To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 5 June 2024.

Decision

The Executive approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting on 5 June 2024.

The report of the Chief Executive is 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 Vibrant Neighbourhoods reported that Mayfield Park in the city centre had been awarded Green Flag status. The judges in the Green Flag awards, run by environmental charity Keep Britain Tidy, were effusive in their praise noting that the original design and specification standards were exceptional, facilities were of the highest standard and the site security and cleansing was excellent. The play facilities were inspired and exciting and the biodiversity of the site was cared-for and blooming.  The park, sat at the heart of a developing neighbourhood and would expanded in the coming years in tandem with new development, was made possible by a public-private partnership between Manchester City Council, Transport for Greater Manchester, LCR and developer Landsec U+I. 

The Deputy Executive Member for Housing and Growth reported that strong progress was being made in delivering the Council’s housing strategy for 2022-2032.  1,018 affordable homes (including 259 social homes) had been completed as part of the strategy so far, representing 10.2% of the 10-year total.  The number of affordable homes built in the last year, 603, marked the largest annual delivery of affordable housing in a decade, with another record year forecasted for the next financial year.  It was always envisaged that through the strategy home building would increase year-on-year through an increasing pipeline of developments.  58% of new affordable homes delivered in the last year (349 homes) were low or zero carbon and therefore the city was also on target to meet the ambition to increase the number of new low carbon affordable homes from 20% to 50% by 2025.

Councillor Johnson sought clarification on whether the target of 10,000 affordable homes would realistically be met in the timescale of the strategy and requested more detail on how the challenges of retrofitting existing council housing would be addressed in making these properties low carbon.

The report also provided an update on the following areas:-

·            Work that due to start next month to deliver a package of changes to Deansgate and Whitworth Street West designed to encourage walking, cycling and other forms of active travel.

·            EXPO 2025 Osaka and Japan Week - a major year of engagement and collaboration with Japan as Manchester looked to build on and broaden existing business, cultural and civic links.

·            The return of Manchester Day on Saturday 27 July.

·            The re-opening of tennis courts across Manchester following extensive refurbishment, boosting ‘grassroots’ opportunities as the city gears up to host games in the sport’s World Cup.

Decision

The Executive note the report.

Report of the Strategic Director (Growth and Development) attached

The Executive considered a report of the Strategic Director (Growth and Development), which sought support for the principles set out in a draft Neighbourhood Development Framework (NDF) for Holt Town and endorsement to consult with landowners, businesses, residents, and other stakeholders including statutory bodies and funding agencies.

The Leader advised that Holt Town was an area of 30 hectares of brownfield land that sat between the economic drivers of the expanding City Centre (Sports City, and the Etihad Campus) which presented an ambitious opportunity to utilise land, integrate distinctive heritage, open up safe access along canals, green spaces and create safe and biodiverse routes throughout a new residential area connecting into Sports City and other residential neighbourhoods.

The purpose of the NDF was to set out a vision for Holt Town that built on the extensive investment in the wider East Manchester area and harnessed the opportunities that were presenting themselves as the City Centre expanded eastward and the Sport City and Etihad Campus continued to grow as a destination of national significance.  The NDF would provide guidance in line with adopted planning policy around the next phases of private and public investment and development in Holt Town. It would contribute to realising the wider overall ambitions for East Manchester.

The ambition was for Holt Town to become a new mixed -use, residential- led neighbourhood with:-

·            Circa 4,500 homes of mixed tenure and typology, including affordable, accessible, and adaptable homes thereby diversifying Manchester’s housing offer.

·            Circa 30,000 sq.m. of commercial space generating circa 1,500 full-time jobs that will potentially be able to support creative industries, affordable, flexible workspaces, and neighbourhood services to support a community of 4,500 homes.

·            Leisure and cultural uses, including a 300-capacity flexible cultural and community space which could be home to a new Hope Mill Net Zero Theatre.

·            A multi-use mobility hub – incorporating mobility hub features wrapped in affordable workspaces and neighbourhood services.

