Issue - meetings

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

Policy priorities for 2020/21 were set out within the Council Plan, which was adopted at the Budget Council Meeting in February. This incorporates the shared outcomes from the Borough Plan alongside specific priorities of the Cabinet.

Thesepriorities, re-shaped to take account of One Stockport and Building Back Better (building on Covid19), are articulated within the Portfolio Agreements, which form the basis for regular in-year reporting. Portfolio and Corporate Performance and Resource Reports (PPRRs and CPRRs) will assess progress against key objectives, priorities, outcomes and budgets, enabling Scrutiny Committees to hold the Cabinet to account and for the Cabinet to identify current and future risks to delivery.

This report presents the draft 2020/21 Agreements for the Sustainable Stockport and Inclusive Neighbourhoods Portfolios for consideration and comment by the Committee.

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to review and comment on the draft Portfolio Agreements.

Officer contact: Alan Lawson, Strategy and Performance Manager at alan.lawson@stockport.gov.uk  (474 5397) or Kora Yohannan (Specialist Strategic Financial Adviser) kora.yohannan@stockport.gov.uk (474 4032)

The Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) detailing the draft 2020/21 agreements for the Sustainable Stockport and Inclusive Neighbourhoods portfolios for consideration by the Scrutiny Committee.

he agreements articulated the policy priorities for 2020/21 that were set out within the adopted Council Plan, incorporating the shared outcomes from the Borough Plan alongside specific priorities of the Cabinet.  The priorities within the Portfolio Agreements would form the basis for regular in-year reporting through the Portfolio and Corporate Performance and Resource Reports, enabling the Scrutiny Committee to hold the Cabinet to account.

The Cabinet Member for Sustainable Stockport (Councillor Sheila Bailey) and the Cabinet Member for Inclusive Neighbourhoods (Councillor Amanada Peers) attended the meeting to respond to questions from the Scrutiny Committee.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

Sustainable Stockport

·         In relation to SS5.3, it was queried whether the proposed meadows that were to be created in all wards by 2025 would be grassland meadows or wildflower meadows and where these had been created during 2020/21.

·         The work of the refuse collection service to maintain a quality service during the coronavirus pandemic was congratulated.

·         It was suggested that where new measures had been introduced to replace existing calculation methods, that comparative information should be provided on an interim basis to allow members to have relevant comparative data.  Specific reference was made to change in the way in which sickness absence levels at TLC were now presented within the report.

Inclusive Neighbourhoods

·         It was clarified that the red indicator in relation to Support Funds (formerly the Stockport Local Assistance Scheme) was as a result of a predicted increase in applications to the fund which would mean that there was a risk that the savings target for this area may not be achieved.

·         It was important that local councillors were involved in the approach to tackling anti-social behaviour across Stockport.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.