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 were made.

To receive and, if so determined, to approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meeting held on 19 June 2023.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held 19 June 2023 be agreed as an accurate record and signed by the Leader.

A maximum of 15 minutes will be allocated to public questions submitted in writing to Democratic Services (democratic.services@trafford.gov.uk) by 4 p.m. on the working day prior to the meeting. Questions must be relevant to items appearing on the agenda and will be submitted in the order in which they were received.

The Deputy Monitoring Officer informed the Committee that many questions had been received. In the interests of time the Deputy Monitoring Officer had summarised each question but assured the committee that the full versions of the questions and answers would be recorded in the minutes and the questioners would receive the full responses in writing.

Eleanor Horner submitted the following requests for clarification and questions.

I would like to ask some points of clarification on the report on the Mayor’s Challenge Fund at Agenda Item 8.

At paragraph 3.4 the report refers to “several non-MCF funded schemes” including BEE Network Crossings at Gorsey Lane and Dunham Road. The paragraph further states that the Gorsey Lane project has “ATF4 funding approved, currently at tender stage with works expected to start by Autumn 2023”. There is no other reference to ATF4 in the report, only Active Travel Fund Tranches 1 and 2.

When the Gorsey Lane/Dunham Road scheme was approved by the Executive on 12 October 2022, the report to that meeting stated that this was an MCF-funded project. As I brought the original petition to Council in 2019 and as MCF-funded projects are being reprioritised, I would appreciate clarification and assurance of the status of this scheme.

1.    Are the Gorsey Lane and/or the Dunham Road schemes referred to in paragraph 3.4 the same as the scheme that was approved on 12 October 2022?

2.    Have there been any significant design amendments to the scheme as set out in the report that was approved in October?

3.    Please confirm that the scheme that was approved in October is fully funded and proceeding to delivery in Autumn 2023 and not being delayed in the reprioritisation of MCF-funded schemes.”

The Executive Member for Climate Change provided the following response to the requests for clarification.

Trafford Council did not directly make any ATF4 bids. The GMCA via TfGM made ATF4 bid submissions. As part of ATF4 TfGM proposed several bids, that met the “shovel-ready” criteria which included additional Bee Network crossings.

Yes is it the scheme approved by the Executive on 12 October 2022. The Gorsey Lane/Dunham Road scheme is funded through the Mayors Challenge Fund however the lead agent is TfGM not Trafford council.

In response to the three questions the Executive Member for Climate Change gave the following answers.

1.    Yes, the Gorsey Lane and/or the Dunham Road schemes referred to in paragraph 3.4 the same as the scheme that was approved on 12 October 2022.

2.    There have been no significant changes to the scheme as set out in the report that was approved in October. The designs have been refined, in terms of technical aspects, i.e. Road Safety Audits, drainage, LTN 1/20, trees placements.

3.    Yes. The MCF funding sits with TfGM. They are expecting to go to the TfGM contractor framework and appoint a contractor by the end of August 2023. With works to start thereafter.

The Following question was submitted by Mr Andrew Gould

I read with dismay  ...  view the full minutes text for item 15.

To consider any matters referred by the Council or by the Overview and Scrutiny Committees.

Councillor Acton informed the Committee that the Scrutiny Committee had met for the first time and had agreed a work programme for the year. Councillor Acton highlighted a number of key items the Committee were going to look at including Access to Council Services and Damp and Mould within social Housing. Councillor Acton concluded his update by stating that the task and finish group on Events at Old Trafford and Reducing Car Dependency would be continuing within the new municipal year.

The Leader thanked Councillor Acton for his update and welcomed the Committee’s input on access to Council services and Damp and Mould in Social Housing. The Leader stated that he and the rest of the Executive looked forward to working closely with the Committee over the Course of the year.

Councillor Butt informed the Committee that the Health Scrutiny Committee were having their first meeting later that week and that the agenda covered a number of items carried forward from the previous year and that the Committee had identified a number of topics of importance to residents to review over the coming year.

