To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meetings held on 13 February 2025 and 26 February 2025.

Decision:

1.     To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 13 February 2025.

2.     To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 26 February 2025.

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive.

This report provides an interim update on the progress with the Our Town Hall (OTH) project since the last report to Resources and GovernanceScrutiny Committee in October 2024. It notes that since the last report, the project is operating within the approved budget, is continuing to deliver works of the highest quality, exemplary social value and is increasingly focused on initiatives to prepare for and celebrate re-occupation and re-opening of the building and Albert Square.

The committee considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive which provides an interim update on the progress with the Our Town Hall (OTH) project since the last report to Resources and Governance Scrutiny Committee in October 2024.

Key points and themes within the report included:

• The project continued to operate within the approved budget and was currently forecast to deliver a social value ROI of £15.4m;
• Progress against each key performance indicator (KPI);
• Additional design resource had been deployed to mitigate the impact of the backlog of design information on the ability to progress the works on site, with negotiations underway to secure more design resource to address this backlog;
• Financial pressure from ongoing delays impacted the capacity of Works Package Contractors to commit additional resource to deliver improvements to programme;
• Negotiations were ongoing with the Management Contractor to secure a date for completion of the works and, by extension, building launch, with the project team committed to make Albert Square available for a festive offer in 2025;
• The Re-opening Celebration Board were developing proposals for early access for selected ‘hard-hat’ tours of the building and for the run-in to the building launch and the 12-month period that will follow, up to and including the 150th anniversary of the original opening of the Town Hall in September 2027;
• Providing an update on the challenges which emerged and were ongoing since Notice to Proceed;
• The current financial position of the project; and
• A further update would be provided to the committee when the negotiations with the Management Contractor were concluded.

Some of the key points and queries that arose from the committee’s discussion included:

• How much area would be open within Albert Square for Christmas festivities;
• Why the report did not include any detail on delay claims;
• Whether capital costs would be known by June 2025;
• What further discoveries were anticipated and the impact this might have on the project’s final costs;
• If any discoveries had been made since the last report to the committee;
• Commending the number of apprenticeship roles offered;
• Whether fire compliance issues would be resolved without further delays;
• How management contractors were held to account;
• Whether insurance could be taken out against the risk of discovery;
• How staff and local heritage volunteers were brought along the project’s journey, particularly citing hard-hat tours as a positive; and
• The City Treasurer’s confidence that any further budget uplift could be managed through borrowing.

The Deputy Leader stated that the Our Town Hall project was of huge significance for Manchester and that the report provided reassurance and positivity that progress was being made. He recognised frustration at delays with the project but emphasised that this was currently the biggest heritage project in the country, which had been impacted by periods of upheaval such as the Covid-19 pandemic and inflation. He stated that some of Albert Square would be reopened for Christmas festivities, which he welcomed as a positive development, and explained that he chaired the Re-opening Celebration Board overseeing celebration  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive.

This report summarises the progress that has been made in the delivery of Manchester City Council’s ICT and Digital Strategy and outlines the future direction, priorities and focus for the next three years. 

The committee considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive which summarised the progress made in the delivery of the Council’s Digital and ICT Strategy and outlined the direction, priorities and focus for the next three years.

Key points and themes within the report included:

• Providing the context to the ICT and Digital Strategy 2022-2026, which aimed to modernise the Council’s technology and practices, deliver smarter, secure and more effective services and to support Manchester’s ambition to be a world-leading digital city;
• How the government’s Blueprint for Modern Digital Government and Artificial Intelligence (AI) Playbook for UK Government impacted the Council;
• Progress against the Strategy’s four central objectives, which had been largely achieved, and key achievements;
• The Strategy was to be reset in light of the progress made and changes in government, AI and closer working with Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA);
• The reset Strategy – Transforming Together - was aligned against the overall plan and the Our Transformation Programme; and
• Areas of focus for the reset Strategy.

Some of the key points and queries that arose from the committee’s discussion included:

• Examples of the Council co-designing digital services with residents;
• Examples of data-driven decision-making;
• How the new Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system had improved interactions with residents or improved service delivery;
• How feedback from service users was gathered;
• How skills gaps were being addressed to support digital transformation;
• How challenging it would be for staff to be trained in digital skills;
• The current use of AI in the Council and how this was governed; and
• What was done to combat the use of unapproved AI programmes.

The Deputy Chief Executive introduced the report and highlighted changes in national policy and that the strategy was due to be refreshed in 2026. He stated that in light of the recent changes in government and national policies, it felt timely to reset the strategy earlier than 2026 and to position the Council to be able to respond to these changes. He explained that the refreshed strategy included significant opportunities and demonstrated how multi-agency working could be applied.

The Director of ICT explained that the report recognised the significant progress of the ICT department, and he placed on record his thanks to the team. He also reiterated that several policies, blueprints and strategies had been implemented by the government which the Council needed to align to, particularly around the use of AI.

In response to members’ queries, the Director of ICT explained that residents had been involved in testing new systems and in the design of online forms, particularly through the RBDxP project, to ensure they were easy to use. He also explained that work on data quality was being undertaken through the Our Transformation programme and that the Council was aspiring to work towards data-driven decision-making. With regard to improvements following the rollout of the new CRM system, he stated that there had been positive feedback from residents and businesses, an increased use of the system and a reduction in the number  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23.

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 committee received a report of the Governance and Scrutiny Support Unit which provided responses to previous recommendations, details of key decisions that fell within the Committee’s remit and any items for information previously requested by the Committee.

Decision:

To note the report.

The officers consider that the following item contains exempt information as provided for in the Local Government Access to Information Act and that the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information. The Committee is recommended to agree the necessary resolutions excluding the public from the meeting during consideration of this item.

Decision:

To exclude the press and public during consideration of the following item which involved consideration of exempt information relating to the financial or business affairs of particular persons and the public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighed the public interest in disclosing the information.

Report of the City Treasurer.

This report provides an interim business performance update ahead of the end of the 2024/25 trading year. The report focusses on operations, financial performance and provides a progress update on the development and implementation of the decarbonisation solution for Manchester Energy Network.

The committee considered a confidential report of the City Treasurer which provided an interim business performance update ahead of the end of the 2024/25 trading year. The report focused on operations, financial performance and provided a progress update on the development and implementation of the decarbonisation solution for Manchester Energy Network.

Some of the committee’s queries and lines of inquiry included external funding for decarbonisation; attracting new customers to the network; future financing; resourcing; and customer confidence.

The Chair also invited the Chair of the Environment, Climate Change and Neighbourhoods Scrutiny Committee to speak on this item.

The Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment and Transport hoped the committee was reassured by the report and expressed optimism for future progress with the Network.

In concluding this item of business, the Chair suggested that a further progress update report, including the presentation of the Business Plan for 2025-30, be considered in September.

Decision:

1. To note the report.
2. To request a further update in September 2025.