Scrutiny Week October 2021 – what can we expect?

So here we are again. The almost-monthly ritual where “scrutiny” is performed (and we mean that word in every sense you can imagine).

This month’s highlights

  • The total absence of climate change from the other five committees, in contradiction of all warm words and vague promises made in February 2021 when CEM won its concession for a dedicated scrutiny committee. The leaders of Manchester City Council do not give a shit about climate change. They just don’t. And neither do most councillors. These are the facts. Do with them as you will.
  • Various climate reports in the siloed “Environment and Climate Change” Scrutiny Committee – CEM will be digesting and reporting…
  • Economy Scrutiny Committee STILL not giving a date for its report on Manchester Airport and Climate Change: they are clearly hoping everyone will forget it.

Here’s the long version

Manchester City Council (see our beginner’s guide) has 96 councillors. 94 of them are Labour. There is 1 Liberal Democrat (John Leech, Didsbury East) and 1 Green (Robert Nunney, Woodhouse Park).

There’s a 8 member “Executive.” There are six scrutiny committees that are supposed to make sure promises are being kept, problems with implementation of policy are spotted. But this would involve members of the same party holding the Executive to account. And if you are an ambitious councillor then you quickly figure out – or are gently/forcibly reminded – that vigorous/repeated scrutiny means… annoying those with considerable control over your future. So, councillors start to “phone it in from Milton Keynes” – our pet term for scrutiny that only looks like scrutiny.

This is bad enough in normal times. These are not normal times. The climate emergency (the same one 96 councillors declared all the way back in July 2019) requires honesty, transparency and keeping a very close eye on what is and is not being delivered around climate change. That’s why Climate Emergency Manchester spent almost all of last year on a petition to get a seventh scrutiny committee, devoted to looking not just at the City Council’s actions, but also the city’s. Because the city has forty percent of its carbon budget for the entire 21st century in three years and nobody in power is taking any responsibility for that, or doing anything beyond the usual….

Communities and EqualitiesTuesday at 10am
Video
Deep Dive: Race and Ethnicity in Manchester  PDF 719 KB
Report of the City Solicitor
 
This report provides an overview of the data and activity in Manchester in relation to Race and Ethnicity, linked to life chances, COVID-19 impacts, crime and community participation.  This is one of a series of ‘deep dive’ reports that the Committee requested into different aspects of equalities.
Greater Manchester Police presentation – to follow
This should be highly entertaining/worth the price of admission
Sport and Leisure Strategy Update  PDF 495 KB
Report of the Strategic Director – Neighbourhoods
 
The report provides an overview on the leisure centre recovery position in Manchester, following the most recent restart on Monday 12 April 2021.  The report sets out the performance of the various sport and leisure centres compared to their pre-pandemic levels. The report details usage data, lesson and course uptake information and health and fitness patronage.  The report also highlights demographic data and how this has changed during the pandemic for protected characteristic groups.
Additional documents:
Appendix 1 – Equalities Information , item 7. PDF 202 KB
Overview Report  PDF 263 KB
Report of the Governance and Scrutiny Support Unit
 
This report provides the Committee with details of key decisions  that fall within the Committee’s remit and an update on actions resulting from the Committee’s recommendations. The report also includes the Committee’s work programme, which the Committee is asked to amend as appropriate and agree.
The word “climate” does not appear. Of course it doesn’t.

 

Resources and GovernanceTuesday at 2pm
Update from the Revenues and Benefits Unit  PDF 753 KB
Report of the Deputy Chief Executive and City Treasurer attached
 
This report provides an update on the activity of the Revenues and Benefits Unit, including details of how the service was affected and maintained during the pandemic and includes performance data for the 2019/20 and 2020/21 financial years.
Equalities Strategy Implementation update  PDF 190 KB
Report of the Director of HROD attached
 
This report provides Members with an update on progress to date to increase diversity, ensure that Manchester City Council is an inclusive employer and to challenge discrimination.
Overview Report  PDF 380 KB
Report of the Governance and Scrutiny Support Unit.
 
This report provides the Committee with details of key decisions that fall within the Committee’s remit and an update on actions resulting from the Committee’s recommendations. The report also includes the Committee’s work programme, which the Committee is asked to amend as appropriate and agree.
The word “climate” does not appear. Of course it doesn’t.

HealthWednesday at 10am
[10.05-11.00] Professor Sir Michael Marmot
The Committee will hear from Professor Sir Michael Marmot, author of ‘Fair Society Healthy Lives’ (The Marmot Review) published in February 2010 and ‘Health Equity in England: The Marmot Review 10 Years On’, published February 2020.
 
Professor Marmot will discuss the key issues relating to health inequalities and what he believes are the measures to be taken to address these in Manchester.
 
