Agenda and minutes

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the Meeting of Members of the Communities & Housing Scrutiny Committee held on 6 September 2021.

The notes of the Meeting of Members of the Communities & Housing Scrutiny Committee held on 6 September 2021 were approved as a correct record.

Councillors and officers to declare any interests which they have in any of the items on the agenda for the meeting.

Councillors and officers were invited to declare any interests which they had in any of the items on the agenda for the meeting.

No declarations were made.

To consider call-in items (if any).

There were no call-in items to consider.

To consider a report of the Chief Executive of Stockport Homes.

The report outlines the key outcomes of Stockport Homes Group’s (SHG) delivery of anti-social behaviour services both in SHG managed neighbourhoods and in private sector residential areas during 2020/21 and 2021/22.

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

Officer contact: Liz Smith on 0161 218 1381 or email: liz.m.smith@stockporthomes.org

Liz Smith (Head of Anti-Social Behaviour Services, Stockport Homes) and John Bowker (Executive Director of Operations, Stockport Homes) attended the meeting and submitted a report of the Chief Executive of Stockport Homes (copies of which had been circulated) outlining the key outcomes of Stockport Homes Group’s (SHG) delivery of anti-social behaviour services both in SHG managed neighbourhoods and in private sector residential areas during 2020/21 and 2021/22.

The Cabinet Member for Sustainable Stockport (Councillor Sheila Bailey) also attended the meeting to respond to questions from the Scrutiny Committee.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         In response to a question with regard to the operation of the ‘Lend-A-Cam’ scheme, it was stated that CCTV cameras could be installed for up to 28 days on a temporary basis in relation to issues of anti-social behaviour.

·         It was stated that the cameras could also be used to tackle fly-tipping hot spots.

·         Any CCTV installations were done ‘overtly’, privacy impact assessments were completed and appropriate notices were displayed within the locality.

·         It was requested that members be provided with a further update on progress towards tackling instances of cuckooing including any further information on the bid by SHG to run a pilot initiative in this area.

·         SHG worked closely with the police when concerns relating to cuckooing were raised.

·         Some of the locality based reported provided within the report did not align with wards in the borough, and it was noted that this could be confusing particularly where the localities referenced were also names of wards used by the local authority.

·         There remained a perception in some communities that not enough was being done to tackle anti-social behaviour and it would be helpful to provide case studies of work undertaken within specific localities to assuage such concerns.

·         It was commendable that a significant proportion of the actions used by SHG were lower-level interventions such as mediation or letters.

RESOLVED – (1) That the report be noted.

(2) That Liz Smith and John Bowker be thanked for their attendance.

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.

To consider a report of the Strategic Head of Service & Monitoring Officer (Legal & Democratic Governance).

The report sets out planned agenda items for the Scrutiny Committee’s next meeting and Forward Plan items that fall within the remit of the Scrutiny Committee.

The Scrutiny Committee is invited to consider the information in the report and put forward any agenda items for future meetings of the Committee.

Officer contact: Damian Eaton on 0161 474 3207 or email: damian.eaton@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Strategic Head of Service & Monitoring Officer (Legal & Democratic Governance) submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) setting out the planned agenda items for the Scrutiny Committee’s next meeting and any relevant Forward Plan items.

RESOLVED  - That the report be noted.