In opening the meeting, the committee observed a minutes’ silence in memory of former Chief Executive Sir Howard Bernstein, who had recently passed away. The Chair also informed those present that Councillor Whiston had left the meeting due to illness.

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 Joint Director of Equality and Engagement.

This report sets out the final Equality Objectives (2024-2028) and includes a high level 12-month Delivery Plan which underpins our objectives together with a set of key outcomes for the committee to consider as requested by this committee in February this year.

The committee considered a report of the Joint Director of Equality and Engagement which outlined the final Equality Objectives for 2024-2028 and included a high-level 12-month delivery plan.

Key points and themes within the report included:

• Manchester City Council was required to demonstrate how it intended to meet legal responsibilities under the Equality Act 2010 through the publication of its equality objectives at least every four years;
• Providing a background to the Equality Objectives;
• The Equality Objectives for 2024-2028 and how these would be achieved;
• The delivery plan for the Equality Objectives and how this would be progressed through programme management; strategic alignment; and governance; and
• The indicators of progress against the delivery plan.

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

• What key performance indicators (KPIs) would be developed to measure the Council’s success and progress in meeting the Equality Objectives;
• Expressing desire to see social value used to promote apprenticeships that lead to permanent job opportunities for young people;
• How socioeconomic status underpinned many equality issues;
• Why indicator 2 for objective 1 specifically referred to work with South Asian women in Cheetham Hill and Longsight and Black African and Caribbean residents in Moss Side when there were residents in this demographic across the city; 
• How the effectiveness of the new engagement quality standards would be monitored;
• The timeline for completing the work within the year 1 delivery plan;
• Welcoming the offer of updates every 6 months and requesting that this provides a comparison between now and then;
• Whether officers had considered developing a service toolkit for Equality Impact Assessments;
• The lessons learned from previous Equality Objectives;
• The importance of gathering feedback from residents most impacted by programmes and strategies such as Making Manchester Fairer and the Anti-Poverty Strategy;
• How stakeholders were engaged with on the Equality Objectives and how their feedback was incorporated;
• What interim milestones were in place to measure culture change with regards to embedding equality, diversity and inclusivity (EDI) principles across the Council;
• How the delivery plan and approach to equality objectives compared with other Core Cities; and
• What work was being undertaken to improve the attendance rate for equity and inclusion training among priority leadership, staff and services.

The Joint Director of Equality and Engagement introduced the report and explained that in developing the Council’s Equality Objectives for 2024-2028, three areas had been prioritised to address inequalities and to advance the equity of rights. She stated that the objectives were aligned to the Our Manchester Strategy and other city-wide strategies, with a focus on strengthening the Council’s role as an employer, promoting good practice among partners and delivering social value. The committee was advised that work would be undertaken to strengthen relationships with the voluntary sector and with organisations such as Community Health Equity Manchester (CHEM), Manchester Disability Collaborative and to support the LGBTQ+ community. There would also be a focus on strengthening the Council’s approach to Equality Impact Assessments and data. Updates would be provided to the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 28.

Report of the Strategic Director (Neighbourhoods).

This report provides an update on the delivery and progress of the Manchester Volunteer Inspire Programme (MCRVIP) volunteering platform, the progress of the programme and plans for its future development. ? 

The committee considered a report of the Strategic Director (Neighbourhoods) which provided an update on the delivery and progress of the Manchester Volunteer Inspire Programme (MCRVIP) which was a Council platform for residents to engage in volunteer activity to support communities and add value to the delivery of services that benefitted their self-esteem, confidence, wellbeing, skills development, and work experience.

Key points and themes within the report included:

• Providing an introduction and background to volunteering and MCRVIP;
• Over 6000 residents were currently registered on MCRVIP;
• The system provided the public and officers with one single point of access to either register to volunteer or to post volunteer opportunities and assisted in the collection of data to develop an understanding of where volunteers live and their background;
• The objectives of MCRVIP;
• Improvements made between 2021 and 2024, including the development of a mobile app; updated branding; the development of emergency response volunteers; and promotion of MCRVIP to Council staff;
• How MCRVIP was funded and the sustainability of this;
• Performance and impact;
• Priorities for 2024/25, including expanding the volunteering offer and programme;
• Case studies of volunteers; and
• A breakdown of registered volunteers by age and ethnicity.

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

• Commending the work of volunteers and the value they provide;
• How MCRVIP ensured that volunteering opportunities were accessible to those with disabilities and disadvantaged backgrounds;
• What could be done to improve MCRVIP’s reach in areas with low uptake;
• The timeframe for completing an Equality Impact Assessment and how this would be incorporated into the programme;
• How many Council employees utilised volunteering leave;
• How the app was advertised and promoted;
• If any work was underway to formally link MCRVIP with the universities’ volunteering programme;
• How the impact and outcomes on volunteers could be measured;
• The work and location of emergency response volunteers; and
• Progress with the development of an incentive scheme.

The Deputy Leader highlighted the impact and importance of volunteers in Manchester and stated that volunteering offered many benefits, such as building self-confidence and combatting loneliness. The Senior Responsible Officer for MCRVIP expressed pride at the reach of MCRVIP and stated that Manchester had bucked the national trend which had seen a decrease in the number of volunteers since the pandemic, with the reach and uptake of MCRVIP increasing. She also highlighted that MCRVIP had a strong conversion rate with 25% of those signing up to the app proceeding to take up a volunteering opportunity, compared to 10% nationally.

The committee were also shown videos of two volunteers who shared their experiences.

In response to members’ queries, it was explained that MCRVIP endeavoured to offer a range of volunteering opportunities to suit all backgrounds and capacities, including volunteering from home through telephone support. Some opportunities were flexible and could be undertaken through hourly or half-day sessions. The committee was advised that officers continued to assess MCRVIP’s geographical reach and that the Council’s Neighbourhood teams used the platform to recruit volunteer from across  ...  view the full minutes text for item 29.

Report of the Governance and Scrutiny Support Unit

The monthly report includes the recommendations monitor, relevant key decisions, the Committee’s work programme and any items for information.

The committee considered a report of the Governance and Scrutiny Support Unit which contained a list of key decisions yet to be taken within the Committee’s remit and responses to previous recommendations. Members noted that a private work programming session would take place following the conclusion of the meeting.

Decision: That the report be noted.