Agenda item

The Chair welcomed the Mayor to the meeting and invited him to deliver his presentation.

 

The Mayor stated his presentation would follow a similar format to his previous presentations to OSB and would be structured as Review, Celebrate and Preview. It was agreed the Mayor would take questions during his presentation rather than at the end.

 

The Review element of the presentation covered the Middlesbrough Priorities Fund, Public Sector Capital and Childhood Enrichment Team. 

 

During his presentation the Mayor made the following points:

 

·         The Priorities Fund supported several initiatives, split over two phases.

·         The first phase included Youth Mutual Seed funding, an increase to grass verge budgets and improvements to the condition of shop fronts.

·         The second phase of the Priorities Fund included initiatives such as the Homeless Intervention Team and the Iris Programme.

·         The Iris programme would help GPs, and other health care professionals, identify cases of domestic abuse.

·         The AI Interactive Coach was being trialled in Adult Social Care to assist Social Workers with administrative tasks when visiting service users.

·         The Council was not providing money for Energy Assessments programme this but was providing advice and support to people about how to make their homes and businesses more energy efficient.

·         The NEETs programme was based in East Middlesbrough.

·         MusicINC was an important scheme and had received additional funding for new musical equipment.

·         The Council had paid the first year of Multibank project which had provided essential items such as clothing.

·         Increased support for Trading Standards was crucial as it helped the Council, and other agencies, tackle crime and anti-social behaviour.

·         There needed to be a clear plan with regards to the Investment prospectus to attract investment to the town.

·         In terms of the Public Sector Capital initiative, Middlesbrough College was cited as an example. It was projected that Middlesbrough College would not to be able to accommodate student numbers by 2028/29. The Council had provided funds of £1.6 million to the College so it could cope with increasing student numbers. Aiding in this way helped reduce the level of NEET in the town and there was no additional cost to the Council for this investment. Similar projects were being developed and would involve working with the Police in efforts to reduce crime and anti-social behaviour.

·         In terms of the Childhood Enrichment Team, there had been an additional £200,000 allocated to move from two periods of assistance (Summer and Christmas) to four periods of assistance (Summer, October Half Term, Christmas and February Half Term). Such assistance could be in the form of regular meals or childhood experiences. Such experiences provided a degree of stability for children. The initiative also included the 10 by 10 project, which provided 10 essential life enhancing experiences for children under 10 years of age. It was acknowledged this project needed to target children under 10 years old otherwise they would be locked into their secondary schooling.

·         The 10 by 10 project was part of a wider suite of projects, which included the SHiFT programme and 50 Futures, both of which provided support for all families.

 

A Member queried how the Childhood Enrichment Team engaged with children. It was clarified there was a pilot in five primary schools including Newport, Ayresome, Sunnyside and Pennyman. By the end of the year the Council would know the extent of the funding requirement for the initiative. It was also clarified that the birthrate in Middlesbrough was approximately 3,000 per year.

 

The Mayor continued with this presentation and made the following points under the Celebrate section:

 

·         Linthorpe Road Cycle Lane had a removal commencement date of the 26 August at no cost to the Council.

 

A Member stated the Cycle Lane had been poorly designed from the outset and that political differences may have contributed to the delay of its removal. The Mayor commented there were unforeseen complications during negotiations with the Tees Valley Combined Authority that contributed to the delays. However, the Council was keen to learn from the experience, including how consultation exercises could be carried out more effectively.

 

A Member stated that, due to the afore mentioned delays and contention, there had been a reputational cost to the Council. The Mayor conceded this point and stated there was a long way to go before faith in the Council was restored. The Member further stated that, regarding consultation, this needed to be improved as Members often found out about important issues via social media rather than official channels. The Mayor responded that, in this case, the Combined Authority had carried out consultation in accordance with statutory guidelines, but the Council was in a position to bridge gaps in this approach, such as consultation with relevant Ward Members.

 

A Member queried if consultation should be carried out by the Council’s publicity team rather than specific service areas. The Chief Executive commented the Council was reviewing its consultation practices which would ensure consultation was as robust as possible.

 

It was clarified the removal of the Linthorpe Road Cycle Lane would take approximately nine weeks. A conversation took place regarding the benefits of cycle lanes and how it was disappointing the Linthorpe Road Cycle Lane had not worked as hoped.

 

A Member queried if reviewing consultation practices would encompass Planning issues. It was clarified this would likely fall under a specific Planning policy.

 

In terms of the Linthorpe Road Cycle Lane removal, a Member asked if bus routes had been considered as part of this, as the current situation was unsuitable. The Mayor agreed and commented that retuning Linthorpe Road to its pre-cycle lane condition was not desirable given the location of some bus stops, such as that at Granville Road. Plans to remove the cycle lane needed to consider these issues.

