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 and Deputy Leader both reported on the unveiling of an £8m package of support in response to the cost of living crisis which could adversely affect up to 100,000 Manchester households this winter.  The money was being made available to support residents across the city through the expansion of welfare schemes, as well as helping to provide access to food.  The response had been inspired by the Council’s work during the Covid-19 pandemic when emergency hubs were set up to help provide people with essentials.  To ensure the widest safety net possible would be created, the Council would also take the lead in organising a cost-of-living summit that will bring together partner organisations in Manchester, marshalling their resources and providing a united front to help residents at risk.

In addition the Council would also continue to lobby central government on the urgent need to provide a Covid-like package of support to residents and businesses.  Calls would also be made urging the government to increase the National Minimum Wage to match the Real Living Wage, and to increase Universal Credit and other benefits in line with inflation.

The Executive Member for Housing and Development provided an update on the progress that had been made with the commencement of construction for 274 low carbon homes (130 of them for social rent) in Collyhurst as part of the transformative Victoria North project.  This phase of development included more than £35m of public investment and formed part of the wider Victoria North project to deliver 15,000 homes to the north of the city centre over the next decade, with at least 20% of them designated as affordable housing.

The Executive Member for Skills, Employment and Leisure reported on the opening of Wythenshawe Cycle Hub, a state-of-the-art cycle hub located around the park’s existing athletics track area which included a pump track, a learn to ride area, mountain bike skills zone, woodland trails and a family trail.  The new hub was designed to encourage Manchester residents to get on their bikes and enable them to practice cycling in a safe, traffic-free environment.

The Executive Member for Vibrant Neighbourhoods reported on the opening of Mayfield Park, Manchester’s first new city centre park in more than a century, consisting of a new 6.5 acre green oasis in the heart of the city.  The new park – the first phase in the £1.5bn Mayfield masterplan which was creating a new sustainable, mixed-use neighbourhood close to Piccadilly train station – created a family-friendly and inclusive green space with significant ecological benefits.

The Deputy Executive Member for Environment reported on the latest quarterly update report on the Council’s Climate Change Action Plan 2020-25, which highlighted that the Council remained on target to halve the its direct emissions by 2025, in line with the goal to become completely net zero carbon by 2038 or earlier.  Since 2018/19 the Council had remained within its carbon budget.  Figures for the first three months of municipal year 2022/23 (April-June inclusive) showed that the Council had emitted 5,366 tonnes of CO2 – 9% less than last year and just 22% of the total budget for the year which was 24,784 tonnes.

The Deputy Leader (Statutory) reported on the strong social value impact the Our Town hall project was having on the city through its spending and employment practices – supporting local businesses and creating a legacy of skills, jobs and inspiration for Manchester residents.           It was not just meeting those targets but exceeding them, generating an estimated £13.1m worth of social value benefits.  Almost 60% of its spending had been with Manchester-based businesses, compared to a target of 40%, and 45% of the workforce consisted of local labour, against a 30% target.  Some 237 new jobs had been created through the project with 40% of these filled by Manchester residents. So far 75 apprenticeships (level two and three) had been created with 68 of them taken up by Manchester people, and a further 48 higher level apprenticeships.  The Our Town Hall project had also provided 110 work placements and almost 6,000 hours of volunteering on community and charity projects in the city. 

Decision

The Executive note the report