Agenda and minutes

To approve as a correct record and sign the Minutes of the Meetings of the Council held on 17 January and 21 February 2019.

The Minutes (copies of which had been circulated) of the meetings of the Council held on 17 January and 21 February 2019 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Mayor.

To report any urgent action taken under the Constitution since the last meeting of the Council.

No urgent decisions were reported.

To receive announcements from the Mayor.

The Mayor invited all those present to stand for a minute's silence in remembrance of those 50 people who lost their lives in the terrorist attack at mosques in Christchurch, New Zealand during Friday prayers on the 15 March 2019.

The Mayor then announced that this would be the last meeting of the Council to be attended by Councillors Richard Coaton, Annette Finney, Alex Ganotis, Sylvia Humphreys, Chris Murphy, Paul Porgess and himself following their forthcoming retirement from the Council after the local elections on 2 May 2019.

The Group Leaders and the Deputy Leader of the Council then paid tribute to the retiring councillors.

The Mayor then reported on the recent charity abseil that had taken place from the roof of Stopford House in aid of his charities and extended his thanks to all those who had been involved in the arrangements for this very successful event.

Finally, the Mayor reported that the Mayor’s Charity Dinner would be held on Friday, 10 May 2018 at 7.30 pm.

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

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

The following interests were declared:-

Disclosable Pecuniary Interest

To receive any questions from and provide answers to the public in relation to matters relevant to the Council’s activities.

Members of the public were invited to put questions to the Mayor and councillors on matters within the powers and duties of the Council.

Eight public questions were submitted as follows:-

·         Relating to the progress of plans to close the indoor market and replace it with an ‘Altrincham-style’ food market and the closure and refurbishment of the outdoor market which was scheduled to reopen in March 2019.

The Cabinet Member for Economy & Regeneration (Councillor Kate Butler) responded that one of the first decisions of the Labour administration in May 2016 was to put a stop to the plans to move the market traders out of the indoor market and instead invest in the marketplace, Underbanks and the wider town centre.  It was reported that the indoor market now had 100% occupancy and had expert professional market management in place.  It was stated that footfall was now rising and traders had been given longer contracts which allowed them to invest in the success of the market.  The annual losses that the indoor market were accruing were now reducing and it is planned that by 2020, it should be self-sufficient allowing any future profits to be reinvested.  It was further stated that the outdoor market was due to return this year building on the success of Foodie Friday, the maker's market and other specialist markets.

·         Relating to recent reports in the national press about the crisis in care home provision and the increased pressure on hospitals and whether older residents of Stockport could be assured that they can expect an appropriate level of care in terms of dignity and treatment as and if it became necessary and what steps are the Council taking to ensure this.

The Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Adult Social Care (Councillor Wendy Wild) responded that in February the Council launched the ‘All Age Living’ prospectus for healthy happy homes that demonstrated a great opportunity to truly bring together housing, health and social care into a single vision and programme for change that will co-design the future for all age living in Stockport with a goal for all residents to look forward to a positive older age.  It was stated that this meant there would be a wider choice of places and ways to live, providing the right homes and underpinned by the right support. 

The Council’s Quality Team had also launched the ‘Dignity in Care Forum’ with representation from external and internal providers and health and social care colleagues.  The Forum was held on a quarterly basis and had been extremely well attended. 

·         Relating to the decision of Vale View Primary School to close early on Fridays and whether the Cabinet Member for Education would work with parents to help ensure that Vale View Primary School remained open five full days a week.

The Cabinet Member for Education (Councillor Dean Fitzpatrick) replied that he would meet with parents along with appropriate officers to ensure that they had all the information they needed to assist them with their case. 

Councillor Fitzpatrick stated that he had brought a motion to the Council Meeting in September 2017 calling on the government to increase funding for schools in line with inflation from 2015, to pay for the apprenticeship levy, the costs of the Living Wage, pensions and other associated costs.  The response from the Department for Education was that they were already doing more than they were, and enough.

The Council had also worked with the f40 Group to lobby the government which had resulted in an additional £1.2 million being allocated to Stockport, however this amount did not cover the costs of inflation over a single year period.

Councillor Fitzpatrick further stated that with regard to the decision of Vale View Primary School, it was his view that there were other options available to the school and that it needed to stop and listen to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.(i)

To receive petitions, and by prior arrangement, receive delegations and presentations from members of the public, community groups or partnership organisations.

