Canal27ways

Category: Weekly Updates

  • I’m back as councillor and it feels so good

    I’m back as councillor and it feels so good

    Let the light in

    I’ve always been committed to keeping people informed. Hopefully, you’ll get a sense of what I’ve been doing and be able to tell me what I’m doing wrong or doing right.

    I’m hoping to get my email address and phone number working this week and I’ll publish them as soon as they’re live.

    Not having email/phone hasn’t stopped me taking on casework/campaigns and people can still get in touch with me via the comments here, or via facebook/twitter.

    And here’s a taster of what I’ve been doing

    • Parkway road surface – Facebook has been flooded with comments on the road surface there. I’ve liaised with officers and there’s hope of the worst areas being addressed in the next few months. It’s an expensive job and they’re budgeting on it being something like a fifth of the total road spending. Fingers crossed.
    • Trees – There’s some very big highway trees that need managing (see photo). I’ve been championing the prioritisation of trees that residents have raised with me.
    • Overhanging Vegetation blocking footpaths – Reported one instance to the council after it was raised with me. A second instance on Barton Dock Road has been referenced but I’m awaiting the exact location.
    • Floating the issue of empty houses – This is more of a whim. There just seemed a lot of empty houses that I was coming across during the campaign. I raised it on social media and it seems to be worth pursuing as others were seeing the same; and I’ve seen some census figures that seem bear out the impression. I want to take it a little further.
    • Planning Concerns over plans for a new house on a garden plot in Davyhulme.
    • Amey Trying to update myself on how service level requirements might have evolved at review.

    Settling in

    Jill Axford is trying to get advice surgery locations sorted. We should have these in place in the next couple of weeks.

    With regard to which committees I’m sitting on, we’re having our group AGM this week.
    Tom Ross as leader has announced his cabinet/executive and it’s very much in continuity. Jo Harding gets the finance portfolio and she’ll be very good at it.

    It’ll be interesting to see how we evolve under Tom Ross’s leadership.

  • It looks like a busy meeting of Trafford’s Executive next Monday

    It seems to be a packed agenda for Monday’s meeting. It’s here that we get the best insight as to how the council is working. There’s a few initiatives reaching report stage and a few projects that are beginning to get going.

    Agenda

    • Greening Trafford Park and Low Carbon Trafford Park Studies
    • Leisure Investment – Levelling up Partington Sports Village
    • Trafford Moving Refresh
    • Walking, Wheeling and Cycling Strategy
    • Better Care Fund
    • Section 75 Agreement with MFT
    • 10 Year Estates Strategy
    • Altrincham Town Hall
    • Supported Housing Strategy
    • BAME Terminolology
    • Budget Monitoring

    Highlights

    Trafford Supported Housing Strategy

    This is probably the most important item on the agenda. For the first time, supported housing gets its own strategy rather lost within the wider housing provision.

    Trafford’s need in this area is stark.

    • Trafford has a greater mortality rate for those aged under 75 years with mental health needs compared to its nine nearest statistical neighbours.
    • Hospital admissions connected to self-harm in the most deprived ward of Trafford is
      43% higher than the national average
      .
    • The recorded prevalence of depression has increased by 6.4% since 2013/14

    Trafford’s mortality rate for those with mental health needs is shocking. Trafford hospitals have the highest ‘length of stay’ rate compared with the rest of Greater Manchester. Lack of suitable accommodation is one driving factor for this.

    The vision:

    Work collaboratively to provide a range of quality supported housing, and housing related support, to enable those with support needs to live independently in Trafford.

    The Strategy contains a breakdown of supported housing need, current provision, future provision, and strategic objectives relating to each of the following need groups:

    • Domestic Abuse
    • Ex-offenders
    • Learning disabilities and Autism
    • Mental Health
    • Physical and Sensory Disabilities
    • Substance Misuse
    • Young People
    • Complex Needs

    It’s easy to see that under-provision in this area triggers excess demand in so many of our services, particularly health and policing.

