{Disestablished Committee} - Social Strategy Overview and Scrutiny Committee

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Present:

• Councillor Karney - In the Chair 
• Councillors Cooley, Cowan, Evans, Isherwood, N. Murphy, Barbara O'Neil, Royle, Watson, Whitmore, Williams and Wilmott 

Also Present:

• Councillor Hackett, Executive Member for Culture and Leisure
• Councillor E. Newman, Executive Member for Housing
• Councillor M. Murphy, Assistant Executive Member for Adult Services 
• Councillor S. Newman, Assistant Executive Member for Direct Services 

SS/06/46 Minutes

Decision

The minutes of the meeting held on 7 September 2006 were approved as a correct record.

SS/06/47 Supporting People - funding of preventative services

The Committee considered a paper about the use of Supporting People Funding to support key Council strategies, specifically the Respect Agenda and Valuing Older People. The Committee noted that Supporting People funded services for older people which helped to maintain their independence in the community, and funding was also provided to support families in the community who were at risk as a result of anti social behaviour, and funded support services in the community to young people and offenders to help prevent anti social behaviour.

Officers flagged up concerns regarding the potential for reduced funding under the Supporting People Initiative as a result of changes in the national distribution formula which would not have fully reflect the complex and diverse needs of Manchester, and reported the successful outcome of lobbying against major changes.

Responding to members' questions the Assistant Director of Children's Services outlined the work of the Parenting Board and the various ways that support was made available to parents, particularly the effectiveness of interventions in cases where parents needed special help and support. The Committee noted that the Parenting Board model in Manchester had been recognised as a national leader. Welcoming the significant contribution that the Parenting Board was making, Members sought information about the ways that local councillors could interact with the work of the Board in relation to their own ward casework, and suggested that information on the work of the Board should be circulated to all members of the Council. In addition the Executive Member for Housing suggested that a member seminar could be arranged to disseminate wider understanding of the work of the Council and its partners in this field.

Members then turned to look at the arrangements in place for tracking anti-social families moving within the city and to other areas, and the approach adopted in cases where a parent refused all offers of help. Officers outlined the strategic approaches adopted in these cases, their willingness to work with families across a range of interventions and to continue to provide them with support, but at the same time recognising the overriding importance of protecting the interests of the wider community.

Officers also responded to a member's concerns about support provided through floating services and the monitoring processes in place to gauge the effectiveness of individual interventions. She was particularly concerned about continuity of care especially for older people who often had difficulty relating to different carers. Officers described how early contact was crucial in terms of building the confidence of individuals before progressive conditions such as dementia progressed

Decision

To thank the officers for the presentation of a useful and informative report that clearly evidences successful collaborative working within the Council and with many external partners, and to welcome the offer of a member seminar to more effectively disseminate wider understanding of the work of the Council and its partners in this field.

SS/06/48 Consumer Championing : Fee-charging cash machines

The Committee received a report about the provision of fee charging cash machines in the city and details of a new initiate to encourage the installation of free machines in the most deprived parts of the city.

The Committee noted that cash machines represent the most important form of withdrawal from accounts and are used by millions of consumers each week. 43% of machines now charge between £1.50 and £2.00 per transaction, meaning that UK consumers pay up to £140 million each year in charges to take out their own money. The growth of fee charging cash machines was as a result of independent operators engaged in a commercial attempt to expand business. Following a detailed investigation by the Office of Fair Trading, the LINK network had been granted an exemption under the Competition Act to set fees centrally on the grounds that the fees are genuinely cost-based, and that this is in the interests of the consumer.

The Chair indicated that this represented a further example of how elements within the financial services industry targeted the poorest people in our society by charging them for the privilege of withdrawing their own money, and he suggested that the Committee should focus on bringing pressure to bear on the following issues -

Transparency of information to consumers about the level of charge
The need for effective regulation by the Office of Fair Trading
Impacts on poverty and financial inclusion 
In addition he suggested that the Committee should support the work of the Treasury Select Committee in its efforts to strengthen the regulation of fee-charging cash machines by bringing them within the Banking Code sphere of voluntary regulation.