[11.00-11.50] Building Back Fairer in Manchester  PDF 963 KB
Report of the Director of Public Health
 
This report gives an overview of some of the current population health inequalities in Manchester and provides examples of how partners across our population health and wellbeing system work collaboratively to address them. The examples include a particular focus on social prescribing as requested by the committee. The report also covers the work of COVID-19 Health Equity Manchester (CHEM) and the important lessons learned for ongoing work to promote health equity in the City. Finally, it summarises the next steps for Population Health Recovery within the context of the pandemic, and how Manchester would be responding to “Building Back Fairer in Greater Manchester” – the post-pandemic recommendations made for Greater Manchester as a Marmot City region.
Aaaand utterly silent on climate change. Of course.
[11.50-12.00] COVID-19 Update – To follow
12.00-12.05] Overview Report  PDF 277 KB
Report of the Governance and Scrutiny Support Unit
 
The monthly report includes the recommendations monitor, relevant key decisions, the Committee’s work programme and items for information. The report also contains additional information including details of those organisations that have been inspected by the Care Quality Commission.
And climate is absent, of course.

Children and Young PeopleWednesday at 2pm.


Youth and Play  PDF 337 KB

Report of the Strategic Director of Neighbourhoods
 
This report follows the Young Manchester review, which was commissioned by the City Council in December 2020, with a subsequent report presented to Executive in March 2021.That report considered the response to the review and actions proposed to build stronger and more effective arrangements going forward. An alternative delivery model was proposed to be designed and developed in 2021. This report provides a summary of the evidence and research collated during consultation with the wider youth and play sector during the spring and summer and sets out a revised model of delivery for the commissioning of the youth and play sector, which is currently a role undertaken by Young Manchester.  The report considers the response to the questions asked of the youth and play sector, as well as information collated from discussions with other Local Authorities in terms of their commissioning and youth partnership arrangements.
Start Well Strategy – 1001 Days  PDF 1 MB
Presentation of the Strategic Head of Early Help, the Strategic Lead (Early Years) and Tracey Forster, Lead Manager, Health Visiting, Vulnerable Babies and Child Health Services, Local Care Organisation
 
This presentation provides an overview of the Start Well Strategy.
Adoption Counts Annual Report 1 April 2020 – 31 March 2021  PDF 133 KB
Report of Adoption Performance
 
This report fulfils the obligations in Adoption National Minimum Standards (2011) and Adoption Service Statutory Guidance (2011) Adoption and Children Act 2002 to report to the “executive side” of the local authority.
Managing Allegations against Adults who work with children – Local Authority Designated Officer Annual Report 2020-2021  PDF 196 KB
Report of the Strategic Lead (Safeguarding and Practice Improvement) and Service Lead (Safeguarding)
 
The purpose of the report is to provide an overview of the management of allegations in Manchester and the role of the Designated Officers (known as LADO throughout the report) between 1 April 2021 and 31 March 2021.

Update on COVID-19 and the impact on the opening of schools and colleges  PDF 268 KB

Report of the Director of Education
 
This report provides an update on the return of children and young people to education following the summer break and the arrangements in place in schools and colleges to report and manage COVID-19. The report has a particular focus on the work over the summer to ensure that young people in year 11 had a destination for September and ongoing work to reduce the numbers of young people in the City not in education, employment or training (NEET).
Overview Report  PDF 444 KB
Report of the Governance and Scrutiny Support Unit
 
This report provides the Committee with details of key decisions that fall within the Committee’s remit and an update on actions resulting from the Committee’s recommendations. The report also includes the Committee’s work programme, which the Committee is asked to amend as appropriate and agree.
Gasp! “Climate Change and
Schools (To be
confirmed)” IS this happening? If so, when? I mean, it’s not as if climate change is an emergency or anything….

And so on to

Environment and Climate ChangeThursday at 10am
Waste, Recycling and Street Cleansing Update  PDF 1 MB
Report of Strategic Director (Neighbourhoods) 
 
This report provides an update on progress in delivering waste, recycling, and street cleansing services. Describing how the activity contributes to the climate change agenda and key priorities for future. Including an update on the English Resources and Waste Strategy (2018).
 
Climate Change Action Plan – Quarterly Update report  PDF 121 KB
Report of the Deputy Chief Executive and City Treasurer       
 
This report provides a progress update on delivery of the Council’s Climate Change Action Plan for Quarter 2 2021-22 (July-September 2021).
 
