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Council size submission May 2018 Electoral review of Salford City Council Submission on council size, to be submitted to the local Government Boundary Commission for England
Council size submission May 2018
Contents
1 Introduction .................................................................................................................... 4
Methodology ............................................................................................................. 4
2 Salford: A Modern Global City ....................................................................................... 6
3 Salford Today ................................................................................................................ 9
Population Growth..................................................................................................... 9
Continuing Population Growth ................................................................................ 10
An Increasingly Diverse City ................................................................................... 11
A City of Contrasts .................................................................................................. 14
4 Governance and Decision Making ............................................................................... 17
Context.................................................................................................................... 17
A Directly Elected City Mayor .................................................................................. 17
The Council ............................................................................................................. 18
Leadership - Cabinet ............................................................................................... 19
Leadership - Role of Lead Members ....................................................................... 19
The Role of a Councillor.......................................................................................... 25
Regulatory Panels and Other Committees .............................................................. 27
Greater Manchester and City Partnerships ............................................................. 28
Council size submission May 2018
Other partnership working ....................................................................................... 30
Community Decision Making ................................................................................... 32
5 Scrutiny Functions ....................................................................................................... 34
6 Representational Role of Councillors .......................................................................... 38
7 The Future – Changing Role for Council and Councillors............................................ 40
Greater Manchester ................................................................................................ 40
Growth and Working with Business......................................................................... 41
Health and Social Care Integrated Commissioning ................................................. 42
21st Century Councillor ........................................................................................... 42
8 Conclusion and Recommendations ............................................................................. 44
Appendices
Appendix 1 Member Survey Questionnaire
Appendix 2 Forecasting Technical report
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Council size submission May 2018
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Council size submission May 2018
1 Introduction
1.1 The Local Government Boundary Commission for England (LGBCE) review of
Salford’s council size started in 2018, with all out elections due to take place in 2020.
1.2 The review was triggered due to the number of wards with electoral imbalances
across the city, and therefore an unfair representation at local government elections.
In five of the 20 wards, the size of electorate has a variance greater than +/- 10%
compared to the average; in Ordsall the variance is 33%.
1.3 This document is Salford City Council’s council size submission, which provides the
LGBCE with the Council’s view on the appropriate council size and supporting
evidence across the following three broad areas (as stated in the LGBCE guidance
on council size for local authority elected members and staff):
· Governance and decision making – determining the role of councillors in
decision making, and how work and responsibilities are distributed across the
Council.
· Scrutiny functions – the role of councillors in holding decision makers to
account and to ensure that the Council can discharge its responsibilities to
outside bodies.
· Representative role of councillors – assessing how councillors represent and
provide leadership in their communities and how this affects workload and
responsibilities.
1.4 The document concludes that the size of the Council should remain at 60 councillors
across 20 wards (3 members per ward).
Methodology
1.5 The development of this submission was led by a political steering group, chaired by
the Statutory Deputy Mayor.
1.6 The submission draws on information from documentary sources such as the
Council’s constitution, and from discussion with elected members and senior officers.
1.7 During March 2018, councillors were asked to complete a survey to better
understand their workloads relating to governance and decision making, scrutiny,
and the representative duties of councillors. The survey also sought to understand
the way councillors work with the public and with partner organisations across the
city. A copy of the survey is attached at Appendix 1.
1.8 The survey also asked councillors for their views on how their role had developed
and changed over time.
1.9 Forty eight councillors responded to the survey, an overall response rate of 80%.
90% of Labour Councillors responded to the survey.
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Council size submission May 2018
1.10 Additionally, six councillors drawn from different roles also completed a more
detailed journal that documented the demands on their time during a specific week in
March 2018.
1.11 The findings from both the survey and completed journals are reported throughout
this submission.
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Council size submission May 2018
2 Salford: A Modern Global City
2.1 Salford is a rejuvenated city. The decision in 1983 to invest in the transformation of
the city’s industrial Docks began an extensive, long running and expansive
programme of reimagining the canal side, creating what is now the Salford Quays –
an international and national home for the arts, culture, waterside living and a new
economy. The physical transformation of the Quays is not the only change in the
city. Over the past decade other areas of the city have also undergone a physical
transformation and the city’s economy has strengthened, supported by the growth in
key sectors. The population has continued to grow, and the quality of the arts,
cultural, sporting and community offers is now world class.
2.2 The city now boasts a world class hospital, a leading university, and strong housing,
cultural and leisure offers. All of these continue to attract a growing number of
people to Salford.
2.3 There is more that can be done. There are ambitious plans to create a ‘Better and
Fairer Salford’. The current exceptional levels of growth are supported by three of
the strongest investment opportunities in the Greater Manchester region:
· City Centre Salford: the level of ambition in City Centre Salford is already
evidenced by a strong development pipeline. Over the next 25 years there is
the potential to grow significantly with up to 12,500 new jobs, 120,000 m 2 of
employment floor space, 14,000 new homes and 20,000 new residents.
· The Quays and Media City UK: one of the UKs most successful
regeneration projects, northern home to the BBC and ITV. Media City is one
of the leading digital, creative and technology clusters in Europe. Future
phases between now and 2030 will see further investment of up to £1bn,
doubling the current size of Media City UK.
· Greater Manchester Western Gateway: exploiting the opportunity to create
a tri-modal interchange that will transform the way goods are transported not
just in the North West but across the Northern Powerhouse. Port Salford will
be the UKs first tri-modal port facility with the potential to create up to 10,000
jobs as the major distribution hub comes on stream.
2.4 This unprecedented private and public investment over the last ten years is
transforming Salford from its industrial roots. The population of Salford Quays, where
MediaCityUK is based, has increased from 6,000 to 7,800 in just five years (2011 –
2016). Employment in Salford Quays has increased from 19,000 jobs in 2003 to
26,000 in 2016. As a result, more people than ever are choosing Salford as a place
to live, work, invest and visit. Salford’s economy is growing well above regional and
national averages and is outperforming both London and Manchester to become the
UK’s hot spot for starting a new business. With a strong cultural and tourism offer, a
renowned heritage and huge swathes of beautiful green spaces, the city has
something for everyone.
