To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 21 May 2024.

Decision

That the minutes of the meeting held on 21 May 2024 be approved as a correct record.

Report of the Strategic Director of Neighbourhoods

This report presents the new proposed cultural strategic framework for Manchester called ‘Always, Everywhere: Manchester Cultural Ambition 2024-2034’, which sets out a new strategic vision and objectives for the next 10 years.

The Committee received a report of the Strategic Director of Neighbourhoods which presented the new proposed cultural strategic framework for Manchester called ‘Always, Everywhere: Manchester Cultural Ambition 2024-2034’, which set out a new strategic vision and objectives for the next 10 years.

Key points and themes within the report included:

• Background information;
• Engagement and findings;
• Benchmarking;
• Action plan; and
• Governance and future reporting.

Key points and queries that arose from the Committee’s discussions included:

• To welcome the clarity of the Strategy and how it linked culture with the city’s values;
• To welcome the language and definition of culture used in the report, which included more people;
• To welcome the focus on embedding culture into strategic regeneration and suggesting that this should include district centres, for example considering alternative uses for empty shops;
• To welcome that a lot of issues raised when the Committee had previously considered culture at its February 2024 meeting had been incorporated into this report;
• Developing heritage sites and museums;
• The availability of spaces for grassroots cultural activities as areas were regenerated;
• Equality, Diversity and Inclusion (EDI) baseline data, including workforce data;
• The role of the Manchester Cultural Consortium in the monitoring of the framework;
• Continuing engagement with local communities, including ensuring that people from all communities knew that culture was for them and a viable career option;
• Highlighting cultural activities in local areas;
• Zero carbon targets; and
• Lack of safety on public transport being cited as a barrier to accessing culture and whether work was taking place with partners outside of the cultural sector such as Transport for Greater Manchester (TfGM).

The Deputy Leader acknowledged a Member’s point about widening participation in culture and provided examples of work which had already taken place, such as displaying the work of young people from a range of backgrounds in the city’s galleries.  In response to the comments about heritage sites, he highlighted the opportunities presented by the restoration of the Town Hall to give Manchester people a sense of ownership over the building and enable them to engage with the city’s history.  He advised that he envisioned the Committee having a significant role in monitoring progress against the Cultural Strategy.

The Director of Culture and Creative Industries informed Members that the progress of this work would be reported back to the Committee and that the Our Manchester approach would be used to ensure that all voices were heard in the evaluation of this work.  He reported that work would be taking place with the heritage sector on ensuring that people were aware of what was already available, in addition to work with colleagues across the Council to look at how the Council’s libraries, buildings and other resources could be used to improve access to heritage stories.  He reported that all cultural organisations that the Council funded had quite good EDI data in relation to its workforce and audience but that work was taking place to improve this further, highlighting that conversations were currently taking place with Creative Manchester,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.

Report of the Strategic Director (Growth and Development)

This report provides an update on the emerging Local Plan. The draft plan is being developed in the light of the adoption of the joint Local Plan, Places for Everyone, which was adopted by Council on 20 March 2024.

The report provides an overview of the process in developing the emerging Local Plan. It provides an update on the supporting evidence base; and outlines the relationship of the Local Plan to other key Council strategies including the Our Manchester Strategy and Climate Change Action Plan. The impact of a new Government is also considered within the context of how this may affect progress on the draft Local Plan.          

The Committee received a report of the Strategic Director (Growth and Development) which provided an update on the emerging Local Plan. The draft plan was being developed in the light of the adoption of the joint Local Plan, Places for Everyone, which was adopted by Council on 20 March 2024.

Key points and themes within the report included:

• An overview of the process in developing the emerging Local Plan;
• An update on the supporting evidence base;
• The relationship of the Local Plan to other key Council strategies; and
• How the impact of a new Government might affect progress of the draft Local Plan.

Key points and queries that arose from the Committee’s discussions included:

• Ensuring that the Local Plan included affordable social housing and noting the different definitions of affordable housing;
• Engagement with Ward Councillors which enabled information to be shared at a local level in a way which was relevant to local residents and the impact on their area, rather than just sharing the broader plan;
• The importance of supporting the resilience and stability of existing communities; and
• Work to ensure the target of becoming a zero carbon city by 2038 was met.