·            Circa 15 acres of new and enhanced public realm including public spaces, green routes and a new 1km play link.

·            Social infrastructure and amenities to support the neighbourhood such as health and education facilities, alongside a neighbourhood food and beverage offer will also feature in the approach to ground floors and cluster of mixed use across the new neighbourhood.

The draft NDF set out several key principles that would underpin the regeneration of Holt Town. The Council would seek to support those bringing through proposals for development in line with the NDF and to use the Council land assets in Holt Town to direct further delivery of strategic policy objectives. Further feasibility work would be necessary to advance the key components of the plan.

Decisions

The Executive:-

(1)       Approve in principle the proposals set out in the draft Holt Town NDF) as a basis for public consultation.

(2)       Request the Strategic Director for Growth and Development to undertake a public consultation exercise on the draft Holt Town NDF with local residents, businesses, and other stakeholders.

(3)       Request that a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 57.

Report of the Strategic Director (Growth and Development) attached

The Executive considered a report of the Strategic Director (Growth and Development), which provided an update on progress being made in delivering regeneration activity in Collyhurst and set out the next steps in relation to Masterplanning of the area and establishing a phasing strategy to inform the next stage of community engagement and consultation.

It was reported that  Phase One was delivering 244 new homes in Collyhurst Village, with 100 of these being new Council social rent properties as well as 30 new Council social rent homes in South Collyhurst.  The whole of Phase One was scheduled to complete April 2026, with the Councils new homes being completed in stages in advance of this date.

Previous reports to Executive had established the need to identify a single Affordable Housing Delivery Partner (AHDP) to play a full strategic role in the delivery of the regeneration programme, including any reprovision homes and net additional affordable homes.  It had been considered likely that a Registered Provider (RP) partner would need to be identified and appointed to assist with this process and following a soft market testing exercise undertaken with RPs, authority was sought from the Executive to move forward with a competitive procurement process, once the results of the market testing exercise had been gathered and assessed.  However, this position had been reconsidered, following a more detailed review of the implications for the Housing Revenue Account (HRA) of pursuing delivery in partnership with a Registered Provider - i.e. maintaining and growing the HRA asset base as opposed to potentially reducing it - and in light of changes to the Affordable Housing Programme funding criteria announced by Government, which would increase grant availability for estate regeneration projects such as Collyhurst.

As a result, the preferred approach was for the Council to undertake the AHDP role similar to Phase One, re-providing any existing Council homes that may need to be demolished alongside building additional affordable homes, The detail and funding arrangements for future activity would be developed on a phase-by-phase basis and brought back to future Executive meetings for approval.

Regeneration of the area would continue to be led by community engagement that would inform the production of a masterplan for the area. However, given limited resources and the desire to positively affect the lives of residents, it was important that the sequencing of regeneration phases is undertaken in a logical manner.  The report went on to outline how regeneration in each part of the Collyhurst neighbourhood was likely to progress in terms of timescales and the potential level and nature of intervention. 

Decisions

The Executive:-

(1)       Endorse the broad Phasing Strategy, Master Plan Parameters and proposed Next Steps in relation to resident engagement and associated activities as set out in Sections 5 and 6 of the report.

(2)       Agree that Council officers undertake a detailed Housing Needs Survey exercise with residents in the Collyhurst Village area as set out in Sections 6.3 and 6.4 of the report to help establish detailed proposals  ...  view the full minutes text for item 58.

Report of the Strategic Director (Growth and Development) attached

The Executive considered a report of the Strategic Director (Growth and Development), which provided an update on the procurement of a Development Partner and Joint Venture Asset Manager Partner to work alongside the Council in the delivery of the regeneration vision for Wythenshawe Civic.

The Deputy Executive Member for Housing and Development advised that earlier this year the Council was notified that Wythenshawe Civic had been awarded £20m of Levelling Up Funding to deliver interventions that would accelerate the pace of placemaking and regeneration.  Following a period of due diligence and dialogue, the Council had now entered into a Memorandum of Understanding with the Department of Levelling Up, Housing & Communities which unlocked the process to draw down funding. 

