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 Executive Member for Early Years, Children and Young People reported on the opening of the Crossacres Family Hub, which was the third such one-stop-shop for families to open in the city, following the opening over the summer of similar family hubs in Longsight and Cheetham.  The hubs provided a range of advice, support and services, all targeted at parents, children, and young adults.  The hubs hade been set up to provide access to a wide range of services to help families navigate all aspects of family life - from health issues such as infant feeding, mental health support, and stopping smoking, to building better relationships, accessing school and education support, as well as providing advice on jobs, skills training, and next steps post-18.  The family hubs were one element of the broader five-year Making Manchester Fairer action plan which aimed to address inequalities in the city, recognising that these could start early on in life and affect everything from people’s work and housing prospects to their life expectancy. The plan also included work around tackling cost of living pressures and poverty, which are also integral to improving health and wellbeing.

He also reported on Youth and Play commissioning.  Since the Covid-19 pandemic there had been a significant uplift in funding for youth and play provision and through a combination of Council and external contributions, investment, in these services had grown by £4.6m from a base budget of £2.8m since 2020.  The current commissioning programme was transferred from Young Manchester to the Council on 1 April 2022. It was scheduled to end on 31 March 2023 but was extended to 31 December 2023 at the request of the sector. Grant awards for the last quarter of 23/24 and 24/25, to commence on 1 January 2024 and subject to due diligence, had been announced.  An additional £500,000 had been set aside by the Council in 2023/24 to support commissioning and sector development with organisations receiving up to £7,500 to support volunteer training, accredited training in youth and play work, capacity building and so on.

The Deputy Leader reported that comprehensive plans were being drawn up to provide assistance and emergency accommodation for people rough sleeping during periods of severe cold or other extreme weather this winter.  The proposed model for 2023/24 would build on lessons learned during 2022/23 to deliver a comprehensive cold weather offer to people sleeping rough and be activated when temperatures were forecasted to drop below zero for one night or when the Met Office issue a red weather warning.  Accommodation would predominantly be provided at Etrop Grange Hotel, which had been developed as an off-street offer for people sleeping rough. It had 74 bedspaces and could accommodate dogs, a key consideration for some people sleeping rough. Additional emergency overnight sit-up provision would also be made available.

The Deputy Executive Member for Housing and Development reported that the procurement process had begun for a joint venture partner to drive the transformative development plan for Wythenshawe town centre over the next 15 years.  The appointed partner would take a leading role in the ongoing management of the existing shopping centre whilst also considering the wider Council-owned land for redevelopment.

Councillor Johnson welcomed the progress being made with Wythenshawe town centre and asked a question in relation to the availability of SEND support at the family Hubs to which the Executive Member for Early Years, Children and Young People responded.

Decision

The Executive note the report.