Technical, Economic and Environmental Services Scrutiny Panel

Minutes of the Meeting held on 16 January 2012

Commenced: 2.00pm
Terminated: 3.35pm

Present:

Councillor Patrick (Deputy Chair)
Councillors Cartwright, Cooper, Dowthwaite, Fowler, Holland, McNally, Roberts, Whitley

Mr T. Moss

Apologies for absence:

Councillors Whitehead (Chair), Ambler.

The Chair opened the meeting and received apologies.

38. Minutes

The minutes from the last meeting held on 12 December 2011 were approved as a correct record.

39. Draft Housing Report

A draft copy of the Housing Report was provided to all Panel members. It was highlighted that sections on page 15 and 22 will be updated with information from Kate O’Donnell’s presentation.

Comments on the draft report are to be emailed to Paul Radcliffe, Scrutiny Support & Coordination Officer, Tameside MBC. A final version of the report will be circulated before the next meeting on 6 February 2012.

40. Review Housing in Tameside

The Panel welcomed Kate O’Donnell, Team Leader, Economic Strategy, Skills & Enterprise, Tameside MBC, to provide an overview on Tameside’s Economic Strategy and how it links to the ‘Core Strategy’ and the Local Development Framework (LDF).

The new draft strategy ‘Enterprising Tameside’ focuses on how Tameside will respond to the adverse economic climate up until 2026.

During 2011 the Council assessed all relevant data, developing a new vision, strategy and creating action plans. Mrs O’Donnell emphasised that the new strategy can only have an impact if the correct partnerships are formed. It is important that every sector is involved, which means that the Council makes the best use of the resources in Tameside.

The Panel was presented with economic information relating to the current state of the economy, the impact of Government cuts and how Tameside compares with other Councils in Greater Manchester (GM).

The Panel was presented with a graph forecasting employment in Tameside compared with GM. If Tameside doesn’t react to the changes in the economy, employment in Tameside in the future would fail to match that in GM and a gap would continue to increase. It was highlighted by Mrs O’Donnell that the forecast is based on ‘policy off’ and the strategies that the Council are planning will help alleviate the problem illustrated by the graph.

Tameside’s Workforce

The Panel was presented with data showing the different types of jobs that people in Tameside have compared with GM. There were large differences in manufacturing, finance, IT and transport. Currently 19% of jobs in Tameside are in manufacturing compared with only 10% in GM. The largest difference was in finance, IT and transport. In GM 23% of jobs are in finance and IT and 23% in transport and communications, this compares with 11% in finance and IT in Tameside and only 4% in transport and Communications. With a large number of the population being employed in manufacturing it is important that we help build a more diverse economy in Tameside.

A further graph showed the number of people achieving NVQ level 3 or above in Tameside is below GM. It is important that the Council help improve the level of skills achieved by its residents. Investment in Tameside’s schools is helping achieve this and financial incentives may be available to employers offering apprenticeships in the future.

Economic priorities for Tameside are to improve people’s skills and aspirations and promote business growth. It is important that Tameside attracts the necessary businesses. There are sites in the borough that have been earmarked for employment rather than housing. The figures show that Tameside has the lowest number of businesses per head of population in GM.

The Council currently has bids in place for investment in local companies through the regional growth fund.

One of the key ways to attract businesses, families and help up skill Tameside’s workforce is to provide a diverse housing mix, high quality facilities and services. Currently 51% of residents work outside Tameside.
The Panel raised a variety of issues including the general affordability of housing, policies adopted by Manchester City Council and affordable rents. These issues are addressed in the Housing Need Scrutiny report.
The Panel thanked Kate O’Donnell for her contribution to the review.

41. Recommendations From The Utilities Review

Emma Cohen, Head of Policy, Partnerships & Scrutiny, Tameside MBC presented the Panel with recommendations 1 and 2 detailed in the Utilities Report. The Panel decided that they would like to keep the recommendations provided in the report as they stand, and they are happy for the report to proceed to the Executive Response stage.

42. Meeting on Takeaways in Tameside

A briefing note was provided by Paul Radcliffe, Scrutiny Support & Coordination Officer, Tameside MBC.

Some of the issues relating to takeaways and street trading in Tameside were highlighted by a letter received from Janet Nevin, Principal, Ashton Sixth Form College. Her main concern was the ‘increasing number of burger vans’ in close proximity to Tameside’s schools and colleges.

As a result the Leader, Councillor Quinn has requested that the relevant Scrutiny panels look at the issues in more detail.

A special meeting will take place in February to review takeaways and street trading in Tameside. It will involve the Personal and Health Services Scrutiny Panel and the Technical, Economic and Environmental Services Scrutiny Panel. The date and location of the meeting will be circulated accordingly.

43. Select a Topic for the Next Review

The Panel discussed a review on Apprenticeships in Tameside. Areas to consider include the provision of apprenticeships in the public and private sectors, how the Council promote apprenticeships, the length of the apprenticeships and the future job opportunities for apprentices.

Resolved: The Scrutiny Panel will carry out a full review on apprenticeships in Tameside. The Panel will receive an overview presentation on this at the Scrutiny Panel meeting on 6 February 2012.

44. Local Government Act 2000 – Urgent Items

There were no urgent items for consideration at this meeting.

Chair