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  • Not Good – Inspections of key services confirm Trafford’s worst fears

    Not Good – Inspections of key services confirm Trafford’s worst fears

    Adult and Children’s inspection Reports across Greater Manchester

    Adult Social CareChildren’s Services
    BoltonGoodFeb26GoodSep23
    BuryGoodJun26Requires ImprovementJun25
    ManchesterGoodAug26OutstandingOct25
    OldhamGoodFeb26GoodMay24
    RochdaleGoodJun26Requires ImprovementFeb23
    SalfordInadequateMay26GoodNov23
    StockportGoodMay26Requires ImprovementMay25
    TamesideRequires ImprovementJun26InadequateDec23
    TraffordRequires ImprovementAug26InadequateJun26
    WiganOutstandingMar26GoodOct25

    Trafford has found itself in the unenviable position of receiving two critical inspection reports in quick succession. There’s been a political furore and urgent meetings in the middle of August have had to be scheduled.

    Adult Social Services

    Because all of Greater Manchester’s Adult Services have been inspected in quick succession, I think it’s useful to compare these across Greater Manchester.

    Most of our neighbours have been rated as ‘Good’.

    Wigan are rated as ‘Outstanding’.

    Salford have been given an ‘Inadequate’ mark.

    That leaves Tameside and Trafford as ‘Requiring Improvement’.

    Children’s Services

    The inspections into Children’s Services have been taking place over a much longer period going back to 2023. Trafford is the only Greater Manchester Council that’s had an inspection this year. Trafford’s Children’s Services have been rated as inadequate.

    The opening paragraph of the inspection report is corruscating.

    Since the previous inspection in 2022, when services in Trafford were judged as requires improvement to be good, leaders have been ineffective in recognising, prioritising and making improvements to some service shortfalls.

    Practice with children in care and for some care-experienced young people has improved, but there has been a serious deterioration in service areas, such as front door response. This has left some children at risk of harm.

    This is serious. Yes, there’s some positive comments in sections of the report, but those opening paragraphs are damning.

    But surely Tameside is in the same place as Trafford?

    It’s true that Tameside has received the same combination, but the three year time lapse has made it noticeably less febrile there. Maybe, that’s somewhat unfair, but we can’t make Tameside react differently.

    So, where does that leave us?

    Trafford have issued a public response to the Ofsted report.

    Work is already under way to strengthen children’s services.

    … improving decision-making and management oversight at the Front Door, where contacts and referrals are first received and assessed…

    …focusing on specific areas identified in the inspection, the response to children at risk of significant harm, safety planning, support for 16 and 17 year old homeless children, young carers…

    Democratic oversight will be provided by the Children’s Scrutiny Committee.

    I welcome the involvement of Scrutiny. Shirley Procter as chair of Children’s scrutiny has a wealth of experience of children’s services. There is no one better to run with this.

    However, I can’t help reflecting on the council’s suspension of all scrutiny for a big part of last year. I hope the leadership will reflect on their tendency to close down oversight whenever there’s opportunity. I suspect scrutiny would have brought some of these issues to the fore ahead of Ofsted.

    The speed with which questioning of the Executive was suppressed during the Mayoral election suggests the openness promised in the response may not be observed in practice. This is not a council executive characterised by its inclusive governance.

    The Extraordinary Council Meetings

    The Council Meeting will take place on the 26th August, the meeting of Children’s scrutiny precedes it on the 25th. Of the two, the scrutiny is likely to be by far the more constructive. It really depends how open the Executive is to its shortcomings, and to the extent to which it is receptive to advice.

    The Conservatives have already made it clear that they are pursuing the resignation of the Labour Leader, Tom Ross, at the Council Meeting.

    Is there a case for resignations?

    The objective argument is whether the resignation of the leader allows a more proactive examination of how to deliver these services to the required standard.

    I don’t think one ought to be sentimental about this. I’ve seen leaders hang on when circumstances conspire. It’s the party that loses as a consequence.

    A shift to inclusivity might well entail some changes to personnel. However, I don’t think it will happen. In fact, the Tory approach makes even less likely to happen. The council will divide on party lines and the leadership will receive a vote of confidence.