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Council size submission May 2018
2.5 In addition to investment opportunities listed above, there are other significant
developments such as –
· Royal Horticultural Society (RHS) Garden Bridgewater – due to open in 2019
as the RHS’s fifth garden in the country and with the potential to become the
largest visitor attraction in Greater Manchester
· The Landing – in partnership with the Council, gives digital SMEs and micro-
businesses a place to work alongside large media and technology
organisations, allowing them to be part of and benefit from the rapidly growing
community at MediaCityUK.
2.6 Driven by these and other investment opportunities, it is expected that Salford will
continue to see economic and physical transformation across the city. Over the next
decade, growth is expected to result in an additional 20,000 residents, a growth of
8%, well above both the Greater Manchester and national averages. GVA will grow
by £2billion, with 15,000 new jobs created.
2.7 Despite this success – and the transformation of the city’s economic future – Salford
remains a city of contrasts. Salford is ranked 22 in the Index of Multiple Deprivation
out of 326, and over a quarter of the city’s lower super output areas are in the most
deprived 10% LSOAs nationally. Deprivation is concentrated in wards which cover
Central Salford (also the area with some of the highest levels of growth) and in Little
Hulton. Life expectancy for both men and women in the city remains lower than
nationally, childhood obesity in the city is increasing and despite recent
improvements around a quarter of children in Salford are growing up in poverty.
2.8 The city has realised and embraced the need for active local leadership – particularly
by the elected City Mayor and City Council – first, to ensure that local assets are
properly recognised, cultivated and protected. And second, to ensure that all
institutions come together to deliver the shared vision to create a ‘Better and Fairer
Salford’ for all residents. The City Mayor has brought partners together to harness
collective energy behind eight strategic priorities – the Great Eight.
· Tackling poverty and homelessness
· Maximising social value in everything we do
· Improving education and skills
· Transforming health and social care
· A new approach to affordable housing
· Place based inclusive economic growth
· Improving transport connectivity
· Governing the council as a transparent and effective organisation
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Council size submission May 2018
2.9 Delivering against these core priorities will require the sustained commitment and
partnership between councillors, partners in the private, public and voluntary and
social enterprise sectors, and the city’s residents. It is the only way to deliver real
change for the city – and will take time and ongoing commitment.
2.10 At the same time, councillors are operating in an increasingly complex environment.
The election of the Greater Manchester Mayor and increased devolution of
responsibilities to Greater Manchester, and the Greater Manchester Combined
Authority, is fundamentally changing the way the council works in areas of economic
development, transport, work and skills, planning, policing and more recently health
and social care.
2.11 The influence and remit of councillors as leaders of place and representatives of their
communities is fundamentally changing – creating wider influence and
responsibilities.
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Council size submission May 2018
3 Salford Today
Population Growth
3.1 Salford’s last council size review was in 2002 – and in the fourteen years to 2016 the
city’s population has grown significantly. The number of people living in the city
increased from 216,100 to 248,100 over that time period – a growth of 14.8%. This
is higher than the England rate of 11.2%, and the second highest rate of growth in
Greater Manchester. The growing population reflects the success of the Council’s
ambition to attract investment, grow new business opportunities, and to create jobs.
3.2 The electorate size has also grown over the same time period, with 176,119 electors
in March 2018, compared with 160,700 in 2001, a growth of 10%.
3.3 The city’s population has grown across all areas of the city, however, the highest
growth has been concentrated in wards that adjoin the regional centre and in
surrounding areas. Ordsall has seen a 168% increase in its population between
2001 and 2016, increasing from 6,400 to 18,000 residents. Broughton has seen its
population increase by 37%, from 11,500 to 16,500 residents.
Figure 1 - Salford Ward Population Change in Number between 2004-2016
9Council size submission May 2018
Continuing Population Growth
3.4 Detailed forecasts undertaken by Salford City Council show that between 2015 and
2024, the adult population is set to grow by 20%, an increase of around 39,000
people. The electorate is estimated to grow by 19%, an increase of 32,000 people.
This increase is much greater than that seen across England and Greater
Manchester.
3.5 Almost half of this growth will be concentrated in Ordsall, which will grow from
around 14,000 to just over 33,000 (see Table 1 and Figure 2 below)
3.6 The growth forecasts incorporated past and current demographic and migration
trends, as well as considering all of the known housing developments. Demographic
information was used to segment the population and predict voter registration rates,
in order to predict the future size of the electorate.
Table 1 - 2024 Population & Electorate Projections by 2018 Wards
Expected variance of electorate Expected Expected Estimated
in current electoral wards number of number of variance
2015-2024 adults 2024 electors 2024 (electors) 2024
Ordsall 33,139 26,184 +158.6%
Irwell Riverside 14,325 11,670 +15.3%
Broughton 12,308 10,267 +1.4%
Pendlebury 11,136 9,983 -1.4%
Little Hulton 11,000 9,835 -2.9%
Weaste & Seedley 10,845 9,582 -5.4%
Langworthy 11,655 9,562 -5.6%
Walkden North 10,763 9,549 -5.7%
Eccles 10,662 9,344 -7.7%
Winton 10,421 9,261 -8.5%
Walkden South 10,066 9,215 -9.0%
Swinton North 10,010 9,003 -11.1%
Kersal 10,235 8,954 -11.6%
Barton 10,996 9,458 -6.6%
Swinton South 9,882 8,849 -12.6%
Claremont 9,680 8,763 -13.4%
Worsley 9,485 8,691 -14.2%
Cadishead 9,573 8,668 -14.4%
Boothstown & Ellenbrook 8,870 8,216 -18.8%
Irlam 8,100 7,430 -26.6%
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Figure 2 - 2024 Projected Electorate Variance by 2018 Wards
3.7 The direction of travel indicates that over the next decade, Salford will see its:
· GVA grow by £2 billion (35.2%), above the GM (30.8%) and national (31.3%)
averages.