As part of the LUF proposals, the Council had agreed to match-fund the grant award, and as such, it was proposed to increase the capital budget for the project by £11.942m, to be funded from capital receipts. It was anticipated that these capital receipts will be recovered over time as land interests in the area are disposed of.

In relation to Wythenshawe shopping centre, the Council’s acquisition was predicated both on an invest to save basis, consolidating leasehold and wider freehold ownership, and the creation of a future, investable platform for regeneration.  The vision set out within the approved Development Framework could only be achieved through the leveraging of private sector investment and collaboration with the Local Authority as landowner, and coordination with grant funding organisations in central and regional government.  Development and Legal officers had concluded an exercise analysing the various forms of commercial collaboration that could deliver the proposed development.  It was recommended that a Joint Venture with a private sector partner (or partners) to operate the income-producing commercial assets should be formed, bolstered by an umbrella agreement with the ability to draw down parcels of surrounding development land, also by the Joint Venture partner.  This would provide assurances via the mechanisms of the Joint Venture and the umbrella agreements that the operations of the high street would be adequately managed and commercial decision-making would be a co-operative effort, but also as a form of risk management in the context of potential non-performance of new development delivery. 

Soft Market Testing was concluded in January 2023 with various nationwide and regional developers, investors, and housing providers. The exercise noted that there was significant appetite in the market to collaborate with the Council in the delivery of Wythenshawe Civic.  Following specialist Procurement and Legal advice it was decided to conduct a Competitive Dialogue process in accordance with the Public Contracts Regulations 2015.  The Council set out to consider applications from interested parties following the advertisement of the opportunity and the response to a standard selection questionnaire (SSQ). This resulted in a sifting exercise in which three parties were chosen to enter a period of dialogue.

Following the issuing of the Invitation to Participate in Dialogue (ITPD), a robust dialogue/negotiation strategy was deployed with the shortlisted parties. Dialogue focused on key commercial/deliverability matters,  ...  view the full minutes text for item 59.

Report of the Director of City Centre Growth and Infrastructureis attached.

The Executive considered a report of the Director of City Centre Growth and Infrastructure, which provided an update on proposed changes to the Manchester Airport City Development and Infrastructure Framework 2012 (re-titled MIX Manchester), to capture benefits from market changes in key growth sectors.

The Leader reported that overall objective was for MIX to become a world-class science, innovation, and manufacturing campus, capitalising on its strategic location and excellent connectivity, and providing opportunities for occupiers in life sciences and advanced manufacturing to locate to, develop and scale up their businesses.

The Strategic Regeneration Framework (SRF) had been prepared to guide future development of the site.  The design approach was based around a simple concept which put people, activity and connections at the heart of the proposals.  This design concept provided a framework which could support a vibrant scientific community and be flexible enough to respond to market demands and the changing landscape of life sciences and advanced manufacturing.  The SRF would provide a flexible and adaptable framework which acknowledged and built upon the previous proposals and future development across the wider Airport City and surrounding areas, whilst maintaining flexibility to respond to occupier requirements and be adaptable over time, across a range of sectors. This would help ensure sustainable and inclusive economic growth, providing jobs for local people as well as opportunities for training and apprenticeships.

Subject to Executive approval, a further report would be brought forward after the public consultation exercise, setting out the comments received and any changes to the proposed final version of the draft updated MIX Manchester SRF.  Once the SRF was approved by the Council, it would become a material consideration for the Council as the Local Planning Authority when determining any applications within the SRF area.

Councillor Johnson sought assurance that consultation and engagement with local residents on any future plans would take place at the earliest opportunity.

Decisions

The Executive

(1)      Approves in principle the proposals set out in the draft updated Strategic Regeneration Framework.

(2)      Requests the Director of City Centre Growth and Infrastructure to undertake a public consultation exercise on the draft updated SRF with local residents, businesses and other stakeholders.

