To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 19 February 2025

Decision

The Executive approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting on 19 February 2025.

Report of the Chief Executive attached

The Executive considered a report of the Chief Executive which provided an update on key areas of progress against the Our Manchester Strategy – Forward to 2025 which reset Manchester’s priorities for the next five years to ensure the Council could still achieve the city’s ambition set out in the Our Manchester Strategy 2016 – 2025.

The Executive Member for Healthy Manchester and Adult Social Care reported that this year’s annual report by the Director of Public Health would focus on the impact which Making Manchester Fairer, the Council’s five-year action plan with a longer-term ambition to address health inequalities in the city, was having.  A wide range of case studies was featured, ranging from the Work and Health Kickstarter (helping people with musculoskeletal conditions such as back pain, arthritis and osteoporosis to find work, stay in work and progress in their careers) to the Council’s Silk Street development of affordable homes in Newton Heath, and work to tackle poverty via the Cost of Living Advice Line and efforts to support the uptake of pension credits.  A final draft of the report was considered by the Health Scrutiny Committee on Wednesday 5 March 2025 and a fully accessible final version would be published on the Council’s website in due course. 

The Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment and Transport reported that the Council had become the first local authority in the UK to be awarded ‘Gold’ status for its staff’s understanding of climate change.  In total, the Council and its associates had almost 4,000 employees who had completed Carbon Literacy training – the most of any council in the country. Being named a Gold Carbon Literate Organisation by the Carbon Literacy Project was a further marker of progress for the Council, which had previously become the first local authority to gain Silver status in February 2021.   Being Carbon Literate enabled people to take informed decisions in both their personal and work lives which would support Manchester’s commitment to become zero carbon by 2038 or earlier. 

The Executive Member for Housing and Development reported that the Council had opened a consultation with Newton Heath residents about what investment they would like to see in their district centre.  The engagement exercise, which looked at how best to unlock the north Manchester neighbourhood’s potential, was part of a citywide approach to investing in and improving local high streets.  Responses from the community would help shape a Neighbourhood Development Framework for Newton Heath to guide future development and improvements in the area. 

The report also provided updates on the following:-

·            the refurbishment and reopening of Chorlton Library

·            the annual review of Manchester’s Great Outdoors (the city’s Green and Blue infrastructure strategy)

·            the launch of Manchester Investment Prospectus 2025

·            the programme launch for the 2025 Manchester International

Councillor Leech sought clarification on what measures were being taken to ensure all Elected Members had undertaken their Carbon Literacy training.  He also enquired as to what progress was being  ...  view the full minutes text for item 32.

Report of the Chief Executive attached

The Executive considered a report of the Chief Executive, which presented the final draft of the new Our Manchester Strategy 2035, a summary of activity undertaken to develop the strategy, and information regarding next steps for the strategy’s launch and implementation.

The Leader advised that the Our Manchester Strategy (OMS) was originally developed in 2015 and launched in 2016. It set out the city’s overarching 10-year vision and strategic priorities.  The development of the OMS was overseen by the Manchester Leaders’ Forum, now the Our Manchester Forum (OMF), a partnership board of 40 leaders from Manchester’s public, private and voluntary sector. The Our Manchester Forum remained in place today to provide governance around the implementation and progress of the strategy.

In May 2020, the Executive agreed to undertake a reset of the Our Manchester Strategy 2016 – 2025.  This was to reflect upon progress made in the first half of the Strategy’s implementation, and to assess new and existing challenges. This work was also undertaken as part of COVID-19 recovery planning. The reset strategy, known as Our Manchester: Forward to 2025, was adopted by Full Council in March 2021.The main changes were a renewed focus on inclusion, diversity and sustainability, and clear priorities relating to the existing five themes.

Since its adoption, Our Manchester: Forward to 2025 had guided the city’s overall direction including the development of new strategies and action plans, and delivery of all the Council’s work. As the strategy was now approaching the end of its life, work had begun on the next Our Manchester Strategy with our partners, stakeholders, residents, and communities to create a new vision for the city for the next ten years to 2035.

The proposed new strategy had been drafted based on all the feedback from consultation responses at both phase 1 and phase 2. The language was intended to be meaningful, accessible, concise and Manchester specific, avoiding technical and policy language. The structure was based on 12 priorities  structured under the themes People, Neighbourhoods and City. This thematic structure was intended to make clear the primary focus of each group of priorities. 

The new strategy also reflected on progress made over the last ten years, noting the large number of responses to the consultation where people were proud of Manchester, but was also clear about the challenges the city faced.

Subject to any comments received from the Executive, the strategy would proceed to Council on 19 March 2025, where the Council would consider it for adoption as part of the policy framework.  The strategy would then be formally launched on 30 April 2025.  The launch event was intended to begin a series of activity around the city that raised awareness of the new strategy. It would be both collaborative and celebratory in nature and would bring together many of the people who contributed to the strategy’s development.