· Number of jobs grow by 15,000 jobs (10.6%), above the GM (6.4%) and
national (6%) averages.
· Private sector investment grow by a further £3.9 billion.
An Increasingly Diverse City
3.8 Overall Salford has a younger population than England. One in five of everyone
living in Salford is aged under 16 (50,000 people) and one in every 15 is aged over-
75 (16,000 people). Salford has a high proportion of younger adults, with around a
third of the population aged 20-39 years old compared to just over a quarter
nationally. This age group has increased by 16,000 (26%) since the last boundary
review in 2002. This is much higher than the England and the Greater Manchester
proportion (see Figure 3)
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3.9 Half of everyone in Salford is aged under 35 years old (this is called the median
age). Worsley has the oldest population in Salford, half of everyone in this ward is
aged over 44 years. Four other wards have a median age of 40 years or higher
(Claremont, Eccles, Boothstown and Ellenbrook and Walkden South). The youngest
ward is Irwell Riverside with half its population aged under 28 years. Three other
wards have a median age no greater than 30 years, all in the East of the city
(Ordsall, Broughton, Kersal).
3.10 A rise in birth rate, along, with an increase in migration has led to increased and on-
going demand for school places. Salford began to experience increased demand for
primary places in late 2010. Since 2011, with the expansion of existing schools, the
local authority has created an additional 5,000 primary school places (the equivalent
of twenty four 1 Form Entry primary schools). Whilst Salford has seen a small
increase in secondary pupil numbers this has not been as dramatic as that
experienced across the primary sector. However, as the growth Salford has seen at
primary school level begins to feed through to the secondary sector, there will be the
need to create additional spaces. The scale of new housing development that
Salford is planning will create an additional requirement for pupil places over and
above this, and taken together will require significant further expansion across both
the primary and secondary sectors. Forecasts show that by 2027 Salford may need
primary places for an additional 3,360 children (16 Forms of Entry) and for secondary
places Salford may need places for an additional 1,596 children (11 Forms of Entry)
by 2024.
3.11 The direction of Government policy and the associated measures to widen choice in
education will also have a key bearing on the future landscape of education provision
within the city.
3.12 As life expectancy increases, the proportion of older people will also increase. It is
projected that the number of over-75s will increase by two-thirds over 25 years,
reaching 27,000 by 2039.
Figure 3 - 2016 Residential population by 5-year age band and gender - with reference populations
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3.13 Salford has a rich and diverse community life. The city has well established Jewish
and Yemini communities and has attracted new and emerging communities from a
wide range of backgrounds. Salford has seen inward migration from eastern
European countries, particularly in to East Salford, Claremont and Weaste. There
has been dispersal of asylum seekers in Salford, for example Somali people, which
has meant councillors are seeing more queries about immigration and asylum
matters in surgeries. Established communities such as the Orthodox Jewish
community in Kersal and Higher Broughton have grown in numbers meaning, for
example, greater need for school places.
3.14 In 2016, 14.4% (33,600) of the city’s residents were from a BME background,
compared to 5.5% in 2001. However, the distribution of people from BME
backgrounds is not uniform across the city (see Figure 4). The BME population is
higher in certain wards such as Broughton (30%), Ordsall (30%), Irwell Riverside
(27.5%) and Kersal (24%).
Figure 4 - Percentage of People who are Black or Minority Ethnic (BME), 2011
3.15 Numerous faiths in Salford have also increased notably in size. Between 2001 and
2011, although the number of people ‘declining to answer the question’ or stating
their faith as Christian decreased, in contrast the number of people describing their
religion as Muslim, Other religion, No religion, Hindu, or Buddhist all increased by
greater than 100% and at faster rates than seen across both Greater Manchester
and England.
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3.16 The average percentage of households in Salford without any speakers of English as
a main language was 5% in 2011 (5,196 households) compared to 4.4% in Greater
Manchester and England averages. However this is concentrated in particular wards;
the percentage of households where no people in the household have English as a
main language was 14.3% (844 households) in Broughton and 13.7% (1,104) in
Ordsall and 10.7% (559 households) in Irwell Riverside. These changes to
communities make different demands on councillors in the city and in particular in
wards with a variety of or new communities.
3.17 The growing diversity of Salford brings increasing challenges to the council and
different demands on councillors who must effectively represent the diverse needs
and interests of all their constituents.
“My ward is large geographically and very diverse in terms of affluence/poverty and
ethnicity and orthodox religious belief, it’s a complex area to cover, very large in
every way to cover with an increasing population.”
“Have increased contact with targeted minority and vulnerable communities -
African, Muslim and Orthodox Jewish communities”
3.18 The gender split of councillors was 72% male councillors to 28% female councillors
but following the May 2018 local elections the split is now 68% to 32%. The Cabinet
and Executive Support has a split of 62% male to 38% female councillors. This
cabinet has its first female Statutory Deputy City Mayor.
3.19 Councillors tend to be 55 or older with nearly 60% in this age bracket and just over a
third 65 or older. The elections in May 2018 resulted in a slight increase in
councillors under 30, with one new councillor aged 19 years old, and a few
experienced councillors have stood down or not been re-elected.
3.20 Around 40% of councillors are in employment, however the Council does not hold
information on whether this is full or part time employment. The following sections of
this report describe the significant demands that are placed on the councillor, which
helps to explain why people find this difficult to balance with employment
responsibilities.
