Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

Communities and Equalities Scrutiny Committee - Tuesday, 8th March, 2022 10.00 am

Venue: Council Chamber, Level 2, Town Hall Extension. View directions

Contact: Rachel McKeon 

Media

Items
No. Item

13.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 241 KB

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 8 February 2022.

Minutes:

Decision

 

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 8 February 2022as a correct record.

14.

Highway Crime pdf icon PDF 484 KB

Report of the Strategic Director (Neighbourhoods)

 

This report requested by the Communities and Equalities Scrutiny details a summary of data and information related to policing roads in the city.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee received a report of the Strategic Director (Neighbourhoods) which provided a summary of data and information related to policing roads in the city.

 

The main points and themes within the report included:

 

  • Statistics on people killed or seriously injured (KSI) in road traffic collisions;
  • The local strategy for road policing;
  • Greater Manchester Police (GMP)’s key operations in relation to road policing;
  • The work of the Road Safety Partnership;
  • Initiatives that engage with road users; and
  • Joint work involving GMP and the Council’s Highways Service.

 

Some of the key points that arose from the Committee’s discussions were:

 

  • Recognising the importance of this issue, noting the number of people killed or seriously injured on Manchester roads and residents’ concerns that local roads were unsafe;
  • That residents were most concerned about local residential roads, rather than the city’s major roads;
  • That residents wanted action to be taken more quickly when they raised concerns about the safety of local roads;
  • That more action should be taken in response to community speed watch;
  • To request further clarification on the increase in resources for the Roads Policing Unit;
  • Concern that many Members and residents were not aware of some of the initiatives referred to, indicating that communications needed to be improved;
  • The importance of transparency in what schemes would be considered and where, if funding became available;
  • Whether this work would be placing more pressure on neighbourhood policing teams; and
  • Could the statistics in the report be broken down to a ward level.

 

The Head of Network Management reported that the Council had previously had a larger road safety programme but this had been reduced as part of the wider budget cuts; however, he advised that this year £2 million had been identified to fund road safety schemes and that it was hoped that further funding could be identified for a further programme.  He reported that the number of road accidents was reducing nationally and at a Manchester and Greater Manchester level and that positive work was taking place to improve safety.  He informed Members about Transport for Greater Manchester (TFGM)’s plans for a Road Danger Reduction Strategy and reported that the Council was reviewing speed limits across the city.

 

In response to a Member’s question, Chief Superintendent Mark Dexter from GMP clarified that the second table within the report, under the title “OP Considerate - Number of reports by nature of report” related to reports where footage of an incident, from a vehicle’s dashboard camera or a cyclist’s helmet camera had been provided.  He outlined how GMP, under Operation Considerate, was standardising the process for responding to this type of reporting and taking the opportunity to educate or prosecute drivers, as appropriate.  He reported that from 2011 onwards funding for road safety and road policing had reduced, which had affected GMP’s ability to support community speed watch, but that this was now changing.  He advised Members that issues could be raised through local policing tasking meetings and that local police teams had capacity  ...  view the full minutes text for item 14.

15.

One Year Extension to the Our Manchester Voluntary & Community Sector and Development Fund Grants Programmes 2022/23 pdf icon PDF 255 KB

Report of the Director of Policy, Performance and Reform

 

This report summarises the approach to extending the grant funding arrangements in place with voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations currently funded through the Our Manchester Voluntary & Community Sector and Development Fund Grants Programmes. The report presents the process and timescales for this extension throughout the 2022-23 financial year.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee received a report of the Director of Policy, Performance and Reform which summarised the approach to extending the grant funding arrangements in

place with voluntary, community and social enterprise organisations currently funded

through the Our Manchester Voluntary and Community Sector (OMVCS) and

Development Fund Grants Programmes. The paper presented the process and

timescales for this extension throughout the 2022-23 financial year.

 

The main points and themes within the report included:

 

  • The process timeline;
  • The extension proposal form, which asked funded organisations to answer a series of mandatory questions; and
  • The RAG rating of organisations and actions where there were concerns.

 

The Policy and Programmes Manager (Communities and VCSE) informed Members that the Council intended to undertake a co-design process with key stakeholders over the next year in relation to a further Our Manchester VCS Fund running from 2023 to 2026, subject to budget approval.  He suggested that the Committee receive a report on this in the next municipal year.

 

In response to a Member’s comment about how the Council was measuring the funded organisations against zero carbon targets, the Policy and Programmes Manager reported that a light touch approach was being taken as this had not been a specific requirement in the original fund but that he expected the refresh of the scheme to reflect the Council’s commitments on zero carbon.  In response to a Member’s question, he informed the Committee how the organisations that had been awarded funding had been monitored to ensure the money was being spent in the way it was intended, while allowing some flexibility, for example, for some services to be delivered online during the pandemic.  In response to a Member’s request that the organisations’ quarterly monitoring reports be scrutinised by the Committee, the Chair advised that it was not appropriate for the Committee to carry out contract management but that these reports could inform the content of future reports to the Committee. 

 

Committee Members raised a number of questions which related to the forthcoming review of the Fund, including how organisations, particularly smaller grassroots groups, which were not currently in receipt of funding could access funding in the next round, how these groups could be supported to get into a position where they were able to successfully bid for funding, how social enterprise organisations could access the fund, Members’ involvement in the review and ensuring that black and Asian communities benefited from the fund.

 

The Deputy Leader advised that the State of the Sector report provided some of the information Members were interested in and that this would be circulated to the Committee.  He reported that he would arrange sessions for Members to input into the review of the fund.  The Chair welcomed that Members would be able to contribute to the review.

 

Decision

 

To note the report.

16.

Overview Report pdf icon PDF 256 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.

Minutes:

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

 

Members noted that this was Councillor Hacking’s last meeting as Chair of the Committee and thanked him for his work over the last four years.

 

Decision

 

To note the report and agree the work programme.