Petitions

One petition was submitted requesting that the Council take action to secure the redevelopment of the former Cheadle Royal nursing home site.

RESOLVED – That the petition be referred to the Cabinet Member for Economy & Regeneration.

Presentations

There were no presentations.

(a)       Greater Manchester Police and Crime Panel

Councillor Sheila Bailey to answer questions, if any, on the business of the Greater Manchester Police and Crime Panel.

(b)       Greater Manchester Combined Authority

The following councillors to answer questions (if any) on the business of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority:-

(a)       Greater Manchester Police and Crime Panel

There were no questions in relation to the business of the Greater Manchester Police and Crime Panel.

(b)       Greater Manchester Combined Authority

There were no questions in relation to the business of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, the Transport for Greater Manchester Committee or Greater Manchester Waste Committee.

To receive a report from the Leader of the Council and other members of the Cabinet on the conduct of Cabinet business since the last Council Meeting.

The Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Policy, Finance and Devolution (Councillor Alex Ganotis) reported that Stockport was due to host the Greater Manchester Combined Authority the next day at which it would consider the next stages of the Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) for ‘Stockport Town Centre West’.  The report sets out the outcome of the public consultation which demonstrated widespread support for the proposed MDC, and the consequent proposal by the Mayor to request that the Secretary of State commences the process for the necessary legislation to bring that about.

It was further reported that at the meeting of the Planning & Highways Regulation Committee that took place on 21 March 2019, unanimous approval had been given to new Stockport Interchange development.  It was stated that this development would provide the catalyst for the wider MDC area and the development of up to 3,000 new homes.  Councillor Ganotis stated that the ability of Stockport build new homes on brownfield land would reduce the impact of the Greater Manchester Spatial Framework on the greenbelt and those sites that would need to be included in the third phase of consultation.

Stockport’s housing target within the GMSF was 20,000 new homes of which 5,000 had been taken up by other boroughs in Greater Manchester.  In addition, work had taken place to reduce the number of new homes in the greenbelt from an initial 12,000 down to 3,700 units.

The Cabinet Member for Communities & Housing (Councillor Sheila Bailey) reported on the success of the ‘Bed Every Night’ scheme and that between 1 November 2018 and the 1 March 2019 128 people were accommodated through the scheme in Stockport.  It was stated that the placement criteria used by Stockport Homes was not stringent and place people who were at risk of rough sleeping, and not just necessarily already rough sleeping, were assisted by the scheme.  Of these, 75 had moved on to confirm positive accommodation arrangements with the remainder leaving of their own accord with four having to be excluded because of behavioural issues.  It was reported that there were currently estimated to be seven people rough sleeping in the borough, all of whom Stockport Homes and its partners continued to actively seek to engage with.

With regard to the installation of sprinklers in Stockport’s high-rise accommodation, it was stated that it was previously reported that all 22 tower blocks would be completed over a three to five-year period; however it was now proposed to undertake the work over a two year period which would represent value for money for Stockport Homes and ensure that Stockport's tower-block tenants would have this additional fire safety measure installed in their homes sooner rather than later.

Councillor Bailey also reported on the ongoing investment in Stockport’s parks and formal play provision during 2018/19 with £207,000 being put into grass matt replacement.  It was stated that 80% of the borough's grass mat had been upgraded to a synthetic surface where play items have a full height of more than 1.5 metres. 

The Cabinet Member for Economy & Regeneration (Councillor Kate Butler) reported that the first soft-launch event for the Produce Hall had taken place the previous evening.  It was announced that 50% of the new front of house staff had been recruited through the Council’s pre-employment training initiative that had been run in conjunction with Stockport Homes. 

Councillor Butler then referred to the ‘Walk Ride GM’ initiative that aimed to make walking and cycling the natural choice for everyday journeys.  The initiative had encouraged the development of hyper-local groups such as ‘Walk Ride Romiley’ and ‘Walk Ride Heatons’.  Each of the groups would have a representative on the Walking and Cycling Forum and it was hoped that these could be used to develop future bids for funding rather than being driven wholly by the Council.

The Cabinet Member for Education (Councillor Dean Fitzpatrick) reported that the government  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.(i)

To answer questions and receive comments from Councillors addressed to the Leader of the Council or other members of the Cabinet, in accordance with Council Meeting Procedure Rule 11.

The Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Policy, Finance & Devolution and the Cabinet Members for Adult Social Care, Economy & Regeneration and Education answered questions and responded to comments relating to the business of the Cabinet in accordance with Council Meeting Procedure Rule 11.

To receive the Minutes of the Cabinet held on 5 February and 12 March 2019 and the record of executive decisions taken since the last Council Meeting, (schedule enclosed, decisions previously circulated) and consider any recommendations they contain.

The Mayor declared the Minutes of the Cabinet Meetings held on 5 February and 12 March 2019 and the record of executive decisions taken since the last meeting of the Council to be duly received.

To receive a report from the Chairs of the Scrutiny Committees on the conduct of Scrutiny business.

To receive a report from the Chairs of the Scrutiny Committees on the conduct of Scrutiny business.

The Chair of the Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee (Councillor Lisa Smart) expressed her thanks to officers and those councillors who joined with the Scrutiny Co-ordination committee to participate in a review in relation to the way in which scrutiny was conducted in Stockport.  Councillor Smart reported that the Review had made a number of recommendations including the appointment of a Statutory Scrutiny Office; the role of the Scrutiny Co-ordination Committee; a reduction in the number of cycles of scrutiny committees; and the potential to explore alternative ways of undertaking scrutiny.  Councillor Smart expressed her hope that the recommendations of the Review would subsequently be adopted by the Council.

To answer questions from Councillors addressed to the Scrutiny Chairs, in accordance with Council Meeting Procedure Rule 11.

There were no questions relating to the business of the Scrutiny Committees in accordance with Council Meeting Procedure Rule 11.

To receive the Minutes of the following Scrutiny Committees:-

Adult Social Care & Health – 15 January 2019

Children & Families – 23 January and 27 February 2019

Communities & Housing – 21 January and 25 February 2019

Corporate, Resource Management & Governance – 22 January and 26 February 2019

Economy & Regeneration – 24 January and 28 February 2019

Scrutiny Co-ordination - 4 February 2019

The Mayor declared the Minutes of the following Scrutiny Committees (copies of which had been circulated with the Summons) to be duly received:-

Adult Social Care & Health – 15 January 2019

Children & Families – 23 January and 27 February 2019

Communities & Housing – 21 January and 25 February 2019

Corporate, Resource Management & Governance – 22 January and 26 February 2019

Economy & Regeneration – 24 January and 28 February 2019

Scrutiny Co-ordination - 4 February 2019

To receive a report from the Chairs of the Planning & Highways Regulation; Licensing, Environment & Safety; and Audit Committees on the conduct of their business since the last Council Meeting.

There were no reports from the Chairs of the Planning and Highways Regulation, Licensing, Environment and Safety or Audit Committees on the conduct of their business since the last Council Meeting.

To answer questions from Councillors addressed to the Chairs of Ordinary and Area Committees, in accordance with Council Meeting Procedure Rule 11.

There were no questions relating to the business of the Ordinary, Area and Ward Committees in accordance with Council Meeting Procedure Rule 11.

To receive the minutes of the following Ordinary and Area Committees:-

Ordinary Committees

Audit – 13 March 2019

Contributors – 24 January 2019

Employment Appeals – 27 February 2019

Funding – 20 February 2019

Health & Wellbeing Board – 30 January 2019

Health & Wellbeing Board (Better Care Fund) Sub – 22 January 2019

Licensing, Environment & Safety – 9 January and 13 February 2019

Licensing, Environment & Safety Sub – 7 January, 11 February and 28 February 2019

Member – 18 February 2019

Planning & Highways Regulation – 10 January and 14 February 2019

Standards – 11 February 2019

Area Committees

Bramhall & Cheadle Hulme South – 31 January and 7 March 2019

Central Stockport – 31 January and 7 March 2019

Cheadle – 29 January and 5 March 2019

Heatons & Reddish – 28 January and 4 March 2019

Marple – 30 January and 6 March 2019

Stepping Hill – 29 January and 5 March 2019

Werneth – 28 January and 4 March 2019

The Mayor declared the Minutes of the following Ordinary and Area Committees (copies of which had been circulated with the Summons) to be duly received:-