 
Additional documents:
Appendix 1 CCAP Quarterly Progress Report Jul-Sep 2021 , item 6. PDF 738 KB
Manchester Climate Change Framework and Implementation Plan 2.0 – Consultation Two Outcomes  PDF 253 KB
Report of the Manchester Climate Change Agency
 
This report provides an update to the Committee on progress in developing an updated Climate Change Framework for the city (Framework 2.0). It reviews the responses to the first round of consultation with communities and businesses that will help to inform the Framework and summarises the emerging objectives and proposed actions required to deliver the scale of carbon reduction required across the city. The Framework is intended to provide a more detailed definition of the urgent actions required across the city if Manchester is to remain within its adopted carbon budget and remain on track to be a zero-carbon city by 2038 at the latest.
 
Additional documents:
Appendix A – Resident and Community Survey Results , item 7. PDF 405 KB
Large Scale Renewable Energy Generation Feasibility Study  PDF 325 KB
Report of the Deputy Chief Executive and City Treasurer
 
The Council’s Climate Change Action Plan (CCAP) has a?target?to reduce direct emissions of CO2?by 50% over the five-year period of 2020-25. In addition, the Council has a target to be zero carbon by 2038.
 
Action 1.4 of the CCAP targets 7,000 tonnes of annual CO2 by 2025 savings to be delivered via a feasibility and business case for a large-scale energy generation scheme from large scale Solar PV or Onshore or Offshore Wind on Council land and buildings, or sites in third party ownership”.
 
Local Partnerships were appointed in November 2020 to deliver the feasibility study and their study, “Feasibility Study and Options Appraisal for Large Scale Energy Generation for Manchester City Council”, was completed in April 2021 and is attached as Appendix 1 to this paper. 
 
The Feasibility Study concluded that the Council has two options: either purchase a solar PV facility or negotiate a suitable power purchase agreement (PPA). Both options were assessed to be better than the “do nothing” option.   
 
The Committee are invited to comment on the report prior to it being considered by Executive.
 
 
Additional documents:
Appendix 1 – LSREG Report Local Partnerships , item 8. PDF 2 MB
Overview Report  PDF 359 KB
Report of the Governance and Scrutiny Support Unit
 
This is a monthly report, which includes the recommendations monitor, relevant key decisions, the Committee’s work programme and any items for information.

And next up, Economy. Fun fact- asides a November 2019 report on “Green Jobs” (which were, of course, never properly defined) , the economic implications of climate do not get a run. As our Hung Drawn and Quarterly report showed last month, the whole “green apprenticeships” schtick has been left to swing in the wind. Yeah, it’s an emergency, sure. And sure enough, nothing on climate, but in the Overview Report, there’s a promise – unspecified, of looking at Manchester Airport sometime.

EconomyThursday at 2pm.
Video link

 Work and Health  PDF 270 KB
Report of the Director of Inclusive Economy attached
 
This report provides an update on the activity of the most recent Working Well programmes (Work & Health, Early Help and JETS) and the impact of the programme overall in Manchester.
Additional documents:
Appendix – Case Studies , item 5. PDF 101 KB
Build Back Fairer – COVID-19 Marmot Review: Housing, Unemployment and Transport  PDF 531 KB
Report of the Director of Inclusive Economy and Strategic Lead Policy and Partnerships attached
 
This report provides an overview of the Marmot Build Back Fairer report focusing on housing, unemployment and transport in Manchester, in line with the remit of the Committee. The report discusses the impact of COVID-19 on housing, unemployment and transport in the city, relative to health inequalities, and outlines Manchester’s response to recommendations in the Build Back Fairer report
Additional documents:
Appendix – Build Back Fairer in Greater Manchester – Recommendations in full , item 6. PDF 246 KB



Opportunities and issues for older workers in the Labour Market  PDF 568 KB

Report of the Director of Inclusive Economy and Consultant in Public Health (Ageing Well Lead) attached
 
This report provides data on the employment and skills status of workers (aged 50 to 64) in Manchester, how they have been impacted by Covid and the actions being taken to connect them to opportunities in the City as part of the Economic Recovery Strategy. The report also includes work with City Art Gallery and an exhibition which highlights the experience of older women.
Overview Report  PDF 313 KB
Report of the Governance and Scrutiny Support Unit
 
This report provides the Committee with details of key decisions that fall within the Committee’s remit and an update on actions resulting from the Committee’s recommendations. The report also includes the Committee’s work programme, which the Committee is asked to amend as appropriate and agree.
An unscheduled report, [that they are kicking into the long grass for as long as they can] – “Manchester Airport
To include information on addressing the economic recovery of the Airport whilst tackling the Climate
Emergency.”

We know (all too well) how depressing and alienating local “democracy” can be, and that it doesn’t HAVE to be this way. But we also know there is a climate emergency going on, and that we have to use our freedom of assembly, speech and information as best we can.

Climate Emergency Manchester is constantly looking for new people to get involved in “Team SF,” which does monthly scrutiny of the council (and much more).

If you’re interested in getting involved, please get in touch – contact@climateemergencymanchester.net

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