To receive and, if so determined, to agree as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 10 January 2018.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 10 January 2018, be agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

Members to give notice of any interest and the nature of that interest relating to any item on the agenda in accordance with the adopted Code of Conduct.

No declarations of interest were made by Members of the Committee.

To note a joint report of the Executive Member for Corporate Resources and the Corporate Director Transformation and Resources.

The Committee received a report of the Executive Member for Corporate Resources providing a summary of performance against the Council’s Annual Delivery Plan (ADP), 2017/18. The report covered the period 1st October to 31st December 2017, and was presented by the Chief Finance Officer.

Members discussed the ‘Safest Place to Live’ indicator and whether this was sufficient in demonstrating whether performance was improving locally over time. The Executive Member for Communities and Partnerships agreed that this was an important issue to get right, and that consideration was being given to how this indicator could be more effectively reported. The Vice-Chairman advised that safety in Trafford may be considered as part of the Scrutiny Committee work programme for the coming municipal year, looking at anti-social behaviour and the work of the Youth Trust.

            RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

To receive a joint report of the Executive Member for Corporate Resources and the Chief Finance Officer.

The Committee received a joint report of the Executive Member for Corporate Resources and the Chief Finance Officer providing the Executive’s formal response to the Scrutiny Committee’s recommendations in relation to the 2018/19 Draft Budget Proposals.

The Chairman thanked the Executive for the response to the Committee’s report and looked forward to updates against the report’s recommendations during the 2018/19 municipal year. In relation to the Committee’s request for information in advance of the Budget Scrutiny sessions, the Chairman noted that the Executive’s response stated that this would be done ‘when possible’. The Chairman advised that, due to the complexity and amount of detail within the budget, advance information would be essential to allow the Committee the required time to analyse the data and prepare accordingly. The Committee would therefore expect this information be provided in advance of the Budget Scrutiny sessions later this year.

            RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

To receive a report of the Executive Member for Communities and Partnerships.

The Committee received a report of the Executive Member, Communities and Partnerships providing an update on the Leisure Strategy’s progress as a fundamental pillar of the Vision for 2031. The report covered progress on: the Physical Activity Strategy; the Playing Pitch Strategy; Leisure Centre Investment; and Trafford Leisure’s Physical Activity Referral Scheme.

The Committee were shown a video of a successful case study of the GP referral scheme to accompany the report. It was noted that the scheme had been designed to be scalable in relation to demand, and that the scheme could be administered in parks and other green spaces, as well as in leisure centres. Trafford Leisure CIC were currently developing other products for the referral of different groups. It was noted that the scheme was a demand led model funded by Trafford Leisure CIC, and had a conversion rate of 64% of referrals continuing with the prescribed physical activity after their referral.

The Committee discussed the Playing Pitch Strategy and whether the proposed pitches could be used in winter. Members were advised that the Leisure Trust CIC were currently working with the Parklife Football Hubs Programme, developed by Sport England and the Football Association, to ensure that the most was made of the playing pitches in the borough.

Concerns were raised regarding the delay in the building of Altrincham Leisure Centre, which had been agreed in principle several years ago. The Committee were assured that the development would be going ahead and that funding for this had been ring-fenced. The Leisure Strategy was also focused on ongoing improvements at other facilities in the borough, but work on the Altrincham site would get underway as soon as practicably possible.

The Committee discussed the proposed development on the George H. Carnell site, recently announced at a meeting of full Council. Some Members questioned the decision to announce this at full Council before any consultation had been undertaken with local residents, and that Members required more information on the proposals. Members were advised that the details of the proposals were currently being finalised, and that further discussions would take place following this work. The Executive Member for Communities and Partnerships felt that the proposals should be welcomed. A new sporting team in the Manchester Giants would be located in Trafford, and the proposals would offer improved facilities in the area, outreach programmes, as well as new housing.

Members discussed the proposals at Turn Moss. Members advised that many residents did not feel that the proposals would deliver the community activity programme mentioned in the report. Members were advised that the land would be leased to Salford City Football Club. The Executive Member for Communities and Partnerships advised that the proposals would make the otherwise mostly unplayable pitches into usable facilities for local residents, and that a number of residents were in favour of the proposals. Members were advised that the planning application in relation to Turn Moss was currently in progress, and Members could find the three accompanying benefit statements  ...  view the full minutes text for item 43.

To receive a joint report of the Social Investment Manager, Trafford Housing Trust, and the Deputy Chief Executive, Trafford Housing Trust.

The Committee received a report of the Social Investment Manager, Trafford Housing Trust, outlining the arrangements for Trafford Housing Trust’s Social Investment Framework as well as an update on spend to date. It was noted that the current projected social dividend would be in the region of £2m per year, and that £10m of this would be ring-fenced for Trafford over the next 10 years. The Executive Member for Communities and Partnerships questioned this figure, as it was her understanding that 70% of the funds would be ring-fenced for Trafford. The Social Investment Manager agreed to look into this and get back to the Committee to confirm.