Members welcomed the work being done by the Royal Bank of Scotland which had invited applications from individuals and communities to install free to use cash machines in the UK's poorest localities, and looked forward to further anticipated initiatives to be announced soon by HBOS and HSBC. The locations for the machines would be in the top 10% of deprived areas and agreement to host a machine must be agreed with site owners, and satisfy the RBS regarding security, the level of footfall and that the host can manage the machine on a day to day basis to ensure that cash levels are maintained. Officers were encouraged to explore the opportunities for Council buildings, especially libraries, to be the host for RBS cash machines in those parts of the city where there were few existing alternative outlets.

Members highlighted the issues involved for older people who now drew their pensions through cash machines and who were likely to draw small amounts frequently, and would therefore be paying a significant proportion of their income in charges, and members were keen to ensure that the Financial Inclusion Strategy embraced all the implications of fee-charging cash machines. The Assistant Executive Member for Adult Services suggested that the Manchester Evening News should be invited to join the Council in a campaign to ensure that consumers were made aware of the differential charges involved in the use of these machines, and of the alternatives available.

Decision

1. To note this further attack on the most vulnerable people in society by elements in the finance industry who continue to pursue profit without regard to social responsibility.

2. To applaud the initiative by Royal Bank of Scotland to install free cash machines in the poorest localities, which will have a positive impact on the most deprived and disadvantaged people in our society, and to encourage the Council's officers to pro-actively explore the opportunities for Council buildings, especially libraries, to be the host for RBS cash machines in those parts of the city where there are few existing outlets.

3. To continue to support the work of the Treasury Select Committee in its efforts to strengthen the regulation of fee charging cash machines by bringing them within the Banking Code sphere of voluntary regulation.

SS/06/49 Food Futures and School Meals Service updates

The Committee returned to look at the social dimension of work in hand to develop a food strategy for Manchester to improve the physical, mental and social well-being of all residents through action to make food better, healthier, more accessible and more enjoyable to all.

The Chair welcomed the emerging development of a national food network as an important counter measure to the power and influence of supermarkets within the food industry. Whilst huge advances had been made in terms of educating young people about healthy eating options, these had often been negated by ruthless marketing and product placing within supermarkets, and by powerful advertising of junk food cruelly targeted at young and vulnerable minds.

Members welcomed the good work being done in schools both with young people and with parents, but wanted more to be done by way of teaching proper cooking using fresh ingredients as an integral part of the school curriculum offer.

The Chair indicated that the strategy should seek to embrace -

Dialogue with leading supermarkets to explore the active promotion of healthy eating options;
Pressing for a 9.00pm watershed on junk food advertising, and 
Information about the health implications of food from take-ways, which from a study of takeaways in Liverpool identified fat contents in excess of 60% 
The Committee then turned to look at developments and future plans for school meals. The Assistant Executive Member for Direct Services reminded the Committee that Manchester had always retained nutritional standards as the cornerstone of school meals served in our schools, and whilst the national focus on such standards had recently been raised leading to increased government money to raise standards, this money would be used in Manchester to continue existing healthy choice initiatives and to support new ones. The key challenge was one of encouraging pupils into good eating habits and to try things that they have not previously been exposed to at home, without creating pressures that lead to them opting out of school meals in favour of packed lunches over which the Council would have little effective nutritional control.

The Director of Hospitality and Trading Services reminded the Committee of the huge amount of work done to raise awareness of fat and sugar contents in everyday foods, especially pre-prepared and convenience foods, and although it was important to get those messages across to children it was equally important that the Council continued to engage effectively with parents so that the lessons learned in school become part of wider lifestyle choices.

Decision

To welcome the progress being made on both fronts.