    Greening Trafford Park and Low Carbon Trafford Park Studies

    These two studies have been heavily promoted throughout the investigations into the potential for a cleaner – greener Trafford Park. There’s some big ticket items that will require regional and national interventions. However there is smaller stuff that could be progressed quickly, but is really dependent:

    • on the Council and agencies grasping the report findings and building it into maintenance and uplift strategies for Trafford Park. Pavements are too narrow, bus stops low quality for example – when the council is working on an area, it should not be looking at how it can be left in a better state
    • on a Business Improvement District for Trafford Park – this is a key thrust – Hopefully it will fare better than the Trafford Park Business Neighbourhood which never really took off.

    We’ll have to see whether the Executive ‘owns’ this report and commits to key target setting or just welcomes the content. The reports are worthwhile on common energy generation and other matters. I think though that it requires a lot more commitment than provided for in the Executive submission.

    Trafford Moving

    The vision of Trafford Moving is to enable residents in Trafford to move more every day, by enabling more opportunities for residents to be active and to help people sustain this activity as part of their everyday lives, which will lead to a reduction in health inequalities in Trafford.

    That’s a tough nut to crack and the people that need most encouragement are both hard to reach and possibly don’t realise they should increase physical activity. However, there is hope with the report below.

    Trafford Walking, Wheeling and Cycling Strategy

    The overall goal is that over the next 10 years

    • 90% of journeys under 1 mile will be taken by foot or wheels
      equipment
    • 80% of journeys under 5 miles will be taken by foot or wheels
      equipment.

    That’s an ambitious target that would really go a long way to meeting the Trafford Moving policy at the same time. We’ve seen such a massive improvement since Aidan Williams became the Executive Lead. He’s not yet been in post 12 months but he’s made such a difference.

    Watching the Executive

    You can watch meetings of the council either live or a recording the next day. I tend to watch later so I can fast forward to get to the bits I’m interested in. The council has a YouTube channel

    https://www.youtube.com/@traffordcouncilmeetings8327

  • Labour Response to Liz Truss and other updates

    Change of Prime Minister

    Boris Johnson is gone. The work of government will become more managerial. There will be less pyrotechnics. There will be less transformative ambition. Levelling up is effectively dead. It will be fascinating to see how Keir Starmer responds.

    As it stands, Labour is ahead in the polls. Labour is heading for a majority of 16 and forming the next government. A new prime minister could completely change that landscape. Generally, I think we tend to place too much importance on the weekly Prime Minister’s Questions knockabout, but the first few encounters will set the tone. I would be worried if Keir Starmer continues to emphasise the ‘safe pair of hands’/experienced organisational leader qualities. It is time for him to present his analysis of where we are and how we move forward as a country.

    The energy famine western Europe is facing as a consequence of the war in Ukraine is difficult in the medium term. The price impact is going to be the most visible effect and something that puts lives at risk for the poorest. However, the price change is a function of scarcity. So, as well as protecting the most vulnerable and businesses, we’re going to have to try to reduce the demand for gas. I’d like to see Keir Starmer grab the opportunity to talk to the nation. I don’t think now is the time for picking at detail. We’re going to need real leadership. It’s harder for the Leader of the Opposition, but given Boris Johnson rarely took to serious dialogue, and the indications are that Liz Truss prefers to pretend everything is rosy, there’s an opportunity for Keir Starmer. We need to show that Labour gets the serious stuff.

    Personal News

    I’m on the Panel! This means I’ll be listed as a person available to be nominated and shortlisted for selection to stand as a Labour Candidate in next May’s local elections. So, I’m really hoping I’ll be nominated by the members of the new Lostock and Barton Ward for their shortlist. It will be a few weeks before the timetable is sorted.

    Labour Meeting

    A motion in favour of Proportional Representation was put to the meeting. Labour is never going to support PR. It is understandable that the most influential voices in the party are MPs and councillors. In England that means those influential people have been elected under First Past the Post system and on the whole it’s never going to be an attractive option to them to change that system. It’s a shame that we’ll never have a proper debate because looking at the bigger picture, invariably in elections there’s a majority to the left of the Conservative Party. It is almost invariably true that the consequence is the Conservative Party forming the Government. The motion was defeated.