Councillor Leech sought clarification as to how the success and achievability of some of the priorities would be measured.

Councillor Wiest sought clarification as  ...  view the full minutes text for item 33.

Report of the City Treasurer attached

The Executive considered a report of the City Treasurer, and Assistant Director - Integrated Commissioning and Procurement, which sought approval of an updated Social Value Policy for the Council.

The Deputy Executive Member for Resources and Finance advised that the Council was seen as a leading local authority in social value and had a long history of generating social value that brings meaningful benefits to local communities, economy, and the environment.

The timing of the policy update aligned to the development of the new Our Manchester Strategy and national legislative changes which affected social value. The new 2025 Social Value Policy would meet new local priorities, whilst positioning the Council as both responsive and forward-thinking, continuing to go beyond statutory requirements and demonstrate leadership in this area.

The main updates and rationale for any policy changes included:-

·            New policy priorities had been co-designed with partners;

·            The definition of Social Value had been aligned to central government documentation;

·            The scope has been broadened from procurement;

·            A new section on overarching principles and approaches had been added;

·            The concept of inherent social value had been introduced;

·            An explanation of the social value fund had been added;

·            The social value priorities had been structured under themes; and

·            Priority groups had been replaced with a theme of 'reducing inequalities’.

The progress of the implementation of the new social value policy would be

monitored through existing social value governance structures with the overall

leadership via the Social Value Governance Board,

Councillor Wiest queried whether any consideration could be given to giving equal weighting to both Social Value and the Environment either in the updated policy or in the future.

Decision

The Executive agree to adopt the new 2025 Manchester Social Value Policy.

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive attached

The Executive considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive, which summarised the progress made to date in Manchester’s journey to become recognised as a UNICEF UK Child Friendly City following the first ‘Progress and Review’ meeting which took place on 19 November 2024.

The Executive Member for Earky Years, Children and Young People advised that In March 2024 following the ratification the Executive, Manchester entered the delivery stage of our journey to becoming recognised by UNICEF UK as a Child Friendly City. This followed extensive consultation with over 11,000 children and young people during our discovery phase and who chose our ‘badges’.

‘Badge Leads’ were identified across the city council to ensure a city-wide partnership approach was taken to implement the actions as set out in our action plan. Badge teams met on a regular basis to ensure progress was being made and they were comprised of representation from across the council and partners in the voluntary, private and public sector.

In November 2024 reflecting on the last six months of delivery, senior leaders alongside the coordinating team provided The UK Committee for UNICEF (UNICEF UK) an overview of progress made to date. The review meeting brought together several partner organisations to reflect on progress and there were updates from leaders chairing and involved in badge working groups.

Following the review meeting UNICEF provided a progress note summarising the meeting and accompanying evidence, relative to the local child friendly action plan and highlighting the successes and any areas for development. In summary UNICEF stated that the Council and its partners had made an “exceptional start” to the delivery of the programme.  A number of recommendations were made to guide Manchester’s  journey towards becoming recognised as a Child Friendly City. 

Progress against these recommendations would be followed up at the next Progress Review which was due to take place in June 2025.

Decisions

The Executive:-

(1)      Support and endorse the recommendations proposed by UNICEF.

(2)      Pledge a continued support to championing children’s rights within specific political portfolios and priorities.

(3)      Request a further progress update in 12 months.

Report of the Strategic Director (Growth and Development) attached

The Executive considered a report of the Strategic Director (Growth and Development), which sought approval to undertake a programme of extensive public and stakeholder consultation a draft Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) for the Strangeways and Cambridge areas.

The Executive Member for Housing and Development advised that Manchester City Council and Salford City Council had come together to produce a Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) for the Strangeways and Cambridge areas, a pioneering collaboration reflective of the importance of a 130 hectare ‘city fringe’ location, its large business base and long-standing communities, and its significance to the future growth of both cities and Greater Manchester as a whole.

Strangeways and the wider Cheetham Hill area had a long and proud history as a place of manufacturing, commerce and enterprise.  In recent years, however, parts of Strangeways – specifically along Bury New Road – had become synonymous with criminal activity.  Following the success of Operation Vulcan, a joint operation between both Council’s, Greater Manchester Police and the Home Office, to  purge the area of this criminality, it now enabled the Council to consider the long-term future of the area, particularly the pockets of dereliction and vacancy that remained along and around Bury New Road.

Alongside Operation Vulcan, consideration of the long-term future of Strangways was also necessitated by the changing economic context.  Whilst Strangeways retained very significant business base employing a large number of Manchester residents, many from adjacent neighbourhoods in Cheetham, vacancy and under-occupation contributes to low productivity levels in the area, with figures well below the Manchester and Greater Manchester averages.  This economic underperformance was in part driven by the lack of private investment into the area in recent years, some of which could be ascribed to long-standing negative perceptions of Strangeways due to the presence of the prison.