A City of Contrasts
3.21 Salford also remains a city of contrasts, with some of the most prosperous and
deprived wards in the country. With the Council's core funding from central
government cut by 43% since 2010, Salford has had to develop radical new ways of
working with its partners, residents and vibrant voluntary and community sector to
make the best use of the city’s collective resources.1
1 Welcome to Salford (LGA Peer Challenge)
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3.22 Salford was ranked 22nd most deprived local authority in England in 20152, although
this was an improvement from 18th placing in the Index of Multiple Deprivation (IMD)
2010. Over a quarter (28.7%) of Salford's Lower Super Output Areas (LSOAs) are in
the most deprived 10% of LSOA's in England. Areas of deprivation are concentrated
in wards which cover Central Salford (wards with some of the highest growth) and
Little Hulton.
Figure 5 - Political Representation in Salford and Overall Index of Deprivation - England Rank for LSOA's
in Salford 2015
3.23 Salford ranks 7th most deprived LA in England on the Health Deprivation and
Disability Index, one of the domains in the IMD. .Life expectancy for men and women
in Salford is 76.8 years and 81.0 years respectively (2014/16). For men this is the
23rd lowest in the UK, and for women is the 30th lowest. Childhood obesity is
increasing (24% in Year 6 in 2016) and despite recent improvements, around a
quarter of children in Salford are growing up in poverty.
3.24 Levels of disability and poor health are high in Salford. The proportion of people
reporting ‘day-to-day activities limited a lot’ is around a third higher than the national
level. Similarly the proportion of people reporting bad or very bad health is over a
third higher in Salford. Little Hulton, Langworthy and Broughton have the highest
levels of disability and poor health. Boothstown and Ellenbrook, Worsley and Ordsall
have the lowest levels.
2 2015 IMD
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3.25 Despite large increases in the working age population in some of the more deprived
areas, the substantial work undertaken by the Council to attract business to the city
has contributed to the proportion of people on benefits decreasing in recent years,
and to a marked degree in certain parts of the city. In November 2012 there were
26,300 people on out of work benefits in Salford (16.8%) and in November 2016 the
number receiving out of work benefits was 18,800 (11.7%). Little Hulton has seen the
largest change; in 2012 there were nearly 3,000 (29%) of the ward’s population on
out of work benefits and by 2016 this had dropped to just over 1,500 (19%). Barton
has seen a similar drop from just under 1,900 (23%) receiving out of work benefits in
2012 to 1,200 (15%) in 2016.
3.26 However, although there has been a reduction of people on benefits, the changes to
benefits and methods of assessment have meant an increasing number of disputed
cases and requests for help directed at councillors. Universal credit will be fully rolled
out in 2018 and evidence suggests that this is likely to increase the number of
people in difficulty. Salford Assist is a Salford City Council scheme that can offer
short term support to people who are in a crisis, emergency or major disaster
situation and in 2017 supported 3,308 vulnerable households a 62% increase from
the year before.3
3.27 The “DWP Benefit Conditionality and Sanctions in Salford – one year on” report
published in May 2016 found that sanctions did not encourage people into work and
that benefit sanctions were having a disproportionate impact on young people
(especially care leavers), claimants with dependent children, with health conditions
and whose first language is not English. The report also noted that the rate of
sanctioning in Salford Jobcentre offices had not reduced (in 2016) and had
increased in Eccles and Worsley offices. The report found that young people aged
18-25 were most vulnerable to benefit sanctions and warned that the sanctions
regime would be extended to other groups as Universal Credit is fully rolled out. This
evidence suggests that issues associated with benefits are likely to increase over
time, and as such will place greater demands on the councillor.
3 Year One progress report 2017/18 No one left behind: tackling poverty in Salford
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4 Governance and Decision Making
Context
4.1 Salford City Council is currently made up of 20 wards and 60 councillors. The
Council has been a majority Labour council since 1973. Currently 50 (49 prior to the
May election) of the 60 councillors are Labour councillors, nine are Conservative,
and there is one Independent councillor (prior to the May election there were two).
The Council elects its councillors by thirds, with elections held over a four year cycle,
the most recent election being held on 3 May 2018.
4.2 Salford is one of 10 councils which make up the Greater Manchester (GM) city-
region. All 10 councils have come together voluntarily to form the Greater
Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA), and, with the recently elected Mayor of
Greater Manchester, work with local services, businesses, communities and other
partners to improve the city-region.
A Directly Elected City Mayor
4.3 Salford operates with an elected City Mayor in contrast to many other local
authorities. This is a different arrangement to that of local authorities with a Leader
and Cabinet. The City Mayor is directly accountable to local people through
elections every four years.
4.4 The first election in Salford of the elected City Mayor was held on the 3 May 2012.
The Mayoral Referendum which led to a “yes” vote for a Mayoral system, was held
on 26 January 2012. This means that the first date that another Mayoral Referendum
could be held in Salford would be 26 January 2022.4 However, should a referendum
be held, an Elected Mayor elected in May 2020 would serve a 4 year term until May
2024, regardless of the referendum outcome.
4.5 The City Mayor has overall responsibility for the delivery of council services. The
City Mayor leads and chairs the Cabinet; provides political and community leadership
and has responsibility for proposing the general budget and policy to Council. He is
not a councillor and so does not have a ward role. He is answerable to Council for
major decisions such as setting the council’s budget for the year.
4.6 All of Salford City Council’s executive functions are vested in the elected City Mayor.
Section 9E(2) of the Local Government Act 2000 (as amended) provides that the
elected City Mayor may determine to exercise any of Salford City Council’s executive
functions personally, or may arrange for the exercise of any of the council’s
executive functions by:
· the Cabinet as a whole
· another member of the Cabinet
· a committee of the Cabinet
4 Section 69 (2) (a) of the Local Government and Public Involvement in Health Act 2007 states that
“ A local authority in England may not hold more than one referendum in any period of 10 years”.
17Council size submission May 2018
· an officer of the council or
· an area committee (which in Salford are called ‘Community Committees’).