(3)      Request that a further report be brought back to Executive, following the public consultation exercise, setting out comments received.

Report of the Acting Strategic Director (Children and Education Services) attached

The Executive considered a report of the Acting Strategic Director (Children and Education Services), which informed of the work that had taken place by Manchester Children and Young People’s Board to review the Children and Young People’s Plan 2021-2024 and to refresh the Children and Young People’s Plan for 2024-2027.

The Executive Member for Early Years, Children and Young People advised that the Children and Young People’s Plan was the strategic plan of the Children and Young People’s Board, one of the key partnership boards that underpinned the Our Manchester Strategy.  A new priority in the refreshed plan was “to enable every child to be confident and thrive in a city that strives to meet their needs” which was aimed at enabling all children and young people to succeed and to play a fair and rewarding part in the jobs and opportunities created by the economy of our city.

The refreshed plan aimed to ensure that children had the best start in life, received help at the right time if help was needed, had access to a good education and were safe and that they had the confidence and skills to play a part in sustaining the city’s success.

Equity was also identified as an important cross cutting theme in the plan, underpinning all priorities and the plan also included a specific priority to challenge and work together to mitigate the things that could hold children back such as poverty, lack of equity or family circumstances.

By ensuring a good start in life and a good education at a school judged good or better, the plan aimed to equip all young people with the skills and confidence to enable them to be part of what builds a connected city, world class infrastructure and growth.

Councillor Johnson sought clarification on what work would be undertaken as part of this Plan to help support families and young people who were not eligible for assistance but were still struggling financially.

Decision

The Executive endorse the refreshed Children & Young People’s Plan 2024/27

Report of the Executive Director of Adult Social Services attached

The Executive considered a report of the Executive Director (Adult Spcial Care), which sought approval of the refreshed section 75 agreement between Manchester City Council and Manchester University Foundation Trust for the delivery of integrated community health and adult social care services by the Manchester Local Care Organisation. 

The Executive Member for Healthy Manchester and Adult Social Care advised that the current three-year agreement was approved by Executive in August 2021 and expired on 20 August 2024.  The proposed update was for one additional year (until 20 August 2025) to enable parallel work regarding the future of MLCO to be concluded. The Executive will be updated on any significant changes to MLCO during this one year period, including any which necessitated a more fundamental review of the Section 75. 

As there were no significant amendments to the agreement it was recommended that final approval and sign-off of the Section 75 agreement was delegated to the Executive Director of Adult Social Services, the City Treasurer and the City Solicitor.

Decision

The Executive approve the delegation of sign-off of the update of the section 75 agreement between Manchester City Council and Manchester University Foundation Trust to the Executive Director of Adult Social Services, the City Treasurer and the City Solicitor.

Report of the Deputy Chief Executive attached

The Executive considered a report of the Deputy Chief Executive, which introduced the Armed Forces Covenant Annual Report for 2022/23 which was required to be presented to Council each year as part of commitments made under the Armed Forces Covenant, providing an opportunity to reflect on progress made against the Council’s  Covenant Action Plan.

The Deputy Leader (statutory) advised that the Armed Forces Covenant in its current form was introduced in 2011. The Covenant was a commitment by the nation to those that currently or had before, served in HM Armed Forces, and their families. This commitment sought to ensure that the Armed Forces Community would face no disadvantage that came as a direct result of their service. 

The purpose of the Covenant was to remedy and address the disadvantages and inequality experienced by service personnel and make certain that they too could benefit from all public and commercial services enjoyed by their civilian peers. The Covenant also recognised the need to make special provision for those who had sacrificed the most, such as the injured and bereaved.

The Annual Report provided an opportunity to report on progress against the Action Plan and supported the Council’s on-going dialogue with the Armed Forces Community in respect of forward plans.

Priorities for 2024/25 were informed by the Manchester Armed Forces Joint Service Needs Assessment. This evidence base reflected and evolved with our local armed forces community, allowing existing issues to be triaged and targeted, while remaining grounded in the experiences and support needs of our local Manchester veterans. 