The Chair requested that a note be circulated to the Committee Members in the autumn on the impact of the outcome of the General Election on the Local Plan process and on changes to Government policy.  A Member asked that this be written in a way which was accessible for people who were not familiar with the terminology and legislation relating to planning.

The Executive Member for Housing and Development outlined plans for 60,000 new homes in the city with 17,000 being affordable housing and stated that politically the priority was for as many of the affordable homes as possible to be social housing, given the numbers on the housing register.  He advised Members that the consultation in 2020 had provided an opportunity to local people to raise issues and that there would be further consultation taking place through which people could raise both citywide and local issues.  He agreed with the Member that it was important to consider both city-wide issues and the impact in particular wards.

The Planning Strategy Manager acknowledged a Member’s point about ensuring that the language used in reports was understandable to people who were not familiar with the jargon for this particular subject.  In response to comments about affordable social housing, he drew Members’ attention to the report on the Housing Needs Assessment which the Committee had considered at its November 2023 meeting and advised that the finalised version of this would be informing policy. 

In response to a question from the Chair, the Executive Member for Housing and Development drew Members’ attention to the summary of the programme of work over the next two years at 3.10 within the report and outlined the consultation on the Draft Local Plan (Regulation 18) which would be taking place in autumn 2024.  He suggested that the findings of this consultation be considered  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24.

Report of the Strategic Director (Growth & Development) and Director of StrategicHousing & Development

This report provides an overview of the short-term lets market in Manchester and highlights recent Governmental developments in terms of regulation of the sector.

The Committee received a report of the Strategic Director (Growth and Development) and the Director of Strategic Housing and Development which provided an overview of the short-term lets market in Manchester and highlighted recent Governmental developments in terms of regulation of the sector.

Key points and themes within the report included:

• The Airbnb market in Manchester;
• The impact on the mainstream housing market in the city;
• The visitor economy and demand for visitor accommodation; and
• Responding to the challenges caused by the growth in the short-term let market.

The Chair read out comments from a Committee Member who had sent apologies for the meeting but wanted to raise residents’ concerns about short-term lets and to ask the Chair and the Executive Member for Housing and Development to write to whoever was the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities after the General Election, requesting further powers to regulate this market.  The Chair and the Executive Member agreed to do this.

Key points and queries that arose from the Committee’s discussions included:

• The impact of short-term lets on local residents and public services;
• Concerns about specific wards close to the city centre which had high levels of short-term lets;
• The link between anti-social behaviour and short-term lets and work to address this, including the role of Neighbourhood Officers;
• Compliance with and enforcement of terms which forbade the use of flats for short-term lets in relation to specific buildings and developments;
• That greater regulation was needed and supporting calls to lobby the Government on this;
• The impact of short-term lets on the housing market and monitoring the difference between the income from short-term lets and renting a property out to long-term tenants;
• Monitoring the impact of short-term lets on communities, noting that at present a lot of the information was anecdotal; and
• Noting the use of short-term lets near hospitals for families of patients and whether this did require a well-managed short-term let sector, including consideration of purpose-built accommodation near hospitals.

The Executive Member for Housing and Development noted that some areas had a higher proportion of short-term lets due to factors such as their proximity to the city centre and to major sports and leisure sites.  He reported that it was important to identify areas where there was an intensification of short-term lets and to address this, using planning and regulatory action, including the new powers that it was hoped would be introduced.  In response to the comments about short-term lets near hospitals, he reported that some hospitals were looking into accommodation for families while some hospitals already had this in place.  He advised that many more homes were needed in the city and that short-term lets had an impact on housing availability and rent levels.

The Head of Compliance, Enforcement and Community Safety informed Members that there was no specific regulatory regime for short-term lets.  She advised that her service could take action in relation to issues such as noise, waste and anti-social behaviour; however, there were challenges  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.

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.

A report of the Governance and Scrutiny Support Unit was submitted. The overview report contained key decisions within the Committee’s remit, responses to previous recommendations and the Committee’s work programme, which the Committee was asked to approve.

Decision:

That the Committee note the report and agree the work programme.