{Disestablished Committee} - Social Strategy Overview and Scrutiny Committee

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Present:

• Councillor Karney - In the Chair 
• Councillors Cooley, Cowan, Evans, Hitchen, Isherwood, N. Murphy, Royle and Watson, Whitmore and Williams 

Also Present:

• Councillor Curley, Executive Member for Adult Services 
• Councillor Hackett, Executive Member for Culture and Leisure

SS/07/1 Minutes

Decision

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 13 December 2006 as a correct record.

SS/07/2 Manchester Care - update on the joint strategic review and the current financial position

(Public excluded as the report contained information relating to the business or financial affairs of a particular person and the public interests in maintaining the exemption outweighs the public interest in disclosing the information)

The Committee agreed to consider as an urgent item of business a joint report of the Director of Adult Social Care, Chief Executive, City Treasurer and City Solicitor on the current position of the Joint Strategic Review of Manchester Care, the current financial position of the Company, and on proposed recovery action to be recommended to the Executive on 17 January to safeguard the availability of care services to older people in the city.

The Chief Executive outlined the background circumstances that had led to the present situation facing the company, the action that the Council's officers had taken to protect the interests of elderly and vulnerable people, and the immediate measures that the Board of Manchester Care had taken to redress senior management weakness which had seriously undermined the capacity of the Board to effectively oversee the operation of the company. He assured the Committee that officers had critically examined the capacity of the company to deliver the recovery plan and to maintain high quality care services for older people, and were satisfied that this was achievable, though this would be subject to rigorous monitoring by the Council's officers.

The Executive Member for Health and Social Care emphasised that the primary consideration for the Council was that of ensuring the continuity of quality care for older, vulnerable people, and to fulfil the Council's statutory duty to provide residential care.

Jill Adamson, Chair of the Manchester Care Board agreed that the trans-functional changes required to be made by Manchester Care would be extremely challenging but that the recovery plan was generally considered to be both prudent and deliverable. Responding to questions from members she assured the Committee that she was confident that the current level and quality of care provided was capable of continuing to be delivered from a reduced staffing base.

The Committee welcomed the proposal that the Director of Adult Social Care should report to the Committee at six monthly intervals until the Recovery Plan produced by the company was fully implemented. A suggestion was made that the Board could potentially be strengthened by the appointment of a non-professional member, and it was agreed that the Committee would consider this further at the first review period.

Decision

1. To thank the Chief Executive, Director of Adult Social Care, the Executive Member for Health and Social Care, and the Members of the Manchester Care Board for their joint efforts to secure an acceptable resolution to this difficult situation with the primacy of ensuring the well-being of older people currently receiving care services from Manchester Care.

2. To recommend that the Executive to support the recovery plan and other arrangements proposed.

3. To welcome the proposal that the Director of Adult Social Care will report to this Committee at six monthly intervals until the Recovery Plan produced by the company is fully implemented.

SS/06/3 Human Trafficking

The Committee received an update from officers on the Council's response to the transportation of people for the purposes of exploitation. The Committee noted the difficulties involved in quantifying the scale of the problem because of the covert nature of the activity, and the work being done at the national centre established in Sheffield. Following the Committee's previous consideration of this issue officers had established network links with other local authorities as it was recognised that inter-agency working would be essential to properly address the range of issues involved. Officers also informed the Committee of the outcome of legal action taken in respect of immigrant workers forcibly recruited into the sex industry in an area of Manchester. The Committee also noted that officers were working on the development of a leaflet to inform foreign national about their rights.

A member enquired about the reporting arrangements when local residents had information about people trafficking, given that people were often reluctant to give such information to the police. Whilst reference to the Police remained the primary route for such information, local residents could also alert their Community Safety Coordinator to situations that were giving rise to concern locally.

The Chair indicated that the recent local conviction presented the danger of an unattractive image of Manchester as a city where men and women were trans-shipped to forcibly work in the sex industry, and he emphasised the importance of Manchester taking a strong lead in terms of having in place measures to address this problem and to ensure that people 'trafficked' into the city were made aware of their basic human rights in this country, and that there was authority-wide co-ordination of activity, in partnership with other local agencies, to defend and enforce those rights.

Decision

To note the progress made in developing an information base and networking with other local authorities, and to ask the officers to report further on the measures in place to co-ordinate activity both within the Council and in partnership with other local agencies, to defend and enforce the basic human rights and dignity of people who are transported to Manchester and elsewhere to work in sexual or domestic servitude.

SS/06/4 Digital Challenge

The Committee received a presentation from Mike Gibbons from BBC in which he outlined the arrangements for the switchover to digital television for the Granada region in 2009.

Members were concerned that whilst advertising in all media and household maildrops providing information, many older people and people on low incomes were becoming increasingly alarmed about the cost of the switchover and the technical aspects of managing it. The Committee noted that an announcement was expected soon about the Government's proposals for providing financial assistance to assist those in need to affect the switchover.

Members were keen to establish the extent to which the Council was active in raising awareness about what consumers needed to do in advance of the switchover date, and particularly what the implications were for the tenants and residents of multi-storey flats, apartments and houses in multiple occupation, where several households are served by a single aerial.

Decision

To note the position, to request a further report identifying the action to be taken by the Council to coordinate activity with ALMOs and other partners in the lead-up to switchover in 2009, specifically in relation to meeting the needs of vulnerable individuals and heard to reach groups.

SS/07/5 Business Plans 2007/2008

The Committee considered the following Business Plans: -

Culture

Adult Education

Referring to the Culture Business Plan members highlighted the performance of the Tourist Information Point and officers responded that the downturn in usage in the face of increased numbers of visitors to the city reflected the increased use of the internet as the mode for making accommodation and event bookings. Plans were being considered for the relocation of the facility in the cultural/conference quarter.

Responding to members in relation to the Adult Education Business Plan, the Deputy Chief Executive (Regeneration) reassured the Committee regarding the guaranteed grant funding for the 2007/2008 financial year and indicated that the wide-ranging service changes to be implemented during that year were on target to achieve the required downsizing and curriculum review in partnership with other providers, and that the Committee would receive a report on the timetable for those changes at its next meeting.

Decision

To note the Business Plans.