Ordinary Committees

Audit – 13 March 2019

Contributors – 24 January 2019

Employment Appeals – 27 February 2019

Funding – 20 February 2019

Health & Wellbeing Board – 30 January 2019

Health & Wellbeing Board (Better Care Fund) Sub – 22 January 2019

Licensing, Environment & Safety – 9 January and 13 February 2019

Licensing, Environment & Safety Sub – 7 January, 11 February and 28 February 2019

Member – 18 February 2019

Planning & Highways Regulation – 10 January and 14 February 2019

Standards – 11 February 2019

Area Committees

Bramhall & Cheadle Hulme South – 31 January and 7 March 2019

Central Stockport – 31 January and 7 March 2019

Cheadle – 29 January and 5 March 2019

Heatons & Reddish – 28 January and 4 March 2019

Marple – 30 January and 6 March 2019

Stepping Hill – 29 January and 5 March 2019

Werneth – 28 January and 4 March 2019

This Council notes:

·         The findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report ‘Global warming of 1.5°’ published on 8 October 2018, in particular:

·         That human activities are estimated to have already caused approximately 1.0°C of global warming above pre-industrial levels;

·         That if we continue at the current rate, we are likely to surpass the Paris Agreement target of 1.5°C as early as 2030;

·         That at the current level of commitments, the world is on course for 3°C of warming with irreversible and catastrophic consequences for humans and the natural world.

The Council believes that:

·         The impacts of global temperature rise above 1.5°C, are so severe that governments at all levels must work together and make this their top priority.

·         As well as large-scale improvements in health and wellbeing around the world, bold climate action can deliver economic benefits in terms of new jobs, economic savings and market opportunities.

·         As urban populations increase, greater consideration of how urban systems can develop sustainability will be required.

Therefore, this Council agrees:

·         To declare a ‘climate emergency’, and support the Greater Manchester 5 Year Environment Plan launched at 2019’s Green Summit.

·         To ensure the right resources are in place within the Council to support this work,

·         To establish a new task and finish group, with a remit to:

(i)       Seek advice from experts to develop 5 Year carbon budgets and set a challenging target date of 2038 for carbon neutrality;

(ii)      Consider systematically the climate change impact of each area of the Council’s activities;

(iii)     Make recommendations and set an ambitious timescale for reducing these impacts in line with wider Greater Manchester ambitions;

(iv)    To assess the feasibility of requiring all risk and procurement assessments to include Carbon Emission Appraisals, including presenting alternative approaches which reduce emissions wherever possible.

(v)     Report to Full Council with the actions the Council needs to take to address this emergency and how it will work with GMCA and other GM Districts to develop a Mission Based Approach to implementation.

·         To task a director level officer with responsibility for reducing as rapidly as possible, the carbon emissions resulting from the Council’s activities.

·         To equip all our staff, particularly those involved with buildings, energy and transport management and procurement of goods and service, with an awareness of the CO2 costs and impacts of everyday activities, and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions.

·         To recognise that the Council has many competing priorities and that any actions arising from this work take account of how they impact from a financial and policy context.

·         That the Leader will write to the Prime Minister to inform her that this Council has declared a climate emergency and ask her to provide the resources and powers necessary to deal with it.

Moved by:                  Councillor Alex Ganotis

Seconded by:           Councillor Mark Hunter

Councillor Syd Lloyd

Councillor Adrian Nottingham

RESOLVED - This Council notes:

·         The findings of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) report ‘Global warming of 1.5°’ published on 8 October 2018, in particular:

·         That human activities are estimated to have already caused approximately 1.0°C of global warming above pre-industrial levels;

·         That if we continue at the current rate, we are likely to surpass the Paris Agreement target of 1.5°C as early as 2030;

·         That at the current level of commitments, the world is on course for 3°C of warming with irreversible and catastrophic consequences for humans and the natural world.

The Council believes that:

·         The impacts of global temperature rise above 1.5°C, are so severe that governments at all levels must work together and make this their top priority.

·         As well as large-scale improvements in health and wellbeing around the world, bold climate action can deliver economic benefits in terms of new jobs, economic savings and market opportunities.

·         As urban populations increase, greater consideration of how urban systems can develop sustainability will be required.

Therefore, this Council agrees:

·         To declare a ‘climate emergency’, and support the Greater Manchester 5 Year Environment Plan launched at 2019’s Green Summit.

