Agenda item

The Chair welcomed the Mayor, the Executive Member for Finance and Governance and Director of Finance to the meeting and invited the Mayor to present his information to the Board.

 

The Mayor outlined the need for a Council Plan stating it helped the Council deliver its priorities and to inform the budget setting process. The Residents Survey carried out in 2023 had informed the Council Plan which showed how residents viewed the town. The Council Plan was structured around four strands which included, A Successful and Ambitious Town and A Health Place. The Mayor commented the Delivering Best Value strand was also important as it demonstrated how the Council could deliver its services effectively. Associated with this was the need for the Council to deliver against the actions contained within the Best Value Notice. One of the main ambitions of the Council Plan was tackling poverty and improving the quality of services.

 

Consultation on the Council Plan had been undertaken with partners with the final version to be considered by Council at its meeting in February 2024. After approval several service level plans would be produced that would feed into the Council Plan. The Overview and Scrutiny Board would be provided with budget and performance monitoring information on a regular basis against the Council Plan.

 

The Mayor commented the Council Plan provided an insight into the status of the town and that the health of residents was a major determinant in other outcomes.

 

Each strand of the Council Plan had several priorities associated with them. The Healthy Place strand was used as an example of how residents, generally, had poorer health outcomes than other areas. While the Council Plan could contribute to changing this, it would not be an easy or quick fix. The Reducing Poverty priority would be supported by two further strategic documents, namely the Anti-Poverty Strategy and Social Charter.

 

The Safe and Resilient Communities strand would inform decisions including the need to build more bungalows and investment in access services. The Delivering Best Value strand included the priorities Ensuring robust and effective corporate governance and Set a balanced revenue budget and Medium-Term Financial Plan to restore financial resilience and sustainability. Both priorities helped inform other strategic documents such as the Public Health Strategy. Under the Delivering Best Value strand there was a need to undertake transformative work that would help the Council save money, such as the Shift programme in Children’s Services.

 

At this point the Mayor invited questions from the Board.

 

A Member agreed with the prospect of building bungalows on new developments and asked what guarantees there were for this. It was commented this sort of initiative could be built into the Local Plan. By 2040 it was estimated Middlesbrough would lose 5,000 people from its workforce population. There was a need to entice and retain people living and working in the town and as such there was a need for a more fluid housing stock which included single person accommodation. The Member commented they would be encouraged by seeing this in the Local Plan. 

 

A Member referred to the budget report submitted to Overview and Scrutiny Board and commented the Council Plan and other strategic documents needed to be financially sustainable. The Member queried how Members could approve the Council Plan, and other strategic documents, if, as the budget report stated, the proposed budget could not be balanced. It was confirmed that while the Council Plan and the Budget informed one another they were different entities. The proposed budget needed to be balanced to be approved.  It was asked if the budget was not approved in February could the Council Plan be approved. It was clarified this was unlikely if the budget was not approved. However, it was also clarified that most of the Council’s decisions were dependent on the budget being approved.

 

A Member commented that more two bedroomed houses should be available, and included in the Local Plan, as this would assist with preventative care initiatives in Adult Social Care.

 

A Member commented that improved Broadband provision in the town would also benefit from being included in the Local Plan.

 

It was asked how building more bungalows could be guaranteed as previous planning applications had deviated from the Local Plan. It was commented there needed to be a level of adherence to the Local Plan and a more robust narrative about the need for a fluid housing market was required in the Local Plan.

 

A Member commented there was a need to retain as much green space as possible and brown field sites should be utilised for housing development. There was also a need to work with developers to ensure developments were beneficial to as many people as possible. There was also a need to have increased involvement from Members in the Local Plan. It was acknowledged that existing housing stock needed re-examination to understand if it could be used. There was also a need to change the perception of some wards to make them as appealing as possible.

 

A Member queried how the Council Plan priority Promote inclusivity for all would be achieved. It was clarified that a survivors panel, made up of people who had experienced trauma, was being explored. This panel could assist the Council and its partners develop more effective services. 

 

The Member also asked how the Council contributed to the green agenda. It was clarified the Council had a green strategy and that the green agenda was a national initiative.

 

Referring to the Local Plan, a Member stated they hoped the Local Plan did not allow house building for the sake of it. It was clarified the town needed the right sort of housing that could contribute toward the Council’s objectives, such as social care preventative work as previously discussed in the meeting.

 

Regarding Section 106 agreements, a Member commented the Council had not been able to demonstrate the benefits promised from various Section 106 agreements. It was commented there needed to be increased and improved transparency with regards to Section 106 monies and promises.

 

A Member asked if the creation of a retirement village had been considered. While this had been considered it would be difficult to formalise. It was also commented,

from a social inclusion perspective, that it was beneficial to have older and younger people living close to one another. It was also confirmed there had not been a Local Plan since 2014 and this introduced a level of uncertainty.

 

ORDERED That:

 

1.    Explore including more bungalows in the Local Plan as this would assist with preventative care initiatives in Adult Social Care as well as improved Broadband services.

2.    The information presented be noted.