    That potential vote of confidence is troubling. You can’t draw a simple line under a verdict that ‘there has been a serious deterioration in service areas, such as front door response. This has left some children at risk of harm.’

    I would prefer the Conservatives to avoid a vote on resignations. They are entitled to make capital. It ought to be an opportunity for constructive input.

    Can we be assured that the risk of harm will be mitigated?

    The inspection has provoked a response across social media from carers and young people that have interacted with children’s services. I wouldn’t call it an explosion, but there’s certainly been some.

    We really need the voices of people who’ve been engaged with Children’s Services to be heard. They won’t be served by a political bun fight and obfuscation.

    We really need to be shining a light on how things are put right. The risk is that the opposite will happen and the matter is locked down.

  • I care!

    I care!

    A leader that gives every sign he thinks that rules are for suckers is the last thing this country needs.

    Laurie Noble, CC BY 3.0 , via Wikimedia Commons link

  • Whoah! Hold your horses!

    Whoah! Hold your horses!

    Keir Starmer will not be the leader of the Labour Party at the next election!

    That question seems to be settled. I’m not sure anything else is sorted, nor should it be. Why the rush into the unknown?

    Everyone knows that Andy Burnham wants the job. Everyone knows that Wes Streeting wants the job. It seems clear that Andy Burnham would win a contest within the Parliamentary Labour Party. It’s not clear that Andy Burnham wants a contest.

    Keir Starmer is considering his position.

    This could get very messy

    The only person that can really dictate the process is Keir Starmer and we really need for him to put his foot down….firmly!

    Neither Andy Burnham, nor Wes Streeting, nor indeed any other candidate, is in any position to hit the ground running.

    Starmer is the only one who can hold it together until they are ready

    Starmer needs to accept that he’s going to have to handover when the successor is chosen and they’re ready to go.

    There’s no reason that Starmer can’t invite all declared candidates to start the preparatory work before the contest begins. In fact, I think he should insist upon it. He should instruct his ministers to be completely open and give as much access as is possible.

    The end of that process is the time for the party to choose the leader, and the party can test their readiness to take over.

    I’m no longer a member, but I trust the membership once there are programmes for Government that can be put to them.

    collage of images – all creative commons from wikimedia.

  • Just to be different!

    Just to be different!

    Good News!

    LabourList, the independent platform for Labour supporters, published its roundup of positive news this morning.

    Despite the challenging times for Labour, the update is surprisingly encouraging.

    The LabourList summary highlights several promising initiatives that show why having a Labour Government matters:

    • Proposals to protect unmarried couples by ensuring access to shared property and inheritance rights, addressing the current lack of financial safeguards when relationships end, which often leaves vulnerable individuals—especially survivors of domestic abuse—at risk.
    • Plans to double the maximum duration of closure orders for dodgy high street shops.
    • Measures requiring tech companies to automatically block nude images on children’s smartphones and tablets by default.
    • A £20 million investment enabling high street opticians to refer patients directly to NHS hospital eye services.

    And it doesn’t stop there.

    This morning the government announced a £4.5 billion plan to expand walking, wheeling and cycling, aiming to build 5,000 new active‑travel routes, install 10,000 safer crossings, and shift more everyday journeys—especially school runs—away from cars.

    • Delivering this will save households money, including up to £1,700 per year if a second car is replaced with active travel for short trips
    • Improve public health, potentially freeing up 1.7 million GP appointments and reducing 4.4 million sick days annually
    • Cut carbon emissions and reduce congestion
    • Boost local economies through healthier, more connected communities.

    Locally, the emphasis on walkability fits very well with Stretford’s resurgence and indeed Urmston’s long term prosperity. Urban centres are increasingly the biggest gainers from trends towards local provision.

    So, in this vein, last night’s Planning Committee welcomed the application for Grub’s open food hall application in Stretford. The assumption was very much on a walkable destination.

    And lastly, keeping up the positive news, I was delighted to see that our hospital trust MFT, which runs most of our hospital facilities in Trafford and Manchester including Trafford General, Manchester Royal Infirmary and Wythenshawe Hospital amongst others has in the words of Manchester Evening News surged up the rankings.