For some time, the Council had maintained that HMP Manchester, now 157 years old, was a barrier to the economic and physical growth of the city centre. It defined the character and tone of the surrounding area and acted as a brake on development, ensuring Strangeways remained unable to attract businesses to occupy vacant and underutilised properties. This was compounded by the scale and extent of the HMP Manchester site which, at eight hectares, restricted the height and types of commercial uses on adjoining land.

These three drivers – the need for a bold vision for Strangeways post Operation Vulcan; the drive to sustain the continued growth of the Manchester economy and the desire to see the prison relocated, underpinned the Council’s decision to commission a ‘strategic regeneration framework’ (SRF) for Strangeways.  The framework for Strangeways was commissioned jointly with Salford City Council (SCC) in order to include the Cambridge area within Salford, located to the west of Strangeways adjacent to Manchester Council’s boundary and sat within the key strategic growth area of City Centre Salford. It was a long-standing, well established business district containing many owner / manager and family owned businesses in and around the Salford Council-owned Cambridge Industrial estate.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 36.

Report of the Strategic Director (Growth and Development) attached

The Executive considered a report of the Strategic Director (Growth and Development), which sought approval for the adoption of the Holcroft Moss Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) which was originally reported to the Executive on 16 October 2024, where it was resolved to approve the draft SPD and supporting documents as a basis for a six week public consultation.

The Executive Member for Housing and Development advised that the SPD would apply across the whole Places for Everyone Joint Local Plan (PfE) area and had been prepared jointly by the nine PfE authorities including Manchester. The adopted SPD would supplement PfE Policy JP-C8, in particular clause 17, which required planning applications accompanied by a Transport Assessment to consider air quality impacts on Holcroft Moss which was within the Manchester Mosses Special Area of Conservation (SAC).  This requirement emerged through the preparation of PfE (in particular the Habitats Regulation Assessment).

The SPD would facilitate and provide guidance on the timely provision of required mitigation at Holcroft Moss, due to increased air pollution caused by the cumulative impact of traffic resulting from development.

A total of 24 responses were received to the consultation draft SPD. Natural England, Highways England and Warrington Borough Council all submitted statements of support.  Several responses considered the scope of the SPD should not be limited to providing protection and/or mitigation to the Holcroft Moss part of the Manchester Mosses SAC.  The scope of the SPD was correctly determined by Policy JP-C8 of the Places for Everyone and in turn the conclusions of the PfE Habitat Regulations Assessment.  To widen the scope beyond this would not be supported by the evidence base.

Similarly, a number of responses considered that the proposed mitigation should include investment in alternatives to private vehicles and improvements to air quality more generally.  Measures existed elsewhere in the Places for Everyone Plan to improve air quality and to increase public transport patronage.

In conclusion, it was not considered necessary to make any changes to the Holcroft Moss SPD, as a result of the consultation responses.  A small change had been made to the accompanying cost schedule to make reference employment “development”, rather than employment “floorspace”. This change ensured consistency between the cost schedule and the SPD.

Decisions

The Executive:-

(1)      Agree to adopt the Holcroft Moss SPD to take effect no sooner than 3 April 2025.

(2)      Agree to provide Warrington Borough Council (as the responsible authority for implementing a mitigation strategy for Holcroft Moss) as necessary and through an appropriate mechanism, with S106 funds collected in accordance with the Holcroft Moss SPD.

(3)      Delegate approval to the Director of Planning, Building Control and Licensing to make minor, non-material modifications to the Holcroft Moss Supplementary Planning Document before final publication, subject to consultation and agreement with the eight other Places for Everyone authorities.

Report of the Strategic Director (Growth and Development) attached

The Executive considered a report of the Strategic Director (Growth and Development), which sought approval to declare one site in Manchester, part of the old cemetery at Southern Cemetery, as a Local Nature Reserve (LNR).

The Executive Member for Clean Air, Environment and Transport advised that Southern Cemetery was located within the Chorlton Park Ward and was the largest municipal cemetery in the UK and the second largest in Europe.  The designation of LNR status for Southern Cemetery would enhance the long term maintenance of the site’s biodiversity assets.

The designation will also offer opportunities for funding as it reinforced Manchester’s commitment to nature conservation and recreation. The location of the proposed LNR within the Mersey Valley meant that the designation also supported the ambition set out across a range of objectives in the City’s Our River Our City Strategy, providing increased opportunity for increased practical action, community engagement and awareness raising.

Natural England had confirmed their informal support for the declaration of LNR status for the site and could see the benefits LNR designation would bring. The site also lay within the boundary of Natural England’s Nature Recovery Project Bollin to Mersey Wetlands.

