Agenda and minutes

To approve as a correct record and sign the Minutes of the meeting held on 9 July 2019.

The Minutes (copies of which had been circulated) of the meeting held on 9 July 2019 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 interests 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 further call-in items to consider.

Report of the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration.

In March 2019 the Greater Manchester Combined Authority agreed to create a Mayoral Development Corporation (MDC) to lead the regeneration of Town Centre West. The Legislation needed to establish the ‘Stockport Town Centre West Mayoral Development Corporation’ is currently before Parliament and is due to come into force on 2 September 2019, creating the MDC as a ‘body corporate’ which is run by a board appointed by the Greater Manchester Mayor in consultation with Stockport Council.

The Cabinet will be invited to approve the appointment of the leaders of the three largest political groups on the Council to the MDC Board.

The Scrutiny Committee is invited to:-

·         note the proposed make-up of the Mayoral Development Corporation board;

·         comment on the proposed Council representation on the Mayoral Development Corporation board prior to any decision by Cabinet;

·         note that the Mayoral Development Corporation will produce an annual Business Plan as soon as possible following its creation and that its Business Plan will be submitted to the Council and to Greater Manchester Combined Authority for approval.

Officer contact: Paul Richards, 0161-474-2940, paul.richards@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) detailing the proposed arrangements for the appointment of a board for the Mayoral Development Corporation with a membership that aimed to balance the need to achieve political oversight and democratic accountability with the specialist regeneration expertise needed to deliver development at-pace and at-scale.

The Deputy Leader of the Council and Cabinet Member for Resources, Commissioning & Governance (Councillor Tom McGee) attended the meeting to respond to questions from the Scrutiny Committee.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

·         Following a question from a member, it was stated that the remainder of the Board would comprise of Mayoral appointees from the Combined Authority, Homes England with the remainder from the private sector.

·         It was confirmed that planning powers and business rates would be retained by the Council.

·         It was stated that it had not yet been decided whether the board members from the private sector would be remunerated.

·         A discussion took place in relation to the arrangements for the selection of Council nominated Board members in the eventuality that there was a parity of membership between two of the political groups.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider a report of the Monitoring Officer.

To inform the Scrutiny Committee that the AGMA Executive Board had agreed a number of amendments to the AGMA constitution following a review by the GMCA Monitoring Officer.

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

Officer contact: Vicki Bates, 0161 474 3219, vicki.bates@stockport.gov.uk

A report of the Monitoring Officer was submitted (copies of which had been circulated) informing the Scrutiny Committee that the AGMA Executive Board had agreed a number of amendments to the AGMA constitution following a review by the GMCA Monitoring Officer.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider a report of the Democratic Services Manager.               

The report sets out planned agenda items for future meetings of the Committee and Forward Plan items that fall within its remit.

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

Officer contact: Jonathan Vali, 0161 474 3201, email: jonathan.vali@stockport.gov.uk

A representative of the Deputy Chief Executive submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) setting out planned agenda items for the next meeting and relevant entries in the Cabinet Forward Plan.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.

To consider the call-in of executive decision CAB179

This decision has been called in by Councillors Malcolm Allan, Tom Morrison, Becky Senior. The call in deadline is 4pm on 30 July 2019.

Report and decision record are enclosed.

The Scrutiny Committee was informed that Executive Decision CAB179 had been ‘called in’ by Councillors Malcolm Allan, Tom Morrison and Becky Senior.  It was reported that the matter related to a decision taken at the Cabinet on 23 July 2019 with regard to a proposal to expand Ludworth Primary School from a 1.5 form entry (FE) to a 2FE Primary School which would also serve to improve access, building condition and address safeguarding issues.

Councillors Allan and Morrison attended the meeting and outlined the reason for calling-in the decision.  Specifically, it was stated that the principle of expanding Ludworth Primary School was not contended, rather, members’ concerns were limited solely to the traffic and parking mitigation measures proposed within the accompanying report. Councillor Allan advised the meeting that it was considered that the proposed measures were so insufficient and vague as to provide local residents with little assurance that the concerns expressed during the consultation in relation to traffic and parking would be appropriately addressed.

In advance of the meeting, a series of proposed additional mitigation measures was circulated to members of the Scrutiny Committee by Councillor Allan.  Those members calling-in the decision stated that the aim of the call-in was to ensure that Sections 9.6.2 and 9.6.3 of the accompanying report was amended to incorporate the schedule of proposed mitigation measures, and that the decision be referred back to the Cabinet for its reconsideration to allow for the decision to be amended to give an assurance that the implementation of those measures would be given due consideration.

Councillors Allan and Morrison then answered Councillors’ questions in relation to their reasons for ‘calling-in’ the decision.

The Cabinet Member for Resources, Commissioning & Governance (Councillor Tom McGee) advised the Scrutiny Committee that the issues of traffic and parking at Ludworth Primary School had been discussed at length by the Cabinet and that he had provided assurances at the meeting on 23 July 2019 of the need to ensure that while there was a need to expand the school, this should not result in additional issues for residents, and nor should the problems be displaced elsewhere.

Councillor McGee stated that he would be willing to put this commitment in writing as an alternative to remitting the matter back to the decision-maker.

It was further explained that a remittance of the matter back to the Cabinet may be problematic as it was not possible for the Council to take decisions relating to schools outside of term-time. Accordingly, such a course of action may introduce significant delay to the implementation of the decision to expand the school.

It was then

RESOLVED - (6 for) That Executive Decision CAB179 be referred back to the Cabinet for its reconsideration at the first available opportunity with a request that Sections 9.6.2 and 9.6.3 within the accompanying report be amended to incorporate the full schedule of proposed mitigation measures circulated in advance of the meeting, and with a further recommendation that the Cabinet amend its decision to include a third resolution stating:-

“(3) That the relevant Cabinet Members and officers be recommended to investigate and where practicable and appropriate implement the schedule of mitigation measures included within Section 9.6 of the report, subject to any necessary consultations, firstly as part of any planning application submitted by the Council to the Planning Authority and secondly in the formulation and determination of any package of traffic regulation orders subsequently drawn up to mitigate against its impact.”