4.7 In Salford, the City Mayor exercises his authority in a collegiate way and decisions
are primarily taken in consultation with Cabinet, through the Cabinet Meetings, the
Regeneration and Property Briefing, and the City Mayor’s briefing with the Deputy
Mayors. Quote from a survey of members:
“The City Mayor has improved all member involvement in policy forums /
development and in decision making on the massive budget cuts, restructuring,
service priority and budget setting in detail.”
4.8 The Monitoring Officer maintains the elected City Mayor’s Register of the Delegation
of Executive Functions, setting out whether the elected City Mayor himself, an
individual Cabinet Member, a committee of the Cabinet, a council officer, a
Community Committee, or joint arrangements, are responsible for the exercise of
particular executive functions.
4.9 City Mayor Paul Dennett pledged to work for a better and fairer Salford when
elected. He said: “I plan to make an impact for our city and its residents. We will be
working in a different way, being more open when we can about what we do, getting
people involved and listening to their concerns and getting things done.” When he
took office as City Mayor he commented that “My new cabinet has a wide range of
experiences and specialities. We have increased the representation of women on the
team - an important step towards gender equality in council. “Governing this city is a
collective effort. We need to make the most of elected members and council officers
to get the best results for Salford”.5
4.10 The City Mayor has prioritised greater integration and, as such, a Lead Member may
take the lead on one area but the responsibility is shared across the Cabinet. The
City Mayor and Lead Members work collaboratively to ensure council departments
and initiatives are joined up and make effective use of the Council’s budget and
other resources.
4.11 The City Mayor is also an active member of the Greater Manchester Combined
Authority and Portfolio Lead for Housing, Planning and Homelessness in the region.
Given the importance of devolution within Greater Manchester (discussed in greater
detail in following sections), representing Salford at a regional and national level is a
vital and substantial part of the role of City Mayor.
The Council
4.12 Full Council is responsible for holding the City Mayor to account. The Council meets
seven times a year and meetings are typically three hours in duration. Budget council
is held in February. Council meetings are webcast.
5 LIFE in Salford, June 2016 edition
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4.13 Twice a year a policy forum is held for councillors instead of a council meeting. The
policy forum provides an opportunity to discuss policy matters cross party.
Leadership – Cabinet
4.14 The City Mayor has a Cabinet of nine, comprising two Deputy City Mayors and seven
Lead Members, with defined areas of responsibility to support the City Mayor’s
priorities. All Members in the Cabinet are Labour Group Members. Lead Members
may have support Members (known as Executive Support) where they have large or
complex portfolios and they work closely with directors of the relevant services to
oversee the Council’s operations in their portfolio and support the delivery of the City
Mayor’s objectives.
4.15 Cabinet meetings are held in public and are open to Members of the public to attend.
Agendas and minutes are published on the Council’s website. The Cabinet and
Cabinet briefing meetings are held every two weeks, typically lasting 1 hour to 2
hours each. The role of cabinet is expanded upon further in the following section.
4.16 The City Mayor wants to make sure that departments work together and services are
integrated. In some instances a Lead Member may take the lead on one area but the
responsibility is shared across the Cabinet. The City Mayor and Lead Members work
collaboratively to ensure council departments and initiatives are joined up and make
effective use of the Council’s budget and other resources.
Leadership - Role of Lead Members
4.17 Portfolio holders, known as Lead Members in Salford, make up the City Mayor’s
Cabinet along with the Deputy City Mayors. The Lead Members have responsibility
for particular service and thematic areas and have delegated powers to take
decisions on behalf of the City Mayor in matters relevant to their portfolio as set out
in the constitution. They attend Lead Member briefings at which they are formally
briefed on items for decision relating to their portfolio. These briefing meetings are
held weekly, fortnightly or monthly depending on the portfolio and are typically two
hours in duration. Some Lead Members also have support, known as Executive
Support, from another councillor for some of the larger portfolios. Officer support is
provided to Lead Members to manage their diaries due to the volume of work.
Table 2 - Cabinet Member Positions, Portfolios, Executive meetings
Position Portfolio
City Mayor has retained executive responsibility for
strategic regeneration matters and for property matters as
outlined in the City Mayor’s scheme of delegation
City Mayor December 2016, concerning disposals
Meetings: Council, Cabinet,
19Council size submission May 2018
Position Portfolio
GM: Member of GMCA, GM Portfolio Lead for Housing,
Planning and Homelessness , member of GM Health and
Care Board, member of GM Police and Crime Panel
In the absence of the City Mayor, to fulfil the City Mayor's
responsibilities
Lead on Locality planning and Strategic Overview of
Integrated Neighbourhoods. Lead on organisational
effectiveness and efficiency including in relation to
procurement and collaboration. Lead on development and
delivery of the City Mayor’s anti-poverty strategy, including
Statutory Deputy City all aspects of financial and social inclusion. Chair, and take
Mayor decisions on behalf of the Council and the Integrated Care
and Joint Commissioning Committee (ICJC).
Meetings: Council, Cabinet, Procurement Board,
Workforce panel, Electoral Matters committee
GM: Portfolio Assistant for Housing, Planning and
Homelessness
Work with the City Mayor on all matters concerned with the
development and delivery of devolution for Greater
Manchester and on Salford’s role within the Northern
Powerhouse.
Lead on matters relating to the external functions of the
Deputy City Mayor Council including public service reform and transformation.
Meetings: Council, Cabinet, Procurement Board,
Workforce panel, Electoral Matters committee
GM: Substitute member of GMCA, and of GM Health and
Care Board, GM Standards Committee
Strategic regeneration matters and for property matters not
reserved by City Mayor.
Portfolio includes Housing Choice, housing services, and
Lead Member for homelessness plus shared with Lead Member for
Housing and Environment and Community Safety - libraries and sport,
Neighbourhoods culture and leisure.
Meetings: Council, Cabinet, Corporate Parenting Panel,
Electoral Matters committee, Employers Forum, Workforce
Panel
20Council size submission May 2018
Position Portfolio
Portfolio includes waste management, environmental and
regulatory services, Street Scene, parks, Taxi regulatory
functions, community safety, Citywide services, plus
shared with Lead Member for Housing and
Neighbourhoods - libraries and sport, culture and leisure.
