To allow Members an opportunity to [a] declare any personal, prejudicial or disclosable pecuniary interests they might have in any items which appear on this agenda; and [b] record any items from which they are precluded from voting as a result of Council Tax/Council rent arrears; [c] the existence and nature of party whipping arrangements in respect of any item to be considered at this meeting. Members with a personal interest should declare that at the start of the item under consideration.  If Members also have a prejudicial or disclosable pecuniary interest they must withdraw from the meeting during the consideration of the item.

Councillor Good declared a personal interest in item 5 – Update Report on the Wider Work of the Homelessness Service.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on 25 June 2024 and 16 July 2024.

Decision:

1.     That the minutes of the meeting held on 25 June 2024 be approved as a correct record.

2.     That the minutes of the meeting held on 16 July 2024 be approved as a correct record.

Report of the Strategic Director (Neighbourhoods)

This report provides an update on the demand and pressures on the homeless service, alongside the innovative ways in which we are managing the demand through panels and improved IT access. The report informs Members of the work that is being undertaken to improve the service, through the development of additional properties, capital leasing and the private rented sector. The report covers the approach to cold weather over winter 2024/25. Members are also informed of the transfer of empty homes work from Strategic Housing to the homeless service and the work that is being planned to reduce empty homes in the city.

The committee considered the report of the Strategic Director (Neighbourhoods) that provided an update on the demand and pressures on the homeless service, alongside the innovative ways in which the service was managing the demand through panels and improved IT access.

Key points and themes in the report included:

• Providing an introduction and background;
• Describing work that was being undertaken to improve the service through the development of additional properties, capital leasing and the private rented sector;
• The approach to cold weather over winter 2024/25;
• The transfer of empty homes from Strategic Housing to the homeless service; and
• The work that was being planned to reduce empty homes in the city.

Some of the key points and queries that arose from the committee’s discussions were:

·       Welcoming the improvements made;

·       If schools could refer pupils at risk of homelessness to the @HOME project;

·       The timescale for the @HOME project being rolled out in South Manchester and whether any consideration had been given to working with GP surgeries;

·       How many properties could be brought back into use through the work of the Empty Homes team;

·       How tenants with addiction issues were supported;

·       Noting the impact of temporary accommodation on local communities and services, and querying how this was balanced;

·       Whether new temporary accommodation schemes would be located in areas with a current high concentration;

·       The cost of privately sourcing properties and the impact of housing benefit rules;

·       The potential issue of the long-term leasing scheme inflating prices in the private rented sector;

·       Whether service users would be engaged in the introduction of the web-based Customer Portal;

·       How many single people were housed in B&Bs for more than six weeks;

·       The national trend for temporary accommodation and whether Manchester was bucking this;

·       Whether expenditure to source privately-sourced accommodation could be better used to purchase properties;

·       Recognising the importance of prevention work before a household is evicted; and

·       Providing examples of ‘hidden homelessness’.

The Statutory Deputy Leader introduced the report and stated that the Council’s Homelessness service operated in a challenging landscape but acknowledged that there were positive examples of work, such as the reduction in the number of families temporarily housed in B&Bs for more than 6 weeks which had been maintained since summer 2023. She stated that this type of temporary accommodation was now only used in exceptional circumstances and for short periods, which bucked the national trend. She commented that the service was focused on reducing the number of out-of-area placements and welcomed the new Labour government’s commitment to building social housing, tacking homelessness and ending Section 21 evictions.

The Assistant Director of Homelessness highlighted that the use of B&Bs as temporary accommodation was rising in other local authorities and reiterated that Manchester did not have any families housed in B&Bs for more than six weeks. He informed the committee that daily case panel meetings were held to match those presenting as homeless to suitable vacancies in temporary accommodation and these meetings were proving successful. He emphasised  ...  view the full minutes text for item 37.

Report of the Strategic Director (Neighbourhoods)

The report provides data on people presenting as homeless due to domestic violence and abuse, and provides an update on the work undertaken to support them.

The Committee considered the report of the Strategic Director (Neighbourhoods) that provided data on people presenting as homeless due to domestic violence and abuse and provided an update on the work undertaken to support them.