If approved, the management plan would be referred to Natural England for formal consultation. Subject to the outcome of the formal consultation, the site would be formally declared by the preparation of a formal declaration document. Once formally declared, the site would, at the earliest opportunity, be marked as an LNR on the upcoming Local Plan for the City of Manchester.

Councillor Leech sought clarification as to whether sites being considered as LNR’s were all owned by the Council or whether some were privately owned.

Decisions

The Executive:-

(1)           Approve the proposed declaration of the area of the old part of the cemetery shown outlined on the “Location map of Southern Cemetery” as the Southern Cemetery Local Nature Reserve.

(2)      Request officers consult formally with Natural England on the proposed declaration of the Southern Cemetery Local Nature Reserve.

(3)      Subject to a positive response from Natural England, authorise the Director of Planning, Building Control and Licensing to carry out all the necessary steps to declare the Southern Cemetery Local Nature Reserve, including instructing the City Solicitor to prepare the formal declaration document as necessary.

Report of Strategic Director (Neighbourhoods) attached

The Executive considered a report of the Strategic Director (Growth and Development), which proposed changes to the legal and governance arrangements for the operation of the Bridgewater Hall.

The Deputy Leader advised that Bridgewater Hall was an internationally acclaimed concert venue for acoustic music and home of the world-renowned Hallé Orchestra.  It was built to replace the Free Trade Hall in 1996 as part of the city’s wider economic growth and regeneration plans, the Hall had been a unique asset within the city’s rich cultural landscape for almost 30 years and had played a key role in its global reputation as a music city

The business model for the Hall was unique and financially efficient for the Council insofar as it provided for nil revenue contribution to operational costs over the lifetime of the venue. When the arrangement was established there were also Business Rates benefits, with Manchester Concert Hall Limited (MCHL) being eligible for Business Rate relief which reduced the cost to the Council.

It was noted that Manchester Concert Hall Limited (MCHL) was a private company limited by guarantee without share capital, and a charity which was incorporated by the Council in March 1994.  Its charitable objects were to promote, maintain, improve, develop and advance public education by the encouragement of the arts including music, opera, drama, singing, mime, dancing, painting and sculpture, cinema, literature and other arts and in particular to provide and operate the Bridgewater Hall in the City of Manchester and ensure its ongoing public benefit.  The board was also responsible for effective management of the current venue Management Agreement and securing the best possible contract for the future. 

The Council was currently the only registered Company Member of MCHL and benefitted from a number of Reserved Matters in the company’s Articles of Association aimed at safeguarding the Council’s interests. As a charity, MCHL and its members (including the Council) were bound by Charity Law when transacting MCHL’s business and were required to always act in accordance with its charitable objects. MCHL had a 35-year lease on the building and was charged nil rent by the Council. As a registered charity it was eligible for 80% mandatory Business Rate relief for non-profit making bodies and is able to apply for a further 20% discretionary relief from the Council.

The legal and governance arrangements at the Hall comprised a charitable company leasing the venue and letting the Management Agreement.  This set-up was established for historic reasons and was not a model of standard practice which the Council had adopted for any other assets.  Prior to significant projects moving forward, including capital investment and the procurement of a new Management Agreement, both MCHL and the Council believed it was imperative that the future governance arrangements in place are robust, sustainable and fit for purpose. 

As such, over the last year, significant work had been undertaken by the Council to explore the arrangements and any changes that may be needed which had included a detailed options appraisal to  ...  view the full minutes text for item 39.

The officers consider that the following item or items 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 Executive is recommended to agree the necessary resolutions excluding the public from the meeting during consideration of these items. At the time this agenda is published no representations have been made that this part of the meeting should be open to the public.

Decision

The Executive agrees to exclude the public during consideration of the following item which involved consideration of exempt information relating to the financial or business affairs of particular persons and public interest in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information.

Report of Strategic Director (Neighbourhoods) attached

The Executive considered a report of the Strategic Director (Growth and Development), which recommended changes to the legal and governance arrangements for the operation of the Bridgewater Hall. 

The report outlined the current arrangements, brought together work initiated by MCHL, the findings from independent legal advice and an options appraisal undertaken by Council officers.

Decisions

The Executive:-

(1)      Agree that the Council accepts the decision of Manchester Concert Hall Limited to terminate the Bridgewater Hall lease, noting that the termination might be subject to consent of the Charity Commission;

(2)      Delegate responsibility to the Strategic Director (Neighbourhoods), City Treasurer and City Solicitor in consultation with the Deputy Leader to negotiate and finalise these arrangements with Manchester Concert Hall Limited; and

(3)      Authorise the City Solicitor to complete all documents and enter into all agreements necessary to give effect to the recommendations.