·         To ensure the right resources are in place within the Council to support this work,

·         To establish a new task and finish group, with a remit to:

(i)         Seek advice from experts to develop 5 Year carbon budgets and set a challenging target date of 2038 for carbon neutrality;

(ii)        Consider systematically the climate change impact of each area of the Council’s activities;

(iii)       Make recommendations and set an ambitious timescale for reducing these impacts in line with wider Greater Manchester ambitions;

(iv)       To assess the feasibility of requiring all risk and procurement assessments to include Carbon Emission Appraisals, including presenting alternative approaches which reduce emissions wherever possible.

(v)        Report to Full Council with the actions the Council needs to take to address this emergency and how it will work with GMCA and other GM Districts to develop a Mission Based Approach to implementation.

·         To task a director level officer with responsibility for reducing as rapidly as possible, the carbon emissions resulting from the Council’s activities.

·         To equip all our staff, particularly those involved with buildings, energy and transport management and procurement of goods and service, with an awareness of the CO2 costs and impacts of everyday activities, and the ability and motivation to reduce emissions.

·         To recognise that the Council has many competing priorities and that any actions arising from this work take account of how they impact from a financial and policy context.

·         That the Leader will write to the Prime Minister to inform her that this Council has declared a climate emergency and ask her to provide the resources and powers necessary to deal with it.

This council meeting notes with concern:

·         that Greater Manchester Police’s budget has been cut by £183m over recent years;

·         recorded crime has risen by 17% over the past 12 months;

·         earlier in the year the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police warned that police officer numbers could be cut to their lowest level since the 1970s;

·         this is despite an undertaking by the Conservative Government in their 2015 Spending Review to protect police funding; and

·         the undertaking has only been met by shifting an increasing part of the burden to council tax funding, which is highly regressive.

This council meeting further notes that:

·         the £24 increase at Band D in the mayoral precept for policing is to be used to employ 320 additional officers;

·         that Stockport residents contribute almost 13% of the funds raised through council tax precepts, second only to Manchester City Council and by far the largest contributor by population;

·         of the 320 new officers, 220 will go into neighbourhood policing, 50 will go into a new team to tackle crime on public transport and a further 50 will go into a new ‘floating’ unit, set up to provide pro-active response to local problems and priorities;

·         total officer numbers will remain below 7,000;

·         fifteen years ago, when officer numbers were above 8,000, the then Chief Constable Mike Todd unsuccessfully called on the then Labour government to fund a total of 11,000 officers;

·         there has been no indication how the new officers will be deployed across Greater Manchester, what their priorities will be and what impact this will have on policing levels in Stockport; and

·         at a recent meeting with Andy Burnham attended by Cllrs Ganotis and Lloyd, Cllr Hunter pressed the GM Mayor for a guarantee of the minimum increase in police numbers Stockport can expect to ensure that we get our fair share and, for a second time, offered to participate in an all-party delegation to meet the Home Secretary to make the case for better police funding from central government.

Whilst this council meeting welcomes the increase in police officer numbers, it regrets that this is at such a high, direct cost to local residents and notes with disappointment that no information has been received to date about deployment or how we can measure whether Stockport does get its fair share of police resources.

This council meeting resolves to ask the Chief Executive to write to:

·         the Home Secretary, calling on him to make the case for additional central government funding of our police services to ensure that our streets are safe and our residents feel secure; and

·         the Mayor of Greater Manchester, calling on him to confirm that Stockport will get its fair share of new police officers in addition to those currently deployed here and to outline the minimum policing guarantee  Stockport can expect in the future.

Moved by:                  Councillor Lisa Smart

Seconded by:           Councillor Helen Foster-Grime

MOVED AND SECONDED - This council meeting notes with concern:

·         that Greater Manchester Police’s budget has been cut by £183m over recent years;

·         recorded crime has risen by 17% over the past 12 months;

·         earlier in the year the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police warned that police officer numbers could be cut to their lowest level since the 1970s;

·         this is despite an undertaking by the Conservative Government in their 2015 Spending Review to protect police funding; and

·         the undertaking has only been met by shifting an increasing part of the burden to council tax funding, which is highly regressive.

