Senior Neighbourhood Officer, Stockport Council) attended the meeting and submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing an update on the restructure of the Neighbourhoods Team and outlining the duties of the officers within the new team.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         Concern was expressed in relation to reporting overgrown hedges, minor flooding on verges, new bin requests, fly-tipping, litter on verges and repetitive complaints. In response, it was stated that any complaints relating to overhanging hedges from private properties onto the public highway would be considered an obstruction and would be investigated by the Highways Team. Any repetitive complaints and flooding on verges should be reported through the contact centre via the councillor hotline or through the online portal. It was also stated that any new bin requests, litter or fly-tipping complaints would still be dealt with by the Neighbourhood Team and should also be reported through the online portal.

·         It was commented that the Area Committee had been well served by the former Public Realm Inspector, Carolyn Turner that had been assigned to the area and members expressed their gratitude for her hard work and dedication.

·         While acknowledging the move towards driving the reporting of issues online, members expressed the view that it was important for councillors to maintain a personal relationship with officers through emails and direct telephone calls.

RESOLVED – (1) That Charlotte Nicholls and Adam Cunningham be thanked for their attendance.

(2) That a list of neighbourhood officers and contact details relating to the various issues that are raised locally be circulated by email to the Committee.

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

In January 2019 Area Committee was informed of the creation of the Neighbourhoods Team (Appendix A). This report provides an update and outlines the duties of the officers within the team.

The Area Committee is recommended to comment on and note the report.

Officer contact: Ian Walmsley on 0161 474 4382 or email: ian.walmsley@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Corporate Director for Place Management and Regeneration submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing an update on the creation of the Neighbourhoods Team and outlining the duties of the Officers within it.

The following comments were made/issues raised:-

·         It was clarified that the arboricultural Officers provided services which were delivered borough-wide.

·         Support was given to the integration of services, but a Member enquired what the section hoped to have achieved in twelve months’ time.

·         Officers in the service were working on a baseline performance management system and more meaningful performance measures for different parts of the Neighbourhood Service which Members would be advised of in due course.

·         The fact that Councillors often emailed Officers direct at the moment meant that a lot of the work which they carried out went unrecorded.

·         Councillors welcomed the opportunity to meet with officers from the Neighbourhood Service on a regular basis in order to discuss issues within their Ward.

·         Members appreciated the current system of a named contact Officer which enabled a quick acknowledgement and response to an issue, and expressed concern that this may not be the case with the new system.

·          It was acknowledged that a change in certain Officers’ job roles would require training needs, particularly in the short term.

·         It would be useful for Councillors to know if the priorities of the service changed, so that residents could be advised that the resolution of an issue had been delayed as a result.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

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

In January 2019 Area Committee was informed of the creation of the Neighbourhoods Team (appendix A). This report provides an update and outlines the duties of the officers within the team.

The Area Committee is recommended to comment on and note the report.

Officer contact: Ian Walmsley on 0161 474 4382 or email: ian.walmsley@stockport.gov.uk

Peter Cooke (Neighbourhoods Manager, Stockport Council) and Jane Bardsley (Senior Neighbourhood Officer, Stockport Council) attended the meeting and submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing an update on the restructure of the Neighbourhoods Team and outlining the duties of the officers within the new team.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         Concern was expressed in relation to emergency reporting and how it would be dealt with in the future.  In response, it was stated that any environmental emergencies or any health and safety issues should be reported by either telephone or email so it could be dealt with immediately and any online reporting would be picked up by a member of the team which would assist the audit trail of any reports made by Councillors.

·         It was commented that the Area Committee had been well served by the former Public Realm Inspectors that had been assigned to the area and members expressed their gratitude for their hard work and dedication.

·         Clarification was sought on whether there were opportunities to align the work being done in neighbourhoods with Public Health and other partners. In response, it was commented that the Neighbourhood Officers were already working with partners including the Area Police Inspectors, Public Protection and Public Health.

·         It was noted that the use of the online reporting was important but would prove difficult if reporting a number of complaints from local residents to keep track of the complaints and the progress. In response, it was stated that Stockport IT Development Team were looking at an online complaints system that tracks the complaints and progress through the system and would be easier to use, but couldn’t confirm when the system would be going ‘live’.

·         While acknowledging the move towards driving the reporting of issues online, members expressed the view that it was important for councillors to maintain a personal relationship with officers through emails and direct telephone calls.

RESOLVED – That Peter Cooke and Jane Bardsley be thanked for their attendance.

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

In January 2019 Area Committee was informed of the creation of the Neighbourhoods Team (appendix A). This report provides an update and outlines the duties of the officers within the team.

The Area Committee is recommended to comment on and note the report.

Officer contact: Ian Walmsley on 0161 474 4382 or email: ian.walmsley@stockport.gov.uk

Charlotte Nicholls (Neighbourhoods Manager, Stockport Council) and Adam Cunningham (Senior Neighbourhood Officer, Stockport Council) attended the meeting and submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing an update on the creation of the Neighbourhoods Team and outlining the duties of the officers within the new team.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         It was commented that the existing online reporting mechanisms that councillors were being encouraged to use did not effectively facilitate the reporting of multiple issues simultaneously, such as several gully blockages.

·         Concern was expressed that there was insufficient feedback on issues once reported through the Council’s website.

·         Some problems did not lend themselves to online reporting mechanisms such as multifaceted or complex enquiries.

·         Members had a dedicated telephone number they could call to report these more complex matters.

·         It was confirmed that officers would continue to attend meetings of the Area Committee, albeit as a reduced frequency.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.