Report of the Assistant Chief Executive.

This report describes the background to and process of creating a new Our Manchester Strategy for the city.

The committee considered a report of the Assistant Chief Executive which described the background to and process of creating a new Our Manchester Strategy.

Key points and themes within the report included:

·       Providing an introduction and background to the Our Manchester Strategy, which identified aims and objectives for the future of the city and how this would be achieved;

·       Progress made against the current Strategy;

·       Issues and areas for improvement, which would be included in the new Strategy;

·       The development process and timeline for the new Strategy;

·       How citywide engagement would be undertaken; and 

·       Next steps, including an update to all Scrutiny Committees in July 2024 on the outcome of the engagement process.

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

·       If the list of high-profile achievements in the report was definitive, and suggesting that being named a UNICEF Child-Friendly City be included;

·       If the Strategy could be shared with deaf organisations;

·       How the refreshed Strategy would address health inequalities;

·       What engagement would be undertaken with educational institutions and businesses;

·       How the Strategy would stay relevant for the full 10 years;

·       The importance of making residents aware of the Strategy;

·       If public engagement would be impacted by the pre-election period;

·       If any consideration had been given to colours and fonts in line with accessibility requirements;

·       Whether trade unions would be consulted on the refreshed Strategy;

·       Noting that the report stated there were 72,000 more workers in Manchester, and seeking clarification on the definition of a worker;

·       The sources for statistics included in the report, which differed from Census data;

·       Whether the achievements listed in the report were as a direct result of the strategies implemented by the Council or the effect of wider demographic change;

·       Requesting that members be provided with a list of the residents groups to be consulted, to ensure a comprehensive list;

·       The challenges facing the hospitality and nighttime economy sector and the need to involve these in the development of the refreshed Strategy;

·       Whether figures on homelessness included people temporarily living with family or friends; and

·       How the consultation would understand and address the importance of balancing the different needs of different communities and groups.

The Assistant Chief Executive stated that the Our Manchester Strategy was an overarching strategy for the city and was being refreshed for 2025-2035. He explained that the Strategy provided a framework for other strategies and policies and included 5 broad themes, which would be redeveloped for the new Strategy. The report highlighted how the city had changed since the implementation of the current Strategy, including successes and challenges which would be included in the refreshed version. He explained that there would be a significant focus on engagement by conversing directly with residents and making use of public activities already planned. A digital survey was ongoing, and engagement would be targeted and inclusive with a strong focus on cultural competency. There would be face-to-face engagement and paper copies of the survey for those without digital access and officers would work closely with Neighbourhoods colleagues and ward members to identify local opportunities and issues. A further report would be brought to the committee in July 2024 with the outcomes of the engagement sessions and the emerging themes for the Strategy, with the draft Strategy scheduled to be considered by the committee in November.

The Chair commented that he had shared the consultation with residents in his ward and had received feedback that this was easy to use.

In response to a question regarding the list of high-profile achievements in the report, the Assistant Chief Executive stated that these were examples rather than an exhaustive list. He also explained that UNICEF and the Child-Friendly City work would be aligned with the new Strategy and meetings had already taken place with officers involved in this work. Activities with Manchester Youth Council, young carers and schools across the city were already planned as part of the public engagement exercise to ensure that young voices were heard.

Officers also agreed to look into creating British Sign Language resources at the request of a member.

The Assistant Chief Executive acknowledged the different health inequalities faced by residents in different areas and of different demographics in Manchester. He explained that addressing these inequalities was the objective of the Making Manchester Fairer action plan and he expected this to be a common theme within consultation responses. He stated that the Strategy would try to summarise the important areas and issues across the city and would help to inform other strategies and action plans, such as Making Manchester Fairer.

The committee was advised that the Council had effective business networks in place already and the Council would work with these to reach and engage with different sectors.

The Strategy and Economic Policy Manager stated that the Strategy would remain relevant because it would be pitched in a meaningful way and would have tangible objectives. He noted that the Strategy needed to have a broad focus with detail on specific areas of work.

Officers acknowledged the need for residents to be aware of the Strategy and its objectives and explained that engagement would be targeted in communities and that consultation events would be held in areas of high footfall, such as shopping centres and libraries in local communities. Work would also be undertaken with partners and the voluntary sector to ensure a wide range of input.

It was confirmed that public engagement on the Strategy could continue during the pre-election period.

The Assistant Chief Executive also advised that there had been some initial thought given to the colours and fonts to be used in the new Strategy. He noted that this would be a slight change from the current Strategy but stated that it was important to maintain the branding of the overall Strategy.

Assurances were also provided that trade unions would be consulted with.

In response to a query regarding the increased number of workers in the city, it was clarified that this referred to the number of jobs created in Manchester since the implementation of the current Strategy, but that this include people who worked in Manchester but were not residents. The Assistant Chief Executive advised that the Census data was viewed as unreliable for the purposes of the Strategy as some citizens were unaccounted for. He advised that figures around employment had been taken from labour market statistics. He explained that in the development of the new Strategy, deep dives would be taken into some areas and an analysis would be undertaken on the impact of the current Strategy.

In response to a request from a member, it was agreed to share a list of residents’ groups which would be consulted with. The Assistant Chief Executive also invited members to provide information of any other groups in their areas who might wish to be involved.

A member suggested that officers worked with colleagues in Business Rates toengage with hospitality and nighttime economy businesses during the collection period and the Assistant Chief Executive agreed to consider this with the Business Rates and Work and Skills teams. The Deputy Chief Executive and City Treasurer stated that a link to the consultation could be included in the annual billing communications to businesses.

The Strategy and Economic Policy Manager explained that consultation responses could be broken down by sector to provide greater insight into areas and industries that could be struggling most with the cost-of-living and inflation pressures.

The Assistant Chief Executive advised that the number of households in temporary accommodation mentioned in the report referred to those in Council-administered accommodation but endeavoured to confirm this after the meeting.

Officers acknowledged the possibility of tensions between different themes, but the purpose of the Strategy was to provide a blend of ambitions for the city which would inform different strategies and action plans to address specific issues.

Decision:

That the Committee

1.     notes the report;

2.     requests that members be provided with a list of all residents’ groups to be consulted with; and

3.     requests further information on the source(s) of statistics included in the report.