Agenda item

To consider a joint report of the Corporate Director for People and the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration.

The report provides the first update Portfolio Performance and Resource Reports for the Supporting Adults and Thriving Economy Portfolios for consideration by the Committee.  These provide an early update on progress in delivering the portfolio priority outcomes through the Investing in Stockport programme and other key projects during the first quarter of 2015/16.  They include forecast performance data (where this is available) and projected financial data for the Portfolios, along with an update on the portfolio savings programmes. 

Scrutiny Committee is recommended to:-

a)    Consider the First Update Portfolio Performance and Resource Reports;  

b)   Review the progress against delivering key projects, priority outcomes, targets and budgets for 2015/16;

c)    Highlight key areas of and responsibility for taking forward corrective action to address any performance or resource issues;

d)   Highlight any significant issues or changes to be fed back to the Executive alongside the Corporate Performance and Resource Report;

e)    Identify how areas of strong performance and good practice can be shared in other services.

Officer contacts:

Supporting Adults Portfolio - Karen Kime, Policy, Performance and Reform (Corporate & Support Services) on 474 3574 or karen.kime@stockport.gov.uk  or Simon Finch, Strategic Accountant (Services to People) on 474 4019 or email simon.finch@stockport.gov.uk  

Thriving Economy Portfolio - Joe Conmee, Policy, Performance and Reform (Corporate & Support Services) on 474 5396 or email joespeh.conmee@stockport.gov.uk or Michael Cullen, Strategic Accountant (Services to Place) on 474 4631 or email michael.cullen@stockport.gov.uk

Representatives of the Corporate Directors for People and Place Management & Regeneration submitted a joint report (copies of which had been circulated) providing an early update on progress in delivering the portfolio priority outcomes through the Investing in Stockport programme and other key projects during the first quarter of 2015/16 for the Supporting Adults and Thriving Economy (Housing element only) portfolios.

The Executive Councillors (Supporting Adults) (Councillor Keith Holloway) and (Thriving Economy) (Councillor Patrick McAuley) attended the meeting to answer questions from the Scrutiny Committee.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

Supporting Adults

·         The report identified that the design and business case plans for the Stockport Together project were ambitious and required significant resources; however it was also noted that resources allocated to the programme were fragmented and staff were already overstretched.  The measures that were in place to manage the wellbeing of staff was discussed in connection with this with particular regard to stress risk assessments and the development of an action plan following a recent staff survey.

·         It was requested that the strategic submission for health and social care as part of the Greater Manchester Devolution Agreement and the implementation plan for the new integrated teams be submitted to the scrutiny committee for consideration at a future date.

·         Members requested that details of the 40 workshops being held to develop the business case for Stockport Together be circulated to members of the scrutiny committee.

·         A discussion took place around the redesign of Adult Care Services Preventative Commissioning which aimed to redesign the way in which preventative services for adults were commissioned.  It was noted that the project was on target to meet its milestones to recommission over 60 separate services and refocus these into six or seven new services under contract, which would also deliver £2m of savings over the next two years.

·         The impact of the reduction of £1m from the public health budget was discussed.

·         In relation to the learning disability review and the transfer of tenancies to external providers, it was noted that there had been a delay in transferring the tenancies to one of the successful bidders who had experienced delays in recruiting staff.  In response it was stated that the Council was working closely with the new providers and that it was important that clients were happy with the changes being made and that the new staff had a sufficient handover period so that they could learn from the existing in-house staff.  The position was that no new provider would take over until they had sufficient staff to provide the level of support that was needed.

·         The role of Stockport Homes within the Targeted Prevention Alliance was raised.  The Alliance aimed to provide early help and preventative support for a wide range of adults or adult households who do not meet the social care eligibility criteria but who may be vulnerable and to provide a single generic social care and health information and advice function.

Thriving Economy

·         The progression of the current Housing Needs Assessment was commented on and it was stated that the consultants engaged by the Council had received all of the completed questionnaires and that the final report based would be available in September after which it would be submitted to the scrutiny committee. 

·         It was reported that the judicial review in respect of the proposed residential development at Lapwing Lane, Blackberry Lane and Truro Avenue in Brinnington had been dismissed.

·         It was commented that it would be useful to see additional information in respect of the number of properties benefiting from improvements under the HRA General Capital Scheme.

·         Should there be a need to introduce a waiting list for applications made under the Disabled Facilities Grant, it was requested that notice be provided to members of the scrutiny committee.

·         The impact of recent initiatives on the social housing stock was discussed including the extension of the ‘right to buy’ to housing association properties; the introduction of a cap on housing benefit; proposals to end automatic entitlement to housing benefit for jobless 18-21 year-olds; and the need on the part of the Council to dispose of its more expensive assets.

RESOLVED – (1) That the report be noted.

(2) That the Corporate Director for People be requested to submit a report to a meeting of the scrutiny committee in 6 months’ time in relation to the Targeted Prevention Alliance, with specific regard to how the Alliance was working; what role each of the partners had in the Alliance; details of the contractual arrangements surrounding the Alliance and whether the Alliance was meeting its original aims.

(3) That the Corporate Director for Place Management & Regeneration be requested to submit a report to a future meeting of the scrutiny committee with regard to the impact of recent announcements and initiatives on the social housing stock including, but not limited to the extension of the ‘right to buy’ to housing association properties; the introduction of a cap on housing benefit; proposals to end automatic entitlement to housing benefit for jobless 18-21 year-olds; and the need on the part of the Council to dispose of its more expensive assets.