    We also had a Momentum motion on instructing Labour’s frontbench to attend picket lines. I was one of two members who voted against the motion. Keir Starmer has taken a line and I just think we have to back it. Frustratingly, we weren’t allowed to debate the motion and this key aspect of the motion was not mentioned in the preamble. We really need to have a Conference that presents Labour as ready for Government and not at war with itself but the motion was passed.

    Canvassing in Sale

    A good response. Concern over crime and anti-social behaviour seemed to be the biggest issue raised with me and I’ve passed to the councillors.

    Local News

    Bus fares capped at £2. The first step in getting buses back to providing the backbone of our public transport provision.

    Application to demolish Event City and prepare the land for Therme Wellness Resort

    Alarm raised over canal path deterioration between Kelloggs and Barton Bridge.

    Lostock Community Partnership Meeting this Saturday 10am – Legacy of Circle Court exodus.

    Improved response from council and police to illegal parking on match days.

  • Canvassing Kingsway Park

    Canvassing Kingsway Park

    Things I heard:

    Better maintenance of drains and general upkeep of streets wanted including weed control

    – I heard this from quite a few residents. It’s a difficult one but we shouldn’t dismiss it. There was one grid pointed out to me that actually looked as though it had been cleaned. I might be wrong but if we have residents who believe their streets are not being serviced, and it worries them, shouldn’t we be giving better data. They’re paying council tax but we’re giving back information that’s borderline facetious describing the leaf clearance in terms of its weight in elephants. If residents want to know when and how often their grids ought to be cleared and whether that has happened we should be telling them.

    I do think there’s a discussion to be had about street upkeep more generally. Cheap black tarmac patching on pavements highlight the fact that the pavements were originally laid to a standard that we’ll never match again. Whilst hopefully we can fund better than we do now, it’s probably unrealistic to think councils will ever realistically have sufficient funds to bring pavements and roads to a standard that people truly aspire to. How did that happen? Looking at it from a lay perspective, it looks to me that we’ve gone backwards even allowing for the increased workload we place on roads and pavements. Are we really using low tech and manual labour to standards lower than we used 100 years ago? Have councils and highway authorities demanded the sufficient improvements in technology and productivity that we’ve seen in almost every other field of work?

    We really do need to enforce encroachment of vegetation onto the pavement. We’re denying people the right to move about freely if they’re pushing a pram or using mobility aids. This was raised by a resident in connection with a near neighbour and she’s absolutely right to raise.

    I thought it interesting that one resident felt political parties ought to be more capable of working together. It’s polarised. I don’t know how we can change that.

    Doorstep conversations are always interesting and provocative. I always come back with more challenges to the way we do things.


  • Couple of pieces of Casework

    Couple of pieces of Casework

    This week has brought a couple of pieces of casework that have not resulted in complete resolution (though have managed to get a couple of potholes fixed) but still worth the work in pursuing further.

    Potholes in Lostock

    There’s a lot of potholes in Norwich Road at its junction with Moss Vale Road. They’re not deep, but they are plentiful and the road looks a mess. Because they’re not deep, the holes do reach the criteria to be repaired. I’m arguing that the criteria should be tweaked to bring in sections of road where like Norwich Road, there’s been a systemic failure in a small section of road.

    Barfoot Bridge

    A resident noticed that the Bridgewater Canal aqueduct over the River Mersey was displaying visual signs of decay. I raised it with officers of the Bridgewater Canal and they’ve been to inspect.

    The bridge seems to have weathered the recent storms and high water level in the river, but it’s worth giving consideration to the longer term. They’re hoping to bring forward the next more extensive inspection and have engaged a consultant of arched structures to look at the longer term. We want it to survive in perpetuity, so it’s worth following up on this.

  • Scrutiny under the microscope

    Big Agenda for Last Executive Meeting before Election

    Scrutiny looking to improve its Outcomes

    When the Cabinet System was adopted by Trafford, there was a clear expectation that Scrutiny would be an influential and effective means of holding the Executive Members of Cabinet to account for the important decisions whilst allowing the routine day to day work to proceed without hindrance.