Decision

The Executive note the Annual Report.

The report of the City Treasurer is attached.

The Executive considered a report of the City Treasurer, which set out the implications and opportunities for how contracting authorities like Manchester City Council could further promote social value in procurement and contracts. opportunities available to the council.

The Executive Member for Finance and Resources reported that on 28 October 2024, the latest iteration of procurement legislation – the Procurement Act 2023 - was scheduled to commence.  This new legislation would set out new requirements that the Council must follow when procuring contracts for goods, services and works.  In addition, in May 2024, the previous government published a new National Procurement Policy Statement, which set out national ‘strategic priorities’ including social value, that the Council must have regard to when procuring goods, services or works contracts.

There were two observations of note in relation to social value and the new Procurement Act. The first is that the new Act affirms the importance of maximising public benefit, i.e. procurement is not just about the direct value for the Council / resident / end-user but it was about wider social value generated too.  The second observation was that the Act did not set out detailed procurement processes that an authority must follow, unlike existing legislation which did.  Rather it gave authorities the scope to design a procurement process that best suited its own needs, provided the approach was set out from the start.

It was considered that this could be a game changer in some procurements, enabling the Council to develop more creative approaches that could involve working with a shortlist of bidders to develop a service design, before then inviting final tenders.  Currently the Council could do this but only through a relatively long-drawn out process known as ‘Competitive Dialogue’ – a process that was usually reserved for the most complex procurements because of the time and resources involved.

Although the new legislation represented an evolution rather than a revolution in public procurement policy, it still involved significant change in underlying processes and ways of working not just for the procurement team but also for commissioners, contract managers and stakeholders across the Council. As such, the Integrated Commissioning and Procurement Team (ICP) was working with other Greater Manchester procurement teams to help develop and implement these changes.

Decision

The Executive note there will be continued work developing the Council’s social value approach including working regionally and nationally with government to help shape future policy.

Report of the Strategic Director (Neighbourhoods) attached

The Executive considered a report of the Strategic Director (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.

The Deputy Leader reported that new strategic framework and the ambitions and priorities it contained would galvanise new and existing partnerships, promote collaboration, shape future investment decisions and the sharing of resources and put partners in a stronger position to mount funding campaigns and submit compelling funding applications.

The strategy focused on key themes such as accessibility, diversity, and the city’s global connections. The framework highlighted the critical role of culture in shaping the city’s identity, enhancing economic growth, and nurturing social wellbeing, while continuing to invest in a cultural offer that has underpinned Manchester’s continued prosperity.

A rolling five year action plan would be developed that set out how the council with its partners, artists and creatives, with residents and with stakeholders would collectively meet the objectives in the framework. The action plan would be a live, working document between delivery partners with a summary version available for the public.

Decision

The Executive recommend that Council approve the strategy and adopt it as the new Cultural Strategy for Manchester.

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 the Strategic Director (Growth and Development) attached

The Executive considered a report of the Strategic Director (Growth and Development), which set out the commercially confidential terms in relation to the procurement of a Development Partner and Joint Venture Asset Manager Partner to work alongside the Council in the delivery of the regeneration vision for Wythenshawe Civic.

Decisions

The Executive:-

(1)      Approve the award of the contract to the successful bidder, as the Wythenshawe Civic Development Partner and Joint Venture Asset Manager Partner.

(2)      Approve the disposal of a share of the Shopping Centre asset by way of long lease, assignment of existing leasehold interests, and the entering into of all contractual and ancillary arrangements to give effect to the Joint Venture partnership arrangements.

(3)      Delegate authority to the City Solicitor, City Treasurer and the Director of Development, in conjunction with the Executive Member for Housing and Development, to conclude all commercial and legal arrangements to implement the operation of both the Joint Venture and Development Umbrella Agreement.

(4)      Note the proposed governance arrangements and the programme of ward member briefings required.

(5)      Authorise the City Solicitor to enter into such legal documentation as required to give effect to the recommendations set out in this report.