Members discussed the Social Investment Board and how its membership was selected. An application process was followed, with the best candidates selected to ensure that a balance of different members with varying skillsets were appointed. Although the majority of Board members were Trafford residents, Members were advised that geography was not a marker in the appointment process. Board Members were encouraged to make decisions based on the evidence of each application, and where Board members resided should not affect the decision making process. It was noted that all virtual Board members lived or worked in Trafford.

In relation to transparency, Members were advised that information on the Social Investment Board, including information on all investments, were published online, and could be found on the websites listed on page 1 of the supplementary agenda. The website also included information on the progress of approved schemes, and work was ongoing to enhance this to provide even more detail.

The Committee asked questions in relation to any unallocated funds at the end of each financial year. It was expected to take two years to achieve the spending objective of £2m per financial year, and any funds committed by the end of the current financial year would carry over to the following year’s budget. However, this might not be possible on a continuous basis. It was noted that the Social Investment Fund was advertised and promoted in a variety of ways, including targeted Facebook posts aimed at Trafford residents, to ensure members of the public and stakeholders were aware of it.

The Chairman requested that a further update be provided to the Committee in future.

            RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

To receive a report of the Director of Growth and Regulatory Services.

The Committee received a report of the Director of Growth and Regulatory Services, presented by the Executive Member for Housing and Strategic Planning, providing a further update on the current position in Trafford in relation to fire safety in high rise housing following the tragic events at Grenfell Tower. It was noted that the remedial work required on the tower blocks identified as having ACM cladding was scheduled for completion by autumn 2018, with temporary measures in place in the interim.

The Chairman thanked the Executive Member for the report and advised it was important that the Committee continued to receive updates on this matter.

            RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

To receive a report of the Director of One Trafford Partnership.

The Committee received a report of the Director of One Trafford Partnership, presented by the Executive Member for Highways, Parks and Environmental Services, providing an update on the progress made on 4 key recommendations arising from the Task and Finish Group Review of the Joint Venture Contract between Trafford Council and Amey.

The Chairman raised his concerns that the report had been requested for earlier Scrutiny meetings but had been delayed to the current meeting. Referring to recommendation 3 in the report, the Committee were disappointed that no reports detailing performance against the KPIs had been provided to the Executive, a request which was agreed by the Executive in June 2017. The failure to implement this recommendation, coupled with concerns raised by residents, was causing a great deal of disquiet with Members of the Committee. Members were advised that the 2016/17 KPI performance report was in the public domain and was available on the Council’s website. The 2017/18 performance details were yet to be published, as a significant amount of work was ongoing around the contract’s performance. Members were advised that this report would be agreed and published at the end of the current financial year.

Members advised that they continued to receive complaints from residents, with many citing instances of reports being logged as ‘complete’ when this was not the case, and the lack of performance information available made it difficult for Ward Councillors to report back to their residents. The Committee felt that they were not receiving good quality information in relation to the contract.

The Executive Member for Highways, Parks and Environmental Services advised that many improvements were ongoing, with new technology currently being implemented to help map missed bin collections, as well as a new CRM implementation scheduled for 19 March. The Executive Member felt that information in relation to these changes were being communicated to Members. However, the Executive Member would be happy to look into what more could be included in updates to Members, as well as looking at expanding the information provided to the public even further.

Members requested that the Committee be provided with quarterly updates on Amey’s performance, including information on complaints, so that they could assess the contract’s performance and identify any trends. The Executive Member for Highways, Parks and Environmental Services agreed to look into this and get back to the Committee.

Members were advised that invitations to visit the facility at Tatton House would be circulated to all Members in the week commencing 19 March 2018.

The Committee noted the report, and would await the 2017/18 performance reports, as well as the first quarterly report for 2018/19, early in the next municipal year.

            RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

To consider a report of the Scrutiny Committee Task & Finish Group setup to conduct a review of the Council’s Scrutiny Function.

The Committee received a report of the Scrutiny Committee Task & Finish Group formed to conduct a review of the Council’s Scrutiny Function. The item of urgent business raised under item 11 on the agenda (see minute 48) was considered in conjunction with this report.

It was noted that the Government’s response to the original DCLG report and its recommendations had recently been published, but this did not fundamentally affect the Committee’s report and its recommendations. The Government response confirmed that current guidance would be revised, but scrutiny arrangements would largely continue to be determined locally.

Members of the Task and Finish Group thanked the Chairman for the opportunity to conduct this review.

RESOLVED: That the report and its recommendations be endorsed by the Committee for referral to the Executive.

Any other item or items (not likely to disclose "exempt information") which, by reason of special circumstances (to be specified), the Chairman of the meeting is of the opinion should be considered at this meeting as a matter of urgency.

(a) Government Response to the Communities and Local Government Committee First Report of Session 2017-19 on the Effectiveness of Local Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committees

[The Chairman agreed to accept this item as a matter of urgent business to allow a timely update on the situation to Board members]

The Committee received the Government’s response to the Communities and Local Government Committee First Report of Session 2017-19 on the Effectiveness of Local Authority Overview and Scrutiny Committees, which was considered in conjunction with item 10 on the agenda (see minute 47).

            RESOLVED: That the report be noted.