    It’s not worked. The Centre for Governance and Scrutiny were invited to put Scrutiny under the microscope and have produced a quite damning report. Though it’s interesting that the Executive Papers describe the report as highlighting that the “Scrutiny function at Trafford is effective and that proposed changes are around process and procedure, rather than fundamental changes”.

    It’s worrying that the Executive takes the above view. There is very little in the report from the The Centre for Governance and Scrutiny that should give them comfort. I think this is summed up in the report itself in describing how the Council views Scrutiny:

    “Overall, the general view is that Scrutiny does a good job. However when asked more specifically about Scrutiny’s output and impact most Members and Officers found it difficult to point to consistent work that has made a real difference, or tracking recommendations that have been accepted and implemented.”

    My personal view is that ‘Scrutiny’ should be a multi-faceted function, ranging from neighbourhood accountability through some sort of regular forum right through to oversight of the Greater Manchester provision of diverse activities whether they be Health, Police, Transport or Waste, etc. It’s sad that this scrutiny function across GM, but particularly in Trafford is in such a poor state. I don’t think it’s the fault of scrutiny members. Officers and to a degree, the senior politicians, have got such a firm grip on strategy, it’s very difficult to get into those firewalled areas.

    It would be wrong to say that there are not good suggestions in this report but the very fact that accountability has so broken down, I’ve been dragged to the regrettable conclusion that we should follow Sheffield and go back to the Committee system.

    Moving to a Modern Committee System of Governance – Sheffield City Council

    Other Items on the Agenda

    Leisure Strategy Review: Mainly Sale Leisure Centre which gets some investment. Stretford earmarked for a report in July. The thinking is that because the Urmston Leisure Centre improvements are considered to have gone well, that’s the model to pursue for the other centres. My worry is that Stretford and Sale are much older centres and whether it’s better to ‘improve’ or ‘replace’ is still a moot point for me.

    Stretford Mall: Trafford hold the freehold – the lease that the joint venture of Bruntwood and Trafford has expires in 96 years. This is considered short for borrowing purposes and the report is about refreshing that lease.

    GMCA Brownfield Grant – Sale Magistrates Court: Approval to enter into a grant agreement with the Greater Manchester Combined Authority.

    WGIS Lifting Bridge: Approval of Agreement that provides limited contribution to running it.

    FUTURE GOVERNANCE ARRANGEMENTS FOR HEALTH AND SOCIAL CARE : This is the replacement for Trafford CCG with additional focus on Social Care. It’s very much early days in terms of the relationship to Greater Manchester but the report sets out the details of governance arrangements for the Trafford system including: Locality Board (One System Board), Trafford Provider Collaborative Board, Trafford Clinical and Practitioner Senate and other relevant groups, forums and boards.

    Future Commissioning Arrangements For Health and Social Care: See above, but somewhat more pressing.

    Care Act – Urgent Measures Decisions Framework: Shows the parlous position we’re in with regard to Social Care. The report provides a summary of the current position across the social care system and based on the current pressures and needs across the sector, seeks approval to keep the contingency framework in situ to enable the Council to reach speedy decisions around the implementation of agreed urgent measures if the situation reaches a critical point.

    Contract Procedure Rules : A regular renewal of the contract rules which operate across authorities attached to STAR. It includes a change to increase the threshold trigger for a one quote exercise for both Supplies, Services and Concessions and Works and Public Works Concessions from £4,999 to £9,999 which will make it easier to let out small contracts.

    Report on Complaints Determined by the Local Government & Social Care
    Ombudsman 2020/21

    Budget Monitoring 2021/22 – Period 10 (April 2021 to January 2022) – There are never any shocks at period 10. The council calendar dictates that we panic in autumn and chill out in winter. Pretty much on budget. That said, if we could recruit the people we need in social care, we’d be in a different position.

    Corporate Plan 2022/23 – Good and bad – children under 5 improving obesity rates. Adults with depression very worrying trends in Trafford. This dashboard is interesting but the corporate plan sits in its own bubble. The extent to which the corporate plan talks to everyday lives lived in Trafford is a another moot point.

    Executive Meeting 21/3 Page