The Leader thanked Councillor Butt for his update.

To consider a report of the Executive Member for Leisure, Arts, Culture and Heritage.

1.       That the Trafford Cultural Strategy be adopted and approved

2.       That the implementation plan and the associated commitment of resources be approved.

The Executive Member for Leisure, Culture, Art, and Heritage introduced the report on the Councils culture strategy. The Committee were informed that Trafford was a talent belt for culture and the arts across Greater Manchester with 25% of creative professionals living within the borough. The Executive Member for Executive Member for Leisure, Culture, Art, and Heritage stated that this often went unrecognised at a GM level with Trafford often being seen as an audience for Manchester’s cultural offerings rather than the workforce and core element of the creative industry. The Executive Member drew the Committee’s attention to the fact that Trafford was underrepresented in terms of external funding for culture and the arts.

The report detailed the positive impact the strategy would have for residents across the borough and how it would help to stimulate the borough’s economy. The strategy looked to build upon the area’s rich heritage in sport and the arts. As part of the development of the strategy a culture summit had been held and the Executive Member for Leisure, Culture, Art, and Heritage spoke of the great energy among those who attended the summit with regards to what could be achieved within the area. The Executive Member for Leisure, Culture, Art, and Heritage concluded her introduction by drawing the Committee’s attention to the recommendations of the report along with the resources required to achieve them. 

The Leader welcomed the report and spoke of his own passion for culture and the creative sector within Trafford. The Leader recognised the rich cultural position the Council had with the imperial war museum, Sale Festival, one of the largest collections of puppets in the country, a thriving music service, and being home to multiple international music venues. The Leader spoke of how the strategy would look to build upon that strong foundation and address any gaps within the boroughs cultural landscape.

Councillor Williams spoke about the excellent framing of culture in the report in the way that it included wider elements of culture such as the sporting and food and beverage offers within the area. The Executive Member gave credit to the consultants who had been involved in the creation of a very robust report which provided a much-needed recognition of the cultural value in the borough and the role the Council had in developing the cultural offer within Trafford.

Councillor Evans noted the level of funding for the role on page 22 of the report. Councillor Evans stated that £400 a day was lot of money and he felt it would be better served by having a full-time role. Councillor Evans then drew the Committee’s attention to Page 23 point 5.4 of the report which stated that future funding requirements would be met from external sources. Councillor Evans asked how certain of the funding was the Council, whether future meant after one two or three years, did the continuation of the strategy reliant upon that external funding. The Executive Member for Leisure, Culture, Art, and Heritage responded to Councillor  ...  view the full minutes text for item 17.

To consider a report of the Executive Member for Leisure, Arts, Culture, and Heritage.

1.       That the implementation of a ‘pilot’ of the sustainable operating model as set out in Option 3 C of this report, which includes the introduction of access gates, charging policy and the procurement of a specialist operator be approved.

2.       That delegation of authority to the Corporate Director of Place to procure an operator and to agree the terms of the Lawn Tennis Association (LTA) funding and finalise the terms of any funding agreement be approved.

3.       That the delegation of authority to the Director of Legal and Governance to agree and enter into any documents required to implement the above decisions be approved.

The Executive Member for Leisure, Culture, Art, and Heritage introduced the report and gave a short overview of its contents. The Executive Member informed the Committee that the Friends of Davyhulme Park were not in support of the project and did not want to be part of the pilot scheme, although this had not been known until after the report was published.

The report detailed the current standard of tennis courts within Trafford, the costs of improving and maintaining the courts, and outlined the concern that the courts would deteriorate further if the Council’s approach did not change. The proposal within the report was that the Lawn Tennis Association had funding available that could be used to improve the courts and then gates would be installed, which the Council could use to charge a fee for use of the courts that would pay to maintain the courts and for coaching etc… While 80% of respondents to the consultation were against charging for access to the courts the majority did welcome the ideas of introducing coaching and of having gates on the courts to protect them.

