This Council notes that:

 

-         The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is the combined authority for Greater Manchester and is jointly run by the leaders of the ten Greater Manchester districts along with the elected Mayor;

 

-         Trafford residents are further directly affected by GMCA as it has a range of boards, panels and committees which look specifically at areas like transport, health and social care, planning and housing;

 

-         GMCA has 3 Overview and Scrutiny Committees which are the Greater Manchester Corporate Issues and Reform Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the Greater Manchester Economy, Business Growth and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Greater Manchester Housing Planning and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee. There are also other committees which perform a scrutiny function such as the Police, Fire and Crime Panel;

 

-         The role of the scrutiny committees is to review or scrutinise decisions made, or other actions taken by the GMCA and the Mayor; to make reports or recommendations to the GMCA or the Mayor concerning the discharge of their functions that are the responsibility of the GMCA; to make reports or recommendations to the GMCA or the Mayor on matters that affect the GMCA's area or the inhabitants of the area; to Call-In decisions made by the GMCA or the Mayor and to establish formal sub committees or informal task and finish groups if they wish;

 

-         To make scrutiny committee meetings quorate, two-thirds, that is ten committee members must be present for a meeting to be quorate.  The two thirds requirement also applies to sub committees; and

 

-         From 1 January to 5 November 2021, 3 out of 6 Greater Manchester Economy, Business Growth and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings have been cancelled, 3 out of 6 Greater Manchester Economy, Business Growth and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings have been cancelled and 3 out of 9 Greater Manchester Housing Planning and Environment Overview and Scrutiny meetings have been cancelled.

 

This Council believes that:

 

-         The scrutiny committees have not been able to undertake their scrutiny function effectively due to the number of meetings being cancelled due to non-attendance by Members; and

 

-         Article 7 of The Combined Authorities (Overview and Scrutiny Committees, Access to Information and Audit Committees) Order 2017 which imposes a duty on a combined authority to respond to reports and recommendations of overview and scrutiny committee is being impeded through a reduction in the volume of reports and recommendations being produced due to cancelled meetings.

 

This Council resolves:

 

-         For the Chief Executive of the Council to write to the Mayor of Greater Manchester, the Chief Executive of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to request that:

 

-         The Mayor of Greater Manchester attends scrutiny committee meetings when he has indicated that he would do so; and

 

-         Scrutiny arrangements with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority are improved and that the promised review of scrutiny arrangements in Greater Manchester is a meaningful one and commenced as soon as possible.

It was moved and seconded that:

 

“This Council notes that:

 

-         The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is the combined authority for Greater Manchester and is jointly run by the leaders of the ten Greater Manchester districts along with the elected Mayor;

 

-         Trafford residents are further directly affected by GMCA as it has a range of boards, panels and committees which look specifically at areas like transport, health and social care, planning and housing;

 

-         GMCA has 3 Overview and Scrutiny Committees which are the Greater Manchester Corporate Issues & Reform Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the Greater Manchester Economy, Business Growth and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Greater Manchester Housing Planning and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee. There are also other committees which perform a scrutiny function such as the Police, Fire and Crime Panel;

 

-         The role of the scrutiny committees is to review or scrutinise decisions made, or other actions taken by the GMCA and the Mayor; to make reports or recommendations to the GMCA or the Mayor concerning the discharge of their functions that are the responsibility of the GMCA; to make reports or recommendations to the GMCA or the Mayor on matters that affect the GMCA's area or the inhabitants of the area; to Call-In decisions made by the GMCA or the Mayor and to establish formal sub committees or informal task and finish groups if they wish;

 

-         To make scrutiny committee meetings quorate, two-thirds, that is ten committee members must be present for a meeting to be quorate.  The two thirds requirement also applies to sub committees; and

 

-         From 1 January to 5 November 2021, 3 out of 6 Greater Manchester Economy, Business Growth and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings have been cancelled, 3 out of 6 Greater Manchester Corporate Issues and Reform Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings have been cancelled and 3 out of 9 Greater Manchester Housing Planning and Environment Overview and Scrutiny meetings have been cancelled.

 

This Council believes that:

 

-         The scrutiny committees have not been able to undertake their scrutiny function effectively due to the number of meetings being cancelled due to non-attendance by Members; and

 

-         Article 7 of The Combined Authorities (Overview and Scrutiny Committees, Access to Information and Audit Committees) Order 2017 which imposes a duty on a combined authority to respond to reports and recommendations of overview and scrutiny committee is being impeded through a reduction in the volume of reports and recommendations being produced due to cancelled meetings.

 

This Council resolves:

 

-         For the Chief Executive of the Council to write to the Mayor of Greater Manchester, the Chief Executive of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to request that:

 

-         The Mayor of Greater Manchester attends scrutiny committee meetings when he has indicated that he would do so; and

 

-         Scrutiny arrangements with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority are improved and that the promised review of scrutiny arrangements in Greater Manchester is a meaningful one and commenced as soon as possible.”