Key points and themes in the report included:

• Providing an introduction and background, noting that domestic abuse and violence was one of the top three reasons for homelessness in Manchester;
• Domestic abuse was a significant and strategic priority for the Community Safety Partnership, and its constituent partner agencies and services;
• Statistics that showed the victim/survivor data for all domestic violence and abuse incidents, broken down by ethnicity;  
• Statistics that showed the perpetrator/suspect data for all domestic abuse and violence incidents, broken down by ethnicity; 
• Manchester comparison to Core Cities data; 
• Consideration of the demand for services;  
• Information on the Safe Accommodation Duty;  
• Information on Commissioned Safe Accommodation;  
• Consideration of children affected by domestic abuse and violence;  
• Commissioned support services for people affected by domestic abuse; 
• Women Rough Sleeping Census; 
• The Safer at Home scheme (previously Sanctuary Scheme); and
• Support to help move on into settled accommodation for people who have experienced domestic abuse and violence. 

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

·       Noting the increase in the number of domestic abuse referrals and querying how this would be addressed;

·       Noting that 24% of domestic violence incidents happened in the presence of a child, querying what support services were in place for children witnessing domestic violence;

·       Why figures in the report relating to victim/survivor and suspect/perpetrator ethnicity did not add up to 100%;

·       Requesting that the language in the report be changed to avoid suggesting that domestic abuse was linked to economic deprivation;

·       How the Council and partners interacted with frontline workers responding to domestic violence;

·       Whether the Council continued to provide safe rooms in homes under the Safer at Home scheme;

·       Querying the possible reasons for the low percentage of Chinese people being assessed as their main reason for being homelessness as domestic abuse;

·       Work to address female genital mutilation (FGM); and

·       If Greater Manchester Police (GMP) informed schools when a child witnessed domestic violence;

The Strategic Lead (Homelessness) explained that domestic abuse was the third highest reason for homelessness in Manchester and that the number of people presenting as homelessness due to domestic abuse from ethnic minority backgrounds was in line with the general population of the city and other Core Cities. She highlighted that there was an increasing level of demand for housing support, but prevention and partnership work was having a positive impact.

In response to members’ queries, the Strategic Lead (Homelessness) stated that there had been a significant increase in the number of domestic abuse referrals since the pandemic and explained that the service worked with commissioned and non-commissioned providers across the city. She stated that there were increased levels of domestic violence in specific wards, which she commented could be linked to where families were accommodated after experiencing domestic violence or where there  ...  view the full minutes text for item 38.

Report of the Assistant Chief Executive

The Our Manchester Funds portfolio provides significant support to the city’s Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector. Mainly comprised of the Our Manchester Voluntary and Community Sector (OMVCS) Fund, the Supporting Communities Fund (SCF) and the VCFSE infrastructure contract, the programme also includes numerous other grant funding, partnership working and specialist functions that have evolved over time. The work is managed by the Our Manchester Funds programme team who have produced an Annual Report for 2023/24, providing statistics and stories of impact from across the year. This update to the Committee summarises the Annual Report and its highlights.

The Committee considered the report of the Assistant Chief Executive that provided detailed information on the work of the OMVCS Fund and the progress and impact of other grants programmes.

Key points and themes in the report included:

• Providing an introduction and background including a description of the scope of the Our Manchester Funds Programme Annual Report;
• Describing the highlights of the 2023/24 report; and
• Next steps.

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

·       Commending the work of the Our Manchester Funds programme and team;

·       Leadership and development activities for Black, Asian and Minority Ethnic (BAME) groups;

·       How members could be kept informed of organisations in Manchester to signpost residents to;

·       What would happen following the end of the Supporting Communities Fund in 2025; and

·       Support for VCSE organisations in North Manchester.

The Statutory Deputy Leader highlighted that 119 organisations supporting 127,000 service users had received funding through Our Manchester Funds and the committee were presented with a video which highlighted the impact of this investment.

The Policy and Programmes Manager (Communities & VCSE) explained that the Our Manchester Funds programme had worked with seven BAME-led organisations to address underrepresentation in funding. He stated that the Council was aiming to work with a reference group on an ongoing basis and acknowledged that proportionate funding for BAME groups was a historic issue and that there were opportunities in the funding system to help these organisations.

