Questions to The Executive for 2021
Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Executive Member for Environment, was asked a question by Sally Dolphin:
I would like to know whether the section 106 (planning obligation) money has been collected from all the building companies that have had planning permission granted by Manchester City council in the last 5 years. I am specifically interested in developments within the city centre.
I would also like to know what the collected money has been spent on to benefit the local communities in line with the rules of the law.
Councillor Tracey Rawlins replied:
The S106 monitoring report is being presented to the Resources and Governance Scrutiny Committee on 7 December 2021. This includes a schedule of those planning applications which have been approved subject to a 106 legal agreement. The schedule sets out the type of obligation contained within the legal agreement and the triggers for when these need to be enacted. The report can be accessed on the Council website - Agenda, Resources and Governance Scrutiny Committe - Tuesday, 7th December 2021, 2pm.
For clarity, not all planning applications will require a S106 agreement to mitigate harm and where there an agreement in place, any obligation which may include a financial contribution will only be received once a trigger has been met.
6 December 2021.
Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar, Executive Member for Neighbourhoods was asked a question by Peter Liggins.
To ask the Cabinet Member with responsibility for Parks, whether the proposals for a new chargeable family attraction at the Lakeside area of Heaton Park will mean that ANY of the current children’s playground facilities in that area will stop being free for use and start to become chargeable?
Councillor Rabnawaz Akbar replied:
Thank you for your question regarding the proposed new family attraction at the Lakeside of Heaton Park.
The Council is currently seeking feedback from potential operators on the opportunity to create an exciting new family attraction at Heaton Park. This is an early market engagement exercise that will help determine if this is an opportunity that should be explored further by way of a formal tender process.
If the Council decides to proceed with the tender for a new family attraction, the existing playground may be incorporated into the design but the playground itself will remain free to access and use.
The concept of the family attraction is to provide an outdoor and indoor play/education offer in the Park, that would operate throughout the year, complementing and enhancing the existing ‘lakeside adventure’ woodland playground. We want to see how an indoor family attraction can fit into our outdoor woodland adventure theme, bringing the forest indoors.
Whilst there is an option for an operator to incorporate the Lakeside Playground into the design of the proposed new facility, this is not a fixed requirement.
14 October 2021.
Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Executive Member for Environment, was asked a question by Tom Haines-Doran:
Do you agree that solving the environmental and social problems caused by the use of motor vehicles in Burnage and Levenshulme is best solved by reducing their use? To that end, are you committed to using the Levenshulme and Burnage Active Neighbourhood project to put in place infrastructure that actively discourages car use and encourages walking and cycling, especially for short journeys? Are you prepared to do that, even if it inconveniences some residents in the short term, and even if those residents complain about it?
Councillor Tracey Rawlins replied:
The Council agrees in principle that reducing the use of motor vehicles in any location will contribute to solving environmental and social issues. Through our work with Transport for Greater Manchester to implement the GM2040 Transport Strategy, we are committed across Greater Manchester to no net growth in motor traffic and a million more daily trips by public transport and active travel by 2040. Within that, the trips that have the greatest potential to be shifted from car to active travel are short journeys of 5 kilometres or less, and the measures we are taking to support active travel are intended to contribute to those objectives. Part of the justification and approval for the Levenshulme and Burnage Active Neighbourhood projects included the implementation of highway features to encourage more walking and cycling for short local journeys. We have carried out a 6-month trial in Levenshulme to gauge local reaction to some short-term inconvenience and the outcomes of this trial will be considered in determining what we do in the future. We will also take into account the views of all other relevant stakeholders too.
8 September 2021.
Councillor Tracey Rawlins, Executive Member for Environment, was asked a question by Tom Haines-Doran:
In Manchester City Council's Active Neighbourhood schemes, are you committed to ensure that they provide new safe walking and cycling routes between community amenities, and that link to current and future intra-city and intra-regional Bee Network routes?
Councillor Tracey Rawlins replied:
Yes, Manchester City Council is committed to ensure that where possible we will endeavour to provide safer walking and cycling routes between community amenities, and that link to current and future intra-city and intra-regional Bee Network routes. This also requires us to comply with the scope of each project and the funding made available.
