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 Leader placed on record her thanks to all Council staff, partners and residents of the city who worked with the Council in recognition of the Council wining the LGC Council of the year Award 2022. 

The Executive Member for Early Years, Children and Young People reported on the planned opening of a new High School, to be run by Dixons Academies Trust and serving the community in and around Newall Green and Wythenshawe in September 2023.  The new co-educational free school – to be known as Dixons Newall Green – would open to pupils in Year 7 from next September on the site of the former Newall Green High School.  He also reported on a programme of events that took place 11-16 July to celebrate and promote the importance of a child’s early life.  Free activities and events took place in cultural and leisure venues across the city, as well as Sure Start centres, for 0-2 year olds and their families with information and advice provided. In addition, the Executive Member reported on the Bee Green Summit, for school and college leaders who wanted to cut carbon emissions in their institutions which attracted more than 100 delegates representing 80 educational settings.

Councillor Leech queried what the cost had been to the Council’s Education Services for the closure ofthe former Newall Green High School.  He asked if a progress report could be provided to a future meeting on the impact of the Bee Green Summit.

The Executive Member for Environment and Transport reported on the proposals that had been put forward for Deansgate, which would keep in place measures to reduce the amount of vehicular traffic using Deansgate.  The proposals for Deansgate aimed to maintain a balance between the space already given over to cyclist and pedestrians and the infrastructure still required for public transport and taxis.

Councillor Leech asked if there was any empirical evidence of what had happened to the traffic that was no longer travelling along Deansgate and what potential impact these proposals would have on Clean Air Plans.

The Deputy Executive Member for Skills, Employment and Leisure reported on the success of the city, as one of nine host cities of the UEFA Women’s European Championships. From 6 July to 31 July, Piccadilly Gardens was hosting a fan festival, welcoming fans from competing nations, showing games on a big screen, offering food and drink and a range of events and activities including football taster sessions.  The fan zone had welcomed fans from a variety of European countries – all of whom had played group games in Greater Manchester.

The Executive Member for Healthy Manchester and Adult Social Care reported that Manchester’s Health and Wellbeing board had given its support to a Greater Manchester Integrated Care Partnership project on smoke free outdoor spaces.  The partnership would begin public consultation on 8 August 2022 and as part of this consideration would be given to a number of potential pilot sites in the city centre.  The project was intended to complement work currently being undertaken on Manchester’s Outdoor Spaces Strategy and wider health campaigns to encourage people to stop smoking.

Councillor Leech commented that he hoped this pilot would not impact on smokers behaviour with a rise in people smoking at home amongst family members and sought clarity around the enforcement of smoking in open public spaces.

Decision

The Executive notes the report.