SS/06/50 Human trafficking

The Director of Adult Social Care submitted a report in relation to human trafficking and the work of the United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre (HTC) which opened in Sheffield on 3rd October, and efforts by the Home Office to increase knowledge and understanding of labour exploitation and the trafficking of children and to develop a national action plan.

The Chair made reference to the plight of women from eastern Europe who were recruited into the UK sex industry and were often then divorced from any means of external assistance or advice. He indicated that from a local perspective it was important that Manchester was able to interact strategically with the HTC to which end the Licensing Unit should (a) write to all saunas and massage parlours in the city inviting them to disclose the number of foreign nationals they employ, and (b) circulate for display in those establishments information leaflets translated in appropriate eastern European languages providing details of help-lines and independent sources of advice and assistance.

Whilst acknowledging the particular concerns about recruitment into the sex industry, other members were anxious that equally important concerns in relation to labour exploitation and domestic servitude were not overlooked.

Decision

1. To note the work of the United Kingdom Human Trafficking Centre (HTC) which opened in Sheffield on 3rd October, and efforts by the Home Office to increase knowledge and understanding of labour exploitation and the trafficking of children and to develop a national action plan.

2. In view of the importance of Manchester being able to interact strategically with the HTC, to request the Licensing Unit to (a) write to all saunas and massage parlours in the city inviting them to disclose the number of foreign nationals they employ and their country of origin, and (b) then circulate for display in those establishments information leaflets translated in appropriate eastern European languages providing details of helplines and independent sources of advice and assistance.

SS/06/51 Summer activities

The Director of Children's Services reported on the outcome of the programme of summer holiday activities for children and young people. The Committee noted that 5108 children between the ages of 10 and 19 had taken part in organised activities and events with a focus on developing participation skills, improving emotional and physical well-being and assisting in the Respect Agenda pilots beginning in August

Decision

To congratulate the officers on the impressive range of activities offered and the rate of take-up achieved.

SS/06/52 Respect

Youth Nuisance pilot The Committee considered a report on the implementation of the five Respect Youth Nuisance pilot areas in Miles Platting / Newton Heath, Ancoats & Clayton wards; Harpurhey & Moston wards; Gorton North & South wards; Fallowfield ward, and Sharston & Woodhouse Park wards. The report also summarised the citywide work that is happening which impacts on the individual pilot areas and detailed some of the key lessons and challenges that had been learnt.

The Committee noted that the Respect National Action Plan was launched in January to tackle the issue of anti-social behaviour. Respect set out a framework of powers and approaches to promote Respect positively; bear down uncompromisingly on anti social behaviour; tackle the underlying causes; and offer leadership and support to local people and local services. In Manchester the most visible signal of disrespect - serious anti-social behaviour and disorder was tackled rather than tolerated, sending out the clearest message to those responsible.

In introducing the report officers emphasised that the overall approach was one of changing the way that the Council and its partners do business on the streets and tailoring approaches that young people will be able to successfully engage with. A range of important links with other services had been built and these were beginning to deliver results particularly in the field of alcohol misuse/abuse.

The Chair welcomed the report as an accurate reflection of what is happening on the streets of Manchester and containing many valuable lessons for the Council and the Government, particularly in relation to alcohol abuse by very young people that would inform the development of services in all parts of the city.

Members emphasised the importance, in those areas of the city that had no local facilities, for the facilities available in community schools to be opened up for use by that community, and quoted an example where a school governing body had refused to open up facilities in this way. Members urged that officers recognised how difficult it was to be a parent in an area where there were no local facilities to keep young people occupied in a safe environment and against aggressive alcohol marketing targeted at young and vulnerable minds. The Chair indicated that the issue of community use of school facilities had been raised at numerous previous meetings and whilst this would partly be resolved as part of the Building Schools for the Future Initiative, he undertook to write to the Chair of Governors of the school that had been referred to urging that the governors' review their position.

Decision

To welcome the report and to look forward to the detailed evaluation of the impact of the five pilot areas and the potential to roll out those things that have been found to work well.