This council meeting further notes that:

·         the £24 increase at Band D in the mayoral precept for policing is to be used to employ 320 additional officers;

·         that Stockport residents contribute almost 13% of the funds raised through council tax precepts, second only to Manchester City Council and by far the largest contributor by population;

·         of the 320 new officers, 220 will go into neighbourhood policing, 50 will go into a new team to tackle crime on public transport and a further 50 will go into a new ‘floating’ unit, set up to provide pro-active response to local problems and priorities;

·         total officer numbers will remain below 7,000;

·         fifteen years ago, when officer numbers were above 8,000, the then Chief Constable Mike Todd unsuccessfully called on the then Labour government to fund a total of 11,000 officers;

·         there has been no indication how the new officers will be deployed across Greater Manchester, what their priorities will be and what impact this will have on policing levels in Stockport; and

·         at a recent meeting with Andy Burnham attended by Cllrs Ganotis and Lloyd, Cllr Hunter pressed the GM Mayor for a guarantee of the minimum increase in police numbers Stockport can expect to ensure that we get our fair share and, for a second time, offered to participate in an all-party delegation to meet the Home Secretary to make the case for better police funding from central government.

Whilst this council meeting welcomes the increase in police officer numbers, it regrets that this is at such a high, direct cost to local residents and notes with disappointment that no information has been received to date about deployment or how we can measure whether Stockport does get its fair share of police resources.

This council meeting resolves to ask the Chief Executive to write to:

·         the Home Secretary, calling on him to make the case for additional central government funding of our police services to ensure that our streets are safe and our residents feel secure; and

·         the Mayor of Greater Manchester, calling on him to confirm that Stockport will get its fair share of new police officers in addition to those currently deployed here and to outline the minimum policing guarantee  Stockport can expect in the future.

At 9.45 pm it was

RESOLVED – That the meeting be adjourned.

The meeting reconvened at 9.55 pm

AMENDMENT MOVED AND SECONDED – This council meeting notes with concern:

·         that Greater Manchester Police’s budget has been cut by £183m over recent years;

·         that recorded crime across Greater Manchester has risen by 17% over the past 12 months, and crime and antisocial behaviour has risen by 4.4% in Stockport from 2016/17 to 2017/18 according to key indicators monitored by Safer Stockport Partnership;

·         that earlier in the year the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police warned that police officer numbers across Greater Manchester could be cut to their lowest level since the 1970s;

·         that in their 2015 Spending Review, the Conservative Government committed to protect police funding but that undertaking has only been met by placing an increasing part of the burden onto Council Tax funding which is regressive.

This council meeting further notes that:

·         the £24 increase at Band D in the mayoral precept for policing is to be used to employ 320 additional officers across Greater Manchester;

·         Stockport residents contribute almost 13% of the funds raised through council tax precepts, second only to Manchester City Council and by far the largest contributor by population;

·         of the 320 new officers, 220 will go into neighbourhood policing, 50 will go into a new team to tackle crime on public transport and a further 50 will go into a new ‘floating’ unit, set up to provide pro-active response to local problems and priorities;

·         total officer numbers will remain below 7,000;

·         fifteen years ago, when officer numbers were above 8,000, the then Chief Constable Mike Todd unsuccessfully called on the then Labour government to fund a total of 11,000 officers;

·         there has been no indication how the new officers will be deployed across Greater Manchester, what their priorities will be and what impact this will have on policing levels in Stockport; and

·         at a recent meeting with Andy Burnham attended by Cllrs Ganotis and Lloyd, Cllr Hunter pressed the GM Mayor for a guarantee of the minimum increase in police numbers Stockport can expect to ensure that we get our fair share and, for a second time, offered to participate in an all-party delegation to meet the Home Secretary to make the case for better police funding from central government.

Whilst this council meeting welcomes the increase in police officer numbers, it regrets that this is at such a high, direct cost to local residents and notes with disappointment that no information has been received to date about deployment or how we can measure whether Stockport does get its fair share of police resources.

This council meeting resolves to ask the Chief Executive to write to:

·                the Home Secretary, calling on him to make the case for additional central government funding of our police services to ensure that our streets are safe and our residents feel secure; and

·                the Mayor of Greater Manchester, calling on him to publish clear commitments on the share of resources which will be made available for Stockport, and how this translates to new police officers in addition to those currently deployed here, including a minimum policing guarantee for Stockport and a timetable for when these resources can be expected; and in that latter correspondence, further outline this Council’s wish that details are made public on how the additional resources raised by the 18/19 precept have been used to improve the 101 non-emergency telephone service. 

At this stage in the proceedings (10.00 pm) the Mayor informed the Council Meeting that the provisions of Council Meeting Procedure Rule 9.1 (Duration of Meeting) would be invoked unless the Council Meeting wished the meeting to continue.

It was then

RESOLVED – (35 for, 22 against) That the provisions of Council Meeting Procedure Rule 9.1 (Duration of Meeting) be not invoked and that the Council Meeting continues.

Upon the amendment being put to the vote:-

For the amendment 38, against 20.

AMENDMENT CARRIED

The amendment was then put as the substantive motion, and it was

RESOLVED – (55 for) AMENDMENT MOVED AND SECONDED – This council meeting notes with concern:

·         that Greater Manchester Police’s budget has been cut by £183m over recent years;

·         that recorded crime across Greater Manchester has risen by 17% over the past 12 months, and crime and antisocial behaviour has risen by 4.4% in Stockport from 2016/17 to 2017/18 according to key indicators monitored by Safer Stockport Partnership;

·         that earlier in the year the Chief Constable of Greater Manchester Police warned that police officer numbers across Greater Manchester could be cut to their lowest level since the 1970s;

·         that in their 2015 Spending Review, the Conservative Government committed to protect police funding but that undertaking has only been met by placing an increasing part of the burden onto Council Tax funding which is regressive.

This council meeting further notes that:

·         the £24 increase at Band D in the mayoral precept for policing is to be used to employ 320 additional officers across Greater Manchester;

·         Stockport residents contribute almost 13% of the funds raised through council tax precepts, second only to Manchester City Council and by far the largest contributor by population;

·         of the 320 new officers, 220 will go into neighbourhood policing, 50 will go into a new team to tackle crime on public transport and a further 50 will go into a new ‘floating’ unit, set up to provide pro-active response to local problems and priorities;

·         total officer numbers will remain below 7,000;

·         fifteen years ago, when officer numbers were above 8,000, the then Chief Constable Mike Todd unsuccessfully called on the then Labour government to fund a total of 11,000 officers;

·         there has been no indication how the new officers will be deployed across Greater Manchester, what their priorities will be and what impact this will have on policing levels in Stockport; and

·         at a recent meeting with Andy Burnham attended by Cllrs Ganotis and Lloyd, Cllr Hunter pressed the GM Mayor for a guarantee of the minimum increase in police numbers Stockport can expect to ensure that we get our fair share and, for a second time, offered to participate in an all-party delegation to meet the Home Secretary to make the case for better police funding from central government.

Whilst this council meeting welcomes the increase in police officer numbers, it regrets that this is at such a high, direct cost to local residents and notes with disappointment that no information has been received to date about deployment or how we can measure whether Stockport does get its fair share of police resources.

This council meeting resolves to ask the Chief Executive to write to:

·                the Home Secretary, calling on him to make the case for additional central government funding of our police services to ensure that our streets are safe and our residents feel secure; and

·                the Mayor of Greater Manchester, calling on him to publish clear commitments on the share of resources which will be made available for Stockport, and how this translates to new police officers in addition to those currently deployed here, including a minimum policing guarantee for Stockport and a timetable for when these resources can be expected; and in that latter correspondence, further outline this Council’s wish that details are made public on how the additional resources raised by the 18/19 precept have been used to improve the 101 non-emergency telephone service. 

To consider a joint report of the Cabinet Members for Communities & Housing and Health.

The Cabinet Member for Communities & Housing (Councillor Sheila Bailey) submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) inviting the Council Meeting to consider an Outline Business Case (OBC) and a suite of supporting documents forming the Council’s proposals to reduce nitrogen dioxide exceedances in Stockport and across Greater Manchester in the shortest possible time. The OBC has been developed by the Council in collaboration with all Greater Manchester local authorities and the GMCA, and co-ordinated by TfGM in line with Government direction and guidance.

RESOLVED – That the Greater Manchester Clean Air Plan be endorsed and that the Cabinet be recommended to give approval to package of resolutions contained in Section 18.1 of the report.

To add Robert Thomas to list of lay members on the Admission Appeals Panel.

RESOLVED – That Robert Thomas be added to the list of lay members on the Admission Appeals Panel.