Agenda item

The Overview Select Committee will receive a presentation at the meeting from the Assistant City Mayor for Jobs, Skills, Policy Delivery and Communications setting out a summary of progress in relation to the key strategic priorities and commitments of the Council. The Director of Delivery Communications and Political Governance submits a report summarising the priorities.

The Committee is recommended to comment on progress in relation to the key strategic priorities, and consider the potential to focus on specific areas in more detail as an opportunity for scrutiny work programmes for the new municipal year.

The Director of Delivery Communications and Political Governance submitted a report which summarised the strategic priorities and commitments of the Council.

The Overview Select Committee received a presentation at the meeting from Councillor Myers, Assistant City Mayor for Jobs, Skills, Policy Delivery and Communications, which set out a summary of progress against the key strategic priorities based on each theme for the period 2019 to 2023. The following points were highlighted:

·         Within the strategic priorities, there were 95 commitments.

·         The pandemic had inevitably impacted on the delivery and feasibility of some areas and there had been redirection of resources, though excellent progress had been made.

·         A summary position was provided:

o   56 (59%) were completed / embedded

o   29 (31%) were ongoing

o   6 (6%) had been delayed by Covid-19 - primarily building or Public Health related

o   4 (4%) were no longer appropriate or feasible, namely, establishing a local lottery, EV Taxi scheme, Unison ethical care charter (prohibitive in terms of cost) and the affordable undertaking service, as there had been government change and would expose the Council to financial risk.

·         A fair city – there was noticeable flexibility to provide financial support through various grant schemes and tax reduction scheme. Fuel poverty had been identified in the city long before it became a news issue. There was an anti-poverty focus including the launch of a strategy with a raft of measures. The Council had maintained its commitment over the holiday hunger programme, had invested in council estates, continued with the front wall improvement scheme, and provided jobs and skills investment with the upskilling of fashion and textiles in the city, and construction hub.

·         There had been a challenge around business engagement which was largely down to the pandemic, and the communication channels and relationship with the business community became largely administrative through the business grant schemes. Coming out the other side of the process the authority was much more aware of the wider business community, with more data available and relationships were being re-built.

·         Homes for all – £89million had been invested with a council homes improvement programme. The authority had reduced overcrowding in council properties, over 2,000 adaptations had been made to homes, and a private landlord licensing scheme was in progress. There had been further enhancement of homelessness services with wrap around services, and a positive working relationship with St Mungo’s was in place.

·         838 Council homes had been provided but there would be a struggle to meet the 1,500 target due an increase in the cost of land and pandemic impacts.

The Chair asked if the target of 1,500 homes would be achieved by 2023 at its end point. The City Mayor responded that he was frustrated that a deal previously proposed and discussed at OSC had fallen through, which had included as part of the mix the building of new and the purchase of some homes. He added that it had required the Council to rethink the mix of construction and other types of accommodation, but work would continue on what could be achieved in the time available, though this would be challenging. It was noted, however, that the number of actual homes being provided in the city was many times that number.

Members welcomed the strategic way forward but noted that affordable housing in the city wasn’t affordable any more with the financial crisis being faced in the city, and that long-term commitment to providing social housing was needed, along with the commitment to reduce overcrowding. The Assistant City Mayor said the authority faced a continued uphill struggle against the Right to Buy scheme.

·         Connecting Leicester – achievements included the introduction of rapid transit bus corridors, 20mph programme delivered, investment in the cycling network and increased cycling numbers, consultation on a workplace parking levy and the establishment of a Transport Access Group, which had informed a lot of developments across the city. The Council had been incredibly successful in securing funding to deliver the improved transport infrastructure. A challenge faced was the capacity to deliver programmes to specification with the rising cost of materials post-pandemic.

Councillor Porter asked with regards to the workplace parking levy what the reduction in carbon emissions would be in Leicester as a direct result of the scheme. The City Mayor responded there had been a commitment to consult on the workplace parking levy and a response to the consultation process would be provided in due course which would provide answers to the questions raised by residents and the effects of the scheme.

·         Sustainable Leicester – weekly bin collections had been maintained; the city had extended its tree canopy coverage with 17,001 trees planted; there had been major investment to deliver 96 new electric buses on 21 main routes and the council fleet conversion to electric was being progressed.

·         A challenge had been the provision to providing free drinking water in public spaces due to the redirection of public health resource, but attention had returned back to the priority to deliver.

Councillor Porter left the meeting at this point.

·         Health and Care – the Council had protected leisure services and invested in facilities, had piloted the community connectors approach, worked hard to provide employment opportunities for children who are looked after, and maintained the daily mile in schools. Covid 19 had impacted on programmes, for example, learning to swim and the mapping of heart defibrillators. 

·         Lifelong learning – there had been designated provision for special educational needs, free WiFi was being rolled out across council buildings, and library services had been protected. Challenges had included numbers accessing the Adult Education Service but were now returning to pre-pandemic levels up to around 7,000 people (86%).

·         A city to enjoy – investment had been made in parks across the city, with a highly successful festival programme despite the pandemic, for example, Light Up Leicester. The Visit Leicester, Story of Leicester and Museums websites had been updated, with improvements in branding to encourage visitors to the city. New workspace and business support had been developed, for example, the Gresham building. It was noted that before the pandemic it had been observed there was the need for more flexible working, and the challenge was adapting workspace to meet the needs of the ways of working during and post-pandemic.

Members asked if for the foreseeable future staff would work at home rather than in the workplace. Councillor Myers responded the Council was looking at its estate and working patterns, as were other organisations post pandemic.

·         Safe and inclusive city – there was a city-wide knife crime strategy, and a focus and investment in women’s safety brought into focus by the murder of Sarah Everard. The city continued to support refugees and asylum seekers and had played a huge role in the Afghanistan resettlement scheme, and were poised to do the same with the Russian invasion of Ukraine. The Council had further worked on the restorative justice commitment. A challenge had been the progressing of hate crime work with schools due to pandemic impacts.

·         Further key achievements were:

o   Securing over £2billion investment in major regeneration schemes.

o   City investment via successful £46million levelling up funding bids, whereby the Council had been successful in all three bids, for Pilot House, Space Park, and Leicester Railway Station.

o   The Council had been successful in all five bids for community renewal fund monies totalling £3million for community projects to support skills and employment.

·         Leicester’s response to the pandemic had led the way, including the food hub at De Montfort Hall. The way Leicester had led the way during the pandemic had been pitched nationally.

·         There had been a huge response and team of officers working during the pandemic, and the Assistant City Mayor, Councillor Myers thanks everyone who worked at the City Council for their work whilst facing the most significant crisis for generations.

The Chair noted that it was important that scrutiny commission Chairs look at the commitments and where appropriate, to discuss them at Commission meeting.

The Chair thanked the Assistant City Mayor, Councillor Myers for the report.

AGREED:

1.    That in conjunction with Scrutiny Officers and Lead Directors, scrutiny commission Chairs consider the extent to which the Council’s commitments be covered in work programmes for the next municipal year.