Lead Member for Strong working relationship with GMP.
Environment and
Community Safety Meetings: Council, Cabinet, Electoral Matters committee,
Employers’ forum, Workforce Panel
GM: Member of GM Police and Crime Panel, member of
GM Waste Disposal Authority
Strategic regeneration matters and for property matters not
reserved by City Mayor and where it does not conflict with
his role as a Member of the Planning Panel.
Portfolio includes energy, environmental sustainability and
quality, lead on Planning and Regulatory functions, client
function for joint venture company with Urban Vision,
strategic planning (when part of the Executive function),
Lead Member for liaise with Salford University, heritage development, air
Planning and and water quality, taxi and private hire regulatory functions.
Sustainable
Development Meetings: Cabinet, Planning and Transportation Panel,
Workforce Panel
GM: GM Planning and Housing Commission, GM Local
Nature Partnership (Natural Capital), GM Forestry
Partnership, GM Flood and Water Management Board,
GM Energy Group, GM appointed trustee of People’s
History Museum
Portfolio includes overseeing the Council’s financial
arrangements, lead on City Mayor’s proposals for Finance
and Budget Strategy, financial regulation, oversee
administration of Council Tax and National Non Domestic
Lead Member for Rates, ICT strategy, corporate business services,
Finance and Support emergency planning
Services
Meetings: Cabinet, Audit and Accounts Committee,
Procurement Board, Standards Committee, Workforce
Panel
21Council size submission May 2018
Position Portfolio
Portfolio includes safeguarding vulnerable children,
corporate parenting, local education authority, skills and
apprenticeships, Strategy for Young People (post 16) who
are not in Employment or Training, skills and work
Lead Member for Lead member on Salford Children and Young People’s
Children's and Young Trust and Salford Safeguarding Children Board.
People's Services – Education and development part of Starting Life Well
Meetings: Council, Cabinet, Corporate Parenting panel,
Electoral Matters, Workforce Panel
Portfolio includes public health, joint working and service
delivery arrangements with NHS organisations and other
partners, health improvement, Integrated Commissioning
Organisation, provision of services to adults, safeguarding
Lead Member for
vulnerable adults, Strategy for Older People,
Adult Services, Health
personalisation and care, welfare rights and debt advice,
and Wellbeing
policy on Refugees and Asylum Seekers
Meetings: Council, Cabinet, Electoral Matters
Portfolio includes Human Resources and Organisational
Development Strategies, Equalities and Cohesion
Strategies (in consultation with the Strategic Deputy City
Mayor), performance management, development of
Lead Member for relations with the University of Salford, ICT and Change
Workforce and management strategy
Industrial Relations,
Meetings: Council, Cabinet, Corporate Parenting panel,
Electoral Matters committee, Employers’ Forum,
Workforce panel
Executive support
4.18 The Executive support functions working with the lead members are as follows:
· Executive support for Education and Learning
· Executive support for Culture, Leisure and Sport
· Executive support for Transport
· Executive support for Social Care and Mental Health – GM Housing, Planning
and Environment Overview and Scrutiny Committee
22Council size submission May 2018
4.19 The City Mayor delegates authority in particular areas to the cabinet members (Table
2) and expenditure decisions up to specified amounts.6 The City Mayor delegates
authority within the responsibility areas outlined for expenditure decisions up to
£350,000 and in some cases up to £1Million as outlined in the scheme of delegation.
If for any reason the City Mayor is unable to act, either Deputy City Mayor may act in
his place, on all areas of policy, responsibilities and all other matters as required.
4.20 Decisions can be made by the City Mayor, Deputy City Mayor, Strategic Assistant
Mayors, Executive Lead Members, the City Mayor's Cabinet, full council and Chief
Officers. All decisions are recorded and decision notices are published.
4.21 When ‘key’ decisions are to be discussed or made, these are published in the
Council’s forward plan in so far as they can be anticipated. If these key decisions are
to be discussed with council officers at a meeting, this will generally be open to the
public to attend, other than where personal or confidential matters are being
discussed. The elected City Mayor, members of the Cabinet and Chief Officers have
to make decisions which are in line with the Council’s overall policies and budget. If
the elected City Mayor, members of the Cabinet or Chief Officers wish to make a
decision which is outside the budget or policy framework, this must be referred to the
Council as a whole to decide (except in the case of urgency).7
4.22 Table 2 set out of the Council committee meetings and GM meetings that the lead
members are required to attend. However, it does not include the many other
internal meetings that all councillors, but particularly lead members, must also
attend. Table 3 presents the survey results and shows the significant demands that
are placed on the lead member as a result of attending and preparing for different
meeting.
Table 3 - Proportion of Councillors spending over 15 hours per month on an activity
Cabinet Non-
Member Cabinet
(inc. Exec Member
Support)
Attendance at Council Committees e.g. 69% 53%
Scrutiny, Licensing etc.
Attendance at other Council meetings 62% 41%
Attendance at external meetings (non-GM) 23% 16%
where you have been appointed a
representative by the Council
Attendance at external meetings supporting 31% 3%
the GM agenda
Preparing for meetings 38% 25%
6 City Mayor’s Scheme of Executive Delegation December 2016
7 Salford City Council Constitution
23Council size submission May 2018
4.23 The results of the survey and the journals demonstrated that the role of Lead
Member places significant demands on member’s time. In Salford, the Lead
Member is required to take an active role within their portfolio, providing a proactive
steer to officers, rather than responding reactively to issues as they arise. This
requires that the Lead Member works closely with the officers that fall within their
remit and spend considerable time researching the topic areas to ensure that they
are proficient in carrying out their duties.