3 September 2021.
Councillor Garry Bridges, Executive Member for Children and Schools, was asked a question:
My children are both attending Manchester schools, my daughter will start at a Manchester Secondary School in September and my son will go into year 4 at a Manchester Primary School. I've just looked at the school holidays for next year and they are quite different. This means that I, and I am sure many other parents will have a real struggle to cover childcare for these periods. It also makes it very difficult to plan any holidays, as there are a lot less weeks where both children are off together.
Why can't there be more co-ordination in this matter to stop this happening? It’s hard enough to cover 13 weeks of school holidays when you only get 5 weeks annual leave, but because they are not aligned I now have to find childcare for another 4 weeks whilst at least one of them is on holiday.
Councillor Garry Bridges replied:
Term dates and holidays, in England, are set
1. for community and voluntary controlled schools, community special schools and maintained nursery schools, by the local authority (LA);
2. for foundation and voluntary aided schools, by the governing body, and
3. for free schools and academies, by the academy trust.
Manchester City Council sets the school calendar and requires that those schools in Group 1 follow it. Schools in Groups 2 and 3 are encouraged to follow the holiday pattern to limit the impact of differing holiday dates on parents and carers. Unfortunately, it is not possible for the Council to mandate adherence to its calendar by all types of schools.
27 April 2021.
Councillor Bev Craig, Executive Member for Adult Health and Wellbeing, was asked a question:
I am concerned that the Etihad stadium has sent out vaccine appointments to teachers ahead of those in the vulnerable groups. I understand there has been a problem with the system which allowed teachers to currently be seen as key workers. Clearly it is unfair when a fit 49 year old PE teacher gets a vaccine before a terminally ill cancer patient in their 60s.
Please can someone sort this out?
Councillor Bev Craig replied:
We have been aware of some problems with the booking service and false emails being circulated amongst teachers informing them that they are eligible to access a vaccine at the Mass Vaccination Centre which is a Greater Manchester facility. When teachers who are not in the eligible cohorts have attended the centre they have been turned away.
1 March 2021.
Councillor Nigel Murphy, Deputy Leader was asked a question:
Hi, I have great concerns for the Blackley/Moston area and it is increasingly getting worse. The rising cannabis issue in the area and not feeling safe as a result, I still have family in the area and I hate that they have seen all this (from neighbours growing it, to people dealing it out in the open) and that I have to be the one to try to protect them when it should be the police. I have requested patrols round the area every so often (and more involvement in the community) and have even expressed my concerns with the council multiple times to clean up the area in an attempt to make the area look better and encourage people to not want to trash their own community. I have seen no results from my requests, nor have I received any updates or acknowledgement. It is so frustrating! I guess I am requesting how you intend to deal with this rising issue in these areas. In particular, if you intend to introduce any actively anti-drug campaigns and if GMP will start taking immediate action?
Councillor Nigel Murphy replied:
Thank you for your enquiry. The area in question, Blackley and Moston, forms part of the local neighbourhood policing teams daily patrol plan and reports to the police by the community play a pivotal role in helping the police tackle this very important issue.
In addition to reporting the matter on 101 information can also be emailed to the local policing team on manchesternorth@gmp.police.uk or if preferable can be reported anonymously via Crimestoppers on 0800555111 or www.crimestoppers-uk.org.
When this information is received police will look to address the issue through proactive patrols, dedicated operations and warrants. The local policing team will also work in conjunction with partners where appropriate.
Advice and information about drug and alcohol services are available here: https://www.changegrowlive.org/manchester/alcohol-and-drugs
Without knowing the specific areas in Moston and Blackley it is difficult to comment on the council’s response to improving the area through cleansing but I would like to assure you that the local Manchester City Council Neighbourhood Team works closely with our street cleansing partner Biffa to tackle areas that may cause concern by linking in with local residents, Housing Providers and local businesses.
Please continue to report these issues via the councils contact centre 234 5004 or on the council’s website www.manchester.gov.uk/environment
9 February 2021.