    I have a personal reason for taking particular pleasure in MFT’s improved performance having served as a governor of the trust for the past three years. So I know how hard everyone within the trust has worked to achieve this. Big congratulations to everyone xxx

    (It looks like I am soon to submit to a major procedure in the hands of the trust, so I need to be nice haha)

    Featured Image: “Can you guess which house the Manchester City fans live in?” by Dunk 🐝, CC BY 2.0 gently cropped

  • Budget 26 – the fallout

    Budget 26 – the fallout

    Trafford’s 26/27 budget passed its final hurdle when it was approved by council. It was a dreadful meeting that you can watch here in all its glory on YouTube:

    https://www.youtube.com/live/MUVmRcbQjWw?si=NSBS4Tzz5YQ_zxOG

    • The Conservatives accepted the plan to borrow up to £12.6m to support the budget for the year, but verbally rejected the need to increase council tax above the 4.99% ceiling. (There was some knockabout debate about whether their motion did indeed limit the council tax rise, but they were definitely prepared to borrow.)
    • The Lib Dems took the view that since we were nowhere near a balanced budget without borrowing, the finance officer should declare bankruptcy under section 114 and demand government intervention.
    • The Greens accepted the budget, but because they oppose the relief road in Carrington (although it’s not in the budget), they would vote against the budget.

    I voted for the budget and did so unreservedly. It’s my view that the Council Leadership and their officers have correctly held their nerve against further cuts to services and resolved to pressure for a fairer settlement.

    What made it a really poor debate was that the architects of our misfortune were almost completely left out of the debate.

    I remain a Labour man and will always try to defend their choices, but the Government’s finance settlement is ludicrously miscued. They have rightly targeted areas of higher levels of deprivation for extra funding, but they’ve sourced that funding from middling council areas. Places like Trafford, Warrington and Crewe have all been pushed into taking out huge loans to support day to day spending. Not so long ago, councillors who voted for such budgets would have been personally surcharged. Now government wants us put our budget on the tick and it barely gets a mention.

    Northwest Councils requiring borrowing to support revenue.

    If you cross the River Mersey in the right places you can travel from Southport to Worcestershire on a continuous route through boroughs receiving the same punishment beating as Trafford.

    I’m no fan of Morgan McSweeney’s friend, the Maga hat wearing Steve Reed, who is the Local Government minister that targeted the North West’s commuter belt, but surely he can see these places are not just the homes of premier league footballers, but contain levels of deprivation and isolation just as chronic as inner-cities. We need to get angry.

    What happens now?

    I suppose it’s easy for me stamping my feet. Trafford’s leadership has to continue to make the case through the normal channels and to seek Greater Manchester support, even assistance. I’d like to see us making a more collective call with the other councils, particularly those in the North West.

    The Conservative Party are moving a no-confidence motion at Council tonight that sounds like it’s been dictated to by a caller to Talk Radio. It’s all over the place. It will be a farcical debate that will be lucky to get 15 minutes granted to it. The financial management of the council is the wrong thing to take on, and in any event, we’re about 7 weeks from an election, where the public decide their backing for the council.

    Thankfully, I won’t be able to attend tonight’s council meeting, but the Conservatives really ought to pull that motion. It’s just a rant from them.

    Finally,

    So, this is really the last piece on Budget 26. I’ve enjoyed writing the articles. They’ve helped me focus and try to unpick a budget that wasn’t afforded the level of scrutiny that should be mandatory. That said, the budget that eventually was revealed to councillors is probably the right one. There’ll be a tweak here or there that I’d make, but I don’t think it’s massively wrong.

    However, whilst the budget may have emerged from this intact, the democratic mechanics in Trafford have broken and the checks that should enable input from outside the Council Executive and Corporate Leadership simply aren’t functioning. The closedown of council for two by-elections held in quick succession took away 80% of the time normally allotted to budget scrutiny and had no basis in guidance. That is serious.

    Just as serious is the lack of public engagement. The community knows that consultation has become a word that the council uses that has no relation to its English meaning. Not so long ago the trajectory was towards co-production of budgets with participation. It’s gone backwards during my time as councillor.

