Agenda item

The 2022/23 Quarter 2 Portfolio Performance and Resources Reports (PPRRs) for the following three portfolios are presented to members for consideration.

·                     Climate Change and Environment.

·                     Communities and Housing.

·                     Highways, Parks and Leisure Services.

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to:-

(a)      Consider the Mid-Year Portfolio Performance and Resource Reports.

(b)      Review the progress to date (and forecasts) relating to delivering key targets and budgets for 2022/23.

(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 Cabinet alongside the Corporate Performance and Resource Report.

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

Climate Change and Environment 

Alan Lawson, Strategy and Performance Manager  alan.lawson@stockport.gov.uk (07890 563587)

Kora Yohannan, CSS Manager Specialist Strategic Financial Adviser

Kora.yohannan@stockport.gov.uk (474 4032)

Communities and Housing

Aaron Madray, CSS Senior Officer, Strategy and Performance aaron.madray@stockport.gov.uk (474 4862)

Kora Yohannan, CSS Manager Specialist Strategic Financial Adviser Kora.yohannan@stockport.gov.uk (474 4032)

Highways, Parks and Leisure Services 

Alan Lawson, Strategy and Performance Manager

alan.lawson@stockport.gov.uk (07890 563587)

Kora Yohannan, CSS Manager Specialist Strategic Financial Adviser

Kora.yohannan@stockport.gov.uk (474 4032)

The Director of Place Management submitted a report (copies of which had been circulated) providing the Mid-Year Portfolio Performance and Resource Report (PPRR) for the Climate Change and Environment; Communities and Housing; and Highways, Parks and Leisure Services portfolios. The report provided a summary of progress in delivering the portfolio priorities, reform programme and other key projects in the first half of the year, with a particular focus on the second quarter (July to September).

The Cabinet Members for Climate Change and Environment (Councillor Mark Roberts); Communities & Housing (Councillor Helen Foster-Grime); and Highways, Parks and Leisure Services (Councillor Grace Baynham) attended the meeting to respond to questions from the Scrutiny Committee.

The following comments were made/ issues raised:-

Highways, Parks and Leisure Services Portfolio

·         Further information was requested in relation to the detail of the six action priorities contained in the Active Communities Implementation Plan.

·         Work was taking place to address incidents of double or multiple reporting of incidents of fly-tipping through the use of better mapping in the online reporting tool.

·         In response to question about the nature of the contained outbreak reserve, it was stated that this was a government resource provided in relation to the pandemic to help facilitate the Council’s ongoing response.  Certain elements of expenditure from within the Highways, Parks and Leisure Services portfolio were being met from within this reserve but which was held in another portfolio area for accountancy purposes.

·         A review was taking place in relation to the transfer of all residents permit parking schemes to paid schemes in the light of the ongoing pressures residents were facing as a result of the cost-of-living crisis.

·         Should residents wish to transfer to a paid scheme, then they were able to progress this through the submission of a petition to their local area committee.

·         In relation to the ‘Torkington tennis and multi sports improvements’ project identified in the report, it was stated that designs were being developed for changing rooms which would be shared with ward councillors prior to a planning application being submitted.

·         In response to a question about the level of fines given to those convicted of fly-tipping offences, it was stated that this did not offset the cost of remediation and prosecution and in most cases, it did not provide sufficient deterrent.

·         As the level of dedicated cycling infrastructure in the borough increased, work was taking place to review how these could best be targeted to remove leaf fall and other detritus within the existing annual leaf clearing programme.

Climate Change and Environment Portfolio

·         In response to a question about identifiable successes within the portfolio, The Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Environments stated that a significant amount of work was taking place which had included meetings with UK1000, the Green Finance Institute and discussions with the British Hydro-Electric Association.  Data on greenhouse gas emissions would be presented to a future meeting of the scrutiny committee and feasibility investigations were taking place on the potential for the introduction of a district heat network.

·         It was important that targets that were set were properly rooted in science and not ideology or rhetoric.

·         It was commented that it was important that a proper maintenance plan was in place where new trees were planted, as there was anecdotal evidence that a significant proportion of newly planted trees had failed.   In response, it was stated that it had to be acknowledged that not all trees would survive, however one initiative that had worked well was to encourage local residents to ‘adopt’ trees outside their houses.

·         The waste collection service was now running at normal capacity and collected approximately 1million bins each month.  Work was taking place to provide new technology that will allow bin collection crews to be more responsive to missed bin collections.

Communities and Housing Portfolio

·         With regard to the stalled development at Melford Road, Hazel Grove, it was stated that the Council was working through a complex legal position with regard to warranties mid-contract.  Buyers had been offered their deposits back and provided with support to transfer to other schemes including those at Hempshaw Lane and Hopes Carr.

·         In response to a question about whether the Council considered it had accurately identified the number of those people who were sleeping rough in the town centre, it was stated that these numbers were very limited, however if any resident had concerns in relation to an individual those should be fed through to the Council so they could ensure that appropriate support was offered.

·         The introduction of new ‘cold calling’ zones was welcomed, however it was suggested that attention needed to be given to the quality and condition of signage for some of the extant zones elsewhere in the borough.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.