“The responsibilities on me as lead member for children and young people have
meant I have had to increase the time spent preparing for meetings and in
meetings, as I try to engage more”
“Change of role to Lead Member which involves at least 3 meetings per day on
average; more reading of reports/articles; more emails; more casework; more
workshops and conferences; more events to attend”
4.24 The Lead Member will also chair many partnership meetings and have significant
involvement in decisions being made across the city. For example, the Lead Member
for Adult Services, Health and Wellbeing provided the following overview of the
duties that fall under their role as Lead Member –
· Advise/assist the City Mayor in the exercise of his functions
· Lead on the discharge of the council’s functions in relation to public health
and oversee the joint working on public health
· Lead on the discharge of the council’s function in relation to health
improvement
· Lead on behalf of the council on the pooled budget arrangements with NHS
Salford Clinical Commissioning Group
· Lead on the council’s duties delegated under a Section 75 to Salford Royal
Foundation Trust
· Lead on behalf of the council the contractual arrangements for the Integrated
Care Organisation , jointly held with NHS Salford Clinical Commissioning
Group
· Oversee on behalf of the council and with partners the development and
implementation of the Service Plan for Adults and Older People which
includes key commissioning strategies for Mental Health, Learning Disability,
Carers, Health and Housing
· Ensure a strategic approach to services for adults provided by the council, to
promote well-being, prevent social exclusion and protect vulnerable adults,
with a focus on safeguarding vulnerable adults and the promotion of high
standards of services for adults with social care needs across all agencies
· Oversee on behalf of the council the development and implementation of the
Age Friendly City
· With the Deputy City Mayor, oversee the council’s delivery of Welfare Rights
and Debt Advice Services.
24Council size submission May 2018
The role of lead member for Lead Member for Adult Services, Health and
Wellbeing is also required to attend all of the following meetings:
· Workforce Panel · Health Protection Forum
· Health and Wellbeing Board · Salford Air Quality and Carbon
Reduction Board
· Population Health Advisory · Salford Strategic Estates Group
Board
· ICJC · Health and Wellbeing Steering
Group
· Integrated Care Advisory · Salford Locality Leader’s
Board Meeting
· GM Adult Social Care Portfolio
Leads/ Transformation
The Role of a Councillor
4.25 Councillors are elected to represent the people of Salford. As a member of the
Council, he or she has to consider not just the interests of the local community but
also what is in the best interests of Salford as a whole. Councillors represent their
ward constituents at council meetings, and all councillors have advice bureaux which
enable ward constituents to make their views known. Many arrange regular
opportunities for local residents to meet them and discuss any areas of concern.
This is discussed further in section 6 (Representational Role of Councillors).
4.26 Experienced councillors who have served for over 10 years make up 40% of the
council, a fifth have been in office for more than 20 years and another fifth between
10 and 20 years. Just under a quarter (23%) have been councillors for between 5
and 10 years with just over a fifth (22%) in office for 2- 5 years. Nine new councillors
(15%) were elected in 2017 and 2018.
4.27 There were around 100 candidates standing in each of the local elections in 2015,
2016 and 2018, an average of 5 per ward, and by-elections (in 2017) have attracted
5-6 candidates per ward, demonstrating that the Council is able to attract candidates
wishing to stand for election. In 2018, Labour, Conservatives and Liberal Democrats
represented 100% of wards, Green party (90%) and UKIP represented 60% of
wards. There were also a number of other independent candidates and candidates
from smaller parties.
4.28 As was shown in Table 3 in the previous section, although the demands on time are
much greater for Lead Members, the demands on a non-cabinet member’s time is
also significant. The survey results reported that non-cabinet members sit on an
average of five different committees, ranging from two to nine.
25Council size submission May 2018
4.29 Of the 45 councillors who responded to the question, 37 (82%) said that the time
they spend on council business is greater than they had expected before they
became a councillor. When asked if the amount of time spent on council business
had changed over recent years, 35 people said that it had increased.
4.30 When asked what they felt the reasons were for the increased workload, many
referred to the impact of austerity on the functioning of the Council. There have been
significant reductions in the numbers of officers working for the Council, which has
had a considerable impact on the councillor’s workload, with less officer and
administrative support available to councillors.
“Much more meetings on budgets and cutting staffing and services. Difficult
decisions on a weekly basis.”
“Less support from officers as they have been made redundant”
4.31 Other responses raised issues of the impact of austerity on the Salford population,
and the increased accessibility of councillors, which is discussed in more detail in
Section 6 (Representational Role of Councillors).
4.32 The Council also has representatives on many public bodies such as the Fire and
Civil Defence Authority and Transport for Greater Manchester. As the Council is part
of the Greater Manchester Combined Authority (GMCA) there is a demand on
councillors to attend meetings of GMCA to represent Salford. Many councillors are
also appointed to represent Salford's interests in organisations ranging from local
voluntary groups to the body responsible for planning at a regional level, for example
being trustee of the Working Class Movement library.
4.33 There is a cross party Member Development Group, involving nine members, which
meets several times a year to agree the training required for Members. Members are
also invited to two Policy Forums each year, held in June and December, to discuss
a variety of policy issues. It is a mandatory requirement for members who sit on the
Planning & Transportation Regulatory Panel and the Licensing Panel, to attend a
training session for the relevant panel before they have voting rights. There is
mandatory Member training in respect of Standards, the member Code of Conduct
and engagement with the public. An annual refresh is required to take account of the
new requirements imposed by instant communications and social media.
4.34 Salford is developing the role of the 21st Century Councillor, to ensure that
councillors are able to address new and emerging demands (see 7.21).
4.35 Councillors are also part of a political party with most belonging to the Labour party
(44 plus the City Mayor), plus members of the combined Labour and Co-operative
Party (5), or Conservative party (9). There are also two independent councillors.
Councillors in Labour or Conservative parties attend political meetings which are
held fortnightly or monthly.
4.36 Councillors are required to spend a significant amount of time on party work; 38% of
councillors reported that they spend over 15 hours each month on party business,
and 24% reported that they spend over 20 hours per month.
26Council size submission May 2018
Regulatory Panels and Other Committees
4.37 The Council appoints the panels and committees set out below to discharge non-
executive functions.8
Table 4 - Salford City Council Panels and Committees
Committee Members Meetings per Duration of
year meeting
Licensing and Safety Regulatory 15 11 2hrs
Panel
Planning and Transportation 15 19 5.5hrs
Regulatory Panel
Electoral Matters Committee All 6 2hrs
Members
Workforce Panel (All Cabinet 11 12 0.5 – 1 hr
Members)
Employers’ Forum 15 12 7hrs
Audit and Accounts Committee 8 5 2.5hrs
Health and Wellbeing Board 6 4 2 hrs
(6 Members - one of which is a
co-chair. 1 conservative, 4
labour plus the Lead Member
(Labour))
Standards Committee 10 3 times per 2 hrs
year (plus
additional for
investigations)
Corporate Parenting Panel9. 11 11 2 hrs
Equal Opportunities Forum 13 6 2hrs
Procurement Board 4 fortnightly 1.5hr
Integrated Health and Social 6 9 3hrs
Care Commissioning Joint
Committee
Standing Advisory Council for 5 3 2hrs
Religious Education
Transport Advisory Panel 14 19 1.25hrs
4.38 Some of these panels can place considerable demands on councillor’s time. For
example, the Employers’ Forum meetings are held monthly and usually last for a full
day, with preparation prior to the meeting on top of this.
8Salford City Council’s Constitution
9Report to Council 17 May 2017 Membership of Committees and Panels and the Appointments of
Chairs and Deputy Chairs for the Municipal Year 2017/18
27Council size submission May 2018
4.39 The Council has secured £6.5 million in Section 106 contributions from developers
(the largest in Greater Manchester). The considerable amount of development /
regeneration in the city of Salford has resulted in a large volume of planning
applications and many are complex due to size and /or are controversial meaning
that Members must be involved in determining whether the application can be
approved.
4.40 Salford City Council has agreed to delegate certain non-executive functions to all
Chief Officers of the Council10. These are the Chief Executive and Strategic Directors
plus the Directors of Public Health and of Service Reform. The Assistant Director
Legal and Governance and the Development Director are also considered part of this
group.
4.41 Delegated functions include Human Resources, such as filling posts, dismissal of
employees and dealing with grievances. Officers also have roles as Statutory or
Proper officers such as the Head of Paid Service or Returning Officer.
Greater Manchester and City Partnerships
4.42 Salford is one of ten councils which make up Greater Manchester Combined
Authority (GMCA). The GMCA is run by the first Mayor of GM and the leaders of the
10 councils.
4.43 As one of the ten local authorities of Greater Manchester, Salford has a long and rich
history of working together. This record of co-operation and the creation of the
Greater Manchester Combined Authority in 2011 have helped Salford play a leading
role in the most ambitious programme of devolution in a generation.
4.44 The opportunities that devolution brings for Salford are exciting, and the council is
seizing it with both hands to pioneer new ways of doing things differently. This
includes; leading on the review of services for children across all of GM in
partnership with the Department for Education, the redrafting of the GM Spatial
Planning framework, and working closely having political portfolio lead for housing,
planning and homelessness.
4.45 In total Greater Manchester has gained control of over £8 billion of capital and
revenue budgets in recent years. The GMCA has a long term strategic goal of either
controlling or influencing all public spending decisions that affect Greater
Manchester, which amounts to approximately £23 billion.11
4.46 The Greater Manchester system has some important governance features, which
ensure that individual authority members retain influencing and veto powers, and the
Greater Manchester system should be seen as one that encourages consensus.
4.47 Full responsibility for NHS powers and funding was passed to Greater Manchester in
April 2016. Since that time the following has been achieved:
10 Salford City Council’s constitution
11 Report to September 2017 Overview and Scrutiny Board, Salford City Council
28Council size submission May 2018
· Publication of the GM Strategic Plan for Health and Social care – ‘Taking
Charge’ and the GM Population Health Plan
· Work to transform the acute care system
· Confirmation of a £450m Transformation fund to support this work by
Government. Around half of this money has already been allocated to
programmes of work across GM (including £18.4m for Salford’s Integrated
Care Organisation, and £3.4m for Salford’s population health plan)
· Development of proposals to prepare and support the health and social
care workforce through the changes ahead, as well as rationalise the built
infrastructure and maximise use of digital technology.12
4.48 The business of Greater Manchester Combined Authority calls on the time of the City
Mayor and Deputy City Mayors but also a number of the Lead Members and
Executive Support Members. It expands the boundaries of their role as councillors,
behind the city into the wider city region of Greater Manchester. Councillors outside
the cabinet are also part of some of the Combined Authority groups. Examples of
meetings that Members attend:
· Executive Support for Transport is part of the Transport for Greater
Manchester (TfGM) meetings and sub-committees and devolution has
given TfGM greater powers. Backbench members, one Labour and one
Conservative, are also part of TfGM
· The City Mayor is a member of GMCA and Deputy City Mayor a substitute
member. Both are also member and substitute member of the GM Health
and Social Care Partnership Strategic Partnership Board.
· City Mayor is the Greater Manchester Portfolio lead for Housing, Planning
and Homelessness and the Statutory Deputy City Mayor is Portfolio
Assistant. The Deputy City Mayor is the substitute for the City Mayor.
· City Mayor and Lead Member for Environment and Community Safety are
part of the GM Police and Crime Panel
· The Lead Member for Environment and Community Safety and a Labour
backbench councillor are part of the GM Waste Disposal Authority.
· The Deputy City Mayor is also a member of the GM Standards Committee.
· GM Fire Committee – backbench councillors, one Labour and one
Conservative attend
· GMCA Scrutiny committee – three committees plus a health and social
care committee, attended by five backbench councillors
12 Report to September 2017 Overview and Scrutiny Board
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