 

It was moved and seconded as an amendment that:

 

“This Council notes that:

 

-         The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is the combined authority for Greater Manchester and is jointly run by the leaders of the ten Greater Manchester districts along with the elected Mayor;

 

-         Trafford residents are further directly affected by GMCA as it has a range of boards, panels and committees which look specifically at areas like transport, health and social care, planning and housing;

 

-         GMCA has 3 Overview and Scrutiny Committees which are the Greater Manchester Corporate Issues and Reform Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the Greater Manchester Economy, Business Growth and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Greater Manchester Housing Planning and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee. There are also other committees which perform a scrutiny function such as the Police, Fire and Crime Panel;

 

-         The role of the scrutiny committees is to review or scrutinise decisions made, or other actions taken by the GMCA and the Mayor; to make reports or recommendations to the GMCA or the Mayor concerning the discharge of their functions that are the responsibility of the GMCA; to make reports or recommendations to the GMCA or the Mayor on matters that affect the GMCA's area or the inhabitants of the area; to Call-In decisions made by the GMCA or the Mayor and to establish formal sub committees or informal task and finish groups if they wish;

 

-         To make scrutiny committee meetings quorate, two-thirds, that is ten committee members must be present for a meeting to be quorate.  The two thirds requirement also applies to sub committees; and

 

-         From 1 January to 5 November 2021, 3 out of 6 Greater Manchester Economy, Business Growth and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings have been cancelled, 3 out of 6 Greater Manchester Corporate Issues and Reform Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings have been cancelled and 3 out of 9 Greater Manchester Housing Planning and Environment Overview and Scrutiny meetings have been cancelled.

 

-         A review of scrutiny arrangements in Greater Manchester is already proposed.

 

This Council believes that:

 

-         The scrutiny committees have not been able to undertake their scrutiny function effectively due to the number of meetings being cancelled due to non-attendance by Members; and

 

-         Article 7 of The Combined Authorities (Overview and Scrutiny Committees, Access to Information and Audit Committees) Order 2017 which imposes a duty on a combined authority to respond to reports and recommendations of overview and scrutiny committee is being impeded through a reduction in the volume of reports and recommendations being produced due to cancelled meetings.

 

This Council resolves:

 

-         For the Chief Executive or Deputy Chief Executive of the Council to write to the Mayor of Greater Manchester, the Chief Executive of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to request that:

 

-         The Mayor of Greater Manchester attends scrutiny committee meetings when he has indicated that he would do so; and

 

-         Scrutiny arrangements with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority are improved and that the promised review of scrutiny arrangements in Greater Manchester is a meaningful one and commenced as soon as possible, with recommendations from this review actioned promptly so that scrutiny can be strengthened in GMCA structures.”

 

(Note: After the amendment had been moved and seconded, the time being 9:05 p.m., the Mayor indicated that speeches on this matter would now be limited to a maximum of one minute per speaker.)

 

Following a debate on the matter, the amendment was put to the vote and declared carried. Subsequently, the substantive Motion was then agreed with the unanimous consent of the Council.

 

RESOLVED: That this Council notes that:

 

-         The Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) is the combined authority for Greater Manchester and is jointly run by the leaders of the ten Greater Manchester districts along with the elected Mayor;

 

-         Trafford residents are further directly affected by GMCA as it has a range of boards, panels and committees which look specifically at areas like transport, health and social care, planning and housing;

 

-         GMCA has 3 Overview and Scrutiny Committees which are the Greater Manchester Corporate Issues and Reform Overview and Scrutiny Committee, the Greater Manchester Economy, Business Growth and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee and the Greater Manchester Housing Planning and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee. There are also other committees which perform a scrutiny function such as the Police, Fire and Crime Panel;

 

-         The role of the scrutiny committees is to review or scrutinise decisions made, or other actions taken by the GMCA and the Mayor; to make reports or recommendations to the GMCA or the Mayor concerning the discharge of their functions that are the responsibility of the GMCA; to make reports or recommendations to the GMCA or the Mayor on matters that affect the GMCA's area or the inhabitants of the area; to Call-In decisions made by the GMCA or the Mayor and to establish formal sub committees or informal task and finish groups if they wish;

 

-         To make scrutiny committee meetings quorate, two-thirds, that is ten committee members must be present for a meeting to be quorate.  The two thirds requirement also applies to sub committees; and

 

-         From 1 January to 5 November 2021, 3 out of 6 Greater Manchester Economy, Business Growth and Skills Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings have been cancelled, 3 out of 6 Greater Manchester Corporate Issues and Reform Overview and Scrutiny Committee meetings have been cancelled and 3 out of 9 Greater Manchester Housing Planning and Environment Overview and Scrutiny meetings have been cancelled.

 

-         A review of scrutiny arrangements in Greater Manchester is already proposed.

 

This Council resolves:

 

-         For the Chief Executive or Deputy Chief Executive of the Council to write to the Chief Executive of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority to request that the promised review of scrutiny arrangements in Greater Manchester is a meaningful one and commenced as soon as possible, with recommendations from this review actioned promptly so that scrutiny can be strengthened in GMCA structures.