Issue - meetings

To consider a report of the Cabinet Member for Sustainable Stockport.

The repot provides an update upon the Cabinet’s proposed approach to responding to the opportunities, challenges and uncertainty outlined within the review of the medium-term financial plan presented at the Cabinet meeting on the 21st September 2021 .

Our focus remains on progressing our collective ambitions for Stockport by delivering impactful and outcomes-focussed transformational change for communities and businesses across Stockport. However, we have long recognised that a resilient budget is key to this by enabling us to face and respond to the unprecedented uncertainty ahead.

This report builds on previous updates to scrutiny and cabinet providing the latest considerations on how we intend to address financial and demand challenges, enable longer term transformation and shared ambitions.

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

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

The Corporate Director (Place) & Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing an update on the Cabinet’s proposed approach to responding to the opportunities, challenges and uncertainty outlined within the review of the medium-term financial plan presented at the Cabinet meeting on the 21st September 2021.

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

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         In response to a question in relation to the value for money obtained from the procurement framework operated by STaR and what frameworks were used by other councils, it was confirmed that STaR was already jointly owned by the council and a number of other local authorities in Greater Manchester.

·         Further clarity was requested into the assumptions factored into the report such as inflation and wage increases.

·         It was queried why the corporate contingency for pay award, demand and price inflation was scheduled to double between 2022/23 and 2023/24.  It was confirmed that further information would be circulated to members in response to this.

·         It was suggested that there was the potential for savings to be made by bring the cemeteries service back in-house on the cost of the current contractual arrangements. Any such proposals would be subject to an EIA as they were further developed.

·         The level of detail contained within the report at this early stage was welcomed.

·         It was commented that consideration should be given to reconsidering proposals to cut the highways discretionary budgets available to local area committees.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.