    The public have declining confidence in those low-level spending decisions, which roads get prioritised, which parks, where ‘hubs’ are located. This may be the right budget for Trafford, but I doubt the public will believe that it will be administered fairly. They see where money is spent and where it is not spent, but explanations are never easily available and cynicism is a natural consequence.

    Councils are not overlords. We as councillors are representatives of the electors, and officers are agents of that representation. We’ve got to allow public into decisions on how their council tax is spent.

    Last words

    It’s a god-awful settlement from government on how much of the money raised in Trafford can be spent in Trafford. There’s not much else that can be said.

    image: Steve Reed Lauren Hurley / No 10 Downing Street, OGL 3 http://www.nationalarchives.gov.uk/doc/open-government-licence/version/3, via Wikimedia Commons

  • Impressions of a council that’s not sleeping well

    Impressions of a council that’s not sleeping well

    Happening at the Council

    The Care Quality Commission visited Trafford for its inspection of Adult Social Services last week. This is a big moment for Trafford.

    Council Meeting last week

    Political Motions to council (5)

    Link to the Motions section on the Council meeting agenda

    What can I say?

    I did as I was told. I kept my mouth shut as instructed. I voted as whipped. 

    Ultimately, it was a mix of posturing and moral scolding. The more we are removed from the neighbourhoods we represent, the more we inhabit an alternate universe. Nobody wins and you won’t hear of these motions again. It’s just hierarchies reinforcing themselves. The people sat on the council dais win. That is all. 

    We’ve got to find new ways of highlighting serious issues.

    Council Finances

    The period from October to December is typically the time when the next year’s budget comes together. Assumptions are made about the Government’s settlement and other unknowns such as pay settlements. 

    I notice my old friend, former Councillor Jonathan Coupe, has been raising the absence of a draft budget.

    Screenshot

    I was scheduled to be a member of a scrutiny committee from late summer. It never met and meetings scheduled for December have now been cancelled. Jonathan is right to question where we are.

    I think this tells you how much depends on the final Local Government Settlement. We are never given the actual date, but it was the 18th December, which triggered our application for Exceptional Financial Support from the Government in 2024. Given that £9.6m of that financial support was not consolidated, but was actually a borrowing facility that will have to be paid back over time,  I would have preferred a worst case budget for 2026/27. I hope the Government understands the financial precipice I suspect we’re standing over.

    The monitoring report for the current year is to be presented at tonight’s executive.  It looks like we’re on course to spend that £9.6m capitalisation. All things being equal, that would leave us needing to make up that £9.6m just to stand still without any increases in costs. 

    The government has recently published its fair funding review. We won’t know the full impact until the settlement is published, but prioritising support for the most deprived councils won’t necessarily help Trafford. 

    Executive Meeting 8th December

    Apart from the current in-year budget position there’s a couple of other items on the agenda;

    • Potential compulsory purchase New Street Altrincham – L&Q have a development there.
    • Memorandum of Understanding with L&Q on future working collaboration

    I would have preferred this memorandum of understanding to have undergone pre-decision scrutiny. Were L&Q working collaboratively when they emptied Circle Court?

    • Corporate Performance 13 indicators rated Green, 16 rated amber/red
    • Activation of Trafford’s Cultural Strategy – go ahead for Trafford Is… platform
    • Urmston Plan – all councils do this type of thing and you’re left feeling wouldn’t it have been better to just do some implementation. We knew that the Urmston Market site was frustrating residents. Has this ‘plan’ brought about any resolution?
    • Advanced Manufacturing Skills Programme – our contribution to a GM wide programme.

    Planning Committee applications

    None within the ward, but Stretford Town Centre is important to many of our residents. This will be heard on Thursday evening.

    • Lacy Street – Residential development (use class C3) of 53 dwellings with associated amenity space, access, car and cycle parking, external landscaping, drainage and other associated works.

      The recommendation is for members of the committee to grant this application from Trafford Council. I’m on record as opposing it as an unsuitable use of this prime location.

    It’s hard to imagine a less walking/cycling friendly junction. Just as the Urmston plan is advocating raised crossings, Stretford proposes fast corners to the junctions in the centre of Stretford. Front doors and gardens onto Chester Road are brave at best.