Agenda and minutes

To approve as a correct record and sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 1 December 2014.

The Minutes (copies of which had been circulated) of the meeting held on 1 December 2014 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

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 interest which they had in any of the items on the agenda for the meeting.

The following interests were declared:-

Personal Interest

Disclosable Pecuniary Interest

To consider call-in items (if any).

There were no call-in items to consider.

To consider a joint report of the Leader of the Council (Policy, Reform & Finance) and the Executive Councillor (Corporate, Customer & Community Services)

The revised draft Business Cases for the Investing in Stockport Proposals for Preventative Commissioning Strategy and Health & Social Care Integration are being submitted to the Scrutiny Committee for consideration and comment as part of the consultation.

The Scrutiny Committee is invited to comment on the draft business cases.

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

A joint report of the Leader of the Council and the Executive Councillor (Corporate, Customer & Community Services) was submitted (copies of which had been circulated) detailing the outcome of consultations undertaken on the Draft Business Cases for the Executive’s Investing in Stockport Proposals, previously considered by the Scrutiny Committee.

The Executive Councillor for Adult Care Services (Councillor Keith Holloway) and appropriate project leads attended the meeting to answer councillors’ questions.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

Preventative Commissioning Strategy

·        Clarification was sought with regard to access to sexual health services for working people in the light of the proposed hours of operation which were cited within the report as ‘operating during normal office hours with some evening and weekend work’. 

·        There was a potential risk around the recruitment of suitable volunteers or community support providers and alternative delivery mechanisms may need to be identified which would place pressure on the projected budget savings.

·        Positive discussions with GPs at the recent Health & Social Care Congress had mitigated some of the concerns relating to risks associated with the ‘relationship with GPs if decide to decommission shared care’.

Health and Social Care Integration

·        The Council had learned from the early models of integration implemented by Barking & Dagenham and Torbay Councils including where there were weaknesses in those models.

·        It was commented that it could not be assumed that customers would not notice a change in level of service resulting from the proposed changes.  In response it was stated that it was intended the where there was currently the potential for individuals to fall through gaps between services and that the transition to united teams focused around communities and neighbourhoods would provide a more comprehensive service.

·        It was anticipated that the cross borough integration of health and social care services would be implemented by the end of 2015 with area committees being consulted on the physical location for the hubs.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

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

The purpose of this report is to provide the Scrutiny Committee with the opportunity to comment on an illustrative Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Budget. The Executive will be meeting on 10 February to recommend to Council an HRA budget for 2015/16, including the level of rent and service charges. 

The illustrative budget is based on a number of key assumptions set out in the report regarding income from rent and service charges; expenditure commitments contained within the HRA 30 year Business Plan and Asset Management Strategy and indicative spending requirements to support inflationary pressures and identified investment priorities.

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

Officer contact: Michael Cullen on 0161 474 4631 or email: michael.cullen@stockport.gov.uk

Representatives of the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration and the Corporate Director for Corporate and Support Services submitted a joint report (copies of which had been circulated) providing the Scrutiny Committee with the opportunity to comment on an illustrative Housing Revenue Account (HRA) Budget which would be considered by the Executive at its meeting on 10 February 2015 to recommend to the Council Meeting an HRA budget for 2015/16, including the level of rent and service charges.

The illustrative budget was based on a number of key assumptions set out in the report regarding income from rent and service charges; expenditure commitments contained within the HRA 30 year Business Plan and Asset Management Strategy and indicative spending requirements to support inflationary pressures and identified investment priorities.

The Executive Councillor for Economic Development & Regeneration (Councillor Patrick McAuley) attended the meeting to answer members’ questions.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·        Potential participants were notified that the proposed rent increase would be the subject of discussion at the two Stockport Homes customer hub meetings as the matter was placed as an item on the agenda for those meetings.  Text messages were also sent to all those customers for whom Stockport Homes had mobile telephone numbers publicising the meetings.

·        Concern was expressed in relation to the number of Right to Buy sales and what the Council could do to reduce these numbers.  In response it was stated that the Right to Buy could not be curtailed by the Council, however as part of the information pack sent to prospective purchasers, a leaflet was included which clearly explained the implications of home ownership for the tenant.

·        It was noted that the original projection of Right to Buy sales within the 30 year business plan had been 20 per year; however in 2013/14 there had been 82 such sales.  In the light of this elevated figure, the forecast of 45 sales during 2015/16 seemed optimistic.  In response, it was stated that the number of sales peaked following government announcements relating to the Right to Buy and that an oscillating pattern of sales had been a feature of sales in the past.

·        It was commented that the report had identified that the contract price for heating had increased significantly in recent years and the potential for the Council to renegotiate its contract was explored.  In response, it was stated that notwithstanding the recent increases, the rate paid by Stockport Homes was still less than the rate paid by domestic properties for heating.

·        Members welcomed the proposal to transfer a number of assets valued at £4.475m from the HRA to the General Fund thereby increasing the amount of borrowing headroom that could be available for the future provision of new housing within the borough.

·        Rent increases from April 2014 were calculated using Consumer Price Index  inflation (as at September in the preceding year) + 1% annually.  The risk to the Stockport Homes Business Plan should CPI remain at its current level was discussed.

·        Clarification was sought on those service charges which were eligible for housing benefit support.

RESOLVED – (1) That the report be noted.

(2) That the Executive be informed of this Scrutiny Committee’s support for the transfer of a number of assets (garages and commercial properties) from the HRA to the General Fund thereby increasing the amount of borrowing headroom that could be available for the future provision of new housing within the borough.

To consider a report of the Service Director (Adult Social Care).

The report details a proposal to reallocate Adult Social Care capital resources to support the work of a local arts and health charitable organisation to deliver a borough-wide service in Market Place.

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to comment on the report.

Officer contact: Henrietta Achampong on 474 4406 or email: henrietta.achampong@stockport.gov.uk

The Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration submitted a report of the Service Director (Adult Social Care) (copies of which had been circulated) detailing proposals to reallocate Adult Social Care capital resources to support the work of Arts for Recovery in the Community (Arc) (a local arts and health charitable organisation) to deliver a boroughwide service in the Market Place (Castle Yard).

The report detailed the history behind the current proposals which included a previous report being submitted to the Scrutiny Committee in March 2013 relating to the use of Adult Social Care Capital Resources as match funding for a bid to the Heritage Enterprise Programme for the acquisition of a market place property to enable the accommodation of Arc and Pure Radio.

The Executive Councillor for Economic Development & Regeneration (Councillor Patrick McAuley) attended the meeting to answer members’ questions.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider a report of the Democratic Services Manager.                                                        

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 474 3207 or email: damian.eaton@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Democratic Services Manager submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) setting out the planned items for the Scrutiny Committee’s next meeting and Forward Plan items which fell within the remit of the Scrutiny Committee.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.