 

The Mayor continued with this presentation and made the following points:

 

·         The Turner Prize was being hosted in Middlesbrough in 2026 which was a significant achievement.

·         Area Care Uplift had taken place which had seen Neighbourhood Caretakers undertaking improvement works to green spaces across the town.

 

A Member commented that the general condition of gulleys and paths was poor and needed attention. The Mayor commented that improvements were being made in this area including changing brush heads on road sweepers from nylon to metal. A machine that killed moss was due to be purchased but, importantly, a regular schedule of weed killing was needed.

 

A Member queried if the Council had children’s play area inspectors. It was clarified the Council had one play fitter and this needed to be increased. There were sound reasons for increasing the budget in this area. The Chair commented that rather than just replacing or removing damaged play area equipment it needed to be proofed against vandalism. The Mayor agreed and cited equipment in Pallister Park as an example, including minor alterations to waste bins that would make them more effective.

 

A conversation took place regarding how regular maintenance on overgrown trees and wooden installations could have a significant impact both in terms of practicality and presentation.

 

A Member queried if improvements to area care would also apply to cemeteries. The Mayor commented that many cemeteries had voluntary organisations, such as Friends groups, that contributed to cemetery maintenance but agreed this was an area the Council could reexamine.

 

The Mayor continued with his presentation and made the following points:

 

·         Projects that were in progress included the Old Town Hall.

·         Church House was nearing completion which would contribute to wider economic benefits.

·         Pallister Park improvements were also at the design stage.

·         Neighbourhood Hub designs were expected by the end of the year, if not earlier.

 

A Member commented that Newport Hub was working well but required investment. The Mayor stated there were some plans in place for this.

 

A conversation took place during which the Mayor clarified Church House would be private housing rather than social housing and that Hemlington was being considered for a Neighbourhood Hub in the south of the town. 

 

The Mayor continued with his presentation and made the following points:

 

·         The Council struggled when it received more money than expected and this was difficult to plan for. To address this there was a three-tiered approach, namely; cover the existing budget; cover service demand and grow select service areas that matched key priorities.

·         The Council would have to double its current budget to return to pre-2010 levels.

·         The Mayor frequently met with the Minister for Local Government to ensure Middlesbrough was receiving fair funding.

·         Work was still required on fairer funding.

 

A Member queried what was meant by prepare for growth. The Mayor clarified this meant growing areas of the Council that had previously contracted which would entail increasing staff and budgets. Part of this work was to establish a separate work stream for additional income, if it was received.

 

A Member queried if pest control was an area that would benefit from such growth as this was an acute problem in certain areas of the town. The Mayor commented there would be improvements in this area.

 

The Mayor discussed Middlehaven and the developments taking place there. He stated there was a need to achieve a balance between work and living spaces, in conjunction with Town Centre needs. The Mayor commented that Ward Members would be involved in the plans toward the end of the year.

 

A Member queried if scrutiny could see details on this issue before it was considered at Executive. The Mayor stated that elements of the decision could be released to Members before being published. It was also stated the report considered by Executive would likely not contain significant detail as it would be a starting point. The Member responded if the report did not contain significant detail that would be an ideal opportunity for scrutiny to examine the issue. The Mayor agreed and stated that Ward Members would be consulted initially followed by the wider Membership.

 

The Mayor also discussed the recycling project that was being trialled at St Barnabas. While the relevant machine was awaited, the aim of the project was for residents to deposit used glass bottles in exchange for cash in order to improve recycling rates and achieve cost savings.

 

The Mayor stated that, as part of his portfolio he was responsible for several services in the Legal and Governance directorate. The Mayor identified several staff members within those services and thanked them for their work and achievements in their roles.

 

The Mayor responded to a query about empty properties and stated a plan was being put into place to address this issue.

 

A Member commented that in certain areas of the town retail was no longer available and, if leisure alternatives could not be found, demolition should be considered. The Member also stated that residents had concerns about the number of receptacles needed for the new recycling regime. The Mayor stated that, in terms of demolition for unused buildings, this was a consideration but could not provide details. In terms of the recycling regime, the Mayor appreciated the concerns of residents and the Council was doing what it could to mitigate any inconvenience.

 

A Member queried the length of the payment to Middlesbrough College. It was clarified as 20 years. The Mayor also stated the Council needed to take a more strategic approach to this kind of initiative.

 

A Member sought clarification on living and working spaces in Middlehaven. The Mayor stated there needed to be a coexistence of living space and work space in Middlehaven so that neither was predominant.

 

In response to a query about the Crown, the Mayor stated responsibility for the Crown had moved to the Middlesbrough Development Corporation and details on this would be its responsibility.

 

The Chair thanked the Mayor for his presentation and asked OSB to note the Mayor’s presentation.

 

NOTED.