The Executive Member for Leisure, Culture, Art, and Heritage concluded the introduction by stating the recommendations of the report which included approval to run a pilot programme across the borough. The Executive Member for Leisure, Culture, Art, and Heritage Informed the Committee that if the Council decided to proceed with the proposals following completion of the pilot scheme, then additional capital funding would be required, which had not yet been secured although the Council was still in conversations with the LTA. The Committee were informed of the proposed charges for the courts of £3.00 per hour for 10 hours a day from May – September.

The Executive Member for Economy and Regeneration welcomed the report and supported the recommendations as a way to introduce a sustainable model which would guarantee that Trafford were able to maintain the assets in good condition and encourage tennis across the borough.

The Executive Member for Highways, Environmental, and Traded Services noted the negative feedback from the consultation and welcomed the decision to run a pilot scheme in order to test proposals before rolling out the programme. The Executive Member for Highways, Environmental, and Traded Services also noted that in areas where similar schemes had already been rolled out they had seen a notable increase in the use of tennis courts.

Councillor Thompson thanked the officers for all research done and the presentations they had provided to the Executive to the Friends of Parks groups. 

Councillor Ennis noted that the Council had received positive feedback from three of the four sites for the pilot and asked which one had not. The Executive Member for Leisure, Culture, Art, and Heritage stated that no response had been received from Pickering lodge. The Executive Member for Leisure, Culture, Art, and Heritage assured the Committee that the Council would continue to try to engage with the Friends of Pickering Lodge and it was hope  ...  view the full minutes text for item 18.

To consider a report of the Executive Member for Climate Change.

a)    That the reprioritisation of MCF funded active travel schemes with a forecast delivery budget of circa £13.01m based on the delivery priorities set out in Section 2 be noted.

b)    That the inclusion the A56 Phase 2 scheme with an indicative budget allocation of £1.6m into the MCF programme, noting the requirement for the scheme to follow the MCF governance and approvals process to secure MCF funding be noted.

c)     That the indicative active travel programme of works for 2023/24 which would achieve the delivery of four active travel work schemes be noted.

d)    That the implications of the reprioritised development programme together with the wider proposed active travel scheme pipeline as set out in Section 3 of the report be noted.

e)    That the delegation of authority to the Corporate Director of Place, in consultation with the Director of Finance and Systems, to accept and spend Mayoral Challenge Fund (MCF) funding allocation, on a scheme-by-scheme basis, for the implementation on the delivery and development priorities as set out in Sections 2 and 3 of the report be approved.

f)      That the delegation of authority to the Corporate Director of Place, in consultation with the Director of Legal and Governance, to negotiate and finalise the grant delivery agreements, construction contracts and any other contracts or documents required to implement this decision be approved.

g)    That the delegation of authority to the Corporate Director of Place, in consultation with the Director of Legal and Governance, to award a contract to a recommended contractor for each Scheme once an agreed delivery agreement is in place.

h)    That the delegation of authority to the Director of Legal and Governance to enter into any contracts or other documents required to implement the decision be approved.

The Executive Member for Climate change introduced the report and the details contained within. The report covered the progress of the different projects across the area and the Executive Member note that they were all at different levels of development with one completed so far. The Committee were informed that the consultation on the proposals had been completed and that the next area of focus would be the Urmston active neighbourhood which was progressing.

The Leader welcomed the report and the £30M of funding that would be put into active transport in the area over the next year.

The Executive Member for Highways, Environmental, and Traded Services welcomed the report and particularly the plans for the top of talbot road, the additional crossing measures being brought in and the additional safety the plans would deliver for residents. The Leader thanked Councillor Adshead and the points he made about additional safety.

The Executive Member for Health and Care welcomed the report and the safety measures it would deliver, especially in the wake of the accident on the A56 over the weekend. The Executive Member for Health and Care highlighted the way the proposed plans would help to tackle health inequalities across the area.

Councillor Evans for details of the £4.7M spent on the Talbot Road development within the plans. The Corporate Director of Place responded that a breakdown of the costs could be provided to Councillor Evans. The Executive Member for Climate Change added that the cyclops junctions had a high cost as they represented quite large engineering projects.

