Agenda item

Agenda item

Progress update on the development of the Our Manchester Strategy 2025-2035

Report of the Assistant Chief Executive.

 

This report provides an update on the development of a new Our Manchester Strategy 2025-2035. A project team and steering group was formed in late 2023 ahead of the phase 1 engagement being launched in early 2024. This report provides a summary of the approach to engagement, the overall phase 1 engagement reach and a summary of the findings that are most relevant to the work of the committee.

Minutes:

The Committee considered the report of the Assistant Chief Executive that provided an update on the development of a new Our Manchester Strategy 2025-2035. A project team and steering group was formed in late 2023 ahead of the phase 1 engagement being launched in early 2024. This report provides a summary of the approach to engagement, the overall phase 1 engagement reach and a summary of the findings that are most relevant to the work of the Committee.

 

Key points and themes in the report included:

 

·       Providing an introduction and background, describing that the Our Manchester Strategy 2025 was the ten-year strategy for the city and the current Our Manchester Strategy was due to expire in 2025;

·       Officers had completed the first phase of development for the next Our Manchester Strategy for 2025 to 2035; and

·       Providing an update on the activity undertaken to date, a summary of the outputs from the first phase of the development for the new strategy, and a summary of the next steps.

 

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

 

·       Why specific wording had been chosen for survey questions, particularly the question ‘What makes you proud of Manchester?’;

·       Noting that flytipping was a concern to respondents, and querying what impact this would have on the new Strategy;

·       The cost of the engagement exercise;

·       Engagement with businesses; and

·       How staff would be involved in the development of the new Strategy.

 

The Assistant Chief Executive introduced the report and provided a brief overview of the work to date on the development of the new Our Manchester Strategy. He stated that the first phase of the engagement focused on maximising the number of people having a say on the future of the city and ensuring diverse responses. He explained that this had resulted in an extensive engagement exercise with over 10,000 responses through a survey, in-person engagement and consultation with VCSE organisations and partnership boards and groups. He advised that emerging themes indicated a pride across the city for the people, character, diversity and community spirit of Manchester and that public transport, green spaces, cleanliness of the city and safety were areas which respondents suggested could be improved. He also stated that an extensive Equality Impact Assessment process had been undertaken and this enabled engagement to be targeted in difficult-to-reach areas. 

 

In response to the Chair’s query regarding the wording of questions, the Assistant Chief Executive stated that the purpose of the Strategy was to be ambitious and visionary and intended to look ahead to the future.

 

The Assistant Chief Executive recognised that the cleanliness of the city was identified as a key priority for respondents in the survey and he expected this to feature in the priorities of the new Strategy. He stated that the Our Manchester Strategy was the overall strategy for the city, which would inform other strategies and policies, and Place Plans would be developed and were likely to include cleanliness as a key theme alongside other local factors of importance.

 

In response to a query regarding the cost of the engagement process, members were advised that a small budget had been allocated for this and used mainly on communication materials. The Assistant Chief Executive stated that the main cost was officers’ time attending in-person events but emphasised the importance and value of engaging with residents and stakeholders.

 

The Assistant Chief Executive stated that officers were able to distinguish responses between those who took part in in-person engagement sessions and voluntary sector engagement and those who completed the survey. Responses could also be broken down by categories where respondents had provided their details, such as age, disability, race, religion and area of the city they live in. The Assistant Chief Executive stated that this would help to consider feedback in more detail and weight accordingly.

 

In response to consultation with businesses, it was acknowledged that 6% of responses came from business owners but this was in contrast to a high number of respondents who lived in and visited the city.

 

It was confirmed that the initial responses from the first phase of engagement were unweighted.

 

The Deputy Leader reiterated that the aim of the engagement work was to gain an understanding of what the Council could do better, and this would form part of the implementation of the new Strategy. The Assistant Chief Executive commented that the five Our Manchester Behaviours were a set of workforce behaviours that had been adopted to help deliver the current Strategy. He stated that there was additional workforce support, such as the Our Manchester Experience training venue, which advised on how these behaviours should be applied in employees roles. He expressed further commitment to developing the Our Manchester Behaviours to ensure consistency across services.

 

Members were also advised that work was underway through the Making Manchester Fairer programme to improve the ways in which the Council engaged with communities, and this would be reported to Communities and Equalities Scrutiny Committee.

 

Decision:

 

To note the report.

Supporting documents: