Agenda item

To consider a joint report of the Director of Place Management and Director of Strategy.

The Quarter 3 Update Portfolio Performance and Resource Reports (PPRRs) for the Communities & Housing, Climate Change & Environment and Highways, Parks & Leisure Services Portfolios are presented for consideration by the Committee.

The Portfolio Reports are based on the 2022/23 Portfolio Performance and Resource Agreements (PPRAs), which were considered by the Committee on 5 September and approved by Cabinet on 28 September 2022.

The Quarter 3 update focuses on highlights and exceptions in relation to delivering the portfolio priorities since the Mid-Year Report presented to the committee on 21 November 2022 . It includes forecast performance and financial data (where this is available) for the portfolio, along with an update on the portfolio savings programme.

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to:-

(a)  Consider the Quarter 3 Update Portfolio Performance and Resource Report;  

(b)  Review the progress against delivering key projects, priority outcomes, 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.

Officer contact: Alan Lawson at alan.lawson@stockport.gov.uk or Kora Yohannan at kora.yohannan@stockport.gov.uk

The Director of Place Management and Director of Strategy submitted a joint report (copies of which had been circulated) outlining the Quarter 3 Update Portfolio Performance and Resource Reports (PPRRs) for the Communities & Housing, Climate Change & Environment and Highways, Parks & Leisure Services Portfolios.

The Portfolio Reports were based on the 2022/23 Portfolio Performance and Resource Agreements (PPRAs), which were considered by the Committee on 5 September and approved by Cabinet on 28 September 2022.

The Quarter 3 update focused on highlights and exceptions in relation to delivering the portfolio priorities since the Mid-Year Report presented to the committee on 21 November 2022 . It included forecast performance and financial data (where this was available) for the portfolio, along with an update on the portfolio savings programme.

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:-

Communities and Housing

·         It was noted that the report stated that the council would come under increased pressure to deliver housing on greenfield land whilst the position of undersupply remained a challenge, however this contrasted with statements made in Liberal Democrat campaign literature which stated that they had been successful in protecting the greenbelt.  In response, it was stated that there was an anomaly within the figures quoted in the report as the values referred to were as at 31 March 2021 and it was stated that further clarity would be provided on this point.  It was further noted that the Council largely did not generate development applications and was required to respond to those submitted by individuals and developers.

·         It was queried what work had been done to assess the impact of increased parking charges in district centres.  In response, it was stated that as the charges had not yet been implemented it had not been possible to assess its impact. 

·         Concern was expressed in relation to information being presented within the report which was had been stated was not within the remit of this scrutiny committee to comment on.

·         Whilst it was noted that the numbers of affordable homes available in the borough had increased in the preceding year, it was commented that there was not a five-year housing supply and it was suggested that there was an insufficiency of viable brownfield sites within the borough to deliver on the demand for new housing.

·         The Council’s approach to rough sleepers within the Borough had been to ensure that everyone was offered accommodation, however underlying individual complex issues meant that these offers were often declined. Whilst the numbers of rough sleepers within the borough remained low, concern was expressed that this figure was increasing.

·         It was recommended that the data contained within the report should be recorded in a way which was more meaningful and represented the current position, otherwise it could not be effectively scrutinised;

·         Concern was expressed the presentation of the report and the responses provided to members questions had been suboptimal and had hindered efficient and effective scrutiny.

Climate Change and Environment

·         It was reported that the School Climate Assemblies that had been held in Stockport were due to feature as a UK100 case study of best practice.

·         It was commented that the introduction of the Climate Action Now funding had been a positive initiative, however more information was requested in relation to its effectiveness and impact.

·         It was stated that the ‘Your Home Better’ scheme was a great service which allowed savings and investment in residents’ own properties such as insulation and solar panels.

·         It was confirmed that further information would be provided to the CAN Steering Group in relation to progress on measuring greenhouse gas emissions and carbon budgeting.

·         There was a query about why bin collection services figures had gone down this year.  In response it was stated that where there was a pressure on collections, the focus was on ensuring consistency of collection of black, blue and brown bins as these were collected less frequently than green. It was further noted that where a bin collection was missed, a crew would normally return to collect the bin.   However missed green bins are collected the following week due to the higher frequency of these collections which had resulted in performance showing a reduction in this area. Work was taking place address performance on green bill collections.

·         There was a query about the reduction in levels of recycling throughout the borough; In response it was stated that way residents recycled had changed post-pandemic due to increased home working.

·         In terms of a bottle-deposit scheme, the Council is awaiting further information from government on how this would be introduced and implemented.

·         It was noted that there would be challenges to implement all elements of the national waste strategy with particular regard to the increased separation of waste at source.

Highways, Parks and Leisure Services

·         A query was raised about the data on the number of fly-tipping incidents and how performance was being measured.  In response, it was stated that the figure contained within the report represented a nine-month period and the full year figure was likely to be approximately 3,150 incidents.  It was highlighted that performance was improving year-on-year.

·         The importance of clearing cycle lanes of leaves was recognised as a priority.

·         There would continue to be investment in children’s play areas into the next financial year.

·         Concern was expressed in relation to the number of blocked grids and gullies across the borough and it was suggested that this was an area that should be targeted for future investment.  In response it was  commented that capital funds were available to carry out investigations and repairs in addition to the routine maintenance programme. A change to the cleaning regime was underway which would target particular sites such as pooling close to bus stops or areas with a history of nearby flooding.

RESOLVED – That the report be noted.