Councillor Jerrome welcomed the plans but felt that there was a lack of strategic vision and asked whether the council should focus on plans near schools to maximise the outcomes. Councillor Williams thanked Councillor Jerrome for some of his points but disagreed with his point about the lack of strategic vision as officers had worked very hard about delivering the works in a key commuter route and connecting into the A56. The Leader added that the Council were working closely with TFGM with the aim being to ensure someone as young as 8 years old would be able to travel safely across the borough.

Councillor Ennis asked about where plans were up to on the late-night trams scheme. Councillor Williams responded that he would raise the question at the next meeting of the B-Network and feedback the response to Councillor Ennis.

Following the discussions, the Leader Moved the recommendations and they were approved.

RESOLVED:

1)    That the report be noted.

2)    That the reprioritisation of MCF funded active travel schemes with a forecast delivery budget of circa £13.01m based on the delivery priorities set out in Section 2 be noted.

2.    That the inclusion the A56 Phase 2 scheme with an indicative budget allocation of £1.6m into the MCF programme, noting the requirement for the scheme to follow the MCF governance and approvals process to secure MCF funding be noted.

3.    That the indicative active travel programme of works for 2023/24 which  ...  view the full minutes text for item 19.

To note a report of the Executive Member for Finance, Change, and Governance.

The Executive Member for Finance, Change, and Governance introduce the report and highlighted the layout of the report and how it made the information clear and easy to take in. The Committee were asked to note the different sections of the report. The Executive Member then went through the most salient points within the report, which included some concerns along with the continued work of the Finance and Change Board.

Following the introduction Councillor Butt asked where the £430K for public Health had come from. The Executive Member for Finance, Change, and Governance responded that the funding came through central government, although the funding had been received late.

Councillor Butt asked whether some properties could be bought and converted to provide some inhouse social care places. The Executive Member for Finance, Change, and Governance stated that it was not just about the building and that there were many elements to look at including accessibility of other services and staff to deliver the service.

Following the discussions, the Leader asked the Executive to note the report.

RESOLVED: That the report be noted.

To note a report of the Executive Member for Finance, Change, and Governance.

The Leader introduced the report and drew the Committee’s attention to the many achievements that the Council had obtained over the course of the previous year across the borough. The Leader recognised that those achievements would not have been possible without the Officers who worked for the Council.

The Executive Member for Economy and Regeneration spoke about multiple pieces of work that were currently ongoing and the impact the completion of those projects would have on the community.

The Executive Member for Climate Change noted that the Council had some challenges over the year as well as success, such as the admissions performance. The Executive Member for Climate Change asked whether some of the performance indicators should be change due to the authority’s inability to influence them for example the private electric vehicle ownership. Highlighted and welcomed the appointment of a new climate change lead and hoped that they would help to drive the work forward.

The Executive Member for Health and Care asked the Committee to note the work that had been done around health inequalities and informed the Committee that work was ongoing around smoking cessation and using vapes to encourage quitting while challenging the uptake of vaping among young people. The Executive Member for Health and Care highlighted the work that had been done to help residents to claim benefits that they were due.

The Executive Member for Leisure, Culture, Art, and Heritage noted the good work being done with Trafford leisure and the increase in physical activity within the borough.

Councillor Evans welcomed the report and its format. Councillor Evans noted the drop in GCSE results and asked if the reason for the drop off was known. The Corporate Director for Children’s Services informed the Committee that indicators for the coming year were looking very positive and highlighted the impact of inequalities upon GCSE attainment.

Councillor Butt noted levels of obesity in the most deprived areas and the need for access to physical activity. In response to Councillor Butt the Executive Member for Health and Care spoke about residents who accessed food banks and the difficulties that they faced in feeding their families in healthy ways with the foods available to them. So, while having access to physical activity was important the challenges were also around diet.

Following the discussions, the Leader asked the Executive to note the report.

RESOLVED: That the report be noted.