Agenda item

To consider a joint report of the Director of Place Management and Director of Development & Regeneration.

The Mid-Year Portfolio Performance and Resource Reports (PPRRs) for the Economy, Regeneration & House and Climate Change & Environment portfolios are presented for consideration by the committee.

The portfolio reports are based on the 2023/24 Portfolio Performance and Resource Agreements (PPRAs), which were considered by the committee on 15 June 2023 and approved by Cabinet on 27 June 2023.

The Mid-Year Reports focus on delivery of the portfolio priorities from April to September 2023 and includes forecast performance and financial data (where this is available) for the portfolios, along with an update on the portfolio savings programmes.

The Scrutiny Committee is recommended to:

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

b)   Review the progress against delivering key projects, priority outcomes, targets, and budgets for 2023/24.

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 | alan.lawson@stockport.gov.uk or Lisa Joy | lisa.joy@stockport.gov.uk

The Director of Place Management and Director of Development & Regeneration submitted portfolio reports (copies of which had been circulated) which were based on the 2023/24 Portfolio Performance and Resource Agreements agreed in June 2023. The Mid-Year Reports focussed on delivery of the portfolio priorities from April to September 2023 and included forecast performance and financial data (where available) for the portfolios, along with an update on the portfolio savings programmes.

The Cabinet Member for Economy, Regeneration & Housing (Councillor Colin MacAlister) and the Cabinet Member for Climate Change & Environment (Councillor Mark Roberts) attended the meeting to respond to questions from the Scrutiny Committee.

The following comments were made/ issues raised in relation to the Economy, Regeneration & Housing portfolio:

·         Priority 1: Delivering ambitious housing projects

o   Members were pleased to hear that over 1,700 new homes were on site for delivery across the borough.

o   It was noted that the council were losing stock through the government’s ‘Right to Buy’ scheme and that the matter needed to be addressed by government.

·         Priority 3: Driving investment in regeneration projects

o   It was noted that the town was reasonably stable in terms of occupancy base and the team were seeing an increased number of new entrants into the town. Although there would always be a degree of entry and exit in the market, Stockport did not see a significant level of reported failures.

·         Priority 4: Supporting the business base in Stockport

o   ERH 5.3: Youth Employment Hub – it was noted that the reason for the red RAG rating with a deteriorating trend was owing to the fact that the activity was led by partners in Job Centre Plus (JCP) for which the council had a role in facilitating and enabling the delivery of this work. Officers were scheduled to meet with JCP week commencing 27 November 2023 to discuss actions JCP planned to take to recover the position.

The following comments were made/ issues raised in relation to the Climate Change & Environment portfolio:

·         Members were advised that Stockport had been highlighted by The Cities Commission for Climate Investment in ‘The UK Net Zero Neighbourhood Prospectus’ which was expected to be presented at COP28 in Dubai and meant representation for Stockport on an international scale.

·         Priority 1: Mainstreaming CAN

o   A number of council officers were carbon literate, including officers within the planning department. It was understood that the council’s planning department, which steered development in the borough, was the first local authority planning department in the United Kingdom to have undertaken carbon literacy training.

o   Members were advised that the Climate Action Now (CAN) team comprised of three members of staff; each service within the council had a responsibility to deliver on the council’s CAN objectives and undertaking carbon literacy training formed part of meeting those objectives.

o   A further carbon literacy training session for members was expected to take place towards the end of the calendar year.

o   Members were proud of the work of the council in working towards achieving its CAN objectives. Members were pleased that the council were involving and engaging the young people of the borough in CAN work.

·         Priority 2: Renewable energy and efficiency

o   The importance of working with schools around energy and efficiency was stressed.

o   It was noted that all schools eligible for solar panels had been written to. A tool enabling schools to identify the roof space they had for solar panels was in development.

o   A CAN calendar had been designed by a Stockport school and created for schools; each month had an idea as to how children and their families could reduce their carbon footprint.

·         Priority 4: Waste management

o   It was noted that the council had written to the Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs about disposable vapes and the damage they cause to the environment given that there was no method for recycling the product at present.

RESOLVED – That the reports be noted.