The Chief Executive, Macc advised members that his organisation’s website included a directory of all voluntary and community groups operating in the city and users could search for specific sectors, work, communities and wards. He agreed to share the link to this with members.

The Assistant Chief Executive confirmed that the Supporting Communities Fund would end in April 2025 and a decision had not been made regarding what followed this. He recognised the work and impact of the funding and what it helped to deliver but acknowledged the wider financial challenges facing local government, reminding the committee that budget options would be presented in November.

In response to a query from the Chair regarding support for organisations in North Manchester, the Policy and Programmes Manager (Communities & VCSE) stated that the Our Manchester Fund had supported the outcomes of the North Manchester Inquiry and North Manchester Together Network. He also highlighted the work of the Conversations 2 Cash programme which provided practical support to groups. This work was ongoing and significant progress had been made. The Chief Executive, Macc explained that his organisation was involved in the work of the North Manchester Together Network, and it was a priority for Macc to target available funding in this part of the city.

The Chair asked officers to express the committee’s gratitude to all organisations and volunteers who deliver services and support to the city’s residents and communities.

Decision:

That the report be noted.

Report of the Assistant Chief Executive

Manchester has a thriving Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector that is supported by the Council’s infrastructure contract delivered by Macc. This report updates the Committee on the delivery of the contract during the first quarter of 2024/25. The report summarises the background and scope of the contract and outlines progress made against the seven outcome areas. For clarity and consistency, it is proposed that future Committee updates follow a similar format to this report.

The Committee considered the report of the Assistant Chief Executive that described that Manchester had a thriving Voluntary, Community, Faith and Social Enterprise (VCFSE) sector that was supported by the Council’s infrastructure contract delivered by Macc. The report provided an update on the delivery of the contract during the first quarter of 2024/25.

Key points and themes in the report included:

• Providing an introduction;
• Summarising the background and scope of the contract;
• Outlining progress made against the seven outcome areas against which delivery was monitored and evaluated; and
• Conclusions.

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

·       The steps taken to build capacity and future representation on boards and networks; and

·       Work with schools and colleges to encourage and promote volunteering.

The Assistant Chief Executive stated that the VCSE Infrastructure Contract was developed through an independent review which highlighted the continued strong demand from the sector for infrastructure support. He stated that the specification was delivered by Macc and aimed to reflect the needs of the VCSE sector in Manchester with seven outcome areas: capacity building; funding support; communication and engagement; collaboration; involvement in decisions; volunteering; and responding to major incidents where required. He stated that each of these outcomes had a strong focus on equalities, diversity and inclusion. These outcomes were monitored through contact management between the Our Manchester Funds teams and Macc on a quarterly basis. He highlighted a stable level of demand compared to previous years and reiterated that the Infrastructure Contract was just one source of support for voluntary organisations. It was recognised that the budget had not increased, and the balance of supply and demand needed to be finely managed in this context.

The Chief Executive, Macc stated that several established boards stopped meeting during the pandemic and Macc’s policy team was currently undertaking an audit of all spaces with VCSE representation to identify gaps. He stated that the organisation would be introducing a ‘buddy’ system to allow future leaders to shadow current representatives, particularly those from ethnic minority communities. A relaunch of Macc’s website was scheduled to go live on 16 September and he agreed to circulate further information on this to members.

In response to a query regarding work with schools and colleges, the Chief Executive, Macc highlighted a GM-wide project that was developing leadership training for established and future leaders within the VCSE sector. He stated that this would take a similar approach to Conversations 2 Cash and he also highlighted the work of One Million Mentors, which provided advice to young people on careers in the VCSE sector.

In concluding this item, the Chair requested that officers extend the committee’s thanks to all voluntary organisations providing support and services to residents and communities in the city.

Decision:

That the report be noted.

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. The committee also received a quarterly performance update for the Manchester Community Safety Partnership for information.

In response to queries, it was confirmed that the Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester had been invited to the meeting in December for the Crime and Policing item and had confirmed her attendance. It was also confirmed that the scope of this report included public confidence levels in Greater Manchester Police.

Decision:

That the report be noted.